Huang Zixia took the tea and looked back – it was Wang Yun standing behind her with a gentle smile as if the murder and the surrounding commotion hadn’t affected him at all.

Seeing her hesitate, Wang Yun poured a cup for Zhou Ziqin as well, smiling as he asked: “What do you think, Ziqin? With Master Yang on the case, who in the world could do better?”

“I wonder what Huang Zixia would think… if she were here,” Zhou Ziqin mused, holding his teacup thoughtfully.

Wang Yun smiled: “I believe her thoughts and methods would be the same as Master Yang’s.”

Huang Zixia cast an awkward glance at Wang Yun, lowering her head to drink tea to hide herself: “Commander Wang hasn’t gone back yet?”

“With the truth still unclear, I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway.” He sat down on the railing, looking at her with a smile.

Huang Zixia was speechless and could only say to Zhou Ziqin: “Let’s go back and rest – it seems we won’t make any progress tonight.”

“Heading back?” Wang Yun stood up gracefully, brushing the dust from his clothes. “I’m also returning to the Military Commissioner’s mansion – we can go together.”

Huang Zixia gave him a silent look. Seeing his gentle expression and seemingly innocent demeanor, she couldn’t refuse and had to follow him out of the Prefecture Lord’s mansion.

Her horse Feisha, having been rescued, was still not fully recovered from its injuries, so she rode carefully and slowly as they left the Prefecture Lord’s mansion.

Wang Yun’s horse also walked very slowly. The two rode side by side, their horses’ hooves echoing softly through the quiet night streets of Chengdu Prefecture.

There was no moon in the sky, and the night was silent. Wang Yun looked back at her – her downturned face was indistinct in the darkness, and only when her gaze shifted, like water rippling in the night, did he sense her looking at him.

Huang Zixia studied his face, partially hidden in darkness, when suddenly something stirred in her memory – like dark ripples rising, creating a thick and uneasy fear in her heart.

She hesitated, then suddenly cried out “Ah!”

“What’s wrong?” Wang Yun urged his horse to her side, asking with concern.

Huang Zixia dismounted and carefully examined her horse’s injuries, saying: “It seems Feisha’s wounds haven’t healed yet. I’ve only ridden for a short while and it’s already trembling – better let it rest.”

“Should we go back to the Prefecture Lord’s mansion to change horses?” Wang Yun asked.

Huang Zixia shook her head, saying: “We’ve come quite far already, and we’re almost at the Military Commissioner’s mansion.”

Seeing her walking below leading her horse, Wang Yun remembered a previous night in Chang’an when she had walked in the street while he rode beside her. He couldn’t help but smile, and jokingly leaned down from his horse, extending his hand to her: “Why don’t you… come up here with me?”

She looked up at him, and unexpectedly grabbed his hand without a word, actually leaping up onto his horse and sitting behind him.

Wang Yun himself was startled and turned back to look at her, but only saw her lowered eyelashes trembling slightly. Her expression was hidden in the darkness, only her soft voice came through: “With all the recent upheaval, I think I’m quite tired.”

“Then… let me take you back,” he said.

Huang Zixia didn’t speak, but he felt her nod, and then gently wrap her arms around his waist.

On this night, it felt like a dream. The woman he had long gazed at from afar was now sitting behind him, docilely embracing him, letting him take her home – it didn’t seem real, more like a midnight illusion.

But her hands were truly at his waist, and through the thin summer clothes, her skin’s warmth seemed to pass through the fabric onto his body. Her breathing was so light, slightly stirring a strand of his loose hair, softly brushing against his neck…

Just as Wang Yun was lost in reverie, her body suddenly leaned to the side, as if caught off guard, her hand shifted sideways and pressed heavily on his left ribs.

He let out a muffled groan – though well-controlled and very faint, she had heard it. Her voice turned cold: “Commander Wang is injured? In the left ribs?”

Wang Yun clenched his teeth silently before saying softly: “A few days ago, while searching the mountains with the Western Sichuan Army for traces of the Prince of Kui, we encountered wandering assassins and I was slightly wounded.”

Huang Zixia nodded, saying: “I see…”

Before she finished speaking, her foot suddenly kicked forward, hitting exactly another wounded spot on his leg. He shuddered in pain, unable to hold back a low cry.

Taking advantage of his body lowering in pain, Huang Zixia released his waist and quickly jumped down from the horse, mounting her own Feisha and turning it around to retreat from him.

They pulled their horses to a stop, standing on opposite sides of the street. The corner street lamp cast a warm orange light on them, but as Huang Zixia looked at Wang Yun in the summer night wind, she felt a slight chill rise in her body.

Wang Yun silently gritted his teeth, a smile appearing on his face that seemed composed but was strained: “What’s wrong?”

Huang Zixia stared at him intently. In the quiet night, even the wind passing between them carried an eerily chilling quality.

Her voice was extremely low but each word was distinct and clear: “So… it was you.”

Wang Yun met her gaze, the smile on his face becoming faint and composed again: “Yes, it was me.”

Huang Zixia remembered his complex, meaningful look in the dark forest when he saw her intimate gestures with Li Shubai; remembered his expression when she fed him fish and he asked why she was so kind to him; remembered when she threatened him and he said, such a beautiful woman, why disguise yourself as a eunuch…

Her mind was in chaos. The summer night wind blew chaotically, howling through the streets and alleys of Chengdu Prefecture, flowing past them endlessly.

Wang Yun gazed at her from afar. The smile gradually faded from his usually gentle face as he stared at her, his gaze dark and profound, piercing straight into her heart.

She bit her lower lip and asked: “Why? Whose orders were you following to hunt us? And why did you accept this mission?”

Wang Yun urged his horse toward her, his voice seeming infected by the night wind, becoming cold and rigid: “Your horse can’t handle a long pursuit now – you can’t escape. Better surrender quietly.”

Huang Zixia pulled her horse back a step, watching him warily: “I have one more question for you.”

“Speak.” He stopped his horse coldly, standing one zhang away from her.

“In the forest, the Prince of Kui had already seen through your identity but helped conceal it, and you helped us finally leave. So why did you try to assassinate us again at the inn later? When your identity was already exposed, organizing another assassination attempt – did you think that was wise?”

Wang Yun laughed coldly and asked: “What do you think?”

“Because the one who arranged the second assassination wasn’t you – perhaps it came from two different forces entirely.” Her gaze was cold as she looked at him, seeming both penetrating and pitying. “And when the people behind you knew the Prince of Kui had discovered your identity, they still organized a second assassination – if it succeeded, fine, but if it failed, you would be the scapegoat, while the forces behind it would benefit regardless of success or failure…”

“You don’t need to try to sow discord.” He cut off her words coldly, saying, “It was only because I was injured at the time, so I temporarily stepped back from the matter. As for how others carried it out, it had nothing to do with me.”

Huang Zixia continued: “His Highness’s handling of the situation in the forest naturally meant he was giving you a way out. Moreover, you were only following orders – if you identify the true mastermind behind this, your wrongdoing naturally wouldn’t be pursued…”

“Stop trying to stall for time!” Wang Yun spurred his horse forward, charging straight at her. “Huang Zixia, I won’t let you return to his side! Even if I have to destroy you, I won’t watch you live happily with someone else!”

But Huang Zixia pulled her horse back, turning to gallop away.

Though only one zhang apart, despite Feisha being a rare treasure from Dayuan, it was still recovering from illness and reacted slightly slowly. While Wang Yun’s horse couldn’t match hers, it was still a fine steed, and with one leap it cut across in front of her, blocking her path.

Huang Zixia turned her horse again, galloping back the other way.

Wang Yun spurred his horse to leap after her, but there was a “swish” followed by a “bang” – the saddle suddenly tilted and he fell straight off the horse.

Fortunately, Wang Yun reacted extremely quickly, rolling on the ground to dissipate the force, avoiding serious injury. But his previous wounds split open from the impact, spots of blood seeping through his chest clothing.

He looked back at his horse and saw the neatly cut saddle, finally realizing she had already tampered with it when she first mounted his horse.

Before he could get up, Huang Zixia had already leaped down from her horse, pressing her Fish Intestine Sword against his throat – this sword had been placed on Feisha before the banquet began, and when she dismounted from Feisha, she had pretended to check the horse while secretly retrieving it into her sleeve.

He lay on his back, his chest in severe pain, looking up at her powerlessly.

Like a scene from the forest playing out again, in the empty quiet street, she had subdued him once more.

“Huang Zixia… I am ultimately no match for you.” He looked at her with both resentment and resignation, murmuring.

Huang Zixia tilted the Fish Intestine Sword slightly to avoid accidentally cutting his skin: “Commander Wang, in the forest we were forced by circumstances to let you go. But now you’ve fallen into my hands again – why don’t you be honest with me now? Who exactly is behind you?”

“There is no one behind me. I listen only to my own heart.” Wang Yun’s gaze fixed coldly on her, sharp as a blade. At this moment, his spring-like warmth had completely vanished, replaced by winter’s ice. His voice also carried an icy quality, piercing deep into her heart. “When I left the capital this time, someone gave me some words. They said, when something you desperately want falls into someone else’s hands, it’s better to destroy it than to bear that pain.”

Huang Zixia gripped the hilt of the Fish Intestine Sword tightly – her finger joints were clasped so tight they showed purple marks, but she seemed to feel nothing. She only stared motionlessly at Wang Yun, as if looking at a stranger, as if watching a garden full of beautiful flowers suddenly consumed by the fires of war, all traces of beauty completely vanishing.

“Huang Zixia, do you know how much I hate you.” His voice was low and slow, his tone cold and emotionless. “You humiliated me, humiliated the entire Langya Wang clan, you made me and my family become laughingstocks of the whole world – how could I be content to watch you live well?”

Huang Zixia countered: “To take revenge on me, you would involve the Prince of Kui?”

“Hmph…” But he didn’t answer, only coldly turned his gaze away to look up at the night sky.

“Even if you truly hate me and truly want to kill me, your primary target was still the Prince of Kui. And I was just someone you wanted to kill along the way, wasn’t I? The forces behind you were the real origin of this assassination.” Huang Zixia took a deep breath, looking straight at him and asking without hesitation.

“I wanted to kill you, Princess Qile wanted to kill you, we were simply in agreement – that’s all,” he still only said this.

Huang Zixia was about to press further when she heard someone say softly from behind: “Chonggu.”

Huang Zixia turned to see a figure standing under the stars, refined and elegant, tall and imposing – it was Li Shubai.

She still held the Fish Intestine Sword against Wang Yun’s neck as she called out: “Your Highness…”

“Don’t make wild guesses.” Against the backlit starry sky, she couldn’t see Li Shubai’s expression clearly, only his eyes reflecting starlight with a dark radiance. “Yunzhi is my good friend, and the eldest grandson of the Langya Wang family, the Empress’s cousin, and a commander of the Imperial Guards – he couldn’t possibly be someone who would try to assassinate me.”

Huang Zixia was about to speak, but the moment she met his gaze, she was suddenly struck with understanding.

She lowered her Fish Intestine Sword, returning it to its sheath and putting it back in her robes, saying softly: “Yes, I was overthinking… Please forgive my impulsiveness and offense, Commander Wang.”

Wang Yun slowly sat up, looking at her without speaking. After a long while, his gaze turned to Li Shubai.

Li Shubai said calmly: “Yunzhi, Chonggu is naive and inexperienced in the ways of the world – please don’t blame him.”

Wang Yun raised his hand to press against his chest, and after a long while, said softly: “I wouldn’t dare.”

Li Shubai said nothing more, only walked over and extended his hand.

Wang Yun grasped his hand and slowly stood up, looking at Huang Zixia.

Huang Zixia forcefully suppressed the frustration in her heart and bowed her head in apology: “Commander Wang, please forgive this servant for being too concerned about His Highness’s safety and wrongly suspecting you.”

He raised his hand to stop her, slowly passing by her to walk toward the Military Commissioner’s mansion.