A piece of Japanese incense

The twilight of Menghui City was completely swallowed up by the thick darkness.

Yu Nian held Zhi Yihe, who was still unconscious but whose breathing seemed to have become slightly steadier, and walked through the deserted alleys.

It was not advisable to stay in the city for long, so he thought of an abandoned Taoist temple ten miles outside the city. It had been abandoned due to war, the terrain was secluded, and the mountain roads were complicated. There were still a few dilapidated houses inside the temple that could barely provide shelter from the wind and rain.

Having made up his mind, Yu Nian hugged Zhi Yihe's arm tightly, deliberately avoided the main road, and chose the narrow and winding alleys, heading towards the west gate where the defense was relatively lax.

Just as Yu Nian was about to turn into a dark alley leading to the west gate, three dark shadows slid down from the rooftops on both sides, blocking his way! They were dressed in night clothes, masked, and wielding long, narrow scimitars.

"Lord Yan, the Prime Minister has issued an order. Please follow us back to report."

Yu Nian's heart sank. How could Prime Minister Chigan's men have tracked him down to Dongli Menghui City so quickly?! It seemed that Master Shi's cover wasn't perfect. Perhaps Prime Minister Chigan's influence in Dongli was far greater than he had imagined.

"I have left a letter to the Prime Minister, so there is no need to waste your time." Yu Nian carefully placed Zhi Yihe in the corner behind him, blocked her with his body, and slowly drew out the dagger from his waist.

"Then I have no choice but to... offend you!" Before he finished speaking, three black shadows attacked Yu Nian from above, middle and below!

Yu Nian's pupils suddenly shrank! Just as he was forced to retreat, several more dark shadows appeared from the direction of the alley. They moved swiftly, their attacks were ruthless and precise, without any fancy moves, and they threw out several short and sharp spikes.

Puff! Puff! Two muffled sounds!

Of the three shadowy figures attacking Yu Nian, the last two had a handleless black spike pierced through their backs! They fell to the ground before they could even scream, instantly dead!

The remaining person turned around desperately and slashed at the attacking black shadow with a knife the moment his companion fell down. However, the black shadow twisted his body to avoid the blade, and at the same time, another black-edged thorn pierced the man's throat!

clang!

The man blocked it quickly, knowing that he could not continue fighting, and retreated quickly. At the same time, he threw three poisoned diamond-shaped darts, but his target was Zhi Yihe who was unconscious in the corner.

"Despicable!" Yu Nian rushed towards the three poisonous darts without caring about his own safety.

The black shadow threw out a black-edged thorn, accurately knocking away two poison darts, but the third one was already in front of Zhi Yihe.

A close call!

Yu Nian used his body to block the poison dart.

"Ugh!" Yu Nian groaned and knelt on one knee, but he still stood in front of Zhi Yihe, pointing the dagger at the man in black, his eyes as fierce as a wolf.

Seeing that the attack on Zhi Yihe failed and Yu Nian was poisoned, the man knew that there was no way out, so he disappeared into the complicated alleys after a few jumps.

In the alley, the only sound was Yu Nian's heavy breathing. Four men in black stood in a semicircle. The man in the lead was tall, with half a metal mask on his face, and the exposed lower half of his face had cold and hard lines.

Yu Nian endured the numbness and severe pain in his shoulder and said, "Who are you?!"

Several people's eyes fell on Zhi Yihe, as if they were trying to confirm something. After a moment, the leader spoke, pointing his sharp thorns at Zhi Yihe, without any emotion: "She, come with us. You, can live."

"Dream on!" Yu Nian growled.

There was still darkness in front of me, and I lay on a dry and soft mattress. My nose was filled with the unique smell of the inn, a mixture of old wood, dust, and a hint of soapberry.

She's back again.

Zhi Yihe lay quietly on the bed, feeling his heart beating in his chest.

The loneliness, struggle, betrayal of past lives and experiences... those emotions that seemed to be experienced firsthand gradually settled down at this moment, turning into enlightenment with a background of sadness.

"Brother Nian," she subconsciously called Yu Nian's name. She couldn't wait to tell him about that heavy and bizarre "dream", about Zhi Yihe, about Yun Tang...

He felt around the edge of the bed beside him, but there was no one there. A sense of loss crossed his heart. He didn't know how long she had been unconscious. Yu Nian must have been worried sick. Was she probably out there trying to get food or get some information?

At this moment, the door was pushed open.

"Brother Nian?" Zhi Yihe immediately turned towards the direction where the voice came from, with a relaxed smile on her face: "You're back? I slept like a log! You must be worried?" She said it in a slightly joking tone, trying to comfort him.

The footsteps at the door were still steady, but lacked the familiar rhythm that had comforted her. The person stopped a few steps from the bed, not immediately checking on her as usual, nor responding to her joke.

A voice rang out. It was Yu Nian's voice, low and calm, yet it carried a strange, unmoved sense of detachment, as if recounting a trivial matter that had nothing to do with her:

"Are you awake? Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

The smile on Zhi Yihe's face froze.

This reaction was so strange. She had just woken from her coma, so shouldn't Yu Nian have rushed over to check on her? Shouldn't he have asked her what had happened? Shouldn't he have at least expressed a hint of concern or relief? This calm "are you hungry?" was like asking a stranger a question.

A subtle sense of disharmony crept into her heart. She suppressed her uneasiness, thinking that she had been unconscious for too long and Yu Nian might be tired.

"Hungry! Of course I'm hungry!" She patted her stomach with a casual expression, her voice deliberately amplified! "I feel like I could eat ten cows! Oh! By the way, what time is it now? How long have I slept? I feel like my bones are weak!" She said as she fumbled to get out of bed.

"Two days." Yu Nian's voice remained steady, without any emotion in it.

"You've been in a coma for two days. Don't move. I'll ask the store to get some porridge and side dishes." After he said that, he actually turned around and was about to leave, with no intention of coming to help her.

"Wait!" Zhiyi called out to him, the uneasiness in her heart growing. She grabbed the edge of the bed and said, "Brother Nian, I had a very long dream! A very, very important dream! I..."

"Eat first." Yu Nian interrupted her, his tone unquestionable and concise.

"Recuperate first." After saying that, footsteps were heard and he left the room and closed the door.

Zhi Yihe's outstretched hand still lingered in mid-air, she was the only one left in the room. Yu Nian had never treated her like this before. Even in the most dangerous moments, he had never concealed his worry and concern. This sense of alienation...what on earth was going on?

She shook her head, trying to shake off the inexplicable doubt. Maybe he was just too tired. Yes, that must be it.

Thanks to Yu Nian's arrangement, the food arrived quickly. Zhi Yihe ate without appreciating the food, his mind preoccupied with his dream and Yu Nian's strange appearance.

"Yu Nian" seemed to have returned to a little "normal". He sat beside her, served her food, fed her porridge, and carefully wiped the leftover soup from the corners of her lips.

Zhi Yihe finally couldn't bear it anymore.

"Brother Nian! I have to send a message to Dad. I've been missing for so long, he must be worried sick. Besides, we have to go to Leyu, and I want Dad to go to Leyu too, so we can meet up there. What do you think?"

She waited for Yu Nian's reaction.

"Hmm." Yu Nian simply replied calmly, "Okay. You tell me, and I'll write."

Zhi Yihe suppressed his emotions and began to speak:

"Dad:"

Yu Nian picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and the tip of the pen scraped across the paper, making a soft, rustling sound. Although he couldn't see the details of his handwriting, he could sense the rhythm and force of his brushstrokes. It was slightly different from the Yu Nian I remembered, more neat, and also more... deliberate?

"I, your unfilial daughter, suffered an accident, and faced many setbacks. Fortunately, I was reunited with Brother Nian. I recalled my grandmother's last wish, which concerned the old things in Leyu, and I felt uneasy. After much deliberation, I decided to set off for Leyu with Brother Nian immediately to investigate. Leyu is a long way away, so after receiving this letter, my father also went to Leyu. I also have something important to tell you. We miss you very much in Leyu."

Zhi Yihe paused and added, "Dad, take care of yourself. Don't worry."

"I'm done." Yu Nian put down his pen, carefully folded the letter, and put it into an envelope sealed with wax. "I'll find someone reliable to deliver it as soon as possible."

"Well, thank you." Zhi Yihe thanked in a low voice.

Throughout the entire process, Yu Nian did not raise any questions or say a single unnecessary word. This person was not the Yu Nian she knew.

"When do we leave?" Zhi Yihe forced himself to calm down and asked.

"Early tomorrow morning." Yu Nian's answer was still simple: "You just woke up, so rest for another day. I'll go prepare some food for the carriage and horses."

Yu Nian stood up, packed up his writing brush and ink, and seemed ready to leave again.

"Brother Nian!" Zhi Yihe called out to him, "You... don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

"I'm glad you're awake. You can tell me the rest when you want to. Get some rest."

The door was gently closed.

Once again, Zhiyi and himself were the only ones left in the room.

He is indeed not Yu Nian.