At the foot of the Golden Jade Ridge.
Mo Jin and Fu Yu were waiting to provide support.
"The snow in Great Yan really never stops… who knows when it’ll let up…" Mo Jin looked up at the sky, where light snowflakes had begun to drift again, and couldn’t help stamping his feet. "If it gets heavier, the carriage won’t have an easy time moving."
Fu Yu, standing beside him, was idly drawing circles in the snow with the tip of his sheathed sword. Hearing this, he remarked, "The carriage doesn’t need to go up the mountain anyway. Shouldn’t be a problem."
Mo Jin still grumbled, "I just don’t like snowy weather. Judging by His Highness’s plans, it seems we’ll be staying in Great Yan for the long haul. Sigh… looks like he’s really treating this place as home now."
Fu Yu thought for a moment and nodded. "Even Old Tao and the others have moved their families here. His Highness probably intends to wait out his days here."
Mo Jin: "…"
Mo Jin couldn’t help but glare at him. "I’ve noticed that ever since Doctor Tang cured your stutter, your mouth has gotten increasingly reckless."
Fu Yu paused, rubbing his nose. "What’s wrong with that?"
"…Never mind." Mo Jin sighed to himself, folding his arms as he gazed at the sky, a faint aura of melancholy surrounding him.
Fu Yu had no idea what he was being so sentimental about.
Just then, a faint commotion came from ahead. Fu Yu tensed, gripping his sword as he took a few steps forward. Gradually, a carriage came into view.
"They’re here!" Fu Yu grabbed Mo Jin and pulled him along.
Mo Jin quickly shook off his mood, and the two stepped forward with solemn expressions.
Sima Qing was the first to lift the carriage curtain.
"Your Highness." Mo Jin hurriedly reached out to assist him, but his movements faltered when he glimpsed another figure inside the carriage. His expression froze.
Their orders hadn’t specified how many people to expect, but since the Golden Jade Ridge was home to Young Master Nangong, Feng Qi, and the others—all allies—Mo Jin had assumed Sima Qing would be arriving alone…
His mind lagged a beat behind before the realization struck him like a thunderbolt.
So the story about sending the Crown Princess here to recuperate… wasn’t just a cover?!
She actually came along?!
Mo Jin’s face twisted in horror.
Fu Yu, who hadn’t approached closely enough to see the other figure in the carriage, had already turned away and taken a few steps when he noticed Sima Qing still standing motionless.
He hesitated, then quickly backtracked to stand obediently behind Sima Qing.
Seeing his lord’s gaze fixed on the carriage, Fu Yu found it odd but didn’t dwell on it—until a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Sima Qing, aren’t you going to wear your cloak?"
Fu Yu stiffened.
Mo Jin’s head snapped up.
At present, the only people who knew Yan Zhaoning was Jiu Yue were Sima Qing, Nangong Xun, Mei Wuchang, and Qiu Dongfang.
The two had silently agreed not to disclose this, lest their subordinates accidentally leak the information and cause unnecessary trouble.
Originally, Jiu Yue had planned to climb out the window and give the two a dramatic surprise, but her sleeve got caught at the last moment. Sima Qing had already stepped out of the carriage, leaving his cloak behind.
With her cool entrance ruined, Jiu Yue abandoned the window idea and obediently pushed aside the curtain, hopping nimbly down to stand before Sima Qing. She held out the cloak to him.
Before she could speak, Sima Qing took it and draped the black cloak over her shoulders instead.
Fu Yu & Mo Jin: "…"
Their pupils dilated in shock as they stared at the woman before them.
"You should at least look the part of someone recuperating," Sima Qing said flatly.
Their shock doubled—
"C-C-Crown P-P-Princess?!" Fu Yu blurted out, utterly failing to control his voice. He circled Jiu Yue in a daze, his expression cycling from blank disbelief to astonishment, then to sheer delight.
Jiu Yue grinned and tilted her head at him. "Hey Fu Yu, didn’t His Consort say your stutter was cured?"
Beside them, Mo Jin let out a strangled noise. "Aah—J-J-Jiu Yue?! Y-Y-You… Your H-H-Highness?!"
Jiu Yue raised an eyebrow, amused. "Mo Jin, did you c-c-catch it from him?"
Mo Jin & Fu Yu: "!!!"
The two circled her like excited puppies, as if trying to find a flower blooming on her face.
Sima Qing finally intervened, cutting short their stuttering reunion.
"Let’s head up the mountain first."
On the mountainside, a few simple thatched huts stood in a row. Inside one of them, Doctor Tang lounged with his legs crossed, pressing his fingers to a patient’s wrist before peering into their eyes and mouth.
"Nothing serious, but this is a chronic condition. You’ll need a few more doses." He scribbled a prescription with a flourish.
The patient accepted it like a treasure and happily departed, making way for the next in line.
"Yours is an external injury. One needle from this old man, and you’ll be good as new!"
The man beamed. "Many thanks, Divine Physician!"
When Nangong Xun entered and saw the endless line of patients, his lips twitched. He couldn’t resist stepping behind Doctor Tang.
"I thought you never treated people so easily?" Nangong Xun said, his expression complicated.
"This is a goodwill consultation," Doctor Tang replied, shaking his head. "You youngsters just don’t understand the ways of the world."
The "youngster" Nangong Xun: "…"
Nangong Xun walked back outside, where a few martial artists who had followed him from Tianqi were chatting. They gathered around when they saw him.
"Young Master," said a burly man with a red headband. "Didn’t you say esteemed guests were arriving today? It’s almost dark, and there’s still no sign of them."
Nangong Xun glanced at the sky and had to agree it was getting late.
"Let’s wait a little longer."
He muttered to himself—if Sima Qing said they’d arrive today, they should. Had something happened on the road?
As he pondered, a scar-faced man suddenly hefted his hammer and strode forward.
"Someone’s coming!"
Nangong Xun tensed. From the trees above, Feng Qi and Fei Tong immediately dropped down.
"Is it His Highness?"
"I see Mo Jin!"
"Wait… who’s that beside His Highness…?" Fei Tong’s eyes widened.
The group squinted—and saw a woman walking alongside Sima Qing.
Nangong Xun was already jogging toward them.
Jiu Yue had been teasing Mo Jin with Fu Yu when a strikingly handsome man came rushing at her.
"Senior Sister!" the man called.
Jiu Yue: "…"
Jiu Yue was floored. "Damn, you made yourself a mask this good-looking this time?"
She reached out and pinched Nangong Xun’s cheeks experimentally.
Nangong Xun: "…Senior Sister, this is my real face."
Jiu Yue was even more shocked. "Honestly, I’d almost forgotten what you really looked like."
"Can’t be helped. When you’re wandering the martial world, you’ve got to keep some cards up your sleeve." Nangong Xun shrugged, then cheerfully slung an arm around her shoulders, steering her toward the huts. "Doctor Tang’s been waiting for you. Go see him."
"Doctor Tang is here too? You never mentioned that."
"Had to keep it quiet… You know the Rakshasa Gang is after him, right?"
Jiu Yue stiffened, her brow furrowing.
Nangong Xun patted her shoulder. "Don’t worry. He’ll explain everything."
