The more people who knew, the more danger Ziqing was in. Setting aside the secret of the lone island entirely, the mere fact of Ziqing’s poison-immune constitution—once fully cultivated into a true body immune to all poisons—would make her essentially unrivaled.
Whether royal houses or martial factions, who wouldn’t covet such a thing? Who wouldn’t want a poison master of that caliber, even a living corpse of one, working in their service?
By the time they made it back to the compound, Situ Haonan was already there, arms crossed, leaning against the doorway, while inside Ziqing and Yelu Qianqian were deep in conversation, clearly enjoying themselves.
It was rare to see Ziqing get along so well with a female friend, and Jun Beiyue’s mood brightened at once. But the moment Situ Haonan spotted him, his face darkened instantly. “Jun Beiyue, you’re a damn poor excuse for a friend!”
“What, can the young lord of Situ City not afford to marry a princess of Xijing?” Jun Beiyue raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t think this young lord doesn’t know what you’re scheming. You’re planning to go to Xijing next year, aren’t you! And now you’re paving the way for it with me!” Situ Haonan said bluntly, not even sparing Jun Beiyue a glance.
Xijing and Da Zhou had been enemies for years now. This time, Jun Beiyue’s assistance to Xijing during the war had been the first step; cultivating goodwill with Yelu Qianqian was the second. If he went to Xijing, with such a naive, warmhearted princess as their host, what couldn’t he and Han Ziqing accomplish?
No profit, no early rising; no cunning, no merchant—Jun Beiyue never wasted words, never wasted effort on anything useless.
“What, worried about that girl’s feelings? This prince isn’t deceiving her—I just want to be friends, that’s all,” Jun Beiyue said with a smile.
Situ Haonan scoffed, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, radiating an air of careless, devil-may-care nonchalance.
Jun Beiyue only smiled and said nothing, striding into the room. Situ Haonan mulled it over for a moment, then spat out the grass and hurried in after him—of course Jun Beiyue wouldn’t invite someone under his own name for no reason.
But the moment they entered, they found Yelu Qianqian just saying her goodbyes to Jun Beiyue. Wasn’t this girl usually glued to his heels? How obedient of her, all of a sudden.
Situ Haonan raised an eyebrow in disbelief, staring at her as if looking at some strange creature.
“What are you looking at? I have to leave first. See you!” Yelu Qianqian said, easygoing as ever—even a clingy shadow could have its moments of easy grace.
Situ Haonan still hadn’t recovered, watching her with deep suspicion.
“See you!” Yelu Qianqian repeated.
Just then, Jun Beiyue spoke up. “Princess Qianqian hasn’t been to Da Zhou before, has she?”
At those words, Situ Haonan’s eyes went wide with alarm. But to his surprise, Yelu Qianqian only laughed. “Ziqing just invited me, actually. Maybe there’ll be a chance later—my father is waiting for me to come home.”
Ziqing let out a faint sigh but said nothing more. She had already tried to persuade her. It was only that Yelu Qianqian carried far too much on her shoulders. Being a princess wasn’t always so easy—sometimes it was harder, more bitter, even than being a prince.
A complicated look flickered through Jun Beiyue’s eyes; he had guessed at least part of the reason and didn’t feel it was his place to press further. Situ Haonan, however, was even more taken aback, blurting out, “Are you all right?”
“Heh heh, well, if you invited me to visit Situ City, this princess might just consider it!” Yelu Qianqian said with a laugh.
Situ Haonan immediately looked like a man trying to dodge a plague, backing away as far as he could. “Situ City’s humble little shrine could never hold a princess like yourself. Your Highness should hurry home instead!”
Tears very nearly welled up in Yelu Qianqian’s eyes, her clear, bright eyes glinting—if you didn’t look closely, you might mistake it for excitement. “It’s fine. This princess happens to like humble little shrines!”
“Please, I’m begging you, all right?” Situ Haonan said with utter sincerity, clasping his hands together in a respectful bow. If his father ever found out he had any sort of connection with Yelu Qianqian, he’d be finished for sure.
“Well now, that depends on how nicely you beg this princess!” Yelu Qianqian said, grinning triumphantly. Ziqing watched in silence, thinking, for the first time in her life, that being a lesser-born daughter didn’t seem so bad after all.
“You…” Situ Haonan was equal parts furious and stifled, genuinely wondering if he’d owed this girl some enormous debt in a past life.
Seeing this, Yelu Qianqian laughed cheerfully. “All right, all right, my father has… urgent matters requiring me back immediately. I won’t be able to make it to Situ City, but come visit Xijing sometime, if you get the chance!”
Only then did Situ Haonan let out a huge sigh of relief.
“All right, I’m off. See you!” Yelu Qianqian waved and headed out, having already bid farewell to Prince Nanzhao earlier. The moment she stepped through the envoy compound’s front gate, she really was leaving.
Ziqing and Beiyue exchanged a faint smile. Situ Haonan’s grin, meanwhile, was especially bright and cheerful. “See you, see you!”
“See you!” Yelu Qianqian repeated once more, clearly reluctant to go, and yet she resolutely turned and walked on.
Just then, Situ Haonan suddenly called out, “Wait!”
The dim light in Yelu Qianqian’s eyes instantly brightened, as if she’d lit up from within, radiant. She spun around at once—only to find herself face to face with the necklace dangling from Situ Haonan’s hand.
It was the only thing her mother had left her—a necklace strung with a wild wolf’s fang. Her mother had told her she must wear it to her wedding, must give it to her husband, for the marriage to truly count.
To convince Situ Haonan to go hunting with her, and to guarantee she wouldn’t pester him afterward, she had pawned it to him—truthfully, she’d never planned on getting it back.
Going home to Xijing meant only being sent off to Xiliang as a decorative bride, not to a marriage of any real meaning. She didn’t even want this necklace for that.
“Here, take this back—wouldn’t want you clinging to him just because you can’t get married,” Situ Haonan said with complete sincerity, treating the necklace like a hot potato as he pressed it into Yelu Qianqian’s hand.
Yelu Qianqian’s nose stung, yet somehow she still managed to smile. She didn’t refuse it—simply took it, murmured a faint “Oh,” and turned to walk away.
That single “Oh” left even Situ Haonan feeling strange, let alone Ziqing and Jun Beiyue, who felt their chests tighten just hearing it.
Situ Haonan unconsciously glanced back at Jun Beiyue and Ziqing, and by the time he looked forward again, Yelu Qianqian was already gone through the gate.
“So… so… Beiyue, when are we leaving?” Situ Haonan asked.
“Anytime is fine. I’ve already said my farewells to Prince Nanzhao,” Jun Beiyue said mildly. Prince Nanzhao had, of course, wanted to see them off personally, but Jun Beiyue had politely declined.
“Then… let’s head out. My father says he’s going to Liuxian Island in the twelfth month—are you two going as well?”
“Of course we’re going. But first, we need to head back to the palace to pay our respects to Consort Yi,” Jun Beiyue said, his smile carrying an unmistakable edge of meaning.
That evening, the group set out for their journey back to Da Zhou. Ziqing never asked a single question about Shiliang—someone she had driven away would, from that day forward, be nothing but an enemy; there would be no room left for old affection.
And Jun Beiyue never sent Yingzi to search for Shiliang either. As for what exactly was on his mind, Yingzi didn’t dare to guess, and wouldn’t have dared even if he could.
Meanwhile, at that very moment, Shiliang was being dragged along by the man in black, heading toward a place she had once been before. Once she’d calmed down enough to notice, she realized the hands gripping her were wrinkled and calloused—their owner had to be quite advanced in years. Who could he possibly be?