Xiao Zhun was still dressed in his court attire. The crimson gauze robe, with its wide sleeves and narrow waist, made his figure appear exceptionally tall and straight. Hearing Xiao Nanhui call out to him, he gave a faint response before turning his gaze toward Xu Shu.
"Shu’er, you have just been promoted to Guard Commandant and are due to be transferred to the palace for duty. I wonder why you are still lingering in my camp?"
What? She had only been gone for a month, and this obnoxious fellow had actually been promoted?
Xu Shu had long since adopted an expression of utmost respect. He bowed deeply and said, "Greetings, General. I only received the transfer orders today, so I returned to the camp to hand over my duties and pack my personal belongings. I didn't expect to run into Nanhui just now. Having not seen her for so long, I didn't know what to say, so I thought I’d play a little joke to close the distance between us. I didn't realize my hand was a bit too heavy." He then looked at Xiao Nanhui with an air of sincerity. "Is Squad Leader Xiao alright? If I’ve caused an injury, my heart would truly be ill at ease."
This Xu Shu must have been an actor in his past life; even in this reincarnation, he couldn't shed the habit of changing his face in an instant.
Xiao Nanhui squeezed two words through her teeth: "I'm fine."
Xiao Zhun took one look at the marks on the ground and understood everything. He said tonelessly, "Since it was a misunderstanding, there is no need to delay further. As we have run into each other now, Guard Commandant Xu might as well hand over his waist token here, lest any further misunderstandings arise in the future."
The rule of the Four Great Camps was simple: when the person leaves, the token stays.
However, such a blunt way of ushering someone out—as if snatching the token away—could not be seen as anything other than a sharp warning.
Xiao Nanhui could hardly hide the smugness on her face. At the thought that she would never have to run into this nuisance in the camp again, her mood brightened considerably.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Brother Xu. I imagine it won't be easy for us to meet in the future. Do take care of yourself."
Xu Shu was indeed a "perennial victor" in his years of sparring with Xiao Nanhui. His face stiffened for only a fraction of a second before he smoothly unfastened his waist token and offered it respectfully. "It was my lack of consideration. Thank you for the reminder, General."
Having finished, he stepped back and bowed. "The hour is late; I shall take my leave. When we have leisure to converse again in the future, I hope Squad Leader Xiao will have also risen in rank and wealth, so that we may celebrate together." With that, he shot Xiao Nanhui a provocative look and turned to depart.
Xiao Nanhui glared back in retaliation, only to hear Xiao Zhun’s voice ring out.
"I called you here, but not to watch you fight."
She instantly wilted, nodding dejectedly. "Oh."
Following Xiao Zhun back to the main tent, Xiao Nanhui kept her head low the entire way. Xiao Zhun’s back seemed to radiate an aura that intimidated her, instantly resetting their relationship to that of elder and junior.
She wanted to bring up the murder of Prince Kang to break the ice, but she felt it would only add to his troubles. She could only steal occasional glances at Xiao Zhun’s expression, wondering how much he knew about the events in Huozhou. She didn't know if that brat Bailao had already been questioned; given how that sycophant called him "My Lord Marquis" at every turn, she was ninety-nine percent certain the girl had reported everything down to what they ate each day.
While she was lost in thought, Xiao Zhun had already removed his military cap. His sharp features naturally carried a piercing intensity. As soon as he spoke, he went straight to the point: "I have just come from the palace. I have heard about the Secret Seal."
Eh? How did the news travel so fast? He heard? From whom? That fellow Zhongli Jing?
No, no... as a mere guest of the Prime Minister’s manor, he shouldn't have the right to enter the palace, right?
Did he hear it from the Prime Minister? And who did the Prime Minister hear it from? She had stood guard all last night, and no outsider had entered the Prime Minister’s manor at all.
"The Emperor told me himself, in private."
Xiao Nanhui choked on her own saliva and asked like a fool, "The Emperor... what else did he say?"
Xiao Zhun looked at Xiao Nanhui, finding the expression on her face somewhat amusing. "Why are you so curious about what the Emperor said? Are you perhaps waiting for him to reward you for your merits?"
Xiao Zhun’s words made her feel a bit aggrieved, but more than that, she felt she had lost face.
Yesterday, she had been in the same carriage as that Secret Seal, yet because of a moment’s negligence, she had handed it over to someone else. She had vowed to do something for Xiao Zhun, but in the end, it all came to nothing. Now that the Secret Seal was in the Emperor’s hands, she no longer had any chance to act privately. At the thought of this, Xiao Nanhui didn't dare look Xiao Zhun in the eye.
Was he disappointed in her? Did he think she was ridiculous?
"Since the Secret Seal has been recovered, the process will not be scrutinized. However, your unauthorized departure from the camp to travel to Huozhou is a violation of military law. Do you accept your punishment?"
Xiao Nanhui had long been prepared. She knelt on one knee. "Nanhui accepts the punishment."
"Good. Go and receive twenty strikes of the military staff later. Afterward, I will have someone send you back. In the future, do not take such risks on your own; it is a thankless effort."
She was willing to take the beating, but she still felt a sense of defiance when the matter was mentioned. She still wanted to prove herself to Xiao Zhun. "The world of martial arts is treacherous, and the battlefield is the same. Did you train Nanhui just to have me be someone who fears death and clings to life?"
Xiao Zhun rubbed his brow. "What does this have to do with fearing death?"
Xiao Nanhui struggled for a moment before speaking. "Father, the Emperor does not know the truth, but I don't want you to think that way either. I was determined to find the Jade Seal..."
She wanted to tell him how she had narrowly escaped death on the Pengxiao Tower, how perilous the Zhuming Sacrifice had been, how grueling the cold marshes were, and how her life had hung by a thread on that rope bridge... but in the end, all those words condensed into a single sentence.
"In short, if I hadn't been deceived by someone's despicable methods at the very end, that Jade Seal would certainly be in my hands right now."
But Xiao Zhun did not notice the expression on her face. He simply helped her up from the ground. "If it is as you say, regardless of whether he was the Prime Minister’s man or not, the Jade Seal ended up in the Emperor’s hands. It is merely a matter of who claims the credit and reward. If you had no selfish motives from the start, then you need not take it to heart."
No, she *did* have a selfish motive.
Her selfish motive was to help Xiao Zhun uncover the truth of the past. The massacre of the Xiao family was the first major case overseen by Xu Zhi during his tenure as the Minister of Justice. However, the Bai family had rebelled and fled almost overnight, so even with Xu Zhi’s ruthless methods, many facts could never be confronted.
What had caught her attention most was an incident that occurred about a month before the massacre.
This incident had been recorded by the Censorate, which provided documentary evidence for the case. She had gone to great lengths to see that document, which explicitly mentioned that the Prince of Shuo’s manor had received a letter from Heimu County in northern Huozhou. Although the contents were unknown, the letter had drawn the Censorate’s attention because the Xiao family had never had any dealings with Huozhou, let alone correspondence.
And ever since the capital was established in Tiancheng, anything involving Huozhou had to be handled with extreme caution. This was not only because of the Shen clan but also because Huozhou was the place where the previous dynasty’s Jade Seal had been lost. The Censorate Vice-President at the time, Bai Helian, had also investigated the Xiao family because of this. A month later, the tragedy befell the Xiao family.
Though it was all mere speculation, she had always had a faint feeling that the massacre of the Xiao family might have been because they knew a secret regarding the Secret Seal. But what role did the Bai clan play in all of this?
Xiao Zhun looked at the shifting, uncertain expressions on the woman’s face and felt a sense of helplessness.
She loved to think while talking to others, yet she was someone whose emotions were written plainly on her face. This was why he often worried about her; in a situation like this, if she were observed by someone with ill intentions, she would be manipulated despite her martial skills.
If he didn't interrupt her, would she stand there dazed in front of him until dark?
"Stop overthinking. Let me ask you, who exactly was the person traveling with you on your way back from Huozhou?"
Xiao Nanhui finally snapped out of it and answered truthfully, "I met him while searching for the Jade Seal in Muerhe. He said he was from the Prime Minister’s manor."
"The Prime Minister’s manor?" Xiao Zhun’s brow furrowed slightly. "Since when can the Prime Minister’s manor mobilize people from the Imperial Guard?"
"What?" Xiao Nanhui looked blank.
Xiao Zhun had already composed himself. "It is nothing. Just remember, when traveling abroad, do not form deep connections with others. The current situation is different from before. Do not let yourself be used by those with hidden agendas and suffer for it."
Xiao Nanhui felt a warmth in her heart and nodded. "Don't worry, Father. I will be careful and will never bring trouble to the manor."
Xiao Zhun finally smiled and reached out to gently pat her head. "What is this talk of bringing trouble? We are family. No matter what happens, I will find a way to keep you safe."
Feeling the broad strength and warmth from the top of her head, Xiao Nanhui couldn't stop her eyes from stinging.
Though she was born without kin, she had never pitied herself for it. Because she had Bailao, Dujuan, Chen Si, and Yao Yi. She also had Xiao Zhun. They were not related by blood, yet they were closer than family.
In the past, they had protected her; now that she was grown, it was her turn to protect them.
Her heart beat rapidly with this urgency. She had never been as grateful as she was at this moment that Xiao Zhun had taught her martial arts. It was this skill that gave her the strength to repay this kindness.
"Father, about the matter in Lingxi..."
Before Xiao Nanhui could finish, Xiao Zhun interrupted her. "For this expedition, you do not need to follow. I will arrange for you to stay in the Guangyao Camp as part of the garrison."
She froze, then asked hurriedly, "Why? Is Father blaming Nanhui for acting on her own this time? I swear, I will absolutely follow military orders and won't make things difficult for you..."
"This has nothing to do with what you did."
"Then why won't you let me go on the expedition with you?"
Xiao Zhun looked at the fearful and anxious woman before him and finally said, "It is said to be the suppression of a princely rebellion, but in the end, it will inevitably involve the affairs of Bijiang. The situation in Bijiang is complex, far beyond what one or two battles can resolve. I am already embroiled in it; why should you follow?"
*It is because you are there that I must go there.*
Xiao Nanhui lowered her head. "I... staying in Quecheng would be boring anyway..."
"Nonsense. If you truly enter the Imperial Guard, if nothing else, you certainly won't be bored."
She bit her lip, and the words she had been holding back could no longer be contained. "This morning, I went to Yukun Street."
Xiao Zhun’s expression changed almost instantly. He did not speak. The light filtering into the tent divided him into two halves of light and shadow, with half his face submerged in darkness.
"I didn't climb over the wall. I only saw that the flowers inside had withered." She took a breath, paused, and continued, "I don't have any other thoughts. I just feel that... regarding the things of the past, you could tell me about them."
Her tone was filled with longing.
She always hoped to draw closer to him. Even if he stood in an abyss, she was willing to accompany him.
Xiao Zhun looked at the young, sincere face before him, and for a moment, his heart wavered.
But that moment of fragility could not dismantle the cocoon that had long enveloped his heart. For a person, joy is far less indelible than pain, and the most terrifying thing is often not the moment the pain occurs. Pain does not disappear with the passage of time; it merely turns into fragments that merge into the blood, triggering an instinct to flee at every similar moment thereafter.
"You shouldn't be dragged into this. It isn't fair to you."
Xiao Zhun’s voice carried a familiar sense of exhaustion. Xiao Nanhui could almost see that invisible wall growing taller around him, eventually surrounding and submerging him.
He had pushed her away once again.
This was the countless-th time. There was always an uncrossable line between her and Xiao Zhun. On ordinary days, they seemed to be the closest of people, but as soon as the past was mentioned—the time before she entered the Xiao household—that invisible line would surface, deeply etched there, unable to be erased or wiped away.
From the day they first met fourteen years ago, the distance between them had been frozen in place.
Is there truly a difference between a thousand miles and a hair’s breadth?
At this moment, Xiao Nanhui felt there was no difference at all.
No matter how long or short the distance, she had never truly reached the inside of Xiao Zhun’s heart.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 卫士令 | Guard Commandant | A military rank/title within the palace guards. |
| 队正 | Squad Leader | A low-level military rank. |
| 秘玺 | Secret Seal | Refers to the lost/hidden Jade Seal of the previous dynasty. |
| 军棍 | Military staff / Military flogging | A form of corporal punishment in the army. |
| 光要营 | Guangyao Camp | One of the military divisions/camps in the capital. |
| 昱坤街 | Yukun Street | The location of the former Xiao family residence. |
| 碧疆 | Bijiang | A specific border region or territory mentioned in the context of the conflict. |
| 队正 | Squad Leader | Xiao Nanhui's current military rank. |
| 穆尔赫 | Muerhe | A location mentioned where Nanhui encountered the seal. |
| 黑木郡 | Heimu County | A location in northern Huozhou. |
| 朔亲王 | Prince of Shuo | The title held by Xiao Zhun's father. |
| 白鹤留 | Bai Helian | A former Censorate official involved in the Xiao family case. |
