The tension that had been building finally eased as Xia Jingshi approached under the protection of the cavalry general. Xiao Weiran rushed forward, bowing deeply before Xia Jingshi. “Your Highness…” Before he could finish, Xia Jingshi helped him up, saying, “Rise—your wound…”

“I’m fine as long as Your Highness is safe,” Xiao Weiran replied, his voice a mix of joy and excitement. He glanced instinctively at the officers behind Xia Jingshi, his expression changing as he exclaimed, “Your Highness, why are there only these few? Where are Yi Xiao and Ning Fei?”

“Yi Xiao is with Feng Suige,” Xia Jingshi explained. “As for Ning Fei, due to a shortage of horses, he left the Holy City with some of our brothers separately. The Guardian General has sent out cavalry to search for them. We should have news within days.” He then turned to the Lucheng soldiers gathering around them. “Thank you all for your hard work…”

A wounded soldier, hastily adjusting the bandage on his head, ran over just in time to hear the last sentence. Wiping away the blood trickling from his forehead to the corner of his eye, he shouted, “Your Highness, no need for thanks! Just say the word, and we’ll flatten not just the Holy City, but even Su Sha for you!” His words sparked laughter among the crowd, and even Xia Jingshi couldn’t help but smile. “Before flattening anything, we need to tend to your wounds first. Have all the injured brothers received treatment?”

“Yes,” Xiao Weiran hesitated, his voice strained. “But some were too severely wounded and have passed. A few others might not make it through the night…” Seeing Xia Jingshi’s somber expression, he tactfully changed the subject. “Your Highness, how did the cavalry come to be here? Judging by their banner, were they summoned by the Guardian General?”

Xia Jingshi seemed lost in thought for a moment before nodding. “You could say that. Weiran, I need you to do something for me—when Yi Xiao and Feng Suige return from the mountain, lead everyone to the nearest town. Get the wounded to physicians as quickly as possible…”

Xiao Weiran asked in surprise, “Won’t Your Highness be coming with us?”

“No,” Xia Jingshi cast a complex glance towards the distant purple hues. “There are some matters I need to settle. After that, for better or worse, it will be up to fate!”

The clear sky of the morning had given way to gathering rain clouds by afternoon. Xiao Weiran, having visited all the wounded soldiers, emerged from the last makeshift medical tent. His gaze suddenly fixed on a distant point, and after a moment’s hesitation, he walked in that direction.

A slightly red maple tree, once the sole adornment of this simple courtyard, now had a solitary red figure beneath it. Xiao Weiran approached quietly, calling softly, “Yi Xiao?”

“Ah, Weiran,” Yi Xiao, who had been crouching under the tree digging with a hairpin, jumped up startled. After a brief pause, she nodded toward the medical tents. “How are they?”

“Some are worse than others, but they’re all recovering,” Xiao Weiran answered with a smile.

“That’s good,” Yi Xiao smiled, haphazardly trying to insert the dirt-covered hairpin back into her hair.

As she let out a small cry, Xiao Weiran swiftly took the hairpin, carefully wiped it clean, and handed it back to her, gently chiding, “You’re a grown woman now, how can you still be so messy?”

“I like it that way, is that not allowed?” Yi Xiao bared her teeth at him defiantly. Xiao Weiran immediately glared back. They faced off for a moment before bursting into laughter together.

Xiao Weiran’s laughter turned into a cough, and he waved off Yi Xiao’s attempt to pat his back. “It’s been so long since we’ve bantered like this. I’ve missed it.”

“Yes, it has been a long time,” Yi Xiao’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. “It feels like a lifetime ago.”

“Have you thought about the future?” Xiao Weiran suddenly asked.

Yi Xiao looked puzzled. “What future?”

“Feng Xi Yang might not make it,” Xiao Weiran said calmly. “If she dies, is there a chance you’d return to His Highness’s side—or do you still want to stay in Su Sha?”

Yi Xiao’s smile faded. After a long hesitation, she said softly, “Weiran, do you know? Feng Xi Yang’s sword wound… I caused it.” Seeing Xiao Weiran’s eyes widen in surprise, she hurriedly added, “But it wasn’t intentional. I was trying to force the Holy Emperor back up the mountain. I didn’t expect him to suddenly push Feng Xi Yang towards me…”

After a long silence, Xiao Weiran’s eyes deepened with thought. “You seem to care a great deal about Feng Suige.”

“It’s not entirely that,” Yi Xiao struggled to explain. “I just feel that if Feng Xi Yang dies, he might be in a difficult position. He’s been very kind to me, always protecting me when the King targeted me. But Xi Yang is his most beloved sister…”

Xiao Weiran frowned slightly. “Has Feng Suige said anything to you?”

“No,” Yi Xiao glanced at him quickly. “He hasn’t said anything.”

“Yi Xiao, I thought we’ve always been honest with each other,” Xiao Weiran’s tone sharpened as he stared intently at her. “Or are you just deceiving yourself?”

“Weiran,” Yi Xiao called softly, looking at him pleadingly, but he continued regardless.

“Perhaps ‘care’ isn’t strong enough to describe your feelings for him. So, rather than letting him say it, you’d rather say it yourself for things that can’t be stopped. Is that what you’re thinking?”

“No, I haven’t!” Yi Xiao finally burst out. “I’m just tired. I don’t want to go back there!”

“Yi Xiao,” Xiao Weiran’s eyes changed from clear to deep, “There are tears in your eyes. You never cry.”

Yi Xiao wiped her eyes, her hand coming away wet. She stood stunned for a moment, then her lips quivered as she said plaintively, “I don’t know where I should go in the future. I used to think the world was vast, but now it seems no place can accommodate me.”

“If it’s really as you say, you can come back to Jinxiu,” Xiao Weiran said gently after some thought. “Everyone will take good care of you. We can follow His Highness together, just like before.” As he spoke, his voice seemed to surround Yi Xiao like a tidal wave. “You don’t know how much the brothers miss you—surely you want to see Ning Fei and Xue Ying’s child when it’s born? Come back. Treat everything in Su Sha as if it were a dream. After a few years, you’ll forget everything about Su Sha, and Feng Suige will no longer exist in your life…”

Yi Xiao’s breath caught in her throat until her lungs ached. She finally found her voice, though it was muffled. “Weiran, I don’t think I can go back. You’re right… I might… truly… have fallen in love with him…”

Xiao Weiran listened quietly, a smile slowly forming on his lips. He reached out to wipe away her falling tears and said softly, “You silly girl.”