Golden Branch

Lou Yu placed the incense burner on the table. He sniffed slightly and smelled the faint scent.

This smell is not fragrant, it's even a bit smelly.

It smells like burnt leaves.

When I inhale it into my nose, I feel it is inexplicably sweet.

Lou Yu was in a trance, feeling as if he was floating in the air.

Like a dream, he seemed to see Aheng, the woman he had been thinking about day and night.

She had long hair, snow-white skin, and extremely beautiful eyebrows, eyes, nose and lips... all the way to her smooth toes and slender ankles, and she had a red gold anklet custom-made according to the pattern he had drawn himself.

Swish!

Lou Yu pinched his palms hard, strode to the window and pushed it open.

The evening breeze of late spring and early summer, bringing with it a hint of coolness and the fragrance of grass and trees surrounding the inn, instantly flooded into the room.

The smell faded, the fog dissipated, and the light in Lou Yu's deep eye sockets became clear again.

The candlelight swayed slightly, and Lou Yu's handsome face, as if carved from jade, was half in the light and half hidden in the shadows.

Light and shadow intertwined, half bright and half dark, Lou Yu exuded a sense of mystery and unfathomableness.

He turned his head to look at the incense burner, and white smoke was still rising.

Instead of being annihilated, he stood up and jumped out of the open window.

On the second floor alone, Lou Yu, a martial arts expert, landed lightly on the ground like a fallen leaf.

"My dear?!"

The guards on duty in the courtyard are divided into visible and covert sentries.

Both groups discovered their husbands.

Among them, the guards in public quickly surrounded him and asked: "But has there been any change in the guest room?"

Is there an assassin?

Is this what forced the man to jump out of the window?

But they didn't hear any movement!

Moreover, the two groups of sentries are well-trained. I can’t say that they won’t miss a single mosquito, but if there is a living assassin, they can still find it!

"Nothing! Get me a horse to ride on. I'll go first!"

Lou Yu was already anxious to see Wang Heng, but with the Yi princess's plan, he wanted to leave even more.

"You stay and escort the princess to the capital!"

Lou Yu gave instructions as he walked towards the stable.

"……Yes!"

Although the guards did not understand, Lou Yu had great prestige and they responded to whatever he said.

I will never raise any objections, let alone disobey!

When Lou Yu arrived at the stable, the guards had already prepared two Dayuan horses.

The guards also packed some simple luggage and put it on the horses.

"Take good care of the princess! Make sure she arrives safely in the capital!"

"I've already sent word to the Honglu Temple. They'll send someone to greet us at the gate of the capital."

As he spoke, Lou Yu had already climbed onto his horse.

"Yes!"

The guards responded again, bowed, and watched Lou Yu turn his horse and rush into the thick night.

……

Ashlin returned to her room, looked at the hourglass in the corner, estimated the time, and then returned to Lou Yu's door.

"Lou Langjun! Lou~Lang~"

At first it was a rather polite address, but as she kept shouting, she couldn't help but raise her voice, whispering softly and seductively, like a witch's call.

But the door was closed.

Ashlin frowned slightly. This shouldn't be the case.

The incense has been lit and he must have fallen into a dream.

Although Ashlin believed in her own charm, she always ran into obstacles during the one or two months she spent with Lou Yu.

This guy has become stupid because of reading too much!

I don’t understand the style!

Rigid and conservative!

A total blockhead.

If you don’t understand femininity, you can only borrow some props.

The incense that person gave was the most overbearing.

Many tough guys who have experienced the battlefield couldn't hold on, let alone a weak, nerdy pretty boy.

Ashlin is full of confidence, but the reality is——

She couldn't help but move closer to the door, prick up her ears and listen carefully.

No movement!

Could it be that he was too weak, unable to withstand the incense, and simply passed out? !

Thinking of this possibility, Ashlin no longer hesitated. She raised her soft little hand and made a gentle gesture. A man wearing similar exotic clothes appeared behind her.

This man was dark and strong, with a silent and cold temperament, like an iron tower.

"Amang, open the door!"

Ashlin ordered coldly.

The burly man named Amang nodded, raised his foot, and kicked the door open.

With a bang, the door opened.

Ashlin subconsciously covered her mouth and nose with her hands.

However, there was no white smoke coming towards her as she expected.

The room is very fresh.

Standing at the door, you can still feel the slight cool breeze.

wind?

How can there be wind?

Lou Yu opened the window?

He wasn't affected by the incense?

Then why is there no movement in the room?

Ah Mang kicked the door, even if Lou Yu was fast asleep, he should have been awakened!

Countless questions rushed into Ashlin's mind. She rushed into the room and looked around.

The postmaster prepared an upper room on the second floor for Lou Yu. The room was quite spacious and was divided into two spaces by a screen.

The outer room is where guests are received, and beyond the screen is the bed.

Ashlin found the incense burner she had brought on the table in the outer room, with white smoke still rising from it.

But, just on the other side of the desk was a wide-open window.

The whistling evening breeze blew in and directly blew away the white smoke.

Ashlin didn't bother to check the incense burner, and hurriedly walked around the screen and came to the inner room.

The curtains were not drawn and the bed was empty.

The bedding and other items were still folded.

"Lou Yu isn't here? He doesn't even plan to go to bed?"

Ashlin's face, which was enough to charm everyone, suddenly became gloomy.

What about people?

Not only did he not get the incense, he also disappeared?!

"Princess? Why are you in our master's room?"

The guards who heard the noise rushed over.

Seeing Ashlin's gloomy face, the guard leader's eyes flashed with a hint of darkness, but he still pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Do you have any instructions?"

"Where is Mr. Lou? Why isn't he in his room?"

Ashlin didn't answer but asked instead.

"Lord Lou has urgent business to attend to. He needs to return to the capital as soon as possible!"

The guard leader bowed and replied, "However, Princess, please rest assured. Before leaving, my husband specially left us behind to escort you!"

Ashlin: ...What I want is not an escort, but to travel with Lou Yu!

This person is one of the very few "fish that slipped through the net" for her, and she wants to catch him before arriving in the capital!

"Emergency? What kind of emergency is more important than escorting me, a messenger seeking peace?"

No matter what her real purpose was in coming to the capital of Dayu, on the surface, she was an envoy from the Yi tribe who came to seek peace.

Their tribe was willing to submit to the Emperor of Dayu and to establish friendly relations with Dayu.

The guard commander smiled but said nothing more.

It's an urgent matter, so it's naturally more important than escorting you, a barbarian woman.

As for the princess and the envoys, haha, they are just well-behaved and polite husbands.

Let alone the daughter of a chief of a small tribe, even if she was a real princess, the husband would not really flatter her and be humble to her.

What a ignorant barbarian! He took my polite words seriously.

Oh, why are you acting like a noble lady in front of your husband? Even their princess never acts like that.

"It's getting late, please go to bed early, Princess!"

The commander of the guards collected his thoughts and spoke respectfully to Ashlin.

Ashlin pursed her bright red lips, thinking she couldn't see it.

How dare this lowly slave laugh at her?

These are the damn Dayu people, they have arrogance in their bones.

They were high and mighty, and they looked upon these Gentiles as though they were some lowly, ugly animals.

It was as if they were not human beings, but just monkeys and savages.

Only they, the Dayu, are the people of the Celestial Empire, the noble ones who stand at the top.

They think they have concealed it very well and are being respectful enough, but in fact they are all arrogant and selfless.

Lou Yu was probably an exception. He respectfully addressed her as Princess, without any strangeness or sarcasm in his eyes.

He truly felt that she was a distinguished envoy.

It’s just… he’s too old-fashioned, has no sense of humor, and doesn’t know what’s good for him!

Lou Yu, and Wang Heng, who knew Lou Yu's true nature well, said: "...Alright! As long as you're happy."

……

It was dusk again, the sun was setting in the west, dyeing half the sky orange.

After finishing a day of teaching, Wang Heng felt like going to the hot spring pool on the mountain.

She walked slowly to the middle of the hillside, followed by a group of slaves and guards.

Da, da, da!

Wang Heng paused, surprised to hear the sound of horse hooves.

But she still turned around and looked in the direction of the faint voice.

In the orange-red light curtain, a man and a horse slowly appeared.

With the light behind him, the handsome figure gradually became clearer.

She didn't know why, but the moment she saw his face clearly, Wang Heng couldn't help but feel her heartbeat quicken...