Against the azure sky, snow-capped peaks pierced the clouds, their silver radiance gleaming. Deep valleys stretched below, and at the mountain’s foot lay a hidden city, wisps of pale blue smoke rising gently into the air.

The air was crisp and pure.

Tanmoluojia stood at the cliff’s edge practicing his meditation techniques. He had been standing there for a long while, his robes fluttering in the wind. Looking down, he discovered he was wearing a light blue fur-trimmed long brocade robe with a turned collar and wide bell sleeves that rippled like water in the breeze.

These were not his clothes.

His body felt dry and comfortable, with no sensation of medicinal salve or sticky blood around his wounds. Even his inner garments had been changed.

Last night, when he had alternated between fever and chills, feeling unwell, a pair of warm, soft hands had occasionally touched him, wiping away his sweat.

It felt like being in the Jetavana-vihāra, serene and elegant, with a subtle fragrance lingering in the air.

Later, he had drawn that warm, sweet fragrance into his embrace.

Tanmoluojia stood at the cliff’s edge, hands clasped in prayer.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps sounded behind him.

Tanmoluojia turned around.

The felt carpets piled in front of the tent were pushed aside as Yaoying burst out. Her braided hair was disheveled across her shoulders, and her clothes were in disarray with wrinkled front lapels. Her snow-white cheeks were tinged with a faint blush, her eyes still drowsy, with a touch of alluring pink at the slanted corners – like a sleeping begonia.

She looked around anxiously as if searching for something.

Tanmoluojia turned and walked toward her, his jade-green eyes fixed directly on hers as their gazes met.

Yaoying’s eyes settled on him. She rubbed them, making sure he hadn’t quietly left and slowly released a breath.

As the morning light poured down, Tanmoluojia gazed at Yaoying.

Though it had happened in his confused state, forcing her to share his bed had been improper.

Yaoying looked back at him without reproach, timidity, questioning, or fear in her expression. There was no bashfulness either. With her loose braids and moist eyes, she said with relief, “General Su, I’m glad you didn’t leave.”

Her braid swinging, she turned to point at the earthen pot buried near the embers for warmth. “General, remember to drink some medicine and eat something.”

With that, she turned and entered the tent, removed her boots, wrapped herself in a fur blanket, and with a soft thump, dropped herself into the soft felt blankets.

Last night, Tanmoluojia had gripped her hand so tightly she couldn’t move. She could only sleep leaning against his arm, still remembering even in her half-asleep state not to touch his wounds, being very careful, sleeping uncomfortably with her whole body aching.

After a while, Yaoying’s breathing became steady, and she had fallen asleep again.

Tanmoluojia: …

She seemed completely unconcerned.

…

Yaoying only slept for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before waking again. This time she could roll back and forth in the warm felt blankets, sleeping very contentedly.

The morning wind beat against the tent as she opened her eyes, fully awake now. She got up, put on a cloak, and stepped out of the tent.

Tanmoluojia sat cross-legged by the campfire, eyes closed in meditation, with a subtle tension around him.

The medicine pot was empty.

Yaoying didn’t dare disturb him. She quietly gathered the clothes she had removed from him last night, folded the felt blankets, ate some dried provisions, found the mount she had tethered in a sheltered spot the night before, fed it some grass cakes and organized their luggage.

After finishing her tasks, she returned to the rock pile, sat down under another large boulder, and glanced up at Tanmoluojia every so often.

His eyes remained tightly closed, his expression peaceful, as fine beads of sweat slowly appeared on his brow.

Yaoying gazed at him absently, not knowing how long she had been watching, when a distant clear cry came from high above, and an eagle’s graceful silhouette appeared in the azure sky.

She stood to welcome it. The eagle beat its wings as it dove down, its sharp eyes scanning her briefly. Showing no sign of stopping, it flew straight toward Tanmoluojia.

Fearing it would disturb him, Yaoying quickly took out some prepared dried meat.

The eagle flapped its wings once and landed on a protruding rock beside her, its sharp claws leaving several marks as it fiercely pecked at her arm before snatching up the dried meat.

Yaoying looked down at her sleeve and shook her head with a smile, taking the opportunity to untie the cloth strip bound to the eagle’s claw, then returned to the rock.

After a while, Tanmoluojia slowly opened his eyes.

Yaoying immediately handed him the cloth strip.

Tanmoluojia asked nothing, simply reached out to take it, examined it closely, and then threw it into the campfire.

He pondered for a moment, raised his eyes to the clear sky above to estimate the time, and said, “Let’s head down the mountain and enter the city before dark.”

Yaoying agreed and rose to pack their things. As she pulled tight a leather strap, it suddenly snapped back like an arrow, striking the back of her left hand.

Snap!

Even through her warm fur gloves, Yaoying still sucked in a sharp breath of pain, shaking her hand before continuing her work.

The sound of boots approaching grew closer as Tanmoluojia walked over.

Yaoying looked up.

Tanmoluojia took the brocade bag from her hands and gestured for her to raise her hand.

Yaoying realized what he meant and shook her hand dismissively.

Tanmoluojia’s brows furrowed slightly. “Princess, raise your hand.”

His tone was gentle but carried an undeniable authority, a natural commanding presence.

Yaoying had no choice but to raise her hand.

Tanmoluojia lowered his gaze and gently removed her fur glove.

On Yaoying’s jade-white hand had appeared a raised purple bruise. Her delicate fingers, with their peach-blossom pink tips, made the mark look even more shocking.

He moved very gently, but Yaoying still inhaled sharply when the glove brushed against the swollen area.

She hadn’t expected such an injury even through the glove.

Tanmoluojia released Yaoying’s hand and took out some medicine, offering it to her.

Yaoying didn’t take it. She held out her left hand and waved her uninjured right hand in front of his eyes.

Tanmoluojia paused briefly.

Yaoying continued waving her hand at him, saying, “General, help me remove this one too.”

Tanmoluojia understood and helped remove her right glove, then opened the medicine box.

Yaoying moved closer to him, scooped out a coin-sized portion of salve from the box in his palm, and applied it to the back of her hand, hissing softly as she murmured, “It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt, after applying the medicine, it’ll be better soon.”

She quietly reassured herself, and after applying the medicine, looked up to find Tanmoluojia watching her, his jade-green eyes profound.

Seeing her look up, he shifted his gaze away.

Yaoying thought nothing of it, raised her hands, and moved in front of Tanmoluojia, extending both hands toward him as her long lashes fluttered. “General, I’ve applied the medicine, please help me put the gloves back on.”

Her tone was light and playful, with a natural intimacy that suggested she knew he wouldn’t refuse.

She treated him as Su Dangu – would she care about what happened last night?

He should explain things clearly to her.

Tanmoluojia remained silent, put away the medicine, and helped Yaoying first with her right glove, then her left, his movements even gentler than before, never once touching her skin.

Yaoying stood perfectly still before him, docile.

“I apologize for offending the Princess last night.”

Tanmoluojia said softly after helping her with the gloves.

Yaoying was lowering her head to blow on her wound through the glove’s seam when she heard this. She looked up, eyes curved in a smile, and waved her hand. “It’s nothing, General acted unconsciously. I also offended you before when dispensing medicine.”

When he had first embraced her, she had struggled slightly, but later realized he made no other moves and showed no unusual behavior – he had probably just used her as a cooling pillow.

Yaoying’s black eyes sparkled brightly, brimming with laughter, clearly unbothered by the previous night’s events.

Tanmoluojia’s gaze met hers, and he suddenly said, “Princess need not be anxious. Though the wound is shallow, you should still be careful.”

Yaoying froze.

Tanmoluojia gestured for her to wait by the snow pile. “Princess has helped me greatly. I won’t abandon you and leave you alone.”

Receiving his assurance, Yaoying breathed a sigh of relief. She had feared he would silently slip away alone to heal, and what if he couldn’t make it through, like last night?

She thought for a moment, then helped gather stones to bury the campfire.

“My injury is nothing compared to General’s. I can help you clean up.”

A black-gloved hand reached over, taking the small stones from Yaoying’s palm.

“I possess martial arts skills. Princess is different,” Tanmoluojia said gently, his tone mild but brooking no argument. “Let me do it.”

Yaoying looked up at his face and saw his eyes were bright and his lips had regained color. His speech was no longer as weak as the previous night, so she nodded.

The mountain path was treacherous. When Yaoying had returned alone last night in the darkness, she couldn’t bring an extra riderless horse, so she had ridden up with just one. After packing everything, the saddle was heavily laden with supplies, and a bundle of felt blankets was piled on the horse’s back.

The sturdy horse snorted several times in protest.

Yaoying held the reins, gently soothing the mount and feeding it fruit.

As Tanmoluojia finished packing and approached, before he could speak, Yaoying used his arm for support to mount the horse, then waved her left hand at him.

Her hand was injured and couldn’t grip the reins tightly.

Tanmoluojia mounted behind her and took the reins.

The horse began moving slowly, leaving winding hoofprints in the snow.

…

By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, the path was empty, covered in fresh white snow.

After traveling a li, they reached the main road leading to the nearest town. A merchant caravan had just passed through, leaving neat camel tracks in the middle of the road.

Tanmoluojia asked about Yaoying’s guards.

Yaoying quickly replied, “Don’t worry, General. They followed General Ashina back to the Holy City. Only I know you haven’t returned to the city.”

She trusted her guards, but they weren’t from the royal court. Getting them involved would surely make Yuanjue and Bisuo uneasy.

The snowy wilderness stretched endlessly, with echoing winds. Fearing Tanmoluojia couldn’t hear her response, Yaoying kept looking up at him while speaking.

Her felt hat occasionally brushed against his chin, soft and fuzzy.

Tanmoluojia didn’t pursue the matter further.

As they approached the town, signs of life appeared on the road: Hu merchants in thick cloaks and pointed hats rode horses and camels, surrounding heavily laden carts; herders in fur coats drove cattle and sheep herds. The sounds of camel bells, livestock calls, and the melodious notes of pipa from horseback merged. Though the road was desolate and snow filled the sky beneath towering mountains, it was full of the warmth of human life.

Suddenly, a distant thunder of hoofbeats approached as soldiers in leather armor galloped past, their curved sabers flashing cold light at their waists.

Yaoying remained calm, pulling her veil tighter, and looked up at Tanmoluojia. He wore a headscarf that covered his head and face thickly, revealing only his jade-green eyes.

They dismounted and led their horse, blending into the crowd entering the city as they approached the gate.

This town wasn’t large, its walls extending only two or three li, and they weren’t particularly tall – just yellow earthen walls with crumbling soil. However, being under royal court jurisdiction, no bandits dared to raid it, and with strict market management, it was the safest trading spot within a hundred li. Many merchant caravans and herders waited to enter.

Before the city gate, figures moved about as soldiers checked everyone entering. The line moved slowly, stretching back half a li.

A merchant with a mustache complained loudly, “A criminal’s escaped from the Holy City, they’re searching everyone daily. We won’t get in until afternoon today!”

Others chimed in: “Indeed, they’re strict outside and inside the city. Anyone traveling alone gets thrown in the dungeon!”

“In this weather, one night in the dungeon and you’ll freeze solid!”

Another Hu merchant laughed coldly, saying, “They search so strictly just to extort money!”

Yaoying’s attention was caught. She moved closer to hear the merchants’ conversation, her brow furrowing deeper as she listened.

Though Bisuo had drawn away most of the assassins, the soldiers along the way hadn’t stopped searching passing merchants and travelers. While they might indeed be using the searches as an excuse to extort merchants, as the Hu trader suggested, they still couldn’t let their guard down.

Yaoying returned to their mount and exchanged glances with Tanmoluojia.

“These soldiers must be looking for you, General. From the merchants’ description, the criminal matches your appearance.”

Yaoying said quietly.

The royal court had issued an edict to capture a criminal, not daring to explicitly state Su Dangu’s most distinctive features, only describing a build and age similar to his.

“Though these men are no match for you, we should avoid conflict, lest something happen with Bisuo’s situation.” Yaoying looked down, pulling out several stamped sheepskin papers from her brocade bag. “These are merchant papers from Old Qi. We can pose as merchants to enter the city.”

She had brought these sheepskin papers from the royal court to Gaochang and back, preparing for just such a situation.

“What does General think of this idea?”

Yaoying asked.

Tanmoluojia nodded to her.

If he were alone, he could wait until dark to enter the city, but with her beside him, he shouldn’t take risks.

Amid the merchants’ grumbling, the line slowly moved until it was finally Yaoying and Tanmoluojia’s turn to enter.

“I am Akbaryan, from Yangma City.”

Yaoying handed over the sheepskin papers, naturally linking arms with Tanmoluojia and leaning against him.

“He is my husband.”

Tanmoluojia’s eyes flickered slightly.

Yaoying felt his surprise and froze, looking up to meet his gaze. Had he not understood earlier? She planned to pose as a married couple selling felt blankets!

Tanmoluojia shifted his gaze away.

After checking the sheepskin papers, the soldiers’ attitude became much more polite, though they still made a show of examining the felt blankets and bags on the horse.

Yaoying offered a small bag of Persian silver coins.

The soldier took the bag, weighed it in his hand, and with a broad smile, immediately let them pass.

Yaoying thanked the soldiers and pulled Tanmoluojia into the city.

Tanmoluojia’s eyes lowered to look at her hand linked through his arm but said nothing.

As they passed through the city gate, they met a group leaving the city. Several servants carried a sedan chair, surrounded by attendants. As the wind lifted the soft curtain, a delicate face flashed past.

Yaoying saw that familiar face and froze.

Why was Zhu Lüyun here?

Shouldn’t she be in Chang’an?

The procession passed before Yaoying’s eyes.