Jingrong departed from the capital with five hundred soldiers, and after meeting with the troops outside the city, continued onward.

They had already been traveling for five days.

The soldiers dared not delay even for a moment.

By now it was dusk, and the weather was gloomy.

The column of troops advanced through the mountains, the sound of horse hooves and wagon wheels echoing continuously, accompanied by the clashing of armor and weapons, reverberating throughout the entire mountain range like war drums.

As darkness gradually descended, the soldiers lit torches, the flames slowly illuminating the entire forest along the road. Since they were deploying troops to Houliao, the entire force had not taken the main roads but instead traveled along small mountain paths. Moreover, this expedition was not officially a military campaign, and since the Xiamen Pass on the western border of Da Lin already had twenty thousand soldiers stationed there, naturally there was no need for too many troops to accompany them. Therefore, the total number of soldiers Jingrong brought on this expedition was merely over a thousand!

So the commotion was not great!

Precisely because they had abandoned the main roads for mountain paths, the journey over the past several days had been continuously bumpy. Ji Yunshu, sitting in the carriage, felt sore all over. In order to reach Houliao as quickly as possible, the army’s journey could not be delayed, so they rarely rested on the ground. She had spent these past several days almost entirely in the carriage, and had been jolted awake several times while trying to sleep leaning against the wall.

At this moment, cold wind howled outside, making the forest undergrowth rustle and whistle!

The sound made people anxious.

The wind slightly lifted the curtain of the carriage window, and the cold wind brazenly drilled inside, brushing against her delicate, weary face, soft as cloth.

She couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose, smelling the earthy scent that drifted in along with the cold wind—soil mixed with the fragrance of grass, threading into her nostrils.

Afterward, she lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.

The soldiers advancing ahead held torches, illuminating the muddy, winding road before them. The orange-red firelight flickered faintly against the cold wind, yet still burned stubbornly!

Looking forward, she saw Jingrong mounted on his horse, his imposing back straight as he rode into the wind. Moonlight spilled onto his black armor, gleaming with a cold, intimidating light.

Shi Ziran, who was riding his horse alongside the carriage, noticed her poking her head out and drew his horse closer, asking, “Miss Ji, are you tired?”

“I’m alright.”

“Once we reach the Gezhuang area ahead, the road surface will be relatively flat. Then resting in the carriage won’t be so uncomfortable for you.”

She nodded slightly and said nothing more, sitting back inside the carriage.

Up ahead, Jingrong observed the surroundings with a vigilant expression, then looked back at that plain carriage, furrowed his brow slightly, and instructed the soldier beside him: “Tell everyone to stay alert. Once we pass this section of road, we can rest.”

“Yes.”

After traveling through the mountains for approximately another half-hour and passing through this relatively bumpy stretch of road, they finally arrived at a relatively flat and open area. Behind this location was a dense forest, and ahead was a small river—indeed a good place to rest.

Jingrong then ordered everyone to rest on the spot.

The soldiers, having rushed along the road for several days, were all exhausted. Even bodies of iron couldn’t withstand such strain. As soon as they stopped, everyone sat down on the ground and began building fires.

Some were eating.

Some were drinking.

Others leaned against trees with their swords and slept.

Shi Ziran dismounted and knocked on the carriage wall a few times: “Miss Ji, come down and eat something.”

Hearing this, Ji Yunshu got out of the carriage, only feeling grounded when both feet touched the earth.

Shi Ziran handed her a water flask and a package of dried rations.

She only accepted the water, drank a few sips, then put it down.

“Miss Ji, eat something. I haven’t seen you eat much along this entire journey.”

“I’m not very hungry.”

“This…”

“Where is the Prince?” She couldn’t find Jingrong’s figure among the crowd; all around were masses of soldiers in black.

Shi Ziran pointed in a direction: “The Prince is over there.”

She looked in that direction and saw Jingrong surrounded by several soldiers, his brow tightly furrowed as he gave instructions to those soldiers.

“I’ll go find the Prince.”

“No need.” She held back Shi Ziran.

Then she walked toward the small stream and stood at its edge. A few soldiers were drawing water to prepare for boiling and drinking, and a few others were about to step into the river for a bath, but seeing Ji Yunshu standing there, they felt too embarrassed and simply settled for washing their faces instead.

After Jingrong finished giving all his instructions, he looked toward the carriage and saw that the curtain had been rolled up—there was no one inside.

Where was Yunshu?

He searched the surroundings once and finally spotted Ji Yunshu standing by the river. Moonlight spilled onto that slender figure, mingling with the scattered points of light reflecting off the river water, like a painting.

Truly beautiful!

That woman seemed to have an ethereal quality within her body, her entire being emanating an air untainted by the mortal world!

Jingrong strode to her side and followed her gaze toward the moon in the sky.

The two of them just stood there like this!

For a long while without speaking.

Suddenly, Jingrong reached out and tightly grasped her hand hanging at her side.

This woman’s hands were always ice-cold no matter when, and precisely because of this, he wanted even more to give her all his warmth.

Ji Yunshu looked down at her hand being firmly held by Jingrong, a smile gradually spreading across her lips as she raised her eyes to look at him. The man beside her had three-dimensional features, a chiseled profile, and extraordinary handsome looks. His upright posture emanated an intimidating aura, yet when beside her, he was like an elegant young gentleman, tender and considerate. She still remembered their first meeting—he was a sullen prince with a sharp tongue who felt uncomfortable if he didn’t tease her for even a moment. But she didn’t know from what point onward he had shed that frivolous air about him, becoming steady and serious, with much more consideration in his actions. Even his brow was often furrowed, filled with worry.

Two years—so much had truly changed!

Everyone had changed.

Jingrong sensed her burning gaze and turned his eyes to meet hers.

Their eyes met, and there was an indescribable sense of relief.

The heaviness in each of their hearts gradually eased considerably under this mutual gaze.

Jingrong said: “I want to show you something.”

“What?”

He reached to his waist and took out an extremely small object, opening his palm to show Ji Yunshu.

It was—

Ji Yunshu’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

It was a crown pearl!

She parted her lips: “You’ve kept it all this time?”

“I’ve never discarded it!”

In that moment, Ji Yunshu’s eyes reddened slightly.

She hadn’t expected that after two years, he had still kept it. She remembered that when they went to investigate the yin-yang corpse case, they had been trapped in a dilapidated temple by heavy rain and couldn’t return. It was also that night that the clasp on her hairpin came loose, and Jingrong immediately caught the pearl from the clasp and clutched it tightly in his hand, refusing to return it to her. It was also that night that she let down her hair before him for the first time, revealing her identity as a woman.

Memories raced through her mind, and she could only sigh at how quickly time had passed.

Jingrong said: “To you, this may be just an ordinary pearl, but to me, it is extremely precious!”

Because that was the first “token of affection” he had received from Ji Yunshu.

Ji Yunshu couldn’t help but feel warmth in her heart at his words. She smiled faintly.