The setting sun illuminated the blood-red characters in a dripping crimson hue, vast and desolate with killing intent. Though this night had not yet come, it was already stained with unclean and ominous colors.

Jing Hengbo was still rushing toward the military camp outside the city. Despite all her calculations, she couldn’t have anticipated someone would be so audaciously bold.

Ten li outside the city, facing each other from afar, there were large camps in all four directions. Because the Hengji Army escorts were stationed outside the city, and the Fushui Prince’s guards were also outside the city, Luoyun’s city defenses were very tight. They had specifically deployed twenty thousand capital troops outside the city, forming camps in a horned formation that sandwiched the two guest camps.

As soon as they left the city, they could feel that tense atmosphere of sharpening weapons and feeding horses. As evening approached, the army should have begun cooking, but neither camp showed rising smoke – obviously the soldiers were eating dry rations. People came and went in the camps, horses neighed constantly, and the sound of metal clashing was endless – a scene of war preparation.

Logically, a sneak attack should be suitable at night, but Jing Hengbo couldn’t wait. She had to return to the city before sunset to complete the final royal consort competition, to avoid leaving evidence for the Luoyun tribe.

Several figures shot over from afar – the jesters who had arrived first, chattering to tell Jing Hengbo that the large apricot-yellow tent in the center of the camp wasn’t the royal tent; the black one with gold trim was. The Fushui Prince was drinking with the Luoyun Princess, waiting for news from the city. But the shaman wasn’t in the main tent. They had carefully searched nearby tents and found one particularly well-guarded tent that was very suspicious, but to avoid alerting the enemy, they hadn’t entered to spy. They were waiting for Jing Hengbo to come and use her invisible, shadowless teleportation technique to suddenly subdue this shaman.

In broad daylight, it would be very difficult to enter the camp’s interior without being discovered – only Jing Hengbo could do it.

Just as Jing Hengbo was about to move, Ji Wen suddenly grabbed her hand and said urgently: “I’ve seen that shaman!”

“Perfect.” Jing Hengbo nodded – she could teleport with one person anyway. She said to Qisha and Tian Qi: “You go beat up those two – hard, don’t be polite.”

Qisha never had any objections to such orders and roared off.

At this time in the main tent, Wu Weiyan was drinking with the Princess. The newly selected beauty leaned against his side, holding a golden cup, pouring fine wine. Her ten fingers were delicate, her wrists like congealed frost, sending cup after cup to Wu Weiyan’s mouth. Wu Weiyan squinted, taking a sip, then licking the beauty’s peach-blossom cheek, laughing: “Rouge with wine – even the world’s delicacies can’t compare.” This made the beauty coquettishly scold and playfully hit him, and soon they were entangled together.

The Princess sat opposite Wu Weiyan, treating their lewd flirtation as if invisible. Even before her marriage, in the Fushui royal palace, she had seen this scene many times. The Fushui royal family’s extravagance and lust were famous throughout Dahuang.

Her thoughts were more on the city. While slowly sipping, her eyes constantly glanced outside the tent. After a while, seeing Wu Weiyan still making a spectacle, her willow brows raised and she set down her cup heavily: “I still feel uneasy.”

“How so?” Wu Weiyan looked at his sister with hazy eyes.

“According to spy reports, the Queen looked particularly joyful when she saw that Ye Qi.” The Princess frowned: “Though that Ye Qi is outstanding in talent and appearance, would the Queen really be so surprised?”

“Why wouldn’t she be?” Wu Weiyan said dismissively: “Women love beauty. Wasn’t she from a brothel? What’s strange about liking handsome men?”

“The brothel was years ago. She’s been Queen for how long – is she really so inexperienced?” The Princess shook her head: “No, I still feel something’s wrong. Could our plan have been discovered? Someone come—”

“What are you doing?” Wu Weiyan frowned, still not forgetting to drink the wine the beauty offered.

The Princess ignored him, directly ordering the entering guard: “Invite Master Jike to the main tent. Say the Princess and Prince invite him for drinks.”

The guard received the order and left. Wu Weiyan was somewhat dissatisfied, muttering: “That stinking shaman!” But said nothing more. Just as he was about to pick up food to feed the beauty, he suddenly heard a “hiss” from overhead – something seemed to tear, then an extremely foul gas rushed into his nose. Startled, he looked up.

At this time, Jing Hengbo had teleported several times with Ji Wen and had seen the tent suspected of housing the shaman, immediately flashing inside. As she entered, she heard commotion from the main tent, someone rushing out of the tent flaps blowing whistles in alarm: “Enemy attack! Protect the Prince!”

She had just entered the tent interior. Inside it was extremely dark, filled with smoke, with a large pot in the center bubbling and cooking something unknown. For a moment she couldn’t see where anyone was, when suddenly Ji Wen shouted: “Where are you going!” and took a flying step forward.

Only then did Jing Hengbo see a tall, thin man who had reached the tent entrance and was about to lift the flap to go out. Outside the flap, soldiers seemed to be waiting.

Jing Hengbo’s first action was to flash to the tent entrance and stab down the soldier waiting to receive him. She then dragged the shaman back into the tent.

The shaman was pulled off balance and fell. Jing Hengbo stepped on his chest and shouted: “The antidote for controlling Ye Qi!”

The shaman said tremblingly: “Don’t kill me! I’ll give it to you!” He reached into his clothes for medicine.

Jing Hengbo stared intently at his hands, while Ji Wen beside her kept staring at the shaman’s eyes, suddenly saying: “There’s no fear in his eyes!”

Jing Hengbo reacted extremely quickly, immediately pulling Ji Wen backward.

With this kind of shaman, who knew what he might pull out.

The shaman’s movements were also quick. He rapidly pulled out an object and threw it toward the steaming hot pot. Jing Hengbo waved her hand, and the large pot suddenly tilted, spilling much of its contents. At the same time, Ji Wen pounced forward, catching the thrown object with her sleeve, then let out a sharp scream and flung her sleeve.

The object flew out and, by coincidence, landed on Jing Hengbo’s sleeve with a “slap.” Looking at it, Jing Hengbo saw it was something like a slug, with bristles, leaving pale yellow-green phlegm-like traces wherever it crawled. Disgusted beyond measure, she swung her arm to shake the thing off her sleeve.

The shaman cackled: “Go ahead, shake it off! The antidote is in this thing’s belly!”

Jing Hengbo froze, not daring to shake it off, looking at the thing with half-belief. Just looking at it made her want to vomit, and thinking about having to cut open such a disgusting thing’s belly made her feel nauseous to her throat.

In her moment of hesitation, Ji Wen had already pounced forward, snatching away the thing she had just screamed at, holding it softly in her palm. Her sharp fingernails unhesitatingly pressed down hard.

Jing Hengbo was somewhat stunned, then said: “Be careful of poison!”

“It’s fine. Shamans indeed hide medicine in these things. I’ve heard of it. He deliberately counts on others not thinking of it.” Ji Wen pressed and squeezed with her fingers. The worm looked soft but was like steel and iron, impossible to cut open.

The two looked at the shaman. The shaman sneered coldly and ignored them. Without a word, Jing Hengbo grabbed various tools in the tent and beat him!

After beating him twenty-plus times until he screamed and begged for mercy continuously, Jing Hengbo stopped and coldly pointed at the worm: “No more tricks!”

The shaman, his mouth full of bloody foam, said: “This worm must be boiled in that pot, then bitten open with human saliva… You just kicked over the pot and the fire’s out. I don’t know if the medicine’s potency is still enough…”

Jing Hengbo raised a stool toward his head. The shaman quickly sped up his speech: “…This liquid was refined into three layers. The outer layer will explode when it touches anything, but it’s harmless once the fire’s out. The bottom layer is poisonous. See if there’s enough of the middle layer left – collect it to soak this worm, and it should work…”

Jing Hengbo looked again at the spilled mess from the pot. What kind of things were these… Suspected snake skin, suspected maggots, various drugs of extremely bizarre colors, smells, and shapes, even a white-pink flesh-like suspected placenta, all covered in various sticky fluids… Even watching Alien in her previous life wasn’t this disgusting.

Jing Hengbo’s face went white as she considered calling Qisha in to help, though they’d probably run away too upon seeing this.

It was still Ji Wen who unhesitatingly pounced forward, with bare hands picking through and searching that pile of things. Her clothes and arms gradually became covered with various colored sticky fluids, dripping to the ground. When the pot’s contents were stirred, the smell became even more nauseating. Jing Hengbo, standing at the tent entrance, couldn’t help wanting to vomit, but Ji Wen seemed completely unaware, half-crouching with her head down, expression focused, her long temple hair hanging down and also stained with much green sticky fluid. Suddenly she exhaled a long breath, burying the worm in her hand into a pool of golden liquid. Afraid there wasn’t enough liquid, she plunged half her arm in. After a while she pulled it out – indeed, the worm had become transparent.

But the transparent worm was even more disgusting, because now the internal organs were visible, and a small blue pill could be seen among the organs. It seemed the shaman hadn’t lied under death threats, but Jing Hengbo thought about that earlier phrase “then bitten open with human saliva…”

She suddenly turned to stare at Ji Wen. Before she could vomit, the Ji Kingdom Princess’s expression didn’t change as she suddenly threw the worm into her mouth.

A slight “pop” sound.

Jing Hengbo couldn’t hold back anymore and retched up some acid water.

Ji Wen cheered and took out a small silk pouch, carefully hiding the bitten-out pill inside.

As soon as the medicine was hidden, just as Jing Hengbo was about to say “let’s go,” Ji Wen suddenly bent over and began vomiting violently. This vomiting was earth-shaking, liver-searching, gut-wrenching, and she couldn’t get up from kneeling in that pile of sticky fluid.

Watching her, Jing Hengbo felt quite guilty. Whatever the case, faced with this series of disgusting trials, she had hesitated.

Perhaps when Yelu Qi was truly at life-or-death’s edge, she could do these things too, but she couldn’t do them so decisively and naturally – she needed a psychological preparation process.

Ji Wen was a kingdom’s princess, precious as gold and jade. She wouldn’t be more tolerant of these things than anyone else. Being able to do this was only because of love and caring.

Before intense love and obsession, physiological fear automatically retreated.

Jing Hengbo sighed softly in her heart – Yelu Qi should really see this scene.

After vomiting for a while, Ji Wen forced herself to stop, wiped her mouth and stood up, smiling at Jing Hengbo with a pale face.

Jing Hengbo took her ice-cold hand, each found cloth to cover their faces, and left the tent. The main tent was still in chaos. Qisha and Tian Qi had captured someone and were walking forward while other soldiers retreated step by step. Jing Hengbo went over to see it was the Princess, so she asked about Wu Weiyan. The others said resentfully that the boy wasn’t human – discovering something wrong, he immediately used his sister as a shield and took advantage of the chaos to escape. For someone with unequal legs, he’d become flying-footed when running.

At this time, the Hengji Army, which had received orders earlier, had already charged in. The Fushui tribe’s guards, having lost their main general and with the Grand Princess captured, being attacked from inside and out, immediately lost formation and had no heart to fight, scattering in a swarm.

Jing Hengbo ordered: Drive the people toward the two Luoyun capital army camps!

Dust filled the plain as crowds ran wildly, horse hooves and human legs tangling together, rolling into heaps on the yellow earth. The Hengji Army formed a loose encirclement, quietly driving the Fushui soldiers toward the two large camps.

Qisha and others tied up the Princess, stuffed her mouth with cloth, put ordinary soldier’s clothes on her, plopped her on an old horse, and slapped the horse’s rump. The horse carried the struggling, neighing Princess, mixed in with a group of fleeing soldiers, swaying and stumbling as it charged out.

Qisha blew a kiss farewell: “Good luck!”

Jing Hengbo chuckled – she was a kind person who didn’t kill lightly. If the Luoyun Princess was injured by Luoyun soldiers, it had nothing to do with her.

The two Luoyun camps had just received reports of unusual activity in the Fushui camp and had just assembled their forces preparing to move out when they suddenly saw rolling dust, shouting people and neighing horses – a large group of infantry and cavalry charging wildly toward them, about to storm the camp! In great alarm, they urgently ordered battle preparations and shot a volley of arrows. The Fushui deserters at the front fell like mown grass in large numbers.

After three rows of archers shot, those fleeing scattered soldiers had lost more than half their numbers. Only then did someone shout loudly: “We are Fushui troops! We are the Prince’s wedding escort guards!” Hearing this, the Luoyun capital army commanders were shocked and urgently ordered a temporary halt, but the Fushui soldiers, being deserters who then encountered attacks, in their panic trampled and collided with each other, suffering heavy casualties.

Worse still, when finally collecting the troops and counting the wounded, the Luoyun forces discovered that among the wounded was their Prince’s consort. In fleeing to avoid the random arrows, she had struggled and fallen from her horse, but was crushed by a falling horse beside her, breaking both legs. She probably wouldn’t be able to stand for the rest of her life.

Meanwhile, the Hengji Army had long since collected their forces, returned to camp, packed up neatly, and quickly withdrew, looking completely innocent.

Her Majesty the Queen had already rushed back to Luoyun City with that group of world-disturbing devils – the arena consort selection still hadn’t produced results!

Half a quarter-hour later, from the house where Her Majesty the Queen rested came a woman’s lazy yawning voice, then the Queen’s voice: “Slept so well… Hey, are those two outside finished?”

“Finished, finished, just waiting for Your Majesty.” The Luoyun officials answered hastily.

Jing Hengbo slowly emerged, her hair slightly disheveled, her cheeks faintly flushed, her eyes misty – a look of spring sleep unfulfilled like a begonia. Those Luoyun officials dared not look directly, hurriedly lowering their heads and bowing to retreat to one side. Watching the Queen’s skirts slowly trail past before them, smelling a rich beauty’s fragrance, they suddenly all sniffed puzzledly.

In that fragrance, there seemed to be some other scents – somewhat rusty, somewhat cold…

Jing Hengbo carried that fragrance, and the bloody smell from the military camp that even fragrance couldn’t hide, back to her original position. The people gathered again, waiting with interest for the final results.

Gong Yin and Yelu Qi had both finished, each leisurely occupying one side drinking tea. Jing Hengbo deliberately passed by Yelu Qi’s side, smiling charmingly as she passed him.

Yelu Qi also smiled back.

Watching, everyone felt the Queen indeed favored this Ye Qi greatly. It seemed no matter what, this one would win. They all looked at Gong Yin with sympathetic eyes.

Gong Yin showed no expression, a cup of tea frozen at his lips without moving.

This woman – not only had she flicked a pill from her sleeve into Yelu Qi’s tea cup, but she had to smile so enchantingly.

“Who goes first?” Jing Hengbo, seeing Yelu Qi drink that cup of tea, finally relaxed, but didn’t accept Yelu Qi’s grateful smile, turning instead to Gong Yin.

She really had no face to accept Yelu Qi’s gratitude – he should know about Ji Wen’s sacrifice.

“The one destined to lose goes first.” Gong Yin nodded his chin toward Yelu Qi’s side.

Jing Hengbo gave him an annoyed look and turned to Yelu Qi. Yelu Qi smiled, stood up, and personally lifted the curtain.

“Wow!” came from below.

Jing Hengbo was also stunned.

Before them were actually two trees – not tall, but with straight trunks, lush and green, leaves like jade. In this slightly warm weather, they looked pleasing to the eye.

Between the two trees was actually a hammock. The hammock had a pure white base with large patches of golden sunflowers. Between the green trees, bright and eye-catching, it was now gently swaying in the wind.

Jing Hengbo stared wide-eyed like the people below. The people were surprised because they didn’t understand this hammock thing, while Jing Hengbo was surprised because she hadn’t seen hammocks in this era – how had Yelu Qi thought of it?

She couldn’t help approaching and touching the hammock. Up close she discovered the trees were planted in the arena’s gaps, the soil at their bases still moist from recent transplanting. It was rare to find two trees of the same height and straightness – he’d done well to find them in such haste.

Looking carefully at the hammock, she found it simply made. The fabric was brand new, threaded through both ends with silk ribbons. Though simple, it wasn’t crude – it looked clean and generous. More importantly, she liked this floral pattern, liked this combination.

At this time daylight remained, golden sunset filtering through the tree shade, making the sunflowers brilliant as gold, gently swaying in the wind.

She drew a breath.

A very simple hammock, a very simple setup, yet it immediately touched her heartstrings – the leisure, freedom, wandering, contentment that this scene represented struck directly at the yearning deep in her heart.

Those things she had pursued all along, unafraid of sacrifice, reaching out to grasp, yet always like mirror flowers and water moon, swaying unreachably on the other shore like red spider lilies.

At the research institute, they had also had a hammock, also self-made. Initially, the four of them had argued almost to fighting over the hammock’s color and style, finally compromising to make a pure white one with no pattern or style.

That hammock – the tomboy would always sit when sitting, stand when standing, never lying so ungracefully. Little Cake was always busy with gourmet food, no time to lie down. Little X-ray was a bit short and found the hammock too high, lying down a few times before giving up. Later that bed became her exclusive use. In leisure time, after dinner, holding a laptop, swinging among the trees.

Swinging and swinging.

Swinging into dreams, swinging through time and space.

The flowers under yesterday’s trees had bloomed everywhere, but the people who had fought for the hammock were gone.

Her eyes gradually showed a glimmer of crystalline light.

The stage below gradually quieted. The people seemed to sense the Queen’s being moved – she was just a still silhouette, yet her sleeves moved without wind.

Yelu Qi somehow came to her side, smiling softly: “This bed – I thought of it myself. In long boring days, I suddenly had this idea, thinking you would like this kind of bed.”

He squinted slightly, some words stopping at his lips, not continuing.

When thinking of this bed, he had also thought of her graceful body lying on it, thought of her cascading slightly curled long hair, thought of sunlight flashing in her hair like scattered gold, thought of her lazily turning over, trailing down jade-jointed fingers, thought of a flower gently falling under her slightly swaying finger, softly yielding to her fragrance.

Thought of all worldly beauty existing in her eyes at that moment.

Jing Hengbo slightly curved her lips, saying softly: “This bed alone shows the heart’s intention.”

Only someone who understood her enough, who clearly comprehended her inner desires, could think of this hammock that lazy people loved most.

But Yelu Qi shook his head: “There’s more.”

He waved his sleeve.

Behind the hammock had originally been a white wall, which now slowly parted left and right. Only then did Jing Hengbo realize there were white boards blocking behind the hammock. Her attention had been entirely on the hammock, and she hadn’t noticed Yelu Qi’s scene was progressive.

The white boards parted, revealing a colorfully paved cobblestone path.

Jing Hengbo cheered and reflexively started taking off her shoes – the research institute had also had such a cobblestone path, called a fitness path, where people often walked barefoot early in the morning. Those with weak bodies walked grimacing, while those with good health strode proudly ahead.

Halfway through removing her shoes, she suddenly remembered the time and space had changed – removing shoes would be too shocking. Looking back embarrassedly, Yelu Qi’s expression was unchanged, Gong Yin looked strange, and the people below gaped, not understanding what madness had seized her again.

She laughed at herself, crouched down, and felt around. The cobblestones were real, the little green path beneath was cut from paper, with cobblestones pasted on piece by piece – not randomly arranged, but with attention to color, pattern, and shape. The colors were extraordinarily harmonious, showing the arranger’s naturally outstanding aesthetic sense.

Yelu Qi suddenly pulled her to stand aside, indicating she should look again. Only then did Jing Hengbo discover that along the entire path, at regular intervals, similarly colored cobblestones formed peony patterns. Up close the path was elegant and rustic, while from afar it seemed like flowers blooming all along the way – one path displaying two different charms.

While marveling, Jing Hengbo was also puzzled – where had he, one person, found these materials in such haste? There was a river nearby with cobblestones on the bank, but where had he found time to collect so many?

Yelu Qi, always able to guess her thoughts, smiled: “Thanks to Brother Pei’s men for helping.”

Jing Hengbo understood and couldn’t help wanting to laugh – the young marshal, to strike at his number one rival, hadn’t hesitated to help the number two rival. She wondered what he was thinking.

But she could be certain Gong Yin definitely had no help. To create such a beautiful, complex scene would be impossible.

Jing Hengbo sighed for the great god’s poor relationships, worrying that such a husband really wasn’t as practical as Yelu Qi… This one could even pave his own roads…

At the path’s end were more white boards. Jing Hengbo stood expectantly before them as Yelu Qi smiled and parted the boards.

What met her eyes was a window sill.

A house not large but very exquisite – white walls, red tiles, hanging bright red lanterns, long green ivy hanging from the roof down to the window sill. On the window sill were delicate purple clay flower pots with tuberose and balsam flowers. Below the window sill hung a birdcage with porcelain bowls and small cups inside, delicate as toys. Around the house was a low flower wall – not rough fencing, but hollow flower walls built with red bricks. Green vines also climbed between the walls, dotted with various flowers.

Set against the winding seven-colored cobblestone path and the sunflower hammock between green trees, the exquisite small courtyard’s layout was complete – beautiful as a fairy tale.

The house even had a door – actually a real door, somehow found – red-painted double doors, purely and brightly red, with purple copper clasps holding purple copper rings that clinked in the wind.

Yelu Qi smiled and pointed at the door ring.

Jing Hengbo stepped forward and gently pushed the door.

The aroma of food immediately met her face.

Inside – just a space the size of two table surfaces behind the arena – now held a white-painted low table with steaming hot dishes, spread with a snow-white tablecloth, displaying four or five home-style dishes: jade fish slices, pine nut chicken cubes, goose rolls, clear water shrimp, mountain mushroom and pigeon soup… Two bowls of rice in blue and white small bowls, snow-white and crystalline, grains gleaming with pearl light.

Most homely, most substantial, most perfect.

Jing Hengbo couldn’t help taking a deep breath.

Complete satisfaction filled her heart and lungs.

This was the taste of home, of warmth, of belonging.

The space behind was very small – the crowd couldn’t see clearly and crowded to the front of the arena, marveling in admiration.

Yelu Qi bent slightly, lifting the curtain to the left of the dining table for her.

Jing Hengbo’s eyes widened.

Before her was a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe filled with dresses of various colors and styles – spring, summer, autumn, winter, fur and silk, deep purple and crimson red… full and layered.

Beside the wardrobe was a specially designed, wide dressing table covered with countless delicate bottles and jars in several rows, almost piled to the table’s edge.

Beside the dressing table was another huge cabinet without doors, divided into countless compartments, each containing shoes – again spring, summer, autumn, winter, high heels and low heels, deep purple and crimson red…

A drawer popped out from the dressing table, divided into countless small compartments containing hairpins, rings, bracelets, and ornaments – pearls, tortoiseshell, jade, gems… complete sets of jewelry from head to toe in countless compartments.

Among these things were also mirrors – several mirrors taller than a person, allowing one to see their spinning reflection with any turn in the room.

These things couldn’t all be real, of course – just a scene, with many items cut from wood and paper, but all made as exquisitely as real things with bright colors.

Compared to the simple, dreamlike atmosphere outside, this was gorgeous, abundant, excessive, full to bursting, crowded together until there seemed no room to step, with an overwhelming sense of suffocating fullness.

Yet this was every woman’s most desired crowding.

The abundance of dreams, the abundance of life, the abundance of being treasured and cherished.

I only want to own the simplest little house, a hammock swaying in the wind, a window sill that catches sunlight and releases fragrance.

Nothing else – together with you, I ask for nothing more.

Yet ultimately you give me everything I want, plus everything you can give that you know I’ll love.

That is the consideration of mutual hearts.

This is true completeness.

“Hengbo,” Yelu Qi said softly beside her, “you long for simple life, but you’re naturally meant for jewels and treasures, to enjoy all the world’s abundant beauty. This scene is what I want to tell you – one who loves you shouldn’t let you suffer. Using all one’s strength, one should let you live this kind of life – simple on the surface, rich and full inside, not caring about anything, but enjoying everything.”

His voice was gentle, like spring wind over willow tips under bright moon.

She slightly closed her eyes, feeling that at this moment, one scene had awakened beautiful dreams. She was intoxicated in the dream, wishing not to know what day or night it was, to step with one stride into this illusion made real.

Opening her eyes again, they were slightly crystalline.

As twilight fell, under sunset’s evening glow that flowing light was also rainbow-like, crossing her pupils, connecting all the world’s beautiful intentions.

Silence on all sides – people were awed by such simple extremity yet beautiful extremity, unable to help but fall silent, revealing yearning expressions in their confusion.

After a long time, Jing Hengbo finally turned, gently pressing the corners of her eyes, saying somewhat apologetically to Gong Yin: “I think I’m really moved. Your one, I won’t…”

Gong Yin seemed not to hear, stepping back slightly and lifting the curtain behind him.

Jing Hengbo’s words cut off abruptly.