“…”

What responded to her was a prolonged silence.

Though Xie Wei’s complexion was pale as he leaned against the dark mountain rock, his body was slightly tensed, his composed posture resembling that of a beast ready to strike. His sharp gaze fell upon her like a blade.

Jiang Xuening, however, paid it no mind.

She waited for a while and indeed saw that although Xie Wei’s expression was extremely unpleasant, he slowly tightened his grip on the bow and arrow in his other hand, showing no real intention of taking action.

So she let out a “tch.”

As expected, he wouldn’t do such a thing. Too lazy to bother with him anymore, she walked straight toward the woods beside the stream, leaving only one sentence behind: “I’m going to find something to eat.”

How strange the world truly was.

In her previous life, when she had nowhere to turn, she had specifically brought soup and broth to him at night, offering herself to that Grand Tutor who sat high in the bright hall. In the end, he smiled at her as if she were dust and smoke, asking her to “respect herself.” In this life, she had self-awareness and avoided this person of pristine virtue like a venomous snake, yet unexpectedly he inexplicably haunted her like a ghost, and it was her turn to mock him with cold sarcasm.

Jiang Xuening had only one thought in her mind—

What utter nonsense!

In this vast expanse of wilderness, though human traces were rare, it wasn’t impossible to find food.

When she was young at the manor, she loved to run around and play.

What could be eaten and what couldn’t—she had some idea in her heart.

Following the stream upward, she didn’t dare venture too deep, only searching at the forest’s edge. Her luck was quite good; she found several edible berries that she could pick by standing on her toes.

She took a bite of one and gathered the rest in her arms.

Though this trip out wasn’t long, it wasn’t short either. When she returned, she saw that a wild rabbit, already skinned and gutted, had been placed on the rock. Below, by the flowing mountain stream, there was a faint scent of blood. Xie Wei’s bow and arrow lay to the side, with the blood on one arrow not yet wiped clean—clearly it had been pulled from that unlucky rabbit not long ago. As for the man himself, he sat casually by a newly kindled fire, a short blade gripped in his hand, unhurriedly stripping away the branches and leaves growing from the joints of a hard bamboo stalk.

That short blade…

Jiang Xuening hadn’t seen it during this entire journey.

But long ago, she had seen it, and had even used it herself.

Walking over and setting down the berries she’d gathered in her arms, she glanced at the already-skinned rabbit, secretly frowning, but didn’t comment. She simply sat down beside the fire, picked up the berry she’d bitten earlier, and continued eating it, saying: “Sir’s blade hasn’t been changed in years.”

Xie Wei said nothing. After finishing with the bamboo, he picked up the wild rabbit and skewered it.

Jiang Xuening looked away: “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable as a cook than struggling in the imperial court?”

Xie Wei glanced at her but still didn’t respond.

So Jiang Xuening stopped talking as well.

By now daylight had fully broken. The two of them had fled for their lives all night and were utterly exhausted and ravenously hungry. Without a word, they sat opposite each other by the fire, watching the rabbit gradually being cooked by the licking flames.

Everything seemed peaceful.

As if the recent undercurrents of hostility and confrontation had never happened at all.

They both knew—

In the desolate wilderness, humans were like wild beasts.

Here, there was no Miss Jiang the Second, nor was there Grand Tutor Xie Wei. Before life and death, no one was nobler than anyone else, and no one needed to fear anyone else. Even if one commanded vast armies or had mountains of gold and silver piled at home, right now they were nothing more than lone individuals with only themselves to rely on. Even those feelings of hatred, resentment, love, and grievance seemed like the morning mist—drifting faintly before dissipating toward the horizon.

When Xie Wei broke off a rabbit leg and handed it to her, Jiang Xuening still observed courtesy and thanked him.

In the desolate wilderness there was naturally no oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar.

Yet the rabbit Xie Wei roasted was crispy on the outside and tender inside, cooked to perfection. Its golden surface gleamed with a layer of oil. Tearing off a piece to eat, she found the meat quality excellent, with a subtle hint of pine fragrance from the pine branches burning below.

She nearly ate her own fingers.

Though it truly couldn’t compare to when there were seasonings, under these circumstances, in this time and place, it could already be considered heavenly delicacy.

Over these years, Xie Wei could at least be considered a high official of the current dynasty. As the common saying goes, “a gentleman stays far from the kitchen,” yet this man’s culinary skills hadn’t declined at all?

After eating until half full, Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but glance at him.

Xie Wei had already stamped out the fire and swept the traces of the fire into the stream. He stood up indifferently and said: “Move on once you’ve finished eating.”

Jiang Xuening watched him tie the short blade back to his wrist, then pick up the bow and arrow, along with the arrow that had struck the wild rabbit—he wiped it clean and put it back in the quiver.

Only the blood hole on his index finger joint remained somewhat conspicuous.

She truly feared this man would die on the road.

So she asked: “Your wound really isn’t a problem?”

Xie Wei said: “If you hadn’t interfered, it would have healed by now.”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

She was truly choked by his words and smiled slightly: “I thought sir had fainted from the poison.”

Xie Wei looked back at her: “I was merely sitting down to rest and gather my spirits.”

Then he added: “If you could distinguish between fainting and resting, perhaps that bit of your amateur medical skill would harm fewer people.”

Fine, it was all her fault.

For some reason, seeing his neither warm nor cold demeanor made Jiang Xuening quite irritable. She endured for a good while before suppressing the urge to argue with him, casually picking up the two or three uneaten berries from the ground and following him forward.

The two of them waded across the mountain stream and entered the forest on the other side.

Days of traveling were truly boring.

As the old saying goes, “Looking at mountains can run a horse to death.” Xie Wei had said earlier that once they crossed this stretch of mountains and reached Jinan Prefecture, all would be well. But this expanse of wilderness, though not seeming too distant when viewing it, took three to five days to traverse without seeing the end.

Though Jiang Xuening didn’t have any pampered temperament at this time, her body couldn’t endure much hardship.

By the third day, blisters had already formed on the soles of her feet.

Even though she didn’t want to be a burden, it was difficult to walk quickly.

On this day, they had to cross over a mountain ridge.

The terrain was quite steep.

After climbing a few steps, cold sweat streamed down her face and her feet went weak. If Xie Wei hadn’t grabbed her hand from beside her, she would have likely tumbled downward.

Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Looking up at the sky and concealing her deep worry, she said to Xie Wei: “The border is waiting for you to go preside over the overall situation, and Her Highness the Grand Princess is in critical danger. I’m just useless. This journey is already difficult, and bringing me along only makes things worse. Rather than that, why don’t you leave me here and go to Jinan Prefecture yourself? I’ll just stay in the mountains without wandering around. Once you’ve handled matters, you can send someone to find me.”

Without a word, Xie Wei pulled forcefully at his own robe.

With a “ripping” sound.

He actually tore a strip from his snow-white Daoist robe that had already accumulated some dirt, tied it directly to Jiang Xuening’s hand, then tightly fastened the other end to his own wrist. His face dark as water, he said: “Walk.”

Jiang Xuening thought this man was sick.

Clearly, her suggestion was the best possible solution.

But Xie Wei showed no sign of considering or acknowledging her meaning. He gripped her hand and pulled her forward with him.

However, the thing they feared most still happened—

The moment they struggled to stand atop the ridge, the northern wind came howling toward them!

In the northern sky, dark clouds gathered densely.

Standing high with a view far and wide should have offered boundless openness, yet at this moment, Jiang Xuening felt a suffocating heaviness like an army bearing down.

She looked toward Xie Wei.

Xie Wei stood in the wind, his Daoist robe whipping about, only gazing at that expanse of clouds sweeping across the sky.

His eyes were rarely clear.

As if the deeply buried dust and gloom had all been swept clean by the bitter cold wind.

She heard his calm, distant voice: “Ning’er, it’s going to snow.”