The group didn’t dare linger in the city. Taking advantage of the fact that the government soldiers hadn’t yet sealed the city gates, they galloped out of the city on horseback. After running for dozens of li, they finally stopped at a sheltered pavilion along the road.

Even wrapped in a cloak, Wen Yu was still provoked into a fit of coughing by the cold wind.

Cen An dismounted and asked: “Noble Mistress, are you alright?”

The person behind her seemed to want to raise a hand to pat her back, only then realizing that one arm was still wrapped tightly around her waist. Conscious of the impropriety, he somewhat stiffly withdrew his hand and dismounted, retrieving a leather water pouch from the side of the saddle and handing it to her, saying: “There’s hot water inside. Drinking some might make you feel better.”

Seeing this unfamiliar man who had rescued them hand Wen Yu a water flask, Tongque instinctively wanted to find the water flask they had specially designated for Wen Yu’s sole use during their escape. But when she felt at her waist, it was empty—only then did she remember it had probably been left behind at the ruined temple in their hasty escape earlier.

Her lips moved, about to politely decline on Wen Yu’s behalf, when she saw Wen Yu accept the water flask and thank him hoarsely. Then to Cen An she said: “I’m fine. Tongque has an arrow in her leg—her injury needs urgent treatment.”

Tongque quickly shook her head: “I’m fine. They must have coated the arrowhead with anesthetic. Right now my body is just severely numb and I can’t move, but I don’t feel pain.”

In her heart, however, she wondered if the Princess, mindful of their rescuer’s grace and considering these were extraordinary times, felt it improper to refuse.

Those of them from jianghu backgrounds were accustomed to being informal, but she knew the Princess’s status was noble and would never dare let her act like them.

Seeing that Wen Yu showed no intention of uncorking the flask to drink, she became even more convinced her guess was correct and asked: “This brave warrior is…?”

Cen An was taking inventory of the medicines he’d brought from the marketplace. Hearing this, he was about to introduce them when he heard Wen Yu say: “He’s one of our own. He’s also shown me kindness before.”

Xiao Li cupped his fist toward Tongque, his voice cold and sharp: “This humble one is Xiao Li. I once received Lord Zhou’s favor and served as a guard at his household for a time.”

By invoking Zhou Jing’an, Tongque’s doubts immediately lessened considerably. From horseback, she returned the gesture with cupped fists: “I’m called Tongque.”

Having gathered the medicinal materials, Cen An took over the conversation: “When Brother Xiao entered the household as a guard, we had already gone south with the Noble Mistress, so you wouldn’t recognize him. But if I mention the person who single-handedly held back an entire battalion of Huo Kun’s troops when we killed Huo Kun, you should recall.”

Tongque’s face showed astonishment. She cupped her fists toward Xiao Li again: “So you’re that righteous hero. I heard the brothers who went to provide aid mention you when they returned. They all praised Righteous Hero Xiao’s divine prowess.”

Xiao Li only said: “You flatter me.”

The arrow wound in Tongque’s leg required urgent treatment. Cen An helped her dismount and went to the pavilion to treat her injury.

She turned back to Wen Yu: “Noble Mistress, the wind is strong here. It’s more sheltered by the pavilion. Would you like to go sit there?”

Wen Yu nodded, but being ill, even her lips were pale and she lacked the strength to grasp the saddle and jump down herself.

Tongque was about to force her numb body to go help her when she saw the stern young man kneel on one knee and say in the most matter-of-fact tone: “Step on my shoulder to get down.”

Wen Yu hesitated for a moment but finally grasped the saddle and swung her long leg over, using his broad shoulder to step down.

After she stood steady, she looked at the person who, even half-crouched, still possessed an extremely strong sense of presence, and said hoarsely: “Thank you.”

Xiao Li rose, but said: “Just doing my duty.”

Hearing these words, Wen Yu frowned slightly and glanced at him but said nothing.

From that statement, Tongque gathered that Xiao Li also knew Wen Yu’s identity, which put her much more at ease. As Cen An helped her into the pavilion, she asked: “How did Big Brother Cen encounter Righteous Hero Xiao?”

Cen An sighed: “After buying medicine at the marketplace, I heard that government soldiers were heading toward the ruined temple. On my way back, I ran into Brother Xiao who had also gotten wind of it and was heading to the temple. That’s how we managed to seize two horses from the soldiers to rescue you.”

He said somewhat shamefully: “Today we owe much to Brother Xiao. Otherwise, with my strength alone, I fear I would have struggled to protect the Noble Mistress thoroughly.”

Then with some confusion: “But Brother Xiao, how did you happen to be in this place?”

Sitting inside the pavilion, Wen Yu also glanced at Xiao Li.

After helping her into the pavilion, Xiao Li had stood outside holding his blade, gazing at the distant official road in silence like a towering pine. Only now when questioned did he speak: “In Yongzhou, some changes occurred.”

Cen An’s expression also grew heavy: “We’ve already heard about the master’s martyrdom…”

Xiao Li was silent for a moment before saying: “The madam also passed. She died striking her head against the master’s coffin.”

The expressions of everyone in the pavilion changed. Wen Yu frowned and asked: “What happened?”

Xiao Li recounted the events of that day in a pale, calm tone, then added: “On the road, I heard about your attack and followed the soldiers’ movements to track you down.”

Learning that Madam Zhou had refused to suffer humiliation and died striking the coffin, Wen Yu’s eyes turned abruptly cold.

Tongque was so angry her eyes reddened. She pounded the pavilion bench beneath her forcefully, cursing loudly: “A pack of beasts!”

Cen An also felt indignant in his heart, but it was the critical moment for extracting the arrow from Tongque’s leg. He could only say: “Young lady, take it easy. If you damage the meridians, this leg will be crippled in the future.”

Tongque sat in place with contained fury.

Wen Yu looked toward Xiao Li, who remained as silent as ever outside the pavilion, and asked: “What about Auntie?”

After a long pause, Xiao Li finally looked toward the official road at the mountain bend and answered: “Protecting Madam Zhou, she died together under Xing Lie’s blade.”

Wen Yu felt her heart sink even more heavily, and she understood why Xiao Li had become so taciturn.

When they parted in Yongzhou, Xiao Huiniang hadn’t even dared see her off in person for fear of the pain of separation affecting her emotions. Who could have expected this would be their eternal parting?

She had experienced the pain of losing close family and knew that no words of comfort were useful—only revenge could truly vent the great hatred in one’s heart.

Wen Yu looked at that desolate yet upright figure outside the pavilion and said slowly: “I will avenge this blood debt for Madam Zhou and Auntie.”

Xiao Li didn’t mention that he had already killed Xing Lie. He turned back to meet her gaze, his eyes half-lowered like those of a lone wolf, only saying: “I’ll escort you to Southern Chen.”

The small stones on the ground trembled faintly. In the distance, the sound of hoofbeats could vaguely be heard.

After binding Tongque’s leg wound, Cen An pressed his ear to the ground to listen carefully, then his expression turned ugly: “At least forty or fifty riders—must be pursuing soldiers! Let’s go quickly!”

The group hastily fled the pavilion. Since Cen An had to care for Tongque, who had a leg injury and whose numbness hadn’t yet subsided, Wen Yu still shared a horse with Xiao Li.

Just as their horses charged onto the road ahead, cavalry already appeared chasing from the mountain bend in the distance. Seeing them, they shouted: “They’re right ahead—chase them!”

Both Xiao Li and Cen An whipped their horses hard, but after all, they were each carrying two people on one mount. The horses’ endurance gradually failed, and the pursuing soldiers behind kept closing the distance.

Xiao Li glanced back and saw many cavalry still holding bows and arrows. His eyes darkened as he shouted to Cen An: “They have bows—we can’t fall within arrow range!”

Then he reached out a hand to Wen Yu behind him: “Give me your hand.”

When they had mounted earlier in haste, after he’d swung onto the horse’s back, he’d pulled Wen Yu up behind him in one motion.

Now, with the cold wind blowing and her high fever returning, Wen Yu’s head throbbed painfully. When Xiao Li’s voice reached her eardrums torn by the rushing cold wind, she barely made out the meaning of his words and placed her hand in his. She felt the world spin, and she was already pulled across at the waist to the front of the horse, her abdomen braced against the front pommel of the saddle.

Seeming to sense her discomfort, Xiao Li’s strong arm passed under one of her armpits. His other hand grasped her shoulder and lifted, and Wen Yu sat steadily in front of him, just as when they’d left the city.

She was too weak. Even though she tried hard to keep her back straight, when the galloping horse jolted, she still occasionally knocked against the chest of the person behind her.

“Forgive the offense. The soldiers have bows. Within their range, you’d be a sitting target in the back.”

He explained aloud, but because of the close proximity, Wen Yu felt as if his voice was coming directly from his chest, reverberating into her eardrums.

Knowing he meant well, she thanked him hoarsely.

They had just turned a sharp bend when a fork in the road could vaguely be seen ahead. The government soldiers were still behind the mountain bend and hadn’t caught up.

Cen An also moved Tongque to the front of his horse. Looking at the fork ahead, he said: “Our horses are carrying two people each—sooner or later we’ll be caught. Tongque and I are already injured. Staying with the Noble Mistress will only be a burden. Splitting up can draw away some of the soldiers. Brother Xiao, I entrust the Noble Mistress’s safety to you!”

Then looking at Wen Yu: “Noble Mistress, if we still have our lives, we’ll rush to Pingzhou to serve you loyally again.”

With these words, he threw over the packet of cold medicine he’d obtained for Wen Yu, then kicked his horse’s belly hard and galloped toward the right path.

Wen Yu’s heart felt bitter. Of the guards who had traveled south with her, she didn’t know how many had already died along this journey. Gripping Xiao Li’s arm, eyes slightly reddened, she called out: “Guard Cen! Tongque!”

From horseback, Tongque choked out: “Noble Mistress, take care!”

After catching the medicine packet, Xiao Li wordlessly placed it in the bundle at the side of the saddle. Slightly tightening one arm so Wen Yu wouldn’t fall, he pressed his lips together and whipped the horse toward the left path.

Seeing them split up with each protecting a woman, the pursuing soldiers behind didn’t hesitate long before dividing into two groups to continue the chase.

After Xiao Li had ridden several li with Wen Yu and still hadn’t shaken them off, at another mountain bend he pulled hard on the reins to stop. After helping Wen Yu dismount, he took down the bundle from the horse’s back, pulled a hairpin from Wen Yu’s hair, and viciously stabbed it into the horse’s hindquarters. The startled horse neighed and galloped off down the official road again on its front hooves.

He grabbed Wen Yu’s wrist and headed toward the dense forest to the side, saying: “Go!”

Wen Yu knew he was doing this to shake off the pursuing soldiers. She lifted her skirts and did her utmost to keep up with his pace, but being ill made her truly weak. After entering the dense forest, which was completely wild woodland no one had traversed, with continuous steep slopes and soft rotted earth underfoot, she had to step extremely carefully to avoid falling. From time to time, branches scratched her face and caught her hair—it was truly difficult going.

Despite such care, her ankle still scraped against something unknown. The sharp pain made her groan.

Xiao Li turned back to look at her. Wen Yu’s face had paled several shades from pain, but she still said: “It’s nothing—probably just got scratched by a tree branch. Let’s continue.”

Xiao Li glanced at the broken wood growing slantwise nearby and the tear in her skirt hem, said “Don’t move,” picked her up horizontally, and after placing her on somewhat flatter ground, took off his outer robe and spread it on a large moss-covered rock for her to sit on.

Seeing him half-crouch and grasp one of her ankles, Wen Yu’s weakly drooping eyelids trembled. The fingertips hanging at her sides also curled slightly. She tried to pull that foot back with some force but couldn’t break free.

She could only speak hoarsely again: “It really doesn’t matter.”

Among commoners, there weren’t so many restrictions between men and women. After all, poor families might not be able to scrape together a complete set of cloth for the whole household. Many went barefoot through three seasons.

But among aristocratic families, exposing one’s feet to an unrelated man was still considered a breach of propriety, much less being touched by him.

This little scrape—Wen Yu could still endure the pain.

Xiao Li made no sound. Rolling up her trouser leg, he saw that her silk stocking was already stained with a patch of blood.

He frowned slightly and said: “That broken wood was covered in rotted mud. If the wound isn’t cleaned, it could worsen.”

Wen Yu’s eyes showed the fatigue of illness. She clenched her fingertips but ultimately said nothing more.

She silently watched him help her remove the silk stocking. When the fabric rubbed against the scraped wound, the stabbing pain made her breathing quicken slightly. He seemed to sense this. Without raising his eyes, his movements slowed considerably as he said: “Bear with it.”

After removing the stocking, her entire foot was exposed to the icy air, making the sensation of that large, warm palm gripping a section of her ankle all the clearer.

Wen Yu lowered her eyes. Her two hands pressed at her sides somewhat helplessly gripped the outer robe Xiao Li had spread beneath her.

With his other hand, Xiao Li picked up the water flask, bit off the stopper, and carefully rinsed her wound with warm water. His expression was very focused. When his long lashes were half-lowered, they resembled a black crow folding its wings. From this angle, his high nose bridge and refined features were even more prominent.

Wen Yu stared at his profile, slightly lost in thought, until he placed her foot directly on his knee and used his robe to dry the water droplets running down her instep. Only then did she come back to herself, a faint flush appearing on her pale face—fortunately unnoticeable due to her fever. She pulled her foot back, saying: “This won’t do.”

Xiao Li glanced at her, grasped her ankle, and pulled her foot back over, steadily resting it on his knee as he said: “Don’t worry, I wash these clothes frequently. They’re not dirty.”

Wen Yu’s dry, cracked lips pressed together slightly: “That’s not what I meant.”

Xiao Li tore off a piece of his inner garment to wrap around her wound, saying completely unconcerned: “Then there’s no problem.”

After tying it securely, he added: “My mother’s kindness to you—you’ve long since repaid it. Lord Zhou once took me into the household as a guard. Just consider me a guard Lord Zhou sent to escort you south.”

Watching him help her put on her shoes and socks, Wen Yu’s mind was already a chaotic mess from the high fever and headache. Hearing him say this, a voice in her heart still instinctively said: It’s not the same.

Kindness didn’t cease to exist just because it had been repaid.

He was no longer a Zhou household guard, nor had he ever received Zhou Jing’an’s entrustment. Knowing she faced difficulties traveling south and coming all this way to find her—these things couldn’t be equated.

But deeper matters couldn’t be pondered further. After a long silence, she only answered: “Alright.”

Xiao Li looked up and saw the wooden carp pendant hanging at her waist. He smiled faintly and said: “You’ve been wearing it all this time?”

Wen Yu said calmly: “Yes. Didn’t you say it represents a carp leaping over the dragon gate? I wear it as a prayer for blessings.”

Xiao Li said: “Someone of your noble status should wear jade—that would look better.”

Wen Yu looked at him, her sickly appearance like a clear moon reflected in water, and said: “I’ll change to jade in the future.”

Xiao Li nodded slightly, glanced at the sky and said: “After the soldiers discover the wounded horse, they’ll probably search their way back. Taking the main road isn’t safe. We can only cross over this mountain range to avoid them. I’ll carry you on my back. If we don’t make it out of this mountain range before dark to find a household, we’ll need to find a cave to shelter in.”

He bent his knee and half-crouched in front of Wen Yu.

Wen Yu looked at his broad back. Cold wind swept through the mountain forest, and another bout of coughing rose in her throat. She knew that dragging her sick body along, she wouldn’t get far. After a moment of silence, she finally raised her arms around his shoulders and leaned onto his back.

Xiao Li only used his forearms to support behind her knees, with not the slightest impropriety, carrying her with extreme steadiness.

Wen Yu placed all her body weight on his back. Through two layers of not particularly thick clothing, she could clearly feel the taut muscles beneath rising and falling slightly.

But she had no mind for other thoughts. Her head hurt badly, her eyelids felt heavy, her body was very cold, and it felt as if needles were piercing between her bones.

She wearily rested her head on that broad and reassuring back, hazily feeling as if she wasn’t being carried by a person but rather being borne through the dense forest by some fierce beast.

After walking for who knows how long, she felt her body seemed to have become a red-hot coal, her blood boiling and sizzling, her eye sockets aching, her mouth terribly parched.

She vaguely heard someone calling her: “Hanyang, don’t sleep.”

Many people called her Hanyang, yet it also seemed very few. For a moment, Wen Yu couldn’t recall who would use such a tone to call her title.

Her consciousness cleared somewhat hazily during this pondering. When she lifted her heavy eyelids to see a broad back and the other person’s refined profile beaded with sweat, she even found it somewhat amusing in her heart.

Why had this person suddenly started calling her by her title?

From her terribly parched throat came a weary murmur: “I’m not sleeping.”

Though she said this, her eyelids uncontrollably slowly drooped again.

Xiao Li could feel the person on his back burning hot all over, the hand resting on his shoulder also having little strength left. The area of his heart seemed gripped by a large hand, feeling somewhat stifled and painful. He didn’t dare stop for even a moment, looking ahead and continuing to talk to Wen Yu: “I listened to you and studied characters properly.”

After a long while, the person behind him finally spoke weakly: “It’s good that you learned to read. Which characters do you recognize now?”

The wind made the leaves in the forest rustle loudly. Xiao Li said: “On the map, from Yongzhou to Pingzhou, I recognize the name of every commandery and county along each route.”

The person on his back, lying on his shoulder with muddled consciousness, asked: “Did you memorize the Thousand Character Classic?”

A drop of sweat trickled down from Xiao Li’s jaw. He said: “I learned character by character following the map.”

The person on his back murmured: “Such a foolish way to learn characters. Why would you learn characters from a map…”

The sound of wind grew increasingly clamorous. Xiao Li echoed: “Yes, very foolish.”

He rushed onward for a long distance. The person behind him made no more sound, seeming to have fallen unconscious again. He called out once more: “Hanyang.”

From behind came only an extremely weak: “Mm?”

Xiao Li turned his head as if wanting to see how she was, but turning his head he only felt his cheek brush past her slightly cool temple hair.

The sound of wind stopped.

Feeling that weight pressing on his back like a damp cloud, he said: “In the future, when you have a jade fish pendant, keep this wooden one too, alright?”