The way the person before him pretended to be composed but was actually anxious made Shen Qianyu realize that Song Wan was just an ordinary young lady after all.

His eyes showed warmth. “The mountain isn’t safe. I’ll accompany the young lady by a side path back to the capital. When we reach the city gate, I’ll find someone to bring a carriage.”

Song Wan raised her head, her cheeks flushed as she nodded.

Though the side path was a detour, there were few people around. He did this to avoid her having to show her face publicly.

“Many thanks, Eunuch.”

Shen Qianyu nodded and walked three to five steps ahead of Song Wan.

However, just after turning from the main road onto the mountain path, Song Wan felt things weren’t going well.

Young ladies’ embroidered shoes had thin, soft soles. Since birth, she had never left the inner residence. Even when occasionally visiting other estates or places as a guest, she only walked in gardens paved with white jade tiles. She had never walked on mountain paths like this.

Song Wan never knew mountain paths could be so painful on the feet. The pain caused fine beads of sweat to appear on her face.

“Are you tired?”

Shen Qianyu heard the light and slow footsteps behind him with considerable surprise.

He had never seen anyone walk mountain paths like this.

Her back was straight, her steps slow and measured. Even the walking ornaments and earrings on her head only swayed slightly.

The young lady’s posture was graceful and elegant, delicate and refined—completely incongruous with this desolate mountain wilderness.

Shen Qianyu felt the scene before him was strange, with an inexplicable dissonance.

For some unknown reason, a thought suddenly arose in his heart that a woman like Song Wan was only suited to stay in magnificent embroidery rooms. Once removed from such places of overwhelming wealth and gentle luxury, she would be like a precious flower uprooted from soil, withering and dying.

“Not tired.”

Song Wan smiled gently at Shen Qianyu. Seeing her cheeks and nose tip flushed with weary red, Shen Qianyu couldn’t help but smile faintly.

Knowing her stubborn nature, Shen Qianyu stood aside waiting for her to quietly catch up.

For the remainder of the journey, he slowed his pace, following Song Wan’s rhythm as they slowly walked through the mountains.

What should have been a three or four hour journey back to the city, the two had been walking for an hour and still hadn’t left the desolate mountains.

Shen Qianyu walked slowly ahead, feeling this journey was three times more difficult than traveling from Nanqing back to the capital.

The sky had darkened, and the two had only just reached the foot of the mountain. Because they had taken a detour, they actually hadn’t covered much distance.

Shen Qianyu looked at the pale-faced Song Wan and sighed softly. “There’s a broken-down house ahead. Shall we rest there?”

Song Wan raised her head. “We haven’t reached near the city gate yet?”

Shen Qianyu shook his head without speaking and directly led her toward the dilapidated house.

For aristocratic young ladies like Song Wan, when traveling they always took carriages. Not only that, several old women would follow before and after to attend and serve them. Opportunities for such ‘noble feet treading base ground’ as today were rare indeed.

He knew this wasn’t Song Wan’s fault. He quickly walked to the broken house and removed his outer robe, spreading it on the ground.

“Sit. I’ll go collect some firewood nearby.”

The mountain wind was strong. He was fine, but Song Wan, such a precious and pampered noble daughter—if she sweated and then caught the wind, she would likely collapse. Then he would be in even more trouble.

“Many thanks, Eunuch.”

The young lady’s voice was like a mosquito’s murmur. Shen Qianyu didn’t raise his head, fearing that seeing her embarrassment would make her feel even more mortified.

Leaving the dilapidated wooden house, Shen Qianyu only collected firewood where Song Wan could see him, then quickly returned.

When he came back, he saw Song Wan had already simply cleaned the surroundings. His robe had also been neatly folded and placed aside. Seeing this, Shen Qianyu suddenly smiled.

Aristocratic young ladies—truly living up to their reputation.

“I’ll start a fire first.”

Song Wan watched curiously as he took out a fire starter from his chest and rubbed dry leaves into fine down.

In the past, apart from occasionally seeing maids start fires in the small kitchen, this was the first time she had seen someone start a fire like this.

Shen Qianyu ignited the fine down and casually tossed it into the pile of dry branches before him. Seeing the flames rise, he slowly added more firewood.

As the firelight blazed up, Song Wan sat to the side staring blankly, lost in thought about who knows what. Shen Qianyu glanced over once before shifting his gaze away.

He was lowering his head to add wood to the fire when he suddenly saw a fingernail-sized pearl on the ground.

Frowning, he picked it up. The man examined it carefully, suddenly remembering something, and looked toward Song Wan.

Song Wan was facing sideways, lost in thought. Shen Qianyu scrutinized her from head to toe, and when he saw her exposed embroidered shoes, he suddenly frowned.

“You…”

Shen Qianyu spoke. Song Wan followed his gaze and saw that the embroidered shoes on her feet had long been worn through by the mountain path’s stones.

The moon-white embroidered shoes had unraveled threads around the edges, with reddish-brown bloodstains seeping through.

The bloodstains were dark around the edges and bright red in the center—quite striking to look at.

Though she knew the person before her was a palace eunuch, Song Wan still felt inexplicably shy. She hastily withdrew her feet, covering her toes with her skirt hem.

“Tsk, how can you be so delicate…”

The man stood up helplessly, walked before Song Wan and crouched down. Song Wan shrank back in alarm, but Shen Qianyu gently supported and pulled her back.

“Why didn’t you say you were injured when you can barely walk?”

Though the two had interacted before, they had never been this close as today. Song Wan’s eyes showed unease, her face revealing a trace of timidity.

“What are you dodging?”

Shen Qianyu reached out his hand. Song Wan kept retreating backward.

“What are you afraid of? I’m a eunuch—what could I possibly do to you?”

With her delicate, charming manner, did she want to spend the night on the mountain?

Shen Qianyu crouched with his back to Song Wan. “Get on. If we keep dawdling, we won’t make it back to the capital by the day after tomorrow.”

“Eunuch, there’s no need…”

Shen Qianyu stood up and directly lifted her horizontally in his arms, running quickly down the mountain.

In his opinion, these noble daughters were clever when clever, but truly troublesome too.

Not to mention their hesitant and indecisive behavior, they also didn’t know how to adapt.

Walking a simple mountain path as if walking on a mountain of knives—truly incomprehensible.

The man’s frame was large, yet his steps were exceptionally steady. Song Wan noticed he kept his arms slightly horizontal across his chest, deliberately maintaining distance between them. She felt quite ashamed in her heart.

He had rescued her yet had to take such trouble to care for her—this was truly… mortifying.

Song Wan closed her eyes to avoid dying of shame. Shen Qianyu held her steadily with his arms, moving through the small paths.

After running for who knows how long, Shen Qianyu gradually stopped.

“There are people ahead.”

This area was close to the capital’s outskirts. Yet now there were three to five people holding lanterns, searching for something.

“That’s my elder brother.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes.”

Shen Qianyu set her down. Song Wan said with a red face, “Those lanterns have markings for me and elder brother. He’s come looking for me.”

“The old women from Marquis Chengyang’s residence should have returned to the city early. When they didn’t bring you back, Song Fu would have known.”

It’s just that since she was a woman, it wasn’t appropriate to make a public fuss. He could only send three to five people disguised to investigate discreetly.

“Go find your elder brother. I’ll watch you from here.”

Song Wan nodded and said softly, “Many thanks to Eunuch for the rescue today. If there’s a future opportunity…”

“Let’s not talk about future opportunities between you and me.”

These were the exact same words he had said a few days ago.

Casually straightening Song Wan’s crooked hair ornament, Shen Qianyu said, “Go.”

“I still must thank you, Eunuch.”

Song Wan curtsied to Shen Qianyu with a red face. After paying respects, she slowly walked toward Song Fu.

Seeing Song Wan, the deathly pallor on Song Fu’s face gradually dissipated. He pressed his lips tightly together and stepped forward to support Song Wan. Heng Zhi and Heng Wu also came over crying while holding lanterns.

Both were dressed in servant boy clothing, not daring to call Song Wan’s name or make too much noise.

Having an old woman drive the carriage before Song Wan, Heng Zhi and Heng Wu supported her into the carriage.

As the carriage departed, Song Fu suddenly turned to look in the direction Song Wan had come from. For some reason, he felt Song Wan hadn’t returned alone.

The darkness was silent and soundless. Song Fu frowned slightly before leaving.

He had no idea there was an exhausted Shen Qianyu lying on the ground.

Shen Qianyu was currently sprawled out with his arms spread, gasping for breath. After a very long time, he finally let out a long breath: “Today’s ordeal was no less than going through Dong Chang’s torture chamber…”