Lin Ye was surrounded by the troops brought by Lu Yun and the Prince of Hengyang. The Northern Kingdom’s vanguard, which had initially held the upper hand, saw their leader shot by three consecutive arrows from Third Young Master Lu. Their expressions changed drastically as they hastily grabbed their weapons and stood up. In an instant, the martially skilled young Prince Jun Liu Mu leaped down from his horse with his long spear, leading his troops in a charge against the enemy!

Treading over corpses, stepping through fresh blood!

The long spear scraped across the snow-covered ground, stirring up swirling snow mist. Each raised snowflake reflected off young Liu Mu’s sharp brow ridge, seeming to carry weight as they struck toward the enemy troops.

Liu Mu shouted: “Men, follow me and kill! Don’t let a single one escape—”

From Nanyang to Yingchuan, from Yingchuan to Ruyang, they met the Northern Kingdom’s southward-advancing vanguard forces. Both sides engaged in battle, erupting instantly! Liu Mu’s imposing aura surged like a rainbow, with soldiers following closely behind to meet the enemy. Having heard reports of Ruyang’s dire crisis along the way, how could they hesitate upon encountering the enemy? As Liu Mu fought with the enemy, his razor-sharp eyes glanced over to see Third Young Master Lu kneeling in the snow.

That lady’s face was completely hidden by him, with only her thick black hair falling into Third Young Master Lu’s arms visible to everyone. It was elegant, like a waterfall.

Seeing this, Liu Mu grew even more enraged, thinking of how when they first arrived, they had seen those Northern Kingdom soldiers surrounding Lady Luo… How dare they!

Did they think the Southern Kingdom had no one, that they could wantonly abuse a lady?

With this thought, Liu Mu’s spear danced even more fiercely. The whistling wind coalesced into solid blades, surrounding the Northern Kingdom troops. The previously invincible enemy forces now began to retreat anxiously, wanting to flee as more and more corpses fell to the ground…

Lu Yun held Luo Lingyu tightly, pressing her face against his chest. He used his embrace to give her a sense of security, and his body’s warmth to warm her, so she was no longer frozen stiff and unable to move.

Luo Lingyu closed her eyes, tears falling from their corners, listening to Lu Yun’s intense heartbeat.

Gradually, she truly felt safe. If he had arrived even a moment later, she would have had to think of other ways to deal with the enemy. Behind her great composure was extreme fear, but she couldn’t let others know she was afraid. Only Lu Yun, only Lu Yun… The lady’s tears wet the young man’s clothes on his chest.

His body trembled slightly, and without a word, he held her even tighter.

…

The world grew ancient, the snow mist gradually dissipating.

Lu Yun held this girl, the feeling of losing and regaining her encircling his heart. His blood flowed extremely fast, his body alternating between cold and hot. His people were battling the enemy, but at this moment, he only wanted to save Luo Lingyu first.

She trembled in his arms, and his heart felt as if someone had carved out a piece of it. Moreover, it was continuous, unending, carving at his heart.

He felt his heart convulsing with pain.

Almost unable to breathe.

Those people who tormented her, who frightened her, who chased her. In Third Young Master Lu’s typically clear eyes, beneath the calm abyss, blade light and sword shadows churned, heavy with killing intent.

…

The surrounding sounds grew weaker.

Liu Mu stood several zhang away from them, paused for a moment, and said: “The enemy troops are either dead or captured, we shouldn’t linger here.”

The tender feelings between man and woman should end here.

Lu Yun made a sound of acknowledgment without turning his head, asking his attendant for a crane-patterned cloak to wrap around the lady in his arms. As the fighting subsided, having been held by Lu Yun for quite some time, Luo Lingyu’s body temperature slowly returned to normal, her consciousness returning. With numerous soldiers looking over, Lu Yun still calmly and slowly tied her clothes properly, brushing away snow particles and strands of hair from her face. Luo Lingyu’s face reddened slightly, and when Lu Yun tried to lift her, she avoided it. Luo Lingyu didn’t want to appear weak or give rise to any speculation.

Supported by Lu Yun, she stood up and gave a slight smile to Liu Mu who was watching her.

The lady’s face was pale, and when she smiled, Liu Mu deliberately maintained a stern expression without showing any reaction. However, the faces of the soldiers in the army behind Liu Mu all turned red at once, and they turned away, not daring to look. A lady who could make enemy troops collectively pursue her must be a beauty like Xi Shi or Bao Si from ancient books.

Luo Lingyu collected herself: “I came south from Ruyang, currently Ruyang…”

The army stood in military attire, flags flying. The lady was about to tell Liu Mu and Lu Yun about Ruyang’s situation with proper dignity, after all, in the face of a national crisis, her matters were insignificant. Moreover, seeing the thousands of troops behind the Prince of Hengyang, it was clear they were heading north to aid Ruyang. But before Luo Lingyu could finish her opening words, she was interrupted by Lu Yun beside her: “No need to say more, I know the general situation.”

Liu Mu: “…”

He glanced at Lu Yun: you’re quite omniscient, just by observing the southward-fleeing people along the way, seeing one Fan Fourth Young Master, and examining the tracks of carriages and horses, you can guess the situation. I don’t know the situation and need someone to explain it. But you cherish your beloved and don’t want her to speak too much, so I must be inconvenienced.

Lu Yun continued: “The enemy forces we just encountered weren’t numerous, but their momentum was extremely strong, they must be the enemy’s vanguard forces. As for the enemy’s main force, they have either already broken through Ruyang or are still lingering around Ruyang’s periphery. We must head north to intercept them, we cannot let the enemy forces join with the troops in Nanyang. With Mount Funiu’s eight hundred li and Mount Tongbai’s three hundred li connected, the enemy has too many places to hide, we must cut through the middle.”

Though Lu Yun wasn’t a military talent, he excelled in strategy. Hearing his words, Liu Mu made a sound of agreement, thinking this was indeed how they should proceed.

The two then settled on their upcoming military march plans regarding military affairs.

Luo Lingyu listened by Lu Yun’s side for a long while, and after they finished speaking, she smiled and said: “If that’s the case, shall we set out now?”

Liu Mu was startled, his eyes brightening slightly as he looked over admiringly: Having encountered such great difficulty, she’s not afraid? She still dares to follow the army?

The young man’s gaze was somewhat intense, and Luo Lingyu was startled. But before any opportunity could be created, Lu Yun had already lowered his head and glanced at her. Lu Yun said: “I’ll give my troops to you, young master. You are a military talent and should lead the troops north. My body is unwell, I’ll walk slowly behind, with Lingyu accompanying me. Young master need not wait for me.”

Liu Mu was stunned for a moment, only now realizing why Lu Yun had explained the battle plans in such detail earlier – it was because Lu Yun didn’t want to go with him. He wanted to… stay behind to take care of his cousin. Liu Mu frowned, instinctively wanting to object. But when he met Lu Yun’s dark gaze and saw Lu Yun’s hand on Luo Lingyu’s shoulder, his gaze darkened slightly, and Liu Mu nodded once, saying nothing more before turning to leave.

Luo Lingyu was stunned.

In the blink of an eye, the army had cleanly and decisively distanced themselves from her and Lu Yun, leaving only a few attendants. She grew somewhat anxious, but Lu Yun looked down at her and said softly: “We’re not going. Lingyu, get some good sleep and rest your spirit. I’ll stay with you, you can rest easy.”

Looking up to meet Lu Yun’s gaze. After a long while, Luo Lingyu’s taut nerves slowly relaxed again.

As she lowered her head, she felt her eyes growing moist again. The lady’s lips curved in a smile, weak and self-pitying. Head lowered, she was lifted onto the horse by Lu Yun. He mounted after her, protecting her against his chest. This time, leaning against the young lord’s chest behind her, she could finally relax her spirit and fell asleep.

The sense of security she couldn’t obtain was finally given to her by Lu Yun.

…

Lu Yun’s horsemanship was extremely skilled, and he took to the road with Luo Lingyu. The horse’s gait was steady throughout, and the lady in his arms slept very peacefully. Lu Yun instructed his attendants to communicate with Nanyang, while also bringing over Fan Fourth Young Master and the others they had captured earlier. Third Young Master Lu kept all the terrain of this area in his mind, effortlessly holding Luo Lingyu as he found the nearest official post station.

The post station was in turmoil, though the minor officials hadn’t all fled yet. After Third Young Master Lu showed his waist token representing his identity, the minor officials immediately arranged lodgings and hot water, letting them wash up and rest. Seeing Lu Yun carrying a sleeping lady in his arms, Lu Yun had them fetch women’s clothing that the post station normally prepared for emergencies.

Half a shichen later, charcoal fires were lit in the room, and Lu Yun sat by Luo Lingyu’s bed, holding a cloth in his hand. He looked down, rolled up his sleeves, and personally wiped her body clean, changing her out of that eye-catching red wedding dress.

The charcoal fire made the room as warm as spring, and the lady, truly exhausted, slept very peacefully. Her long hair spread like clouds as she slept on her side, and her snow-white face flushed pink from the fire’s heat. Lu Yun reached beneath her ear to remove her earrings. His eyes were clear and dark, his face like snow, with no one knowing what he was looking at or thinking about.

Suddenly, Lu Yun brushed aside Luo Lingyu’s long hair, and his gaze stopped when it fell on the area behind her ear—

He saw a red mark on the snow-white skin behind her ear.

Like a bite, like a kiss.

This mark left in such an ambiguous place behind her ear made Lu Yun’s eyes suddenly darken, filled with severity. He extended his finger and wiped at that red mark, but instead of erasing it, the skin behind her ear only reddened more. Lu Yun’s face grew extremely cold, and as he wiped again with his fingertip, perhaps too forcefully, the lady in her sleep trembled and shrank away.

Lu Yun suddenly came to his senses.

He stared at Luo Lingyu’s face, his eyes surging with extreme emotions. Looking at her crimson lips and slender neck, his finger pressed behind her ear, moving slightly. For a moment, he almost wanted to tear off her clothes and examine her entire body, to see if there were more such marks!

Black and blue, whether ambiguous!

But Lu Yun’s face remained dark, and in the end, he only moved his finger slightly, doing nothing more. He turned his face away with unbearable discomfort, trying to calm his emotions of extreme anger and pain. He closed his eyes for a moment, his thick, long black eyelashes quietly covering his eyes, like his darkened thoughts.

When Lu Yun opened his eyes again, he had suppressed his emotions. He didn’t wake her up, didn’t question her, didn’t forcefully remove her clothes to inspect. He continued calmly changing her outer garments, smoothing down her long hair, using it to cover the bite mark behind her ear.

…

Perhaps because Lu Yun was nearby, she could smell his scent with every breath. She felt him moving about beside her, seemed to hear him speaking softly with others outside the door, seemed to hear him walking back in his wooden clogs to sit by her bed and watch her… Lu Yun’s presence made Luo Lingyu feel at ease. This sleep was long, and when she woke up and sat up in bed, she stared blankly at the candlelight on the table.

So the sky had darkened again.

Having just woken up, Luo Lingyu experienced brief amnesia, sitting dazed for a while until she smelled food from outside and felt hungry. Then hearing Third Young Master Lu’s cold voice outside the door talking to attendants. His mood seemed poor, suppressing anger as he coldly spoke words like “kill” and “don’t let any escape.”

Luo Lingyu blinked, supporting herself on the bed while feeling for wooden clogs on the floor, wanting to get up. She tentatively called: “Brother Xuchen?”

The voice outside stopped abruptly.

When Lu Yun spoke to her, his tone changed, becoming gentle: “You’re awake? I’ll go get you a bowl of porridge. Conditions aren’t good, please bear with it.”

Luo Lingyu naturally agreed, and as Lu Yun walked away, she got out of bed herself and walked around the room. The furniture was simple, but there was a bunch of flowers in the window, barely making it suitable as a lady’s chamber. Luo Lingyu assessed the current situation, going to the table and picking up the bronze mirror to examine her appearance.

She never forgot to mind her beauty.

Afraid her makeup might be improper, her appearance haggard, and would offend Lu Yun’s eyes later.

When Lu Yun pushed open the door, he saw her brushing her long hair, looking left and right. The dim bronze mirror reflected toward the area behind her ear, and she was about to see… Lu Yun interrupted: “It’s late at night, no one’s looking at you. You’re always staring at your face, and there’s no powder or rouge here, who are you making yourself pretty for?”

Luo Lingyu’s face flushed red at his words, sheepishly put down the bronze mirror. She never saw the kiss mark behind her ear herself.

Seeing Lu Yun after waking up, the young lord was still graceful and elegant, making her both move and feel inferior. Thinking about the circumstances under which Lu Yun had rescued her, she felt even more uncomfortable. Those men surrounding her, her seducing that officer… Had Lu Yun seen all of this?

Would he despise her?

Lu Yun raised his eyes, gesturing for her to come have porridge. He seemed somewhat distracted too, thinking about something. Luo Lingyu hesitated, slowly moving over to sit down. She bit her lip, now awake, she had to think about how to tell Lu Yun what she had been doing before. How she left Nanyang, what she and Young Master Fan did along the way… These were disgusting things a lady didn’t want to mention.

The jade spoon reached her lips, and Luo Lingyu stared blankly, seeing Lu Yun sitting across from her, actually holding the bowl to feed herself. Luo Lingyu was startled, seeing his elegant brow bones like wings, and how refined he was. But Third Young Master Lu was feeding her… Someone like Lu Yun, would feed her?

Lu Yun raised an eyebrow: “The porridge’s already in your mouth, aren’t you hungry?”

Luo Lingyu suddenly lowered her eyes and smiled, obediently opening her mouth to take the spoon.

He fed her one spoonful at a time, his movements not very practiced, but Luo Lingyu felt very happy in her heart. Lu Yun watched the secret smile blooming at the corners of her lips, hidden from him and was momentarily dazed again. After a while, Lu Yun suddenly spoke: “Do you hate me?”

Luo Lingyu was slightly stunned: “No… why would I hate you?”

Lu Yun gave a self-mocking smile.

He said: “You were right.”

Luo Lingyu was bewildered.

Lu Yun said softly: “I was wrong. That day when you came to Jianye, you wouldn’t save me on the boat. I held onto that for so long, always resenting you in my heart… How arrogant of me. You and I are ultimately different. When ordinary young ladies travel far from home and encounter strangers, they shouldn’t reach out to save them without reason. You not saving me then, you were right, I was wrong.”

Lu Yun was admitting his mistake to her!

Luo Lingyu’s eyes rippled like clear water, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat. He brought up the knot that had always existed between them, brought up that ever-present issue… making her feel both wronged and tender-hearted. Luo Lingyu lowered her head: “No… I truly wasn’t kind enough. You were seriously injured then, I should have saved you. You are different from others… I didn’t save you because I thought you were useless. But if I had saved you then, it wouldn’t have been out of kindness either. I must have been attracted to your bearing, your appearance, would only have saved you because you seemed like a noble young lord… Brother Xuchen, I’ve always been this bad.”

Lu Yun: “Being a little bad is good. Being a little bad prevents getting hurt, being kind only leads to being hurt by others. It’s quite good.”

Under her eyelashes, Luo Lingyu’s beautiful eyes shimmered with emotion, her heart sweet, happy that he finally spoke of her this way, and no longer looked down on her… Her heart melted under his gentle gaze, suddenly filled with immense courage, thinking if Lu Yun understood her, if she told him what happened, he wouldn’t despise her, right?

The lady gathered her courage: “Young Master Fan and I…”

“Don’t tell me!” Lu Yun interrupted.

Luo Lingyu froze, glancing up at him once, her eyes shrinking slightly, lowering them with some hurt. Her fingers placed on her knees unconsciously curled back to hide, but from the corner of her eye, she saw the young lord’s blue robe flutter as Lu Yun stood up. Was he going to leave? He suspected her…

Luo Lingyu’s eyes reddened, her back stiff as she sat straight. She pressed her lips together, refusing to admit defeat, refusing to beg him to stay. Her heart ached, about to cry, tears about to spill from her eyes, when that blue robe fell to the ground and her hand grew warm. Lu Yun hadn’t left, he had only stood to put down the bowl, crouching before her and holding the hand she had placed on her knee.

He looked up at her from below, his face gentle and clear in the candlelight.

Lu Yun said softly: “Lingyu, some things you shouldn’t say, speaking of them would embarrass you, and I would be unhappy. What I want to know, I will know myself. What I don’t bring up, I consider unimportant… Let me investigate myself, I don’t want to hear you say it, can you understand?”

Luo Lingyu was stunned: “…I don’t understand… why?”

He said: “If you say it yourself, watching you, it would pain my heart. Whether you’ve lost your virtue or not, I don’t care.”

He quietly looked at her, letting her see the light in his eyes.

Luo Lingyu: “…Then what do you care about?”

Lu Yun stood up and sat beside her. He pulled her into his arms and closed his eyes. The handsome young lord pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling. With eyes closed he emanated grace like an immortal in exile, not answering her question but saying: “The world loves the fragrance of roses, none care about their thorns. I have seen these thorns… I very much like these thorns.”

“Little Sister Lingyu, would you be willing to… be intimate with me?”