"Wanwan, when we grow up, we'll go and explore the world together. I won't be a princess anymore, and you won't be a county lady either. We won't be sent off for marriage alliances, will we?" "Sounds great—I don't want to end up like Miss Mingyue, being sent all the way to a distant place to marry someone." "Wanwan, Father says he plans to marry me to the Prince of Dazhen. But I only want to marry General Mu. What if I can't escape?" "Then don't worry—when the time comes, I'll marry the Prince on your behalf." "Settled." "Settled!" "Heshuwan, you're becoming more and more unruly. You've had the princess climbing up the tree again—don't you dare delay and come down!" "Mother? Oh—oh—" A long, deep cry, and then a heavy thud as she tumbles down from the tree. Yun Rao opens her eyes, gazing at the vast expanse of night and the dense, shadowy trees—no longer the warm, sunlit courtyard she once knew. Her hand unconsciously brushed her forehead; her eyes, still slightly hazy upon waking, carried a faint sense of bewilderment. "Are you planning to stay here in the snow until dawn?" His calm voice sliced through the lingering haze of her dream, drifting gently into her ears. Yun Rao blinked, then slowly came back to herself, turning toward the sound. When she saw An Ziyuan seated by the fire, back turned to her, her mind momentarily went blank. She instinctively asked, "How did you end up here?" An Ziyuan turned his head, gazing at her from head to toe with a strange expression, before settling his gaze on her face. "Did you fall and get dazed?" With that reminder, Yun Rao realized she was sitting on the snow, her buttocks aching faintly. She glanced up at the tree branch, now nearly six feet high. Yet, having decided to take a nap while An Ziyuan was still there, she had simply slipped off the branch and landed on the snow. Blushing, Yun Rao slowly rose, brushing off the snowflakes clinging to her cloak. The night air had grown chilly, and with the cold seeping through, she stepped lightly toward the fire, settling beside An Ziyuan. She glanced at him, noticing he hadn’t spoken to her yet. Growing a bit restless, she smiled brightly and broke the silence first. "Lord, aren’t you going to sleep at all?" As if she had completely forgotten his earlier cold remarks. An Ziyuan turned his head to her, unsure whether it was her memory that was fading or if she was deliberately avoiding mentioning it—now he seemed entirely at ease, as though nothing had happened. Yun Rao felt slightly uncomfortable under his steady gaze, reaching up to pat her face, and offered a dry smile. "Lord, what’s wrong? Did I cut myself on my face?" She didn’t even feel any pain. "No!" An Ziyuan calmly withdrew his gaze, turning back to the fire, remaining silent. Yun Rao followed his gaze toward the fire, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Unable to hold back, she asked, "Lord, is there a beauty in this fire?" Her words made An Zi yuan glance at her again. Yun Rao felt embarrassed, smiled lightly, puffed her slightly chilled nose, and chuckled, "Since we lit this fire, I've noticed you've been staring at it, never taking your eyes off it. I thought perhaps there was a beauty dancing within the flames." "... "An Zi yuan silently shifted his gaze away from the fire and toward the vast, still night sky. Yun Rao shrugged carelessly—after several days of getting used to his slow, deliberate manner of speaking one sentence for every ten questions—reached out a hand from beneath her cloak, picked up a small stick, and gently stirred the fire, listening to the crisp crackle of the wood. On the other side, Wu Chang had already fallen asleep, having simply removed his cloak and settled down beside the fire, sleeping more easily than she did. Turning her gaze back to the fire, now glowing more brightly, Yun Rao puffed her nose as if speaking to herself or to him, "Do you think," she asked, "the people we dream of—do they really exist?" "Finally, An Zi yuan looked at her directly," What did you dream about?" If he hadn't mistaken, she had just called out "mother" a moment ago, then suddenly cried out and tumbled down from the tree. "Confused, she lifted her hand, slightly warmed by the covering, and spread her fingers before him, waving them gently. 'What's wrong with you?' Seeing her open hand, An Zi yuan glanced at it, then calmly turned his gaze back to the fire. 'A strange one!' Yun Rao murmured, softly nodding in admiration. She leaned against the fire, curling up beside it, warming herself—such quiet moments by the fire were rare. In the past, even when staying overnight in remote mountain forests with no village in sight, she had never dared to light a fire so openly, especially at night. Following this Nine-Day Immortal Fruit had truly been a good choice—she no longer needed to fear being cut off or killed simply by closing her eyes. She suspected he now wanted to kill her, yet constrained by the Qilin's vow, he had to endure her presence. Though she worried about being left behind, she needn't fear for her life. 'Yun Rao, what is your relationship with the Yuming Sect?' An Zi yuan suddenly asked, his voice gentle and unhurried, with no hint of inquiry. Yun Rao couldn't help but glance at him, only to see him slightly lowering his gaze, his hands like jade gently holding a wooden stick and slowly stirring the fire. "There's no connection at all," she replied, puzzled as to why he had suddenly become interested in her identity—these days, he had refused to speak a single word to her. An Zi yuan gazed at her again, deeply and then more lightly. Yun Rao found herself rubbing her nose, her voice indeed softer now, "Indeed, there's no connection at all." That day, everyone at Yu Family Manor had loudly condemned the yu-ming sect's female demon for causing disturbances and chaos throughout the martial world—yet how was that any of her concern! An Zi yuan looked at her once more, and with that came the hand, glowing with a jade-like luster under the firelight. "Give me your hand!" Yun Rao unconsciously pulled her hand back. "Why?" "I'll check your injuries for you!" "An Zi yuan said calmly, 'As you've said, since we're destined to walk this journey together, if you fall ill halfway and the Qilin Pendant hasn't been retrieved, I won't be able to leave you behind. It would be more convenient to heal you now rather than face complications later.' 'That's... no need, my injuries aren't serious anymore,' Yun Rao smiled awkwardly, not extending his hand. Instead, he stood up, smoothed his cloak, and said, 'I'll go take a short nap. You can call me when you set off tomorrow.' Only then did he realize—he hadn't once invited her to accompany him on the journey. Blushing slightly, he patted his nose. 'Um, I'll go to bed now. I'll get up early in the morning.' As he spoke, he turned to leave, as if genuinely afraid that he would insist on taking her pulse. He withdrew his hand and the smile faded as he turned. His fingers brushed through his disheveled hair, and with a quiet breath, a touch of melancholy had already settled on his face. An Zi yuan watched her slender figure, frail under the cold wind, his eyes slightly narrowed, with a faint sense of curiosity, yet he said nothing and didn’t insist on taking her pulse. He simply watched as she sat down near the fire, pulled her cloak tightly around herself, leaned against the tree trunk, and closed her eyes to rest. Such a mysterious woman! As this thought passed through his mind, he had already turned his attention back, no longer showing her much concern. Yun Rao drifted in and out of sleep, and woke up the next morning frozen. When she opened her eyes, everything seemed vast and still—An Zi yuan and Wuxiang were gone. The fire, which had been strong last night, had been battered by the wind and now only left behind a pile of cold ashes not far away. "Off again!" She glanced around, not seeing An Zi yuan or Wuxiang. Cloud Rao sighed deeply, unconsciously inhaling through her nose, and instinctively brushing her already disheveled hair, holding the strands of hair against her forehead as she stared at the now-cooled fire pile, motionless. She sat on the snow, reluctant to move, her expression somewhat bewildered. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there—only feeling her buttocks grow numb from the cold—before finally taking a deep breath, a faint, slightly bitter smile tugging at her lips. Then, silently, she stood up. After all, when had it ever not been just her alone? Relying on others was never as good as relying on herself. Standing up, she brushed off the snowflakes and fragments from her clothes. As she was about to leave, she turned and saw An Zi yuan and Wuxiang holding a few wild fruits. She was momentarily taken aback. "You didn't leave?" Wuxiang tossed her a wild fruit, sighing discontentedly. "Where would we go to find the Qilin's seal if we left?" "Freshly picked wild fruit—have a bite to tide you over. It's quite a feat to find anything this fresh on such a cold day. If you're not satisfied, I'll just—hmm—well, I'll see about it." With that, the Immortal of the Unchanging Moment flashed her bright, white teeth, clearly signaling that should she find the fruit unpalatable, she would not hesitate to serve her justice. Yun Rao smiled warmly, took it eagerly, and bit down firmly. "Thank you, Wuchang. I always knew you were the most thoughtful toward me." Yesterday, due to her haste, she hadn't anticipated the rain would make the roads impassable. She hadn't brought any provisions, and now, with the journey to Wei Zhou still requiring several hours, it was indeed necessary to eat something to keep her energy up. Wuchang gave a disdainful sniff. An Zi yuan spoke calmly, "Since you've awakened, let's begin your journey now." "Of course," Yun Rao said, her spirits high, and followed closely behind the two. She had originally expected to reach Wei Zhou, enjoy a full meal, and rest comfortably—yet, before even arriving, she found herself blocked on the road "The demon maiden! We've been waiting for you—finally, you've come right to us!" As she stepped onto the mountain fork of the official road to Wei Prefecture alongside An Ziyuan and the Immortal of Change, the young man who seemed to be leading raised his voice. If it weren't for their fierce expressions, they'd have looked like refined gentlemen. "What have you done this time?" An Ziyuan glanced at her calmly, asking softly. "I—ah!" Helpless—how could she possibly have offended such a group of elegant swordsmen? "Immortal of Change!" An Ziyuan called out gently to the attendant. Cloud Rao felt a surge of relief and was about to thank him when An Ziyuan already spoke calmly, "The troubles Cloud has caused are hers to resolve. We'll return to the city and wait for her." With that, he smoothly turned his horse and rode off in the opposite direction. "Wait—what?!" Cloud Rao grew anxious, tightened her grip on the horse's flank, and reached for the reins to follow, only to find that the elegant swordsmen had suddenly surged forward, surrounding her completely.