This vessel could hardly be called a boat; it resembled more a massive carpet with a slightly raised edge and a simple cabin constructed in the middle. Sixteen sailors manned the craft, eight on each side, all bare-chested with powerful, athletic physiques and exceptional strength.

At the bow stood a white-clad youth with hands clasped behind his back. His face was round as the full moon, eyes bright as stars, truly handsome and dignified. Behind him were four men in black, their expressions as cold as the depths of winter, with wolf-like gazes that revealed they had taken countless lives.

The boat approached from outside the city, moving with incredible speed yet making only the slightest sounds. In an instant, it had glided several zhang across the water. Du Duniao dared not hesitate, immediately crouching low and sprinting through the shoreline grass to keep pace with the vessel.

As they neared the city, the waterway narrowed. In a moment, the boat docked. The white-clad youth remained motionless, turning his head to say something to those beside him. After a brief conversation, the two stayed to guard the boat while the rest disembarked and headed southeast toward the wilderness.

Du Duniao’s curiosity was piqued, and he followed closely behind. These people possessed excellent qinggong, but their large number made them easy to track, allowing him to barely keep up. Soon, the group halted before a dilapidated temple in the wilderness.

The white-clad youth raised his eyes to examine it for a moment before speaking: “Are you certain this is the place?”

As soon as he spoke, Du Duniao immediately noticed something and scrutinized him again, nodding to himself: So it’s a girl. I should have known that people like Nangong Junqing are extremely rare in this world.

“We’ve followed the route exactly according to the map, and the surroundings roughly match. It shouldn’t be wrong.”

“How could it be in such a place? This seems far too casual,” the young woman seemed somewhat skeptical.

The black-clad man smiled: “The most unexpected place is also the safest. Besides, considering how rushed things were then, hiding it somewhere convenient makes sense. They say the person who built this temple was once a favored courtier of the inner palace, and it enjoyed great popularity in those days. Later, Emperor Chengzu…” He stopped abruptly as if suddenly becoming aware of something.

The white-clad woman smiled dismissively and said: “That does make some sense. Let’s all go in and take a look, but be careful.”

Everyone acknowledged and entered in single file, but the white-clad woman remained standing outside. After a while, she slowly circled the dilapidated temple, examining it carefully.

Du Duniao hid in the tall grass, not daring to breathe, and stretched his neck to peer into the temple in the moonlight. Inside, the Buddha statues were completely dilapidated, with spots all over them that, based on his experience of sleeping in abandoned temples, were likely bird droppings. The walls had numerous holes of varying sizes, covered in dust and cobwebs… He wondered what treasure could be inside that was worth such a major expedition.

Time passed silently in the desolate wilderness. The moon gradually sank westward, and the stars dimmed their light as if growing drowsy, becoming faint in the distant sky.

Finally, there was movement from the temple. First, two men carried out an iron chest, followed by over a dozen more boxes in quick succession. Everyone’s face displayed extreme excitement, their eyes gleaming. One of them bent down to work on the lock of a chest, but the moment his hand touched the copper lock, he let out a piercing scream.

The white-clad woman sheathed her sword, her eyes sweeping over everyone like cold lightning as she said coldly: “These are gifts for His Highness the Crown Prince. Anyone who dares harbor ill intentions should beware of their hands.” After a pause, she continued, “Since you’ve completed this task for His Highness, your futures are certainly bright. Why worry about not having enough wealth and honor to enjoy?”

At this point, the man, ignoring his two severed fingers, hurriedly begged for mercy: “I only wanted to confirm if it was the item, I absolutely wouldn’t dare…”

The woman interrupted him with a cold laugh: “Have you looked carefully at the patterns on this chest? Who else would dare use such a chest? Hmph, if I allowed you to open it today, how could I explain to His Highness? If you don’t value your own life, at least don’t implicate your brothers.”

The man turned ashen, froze for a moment, then suddenly drew a dagger and plunged it into his abdomen, dying with blood spilling from his mouth. Everyone else quickly regained their composure, returning to their previous cold demeanors.

The white-clad woman remained impassive, not even glancing at the corpse, and casually ordered her subordinates: “Alright, everyone bring the chests to the boat. We’ll enter the capital tonight.”

Everyone followed her instructions and carried the chests back along the path they had come.

Du Duniao, witnessing how severely she commanded her people, couldn’t help but shudder. Now seeing them carrying away their finds, but without clear instructions from Yan Shao about whether to continue following, he felt quite hesitant. He was extremely curious to follow and see what treasures were in those chests but feared these people’s superior martial arts and ruthless methods… While still hesitating, he suddenly felt something cold against his neck—a frost-like sword extended past his cheek.

A crisp yet cruel voice coldly asked: “Who are you? What do you want?”

Having just witnessed her methods, Du Duniao trembled with fear, his speech becoming incoherent, unable to explain himself.

At this moment, a man exclaimed in surprise, “This boy is one of Chu Tianyao’s people.”

“Oh?” The woman’s tone showed some surprise. After pondering for a moment, she said: “Bring him onto the boat first, and later hand him over to Old Xing for questioning.”

After speaking, she sealed several of his major acupoints. A nearby man grabbed his belt and carried him away, moving with flying speed.

Du Duniao lay on the boat, unable to move his body though his mind remained clear. Knowing his life was in danger, he became increasingly anxious. After about an incense stick’s time on the boat, they transferred to carriages. He was stuffed into a dark compartment and jostled for a while until finally stopping. Someone put him in a large sack, carried him inside, and tossed him in a corner without further attention. Curled up in the sack, unable to move, he silently tried to circulate his energy to break through the sealed points but failed. It was at this moment that he regretted not having seriously studied martial arts before.

Though unable to see, he could still hear. Outside was quite noisy. Recalling the woman’s words about entering the capital that night, he figured they must be preparing—those fifteen or twenty chests would require several carriages. If they loaded him onto a carriage and brought him into the imperial capital, it would truly be worse than death. As a member of the rebel Chu Tianyao’s group, how could there be any escape? The more he thought, the more frightened he became. Like experiencing a final moment of clarity before death, he couldn’t help recalling those joyful days of revelry—embracing beautiful women, drinking from golden and bronze cups, thinking only of willows in the moonlight and bridges under bright moons…

His head swam with these scattered thoughts, somewhat in a daze, when he faintly detected a subtle fragrance. Then he heard a voice like heavenly music saying with a laugh: “Congratulations, Miss Feng.”

Hearing this voice, his entire body jerked alert, completely awakened.

Feng Jingli replied: “I must thank Miss Lin for this. Without your treasure map, how could we have found this treasure? I will report this matter in detail to His Highness the Crown Prince. At that time, for Yu Chi Mountain Villa…”

“I appreciate Miss Feng’s kind intentions,” Lin Wanci interrupted her. “The disciples of our villa live in the jianghu and are accustomed to freedom. We dislike constraints and entanglements. It would be better not to mention this matter before His Highness.”

Feng Jingli laughed and said: “Then am I to believe this treasure fell from the sky?”

Lin Wanci also laughed. “Miss Feng, haven’t you forgotten about Rong Shukuang?”

“Rong Shukuang is Chu Tianyao’s wife. Why would she give me the treasure?”

“Naturally, because you killed her, obtained the treasure map, and then followed it to find the treasure.”

After a moment of silence, both women laughed, giving a sense of mutual understanding.

Du Duniao shuddered again, his mind unable to process what he was hearing.

Feng Jingli suddenly said: “Miss Lin, there’s something I’m dying to know. If I don’t ask, I fear I won’t be able to eat or sleep properly…”

Lin Wanci smiled and asked: “Miss Feng, are you wondering why I’m so determined to kill Rong Shukuang?”

“Miss Lin’s persistence must be based on very compelling reasons?”

Lin Wanci remained silent at first, then gave a bitter laugh and said: “It was my mother’s dying wish. As for the specific reasons, I don’t know either.”

Feng Jingli fell silent.

The room became quiet.

After a while, someone reported that everything was ready, with horses and men prepared to depart.

Feng Jingli said: “To avoid any complications, I need to leave tonight. I won’t see Miss Lin out.”

Lin Wanci smiled and said: “Take care on your journey, Miss Feng.”

Lin Wanci came out from inside, and saw a sedan chair already prepared at the back door. She sat in the chair, closed her beautiful eyes, and remained silent for a long time before a smile gradually appeared on her lips.

The sedan bearers deliberately chose small alleys, taking a winding route to enter the back courtyard of a residence. As soon as Lin Wanci emerged from the sedan, someone came forward to assist her into a room. A maid brought a basin of hot water with a packet of green powder dissolved in it, then placed the basin at her feet before bowing and withdrawing.

She slowly removed her shoes and unwrapped the white cloth around her feet, layer by layer, revealing a pair of clean but strangely deformed feet. You would never believe what kind of feet these were, nor could you imagine how someone could walk on them.

These feet soaking in the blue-green hot water had an indescribable strangeness, like some nameless creature from the sea.

Lin Wanci stared at her own feet, and slowly, her beautiful face suddenly convulsed, her entire body trembling uncontrollably. Her voice lost its usual gentleness, becoming sharp and piercing: “Does Master Chu also engage in such sneaking and skulking?”

“My apologies, Miss Lin. I arrived without sending a calling card,” Yan Shao faced the gauze window with his back to her, standing in a patch of clear moonlight, his silver hair gleaming brilliantly, his voice cold and detached.

“Miss Lin, I greatly admire your intelligence and wisdom, but that doesn’t mean you can repeatedly deceive me.”

“What do you mean by that, Master Chu?”

“Where is the treasure now?”

Lin Wanci laughed: “I thought Master Chu would ask: Where is Rong Shukuang now?”

Yan Shao smiled faintly and said: “Miss Lin, I am not a man who cherishes beauty, nor am I a sentimental youth, and I lack patience.”

Lin Wanci coldly smiled: “I know Master Chu’s martial prowess is unparalleled, but since I dared to do this, naturally I have prepared for the worst.”

Yan Shao turned around, his cold gaze fixed on her: “I cannot understand why Miss Lin is so ruthlessly determined to kill Shukuang. Is it just because she has healthy feet?”

Lin Wanci scoffed without answering, lowering her head to caress her feet and carefully wrapping them back up, her expression extremely focused, as if performing some sacred ritual.

Yan Shao looked at her, feeling a sense of pity rising in his heart.

For someone like Lin Wanci, these feet were indeed a regrettable flaw.

Finally, Lin Wanci put on her shoes, stood up, and dusted off her clothes before saying in a both playful and proud tone: “Perhaps it’s because of Master Chu. I suddenly wanted to know if, under Master Chu’s protection, I would still have the ability to kill her.”

Yan Shao couldn’t help smiling: “In that case, it seems I have harmed Shukuang. Miss Lin is truly remarkable—”

Lin Wanci’s voice abruptly turned ice-cold: “Master Chu, overconfidence will be your fatal weakness. How can you be so sure I wouldn’t dare to kill her?”

Yan Shao merely smiled without speaking.

Lin Wanci suddenly swept her sleeve across the table. With a “plop,” a yellow box fell to the ground, spilling out a lock of hair, black and lustrous.

Yan Shao remained impassive: “It’s just a lock of hair.”

Lin Wanci smiled coldly: “The body, hair, and skin are gifts from one’s parents.”

Yan Shao gazed at her quietly for a long while before sighing: “Isn’t overconfidence also Miss Lin’s fatal weakness?”

Lin Wanci slightly turned her head.

Yan Shao slowly said: “Your use of the treasure map to deceive Shen Zuitian in Taiyuan, then the battle at Liaocheng that severely damaged the White Lotus Sect and Ghost Valley Alliance, even causing a rift between myself and the Prince of Han—all can be considered successful, tremendously successful… Because of this, you’ve become somewhat complacent… But you forgot that Feng Jingli is a woman, and women’s greatest characteristic is their changeability. Their emotions are unpredictable and most difficult to grasp…”

Lin Wanci’s expression gradually changed, though her bright eyes grew even more luminous.

“Miss Lin, you cannot repeatedly deceive others with a single treasure map. Since you gave the map to me, Chu Tianyao, you should not give it to others, even if that person is the future Emperor.”

Lin Wanci remained silent for a moment, her face growing increasingly pale. Finally, she slowly nodded and said: “You already knew the origin of those assassins. This means…”

“Indeed. I knew early on that those assassins were from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. At first, I thought they were after me because of the Prince of Han, but later discovered they were targeting Shukuang—since they were after her, they definitely wouldn’t want to kill her, which means there must be another reason—”

Lin Wanci began to laugh, saying: “You knew all along that Feng Jingli was working for me. So, you were acting together, using me…”

Yan Shao smiled: “Miss Lin is incredibly perceptive, understanding everything with just a hint. Conversing with you is truly delightful. Yes, we did take advantage of the numerous disciples at Yu Chi Mountain Villa, though it hardly counts as using you.”

Lin Wanci laughed bitterly in her anger: “I had Yu Chi Mountain Villa’s people search everywhere for news of Rong Shukuang’s life or death, but they were spreading news of her death… But why? Why would Rong Shukuang fake her death?”

“To escape someone.”

“Who?”

“The Crown Prince. The future Emperor.”

Lin Wanci’s eyes narrowed as she asked: “Could her identity truly be connected to the imperial family?”

Hearing this, Yan Shao fell silent, feeling something indescribable in his heart—the Crown Prince wanted to see Shukuang naturally because her prophecy had come true, causing him great shock—yet Lin Wanci suspected her identity because of the treasure map. Heh…

He smiled and said: “Whatever the reason, we don’t want any entanglement with the royal family, so we had no choice but to resort to this strategy. I knew this could only deceive Miss Lin temporarily, and you would eventually figure out the connection, so I don’t intend to hide it. As you said, there are no secrets from someone as intelligent as Miss Lin. I just want you to understand one thing: Rong Shukuang is not an enemy of Yu Chi Mountain Villa.”

Lin Wanci remained silent, her face deathly pale.

Like all proud people who cannot accept failure, she felt tremendous anger and frustration: “Feng Jingli deceived me with a lock of hair? And I believed it?”

“That lock of hair is indeed Shukuang’s. She didn’t lie to you about that.” Yan Shao gave a light laugh and continued: “And Miss Lin, you who pride yourself on adapting to circumstances and seizing opportunities, having weathered so many storms, naturally didn’t take Feng Jingli seriously… Heh, Miss Lin, you can manipulate men, and you can manipulate women, but you cannot manipulate both men and women simultaneously, especially a man like me and a woman like Feng Jingli.”

Lin Wanci’s extreme anger calmed her down. After a long silence, she suddenly laughed and said in a rather sarcastic tone: “How exactly does Rong Shukuang win people’s hearts? To make Master Chu so utterly devoted to her, exhausting all his efforts?”

Yan Shao showed no anger, coldly replying: “In terms of winning people’s hearts, she is far inferior to Miss Lin, but she has one thing that you lack, and that is sincerity.”

“You ask me what makes Rong Shukuang special? I’ve never asked myself this question before, but thinking about it now…” As he spoke, he slightly raised his head to look outside the window, his voice carrying a faint trace of bewilderment and self-mockery: “I love her without reason, but I simply adore her. She’s optimistic and open-minded, clear in her likes and dislikes, though she can be quite confused and foolish at times. Yet even her foolishness delights me, I simply find it endearing, sometimes I almost wish she would cause some trouble so I could fix it for her… You might say there are many girls like her in the world, and yes, I believe that too. But unfortunately, I haven’t met them…”

He paused and sighed softly: “People see me, Chu Tianyao, as having supreme martial arts, unrivaled in the world. But I am just an ordinary person. There is one thing in this world I can never defeat, and that is time. It is the coldest killing weapon—sometimes it makes me aggressive, sometimes dejected, and most often lonely. But only with Shukuang do I feel happiness. In her, I see the bright colors of life and infinite possibilities… The intrigues, power plays, calculations, machinations, and even killings of this world—these are all things I understand and excel at, but they have left me deeply weary…”

By now, the sky outside was as clear as blue-glazed porcelain. A crescent moon left only the faintest trace of its presence. Daylight had already broken. In the vast, high sky, crane-feather-like clouds drifted lightly. A breeze blew in from the distant horizon, passing through Yan Shao’s flying strands of hair, lifting his white robes, and scattering his uniquely low, husky voice, transforming it into a pool of tender spring water…

“Really? Is that truly what you said?” I grabbed his arm, asking repeatedly.

Yan Shao smiled bitterly, pretending to glare at me in anger. Before he could speak, someone else couldn’t bear it anymore and cried out: “Miss Rong, you’ve already asked many times. Don’t you find it too mushy?”

I let go of Yan Shao and turned to give Du Duniao a hard knock on the head, scolding: “Children should stay out of adult matters.”

He jumped aside, rubbing his head: “Let’s talk about what happened with your hair instead, rather than all this talk that gives people goosebumps.”

I glared at him: “Shut up!”

He quickly walked away, still muttering: “What’s with this hairstyle? It’s almost indistinguishable from a nun’s…”

Hearing this, I immediately roared: “You little brat, are you tired of living?”

Damn it, Yan Shao had already expressed his dissatisfaction with my new hairstyle, and this boy was just adding fuel to the fire.

“Alright, stop making a fuss.” Yan Shao took my hand.

I turned to see him smiling, with an unmistakable hint of teasing in his eyes. I couldn’t help but feel my cheeks burning, too embarrassed to continue questioning.

He held my hand and sat down in the pavilion, smiling as he asked: “Rong Shukuang has an extraordinary background. Would you like to investigate it thoroughly?”

I quickly shook my head: “Absolutely not. Rong Shukuang is dead. I won’t inquire about anything from her life. Even if she were a princess, it would have nothing to do with me.”

He laughed and deliberately said: “Well, I’m quite interested in becoming a Prince Consort.”

I didn’t take his bait, just smiled at him, silently savoring what I had heard earlier, feeling increasingly happy and laughing more joyfully. Finally, he too couldn’t bear it anymore, showing an extremely helpless expression as he covered his face with one hand and sighed, turning his head away: “Heavens, I didn’t originally find those words embarrassing, but your reaction has made them embarrassing…”

I burst into laughter. The finale will be released at midnight tonight, please critique…

We sat in silence. After a while, I couldn’t help sighing: “Old Lady Lin was truly formidable. Even after death, she still schemed against others, even her own son’s happiness…”

As I said this, I suddenly recalled Lin Shaoci’s parting words and stopped abruptly. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but then those words rolled through my mind like thunderclaps. According to Yan Shao, it was Lin Qianyi and Lin Wanci who conspired to kill the person he loved most—one his father, the other his sister. This matter also involved the family scandal of the Lins stealing the treasure map. Since he couldn’t kill them to avenge Rong Shukuang, he could only bury this grief deep in his heart and bear it alone.

Seeing my silence, Yan Shao frowned slightly and asked: “What’s wrong?”

I answered honestly: “I’m thinking about Lin Shaoci. I’ve never really understood what kind of person he is. His coldness seems to be a disguise, and once he removes the mask, he’s a completely different person.”

Yan Shao was silent for a long while before letting out a deep sigh: “Lin Shaoci is a very intelligent person. If he weren’t the young master of Yu Chi Mountain Villa, perhaps he would be a wandering knight or a hermit amid mountains and flowing water. His nature is indifferent to fame and fortune, so this identity is a constraint for him. His Pursuing Wind Sword technique emphasizes a sticking power, meant to cling to the opponent, entangling each other to the death, rather than cleanly deflecting with one stroke for a peaceful resolution. That’s why there are too many things he cannot let go of—he cannot sever ties of family or love, yet he is helpless, so he can only lose himself in wine and dreams…”

I was somewhat surprised: “You sound like you understand him well?”

He smiled: “Because I am a man.”

I laughed: “What a profound answer.”

He said nothing, habitually reaching out to touch my head, but withdrew his hand midway, gritting his teeth: “Who exactly did this? I must teach him a lesson.”

It was the first time I’d heard him curse, and I found it amusing but dared not laugh: “How would I know? The fighting was intense at that time, and that sword came right past my face. If I hadn’t been quick enough to dodge, my head would be gone. Now I’ve just lost my hair… Having hair too long isn’t very good either. It takes a lot of time to comb every day, and it’s troublesome to wash. After cutting it, I feel much lighter…”

Before I could finish, I received a tap on my head and had to obediently close my mouth.

It was around two or three in the afternoon, and the weather was lovely. The sunshine was bright, with a few wispy white clouds in the vast sky, making it appear even more azure and pure without a trace of impurity. Du Duniao was enthusiastically catching insects among a field of golden rapeseed flowers. He was still a child after all—last night he had been scared pale, almost wetting himself, but now he had forgotten it all.

I took out a water flask from my luggage and offered it to Yan Shao. He shook his head slightly, indicating he wasn’t thirsty.

Finally, at the far end of the official road, a cloud of dust faintly rose, with the distant sound of hoofbeats. Shortly after, a fine horse galloped toward us in a trail of dust. On the horse was a white-clad youth with an upright posture who, even amid the swirling dust, remained as pure as a mountain spring, untainted by a speck of dust.

I was momentarily transported back to the day I first met Feng Tingxie—a handsome youth in white robes, elegant and bright, with eyes like black obsidian emitting a gentle light, occasionally breaking into a shy smile… But such a Xiao Xie would never return. Standing before us now was his sister, Feng Jingli.

Her expression suggested she was reluctant to look at us any longer than necessary. She got straight to the point: “Master Chu, I risked deceiving the Emperor by sparing Rong Shukuang. Now it’s your turn to fulfill your promise. Where exactly is that treasure?”

Yan Shao rose to his full height and smiled: “I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a few more days.”

Feng Jingli’s expression changed: “What do you mean?”

Yan Shao said: “Miss Feng should go ahead with your caravan. When the time comes, we’ll meet in Jinan. If nothing unexpected happens, the treasure should have reached Jinan by then.”

Feng Jingli’s bright eyes flickered as she raised her voice: “Is Master Chu playing me for a fool? You entered Nanjing city for at most three days—how could the treasure suddenly be in Jinan?”

Yan Shao smiled faintly: “Miss Feng, don’t be hasty to anger. The one who deceived you was Lin Wanci. She pretended to offer the treasure to the Crown Prince and instigated you to send people to kill Shukuang. In reality, she had already secretly had Lan Zixu transport the treasure away…”

Feng Jingli’s tone was still uncertain: “Is that so?”

Yan Shao continued: “Miss Feng, let’s make a hypothesis. If we hadn’t made our arrangement, you would now be escorting the treasure to the capital, and I, in Nanjing, would discover the treasure had vanished. Lin Wanci would certainly deny all responsibility. She dared to do this because she had prepared for the worst-case scenario… But what about you, Miss Feng? If you presented several chests of stones to the Crown Prince, can you imagine his reaction…”

Feng Jingli’s face remained expressionless, but her eyes revealed her horror.

Yan Shao smiled again and continued: “Actually, Miss Feng’s prevention of your subordinate from opening the chest last night already showed that you trust us. Now, Miss Feng only needs to continue trusting me and go to Jinan with peace of mind, and you won’t be disappointed…”

“Last night was last night,” Feng Jingli finally spoke. “Last night, Master Chu needed my help to deceive Lin Wanci. Now, what does Master Chu need me to do? How can I trust you so easily?”

“Let me put it this way, Miss Feng!” Yan Shao changed his tone. “You don’t have a better choice right now. That treasure is not in my hands at the moment, so you have to go to Jinan and wait. I’ve already sent Feng Ming to handle it, and unless something unexpected happens, they should be in Jinan by now…”

“Huh?” I couldn’t help letting out a small exclamation, thinking: Wasn’t Feng Ming sent to deliver a message to Lei Youle?

Yan Shao, seeming to know what was on my mind, turned his head to smile at me and explained: “For this treasure, Yu-Chi Mountain Villa dispatched several skilled fighters as escorts. Feng Ming and Hong Yu alone couldn’t handle them or transport the goods, so they needed Lei Youle’s help… After twenty years, her martial arts must have improved, hopefully not disappointingly so. Moreover, she was born into an escort agency family, making her the perfect person to transport this treasure…”

I had a sudden realization: “You’re a thousand-year-old fox. No, even a thousand-year-old fox isn’t as cunning as you. You knew all along but kept it from me…”

He interrupted me: “No, I didn’t know then. I just had a vague premonition, and regrettably, my premonitions tend to become reality.”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Feng Jingli remained silent for a moment before finally nodding: “Fine. We’ll meet in Jinan!”

After speaking, she mounted her horse and galloped away.

The long wind swept past, bringing bursts of sweet flower fragrance. Yan Shao gazed at the golden rapeseed flowers in the distant fields and suddenly sighed: “Shukuang, I’m old.”

I looked at him in surprise: “What’s wrong?”

He remained silent, staring at the field for a while before saying: “Pride and inferiority are two sides of the same coin. I’ve grown old, Shukuang, and aging makes me feel inferior. Do you understand?”

I was so shocked I lost my ability to speak, staring at him, unsure whether I felt heartache or distress.

“Everyone grows old. Before time, we are all equal.”

“I was born before you, and when you were born, I was already old.”

He slowly recited, turning his head and reaching out to touch my face. I couldn’t control myself as hot tears rolled down.

“What are you two doing?” Du Duniao had returned at some point, holding a bunch of rapeseed flowers. He looked at me, then at Yan Shao, asking curiously: “Master Chu, why is Miss Rong crying?”

“Children should stay out of adult matters,” we both scolded in unison.

We reached Jinan late at night. Feng Ming, with a face full of joy, came to meet us. Though it had only been half a month since we’d seen each other, he had become even more cheerful and lively. We briefly exchanged what had happened after we parted ways.

It turned out that after Feng Ming and Hong Yu left us that day, he went to track the vehicles of Lan Zixu and his group, while Hong Yu took Yan Shao’s letter to Mount Emei to see Lei Youle. Upon receiving the letter, Lei Youle immediately descended the mountain, selected more than ten guards from the escort agency, and came to join Feng Ming. Their combined forces engaged in a fierce battle at the provincial border. Lei Youle seized the treasure, handing it to Feng Ming to secretly transport by water to Jinan, while she and several guards personally escorted several carriages of stones by land toward Mount Emei to divert attention.

When Du Duniao heard that Hong Yu had gone to Mount Emei with Lei Youle, he was beside himself with joy, as there was finally no one to restrain him.

That night, I asked Yan Shao: “Have you decided to give the treasure to Feng Jingli?”

Instead of answering, he asked me: “Do you have a better idea?”

I spread my hands and pursed my lips: “You know me—a blockhead with no clever ideas.”

He frowned in considerable distress: “But what can we do? Either break faith with the Prince of Han or with Feng Jingli…”

I clapped my hands and exclaimed: “Why not divide the treasure in two, half for the Prince of Han and half for Feng Jingli? That way we won’t break faith with either side.”

He pondered for a moment, then smiled brightly: “Then let’s do as you suggest.”

I immediately felt as if I’d been tricked and said irritably: “You had already thought of this yourself, so why ask me?”

He came over smiling and embraced me, teasing: “This kind of obvious solution is exactly your specialty. Who else should I ask?”

I raised my foot to kick at his lower body: “You might as well just call me stupid directly, rather than beating around the bush.”

His lower leg was extraordinarily agile. Not only did I miss my target, but the target took control, caressing its way up. Just as things were getting intense, Feng Jingli arrived. What a mood killer.

Under Yan Shao’s instructions, Feng Ming had already divided the treasure into two portions. One had been sent to the Prince of Han’s mansion, and the other was waiting for her to collect. Fortunately, the quantity of treasure was large enough that Feng Jingli didn’t suspect anything. By the time we saw her off, it was already dawn.

Perhaps because it was summer, the nights were short and the days long. I felt inexplicably drowsy and fell asleep as soon as I entered the carriage. It wasn’t until midday when we stopped for a meal that I realized the carriage was heading toward Mount Emei in Sichuan.

All along the way, Du Duniao wore a glum expression, unwilling to return, forming a stark contrast with Feng Ming’s excited, jubilant demeanor. I couldn’t help wondering privately and asked: “Feng Ming, what are you so happy about?”

“It’s beautiful,” he answered matter-of-factly.

“What’s beautiful?” Could this child have taken a fancy to Hong Yu?

“Mount Emei. I’ve heard it’s very beautiful.”

I was momentarily speechless, and Yan Shao couldn’t help laughing.

I said: “What are you laughing at? Look how you’ve mistreated him! What a pitiful child.”

I looked at Feng Ming, my compassion overflowing as I consoled him: “Don’t worry, this time we’ll stay at Mount Emei for quite a while, letting you play to your heart’s content. Play until you’ve had enough, you poor child.”

He just kept his head down, eating his meal without acknowledging me.

Yan Shao gave me an ambiguous smile, playing with his teacup.

Feeling awkward, I knocked on the table and coughed: “I’m talking to you.”

He raised his head from his bowl, though his eyes remained lowered, and said in one breath: “Madam, I’m staying silent for your good, otherwise you’ll probably be screaming again all night.”

Hearing this, Yan Shao nearly choked on his tea and laughed uncontrollably.

I didn’t react at first, but when I finally understood, I was so embarrassed I wished I could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. In that moment, I deeply missed his formerly quiet, taciturn self.

This journey was truly carefree and relaxing, and partly due to the hot weather, we made our way leisurely, stopping frequently to play and jest. After more than ten days, even though the Crown Prince had already ascended the throne and Yu Chi Mountain Villa had selected a new master, we still hadn’t entered Sichuan territory.

Reportedly, the new master of Yu Chi Mountain Villa was Yan Fufeng. I had a good impression of him—among everyone at Yu Chi Mountain Villa, he seemed the most upright and honorable man. Originally, I was quite worried that Lin Wanci, having lost the treasure, wouldn’t let the matter rest, but Yan Shao confidently said there would be no trouble because Lin Wanci was an intelligent person.

Sigh, this was a matter between two intelligent people, which I neither understood nor cared to understand. I just lay on the comfortable carpet in the spacious carriage, eating my fruit (actually, I quite wanted to write about eating bananas, but ever since the scandal, I’ve been somewhat apprehensive… sweat).

After such a day, I felt quite uncomfortable in the evening and felt like vomiting. Yan Shao, with an ambiguous smile, asked if it was stomach pain again. I hadn’t thought in that direction yet, but he took me straight to a clinic for diagnosis, where it was finally confirmed that I was pregnant. He was excited like a child, wanting to treat me like a national treasure and keep me protected. He spent the entire night touching my belly, making it impossible for me to sleep. So I repeated what I had said in the cabin that day, along with many other mushy things that I won’t embarrass everyone by sharing here.

The next evening, I was ordered to go to bed early, but after waiting for a long time without seeing him do anything, I got up to look and found him engrossed in a book under the lamp.

I asked curiously: “What book has you so captivated?”

Without looking up, he replied: “A medical book.”

I laughed: “What’s so interesting about a medical book? I thought it might be a martial arts manual.”

“This is the ‘Golden Cabinet Essential Synopsis.'”

“What’s it about?”

“Women’s pregnancy…”

“Heavens…” I covered my face and sighed deeply.