Though it was already early spring, the ice hadn’t yet melted, and more than half of the eastern coastline of the Longyuan continent remained frozen solid. Once the waters at anchor froze over, ships could neither enter nor leave port.

Jun Beiyue was currently stationed at Shunji Port, the only port in all of Da Zhou that hadn’t frozen over, and also the southernmost port in the entire nation.

That day, he’d raced from the capital like a man possessed, traveling day and night without rest—yet it had taken barely three days to arrive here, only for more than ten days to pass since then with not a single word of news.

After that initial frenzy, he had suddenly gone quiet, sitting alone in silence in a small building beside the port, looking as though he’d fallen ill, having grown thin, so terribly thin, that it broke the heart of anyone who saw him.

Situ Haonan kept watch every single day, desperate for any news of Ziqing at all. He knew that unless word came of Han Ziqing, nothing—no matter how urgent or catastrophic—could rouse Jun Beiyue’s spirits now.

The room sat in silence, a table of food long since gone cold. Jun Beiyue sat alone on the couch, his hands pressed to his lips at some point, staring at the door. Days of wasting away had carved his already lean, handsome face into sharper, more angular lines. He stared in silence, his eyes nearly hollow, like a man who’d lost his very soul—yet deep down, he knew better than anyone that the longer this waiting continued, the greater the danger Ziqing faced.

At this moment, Situ Haonan personally brought in a bowl of hot soup. Though still somewhat fearful in his heart, worried this man might explode in anger and order him away, he steeled his nerve and stepped through the door.

“Hey, pining after her is all well and good, but you’d better eat something eventually. If you collapse, who’s going to find Han Ziqing then?” Situ Haonan said, forcing a lighthearted tone, teasing.

Seeing Jun Beiyue say nothing, he quickly set the food down beside him and sat, urging gently, “No news is good news—at least, for now, it means she’s still somewhere within Da Zhou!”

Only then did Jun Beiyue speak, his voice rough and hoarse. “They didn’t take Ziqing to threaten me. Ziqing has some use to them. She’s in tremendous danger.”

At these words, Situ Haonan’s heart lurched violently—why hadn’t he thought of this himself? Han Ziqing’s constitution was so uniquely special, and there were countless people who coveted it.

“Yaoshun Island… Yaoshun Island…” Jun Beiyue murmured to himself, then suddenly leapt to his feet. “Yaoshun Island!”

They intended to go to Yaoshun Island—not somewhere one could simply sail up to at will. And they still had Xuanyuan Lige in their possession!

Only ships belonging to the Dongqin royal family could reach Yaoshun Island!

“Situ, you hold this port. Jiao Cha is already standing by at the Solitary Island—the moment I give the order, he’s to seal off the northern waters around Yaoshun Island immediately! Not a single Dongqin royal vessel gets through!” Jun Beiyue commanded sharply, already turning to leave!

“Dongqin…” Situ Haonan seemed to grasp something, immediately chasing after him. “Wait, the northern waters of Yaoshun Island are international waters—our fleet can’t match Dongqin’s naval strength there!”

Across the entire Longyuan continent, aside from Nanzhao, no one dared challenge Dongqin at sea, and Dongqin alone had ever fought actual naval battles—having once conquered four separate islands within a mere three months!

“With Jiao Cha there, what are you worried about!” Jun Beiyue retorted. Only then did Situ Haonan suddenly understand, and he asked again, “Where are you headed?”

But just as Jun Beiyue was about to leave, a familiar figure suddenly burst in, several guards chasing close behind. The moment they saw Jun Beiyue, they immediately dropped to their knees in terror. “Prince Yao, spare us, we couldn’t stop Miss Situ!”

The intruder was none other than Situ Xin’er!

Without a word, Situ Haonan immediately stepped forward and grabbed Situ Xin’er’s arm, trying to force her out—but Situ Xin’er suddenly bit down hard on his hand, wrenching free, and rushed straight toward Jun Beiyue, who hadn’t so much as glanced at her and was already trying to walk away. She dropped to her knees before him. “Beiyue-gege, will you forgive me? Xin’er knows she was wrong. Please don’t be so sad anymore, please. Xin’er was just anxious back then, only wanted to help you catch Yanzi—it was my fault, Xin’er admits fault, Xin’er apologizes to you, and when Ziqing-jiejie comes back, Xin’er will apologize to her too, please forgive me!”

She lifted her small face, offering what seemed like genuine remorse, and seeing how gaunt and haggard Beiyue-gege had become, her heart nearly broke!

Did apologizing solve anything?

Stab someone with a fatal blow, then say “I didn’t mean it”—did that solve anything?

Jun Beiyue didn’t listen, didn’t even look at her, and didn’t kick this wretched girl away outright—not out of consideration for the Situ Cheng clan’s dignity, but purely for Situ Haonan’s sake.

He turned to leave, but Situ Xin’er suddenly clung desperately to his legs, pressing herself against him, sobbing loudly. “Beiyue-gege, please forgive Xin’er! When I was little, no matter what I did, you never minded, never got angry! Beiyue-gege, Xin’er has never once apologized to anyone in her entire life! Today Xin’er is apologizing to you, admitting fault—please forgive Xin’er! I beg you!”

She’d never apologized to anyone in her life before—and that was supposed to earn forgiveness?

Jun Beiyue suddenly let out a cold laugh, filled with both bitter heartache and self-mockery. “My Ziqing has never been hurt like this. Never once vanished without a trace, leaving me without word. So perhaps this prince ought to kill you instead?”

More than ten days of silence, and every single one of those days had felt like a knife twisting in his chest!

Whatever had happened to Ziqing’s face—he had no idea. But he knew this much: no matter how strong, how stubborn she was, she would be afraid.

He’d even held back, out of concern for all the watching eyes present, out of concern for her future reputation, deliberately refusing to acknowledge her—she would misunderstand, she would be hurt.

That woman in purple who’d abducted her clearly knew her intimately—there was no doubt she’d come specifically for Ziqing’s poison-immune body. In these ten-odd days, whether Ziqing was even safe, what exactly she might be enduring at this very moment—he had no idea at all!

The desperation gnawed at him so fiercely he wanted to tear the entire world apart just to find out where she was!

The moment Jun Beiyue spoke these words, Situ Xin’er froze completely. This truly was the first time in her life she’d ever apologized—no matter how enormous her mistakes had been before, she had never once apologized for anything. And now Beiyue-gege was saying this—threatening to kill her?

“Beiyue-gege, you—! Wuwu… I already apologized, what more do you want from me! When have I ever apologized to anyone before!” Situ Xin’er stared at Jun Beiyue with wide, tear-filled eyes!

Jun Beiyue simply kicked her away hard. “Stop putting on airs in front of this prince!”

Situ Xin’er stumbled and fell, her face bruised and battered. Suddenly she yanked out a dagger and pressed it against her own throat, sobbing, “Jun Beiyue! If you won’t forgive me, I’ll die right here!”

A death threat? How utterly laughable.

Jun Beiyue paid her no mind whatsoever, striding away in large steps. Meanwhile, Situ Haonan stood off to the side, breathing hard, repeatedly trying to calm himself, until finally he could no longer contain his fury and exploded. “Situ Xin’er, go die! Go die right now!”

Situ Xin’er froze in shock, staring first at Jun Beiyue’s retreating figure, then at her furious brother. “You… you…”

Situ Haonan closed the distance to her in an instant, pressing his foot against the dagger, shouting angrily, “Wasn’t this supposed to be about wanting to die? Go ahead, then! I’m watching!”