When the two of us mounted the horse, Luo Cheng was struck with such immense astonishment that he could barely keep his lips from twitching. He seemed to have much to say, but in the end, he remained silent, shifting his gaze elsewhere, not daring to look a second longer.
Hong Lu’s expression was a masterpiece of its own—a chaotic blend of wanting to laugh and wanting to cry, underscored by a strange, fatherly sense of relief and emotion...
Only the venerable Xuesu remained as composed as ever. With a calm indifference, she gave her horse’s rump a slap and galloped off to amuse herself, clearly having no patience for a confrontation with the newcomers.
The three or four riders arrived in the blink of an eye, while the herd of wild horses thundered away toward the south. Once they were within bowshot, I could finally see that the leader was a woman, roughly twenty years of age. She wore a bamboo hat and an apricot-yellow riding habit, the hem of her fiery red cloak draped over a magnificent saddle. Her expression was haughty and her bearing proud; her entire outfit and the horse’s tack were of the finest quality. For instance, her saddle was an antique set inlaid with gold and precious filigree; under the direct, harsh sunlight, the hundreds of gemstones embedded in it shimmered with a brilliant, multi-colored luster. Her horse was even better—a "Saluzi," a breed exclusive to the imperial stables. I realized then that we had likely encountered a pampered and daring princess who had traveled far to personally capture and break wild horses.
Her gaze swept over me before settling, for some reason, on the person I was holding in my arms. "Who are you people?" she asked.
Since it wasn't convenient for Master Wei to speak at the moment, I smiled and said, "My surname is Su, given name Zhenzhen. We are merchants from the south, traveling to the Jade Sea on a whim. May I ask for your name, milady?"
An elderly man beside her, who looked like a eunuch, moved to intervene, but she answered anyway: "Wei Maohua." Her mother’s surname was Wei, and her given name was Maohua—so she was the only daughter of Empress Wei and the elder sister of the Crown Prince, the Imperial Princess Rongde. It was said that this princess was brilliant and courageous, an excellent rider, and deeply beloved by the Emperor, making her the most cherished among all the princes and princesses.
After announcing her name, she pointed at Wei Qingming and asked, "Is this your sister? Does she not know how to ride?"
I felt a twinge of oddness in my heart, but I could only explain politely, "My younger sister is of delicate health and cannot ride a horse alone."
Just then, a gust of sandy wind blew past. My "younger sister" let out a delicate, feminine cough, furrowed her brow, and turned to bury her face in my chest. I could only give a forced laugh, patting her back as if to help her catch her breath.
Rongde turned her horse around and dropped a command without leaving room for argument: "Meeting is fate. You shall join me for lunch."
As soon as she had ridden a few paces away, I pulled the person who was still shamelessly nuzzling my neck upward. "You know her!"
"We’ve met once."
I narrowed my eyes and huffed. Then I heard her say with mock seriousness, "Sister, hurry and follow. See, everyone else has already left."
...Indeed, Hong Lu and Luo Cheng probably found the sight too much to bear; they had both sped off long ago, each trying to outrun the other.
A princess was truly a princess. Even in the middle of a barren wilderness, her dining area was lavishly set up. A low platform had been raised on the spot, covered by a wide pavilion tent and layered with thick, soft fur rugs. When we entered, the wine and food were already laid out. The cold-warding arrays and charcoal fires made the interior of the tent excessively warm, making it impossible to keep one's outer coat on. Servants waited in solemn silence, attending to us with great care, yet Princess Rongde was nowhere to be seen.
Two maidservants stepped forward to help Wei Qingming and me change, but I waved them off. I personally unfastened Master Wei’s heavy cloak. My "younger sister" took an inch and demanded a mile, holding her arms out straight to let me serve her. That arrogant, natural air of a pampered scion—truly the type to have clothes brought to her and food put in her mouth. I suspected I’d actually have to feed her in a moment, which made me both annoyed and amused.
Just as the two of us were silently scolding each other with our eyes while tugging at sleeves, Rongde emerged from behind the tent with a flurry of servants and took the central seat. I was stunned again. Hah, so Her Highness had gone to dress up...
Rongde had shed her riding habit for a fresh, elegant long skirt of pale blue embroidered with orchid patterns. Despite it being the dead of winter, she left half a shoulder bare. Fortunately, the imperial family’s high-quality charcoal cost them nothing; even I felt the tent was far too hot. Logically, with Rongde’s fiery temperament, she shouldn't have been fond of such "ethereal fairy" styles, and her persona didn't match the simple, elegant color palette, which made the whole thing feel even stranger.
During the meal, she naturally asked about my hometown and family background. I answered according to the cover story we had prepared.
"The Su family of Jinzhou," Rongde repeated softly. Her gaze shifted slightly, landing on Master Wei, who was sitting obediently by my side. Fearing that she might give herself away if she spoke in her current form, and even more afraid that her silence would be seen as rude, I hurriedly and respectfully answered first: "Yes, this is my little sister, Su... Xiaoyun..."
After saying it, I almost laughed myself and had to quickly suppress it. "Xiaoyun" timely handed me a cup of tea. Once I took it and took two sips to hide the twitch of my lips, she withdrew her hand, returning to her modest, head-bowed appearance.
Because Rongde had approached so quickly on horseback, I had used the illusion in a rush, feeling both panicked and a bit embarrassed. Now that I had regained my composure, I realized that I had restored Master Wei to her twelve or thirteen-year-old self based on my memories. Back then, she had already been studying martial arts at the Wujing Sect for over two years; her temperament was no longer the cold, refined elegance of a noble child, nor did it retain any of a young girl's frailty. She had been much sharper then. Now, she was pretending to be sickly, but upon closer inspection, one could still find remnants of long-held habits. For instance, while she seemed to have her hands tucked loosely in her sleeves in a relaxed manner, one hand was actually hovering near her waist, resting on the *Fangcun* Jade that housed her blade, ready to face an enemy. In the current cultivation world, it wasn't popular to refine one's natal weapon into one's own body like the cultivators of old; they had to be kept close at hand. Another example was when she handed me the tea; as she pulled her hand back, she subconsciously curled it into a fist and rested it on her knee, following the etiquette of a young gentleman...
It was no wonder Rongde kept staring at her. Though a layperson couldn't point out the specifics, these extremely subtle flaws created an inexplicable sense of discord. I quickly reached out under the table and touched the back of her hand. She then hid her hand back into her sleeve, adopting a completely gentle and feminine posture.
Meeting my guilty gaze, she narrowed her eyes and smiled. It was still the expression I knew so well, yet that face was so similar and yet so different. It looked like her current self, and like the young girl in my memories, but it possessed so many different flavors: she had become gentle, become serene. She no longer had that frantic fear of falling behind others for even a moment, nor was she the cold, numb person who was ruthless to others and even more ruthless to herself.
Seeing me smile, she also smiled and winked, then immediately resumed a quiet, solemn face, though she teased me in a low voice: "Sister, do you not dislike this Princess anymore?"
"Nonsense," I said, putting on a stern face. I tore off a large piece of greasy roasted meat and forced it on her. "Children are growing; you must finish it all!"
After the meal, Rongde quickly rode off to chase the wind, and the merchant Su Zhenzhen’s party leisurely resumed their sightseeing tour. Hong Lu had adapted well enough, but looking at his master in her youth, he couldn't help but tear up, occasionally turning away to wipe the corners of his eyes. He was likely remembering the years gone by—the period that was the most difficult for both of them to endure. Luo Cheng simply pulled his hat low and drove the carriage behind the riders.
In the end, I was still concerned about the hidden guards trailing dozens of paces behind. Such strange behavior from their superior might invite gossip, so I turned Master Wei back. I went to help her onto her horse, but she laughed and stopped me. "I'm not that useless." As she spoke, she mounted the horse with her usual ease, then pulled me up as well, encircling me in her arms.
The group rode westward with loose reins, facing the gradually sinking sun.
The wind was dry and cold; every breath felt like drinking ice. The large, fluffy fur cloak of the person behind me wrapped me up tightly, our body heat transferring between us. For a time, the only sound in my ears was the rustle of horse hooves clicking against the frost-hardened paths of the wilderness.
I peeked over Master Wei’s shoulder from within the furs and looked back into the distance. Rongde’s party and that magnificent tent had long since vanished. It seemed as though only the two of us were left in the world. A world so vast yet so lonely stretched out silently before our eyes.
She looked down at me, seemingly sharing the same sentiment, and pressed her lips gently and slowly against my temple.
It was rare to enjoy a moment of freedom without worrying about the eyes of others. There was so much I wanted to say to her, yet at this moment, I couldn't bear to speak. Moreover, the purer this tranquility was, the more it brought to mind the impending weight of the political situation and the increasingly difficult future she would face. I simply worried in silence, my body swaying mindlessly with the horse's gait.
Seeing a hillside ahead, Wei Qingming suddenly leaned close to my ear and whispered with a smile, "Close your eyes."
I did so instinctively. Before I could even ask "Why?", I heard her let out a loud, sharp whistle—distinctly Northern in style. The steed beneath us, along with the horses ridden by Hong Lu, Xuesu, and Luo Cheng, suddenly surged with power. They broke into a full gallop, charging straight ahead, reaching the top of the gentle slope in no time before racing down even faster.
In the midst of that rapid sprint, facing a wind so fierce it almost took my breath away, I felt both terrified and exhilarated, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Hong Lu laughed too: "Master, Mistress, apologies, but I'll be going ahead!" Both his and Xuesu’s horses carried only one person; if they truly competed, they would naturally be faster than us. As he spoke, he gave his horse a flick of the whip, and I heard his horse's hooves thundering into the distance.
Xuesu, refusing to be outdone, said nothing but urged her horse to give chase. It had been a long time since I had ridden so freely, and I wanted to race them too, but I was mindful of the patient behind me. Besides, she must have had a reason for asking me to close my eyes; I would follow her heart for now.
Master Wei was in no hurry, driving the horse at a steady, fast pace through the rolling hills. Finally, the terrain leveled out and our speed slowed. Only when she reined in the horse did I ask, "Can I look now?"
"Mhm." Her voice carried a smile, as if her mood was also exceptionally vast and bright.
I opened my eyes impatiently, and the breath I hadn't yet caught hitched once more. For there, beneath the hills, lay the Jade Sea.
***
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