Seeing that Cao Yuqing was speaking so frankly, Qin Yining knew she was a straightforward person, so she decided to speak plainly today as well.

“Aunt Cao, I understand your feelings, and I believe that with my father’s wisdom, he has always understood as well. My father’s approach naturally has his reasons, and that’s a matter between you elders. It’s only natural for my mother to be jealous. To put it bluntly, if there were someone like Aunt Cao—whose appearance, talent, and character all surpass mine by far—who remained devoted to my husband, I would be jealous too.

“But Aunt Cao, regardless of how my mother feels jealous or what my father thinks, in my heart, you are a very good elder. You’re called aunt, but you’re also like a sister. Our family has suffered so many hardships, yet you have never abandoned my father. When Great Yan was besieged by the prince, if it weren’t for you, my father probably wouldn’t be alive today.

“I don’t care about the love, hate, and grudges of the elders. In any case, I’ve determined in my heart that you are a person of loyalty and righteousness, and I feel we’re kindred spirits. So when we interact, I don’t look to others’ opinions. Aunt Cao treats me sincerely and regards me as her own junior—why wouldn’t I treat you as my own dear aunt?”

These words struck straight into Cao Yuqing’s heart.

Cao Yuqing’s sincere feelings for Qin Huaiyuan could be witnessed by heaven and earth. It was just that circumstances were unpredictable, always requiring so many helpless choices that ultimately led her to where she was today.

She wasn’t afraid of being alone; what she feared was never being able to stay close to Qin Huaiyuan again. Whether Qin Huaiyuan was loyal to his wife or truly didn’t like her, she accepted it all. After all, her admiration for Qin Huaiyuan had always been her own business and never required Qin Huaiyuan to bear any responsibility.

It was just that in the deep of night, she would sometimes feel lost. When she was so hated by Sun Shi in the Qin family, she would also feel that tormenting herself like this was truly masochistic.

But with Qin Huaiyuan holding such a position in such an environment, how could there be no one around to protect him?

Precisely because she hoped Qin Huaiyuan would live well, even if he lived to a hundred and still only regarded her as a close friend, she would find it sweet as honey.

Cao Yuqing had never imagined that Qin Yining would one day truly accept her. She knew Qin Yining was a girl who valued loyalty and righteousness. Because of her childhood experiences, she yearned for the warmth of family and longed for Sun Shi’s maternal love. Only after experiencing so many storms did she finally gain Sun Shi’s maternal love, so naturally she was wholeheartedly devoted to Sun Shi.

Initially, when she was ordered to infiltrate Qin Huaiyuan’s side and pretend to be his concubine, she sometimes truly considered herself Qin Huaiyuan’s concubine and displayed all her envy and jealousy toward Sun Shi. At that time, Qin Yining’s fierce protectiveness of Sun Shi was like a little wild beast baring its fangs and claws.

But over these years, having weathered storms together and faced life and death together, she had finally moved this little wild beast with her sincerity, making her retract her claws and sharp little teeth.

Cao Yuqing finally felt that her efforts had truly not been in vain.

Even if she hadn’t gained Qin Huaiyuan’s love, being able to gain Qin Yining’s recognition and have her sincerely regard her as her aunt made it all worthwhile.

Cao Yuqing was a strong person who wouldn’t cry easily.

But at this moment, she felt her nose sting and her eyes burn, almost shedding tears.

Cao Yuqing awkwardly looked away, not wanting Qin Yining to see her like this.

Qin Yining keenly observed this but didn’t point it out. Instead, she moved forward and embraced Cao Yuqing.

“Aunt Cao, from now on I’ll be filial to you. If you ever get tired of being outside, come to my home, and I’ll treat you well. If Pang Zhixi and I have a son in the future, I can even ask you to teach my son martial arts. Your martial arts are so superb—learning from you would definitely be right.”

Cao Yuqing wiped away her tears where Qin Yining couldn’t see, and it took her a long time to calm her emotions before she laughed and scolded: “You little girl, you’re thinking quite beautifully, already eyeing my martial arts? Speaking of martial arts, if it’s a proper fight without allowing me to use tricks, drugs, or assassination, I probably couldn’t last even twenty moves against your prince. And you want me to teach?”

“That’s different. Learning from you and learning from the prince too—combining both would make me even more formidable.”

Cao Yuqing laughed: “You greedy little girl. I’ll tell your prince later and let him laugh at you!”

Hearing this, Qin Yining couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Cao Yuqing also laughed along.

The two women slept together that night, and this was the most peaceful and warm sleep Qin Yining had had recently.

Early the next morning, members of the Minuo tribe went out to scout the path.

Cao Yuqing also went out to scout after eating dry rations.

After confirming their direction, the group left the valley and headed toward the vast western lands. With Cao Yuqing present, Qin Yining was very happy, and their journey went quite smoothly.

They had been traveling like this until noon on the third day when the scouts ahead suddenly ran back to report: “There are four or five people ahead. From their clothing, they appear to be Great Zhou people, all on horseback. If we continue forward, we’ll encounter them.”

Hearing this, Cao Yuqing raised an eyebrow, flicked the reins in her hands, left behind a sentence: “I’ll go see what’s happening,” and spurred her horse forward, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

Qin Yining assessed the surrounding terrain and had everyone prepare for battle, ready to engage the enemy at any time.

In just a moment, Cao Yuqing came galloping back.

She brought five people with her, all wearing cotton cloaks and cotton hats. From their build, one could tell they were Great Zhou people.

When those people reached them, Cao Yuqing smiled and said: “They’re actually acquaintances. Yining, they’re people you know.”

Before Qin Yining could speak, Lu Heng beside her exclaimed with surprise and joy: “Flying Eagle, Flying Lian?”

Hearing this call, two middle-aged men who had been full of wariness looked over and met Lu Heng’s gaze. Both were delighted, jumped down from their horses, and rushed over, prostrating on the ground and kowtowing: “Second Master! We finally found you!”

Lu Heng hurried forward to help them up, brushing the snow from their foreheads, saying happily: “It really is you!”

“Second Master, it’s so wonderful that you’re safe!”

The other three also dismounted and walked over to Qin Yining to pay their respects.

“Alliance Leader, we’ve finally found you!”

Qin Yining said in surprise: “How is it you?”

She was somewhat depressed that they directly addressed her as Alliance Leader.

The visitors were none other than the three hall masters she had first met when she took over the Azure Sky Alliance from her grandmother: Liao Zhibing with his deceptive blade techniques, and the brothers Zhao Yinuo and Zhao Wanjin, who came from bandit backgrounds.

However, seeing Liao Zhibing, Qin Yining couldn’t help but think of Madam Liao, who had been abandoned by Si Qin in the desert. She couldn’t be sure how much Liao Zhibing knew about the treasure incident, how much he knew about Madam Liao’s situation, and she didn’t know how much of the Azure Sky Alliance could still be trusted.