Traveling day and night without rest, they soon reached a small county town at the border of Li Du Mansion.

Zhang Yuehui became extremely cautious.

Not only about the surrounding environment, but also about Nanyi.

From the moment they left Li Du Mansion, he was no longer a gambler. He had lost all his chips and was forced to wash his hands of it all. His carefree attitude and detachment had vanished into thin air—he could no longer afford to lose. He had to face each moment with vigilance as if confronting a great enemy.

He knew he had used despicable means to snatch Nanyi to his side. Afraid she might run away, he kept her under constant watch, never leaving her side for a moment.

If he had been shameless and persistent as usual, it wouldn’t have been strange.

But he just buried his head in hurrying along the road, barely even talking to Nanyi.

Having clearly gotten what he wanted, he began avoiding her instead.

Perhaps this wasn’t even a choice made after careful consideration. He had simply found a way in the terrible situation that he felt could give him a moment’s satisfaction.

After that moment passed came the real sea of suffering.

They would stay overnight in this small county town, then set off in three different directions to confuse their pursuers. In such circumstances, they couldn’t possibly stay at inns or taverns—they only found an empty house to rest roughly for the night.

Even in such a cramped place, Zhang Yuehui still stuck closely to Nanyi.

“I’m going to the latrine—are you following me there too?” Nanyi turned around to glare at Zhang Yuehui, amused yet annoyed.

Only then did his footsteps suddenly stop.

“We’re strangers in this place—don’t wander off.” Zhang Yuehui touched his nose, his gaze guiltily looking at his feet.

The implication was: don’t think of escaping, you can’t get away.

Nanyi wanted to clarify something but ultimately remained silent.

She was someone who kept her promises. She knew what a huge price Zhang Yuehui had paid for this exchange. She would repay his kindness. Since she had decided, she would make a clean break with the past. But she also knew how awkward it was for them to suddenly find themselves in this kind of relationship.

He didn’t trust her because he hadn’t taken all of her with him.

Nanyi sighed. She didn’t want to argue with him about anything.

She silently turned and walked into the pitch-black alley. When she returned, she saw Zhang Yuehui waiting there with a lantern.

Seeing her come out, he said nothing, just slowly walked ahead, positioning himself so the candlelight would illuminate the path beneath her feet.

Long, long ago, they had lived in two thatched huts beside the fields. The washhouse was very far from their little dwelling. When they needed to wash up at night, they always had to walk a long, dark path.

Every night, Zhang Yuehui would wait for her with a lamp on the field ridge.

She would emerge with wet hair, water droplets from her hair falling into the field soil, nurturing that season’s flourishing crops.

Then, year after year passed. The crops all died, the fields lay barren, until someone returned saying there would be a bountiful harvest for ten li around this autumn.

So they began plowing and sowing again, bustling about, even though they both knew in their hearts that this barren land could no longer sprout green shoots.

This was another sleepless night.

They both forced themselves to sleep, because the coming days would bring continuous travel. Even if they could evade their pursuers, their bodies might not be able to take it.

But Nanyi was wide awake, countless memories alternately flashing through her mind.

How was Xie Queshan now? He should be safe, right? What exactly was the Nirvana Plan? Was Song Muchuan confident he could succeed?

Would she never see these people again in this lifetime?

And what kind of future could she and Zhang Yuehui reach?

Her mind was in chaos when she suddenly heard the door creak open, footsteps approaching the bedside, and a thick smell of blood mixing into the air.

Zhang Yuehui’s voice came from the darkness.

“Come with me.”

His voice was urgent. Nanyi detected something unusual and quickly threw on her clothes to follow him.

Zhang Yuehui led a horse from the back courtyard. The two of them rode together, leaving silently.

After they had traveled a good distance from the county town, Nanyi finally spoke: “What happened?”

Zhang Yuehui said grimly: “There’s a traitor among my people. Someone wants to sell our whereabouts to the Qi people.”

In that simple sentence, Nanyi tasted desolation.

Human hearts were the most uncontrollable thing—when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

Even though Zhang Yuehui had chosen his most trusted guards for the escort, someone still felt he had lost power and decided to seek a new master.

Or perhaps that traitor had been someone Wanyan Puruo placed beside Zhang Yuehui all along.

Zhang Yuehui was no longer the omnipotent master of the Return Hall surrounded by followers.

Nanyi finally felt the reality of being fugitives. Things were spiraling out of control far faster than they had imagined. On this land, no one could remain unaffected.

At this moment, she suddenly understood completely Xie Queshan’s patience and endurance. He was using his flesh and blood to desperately prevent every worst-case scenario from occurring.

None of them dared beat their chests and claim they had any foolproof strategy in these times.

Under the moonlight, horse hooves traversed the rugged mountain path, the late spring night breeze still carrying a trace of coolness.

Suddenly, a flock of birds burst from the forest, but Zhang Yuehui was too late to rein in the horse. The horse’s legs were tripped by ropes hidden on both sides of the road. With a neigh, both riders were thrown to the ground.

This was a steep slope. The two couldn’t grasp any support and couldn’t control their rolling descent. In the chaos of spinning heaven and earth, Zhang Yuehui held Nanyi tightly in his arms.

Feeling dirt constantly scraping their faces, unable to even open their eyes, they heard a dull thud as Zhang Yuehui’s entire body crashed into an ancient tree, finally stopping their fall.

Zhang Yuehui’s face was in pain, but he made no sound. Immediately after, fires blazed on the slope—their pursuers had found them.

The traitor among the guards led the Qi pursuers to search. They saw tracks in the sandy soil where someone had rolled but found no trace of the two people from the trap.

The dancing firelight illuminated the slope below, revealing a rushing river.

…

Zhang Yuehui and Nanyi had grabbed a floating log and drifted downstream, finding a secluded forest to come ashore.

Nanyi had already climbed to shore, but found Zhang Yuehui clinging to the rocks at the bank, unable to get up.

Nanyi hurriedly pulled him ashore, only then discovering his right leg was positioned at an extremely unnatural angle. He must have taken the force of both their weights when they crashed into the tree, breaking his right leg.

Yet he hadn’t made a sound.

He still tried to stand up, but Nanyi panicked and quickly stopped him.

“Zhang Yuehui, don’t be stubborn!”

“I can walk.” He dragged his injured leg forward. As soon as the words left his mouth, he lost his balance and pitched forward.

He couldn’t stand up anymore.

Nanyi had no choice but to support Zhang Yuehui and find a nearby cave. After settling him, she went out looking for wooden boards. These were survival skills Nanyi had learned through hardship—securing the leg properly would prevent the injury from worsening.

Just as she was about to leave, Zhang Yuehui suddenly grabbed her hand.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m looking for something to help treat your wound.”

Zhang Yuehui seemed very nervous: “How long will you be gone?”

Nanyi was somewhat impatient. How could she know how long it would take? Did she need to report such things too? The words were on her lips when she swallowed them back. When had Zhang Yuehui ever been so anxious about gains and losses?

He truly had nothing left. Though he had taken her away with such swagger, that victorious posture had only lasted a moment. In their current situation, she could abandon him and run away at any time.

He was terrified. He had no confidence she would never leave him.

Nanyi’s attitude finally softened. She gave Zhang Yuehui the dagger from her sleeve, then removed the ring on his thumb that could shoot hidden weapons, trying to reassure him through this exchange of weapons.

“I won’t go far. Even if I don’t find suitable materials, I’ll be back within the time it takes to burn one incense stick.”

Zhang Yuehui relaxed slightly, nodding heavily as he listened to her footsteps fade away.

He sat alone in the damp, dark cave, surrounded by silence like a deep pool. All the emotions he had been gritting his teeth to suppress floated to the surface while only he sank down. Finally left with just his body, he became aware of the tremendous pain from his leg.

Cold sweat beaded densely on his forehead. Zhang Yuehui was in such pain that his features scrunched together.

Days of exhaustion and despair surged up all at once.

But Zhang Yuehui gritted his teeth, refusing to show any weakness. He couldn’t let Nanyi return to see him groaning in pain.

He was the one who had decided to take her on this escape. He didn’t want to admit he had messed up. Even though he had identified the traitor in time, Zhang Yuehui was still a step too late. They couldn’t follow the original route anymore. He had to think of new solutions immediately, but the more urgent he felt, the less he could clear his thoughts. Combined with physical pain, he became somewhat confused.

His body felt alternately hot and cold. He felt like a long time had passed when someone began moving his leg, very gently, but it still caused pain. He drowsily opened his eyes—it was still night.

Nanyi had returned. She had lit a small campfire and knelt beside him, using wooden boards and vines to secure his injured leg.

Her movements were extremely careful and gentle, her gaze cast downward. Her long eyelashes created a shadow that looked like a butterfly resting on her face, its wings trembling with the slight movement of her gaze.

When she inadvertently looked up, the butterfly took flight, disappearing into the darkness.

He quickly closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

Nanyi didn’t notice, thinking he was still awake: “Zhang Yuehui, try moving it—is it secure?”

Seeing Zhang Yuehui completely still, Nanyi called nervously: “Zhang Yuehui?”

She pushed him, and he let his head fall onto her shoulder.

Acting too much like a dead person, Nanyi actually sensed something wrong—could breaking a leg really cost his life?

She pushed him back: “Stop pretending!”

She glared at him in feigned anger, but saw Zhang Yuehui completely unashamed, opening a pair of pitiful peach blossom eyes to look at her pleadingly.

“Nanyi, if I can’t make it, don’t worry about me. Go by yourself. If you still have any gratitude toward me… bury me somewhere with beautiful mountains and clear waters. Consider it fulfilling the past affection between us.”

Nanyi was both amused and exasperated. Cunning Zhang Yuehui—when being tough didn’t work, now he was trying the soft approach. He just wanted to force her to say she wouldn’t leave him, didn’t he?

Nanyi couldn’t be bothered with him. She lowered her head to continue wrapping vines around the wooden board, tying a knot. Then she picked up a selected branch, carved off the thorns to make a temporary crutch, and stuffed it into Zhang Yuehui’s hands.

“Get up. Let’s go.”

Nanyi gave the order without room for argument. Zhang Yuehui was now just a pitiful creature who couldn’t make decisions—how dare he object? He could only try to support himself with the crutch and stand up.

He didn’t want to be a burden, but now he truly couldn’t summon any strength.

Seeing this, Nanyi directly stepped forward to support Zhang Yuehui, carrying him without a moment’s rest away from this place.

Half his body weight pressed on Nanyi, but she said nothing, stubbornly carrying him and walking out of Li Du Mansion’s territory on her own two legs.

In the original plan, the next town had people from Shu waiting to meet them. Once they reached that town, they would be safe.

But Zhang Yuehui grew increasingly irritated.

Because the plan had gone wrong, even a short distance became long and arduous. This journey was full of crises—pursuers behind, uncertain path ahead. How could she not abandon him?

“If you want to leave me behind, I won’t have any complaints.”

“I’m the villain who broke you and Xie Queshan apart. I know you’re being generous not to stab me to death right now.”

“If we can’t continue, forget it. Why am I worth you saving?”

Just like a resentful woman.

Nanyi answered over and over again patiently: no matter what happens, I won’t leave. After answering to the end, she finally lost patience.

“Zhang Yuehui, what’s wrong with you?”

He still looked at her with that resentful yet affectionate gaze: “I just want to be with you so much.”

“Bullshit!” Nanyi finally couldn’t stand it anymore. She had to cure this melodramatic weirdo who said one thing but meant another. “Did you really make this decision because you love me? Dare you say there wasn’t any other reason mixed in?”

Zhang Yuehui was speechless, as if his facade had been stripped away. His whole face suddenly burned from within.

“I don’t care whether it’s because you’re getting revenge on Xie Queshan, or because you had already offended Wanyan Puruo and wanted to find someone to die with as a scapegoat—I don’t care. Since I promised you, I’ll stay by your side. If we’re alive, we live together. If we die, I’ll collect your corpse. Anything else you want to say? I’ll answer all your questions!”

Zhang Yuehui was silent for a long time before bitterly and pitifully uttering a few words: “Nothing more.”

“Then shut up and focus on traveling.”

“…Alright.”