They stayed at the post station for one night, and the next day they got up early to continue their journey.
Beyond the Qu Nan River lay the border of Da Liang.
Here lay a place, lush with grass and water, resembling the grasslands beyond the frontier.
Ye Luan, looking at the scenery outside, also clamored to go horseback riding.
Xiao Chi Zhan, as always, indulged her in everything. He directly pulled her down and they galloped wildly. The breeze brushed against their faces, and the surroundings were filled with a sense of peace.
After another two days of travel, passing through Yue Guan, all the soldiers of Da Liang had returned to the border.
Meanwhile, their group had stopped at a detached villa in a small border town.
After putting down her luggage, Ye Luan curiously wandered around.
“A’luan, let’s go out and have some fun. I heard this small town is full of merchants from various countries, trading goods. It’s supposed to be very fun.”
Not far away, Wei Qingge came running over.
Ye Luan walked towards her, “Have they not returned yet?”
“Who, the Prince?”
“Yes.”
Wei Qingge said, “They went out early this morning. They’re probably drinking. Let’s go out and play too.”
She smiled and slung an arm around Ye Luan’s shoulders, leading her out.
Ye Luan felt a vague sense of unease, as if something was not quite right.
Li Qiong Yu, who had been doing business abroad for many years, had bought an island east of the Qu Nan River in his early years. On the island was a body of water called Ruo Shui.
It originated from the high mountains and flowed towards the boundless sea in the western regions of Da Liang.
When Xie Bei Han arrived on horseback, he saw a black figure standing by the riverbank.
To the north lay a dense forest, with sparse shadows cast upon his back, creating large swathes of darkness. To the south, the sea breeze raged, caressing that devilishly handsome face.
Xie Bei Han let out a soft whistle, and his horse stopped.
He looked up at the trees to the north and saw a red figure lounging carelessly on a branch, his legs crossed.
Not far below the tree, a figure as cold as the wind stood gracefully, his gaze flicking towards him with a hint of chilling killing intent.
He let out a hearty laugh, dismounted, and walked towards the three of them.
“So, everyone’s here.”
Xiao Chi Zhan idly fiddled with a saber, his slanting eyes filled with a bloodthirsty gloom.
Xie Bei Han leaned against a nearby tree and smiled, “We truly are brothers. To protect one Tan Tai Ye, three of you are ganging up on me. Isn’t that unfair?”
Xiao Chi Zhan glanced sideways, “If he were truly dead, how could I let you return alive to Bei Qi?”
Xie Bei Han raised an eyebrow and looked at the vast expanse of sea beside him, remaining silent.
“Bei Qi stationed an additional one hundred thousand troops at the Xu Zhou River, why did they retreat? Are they not fighting anymore?”
At this moment, Li Qiong Yu leaped from the tree and walked towards them with a smile.
Xie Bei Han curved his lips, glanced at him, and then looked at Xiao Chi Zhan, with clear provocation.
“She didn’t want to see a mutual destruction and the common people suffer from war, so I had to oblige.”
Li Qiong Yu: “---”
He shouldn’t have asked.
“I’ve come to attend the banquet of the Ding Bei King. You two should just be spectators—”
Before he could finish, a figure moved like a blur, and a saber was placed at his throat, his eyes filled with malevolence.
He stopped speaking and raised his eyes with a smile.
“If you can walk out of here alive today, I will fulfill my promise and not wage war for thirty years.”
Xie Bei Han raised an eyebrow, “If you die, she will be mine, and Da Liang will be mine.”
Xiao Chi Zhan let out a laugh from his chest, filled with unconcealed mockery.
“You won’t get that chance.”
Xie Bei Han sneered, “Then let’s try. Today, it will be either my death or yours. Come on.”
As he spoke, he quickly dodged the sharp blade and retreated, drawing his own saber to counterattack.
The world was filled with a desolate atmosphere.
When Ye Luan and Wei Qingge returned to the villa after their outing, Xiao Chi Zhan had still not returned.
She pursed her lips and sat on a stool, her unease growing.
“A’luan, the things here are so fun! Look, isn’t this outfit I bought beautiful? It has all these silver bells. This dress is completely different from the ones in Shang Jing!”
Wei Qingge was nearby, fiddling with the spoils of the afternoon, holding a frontier dress and trying it on.
Ye Luan glanced at it and said, “It’s beautiful, beautiful.”
“You try one on too! Hey, with this dress, I guarantee the Prince won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”
She pulled out a gossamer-thin undergarment, particularly revealing, barely covering the essential parts.
Ye Luan recalled her own crimson attire and immediately shook her head, “No, you take it back and play with it.”
“Oh, you bought it yourself, so you should wear it. Take it and try it on.”
“---”
It wasn’t the brat who had been dragging her to buy things. If she didn’t buy them, she would have been laughed at.
However, the customs of the frontier were bold, and the clothing shops sold all sorts of things, truly opening her eyes.
She had never seen such audacious shops in Shang Jing.
“A’luan, hurry up.”
Ye Luan was getting a headache from her urging, so she snatched the dress and stuffed it into the bundle behind her.
“Alright, alright, forget about it.”
Seeing Ye Luan’s shy expression, Wei Qingge chuckled and leaned on the table, starting to gossip.
“A’luan, is the Prince very… powerful?”
Ye Luan was drinking tea when she heard this, and the tea in her mouth instantly sprayed out. She coughed violently.
“Oh dear, what’s wrong?”
Wei Qingge quickly handed her a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and gently patted her back.
Ye Luan coughed a few times, looked up at her, and was unable to utter a word.
“---”
Wei Qingge awkwardly scratched her face and said, “I just heard those soldiers talking nonsense privately. Gossip, just gossip. Don’t mind it.”
“What?” Ye Luan was almost losing her mind, “The soldiers in the army are actually saying this privately?”
She suddenly remembered the various glances she received after getting out of the carriage that day, and exclaimed, leaning on the table and pressing her forehead.
Wei Qingge quickly said, “How dare they really talk about the Prince? They were just gossiping a few words. If this reached the Prince’s ears, he’d surely have us flogged. A’luan, please don’t tell the Prince.”
“---”
Seeing her silence, Wei Qingge became anxious.
“A’luan, seriously, you must not mention it to the Prince. Given his temper, he’ll kill us.”
Ye Luan saw her worry and immediately soothed her, “I won’t say, I won’t say.”
“That’s good.”
Hearing the promise, Wei Qingge’s heart finally settled. Looking at the blushing A’luan, she couldn’t help but tease her again.
“Before, when I played with them, the Prince never paid attention to women. I never expected him to love you so much. It serves him right, he used to be so brutal—”
Ye Luan couldn’t help but smile as she listened to Wei Qingge talk about him.
“He is indeed brutal.”
As they chatted and laughed, she shifted the topic back to earlier.
Ye Luan wasn’t one for demureness. Hearing Wei Qingge’s bold gossip, she also became more relaxed. She directly turned her attention to Li Qiong Yu, causing Wei Qingge to immediately shy away, her face as red as a flower.
Seeing her like this, Ye Luan’s curiosity piqued, and she began to pester her for answers.
Wei Qingge coughed twice, recalling certain events, and whispered in Ye Luan’s ear, “It was too painful.”