The next day, under Sha Qiuzi’s careful care, Yelu Qianqian finally woke up.

At that very moment, Jun Beiyue and Ziqing were preparing to set out. Ziqing had already lost the thin layer that had once hidden both her disfigurement and the poison beneath it. Jun Beiyue had personally forged, working through the night, a half-open mask, about the size of a fist, meant to cover the scar—shaped like a butterfly’s wing, silver-white, light yet sturdy.

Once Ziqing put it on, far from looking ugly, her naturally cold features gained an added air of mystery, the kind that made people want to draw closer, to understand her, even as they felt too awed to approach.

“My lord, still no trace of Baili Weisheng. He’s likely left the city,” Yingzi reported in a low voice. Ever since Sha Qiuzi had reported that Baili Weisheng had entered the city, they hadn’t stopped tracking him, but so far there had been no word at all.

“No need to keep chasing. Withdraw the men. We’re heading to Nanzhao,” Jun Beiyue said, equally low-voiced.

Ziqing frowned, about to ask what was going on, when Yelu Qianqian suddenly burst out through the main gate. “Han Ziqing, Han Ziqing, wait for me!”

But the moment she stepped outside and saw Ziqing sitting proudly astride her horse, she froze, blurting out, “Weren’t you disfigured?”

The words fell like cold water poured from the sky, instantly dousing the mood. Situ Haonan came chasing after her, staring helplessly up at the sky—could this girl please, just once, avoid poking at the one thing nobody wanted mentioned?

The whole group fell silent. Jun Beiyue’s face had gone cold, clearly displeased. But to everyone’s surprise, Ziqing dismounted and smiled broadly. “All healed!”

The awkward tension eased somewhat—but then Yelu Qianqian, ever the scatterbrain, curiously asked, “Then why are you wearing a mask?”

At that, Situ Haonan immediately clamped a hand over her mouth—too slow to stop the words, but firm enough now—and smoothed things over with Ziqing. “It’s fine, it’s fine, she just woke up and insisted on seeing you. Now that she has, you two should get going—we’ll be setting off soon too.”

Situ Haonan would have loved to go with Jun Beiyue to Nanzhao, but for his and Yelu Qianqian’s safety, and to avoid causing Jun Beiyue any trouble, they needed to lie low first at the Liuli Pavilion in Da Zhou’s capital.

Not only to avoid Yelu Chenyi’s pursuit, but also to dodge arrest by the Situ family!

He’d received a secret letter from his own guards just yesterday—his father and mother had heard about all this and were extremely upset, and had already issued an arrest order across the martial world.

If he could, he’d love nothing more than to knock Yelu Qianqian out right now and only wake her once they reached the Liuli Pavilion.

Otherwise, who knew how much energy he’d have to spend the whole way there just keeping her from causing more trouble?

Yelu Qianqian struggled fiercely, but Situ Haonan refused to let go, smiling at Ziqing all the while as he dragged her away.

Yelu Qianqian’s eyes went wide, kicking and flailing, but it was futile struggling against a top-tier martial artist.

Seeing this, Ziqing laughed. “Let her go. I’d like to talk to her.”

Situ Haonan had no choice but to release her, and Yelu Qianqian bounded over immediately, grabbing Ziqing’s hand, asking anxiously, “Is your face really healed? I know there’s a miracle healer in Akbaru, incredibly skilled—why don’t I take you to see him, maybe he can cure you properly! Really!”

She had no intention at all of reopening old wounds—she was simply anxious for her.

“A miracle healer?” Ziqing asked, puzzled.

“An all-powerful healer! Whatever intractable illness, once it reaches him, it’s guaranteed to get better! His name is Sha Qiuzi, a recluse master living just outside Akbaru City!”

Yelu Qianqian spoke with complete earnestness. The moment she’d woken, she hadn’t even bothered to figure out where she was—the instant she learned Ziqing had saved them and was about to leave, she’d come rushing out without thinking.

The moment she finished speaking, the whole group fell silent. Sha Qiuzi looked mortified enough to want to dig a hole and disappear into it, and a beat later, everyone except Sha Qiuzi and Yelu Qianqian burst out laughing.

Sha Qiuzi walked over to Yelu Qianqian with great self-awareness, throwing up his hands and shrugging helplessly.

Yelu Qianqian, thick-skinned as ever, felt no embarrassment at all, only pouting sulkily at Ziqing.

Ziqing couldn’t hold back her laughter. “All right, all right, I’m fine now. Hurry back with Situ, and be careful on the road.”

“Can’t we come to Nanzhao with you?” Yelu Qianqian asked timidly.

Before Ziqing could answer, Jun Beiyue, still on horseback behind her, spoke up immediately. “Situ, it’s time you got moving.”

Yelu Qianqian shot him a fierce glare, then went right back to pleading with Ziqing. “I promise I won’t cause trouble, I’ll be good, I won’t be a burden to you.”

Ziqing patted Yelu Qianqian’s shoulder, speaking earnestly. “You’re already carrying the reputation of an adulteress now. I’m sorry.”

This girl had, in truth, always kept the bigger picture in mind, willingly resigned to her marriage.

It was them—she had used this to take revenge on Yelu Chenyi, on Xijing.

Though it was also, in part, done to secure her happiness, still… in the end, she’d been used.

Ziqing was being entirely candid, and even someone as slow as Yelu Qianqian understood at once—they had done this deliberately, deliberately arranged for the Xiliang crown prince to catch them, deliberately taken her away!

She turned, dazed, to look at Situ Haonan. “Was that deliberate too, from you?”

Situ Haonan hesitated. Even he wasn’t entirely sure whether he’d been forced into it, acting on his own free will, deliberate like Jun Beiyue, or whether he’d secretly wanted this all along.

He couldn’t give Yelu Qianqian a wholly certain answer right now, but he said earnestly, “Girl, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that from now on, no matter who it is, no one will ever take you away from my side again—unless you choose to leave yourself!”

Touched, Yelu Qianqian immediately threw herself into his arms with a sob, crying into his chest.

Situ Haonan let out a soft breath, waving for Ziqing to hurry on—this girl was quite the clinger, after all!

“Take good care of her!” Ziqing said in a low voice, then finally mounted her horse, leaving together with Jun Beiyue.

By the time Yelu Qianqian recovered enough to look for Ziqing, the whole group had already vanished.

“All right, all right, we should get going too. If we don’t leave soon, your brother will catch up before we’re clear,” Situ Haonan urged.

“He probably doesn’t have time to look for me now—the war’s about to start,” Yelu Qianqian murmured, gazing back at distant Akbaru City. She wasn’t as naive as she seemed.

“Silly girl, do you really think everything will be fine once you’re married off?” Situ Haonan said helplessly.

“Once I marry him, Xiliang and Xijing become in-laws,” Yelu Qianqian said earnestly.

Situ Haonan’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Do you really think your brother is such a pushover? Knowing him, you might well end up having assassinated Wanyan Lie on his behalf, without even realizing it.”

“What do you mean?” Yelu Qianqian didn’t understand.

Situ Haonan lifted her onto his horse, holding her close, explaining as they rode off.

Only once the figures had vanished from sight did Sha Qiuzi slowly close the great door. Once shut, unless one already knew where it was, it looked exactly like a seamless stretch of wall—the safest place to leave Yanzi, indeed.

The wind picked up again, vast clouds of yellow sand swirling across the sky, and yet the whole world fell strangely silent—the singing of Mingsha Mountain had long since faded away. Still, Akbaru City itself was anything but quiet.