The day Marquis Dingbei left the capital, many citizens of Chang’an came outside the city to see him off.

Qiu Xinran sat in the carriage, propping her head against the carriage wall with one hand. Finally, she saw the distant majestic city walls gradually disappear over the horizon. The prosperous capital was left far behind, and before her eyes stretched layer upon layer of green mountains, unfurling like a winding painted scroll.

She didn’t know what mood Xia Xiuyan had been in when he left Chang’an seven years ago, but sitting in the carriage, listening to the steady sound of horse hooves beside her, she hadn’t yet traveled far but already felt somewhat melancholic about leaving home.

The procession when Xia Xiuyan entered the capital had been long, and the procession leaving the capital was even longer. Regardless of what the Emperor truly thought of his nephew, he still bestowed many things upon his departure. She’d heard that even so, at yesterday’s imperial banquet in the palace, the Empress Dowager had held Xia Xiuyan’s hand and cried for quite a while, complaining that Emperor Xuande hadn’t used the time he was in the capital to arrange a good marriage for him.

However, Qiu Xinran felt this matter really couldn’t be blamed on the Emperor. After all, given Xia Xiuyan’s behavior of spending every night at Fangchi Garden immediately upon returning to the capital, which family would marry off their daughter without careful consideration? She even suspected this was Xia Xiuyan’s deliberate doing. This man had never particularly valued his reputation—otherwise, seven years ago, he couldn’t have been called a sickly invalid in Chang’an for five years.

Although He Zhong had said there would be accompanying maids and matrons in the procession, after they set out, Qiu Xinran looked around and discovered that including herself, there weren’t actually many women. Zhang Hui had brought a maid named Qingqing. Originally there was also Gao Yue in the carriage, but she was probably still sulking about the previous whip incident with Zhang Hui at the official residence. Too embarrassed to ride in the same carriage, she’d requested a horse and immediately galloped ahead. Now there were only three people sitting in the carriage.

After departure, Zhang Rong deliberately held back two paces to stay by the carriage and speak with Zhang Hui. Qiu Xinran’s head rested limply against the carriage wall as she gazed listlessly outside, looking quite undignified. Zhang Rong glanced sideways and couldn’t help asking: “Is Miss Qiu feeling unwell?”

Qiu Xinran forced herself to rally her spirits: “I’ve never traveled far before. Perhaps once I adjust, it will get better.”

“The journey to Qizhou is long and the roads treacherous—at least over a month.” Zhang Rong said. “I have an herbal sachet. Wearing it might help alleviate the discomfort. I’ll send it to you shortly.”

“Then I thank the General in advance.”

As the two were speaking, He Zhong suddenly rode up on horseback: “Brother Rong, I’ll watch over things here for the next few days. You should head back to the front.”

Zhang Rong asked curiously: “Has something happened up ahead?”

“Not at all,” He Zhong grinned broadly and honestly. “The Marquis said there’s no reason for a general to run back here to guard the carriages. If you stay here too long, the brothers will make fun of you.”

Zhang Rong smiled: “What’s there to make fun of? You’re a deputy general guarding the carriages here—won’t they make fun of you too?”

“That’s different. I’ve got a thick skin and don’t care about that.” He Zhong noticed the little Daoist propped at the carriage window watching him with eyes that seemed to smile knowingly, as if she could see right through his little schemes. He couldn’t help but say seriously: “Besides, Daoist Qiu is here too. If she sees this, she’ll think our Changwu Army has lax discipline and no propriety.” That such righteous words could come from his mouth made one suspect someone had coached him.

Zhang Rong looked hesitant but finally nodded: “Alright then. If anything comes up, come find me.”

After seeing Zhang Rong off, He Zhong turned back to Zhang Hui in the carriage with a beaming smile: “I’ll be right outside. If Miss Zhang needs anything, feel free to find me.”

Qiu Xinran watched this scene unfold before her, squinting with a rather mischievous smile. Only after Zhang Hui smiled and settled back inside the carriage did He Zhong turn to warn the woman propped at the window in a low voice: “Don’t get any wild ideas.”

Qiu Xinran sighed: “Deputy He is being so obvious about it—I really can’t help but think about it.”

He Zhong’s face flushed slightly. After holding back for a long while, he couldn’t help but ask: “Is it really that obvious?”

Qiu Xinran put on an air of great knowledge and said to him: “Once feelings develop between a man and woman, it’s really just like this. First, you want to constantly appear by the other person’s side, preferably having them see you all the time. Then you become especially mindful of your every word and deed, not wanting them to see even the slightest flaw in you. And also…”

He Zhong found her earlier words quite reasonable and secretly nodded along. Hearing her trail off without finishing, he couldn’t help but urge: “And what else?”

Qiu Xinran teased: “And you find everyone else an eyesore, wishing it could just be you and the person you care for alone.”

Just as the other party glared and was about to lose his temper, Qiu Xinran suddenly muttered to herself: “The wind and sand outside are quite choking.” He Zhong watched helplessly as she finished this sentence, then reached out and lowered the carriage curtain, covering the carriage interior completely so not even a hint of movement inside could be seen.

However, having just teased He Zhong in the morning, Qiu Xinran got her comeuppance that afternoon. After leaving Chang’an, the roads became increasingly bumpy. Sitting in the carriage, she felt wave after wave of dizziness and disorientation. By dusk, she didn’t even have the energy to speak. When they finally reached that day’s post station, she climbed down from the carriage with a heavy head, light feet, and ashen complexion, nearly falling face-first to the ground.

She’d thought this condition would ease once she adapted to the long-distance jostling, but unexpectedly, it only intensified over the following days. One afternoon, Qiu Xinran was rarely in good spirits and chatted idly with Zhang Hui in the carriage. Hearing the other mention that she’d often traveled with her father and brothers since childhood and was also trained in martial arts, Qiu Xinran realized she was actually the weakest person in this entire procession. She couldn’t help feeling sorrowful, realizing her dream of wandering the world had thus been shattered.

That afternoon they arrived at an official post station. The local county magistrate, having heard that Marquis Dingbei was passing through, had sent people outside the city early to welcome them. In the evening, he insisted on hosting a banquet in his honor. The procession had traveled continuously for several days. Both men and horses were exhausted, and they really should stop to rest briefly. So after brief consideration, Xia Xiuyan allowed everyone to tour the city for half a day and set out again the next morning.

By nightfall, Qiu Xinran woke from a nap to find she was the only one left at the official post station. She got up, threw on some clothes, and planned to go to the back kitchen to find something to eat. Just as she pushed open the door, she saw a familiar figure standing outside. Xia Xiuyan clearly hadn’t expected her to suddenly open the door either, and a trace of surprise appeared on his face.

“Has the Marquis… returned from the banquet?” Qiu Xinran tugged at the outer robe draped over her, asking in a daze.

“Mm.” The man under the eaves didn’t offer much explanation, only glanced at her once. “Where are you going?”

“I was just planning to find something to eat in the back kitchen.”

Xia Xiuyan nodded: “Perfect timing.” Without waiting for her to say anything more, he turned first and headed toward the back kitchen. Qiu Xinran stood in place for a moment before hurrying to follow.

Inside the official post station was only an elderly station master. Since everyone was dining elsewhere that evening, the back kitchen hadn’t prepared any food. Qiu Xinran used a fire starter to light an oil lamp and rummaged around for quite a while before finding a few cold steamed buns. After Xia Xiuyan came in, he went somewhere unknown. She sat by the stove, reluctantly eating a few bites with pickled vegetables. Just as she was hesitating whether to go look for him, she turned her head and saw him walking in carrying a porcelain bowl. Even from afar she could smell a medicinal aroma.

He placed the medicine bowl in her hands with one hand, saying tersely: “Drink it.”

Qiu Xinran was startled. The medicine bowl in her hands was warm to the touch—it must have been freshly brewed not long ago. Then she heard him say: “Gao Yang went to the medicine shop this afternoon to get medicine for your carriage sickness.”

A touch of gratitude warmed Qiu Xinran’s heart: “Attendant Gao is very thoughtful.” She held the medicine bowl and wrinkled her nose, frowning with an expression of facing death bravely, then drank it all down in one go. She really believed whatever he said without worrying at all that he might be deceiving her.

A hint of amusement flickered in Xia Xiuyan’s eyes as he suddenly recalled what He Zhong had said to him at today’s banquet.

This evening, County Magistrate Chen had been quite unable to maintain proper decorum. First, midway through the banquet, he’d suddenly invited his own daughter out to pour wine for them, then summoned two beautiful courtesans to attend nearby. Although Xia Xiuyan had seen such scenes before, he couldn’t withstand the repeated hints. His face finally turned cold and he left the table early. Only then did Magistrate Chen sober up and hurry to apologize. Unfortunately, Xia Xiuyan’s patience was exhausted and he insisted on leaving. To avoid making things too awkward for their host, Gao Yang, Zhang Rong, and the others who’d come along had no choice but to stay and continue as guests. Only He Zhong accompanied him out from the residence. Already somewhat drunk on the road, he shook his head saying: “The Marquis is especially impatient tonight.”

Xia Xiuyan snorted coldly: “You wanted to stay and drink yourself, but now you blame me for leaving early.”

He Zhong didn’t argue with him, only muttered quietly: “You’re not as heartless toward Daoist Qiu as you were toward Miss Chen.”

“What did you say?”

He Zhong rubbed his stomach: “I said, do you really plan to take Daoist Qiu back to Qizhou?”

Xia Xiuyan asked in return: “Do you think I shouldn’t take her back?”

“Now that we know Daoist Qiu isn’t the kind of person the rumors made her out to be, and she’s wrongly borne these years of infamy, if you want to make a show of it before the world and invite her back, of course there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just…” He Zhong hesitated slightly. “It’s just that giving Daoist Qiu false hope like this really isn’t right of you.”

Xia Xiuyan looked at him with a strange expression: “What drunken nonsense are you talking?”

On an ordinary day, He Zhong would never dare say these things, but now with alcohol emboldening him, he blurted it all out in one breath: “I don’t believe you can’t see Daoist Qiu’s feelings for you! If she didn’t like you, would she have endured such grievances and risked her life to help you back then? Just for that devotion alone, if you have no feelings for her, you should tell her clearly sooner rather than later, so you don’t delay her cultivation.”

The two stood outside the county office gate. Facing this righteous accusation, Xia Xiuyan was actually stunned for a moment. After a long while, he finally found his voice and asked hesitantly: “How do you know what her feelings for me are?”

He Zhong stated decisively: “She told me herself!” Then he burped.

Xia Xiuyan hadn’t drunk much at the banquet, yet now he was beginning to feel somewhat intoxicated. He couldn’t help but ask again: “Why would she tell you this out of the blue?”

Seeing his hesitation, He Zhong continued with conviction: “I’ve gained some insight into young ladies’ hearts now. You see, once feelings develop between a man and woman, it’s really just like this. First, they want to constantly appear by the other person’s side, so that person can see them all the time. Then they become especially mindful of their every word and deed, not wanting the other to see even the slightest flaw in them. And they find everyone else an eyesore, wishing it could just be the two of them together all the time.”

He spoke with such certainty, looking as if he wanted to swear an oath: “Before we departed, she came to me asking when you were leaving the capital, and whether she could travel along with us. Tell me, if she didn’t have those feelings, why would she come tell me all this?”

The determined look on He Zhong’s face before the official residence was still vivid before him. Xia Xiuyan watched the little Daoist who’d gulped down the medicine in one go and was now frowning and licking her lips, still somewhat distracted: What if he was right…

Having just downed a large bowl of medicine, Qiu Xinran was about to complain about the bitterness when someone stuffed a candy into her mouth. A sweet taste spread across her tongue, instantly suppressing that hint of bitterness. She couldn’t help but squint her eyes. There was still some medicine residue on her lips. When the other person withdrew his hand, he seemed to find it distasteful and frowned slightly, then casually used his thumb to wipe it away for her. The movement was smooth and natural, yet it startled Qiu Xinran into widening her eyes and stepping back half a pace.

Xia Xiuyan lifted his eyelids to look over, as if he couldn’t understand why she was making such a fuss.

Qiu Xinran thought to herself: This man Xia Xiuyan’s behavior is really rather frivolous. Last time… even if last time his high fever had addled his brain and she didn’t pursue the matter, but now acting like this—if someone saw, it would be hard to explain.

Thinking this, she coughed and was just about to speak with a stern face when she suddenly heard him ask: “Before leaving the capital, you asked He Zhong for help and proposed traveling to Qizhou with us?”

Qiu Xinran’s heart “thumped” and she suddenly felt guilty: It’s over, He Zhong told him. Will he think this deal was a loss and that the triple-courtyard house and the prime commercial property will all fly away?

Observing her shocked and changing expression, Xia Xiuyan’s own heart stirred slightly with complex emotions: He Zhong actually wasn’t lying to him, so what he said afterward must also be true? She really is…

Both harboring their own thoughts, they gazed at each other with somewhat strange looks.

After pondering for a moment, Qiu Xinran decided to strike first, hastily declaring: “Although I had such plans at the time, I hadn’t yet decided how to proceed. If the Marquis hadn’t come to the teahouse to discuss this with me, it wouldn’t necessarily have been essential to go to Qizhou!”

Seeing her eyes flicker as she said this, though her outward appearance showed nothing, Xia Xiuyan could tell from listening that she lacked confidence. Moreover, after speaking, she nervously watched him and emphasized again: “The Marquis promised—you can’t go back on your word.”

Xia Xiuyan understood clearly. Young ladies were naturally shy—this was perfectly normal. The corners of his lips moved slightly, though his face maintained a very composed expression as he nodded slightly: “You’ve already come this far. Naturally I won’t send you back.”

Getting this assurance from him, Qiu Xinran breathed a sigh of relief at having secured the large mansion and the commercial property in the busy district. She couldn’t be bothered to quibble about his frivolous behavior just now.

After they returned, Qiu Xinran, frightened by this exchange, immediately went to her room and fell into a deep sleep. But the candle in Xia Xiuyan’s room burned for half the night before finally being extinguished in the latter half of the night.