Ji Xinglan buried her face in Jixia’s arms, her tears soaking Jixia’s cotton clothes.
“Mom, Mom…” Ji Xinglan cried softly, her voice choked with sobs.
Jixia’s eyes were red. She wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how, so she could only hold Ji Xinglan tightly, gently patting the back of her head and stroking her back, occasionally murmuring, “Don’t cry” or “Don’t be afraid.”
“Mom… Mom…” Ji Xinglan knew she couldn’t cry out loud, as it would attract the pursuers. But she felt so, so sad. Before Gu Jianli married into the Ji family, Ji Wujing was mostly bedridden with illness. Ji Xinglan had only her brother, Nanny Lin, and Li Zi, who always smiled at her.
She had been raised by Nanny Lin.
She never imagined she would be separated from Nanny Lin one day.
Jixia didn’t let her see, covering her eyes as she ran forward with her in her arms.
But Ji Xinglan saw it. She saw the imperial guards in their hard armor and heard the sound of Nanny Lin falling. Why hadn’t Nanny Lin caught up? Why wasn’t she here yet?
“Lanlan wants Mommy to hold her…” Ji Xinglan cried in grievance.
Jixia’s tears, held back for so long, finally fell. She wiped them away hastily, suppressing her sobs, and comforted Ji Xinglan, “Lanlan, don’t cry. Changsheng went to find Nanny Lin. He’s so capable, he’ll surely bring your mom back. Those bad people might come soon, so let’s not make any noise, okay? We’ll wait here quietly for Changsheng to bring your mom back.”
Ji Xinglan nodded vigorously, hugging Jixia’s neck tightly. She bit her lip, swallowing all her sobs, though her tears continued to flow silently.
She was still scared.
Jixia looked up at the night sky, feeling heavy-hearted. She told Ji Xinglan that Changsheng would bring Nanny Lin back to comfort the little girl, but she wasn’t sure if Changsheng could rescue Nanny Lin. She even worried that Changsheng might never return…
She thought of Gu Jianli, who was also burdened with the unconscious Ji Wujing. Was their situation even worse?
Jixia’s mind was a mess.
During their escape, Jixia had slipped and fallen into a snow cave. Changsheng noticed that from the outside, this snow cave seemed like a good hiding place, so he had Jixia hide here with Ji Xinglan while he went back to find Nanny Lin.
They waited and waited, and finally, they heard footsteps.
Jixia didn’t dare to feel relieved at first, becoming cautious, fearing it was the pursuers and not Changsheng. As the footsteps got closer, her anxiety grew, her heart pounding.
In the silence of the snowy mountain night, even the slightest sound was exceptionally clear.
Soon, Ji Xinglan heard it too. She turned to Jixia, her eyes sparkling with hope.
Jixia placed a finger on Ji Xinglan’s lips, shaking her head. Ji Xinglan nodded understandingly, pressing her lips tightly together, not daring to make a sound, even breathing shallowly. She hugged Jixia’s neck tightly, waiting silently with her.
As the footsteps came closer, Ji Xinglan straightened her back, her eyes filled with joy. She recognized it—the sound of Nanny Lin’s footsteps!
When she was little and fell ill or stumbled, it was always this sound when Nanny Lin ran to her!
She wouldn’t mistake it!
“Lanlan!” Nanny Lin cried, her tears streaming down.
As soon as Ji Xinglan saw Nanny Lin, tears rolled down her cheeks. She reached out her small arms, crying in a childish voice, “Mom…”
Nanny Lin hugged Ji Xinglan tightly, laughing and crying as she comforted her, “Lanlan, don’t be afraid, Mommy is here!”
“Mommy, don’t be afraid either!”
Changsheng said from the side, “Stop crying. This is not the time for tears. We need to leave quickly.”
He looked down at Jixia in the snow cave and urged, “What are you doing down there? Hurry up, we need to go quickly!”
Jixia had been watching Ji Xinglan, a smile on her lips. Hearing Changsheng’s words, she came back to her senses, shook her head with a faint smile, and said, “I’m not going. You all should take Lanlan and leave quickly.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Changsheng’s face darkened. “I know you’re tired, but if we don’t leave, we’ll only meet death. Come on, Jixia, don’t cause trouble, just hold on a little longer!”
Jixia still shook her head and said helplessly, “I can’t walk anymore.”
Ji Xinglan turned around in Nanny Lin’s arms to look at Jixia and said, “Let’s go, we’ll go together!”
Jixia smiled at her, her tone light, “Lanlan, you’re the most sensible child I’ve ever seen. You must continue to be good.”
Changsheng noticed something was wrong with Jixia. He immediately jumped down, his eyes scanning her body before finally settling on her ankle. Jixia’s hand was awkwardly gripping her ankle.
“Your leg…” Changsheng’s expression changed.
“I hit a rock when I fell, it’s broken.”
Changsheng squatted down, his hand touching Jixia’s ankle. She gasped in pain immediately.
Ji Xinglan blinked, her small mouth agape in shock, unable to believe it. Jixia’s leg was injured! Yet she hadn’t known and had let Jixia carry her for so long, making her comfort her! Ji Xinglan’s eyes turned red, and the tears that had just stopped began to fall again.
“I’ll carry you!” Changsheng immediately reached for Jixia’s arm.
“I don’t want you to carry me! You can’t look after three people by yourself!” Jixia refused.
“Stop talking nonsense!” Changsheng lifted Jixia directly, moved to her front, bent slightly, and deftly carried her on his back. He walked out of the snow cave, carrying her forward.
Nanny Lin hurriedly hugged Ji Xinglan tighter and followed.
Jixia patted Changsheng’s shoulder anxiously, “If you carry me, it will only delay us. Leave me behind. If you protect Lanlan, I’ll have done my duty to Madam!”
“Even if I don’t carry you, we can’t move fast; we need to wait for Nanny Lin.” Changsheng adjusted his hold under Jixia’s knees. He looked at the endless snow-covered mountains ahead and smiled lightly, “Jixia, are you uncomfortable? Afraid that if I carry you, you won’t be able to marry? Don’t worry, when we get back, I’ll marry you.”
Jixia was stunned. She clenched her fist and hit Changsheng’s shoulder hard, angrily saying, “What nonsense are you talking about! I won’t be able to marry? No, I don’t intend to marry at all! I will serve Madam for the rest of my life!”
Changsheng laughed and said, “Perfect! I also have to serve by Fifth Master’s side. If you marry me, we can both serve Madam without any delay.”
Jixia, even more furious, hit him harder and shouted, “You rascal! You take advantage of me and still talk nonsense! Be careful, or I’ll send you to the Western Depot!”
“Come on, you’re always bluffing. If you want to get rid of me, you’d have to marry me to get close enough.”
Even Nanny Lin started to smile. Despite their harrowing escape, Changsheng and Jixia’s banter lightened the mood significantly.
Ji Xinglan didn’t fully understand but seeing Nanny Lin smile, she blinked and smiled too.
They walked for a long time before Changsheng suddenly stopped. He surveyed the surroundings and, carrying Jixia, jumped onto a higher spot, looking eastward.
“What is it?” Jixia asked.
“Listen.”
Jixia listened carefully and faintly heard the sound of a horn. She asked, “What is that sound?”
Changsheng, initially uncertain, now recognized it and showed a look of joy, exclaiming, “It’s the imperial army’s retreat signal!”
“Huh?” Nanny Lin’s eyes widened. “What does that mean? The pursuers have retreated and aren’t chasing us anymore?”
Changsheng nodded excitedly, “Yes! Maybe something happened in the palace, and they were urgently called back!”
After a long moment, Jixia, still in disbelief, asked, “Changsheng, are you sure? Did you hear correctly?”
Changsheng hadn’t mistaken it; it was indeed the retreat signal. The imperial guards received an emergency order to withdraw and quickly turned back.
In the Western Depot, Chen He sat by a brazier, carefully drying the soft fur of Xuetuan with a cotton cloth. He had just given the little creature a bath and, fearing it might catch cold, meticulously dried it.
“Supervisor, everything is done. Our people have also withdrawn, and the Emperor’s order to retreat has been issued. The imperial army should be on their way back to the capital.” A young eunuch reported from outside.
Chen He responded with a gentle “hmm” and continued his gentle work, saying, “Go and rest.”
The young eunuch acknowledged and quietly withdrew.
Chen He patiently dried Xuetuan’s fur, speaking slowly, “That’s all I can do. I wonder how my senior brother is faring.”
Xuetuan stretched and nuzzled his hand with its little head.
Chen He smiled, his gaze at Xuetuan full of tenderness and affection.
“Never mind him, let’s get some sleep.” He picked up Xuetuan, carrying it to bed with him.
After receiving the news, he had rushed to Xuanjing Gate but found nothing. With the imperial army on the move, he couldn’t search the mountains under their watchful eyes. Moreover, the vast snowy mountains made it difficult to find Gu Jianli and his group. So, he created some disturbances in the capital, causing Ji Lan to suspect Ji Yan was up to something, forcing him to withdraw the imperial army.
After several days of desperate flight, Gu Jianli’s body had reached its limit. On the verge of collapse, she could no longer move and fell asleep beside Ji Wujing, her arm draped over Ji Xinglou and lightly gripping the hem of Ji Wujing’s robe.
She just wanted to rest, thinking she wouldn’t be able to sleep, given the fierce wind and snow in the mountains. But to her surprise, she did fall asleep.
For the first two hours, she slept deeply, as if she were resting in her own bedroom. Later, she began to dream. She dreamt of her past, the lively scenes of her birthdays over the years, the despair of her last birthday, and the flight through the snowy mountains.
Finally, her dream stopped at the terrifying sight of Ji Wujing sitting up, his body oozing dark blood.
“Wujing!” Gu Jianli woke up with a start, sitting up abruptly.
She found herself alone, with Ji Wujing nowhere beside her.
“She’s awake!” It was Ji Xinglou’s voice.
Gu Jianli looked toward the sound and finally saw Ji Wujing.
Ji Wujing was sitting on the ground with his back to her, a fire burning in front of him. He tossed a dead branch into the fire and turned around.
Their eyes met.
Gu Jianli stared at Ji Wujing’s face, stunned and speechless.