Inside the City Lord’s residence.
As the two Immortal Masters departed, the banquet came to an end, leaving behind a heavy silence.
Xu Shixiong stood beneath the eaves, the bright moonlight spilling over the shoulders of the middle-aged man, carrying a faint chill.
His face was expressionless as he looked up at the moon, neither sorrowful nor pleased. No trace remained of the warmth… or rather, the arrogance he had shown at the banquet.
He stood straight, like an old pine tree that was weathered and worn, yet far from decayed.
The Marquis of Mighty Valor was dead. The great general who had spent his life on campaign was dead.
His death had come suddenly, brutally, and swiftly.
It was said that before his death, his two sons had still resisted desperately, refusing to confess and submit. In the end, the National Preceptor himself had to act, executing them on the spot, to the great satisfaction of all.
It was said that on that day, the Marquis’s residence ran with so much blood that half the long street was stained red.
Many believed that the Marquis’s entire bloodline had been wiped out. Xu Shixiong, far away in Xiqi, had thought the same.
But now, it seemed that might not be the case.
“Three days…”
The middle-aged man muttered to himself. This was the deadline Zhang Chi had given. If no results were produced within three days, the city of Xiqi would change hands.
The old steward standing nearby shook his head and sighed. “Three days… trying to find someone in a city of hundreds of thousands is like searching for a needle in the sea. And we don’t even know if that fugitive is alive or dead. If what he said is true, both legs broken, body covered in wounds, then surviving even last month’s heavy snow would have been impossible.”
Xu Shixiong said nothing. His mind was occupied with an entirely different matter.
As a soldier, what is the ultimate end of one’s life?
To return home in glory? Or to die on the battlefield?
He had once asked that very question to the General Who Pacifies the North.
In any case, it surely should not be a disgraceful end, dying in one’s own home over a baseless charge.
Just as many believed the Marquis of Mighty Valor’s lineage had long been wiped out, few knew that the City Lord of Xiqi, far away by a thousand li, had once been an unknown foot soldier under the General Who Pacifies the North more than a decade ago.
***
The mountain path was rugged, the night wind bleak.
After entering the mountains, Gu Qing did not dare travel at night. Before darkness fully fell, he stopped and found an abandoned pavilion, lit a fire, and prepared to rest there.
He set down the heavy bamboo basket and sat against the wall.
From early morning until now, he had barely stopped along the way, only pausing briefly for a meal at noon. By the time night fell, exhaustion surged over him like a tide, and his eyelids felt as heavy as if filled with lead.
Fortunately, he often ventured into the mountains to gather herbs, and over time had built a strong physique with remarkable endurance. Otherwise, he likely would not have been able to keep going.
“We’ll have to make do here tonight. If the map is correct, we should reach a roadside inn tomorrow. Then we can rest properly for a night.”
Gu Qing lifted the thin quilt and spoke to the girl inside the bamboo basket.
As usual, Qiu Niang gave a soft “Mhmm”. Her eyes were lowered, her lashes still, as if she were lost in thought.
Gu Qing took out the dried meat he had bought earlier that day, tore it into strips, and held it to her lips. The girl parted her lips slightly and bit down on it.
As she puffed out her cheeks and chewed, she looked at him. “You eat too.”
“Alright.”
A bite of dried meat, a sip of water.
Dinner was dealt with in this simple manner.
But since they were traveling, they couldn’t afford to be particular about the quality of their meals. Being full was enough.
“Get some rest early.”
After walking nearly forty li in a single day, even Gu Qing couldn’t hide his fatigue. He rubbed his brow, leaned against the pillar, and tightened the thick robe around himself, intending to make do with sitting like this through the night.
He took out the short sword and laid it horizontally across his knees.
This stretch of mountain road would likely be filled with travelers come spring, but now, in the depths of winter, the mountain winds were biting cold, and the surroundings were silent. Under the cover of night, it all felt faintly eerie.
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“Take the quilt.”
Gu Qing turned his head to the side and saw a small head peeking out from the edge of the bamboo basket as she repeated herself.
“Take the quilt.”
To lighten their load, aside from essential supplies, they had brought only a single cotton quilt. The very one that had been covering the bamboo basket all along.
The quilt she was telling Gu Qing to take was naturally that one.
“No need to worry about me. I’m in much better shape than you.”
Unfortunately, that persuasion had little effect. She continued to look at him with that dark eye, as if she wouldn’t sleep unless he agreed.
Suddenly, the girl lowered her gaze and softly said, “Together…”
Together what?
Naturally, sharing the quilt.
Compared to worrying about each other and falling into a pointless standoff, this was indeed an effective solution.
Gu Qing hesitated.
As someone with a fiancée, he ought to maintain proper distance from any other woman.
But then he thought again. This wasn’t reality anyway. And everything that should or shouldn’t have been seen, touched or not touched, had already happened. This little bit more didn’t really matter.
He might as well treat it… as if it were all just a dream.
With that thought, he stood up and lifted the girl out of the bamboo basket. She leaned naturally into his arms, her soft, smooth hair brushing past his nose, leaving a faint tickle and a light, pleasant fragrance.
Even Qiu Niang herself carried a subtle, fresh scent, perhaps from the medicinal baths she had taken.
He sat back down against the wall, but this time there was something extra in his arms. Small, soft, very light, and quiet. She rested silently against his chest like a small animal, her breath warm as it rose and fell.
After wrapping them both in the thin quilt, Gu Qing glanced around, then seemed to think of something and lowered his head. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark?”
There was a hint of teasing in his voice.
Qiu Niang didn’t want to respond.
This strange man was always like this…self-assured, self-righteous, making his own decisions, and imagining things on his own.
During those unbearable days, she had endured countless nights far longer and lonelier than this. How could she possibly be afraid of the dark?
And there was no way she had come up with such a clumsy excuse just to sleep in his arms.
Mm, absolutely not.
…
…
The next day.
When he woke, it was already broad daylight.
Thanks to several consecutive sunny days, most of the snow in the mountains had nearly melted, and even the night wind from before was no longer so harsh.
Gu Qing opened her eyes, looked down, and saw a peaceful sleeping face.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed, her long lashes resting naturally, her breathing even. Under the morning light, her delicate skin glowed with a jade-like luster.
The little beggar girl he had bought for three coins a month ago had, at some point, grown into someone as delicate as a porcelain doll.
Though he felt somewhat reluctant to disturb the scene, Gu Qing still chose to get up, preparing to place her back into the bamboo basket.
After a night’s rest, most of yesterday’s fatigue had faded. They could continue on their journey.
Perhaps sensing his movement, the girl slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was unfocused and a little dazed.
“N-No…”
“Don’t dislike me… I’m very clean…”
Suddenly, she spoke, but her words were like delirious murmurs.
The three fingers she had left clutched tightly at Gu Qing’s collar, so hard that her knuckles turned faintly pale.
Gu Qing was stunned for a moment before he finally came back to his senses. After a brief silence, he said softly, “My hesitation last night… it was definitely not because I disliked you.”
“I hope Qiu Niang… doesn’t overthink it.”
After speaking, he took hold of the girl’s hand.
It felt soft and slightly cool, like the patches of mountain snow that had yet to melt.
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