Currently, Ruyang was in complete chaos.
Though the two nations had negotiated peace, it seemed like a mere joke. Lu Sanlang had already sent letters to surrounding prefectures, warning them about the Northern Kingdom breaking the treaty. In the Nanyang region, the Southern armies were the first to violate the agreement. However, in Ruyang, it was the Northern forces who first broke their word. The earth trembled like thunder as the Northern iron cavalry reached the city walls, intent on breaching them—
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Soldiers embraced wooden battering rams, repeatedly smashing them against Ruyang’s city gates. Arrows rained down from the city walls like rain, yet the Northern vanguard soldiers endured the barrage, throwing grappling hooks onto the walls and climbing upward. Once the Northern vanguard entered the city, they encountered not just soldiers but helpless commoners, and these troops began slaughtering without hesitation.
At this moment, terrified civilians cried out uncontrollably, crowding towards the southern city gate, pounding and ramming it, demanding to leave Ruyang and flee!
Fan Qingchen pulled Luo Lingyu, stumbling as they ran through the city. Fan Silang’s two attendants protected them, clearing a path. At this time, fires blazed throughout the streets and alleys, with enemy soldiers appearing periodically with drawn swords. The official army rushed to the frontlines, leaving no one to maintain order in the city. Fan Qingchen and Luo Lingyu sprinted through the crowds. At this point, Luo Lingyu no longer thought about parting ways with Fan Silang. Given her beauty, staying with Fan Qingchen was much safer.
“Young lord, save me! Young lady, save me! My child is missing…” They encountered a weeping young woman who grabbed at them, begging for mercy.
“Young lady, young lady! Take me with you, please take me with you! My husband is gone, there’s no one left at home, let me follow you and serve as your beast of burden!” The young woman pleaded desperately, noting the fine clothes of this lord and lady—particularly the lady’s radiant wedding attire—immediately recognizing them as upper-class gentry. In her helplessness, the young woman sought their aid…
Yet no one paid her any attention.
Luo Lingyu’s expression remained unchanged, not even sparing a glance. In her current situation, she didn’t believe she could save others. Being naturally cold and selfish, when she could barely ensure her survival, she chose to ignore the pitiful young woman completely.
Seeing the pair wouldn’t even pause at her cries, and watching the two attendants lead the lord and lady down an alley until they disappeared, the young woman couldn’t keep up. Her face showed desperate hatred. After they left, when Northern soldiers arrived, she crouched in a corner, covering her head and crying, pointing in a direction while shouting: “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me! I just saw a peerlessly beautiful woman, go find her, kill her—”
The Northern vanguard soldiers smiled banditlike, though their eyes remained cold. With one stroke of their blades, the woman’s head was separated from her body, blood pooling on the ground. The Northern vanguard continued killing others but now moved vaguely in the direction the woman had indicated. While killing was their purpose, the mention of a “peerless beauty” was indeed tempting.
“After entering the city, killing, burning, and looting are all permitted!”
“Beautiful women can be taken freely, no need to report to officers!”
These were the promises their superiors had made to the soldiers before the attack, making the Northern army even more aggressive in their assault. Whoever entered the city first would get the first pick of Ruyang’s resources. The vanguard who entered first especially took their officers’ words to heart. The evil of human nature revealed by the young woman’s dying betrayal was subtly evident at this moment.
With their attendants clearing the way, Fan Qingchen’s group found a shortcut to the southern gate that hadn’t yet been seized by Northern forces. As they approached, they found the gate packed with a dense crowd of people. The garrison soldiers shouted to maintain order, but only crying could be heard as everyone tried to flee the city, no one listening to the soldiers’ words.
Fan Qingchen’s gaze fixed ahead as he first struggled to push through the crowd to reach a sweating young officer. Amid the tumultuous noise, Fan Qingchen reached into his robes and produced credentials: “I am Fan Silang of Nanyang, and I am an old acquaintance of your Prefecture Chief. When I entered the city earlier, I reached an agreement with your lord that he would provide carriages and horses to escort my wife and me away from here—”
Hearing this, the young officer didn’t take the letter, instead saying apologetically: “My lord, please forgive me! We can barely protect ourselves, and cannot protect my lord at this time. My lord, you can see how many people are rushing to leave the city—why doesn’t my lord just queue up with them?”
“Or perhaps my lord could have the Prefecture Chief come?”
The Prefecture Chief was sure with the city garrison commanders dealing with the enemy attack at this moment—how could he have time to worry about people leaving the city? This young officer was making things difficult for Fan Silang, seeing such a refined young nobleman and immediately identifying him as a member of the gentry. When a nobleman came seeking help from a lowly person like himself at such a time, it naturally made him want to create some trouble.
Fan Qingchen wasn’t a fool. After his eyes narrowed slightly, he directly removed a jade pendant from his waist and, under cover of his sleeve’s movement, tossed it to the young officer. The officer glanced down secretly—top-grade green Lantian jade, worth more than he could earn in a lifetime—and immediately broke into a delighted smile. The officer readily agreed, turning to tell his colleagues to provide carriages and horses. Looking back, he advised earnestly: “My lord, look at how many people are here. If I hold them back to let you through, with so many people watching, you still won’t be able to leave, will you?”
Indeed, at the mention of carriages and horses, sharp-eared commoners nearby all looked over, their eyes full of desire and greed as they gazed at this noble lord.
Fan Qingchen cursed silently.
Cold-faced, he handed over another jade pendant: “Prepare more carriages and horses, give them to these people.”
Looking at these restless civilians eager to flee the city, Fan Silang put on a hypocritical smile: “We are only four people and need just one carriage and two horses. The rest can be provided to everyone.”
The crowd immediately cheered: “Thank you, my lord, for your consideration!”
“My lord’s great kindness will be repaid one day!”
Fan Qingchen felt cold indifference, not needing repayment from these people. He was now full of anxiety, wondering how the situation was in other places given this attack. With armies at the city walls, had the situation between North and South changed again? Would he be unable to take Luo Lingyu away from the Southern Kingdom at this time… Perhaps they couldn’t leave at all, unable to enter Northern territory.
The escape route his father had arranged for him earlier would now be suicide to use. At this point, it seemed they had no choice but to head south.
“My lord, my lord…” As Fan Silang brooded, he heard his attendant squeeze over calling him. He turned to look, and when he saw the lady behind the attendant, he was stunned.
In just a brief moment, Luo Lingyu had smeared her face with ash and dirt. She had done something to disguise her features—her originally stunning face now appeared dark and dull, her eyes, nose, and lips all ordinary. At first glance, she looked like a common woman with a weathered face, completely unrecognizable as a beauty.
Fan Qingchen: “Who applied it?”
Both attendants looked at Lady Luo, their meaning clear without words.
Fan Qingchen chuckled softly, reaching out to grab Luo Lingyu’s slightly resistant wrist: “Sister, I’ve always admired your ability to handle dangerous situations.”
However, Luo Lingyu’s face was like frost. After falling out with Fan Qingchen, she couldn’t be bothered to maintain any pretense now. If not for the two attendants following her every step, she would have long since found an excuse to escape from Fan Qingchen in the crowd. Now she had only smeared some ash on her face yet still had to remain bound to Fan Qingchen, even relying on his protection—Luo Lingyu was not in a good mood.
Fan Qingchen turned his head, casually picked up a loudly crying child, and tossed it into the lady’s arms, saying softly: “We’ll escape with these commoners—their cover will make it safer.”
…
Corpses lay everywhere as the Northern army approached Ruyang’s walls!
Fan Qingchen and Luo Lingyu’s group mixed in with the commoners, boarding the carriages and horses sent by the city’s young officer, and fleeing southward. The common people couldn’t ride horses, and ox carts were far slower than horses. Fan Qingchen didn’t want to waste these few horses, yet was unwilling to lower himself to share a cart with commoners. He simply gave the cart to the civilians while his group rode horses. Luo Lingyu’s horsemanship was poor, forcing her to share a mount with Fan Qingchen—at this point, she couldn’t complain about anything.
During their cold flight, being able to travel by carriage was a first for most of the city’s commoners. What had begun as a panicked escape now showed them hope. In twos and threes, they packed each carriage as full as possible. The commoners sitting in the carriages couldn’t help but chat as they fled.
The atmosphere grew somewhat relaxed.
Whatever Fan Qingchen might have been thinking, he at least put on a friendly facade of closeness with the common people, earning their praise.
Luo Lingyu let out a scornful laugh—
Fan Silang found these people extremely annoying, yet to ensure assistance during their escape and avoid their hostility, he put on this caring facade. He who was usually so sinister showed his true nature in adversity.
Far inferior to her Brother Xuezhen.
Though she and Fan Qingchen were of the same type, it didn’t prevent her from admiring Lu Xuezhen. In judging both paintings and people, she had known the Plum-Seeking Recluse’s character from the moment she saw his paintings. She had admired Lu Yun even before meeting him—Lu Xuezhen would never look down on common people while pretending to be kind to them.
Lu Xuezhen looked down on everyone equally, not specifically targeting commoners. Precisely because no one met his standards, he treated everyone the same, making no distinction between nobility and commoners.
While Luo Lingyu righteously believed there was nothing wrong with her lack of kindness, she envied Lu Yun’s ability to view everyone equally. He didn’t care about noble or common birth, didn’t consider status when deciding whether to save someone, and could even marry her regardless of her background—all because his status was so elevated that he could follow his heart in dealing with people and matters, without need for excessive calculation. How could Luo Lingyu not envy such innate good fortune?
Sitting in Fan Qingchen’s embrace, Luo Lingyu couldn’t help but think of another young lord. Her heart ached, wondering if he was searching for her.
Often, when she was with Lu Yun, she always felt somewhat inferior… always feared he didn’t love her enough…
As her heart grew heavy, she suddenly felt a chill on her nose. Luo Lingyu was startled, raising her moistened eyes. Her eyelashes trembled as another snowflake fell, flying into her eyes.
The group fleeing southward saw the year’s first snow beginning to fall gently across the land. Under the grey-white sky, boundless in all directions, snowflakes danced through the air, scattering downward.
Fan Qingchen said softly: “To think it’s snowing… tonight will be difficult.”
He felt the lady in his arms stiffen as she stared dazedly at the snow. He asked: “Are you cold?”
Luo Lingyu didn’t answer him.
She only gazed at the snow swirling through the sky, her heart suddenly blocked by snow, sinking into endless depression—
Second Young Master Lu said that Lu Yun died on a snowy day.
Said he died on a mountain shrouded in snow and mist, his blood already drained before death, with no one by his side. There was only that blood-written letter covered by wind and snow. If through the ages I could say one more word to you, this love would be as unchanging as the mountains.
…
When Luo Lingyu learned of that dream when Luo Lingyu sketched out two different stories in her mind.
Though he wouldn’t admit it, perhaps he both loved and hated her.
…
Never had such clear terror struck her so suddenly.
Like death arriving without warning, leaving one helpless.
Second Young Master Lu’s dream had always been half-believed, half-doubted. Moreover, with Lu Yun present, Luo Lingyu hadn’t given it much thought. But when this winter’s first snow fell when nightly worries manifested in reality when her mind involuntarily flashed back to her dreams of being unable to find Lu Yun, Luo Lingyu suddenly felt waves of fear in the wilderness.
Her heart clenched, unable to breathe. She feared the nightmare would come true, feared that an ephemeral mayfly could not shake a mighty tree.
The young lady lowered her eyes, clenching her teeth. When Fan Silang asked again if she was cold, she decisively said yes, receiving a large cloak draped over her.
Luo Lingyu knew she must save herself, must escape from Fan Qingchen, must survive, must see Lu Yun—
At the very least, she couldn’t let Lu Yun come to harm because of her!
…
When the first snowflake fell from the sky, Lu Yun was in Yingchuan, meeting with Prince Xingyang Liu Mu. The thick felt curtain of the great tent opened, and the young prince strode out, seeing Third Young Master Lu’s tall, lean figure standing alert, face upturned to the snow, his handsome features showing traces of contemplation. Hearing footsteps, Lu Yun turned around, and Liu Mu, with a grave expression, handed over a letter.
Liu Mu: “Just received intelligence that Northern troops have attacked Ruyang—Ruyang is in danger!”
Lu Yun took the letter, scanning it rapidly.
Seeing Lu Yun’s calm expression and thinking he was unwilling to send troops to help, Liu Mu said coldly: “We must go to Ruyang’s aid… you said those bandits were taking Lady Luo north, if they want to leave the Southern Kingdom, Ruyang is much more likely than my Yingchuan. If Lady Luo is trapped in Ruyang, will you not save her?”
Lu Yun had brought troops to join forces with Prince Xingyang; Yingchuan had not been attacked, and Prince Xingyang also claimed no knowledge of Luo Lingyu’s whereabouts. Before all this came Ruyang’s crisis.
Second Brother’s latest letter hadn’t reached Lu Yun since he wasn’t in Nanyang. But even without receiving it, Lu Yun could guess the situation without his second brother’s explanation. If Second Brother’s dream was true, with the battle at Nanyang and Ruyang city in danger… wouldn’t this be an excellent opportunity for death?
Lu Yun’s lips curved into a slight smile. Completely unrelated, he suddenly reached out to catch a snowflake, saying to Liu Mu: “If Your Highness knew heaven’s workings, and guessed that heaven wished your death, would you believe in fate and simply wait for it?”
Liu Mu was stunned, then sneered: “I never practice the art of waiting at ease for trouble!”
Lu Yun concealed the anxiety in his heart, his eyes seemingly containing laughter.
He nodded slightly, murmuring: “…This indeed needs to be tested.”
The timeline in Second Brother’s dream is too chaotic and needs reorganization. Moreover, Second Brother was naive, and the truth of his dream remained doubtful due to lack of verification.
And now, the North’s first snow had fallen. That death warrant walked with steady steps, drawing ever closer across the land, approaching Lu Yun.
Lu Yun thought: This is a good opportunity for experimentation.
He suddenly had an overwhelming impulse, an immature idea forming in his mind—he wanted to reverse all the decisions he would normally make—he wanted to use Second Brother’s unclear fragments to sketch out a complete story. And looking at this story, what if for every command and decision, he did the opposite of what his heart told him? If he made bold changes to all the signs, what would this dream story of Second Brother’s become?
Would the other dangers he foresaw disappear, or would they still exist?
…
Hmm, let him try it slowly.