With every step Li Shimin took, he would carefully kick away the snow beneath his feet to make it easier for Yunyi to follow behind him. The journey down was relatively safe.

When passing by a steep cliff face, Li Shimin slowed his pace and carefully led Yunyi down by the hand. Whether this woman before him was the assassin or the only clue to finding the assassin, he wouldn’t let anything happen to Yunyi before he found the assassin.

The two were focused only on the path beneath their feet and didn’t notice that there was a loose section on the left cliff wall where small stones were falling down. By the time they became aware, it was too late. A head-sized rock came tumbling down with a rumble—if it struck them, they would certainly be injured. Where they stood, there was no place to take cover, and even Duan Zhihong following behind was too late to rescue them.

“Watch out!” Li Shimin reacted first, instinctively pulling Yunyi aside so she barely avoided the falling rock. However, he wasn’t so fortunate. Though he avoided his head, his right shoulder was struck. The weight of the rock plus its momentum caused him to lunge forward. Yunyi tried to catch him but was instead pulled down with him, her back hitting the hard mountain rocks with a sharp pain.

After coming to her senses, she found Li Shimin pressed on top of her. His strong masculine scent continuously entered through her nostrils, making her heart panic. She hurriedly tried to push him away, but the moment her hand touched his shoulder, he cried out in pain. She quickly let go: “What’s wrong?”

Li Shimin’s forehead broke out in dense cold sweat as he endured the pain: “The rock hit my shoulder just now. The situation doesn’t seem good.”

“Then… what should we do? Can… can you get up?” Yunyi asked in panic and confusion. Before today, she had never had such intimate contact with a man, yet today it had happened repeatedly, truly leaving her not knowing how to handle herself.

“I’ll try.” Li Shimin’s right shoulder hurt so much he could barely move it. He could only rely on his left hand for support, struggling to climb off Yunyi and sit on the slope beside her, breathing heavily. Even though he tried his best not to move his right shoulder, he still aggravated the injury, intensifying the pain. Cold sweat the size of beans dripped from his forehead.

Seeing Li Shimin injured, Duan Zhihong was about to rush up to help, but just as he took a step, he saw Li Shimin’s left hand behind his back, secretly gesturing for him not to come over.

He understood Li Shimin’s meaning, but with one shoulder injured and one foot injured, how could the two of them get down the mountain? Moreover, if Meixue took advantage of the situation to attack, Second Young Master would be hard-pressed to resist. If he suffered any harm because of this, even capturing Meixue afterward wouldn’t redeem his failure. But… he couldn’t disobey Second Young Master’s orders either. It was truly a dilemma.

After much hesitation, Duan Zhihong finally retreated to his hiding place, watching Li Shimin’s side without blinking, ready to act immediately if anything happened.

Meanwhile, Meixue frowned tightly and said worriedly: “This much pain could mean the bone is fractured. We need to get down the mountain quickly for treatment, otherwise if it becomes displaced it will be even more troublesome. Can you walk, Second Young Master?”

Li Shimin wiped the snow from his face and struggled to stand: “As long as I don’t move my right shoulder, I should be able to. But you…”

“I’m fine.” Saying this, Meixue carefully crawled to the side and forcibly broke off two tree branches. After removing the excess leaves and twigs, she handed one branch to Li Shimin to use as a walking stick. Supporting themselves with the branches, they trudged through the wind and snow step by step down the mountain. After taking twice as long as the ascent, they finally reached the foot of the mountain safely. The horse they had ridden was still tied by the tree.

After the pain in his shoulder eased slightly, Li Shimin said guiltily: “I’ve really caused you trouble this time.”

“Second Young Master mustn’t say that. If you hadn’t pushed me aside to avoid the falling rock just now, you wouldn’t have been injured.” Yunyi said while stepping forward to untie the reins from the tree.

Li Shimin looked at Yunyi’s back with complex emotions. Logically speaking, with him now injured, this should be the perfect opportunity, yet the woman before him still showed no intention of assassination. Throughout the several hours they had spent together, no matter where, Yunyi seemed like an ordinary woman with nothing unusual. Had he really been too suspicious?

While he was pondering, Yunyi had already led the horse over: “Second Young Master, it’s getting very late. Let’s hurry back.”

Li Shimin was about to agree when he remembered his right shoulder injury: “Meixue, can you ride a horse?”

Yunyi instinctively was about to nod, but fortunately reacted in time and changed the nod to a shake of her head, saying timidly: “I’ve never ridden a horse before.”

Li Shimin frowned: “Although my left hand is fine, when the horse runs, it will inevitably aggravate my right shoulder injury and prevent me from concentrating on controlling it. If we encounter anything unusual on the way that startles the horse, we’ll both be in danger.”

“Then what should we do?” Hearing Yunyi’s inquiry, Li Shimin thought for a moment: “How about this—I’ll teach you riding techniques, and you can control the horse.”

“Me?” Yunyi pointed at herself and shook her head repeatedly: “How could I know how to ride a horse? No, I can’t do it.”

“You’ve always been exceptionally intelligent. From what I know, whether it’s dance, music, or painting, you excel beyond others, leaving many people in the dust. Riding techniques aren’t complicated—I believe you’ll learn quickly.”

Yunyi said with difficulty: “But I’ve never been exposed to this before. I’m afraid…”

“You can do it. If we delay any longer, we really won’t make it back to the city in time.” Seeing him say this, Yunyi could only agree: “Alright then, I’ll try.”

Compared to when they arrived, mounting the horse this time was particularly difficult. After finally settling into position, Yunyi nervously gripped the reins and said tremblingly: “Giddyup! Giddyup!”

Her appearance made Li Shimin, who had been suffering from pain, couldn’t help but laugh: “Speaking so softly, how would Qingyun hear you? Also, don’t grip the reins too tightly, or it will be uncomfortable.”

Yunyi quickly loosened the reins somewhat and said hesitantly: “I didn’t know. So… what should I do now?”

“Don’t be so nervous. Riding a horse isn’t as complicated as you think. Once you learn to ride, I believe you’ll come to love that feeling of galloping as if soaring through clouds.”

Under Li Shimin’s guidance, Yunyi gradually grasped the basic principles. When she tried riding again, Qingyun indeed followed her instructions and took a few steps forward. Yunyi said happily: “Second Young Master, look, I can do it!”

All of this was naturally an act to deceive Li Shimin. In fact, let alone a domesticated horse like Qingyun, even a wild horse was within her ability to tame.

Li Shimin indeed didn’t suspect anything and smiled gently: “I said long ago that you’re exceptionally intelligent and can learn anything immediately. Now, let’s hurry back.”