As Shunde Prefecture welcomed the arrival of early winter, the lives of the people barely returned to normal. The disaster relief funds from the court were still on their way, but these no longer had anything to do with Ji Yuluo. The maids in the mansion bustled about, preparing for the return to the capital.
Fang Kejin moved back to his own residence early when the rebel forces surrendered. The eastern courtyard was vacated, and Huo Xian found some peace and quiet, sitting under the veranda with his legs stretched out, taking up an entire long bench.
It was at this moment that Lou Panshun arrived.
The master and disciple had not seen each other for many years, and their appearances had become unfamiliar to each other. One had grown taller and matured; the other had aged and turned gray. When their eyes met, there was a moment of stiffness and silence.
But it was only a moment.
Huo Xian lowered his eyes, pulled his legs back from the bench, and made room for Lou Panshun, who sat down beside him without hesitation.
Everything seemed so natural.
Lou Panshun rested his hands on his knees, not looking at Huo Xian, but staring straight ahead. His eyes appeared somewhat vacant, as if he were reminiscing. “Back then…”
He paused for a moment but did not continue.
What happened back then? Back then, he acted on Emperor Xianzhen’s orders and received the dying crown prince’s entrustment. For the first two years, he was busy taking care of the seriously ill young prince and could not attend to anything else. By the time he was free…
He feared the news would leak and dared not contact old acquaintances.
Later, he watched helplessly as Huo Xian was expelled from his home, straying further and further. The name “Huo Xian” became increasingly infamous. Lou Panshun was half-believing, half-doubting, but this doubt made him completely abandon the thought of reconnecting with Huo Xian.
Lou Panshun could not explain to Huo Xian. Now, any words would seem pale, mere excuses.
Because he had indeed abandoned him.
Lou Panshun sighed deeply, raised his hand to wipe his face, pulling himself out of the past. He patted Huo Xian heavily on the shoulder twice. “Master has wronged you. It’s natural for you to resent me.”
He did not immediately remove his hand but instead squeezed Huo Xian’s shoulder. The guilt and remorse seemed to be conveyed through the strength of his grip.
At the same time, he truly felt that the once rebellious and frail boy had grown up. His shoulders had become broad and strong, like a wall forged through countless trials.
Capable of withstanding the storms.
Huo Xian did not speak, his body did not waver. He stared at Lou Panshun’s shadow in the courtyard, his heart as calm as still water despite the complex emotions he should have felt. After a long time, he finally said, “I don’t blame you.”
At first, he did feel wronged, but it would be petty to blame Lou Panshun for not being able to convince others of his character. Moreover, Huo Xian did not think their fears were entirely unfounded.
He had indeed entertained countless evil thoughts, considering simply becoming a villain.
In this world, if people cherish someone merely because they are good, it is not very meaningful. However, expecting others to tolerate your flaws is indeed asking too much.
“Master.” He turned his eyes to Lou Panshun and said, “I’m really happy that you are alive, truly.”
Lou Panshun’s old eyes reddened.
Suddenly, footsteps drew near. He turned his head and saw his young disciple approaching. Upon seeing the two of them there, the disciple paused and did not move further. Lou Panshun hastily lowered his head to wipe his eyes, unwilling to let Ji Yuluo see him like this.
Huo Xian also noticed the newcomer. His gaze did not retract, and his expression slightly softened.
Lou Panshun did not notice. He was unaware of the relationship between these two, thinking they were still merely using each other for mutual benefit. Seeing Chaolu mention Huo Xian with gritted teeth, it seemed their relationship was not harmonious.
Disharmony was to be expected.
With their fierce and stubborn temperaments, they would probably start fighting after a few words. Lou Panshun had hesitated to leave Ji Yuluo to mediate between Huo Xian and Xie Su-Bai, but there were no better options at the time.
Following Huo Xian’s gaze, he continued, “When I first saw this little girl, the fierceness in her eyes was exactly like yours when you were young. I decided to keep her by my side as a reminder. Who would have thought…”
Lou Panshun couldn’t tell if he was laughing or sighing, “Even her reluctance to acknowledge me as her master was just like you. It took a lot of effort to make her kneel and call me master. You two are indeed fated.”
Huo Xian’s eyes flickered, indifferent.
Finally, he smiled and said, “I can see that.”
Ji Yuluo, seemingly tired of standing, leaned against the wall, clutching the jade belt at her waist and swaying it back and forth.
Lou Panshun knew they were about to set off. Today’s visit was merely for a keepsake. They did not exchange many words, as they were never very talkative. He did not linger, got up, and said, “I should return to the camp.”
Huo Xian acknowledged with a hum and silently accompanied Lou Panshun halfway before turning back to find Ji Yuluo.
The carriages were ready, four or five in total.
After Huo Xian boarded, he took some effort to throw Chaolu out of the carriage before they finally set off.
During the journey, Ji Yuluo did not ask about the conversation between the master and disciple. She seemed indifferent, focusing solely on the medicines in the box, shaking it to make it rattle.
But no matter how much it rattled, there was only one pill left inside.
Ji Yuluo turned her head and asked, “Is there no more?”
Huo Xian replied, “No, that’s all.”
This was medicine he had found in Zhao Yong’s resting room. After Zhao Yong was imprisoned, he told Huo Xian where the medicine was hidden, but Zhao Yong was too cunning to have stored much of it.
Ji Yuluo asked again, “Have you searched thoroughly and found no prescription?”
Huo Xian laughed, “This poison was personally made by Zhao Yong. The antidote is in his head, not written on paper. He wouldn’t take that risk.”
Ji Yuluo set down the medicine box, her brows gently furrowing like the misty snow, and said, “Has Master Jingchen still not sent a message?”
Mentioning Master Jingchen made Huo Xian faintly frown as well, but he quickly relaxed to avoid being noticed by Ji Yuluo.
He pinched Ji Yuluo’s slender white fingertips and said, “How could it be so fast?”
To prevent Ji Yuluo from asking more, he leaned over and kissed her, kissing her so passionately that she was left in a daze and had no time to ask further questions.
They didn’t stop much along the way. The carriage was driven in shifts, and they ate and slept inside it. After being held in Huo Xian’s arms and kissed for several days, Ji Yuluo’s inexplicable unease was temporarily forgotten.
But when they reached the capital and saw the city gates under strict daylight lockdown, allowing entry but no exit, Ji Yuluo’s previously soothed anxiety immediately resurfaced.
Upon entering the city, just as they were about to send someone to inquire, someone suddenly rode towards them. Who else could it be but Nanyue?
Nanyue urgently reined in his horse. He had received Huo Xian’s letter long ago and, calculating the days, guessed that he would enter the city today. He rushed over from the Northern Investigation Bureau. In his haste, he even knocked over someone’s stall along the way without time to apologize. Now, his face was red, and he was out of breath as he said, “Master, Zhao Yong has escaped!”
Ji Yuluo sharply raised her head, her gaze icy as she looked at Nanyue.
Nanyue continued immediately, “It happened a few days ago. Not only the city gates but also the palace gates have been sealed. Today, Zhao Yong entered the palace! Someone saw him at the Directorate of Ceremonial, but he disappeared again. The Hall of Supreme Harmony caught fire for no reason, likely his doing. Fortunately, the new emperor is astute and unharmed, but Zhao Yong is nowhere to be found. The Imperial Guards refused to let the Jinyiwei intervene, fearing we might collude. We don’t know the current situation in the palace, and there’s more…”
He suddenly stopped and didn’t continue.
Upon hearing this, Huo Xian was stunned.
The Imperial Guards had sealed the city and palace gates tightly but missed one place.
Ji Yuluo immediately reacted, leaping off the carriage, cutting the ropes tying the horse to the carriage, and mounted the horse, saying, “I’ll go check it out. Chaolu, follow!”
Over there, Chaolu quickly led a horse to follow.
Huo Xian’s face turned cold and stern. In the vast palace, there were too many places for Zhao Yong to hide. Only Huo Xian was familiar with all the nooks and crannies. He mounted his horse and said, “Go, gather men and follow me into the palace.”
Nanyue blocked him, gritting his teeth as if enduring something, his eyes reddening, “Master, there’s one more thing… Chengyuan Temple caught fire. No one survived, including Master Jingchen.”
Huo Xian paused and looked at Nanyue.
He said nothing, just tightened his grip on the reins. No one knew what he was thinking in that silent moment, but they heard him say softly, “Do not tell her about this.”
Who “her” was, went without saying.
After speaking, he spurred his horse and galloped towards the palace but abruptly pulled the reins halfway.
Nanyue almost collided with him, “Master?”
Huo Xian’s face changed slightly, as if suddenly remembering something. Without even having time to explain to Nanyue, he abruptly turned and ran in the direction Ji Yuluo had gone.
Nanyue didn’t have time to react and was pushed aside by the collision. After adjusting, he quickly followed, but after only two streets, Huo Xian had completely disappeared.
Huo Xian drove his horse at a breakneck speed, galloping madly through the bustling streets without regard for the chaos he caused.
His face was pale, and the palms gripping the reins were bloodied.
As he neared his destination, he heard a loud “boom” not far away. The Xiao Family Teahouse collapsed right before his eyes, taking several nearby shops with it. Even pedestrians close by were injured in the explosion. Sand and rubble flew in all directions, and the ground shook. Screams and cries filled the air as people clutched their heads and ran in panic. The frightened horses refused to move forward, dragging Huo Xian back a few steps.
When Nanyue arrived, the ruins of the teahouse were filled with bodies—patrons, workers, even the shopkeeper.
Huo Xian bit his lip, using all his strength to lift a thick beam from the rubble, his eyes reddened with effort. He dragged out everyone he could see, but he didn’t find Ji Yuluo.
