When dawn broke, the snow had stopped.

Zheng Hu emerged from his tent bleary-eyed. Seeing Xiao Li sitting before a nearly extinguished campfire, he rubbed his eyes and cried out with an “Aiya”: “My dear mother! Second Brother, have you gone another whole night without sleep?”

This shout drew the attention of Zhang Huai, who had just emerged from his tent. His brow furrowed slightly.

Light stubble had emerged on Xiao Li’s jaw, and his stern face showed slight fatigue. But his eyes were exceptionally sharp and penetrating, like a wild wolf lying in wait for prey all night.

He lifted his foot and brushed away the simple map he’d drawn in the dirt with dead branches, then stood and fastened his arm guards, saying: “Half an hour ago, the scouts returned to report the movements of that barbarian force. Shovel the snow and bury the fire. The Second Battalion will pursue them with me.”

Zheng Hu quickly stepped forward and said, “That won’t do! Second Brother, you’ve barely slept for three days straight—let me go in your place!”

Xiao Li only clapped Zheng Hu once on the shoulder: “Take the Third Battalion brothers back to the garrison to rest and recuperate. After we eliminate that barbarian force, we’ll be able to sleep peacefully afterward.”

But Zheng Hu was still worried. Seeing he couldn’t dissuade Xiao Li, he said, “Then let me accompany Second Brother on this trip. Have the Military Advisor lead the Third Battalion brothers back first!”

Zhang Huai also spoke up: “General Zheng’s words make sense. The barbarians are cunning. If he goes with the Provincial Lord, should they encounter anything, they’ll have someone to rely on.”

After brief consideration, Xiao Li nodded in agreement.

The soldiers below hastily gnawed down two pieces of flatbread, shoveled snow to extinguish the fire, and quickly struck camp.

Xiao Li mounted his warhorse and led his subordinates galloping away. The tassel on one side of his saddle swayed back and forth in the bitter cold wind, transforming into the thin bamboo curtain tassels swaying in the wind before the mountain hermitage window.

Wen Yu sat before the window, holding a game piece in her hand, her expression serene as she placed it on the game board.

The wind stirred the white fur trim at her collar. Her jade-carved countenance seemed for a moment like the icicles hanging from the gray eaves—gaining an air of cool clarity and translucence.

From the artificial rock formation in the courtyard outside, Gongsun Sanniang watched this beautiful scene of a beauty playing chess by the window. She made a “tsk” sound and said to the courtyard gate guard not far away: “She’s been playing chess with herself like this for how many days now—doesn’t she get bored?”

The guard didn’t speak and showed no expression, continuing to stand alert with his weapon, eyes fixed on the area outside the courtyard.

Gongsun Sanniang found it extremely dull. Pursing her lips, she said, “I forgot—you’re all people left behind by that block of wood Song Qin. Every single one of you is also a block of wood.”

Looking up at the sky, as if remembering something, she couldn’t help but mutter: “That handsome young master is the same. The only two times since then, he came at night, didn’t even enter the gate, just stood in the courtyard like a望夫石 望妻石 wife-watching stone for a while, and left without even seeing anyone. I don’t know what he’s traveling all this way for.”

At the end of the small path through the moon gate, a soldier came carrying a food box. Gongsun Sanniang stopped her muttering, lowered her crossed arms, and reached out to take it, saying: “Give it to me.”

A small squad had been left at the mountain hermitage to guard their safety.

Whether Song Qin had specifically instructed something or not, Gongsun Sanniang had grown accustomed over these days to these people being like mutes—unless necessary, they didn’t speak.

She carried the food box, her feet making “crunch crunch” sounds as she walked through the accumulated snow into the courtyard. Before even entering the side chamber door, she called out to Wen Yu sitting by the window: “Madam, I’ve brought your lunch.”

The rice, grain, and vegetables in the hermitage had been prepared in advance—they just needed to cook for themselves. Gongsun Sanniang had checked the stores in the kitchen; there was at least enough to last them another half month.

After Gongsun Sanniang entered the room and set the food box down on the table inside, beginning to take out the dishes one by one, Wen Yu’s gaze never shifted from the game board. She only let out a cool “Mm.”

Gongsun Sanniang looked again at her sitting by the window, her profile seemingly enveloped in a hazy halo of light. She could understand why that young master, even though he only stood in the courtyard for half the night each time, still came to see her.

Such a beauty carved from snow and jade—even she felt dazed looking at her.

As Gongsun Sanniang approached, all of Wen Yu’s attention remained on the game board, as if deep in contemplation about something. Her slender white fingertips held a piece like white jade, not placing it for a long time. Those fingertips were actually even more lustrous than the game piece.

After watching for a while and seeing nothing from the game board where black and white pieces battled each other, Gongsun Sanniang couldn’t help but ask: “What is Madam looking at?”

Wen Yu seemed to finally find where to place the piece. Her two fingers held that white piece and placed it at the intersection on the board. Her dark lashes hung half-lowered, dense and slightly upturned at the ends. Below them, her eyes were deep as a clear pool: “Observing the game, observing the heart.”

And observing this world.

Hearing this, Gongsun Sanniang was slightly stunned. Though she didn’t know Wen Yu’s identity, after these days of observation, she had also perceived the other’s extraordinary bearing. She imagined her status must be quite extraordinary.

She smiled and said as if unintentionally: “I guess Madam’s origins are extraordinary. Those soldiers have set up tight defenses on the mountain—they’re guarding against people searching for Madam, aren’t they?”

Wen Yu placed another black piece on the board and asked an unrelated question: “I hear the heroine is an escort?”

Gongsun Sanniang smiled: “It’s a livelihood that brings in money quickly. After completing this job with Madam, I’ll be able to relax for a while.”

Wen Yu said: “It seems the heroine also wants to descend the mountain soon.”

Gongsun Sanniang stretched lazily and said: “Who wants to be trapped in this godforsaken place? I don’t have Madam’s temperament. These past days, not only has my blade grown rusty, my bones are about to rust along with it.”

Wen Yu said: “If that’s the case, if the heroine sees any white-feathered sparrows in the mountains, could you help me attach a message? This matter won’t be known by others, and I will certainly reward you handsomely.”

The Azure Cloud Guards used not ordinary messenger pigeons for communication, but white-feathered sparrows.

Gongsun Sanniang smiled and declined: “That won’t do. If Madam is willing to patronize my business in the future, Sanniang would be delighted. But this job isn’t finished yet. Sanniang must still uphold the principles and rules of the trade. Otherwise, in the future, this face of mine will have no place in the greenwood.”

Wen Yu said peacefully: “I was presumptuous.”

Gongsun Sanniang scrutinized her for a moment, then suddenly said: “If Madam wants to leave here, it’s quite simple. That handsome young master is clearly infatuated with Madam. Give him some favorable looks, have a brief romantic affair with him, and won’t he listen to whatever Madam says?”

Wen Yu seemed to furrow her brow slightly. Her cool face was like the moon veiled in radiance as she said: “He and I have some misunderstandings. In the past, there may have been some affection, but now his feelings toward me should be mostly resentment and hatred. How could there be infatuation?”

Gongsun Sanniang clicked her tongue and said: “Then this is the first time I’ve seen someone who resents another person yet travels through the deep of night to see them, doesn’t even meet them face to face, just stands outside the room for half the night and leaves again.”

Probably considering that bag of broken gold, and seeing that these two were truly well-matched in appearance, Gongsun Sanniang couldn’t help but continue: “I’ve never had good words for men, but seeing that young master make this trip every few nights like this, I can’t help but feel tired for him. Rather than saying he can’t bring himself to see Madam, it’s more like he doesn’t dare see Madam. Such a handsome young master with a solid build who doesn’t seem like an empty shell—having a romantic affair with him wouldn’t be a loss. Why must Madam be so stubborn?”

The next piece Wen Yu’s fingertips were about to place paused slightly in her hand. Only when placing it on the board did she say: “I’m married, and he has a bright future ahead. There’s no need to be entangled.”

Gongsun Sanniang asked with some regret: “Are Madam and your husband deeply affectionate?”

Wen Yu made no answer.

From her silence, Gongsun Sanniang understood the answer. She immediately made a sound of “Hai” and said: “Then isn’t that settled? That young master, though he looks somewhat fierce, seems quite respectful toward Madam. Is Madam afraid that after being intimate with him, he’ll threaten you in the future?”

She said with an air of being frustrated with Wen Yu’s lack of initiative: “The romantic affairs men have outside—we women can naturally do the same. Madam doesn’t seem like such a rigid person?”

Wen Yu said: “He will eventually marry.”

Gongsun Sanniang thought she couldn’t get past that hurdle in her heart, fearing she would wrong the girl he would marry in the future. She said: “When he gets married, then break it off with him.”

Having said this, she directly sat on the other side of the windowsill with her hands propping her up, using the tone of someone experienced to advise: “Don’t think men are so devoted. When that time truly comes, who knows, he might already be desperately in love with some other lady and won’t continue to pester you. So with men, it’s better to change them regularly to keep things fresh.”

As she spoke, she idly played with the tassels on the bamboo curtain: “In all these years, among the men I’ve known, only that block of wood who follows that handsome young master has decent character. But men like that are also quite vexing—when it comes to matters between men and women, they’re slow as death. Anyone with eyes can see he likes the courtesan lady at Zuihong Pavilion in Yong City, but seeing that she’s surrounded by noble patrons who want to redeem her, he doesn’t dare acknowledge his own feelings. He always says it’s for the sake of some hometown girl that he remains alone. Since he says this, even if that courtesan lady has feelings for him in her heart, she won’t lower herself to wait for him anymore, right?”

The train of thought in the chess game was disrupted. Wen Yu slightly furrowed her brow, placed the black piece back in the bowl, and said flatly: “My things must always remain mine.”

Gongsun Sanniang nearly tumbled headfirst into the snowdrift outside the window.

She barely managed to stabilize herself by gripping the windowsill. Looking again at the person who had gathered her sleeves and begun tidying the chess game, like a divine immortal fairy, she couldn’t manage to squeeze out another word.

What should she say?

This lady who appeared gentle and coolly detached—she had thought she was bound by the three obediences and five constant virtues, which was why she didn’t plan to become entangled with that young master.

Who would have thought her nature was actually quite domineering?

Though the other had spoken those words so calmly, even she inexplicably felt a tremor rise from her spine.

That was no longer the jealous warning between lovers, but rather carried the flavor of a superior staking claim to their possessions.

After coughing several times, Gongsun Sanniang finally said: “Well… what about just looking for some temporary pleasure?”

Wen Yu had already collected the last game piece into the bowl. Her slender five fingers gently closed the bamboo-woven lid as she raised her clear eyes: “Each person has their own aspirations. My aspiration does not lie here.”

Gongsun Sanniang was feeling somewhat puzzled when urgent footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard. Turning her head toward the outside, she saw an armored guard striding quickly over. Upon entering through the moon gate, he clasped his fists and said: “There are abnormalities on the mountain. I must trouble the heroine to take that lady into the cellar to hide.”