Shocking! The actress was dragged to the regent's bedchamber every night.

Yu Chen removed his hand from the back of Su Wuli's head and placed it on her shoulder, gently pressing it.

Su Wuli lifted her head from his chest, her face still bearing the red mark left by the armor.

He bent down, lifted her up by the waist, and then walked to the horse and placed her on its back.

She sat sideways, leaning against him.

He then reached out and took off the cloak, wrapping her completely inside.

His body heat still lingered on the cloak.

Hold me tight.

Su Wuli wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

The horse was not walking fast.

She closed her eyes, her face pressed against his neck.

Her nose brushed against the skin of his neck, carrying that familiar, cold scent.

She took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale that breath into her lungs.

The horse walked steadily, and his heartbeat came from his chest.

Hearing that heartbeat, her tense heart relaxed a little.

She then snuggled closer to him. Yu Chen thought she was cold, so he pulled his cloak up to cover her ears.

Su Wuli closed her eyes in relief.

…………

Inside the camp, hot air rushed out when the tent flaps were lifted.

The tent was warm and cozy, a world apart from the snow- and blood-soaked forest outside.

Yu Chen carried her in.

She lay in his arms, her body wrapped in a cloak, only her face visible.

Her face was still red, chapped from the cold wind.

The two red marks on her face hadn't faded yet.

Yu Chen carried her to the bedside and reached out to untie the ties of her cloak.

With a gentle pull of his fingers, the cloak came undone.

He then tried to pull her out of the cloak.

Su Wuli was still clutching the fabric of his clothes at his waist, gripping it tightly. Yu Chen bent down to put her on the bed, but Su Wuli's legs were wrapped around his waist and she wouldn't let go.

His movements paused for a moment.

She lowered her head and buried her face in the crook of his neck, her lips pressed against his Adam's apple.

"don't want……"

Yu Chen did not release any more.

Instead, he sat down on the edge of the bed, holding her in his arms.

She sat on his lap, leaning against his chest, her legs wrapped around his waist. Su Wuli showed no intention of getting down, and he didn't urge her.

After a long while, she slowly let go of her hand.

She was still leaning against him, her eyes closed.

She buried her face in the crook of his neck and whispered, "I'm so scared."

Yu Chen tightened his grip. "I know."

"Feng Xi almost died." Su Wuli's voice was muffled in the crook of his neck, "I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do..."

"You did a good job," Yu Chen comforted him softly. "You wounded him with an arrow; you did a good job."

Upon hearing this, Su Wuli lifted her head from the crook of his neck, her eyes slightly red.

With a hint of grievance, she said, "That bow was too heavy; I almost couldn't pull it."

Yu Chen reached out and rubbed the corner of her eye with his thumb. His fingertip was rough, and she flinched when it brushed against her skin.

He then pulled her back into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.

His lips pressed against her hair.

"That's a bow for men, it's normal that you can't pull it."

Su Wuli lay on his chest without saying a word.

Yu Chen kissed the top of her head and asked, "Why are you outside the camp?"

He dared not think.

If she hadn't met Feng Xi and the others, she would have encountered Qi Zexun alone there.

Thinking this, I unconsciously hugged her tighter.

Su Wuli lifted her head from the crook of his neck and looked into his eyes. "I don't know either."

She lowered her head and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I was there as soon as I opened my eyes."

She pulled her hand away from his waist and gripped his collar. "These two times... I don't know why, I didn't appear directly by your side."

Yu Chen remained silent.

"Why did you suddenly come back?" Su Wuli's face was still buried in the crook of his neck, her voice muffled. "Didn't Feng Xi say you had already returned to the camp?"

Yu Chen's fingers paused on her back for a moment, but he did not answer immediately.

"Do you believe in induction?" His voice was very low.

Upon hearing this, Su Wuli lifted her head from the crook of his neck and looked at him.

The man's face was expressionless.

She didn't know whether to believe it or not.

Without waiting for her reply, Yu Chen pulled her back into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I just wanted to go back and take a look." His voice came from above, tinged with a hint of murmur, "Luckily, I went back."

"Qi Zexun's target is you," Yu Chen said in a low voice. "Don't go outside the camp again. If you accidentally end up outside, come back immediately."

He paused, then said in a serious tone, "Promise me."

Su Wuli buried her face even deeper into the crook of his neck. "I promise you."

The campsite was quiet during the day.

When Yu Chen left, he pulled the curtains shut tightly and only said one sentence.

"Stay here, don't go out."

Su Wuli responded with a soft sound while huddled under the covers.

She thought she would be bored, but in fact, she quickly became sleepy while lying down.

When I opened my eyes again, the snow light filtering through the gaps in the tent curtains was a grayish-blue.

It was already dark, and she didn't know how long she had slept.

My head felt heavy, like it was filled with lead.

The night was deep in the camp.

It was so quiet it was as if the entire military camp was being held down by something, making it hard to breathe.

Patrolling soldiers passed by the gate.

Suddenly, a muffled "thud" was heard.

There was a sound of something being hammered into wood.

The soldier stopped and turned his head; the torchlight shone on the wooden pillars of the camp gate.

There was an arrow stuck there, its fletching still trembling slightly.

The arrowhead was embedded half an inch into the wood, and a roll of Xuan paper was tied to the shaft.

A jade pendant was tied to the bottom of the scroll, gleaming softly in the torchlight.

The soldier pulled out the arrow, turned and ran.

When he ran into the main tent, Yu Chen was standing in front of the map.

"Reporting to Your Highness, an arrow...is flying from the camp gate...a message is coming..."

The soldier, panting, pointed in the direction of the gate.

Shadow Falcon stepped forward, took the arrow, and presented it to Yu Chen.

Yu Chen took the arrow and looked down at the jade pendant.

He held the jade pendant up to his eyes, its cyan body carved with cloud patterns.

The torchlight shone through from behind, making the jade's texture appear like thin rivers in the light.

He clutched the jade pendant in his hand, his gaze fixed on it.

Yu Chen then took the paper roll off and unfolded it.

The person in the painting has their head down, with their hair hanging loosely on the sides of their face, and a few strands blowing in the wind and fluttering past their ears.

There is a line of small characters in the lower right corner of the painting, written in a graceful style.

[I apologize for my abruptness last time. I'm giving you this jade pendant to calm your nerves.]

Yu Chen looked at the painting and his fingers slowly tightened, pressing the edges of the rice paper with his fingertips to create creases.

His gaze fell on the words next to the portrait, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He then placed the portrait on the low table and picked up the jade pendant.

Turn the jade pendant over, and you'll see a single character engraved on the back.

齐。

He rubbed his thumb against the word, then pulled his lips up slightly before stopping.

He chuckled.

very short.

It's like a crack has appeared in the ice.

Yu Chen placed the jade pendant on the low table with considerable force.

The jade pendant made a soft sound as it touched the table.

"Send more men, double the patrols around the camp." He looked at Shadow Falcon, "Add more sentries around the perimeter."

Shadow Falcon nodded. "Yes."

Yu Chen lowered his head and looked at the jade pendant on the low table. He spoke coldly, "Qi Zexun's hand..." He paused, his voice even lower than before, "I will chop it off sooner or later."

How dare they covet him?