Spring arrives and the land smiles

Because of the ordeal that night, Qingyan had dark circles under her eyes when she woke up the next day.

Reluctantly getting out of bed, Qingyan was not surprised to find that Ningyuan, who had slept beside her last night, was nowhere to be seen.

Qingyan quickly tidied her clothes and makeup, moved the chair next to the screen, and found that Lan Zhen was still fast asleep on the small bed in the outer room. Could it be that the slap last night not only cracked her skin but also damaged her heart meridian? Qingyan gently walked to the bedside, reached out and felt Lan Zhen's forehead. Sure enough, he had a fever, so she quickly went to find the waiter to fetch a doctor.

"No need to go." Just as she stepped out, she ran into Ning Yuan coming in.

Qingyan followed Ningyuan into the room and saw him put a dark brown pill into Lanzhen's mouth.

“He’s been poisoned.” Ning Yuan frowned as he observed Lan Zhen’s condition.

"Poisoning? How could I be poisoned?" Qingyan found the poisoning very strange. She and he ate the same food and drank water from the same teapot, so why was he poisoned while she wasn't?

“He was afflicted by the Ghost Doctor’s Soul-Scattering Technique,” ​​Ning Yuan said.

"Ghost Doctor? Soul Scattering?" Qingyan had never heard of such things. Of course, as a princess in the deep palace, Qingyan was also completely unaware of these martial arts figures.

“The Ghost Doctor only makes poisons to harm people, and his use of poisons is extremely strange. He can distinguish between men and women, and some poisons only work on men,” Ning Yuan explained. “This Soul Scattering Poison is a poison that targets men. It can cause a person to have a high fever and fall into a coma. If there is no antidote within seven days, he will not wake up again.”

"So what you gave him was the antidote?" Qingyan thought of the dark brown pill from earlier.

Ning Yuan nodded.

"Where did it come from?"

"At dawn today, an arrow shot into the room, directing me to the Ten Mile Pavilion in the suburbs, where the immortal physician will give me a gift that will bring back my soul."

"A divine healer? A soul-reviving expert?" Qingyan felt a bit overwhelmed.

"The Immortal Physician specializes in treating those who use poison from the Ghost Physician."

What?! There really is such a pair of best buddies who love to tear each other apart? Qingyan was speechless.

“I must thank this divine physician, but,” Qingyan paused, “how did the divine physician know that King Zhao was poisoned?”

"The one who delivered the medicine was Luo Qing, the chief disciple of the Immortal Physician, the Butterfly Flower Prince."

“Luo Qing—” Qingyan said thoughtfully, “is it Luo Qing from Hua Man Lou in Suizhou?”

“Exactly.” Ning Yuan nodded. “After returning to the capital, I had someone investigate and found out that the manager of Hua Man Lou was just a cover for his identity.”

No wonder he was so shy; he was a fake shopkeeper. Qingyan couldn't help but laugh when she thought about it.

"By the way, Young Master Diehua also asked me to tell King Zhao that I saved his life, and now we're even." Ning Yuan turned around and looked at Lan Zhen, who was still unconscious. He was curious about what grudge he had with Young Master Diehua. A relationship that could only be settled by saving a life must not be so simple.

"Did he say when King Zhao will wake up?" Qingyan also looked at Lan Zhen, hoping he would wake up soon so they could continue their journey. Now that they had received news from Yunxuan, they should naturally hurry to Suizhou. Although they had already informed Qiu Rong to postpone the delivery of the official letter, there was always a chance of something going wrong, and arriving a day earlier would reduce the danger.

“He will wake up within two hours,” Ning Yuan replied.

Fortunately, it wasn't too long.

Because Qingyan was ostensibly Lan Zhen's maid, she tacitly agreed to take care of Lan Zhen, and she did not entrust small tasks such as serving tea and water or changing medicine to others.

"Your injury seems to be healing well." Qingyan changed his dressing and washed her hands.

"The poison has been completely neutralized; all that remains are some superficial wounds. We can set off tomorrow." Since seeing Ning Yuan last night, Lan Zhen knew that the matter was settled and that Qing Yan was eager to go to Suizhou.

"Your injury—" Qingyan hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.

"It's nothing serious, getting on the road is the priority," Lan Zhen said with a smile, looking quite relaxed. Qing Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then you should rest well. We'll set off tomorrow." To allow Lan Zhen to rest properly, Qing Yan helped him lie down on the bed in the inner room.

A short while later, Qingyan returned to the room to check on Lan Zhen. Seeing that he was sleeping soundly, she felt a sense of peace.

"Yan'er." Ning Yuan pushed open the door, interrupting her thoughts.

"How is it?" Qingyan walked to the outer room and took Ningyuan's hand.

“It’s all taken care of.” Ning Yuan grasped Qing Yan’s hand and pulled her into his arms. “Yan’er, promise me you will never put yourself in danger.”

Qingyan looked up at Ningyuan. At this moment, his bright black eyes no longer had the courage and clarity they once had; they were now tinged with a deep gray, filled with worry.

"Ning Yuan, I should be the one saying that." Qing Yan reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Are you already prepared to protect me with your life?"

"I..." Ning Yuan was caught off guard and didn't know how to respond.

"Ning Yuan, I will keep my word that night at Hua Man Lou." Qing Yan pressed her face against Ning Yuan's chest, her words of threat carried weight, though spoken lightly. Ning Yuan had no choice but to nod.

"So, stop thinking about all that nonsense. Let's stick to the plan. We'll be fine even if there are some close calls." Qingyan lightly tapped Ningyuan's forehead with her finger. "Pack your things, we'll set off tomorrow."

“Tomorrow? King Zhao, he—” Ning Yuan gestured with his eyes toward the inner room.

“He said he was fine and could set off tomorrow, so I naturally agreed,” Qingyan replied matter-of-factly.

Since that's the case, Ning Yuan didn't say anything more, but secretly reminded himself to keep a close eye on King Zhao along the way. Although the poison yesterday couldn't harm his vital energy, the palm strike he received probably damaged his heart meridian. He should have rested for three to five days, but this proud fellow would probably never show any weakness in front of Qing Yan, so let him suffer.

Perhaps because she had something on her mind and couldn't sleep well, Qingyan got up early the next morning. Unexpectedly, everyone else had already gotten ready, and only Prince Zhao was still waiting for her to serve him.

Thinking about her current status and Lan Zhen's injuries, Qing Yan gritted her teeth, brought a basin of water for washing her face, and went into the inner room.

"Young Master—" Qingyan saw that Lan Zhen seemed to be waiting for her, and was about to say something sarcastic, but when she saw his slightly pale face, she swallowed her words. Fine, she would just put up with him this time.

By the time everyone had gathered, the sun was high in the sky. Because of the assassination attempt the night before, the group set off cautiously, with Ning Yuan and Si Cheng carefully protecting Qing Yan.

As expected, just as Qingyan predicted, they were ambushed less than a hundred miles from Yongzhou. The assassins came with great force and even Sicheng was injured.

"This is the shortest road to Suizhou, but it's likely heavily fortified. Should we change our route to Songling?" Qingyan asked, bandaging Ningyuan's wounds as she sought everyone's opinion.

"I agree." After this battle, Lan Zhen, who was already injured, looked even worse.

“Although taking the Songling route will add three or four days to the journey, it’s safer, so I agree,” Ning Yuan stated.

If these two agree, then the opinions of others are no longer important.

Ke Sicheng hesitated for a moment, but still voiced his opinion: "I know another shortcut, one that doesn't require crossing mountains and valleys, and can reach Suizhou within ten days. However,..."

"Stop arguing, just say it." Why didn't you say so sooner if you had a solution? What time is it? Qingyan scolded lightly.

“This shortcut is through a wilderness, and I’m afraid the princess won’t be able to handle it,” Si Cheng quickly said.

"Just this?" Qingyan stared at Sicheng, seeing his hesitation, she thought there were wolves and tigers ahead.

"Just, just this." Si Cheng's face changed color from being glared at.

"If that's the case, then we'll take the path you suggested," Qingyan finally decided.

“Yan’er…” Ning Yuan hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

"Don't worry, if he's fine, then I'm even less of a problem," Qingyan said softly, gesturing towards Lan Zhen.

"Mmm." There was no point in saying more at this point, so Ning Yuan nodded and gently embraced Qing Yan.

"Ouch," Qingyan exclaimed softly, covering her elbow with her hand.

"Yan'er, you're injured too." Ning Yuan quickly checked on her.

Qingyan's elbow was cut by rocks during the fight, but she didn't feel it when the situation was tense. Now that she noticed it, she was naturally in pain and grimaced.

"It hurts, it hurts so much," Qingyan cried out softly.

Ning Yuan quickly helped bandage her wound.

After a brief rest, the group set off for the road that Si Chengjian had recommended.

"Can you still hold on?" Inside the carriage, Qingyan noticed that Lan Zhen's complexion was getting worse and worse.

"If you can do it, do you think I'm inferior to a woman?" Lan Zhen said disdainfully.

He's so stubborn about saving face that he'll suffer for it; Qingyan will no longer pay him any attention.

After traveling by carriage for about a day, the road ahead became increasingly rugged and uneven. The group decided to abandon the carriage and continue on horseback. Qingyan hadn't expected that the wilderness Sicheng had described would be this desolate.

Everywhere they looked, there were jagged rocks and dense, overgrown forests. Wild birds, insects, and small animals scattered at the sight of humans. In this desolate place, not even a path could be found. The guards and attendants had to lead their horses and use their swords to clear a path through the undergrowth. Qingyan and Lanzhen, not wanting to add to the burden, also led their horses and followed behind. They trudged forward step by step, each step leaving a crater. Qingyan felt like her feet weren't her own; blisters would scab over and burst, then scab over again. After another day's journey, Qingyan was exhausted. Seeing the sunset casting its glow, and everyone feeling weary, they decided to rest on the spot.

"Let's set up camp here tonight." Qingyan plopped down on the ground, indicating that she didn't want to walk any further.

Lan Zhen also sat down on the ground, seemingly too tired to go any further.

"Then let's rest here for the night." Ning Yuan and his entourage tied up the horses and checked Qing Yan's foot injury. Blood from the broken blisters soaked into the silk socks, connecting with the wound. Ning Yuan glanced at Qing Yan's deeply furrowed brows, gritted his teeth, and quickly ripped off the silk socks. Qing Yan cried out in sharp pain.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt." Ning Yuan coaxed her gently, just like when she was a child. He applied the medicine and put clean silk socks on her. Seeing her little face contorted in pain, Ning Yuan felt a pang of heartache for a long time.

After settling Qingyan in, Ningyuan joined the others in gathering firewood, starting a fire, and cooking. His followers were all elite soldiers, so this was no problem for them, and soon the steaming food was ready.

Although the taste was not good, and it wasn't even as good as what Qingyan made herself, it was the most delicious meal Qingyan had ever eaten when she was hungry and cold.

With a satisfied lick of her lips, Qingyan moved to a tree and leaned against the trunk. Exhausted from days of travel, she fell asleep soon after.

Ning Yuan took out a large military cloak from his bundle and covered Qing Yan with it. He smoothed the messy hair on her forehead, gently leaned against her, and closed his eyes.

The four attendants took turns keeping watch at night, while the others found a comfortable spot around the fire to rest.

The bright moon hangs in the sky, and the night is cool and long.

"Ah—ah—ah—" Suddenly, Qingyan screamed.

Ning Yuan immediately hugged her, looking around warily. Only after finding nothing amiss did he carefully examine the person in his arms.

"A rat! There's a rat!" Qingyan jumped up, still shaken, and hugged Ningyuan.

"Old, rat?" Ning Yuan was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Yes, yes, it's huge." Qingyan still clung to Ningyuan's neck, her feet hopping on the ground.

"It's alright, it's alright, they've already chased them away," Ning Yuan reassured her.

However, after Qingyan called out, everyone gathered around. But when they heard the reason, they all laughed, with Lan Zhen laughing the loudest.