On this snowy night when all things withered, the mountain inn had no guests either. The innkeeper was preparing to close up for the night when a woman entered.

The woman was wrapped in a cloak that was obviously ill-fitting, her entire body covered tightly. She threw two silver coins onto the counter.

“Innkeeper, prepare me a guest room, clean clothes, and wound medicine.”

The innkeeper collected the silver and gave Nanyi an extra look, curiously asking, “Miss, did you encounter the Qi people?”

Nanyi looked up in surprise: “How did you know?”

“Haven’t you heard yet, miss? Li Du Mansion surrendered without a fight. The prefect opened the city gates wide to let the Qi soldiers enter the city. Many Qi soldiers have also come to Tiger Crouching Mountain—who knows what they’re up to, but it’s got everyone in a panic. You must be extremely careful in the coming days. If you can avoid going out, don’t.”

Nanyi nodded with lingering fear and turned to go upstairs.

The innkeeper sighed: “These times are getting more and more chaotic.”

No matter how chaotic it was outside, tonight Nanyi could finally take a hot bath and tend to the wounds on her body.

After washing away all her dishevelment, she lay spread-eagle on the warm, soft bed, greedily occupying every inch of space on it.

This was her first time staying at an inn in months—the wonderful feeling went without saying. The last traces of uneasiness and fear in her heart about stealing someone’s pouch were overwhelmed by the pervasive comfort of this moment.

She thought optimistically that it was just a pouch, after all. That gentleman looked wealthy—surely losing it wouldn’t matter much to him.

She thanked that gentleman for giving her this moment of shelter. This guest room was exactly the place she had dreamed of. All along, she had desperately wanted to live under a roof that could shield her from wind and rain, so she wouldn’t have to wander anymore. Under the candlelight, Nanyi examined the bracelet on her wrist. She firmly believed that once she saw Zhang Yuehui, she would be able to have such a life.

In these chaotic times with nowhere to go and no relatives to depend on, this was the only thing she could believe in.

Nanyi covered herself with the quilt and fell asleep. Tonight, she should be able to have sweet dreams.

…

At dawn, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, urgent knocking came from outside the inn.

The innkeeper groggily threw on clothes and went to open the door. Outside stood a noble-looking gentleman with snow on his shoulders and eyebrows cold as frost.

“Have you seen a girl? Not tall, wearing an ill-fitting cloak, with injuries on her body.”

The innkeeper was stunned. He obviously remembered such a girl—she had seemed somewhat strange. He hesitated whether to tell this gentleman.

The innkeeper raised the oil lamp in his hand, wanting to see more clearly. Only then did he notice a Qi soldier standing behind this gentleman, obviously his subordinate.

This strange combination of a Central Plains person as leader with a Qi person as subordinate was something he instinctively knew not to provoke.

“Sir… please follow me.”

The innkeeper didn’t want to make trouble and attract a search, which would be problematic. So he turned and led Xie Queshan upstairs, opening the door to Nanyi’s room.

But the room was empty.

Xie Queshan lifted the quilt and felt it—the bedding was still warm. The person had just left not long ago. He instructed He Ping behind him.

“Immediately go to the camp and deploy troops to search. This person must be found.”

He Ping paused. He hadn’t expected a mere thief to be worth so much manpower to search for, but the young master was always strategic—surely there was something important in that pouch that couldn’t be delayed for a moment.

“Yes!”

He Ping immediately rushed out of the inn.

Nanyi, her soul barely settled from fright, jumped out the window and fled to the back courtyard seeking a hiding place, cursing inwardly—it was just a pouch! Was it necessary for him to come looking before dawn even broke?

Fortunately, she was accustomed to sleeping rough and was naturally alert. Hearing the slightest disturbance outside, she immediately woke up. Through the door crack, she saw it was the gentleman from the boat and immediately understood why he had come. So she jumped out the window and ran, narrowly escaping disaster.

But why was there a Qi person following behind that gentleman? He was clearly from the Central Plains… What could his identity be? Why was he so determined to retrieve the pouch… Could there be something important in it?

This thought flashed by as Nanyi spotted a well in the courtyard with its cover slightly ajar. She followed the rope down into the well to hide for a moment.

Unexpectedly, this was a dry well. The bottom wasn’t deep, so Nanyi simply let go of the rope and jumped down. Just as she was about to explore the depths of the well bottom, she suddenly felt a cold, sharp blade pressed against her neck.

Nanyi’s body stiffened, and her movements froze.

“Don’t make a sound.” A man’s voice came.

At the bottom of the well was an underground river, but the water had dried up, revealing a riverbed polished smooth by rushing water. On the rock wall beside the riverbed sat a weak candle lamp.

Pressing against the blade, Nanyi slowly turned her face. In the dim firelight, she finally saw clearly the man who had suddenly appeared at the bottom of the well.

He had a huge wound on his chest that, though bandaged, was still seeping blood. He seemed seriously injured. His face looked very pale, and the hand holding the dagger was trembling slightly.

“Someone outside is chasing me. I just want to hide for a while… I beg you, sir, to shelter me for a moment.”

Pang Yu looked Nanyi up and down. Such a young girl was indeed unlikely to arouse suspicion. He slowly withdrew his dagger.

“Who’s chasing you?”

Nanyi hesitated, feeling there was no need to explain everything to a stranger. Remembering that a Qi soldier had accompanied that gentleman upstairs, she chose the key point: “The Qi people.”

Unexpectedly, upon hearing these two words, Pang Yu immediately became tense, using what strength he had to climb up and look out of the well.

The inn’s courtyard was already brightly lit, and Qi soldiers had quickly arrived to surround the place. Standing in the center of the Qi people was none other than Xie Queshan.

Pang Yu retreated back down, looking at Nanyi with a very serious expression, his tone urgent: “You’ve provoked Xie Queshan? Who are you?”

Nanyi was completely bewildered: “Who is Xie Queshan?”

“That Central Plains person among the Qi people!”

Nanyi remembered that at the ferry, when she emerged from the water, those Qi soldiers had fled in panic. At the time, she had assumed the gentleman had some martial skills and had driven them away, but now she had a vague and absurd suspicion.

“Why can he command Qi soldiers?”

“Do you really not know who Xie Queshan is?”

Nanyi honestly shook her head.

“Then do you know about the Jingchun Incident?”

“I have heard of that. On the spring equinox of the twenty-second year of Yongkang, because a traitorous general surrendered, the Qi people easily broke through Youdu Prefecture—” Nanyi realized, “It couldn’t be…”

A faint hatred appeared on Pang Yu’s face, but his innate cultivation made him control his tone well: “Yes, Xie Queshan was originally a minister of the Yu Dynasty, but he betrayed his country and surrendered to the Qi people, causing the fall of Youdu Prefecture and Zhaoqu Pass. The court was humiliated into ceding territory for peace, using massive annual tributes to buy a few years of peace. Now he is a trusted minister of Grand Chancellor Han Xianwang of Great Qi, serving the Qi people faithfully. His appearance here is specifically to come south and hunt down Prince Ling’an.”

Nanyi was somewhat dazed—how many lives of his own people would a Yu Dynasty person have to sacrifice to stand out among the Qi people and climb to high positions? He must have vicious methods for dealing with his own people. Falling into his hands would definitely not end well.

At this thought, Nanyi’s face immediately turned deathly pale.

“How exactly did you provoke him?!” Pang Yu questioned Nanyi sternly again. “If you don’t tell me, we’ll both die here, and moreover, we’ll die without intact corpses.”

Nanyi didn’t dare lie anymore and answered honestly: “I stole his pouch.”

Pang Yu was stunned: “Just a pouch? Xie Queshan wouldn’t… Where’s the pouch? Let me see it.”

Nanyi handed over the pouch. Pang Yu quickly opened it. Inside, there were indeed more than just a few silver ingots—there was also a rolled silk letter. The silk letter looked inconspicuous, only as long as a finger joint, but when unrolled it was a span wide.

Pang Yu glanced at the characters on the silk letter and his face changed dramatically. Seeing this, Nanyi also leaned over to look. The characters were neat, but she couldn’t understand a single word. Before she could examine it further, Pang Yu immediately rolled the silk letter into his palm, his expression very strange.

Nanyi instinctively felt the contents of this pouch were of great significance and began to be on guard: “Who are you? Why are you hiding here injured? Don’t tell me you’re also hiding from Qi soldiers? I can just return this pouch to that Xie Queshan—I won’t necessarily lose my life. Don’t drag me down with you.”

“Xie Queshan is cruel and ruthless, someone who must have revenge for the smallest grievance. Do you think he would show any mercy to a petty thief?”

Nanyi couldn’t refute this. She remembered at the ferry when she pleaded with Xie Queshan to save her, there wasn’t a trace of normal human sympathy on his face. She knew this man was right.

“Come with me.”

Pang Yu put on his outer robe and, without allowing any argument, walked along the riverbed toward the depths.

“Where to?”

“Only by coming with me can you save your life.”

As he spoke, Pang Yu stopped. He bent over clutching his chest—apparently his wound had torn open again. The twisted features on his face showed he was enduring tremendous pain.

Nanyi now had some temper and refused to move.

“You can barely save your own life. Why should I trust you?”

Pang Yu looked back at Nanyi deeply: “From your accent, you’re from Lujiang, right? Why did you come to Li Du Mansion?”

“I’m going to the front lines at Fufeng Commandery to find a friend. I haven’t seen him for three years.”

“My name is Pang Yu. I serve in the Palace Front Division. Not long ago we passed through Fufeng Commandery—I might have seen your friend then.”

“Really?” Nanyi was suddenly somewhat excited, light jumping into her eyes. “He’s quite tall, and these past years he’s probably gotten tanned, and oh yes, he has a scar on his tiger’s mouth…”

Saying this, Nanyi realized something and obediently closed her mouth.

“Ah… there are so many people in the army, you probably wouldn’t remember. Sorry.”

Pang Yu also smiled apologetically at Nanyi.

Nanyi suddenly realized something and said in surprise: “You’re from the Palace Front Division? Then you…”

Pang Yu didn’t deny it and walked forward. This time Nanyi followed his steps, but her face was heavy with concerns.

During Nanyi’s wanderings, she had heard countless versions of news about that new emperor in the streets and alleys.

A few months ago, Bianjing fell. The emperor and royal clan were all captured. Court ministers fled south of the Yangtze River to Jinling to avoid disaster, wanting to establish a new dynasty. However, without a sovereign, regions everywhere were leaderless.

Among the princes, only Prince Ling’an Xu Zhou had escaped disaster by being in his fief, becoming the Yu Dynasty’s last surviving heir.

Chancellor Shen Zhizhong arranged for warriors and secret guards to secretly escort Xu Zhou south, but how could the Qi people let slip this chance to completely exterminate the Yu Dynasty’s legitimate royal line? All along this route, the Qi people pursued relentlessly, setting up nets of heaven and earth to capture Prince Ling’an.

But these matters had always been rumors. Nanyi never expected they would be so close to her.

Pang Yu looked back at Nanyi: “You guessed correctly. Prince Ling’an is now hiding in Tiger Crouching Mountain, which is why Qi soldiers have been searching the mountain for days. The noble families in Li Du Mansion received secret letters from the chancellor to meet Prince Ling’an. I was responsible for conveying the rendezvous plan. I was injured because I was shot by an arrow while leading Qi people astray in the mountains.”

“What exactly was written on that silk paper? Why did you suddenly become so nervous?”

Nanyi asked curiously, but Pang Yu just kept his head down walking forward without answering.

Drip, drip—water seeping from stone cracks leaked down unhurriedly, echoing in the narrow passageway, making the surroundings seem even more silent.

The Qi soldiers had already surrounded this small mountain inn so tightly that not even water could leak through. Xie Queshan stood in the inn’s back courtyard, his sharp gaze surveying everything in the yard.

He Ping came to report: “Young master, we’ve searched inside and out several times. We really haven’t found that little thief.”

A burly Qi military officer walked in from outside, his brows and eyes containing a fierce air. He brushed the snow from his shoulders and looked at Xie Queshan: “Young Master Queshan, what did you lose that requires such a large deployment?”

Xie Queshan glanced indifferently at Gusha and replied: “Intelligence just sent from Li Du Mansion, with the plan for meeting Prince Ling’an written on it, was stolen by a petty thief.”

Gusha immediately became nervous, his voice growing louder as he berated the surrounding Qi soldiers: “So many people, and you can’t find one little thief? Could the person have burrowed underground and escaped?”

Xie Queshan said nothing, but seemed to be inspired by this “burrowing underground,” looking toward the inconspicuous well in the courtyard.

…

Pang Yu’s hand gripping the silk paper tightened. What was written on it was precisely their rendezvous plan.

There was probably a traitor within Li Du Mansion, and their plan had been leaked. Xie Queshan would certainly use this to set a trap to capture Prince Ling’an.

Fortunately, he had learned of this through a fortunate accident. He had to get this message out, or Prince Ling’an would become a turtle in the Qi people’s jar.

But this involved many complications—the fewer people who knew, the better. He had revealed his identity to gain this girl’s trust, but he didn’t intend to tell her more.

“Knowing too much makes it easy to lose your life. You’re better off knowing less.”

“Then why are you taking me with you?”

“My body may not hold out until then. If I die halfway, please go to Podao Temple below Yingzui Cliff. In the courtyard is an ancient tree—bury the silk letter in the soil under the tree.”

Pang Yu’s tone was very calm, but it made Nanyi’s heart race with fear. How could someone speak of death so matter-of-factly?

“Why do you think I can do it? If the Qi people catch me, forget torture—after just a few lashes I’ll confess everything.”

“The dynasty’s life and death may seem to rest on one person, but in reality it depends on the joint efforts of countless people. What do you think connects the hearts and wills of these countless people?”

“Divine protection?”

Pang Yu finally showed a trace of a smile on his face. He shook his head: “It’s love for family and country. You and I are compatriots, born on this land, raised on this land, so I trust you.”

During their conversation, they had nearly reached the end. The exit was a hidden cave, and Nanyi could already faintly see light ahead. Her steps quickened.

She walked out of the cave before Pang Yu. Upon seeing the scene before her, she immediately froze completely.

Qi soldiers had already surrounded the cave entrance completely. Xie Queshan sat on a section of dead wood, looking at Nanyi without the slightest surprise, then his gaze moved to Pang Yu behind her.

He just looked quietly like this, yet brought tremendous pressure. His pupils were pitch black, hiding unperturbed killing intent, giving one the illusion that in these eyes, everything in the world had nowhere to hide and would be completely seen through by him.