Back in her room, He Yan lay on the bed, tossing and turning. The window was open, letting in a slight breeze that kept her unusually alert. Her earlier conversation with Xiao Jue seemed to still linger in her ears.

It turned out that on the night she left the He family to join the army, Xiao Jue had come to meet her. But fate played a cruel trick, causing them to miss each other. Once missed, there was no second chance. Just as the former He Yan never knew that it was Xiao Jue who had secretly guided her swordsmanship, now Xiao Jue could never know that the person he had secretly helped back then had been replaced by someone else.

As much as she had struggled to conceal her identity, she equally wished to thank him as a former classmate. It seemed that in both past and present lives, Xiao Jue and she had shared many strange connections, though they were brief – and especially now…

He Yan sat up, thought for a while, and then resolutely got off the bed. She walked to the table and lit the oil lamp with a fire stick. Zhao Shiming was a scholar, and writing materials were scattered throughout his room. She ground some ink, found paper, sat at the table, and slowly began to write.

…

All matters in Rundou City were settled within three days. It was time for Xiao Jue’s group to leave.

Before departing, He Yan went to find Zhao Shiming.

After the incident with Qi Luo, He Yan didn’t speak a single word to Li Kuang. Whenever she saw Li Kuang, she would think of that sweet young lady with dimples when she smiled. Li Kuang seemed to feel the same way – whenever he encountered He Yan, he would avoid her gaze.

Therefore, there were some things she didn’t plan to discuss with Li Kuang.

Zhao Shiming was sitting in his room reviewing official documents. During the days when Rundou City was besieged by the Wutuo people, the city’s merchants had closed their businesses, and everything had fallen into chaos. Now that the Wutuo people had retreated and Rundou City had returned to peace, it would still take time to restore the previous tranquility.

“Master Zhao,” He Yan called as she entered the room.

Zhao Shiming looked up from his documents. Seeing He Yan, he was startled for a moment before standing up with an enthusiastic smile. “What brings Young Master He to visit today?”

Zhao Shiming was very fond of He Yan. As a scholar, he couldn’t relate to rough warriors like Li Kuang. As for Xiao Jue and Yan He, one was cold and the other arrogant, which made him feel intimidated. But He Yan was different – this young person was intelligent and brave despite their young age, kind and righteous, with refined and pleasant features. If his granddaughter weren’t too young, Zhao Shiming would have considered taking this youth as a grandson-in-law.

He Yan smiled and said, “Master Zhao is too kind. I’ve come to bid farewell, as I’ll be returning to Shuo Capital with the Commander tomorrow. Thank you for your care during my stay in Rundou City.”

Zhao Shiming grew even more fond of this youth – how thoughtful to come to say goodbye personally. Such excellent manners. He smiled and replied, “Young Master He, please don’t say that. You are Rundou City’s savior. We couldn’t properly host you during your stay here and instead caused you much trouble. When Young Master He visits Rundou City again in the future, I will surely provide better hospitality. Please forgive any discourtesies this time.”

He Yan supported Zhao Shiming’s hand as he attempted to bow, saying, “This junior wouldn’t dare.”

Junior? Zhao Shiming was startled. Before he could process this, he saw the youth before him looking at him with a serious expression: “Actually, I have another favor to ask of Master Zhao today.”

This expression was familiar to Zhao Shiming – He Yan had worn it when asking his people to help deliver a message to Yan He. Another request? Zhao Shiming was secretly delighted that He Yan had come to him rather than Li Kuang, showing that he was trusted. The Military Defense Officer’s requests were usually simple matters, and being able to help was truly an honor. With these thoughts, Zhao Shiming smiled and said, “Young Master He, please speak freely. I will do my utmost to help.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Shiming watched in shock as the person before him lifted their robe and knelt.

“You…” he was startled.

“Then, I thank Master Zhao.”

…

The servants outside didn’t know what was being discussed inside. When a servant entered to serve tea moments later, they found Zhao Shiming slumped at his table, looking dazed and distracted.

“Master?” the servant called.

Zhao Shiming finally came to his senses, swallowed, and said, “It’s nothing, nothing.”

He clutched the letter tightly in his hand.

Meanwhile, He Yan walked out and took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if her decision was right or wrong, but it seemed like the best way to keep Xiao Jue uninvolved.

Someone approached from ahead, as beautiful as a flower – it was Ying Xiang. Seeing He Yan, Ying Xiang gave a slight bow: “Officer He.”

She no longer called He Yan “Young Master He” but “Officer He” now.

“Miss Ying Xiang,” He Yan responded, noticing she was carrying what appeared to be clothing. She couldn’t help but look twice.

Ying Xiang noticed her gaze and smiled, “Fourth Young Master asked this servant to organize these things, as we’re returning to Shuo Capital tomorrow. Rundou City’s sunshine is quite good; the clothes dried quickly.”

“Return to Shuo Capital?” He Yan frowned slightly, “You’re also departing tomorrow?”

Chu Zhao had originally been en route to Shuo Capital when trapped inside the city by the Wutuo siege. Now that the Wutuo people had left, they naturally should depart. She just hadn’t expected them to travel on the same day as Xiao Jue.

“Yes,” Ying Xiang answered with a smile, “Fourth Young Master will travel with everyone. Commander Xiao is already aware of this. With the possibility of other Wutuo people on the road, it’s better to have more people traveling together.”

Xiao Jue wasn’t the type to want to protect Chu Zhao, but since he already knew about this arrangement, there was nothing more He Yan could say. When Li Kuang wanted to kill those captive women, Chu Zhao had also spoken up. Regardless of his motives, He Yan should thank him publicly.

“Please thank Fourth Young Master for standing up for those captive women before the General,” He Yan said.

Ying Xiang’s eyes curved in a smile: “Certainly, Officer He.”

After He Yan left, Ying Xiang returned to the room with the clothes. Chu Zhao was standing by the window. Ying Xiang quickly packed the clothes into a bundle, finishing the task in moments.

“Fourth Young Master,” Ying Xiang approached Chu Zhao and said softly, “Just now on the road, this servant met Young Lady He. She asked me to convey her thanks to you for speaking up before General Li on behalf of those captive women.”

Chu Zhao smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

After a moment of silence, Ying Xiang spoke, “Fourth Young Master shouldn’t have done that.”

Chu Zhao: “Oh?”

“There might be the Prime Minister’s people in the city. The Prime Minister won’t be pleased to see Fourth Young Master acting this way…”

Xu Jingfu was someone who strongly disliked others acting on their initiative. Since the Rundou City matter was unrelated to him, Chu Zhao not only spoke up but also invoked Xu Jingfu’s name. Once Xu Jingfu learned of this, he would surely be displeased with Chu Zhao.

“What’s done is done, no need to worry,” Chu Zhao smiled slightly, “As for the Prime Minister, I will explain to him myself.”

“Why did Young Master do that?” Ying Xiang asked softly, “Even without Young Master’s intervention, with Young Lady He’s abilities, no one could have troubled her.”

Chu Zhao didn’t answer, only gazing at the distant sky through the window.

Why indeed?

Perhaps it was because her stance before those women reminded him of when he was young in the brothel, when people bullied him, and Ye Runmei stood before him protectively. In his life, he had rarely been protected – besides Ye Runmei, there was only He Yan.

She protected those women just as she had protected him in Ji Yang. One person protecting another, without ulterior motives, without blood ties, without even any close relationship – simply because she believed it was right, and so she did it.

Her actions were admirably bold, enviably upright, like a beam of light that illuminated even those who came near. So at that moment, he stood up too, believing himself to also be a righteous and brave person.

However…

He wasn’t light, merely a shadow.

…

The day of departure from Rundou City arrived.

Li Kuang and Zhao Shiming went to the city gates to see them off. The Southern Prefecture troops and Liangzhou Guard didn’t leave with Xiao Jue – they were hurrying back to the capital, taking only Yan He’s troops with them.

The city was desolate. Though sunlit, everything seemed covered in a faint gray haze. He Yan felt emotional – the last time she left Rundou City, she had still been “Vice Commander He,” laughing and talking with Li Kuang. Now as they left Rundou City again, neither of them was the same as before.

Time had passed swiftly; the grape vines in Rundou City had already grown new clusters. As the group stood at the city gate, He Yan was about to mount her horse when suddenly she heard a voice from behind: “Young Master He!”

He Yan turned to look.

At Rundou City’s gate, a crowd of common people had gathered without anyone noticing. They stood on both sides of the street, silently watching them. A group of women emerged from the end of the crowd – it was the woman at their head who had called out to her.

They wore clean clothes but still bore unhealed wounds on their faces. These were the captives He Yan had rescued from the Wutuo people during that night raid, the same women she had saved from Li Kuang’s sword. He Yan remembered the woman who spoke – that day, she had been the one who, with tears in her eyes, had tried to dissuade He Yan from confronting Li Kuang, willing to sacrifice herself.

Later, He Yan learned from Zhao Shiming that this woman had originally lived on a farm outside the city. When the Wutuo people came, they killed her husband and son, leaving her as the only survivor of her family. Having been violated by the Wutuo people, she feared the strange looks from others, and with no family left, she had already resolved to die. That’s why when Li Kuang came for her, she was the quickest to accept.

That day, if He Yan hadn’t stood up if Xiao Jue hadn’t arrived in time, perhaps these women would have died by Li Kuang’s sword.

Li Kuang’s expression showed discomfort. Many things don’t seem wrong in the moment, but looking back after events have passed, one realizes how crazy they were.

The women approached He Yan and knelt together, silently kowtowing to her several times.

He Yan was stunned: “You…”

“Thank you, Young Master He,” they said.

The women’s spirits seemed much better than in previous days, perhaps because of the food Yan He had brought that allowed them to eat their fill, or perhaps because He Yan’s words that day had given them the courage to live on.

Zhao Shiming walked to He Yan’s side and said quietly, “Young Master He, among these women, those who still had families have returned home. Those without homes have been settled together by the officials. They will work in farming and weaving. In the future… the situation you worried about won’t happen.”

He solemnly promised He Yan: “I will take good care of them.”

He Yan felt slightly relieved and bowed to Zhao Shiming: “Thank you, Master Zhao.”

Zhao Shiming stroked his beard and smiled, “It’s my duty. As they are Rundou City people, being the city’s official parent, I should properly settle them.”

He Yan smiled too. Many things in the world gradually improve. As long as someone takes action, change will eventually happen, no matter how small that change might be.

She helped up the woman at the front and said softly, “Let them rise too. Live well from now on, and remember, I saved your lives. No matter when, never carelessly give up your own life.”

The woman nodded.

Yan He stood at the city gate, arms crossed, saying, “How is it that this He fellow seems to have won more people’s hearts than you?” He glanced sideways at Xiao Jue, “Isn’t he your subordinate? How come you’re not as good as him?”

Lin Shuanghe smiled and said, “Brother He is gentle and kind, naturally everyone likes him. There aren’t many in this world who think of others, and even fewer who would draw their sword to protect others.”

Yan He strongly disliked Lin Shuanghe’s frivolous manner and sneered, “What’s with this ‘Brother He’? Is everything in your Liangzhou Guard this chaotic?”

“Chaotic?” Lin Shuanghe nodded, “There are even more chaotic things, you just don’t know about them.”

Ying Xiang stood beside Chu Zhao, quietly watching as that young lady bid farewell to the women she had saved and mounted her horse. The common people of Rundou City and the city soldiers, though saying nothing, followed He Yan with grateful gazes.

She was indeed a likable young lady, whether in Ji Yang or Rundou City.

“Let’s go,” Chu Zhao turned and got into his carriage.

The city gates opened, troops moved out, and sunlight shone far ahead on the road’s end, like a bright path leading to the future.

…

Ten days’ journey from Rundou City to Jinling, and after Jinling, straight on to Shuo Capital.

In the bushes, the traveling troops stopped briefly to rest. Lin Shuanghe watched He Yan roasting bird eggs. Being a young master who had never done manual labor and was used to being pampered, he naturally couldn’t do such rough work. Though Yan He could also cook, He Yan had seen the fish he roasted before – charred black and barely edible – so she simply took over the task herself.

Xiao Jue was talking with Chi Wu on the other side. He Yan sat with Lin Shuanghe, who watched her skilled movements and sighed, “Brother He, you really can do it all – proper in the hall, capable in the kitchen, climbing walls, and fighting thugs. Among all the…” he lowered his voice, “ladies I’ve met, none compare to you. Sister, when you get to Shuo Capital, you’ll still be number one in my heart.”

He Yan tossed a roasted egg into his lap, “…You flatter me.”

Lin Shuanghe fumbled to peel the shell while asking, “Once we reach Shuo Capital, what do you want to do? Liangzhou has nothing, but Shuo Capital is prosperous. If you have free time, your big brother will take you to explore the markets every day.”

At a time like this, he was still thinking about having fun. He Yan was speechless for a moment, but then remembered something else and asked Lin Shuanghe, “By the way, why didn’t Physician Shen come along with you to Rundou City this time? She… should be returning to Shuo Capital too, right?”

When He Yan left Liangzhou Guard, she had sealed Shen Muxue’s pressure points. Though it was to protect her, He Yan wasn’t sure how Shen Muxue had fared afterward. This time when Xiao Jue and Yan He came, even Lin Shuanghe was there, but she hadn’t seen Shen Muxue. Yet with Xiao Jue returning to Shuo Capital, there was no reason for Shen Muxue to stay alone at Liangzhou Guard.

“Physician Shen?” Lin Shuanghe answered matter-of-factly, “She’s a young lady. When Huai Jin and I rushed to Rundou City, we traveled day and night without rest. How could she endure that? Taking her along would only slow us down. So we didn’t bring her. As for the physician position, I alone am sufficient. Huai Jin had Shen Han and others bring Physician Shen later.”

He Yan nodded, but the next moment, Lin Shuanghe’s face suddenly drew close, looking at her mischievously: “Why did you specifically ask about Physician Shen? Are you jealous?”

“J-jealous of what?” He Yan was so startled she almost hit him on the head with the branch she was using. She straightened up and said calmly, “I sealed her pressure points before I left, I just feel guilty about that.”

“Is that all?” Lin Shuanghe deliberately dragged out his words, “If so, then all our Huai Jin’s careful planning would be wasted…”

He Yan: “What careful planning?”

Lin Shuanghe stuffed a bird egg in his mouth and said leisurely, “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t care, so better not to say.”

He Yan was so anxious she wanted to grab Lin Shuanghe’s head and shake it hard to see what would fall out. But Lin Shuanghe was incredibly shrewd about matters between men and women, and he was close to Xiao Jue. If he had gotten any definite information and told Xiao Jue, it would be too awkward to even remain friends.

She could only sit properly and maintain composure, though inwardly fuming, her expression remained calm: “Then I really don’t care, better not tell me.”

Looking at her pretentious manner, Lin Shuanghe struggled to hold back his laughter, thinking to himself, let’s see how long you can endure.

Ah, young people… young people!

…

Thousands of miles away in Liangzhou, the military compound was bustling with activity.

Liang Ping was helping check if anything had been left behind in the rooms, as they were about to set out for Shuo Capital. Some troops would remain at Liangzhou Guard, while others would go to the capital. Shen Han would leave with them, while Liang Ping, Ma Damei, and other instructors had to stay at Liangzhou Guard.

Shen Muxue would naturally be leaving too.

Many days ago, when Xiao Jue and Lin Shuanghe were about to depart for Run City, Shen Muxue expressed her wish to go along but was refused by Xiao Jue. He rejected her decisively without giving any reason. It was Lin Shuanghe who, seeing Shen Muxue’s troubled expression, tried to smooth things over with a smile: “Miss Shen, Run City’s situation is urgent. Huai Jin and I must travel day and night without rest. How could a young lady like you keep up with us? If you were to get hurt, even if you didn’t mind, I would feel terrible.”

“Besides, Instructor Shen and the others will be setting out soon. You can travel with them then. He’ll take good care of you. The troops move slower and there are more people, so both Huai Jin and I will feel at ease about your safety. Right?”

Shen Muxue said nothing, and Lin Shuanghe took her silence as agreement. Smiling, he turned to leave, but Shen Muxue watched his retreating figure and asked, “Young Master Lin, Second Young Master Xiao is going to Run City for He Yan, isn’t he?”

Lin Shuanghe paused and looked at her with genuine confusion: “Why would you think that?”

Shen Muxue pressed her lips together without speaking. She knew it sounded absurd – Xiao Jue wasn’t someone who would easily change his plans for anyone, but… but she still felt uneasy.

Outside voices interrupted her memories as Liang Ping called out: “Physician Shen, are there any other items to be loaded onto the carriage?”

Shen Muxue came back to her senses and responded while walking out. Outside stood Liang Ping, his face red from the sun, sweating profusely, carrying a stack of boxes as he wobbled toward the carriage. When Xiao Jue left in a hurry, nothing in his room had been packed. Before leaving, he had instructed Shen Han to bring all his belongings when returning to Shuo Capital.

Fortunately, Xiao Jue didn’t own many things – just some books and clothes, nothing more.

Seeing Liang Ping walking unsteadily, Shen Muxue stepped forward and said, “Let me help you.”

Liang Ping’s face reddened further, “No need, no need. The Chief Instructor told me these were all the Commander’s things and asked me to handle them personally. How could I trouble Physician Shen?”

He inwardly admired how kind-hearted Young Lady Shen was, without any airs. Despite being from a noble family, she didn’t look down on warriors like them.

Shen Muxue, unaware of Liang Ping’s thoughts, only heard these were Xiao Jue’s belongings and said, “You’re carrying too many at once, something might fall. It’s fine, I’ll help.”

As she spoke, she took the topmost box, which wasn’t very large, and walked forward with Liang Ping.

It was too late for Liang Ping to stop her, but seeing that Shen Muxue didn’t seem to be struggling, he relaxed a bit and smiled, “Then thank you, Physician Shen.”

They walked together to the carriage. Liang Ping asked Shen Muxue to get on first while he went to fetch another load. It was hot outside, so Shen Muxue agreed. She sat quietly holding the box, watching the soldiers busy in the distance, her gaze falling on the box in her arms.

The box looked ordinary, but she wondered what was inside. Xiao Jue didn’t bring many things, but since he asked Shen Han to take it back to Shuo Capital, it must be important. However, when she lifted the box, it felt very light, as if empty.

Her curiosity was unusually piqued. It probably wasn’t Xiao Jue’s official documents or letters – he would keep those with him. Opening it to look… should be fine, right?

Shen Muxue’s fingers rested on the box as she looked outside. The soldiers were all far away; no one could see her actions.

With a “click,” the box opened.

Inside were some brushes, inkstones, and paperweights. Just some small items. She was about to close it when her gaze suddenly froze. After a moment, she reached in and took out two objects.

One was a dough figurine, now dried and gray, shaped like a woman with a charming smile and touching expression. The other was a wooden carved painting showing an overturned warship engulfed in fierce flames, with a general standing at the bow – gallant and familiar.

It was a female general.