Women disguised as men went to the battlefield and the emperor bowed down in submission.

Xiu Yi arrived at Xuan Yuan Yu's bedroom and, finding no one inside, looted all the silver notes, clothes, and jewelry, even taking Xuan Yuan Yu's underpants.

Xiu Yi returned carrying an enormous bundle, which she dumped onto Lin Ruoshui's bed.

Lin Ruoshui ignored everything else and put on her clothes first; she felt insecure without them.

She quickly dressed and looked back at the mess on the bed. Among the mess, there was even Xuan Yuan Yu's underwear. Lin Ruoshui sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

"My disciple, what are your plans for the future?"

"I..." Since Lin Ruoshui transmigrated here, one thing after another has happened, and she has never made any plans for herself.

She thought for a moment and said, "I want to help my brother defend against foreign enemies and help Xuanyuan Yu win every war."

"Isn't anything for yourself?" Xiu Yi asked, looking at her with extremely clear eyes.

“One is my family, and the other is someone who loves me. I will do my best to help them. I want to be a peerless martial arts master or a female general,” Lin Ruoshui said.

"So, are you still planning to go back to him?" Xiu Yi didn't want her to go back to that rude man.

"No, I'm not planning to go back for now. I'll help him quietly without letting him know," Lin Ruoshui said wistfully.

At this moment, Lin Ruoshui was unsure of her feelings for Xuan Yuan Yu, so she wanted to leave first and think it over carefully.

……

Xuanyuan Yu used all his strength to search Bianyang City thoroughly, but still couldn't find a trace of Lin Ruoshui.

It was late at night when Xuanyuan Yu returned to his bedroom, wondering if Lin Ruoshui had calmed down before coming back.

When he returned, the house looked like it had been burgled. He was about to rush out again to look for her, but then he thought that they would switch bodies the next morning and he would know where she was.

Dawn was breaking. Xuanyuan Yu lay down, closed his eyes, and there was a pool of tears in them.

As dawn broke, a ray of morning light playfully shone into Xuanyuan Yu's eyes, reminding him that it was time to wake up.

He slowly opened his eyes and touched his body. To his surprise, he found that he was still Xuanyuan Yu, still lying in the same bed.

He panicked, this time he was truly panicked. An overwhelming sense of fear engulfed him; he was terrified.

Was that dead woman kidnapped? Or did she never want to come back, never want to see him again? Why didn't their souls switch places anymore?

He was very afraid, very afraid of getting an answer he didn't want.

Xuanyuan Yu was shrouded in black energy. He rushed out of the door, gathered everyone, and searched inch by inch. Even if he had to turn Bianyang City upside down, he would find Lin Ruoshui.

For three days, the city gates of Bianyang remained closed, and the Xuanyuan army searched every corner of the city, including the cellars of farmers' homes, the hidden compartments of wealthy people's houses, and the dry well of the old ox's house at the village entrance.

He searched everywhere, but still found nothing. Xuanyuan Yu felt his emotions crumbling little by little.

Xuanyuan Yu dispatched a hundred secret guards to search in five groups outside the city, but they still found nothing.

Zhongjun looked at Xuanyuan Yu, who had not eaten, drunk, or slept for three days and whose face had become emaciated, and knelt down and said, "Your Highness, if you don't eat, drink, or sleep, your body will not be able to take it."

What if the princess comes back and sees you looking thin and sloppy?

In the princess's eyes, you are like a god; you must take good care of yourself.

"If I can't find her, I don't know how I'll eat or sleep..." Xuan Yuan Yu said, his lips cracked and his voice filled with despair.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect the King of Chu to be such a romantic." Xiu Yi usually had very few expressions and always had a calm demeanor, but seeing Xuan Yuan Yu's behavior, he actually burst into laughter, his smile both bewitching and enchanting.

Upon hearing Xiu Yi's voice, Xuan Yuan Yu attacked him like a madman.

He only attacks and never defends; he's absolutely insane.

As he attacked, he roared, creating a whirlwind that made people feel as if they were about to be sucked in and torn apart.

Xiu Yi clasped her hands together, as if forming an invisible barrier.

“If I were to kill you, my disciple would certainly be displeased, so I will spare you today.”

"Yingying wants you to go to the western border first; she will meet you there," Xiuyi said.

Xuanyuan Yu stopped, his eyes bloodshot, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is she alright?"

Xiuyi said, "She's fine."

"Did she make a scene?" Xuan Yuan Yu asked regretfully.

“Your love for my disciple is nothing but possession; you don’t understand love at all,” Xiu Yi replied, seemingly unrelated to the question.

"Please tell her I'm sorry. I promise I'll change, as long as she comes back." For the first time in his life, Xuan Yuan Yu bowed his head and admitted his mistake.

“Tell her yourself when you see her,” Xiuyi said.

Xiu Yi looked Xuan Yuan Yu up and down, then said calmly, "You look really ugly now!"

After saying that, Xiu Yi flashed onto the roof, and Xuan Yuan Yu chased after her.

Xiu Yi tried her best but couldn't shake him off. Finally, he led Xuan Yuan Yu into the array he had set up beforehand, and only then was he able to extricate himself.

It took Xuanyuan Yu half an hour to break the military strategy. Just who is this Xiu Yi?

He and Lin Ruoshui's souls will no longer be swapped; it must be his doing. If it weren't for his appearance, the two of them wouldn't have been separated. He really wants to kill him.

Xuanyuan Yu was filled with mixed emotions. He returned to the prefect's residence and led his troops away from Bianyang City that very day.

What should have been a ten-day journey, they completed in five days.

The first thing Xuanyuan Yu did upon arriving in Canghesa City was to send out all his spies to search for Lin Ruoshui's whereabouts.

Xuanyuan Yu first returned to the Chu Prince's Mansion in Canghe Sa City, and ordered people to prepare a room for Lin Ruoshui and prepare the necessary supplies. Everything was arranged perfectly. He was full of anticipation, looking forward to the appearance of that damned woman.

Then he went to the camp and summoned the generals for a meeting. The generals and strategists in the camp sat in a group, seemingly plotting something.

……

Lin Ruoshui lay on the deck sunbathing, Xiu Yi rowed the boat, and the little monk Xiu Er sat by the side of the boat, his chubby little feet dangling in the water.

"Dad, it's been so many days, and Mom still hasn't fallen for you?" Hugh said earnestly, like an old father.

Xiu Yi looked at Xiu Er expressionlessly, but Xiu Er understood from the contraction of his pupils, "Mind your own business!"

“Dad, it’s not that I’m being nosy, but you have to learn from me how to pick up girls,” Hugh whispered in Hugh’s ear.

After saying that, Xiuer took his foot out and ran to Lin Ruoshui, saying, "Mother, my stomach hurts."

"Did your feet get cold from being in the water? Come here, let me warm your feet." Lin Ruoshui held Xiuer in her arms with heartache, while warming his little feet on her stomach.

Xiuer leaned against Lin Ruoshui and said in a childish voice, "Mommy, rub my tummy."

Lin Ruoshui was melted by Xiuer's adorable little expression. Overwhelmed with maternal love, she kissed Xiuer's little cheek, rubbed her hands together to warm them, and placed them on Xiuer's stomach to massage it.

Hugh lay in her arms, turned his face to Hugh and gave her a look that said, "Look at me, I'm the best."

Xiu Yi's expression remained calm.

Xiuer fell asleep comfortably in Lin Ruoshui's arms. Xiuyi watched as his head was pressed tightly against Lin Ruoshui's softness.

Xiu Yi's eyes darkened, and he forced a loud sneeze, startling the person in Lin Ruoshui's arms awake.

When Hugh woke up, he cried, saying, "Mother, Mother, I'm so scared. Please touch my fur and kiss my face." Lin Ruoshui did as he asked.

Lin Ruoshui pretended he had hair on his head and said, "Touch my hair, it won't scare you. MUA~"

Hugh hugged Lin Ruoshui's neck, gave her a quick kiss, and said, "Mom, you're so good to me!"

Hugh had no choice but to give Hugh a thumbs up.

The three of them disembarked. There was a bamboo grove on the shore, and to their surprise, they found an inn inside.

Lin Ruoshui placed a silver ingot directly on the table and said, "I want two excellent rooms."

The tall waiter, revealing a row of large front teeth, gave Lin Ruoshui a smile that was both ingratiating and comical, before leading them to their respective rooms.

Hugh and Xiu Yi were in the same room. Hugh took off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, stood up, patted Xiu Yi on the shoulder, and said in a confident tone, "From now on, you're my brother! I've decided to compete with you fairly. If you choose me, don't be angry. We'll still be good brothers."

Hugh didn't speak. He believed that in Hugh's world, who you were depended entirely on who he wanted you to be.

Thinking of this, Xiu Yi's calm face twitched almost imperceptibly.

Perhaps because she had slept too much on the ship, Lin Ruoshui tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. She was thinking about Xuan Yuan Yu.

Habit is a terrible thing. They had been inseparable for months, and now that the passionate embrace was gone, she felt incredibly lonely and cold.

She didn't know if this longing was because of love or habit, so she closed her eyes and imagined Xuan Yuan Yu still by her side, imagining his passionate kiss.

A tear rolled down Lin Ruoshui's cheek as endless longing welled up in her heart. She felt that it might not be longing but desire.

She stepped into the bathtub. The water was cold, but her heart, yearning for Xuanyuan Yu, pounded fiercely.

She felt that perhaps she wasn't afraid of death or pain; her reluctance to die with Xuanyuan Yu stemmed from her fear that she didn't love him enough.

Under immense pressure from Xuan Yuan Yu, she ultimately chose to escape, leaving him alone. The bitter fruit of separation… was bitter and astringent. Lin Ruoshui dreaded this feeling; she didn't want to be hurt again, nor did she want to hurt others. She didn't know if her autocratic decision was wrong.

She stood up from the bathtub, her face wet with either bathwater or tears. She wiped it off and walked out.

Just as she was about to get into bed, Yingyi suddenly appeared. He didn't look up, but instead kept his head almost touching the floor, and said, "Princess, a group of assassins have appeared outside the inn. They're probably after us."

Lin Ruoshui put on her undergarments and asked, "How many people?"

"About fifty people."

"Let's hold back for now and see what they want to do," Lin Ruoshui said.

Lin Ruoshui blew out the lamp, lay on the bed, and held a dagger in her hand.

Not long after, someone downstairs shouted, "Fire!"

Lin Ruoshui got up and saw flames shooting into the sky outside the window. She grabbed her luggage and rushed outside, where she saw Xiuyi and Xiuer. Xiuyi had one arm around Lin Ruoshui's waist and the other in her arms, and they jumped down to the well below.

The shop owner and waiter were putting out a fire. The shop owner grabbed Xiu Yi and Lin Ruoshui and said, "Please help put out the fire, I beg you!"

Xiu Yi and Lin Ruoshui readily agreed and immediately got to work, fetching water and splashing it. The group worked together well, but the fire was fierce and difficult to extinguish.

Finally, the boss sat on the ground, covered his face, and cried, saying, "It's all over, everything is over, decades of hard work."

Just as Lin Ruoshui was about to comfort the boss, a voice like a broken bellows rang out: "I started this fire. Hand over that woman, and I'll let this little monk go."

The shopkeeper, the waiter, Xiu Yi, and Lin Ruoshui all turned around and looked towards the source of the voice. They saw a middle-aged man among the group of people, holding Xiu Er by the back of his collar, with a knife to his neck.