Gu Yunxi ran wildly and shed tears on the dark and long palace road. All the sweetness and suffering of the past became gloomy memories that were surging in her mind like the turbulent sea.

The Palace had high gates and strict rules. Once you entered it, you had to say goodbye to all of your loved ones. Surrounded by high walls, you would not face love but the endless war between different people. If you wanted to be alive, you could not let other people know what you were thinking about. The pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy could not be chosen by you.

When she was in the arms of Leng Qingtang just now, Gu Yunxi found a sense of peace that had been away from her for a long time. She was intoxicated with the body temperature she felt and the cold fragrance she smelt from Leng Qingtang.

Gu Yunxi felt painful intermittently as if the thistles and thorns had impaled her heart. She refused his love from beginning to end.

Gu Yunxi rushed into the side room in Chuxiu Palace without a stop, sat on the head of the bed, and panted.

Lanxin felt strange. When she approached her, she saw her red, swollen, and wet eyes.

"You cried? Muxue, what happened?"

"Nothing happened..."

Gu Yunxi moved her lips slightly and said in a low voice. She rubbed her eyes vigorously with both hands.

Lanxin said beside her,

"We can get half a day off on the Double Ninth Festival. Let us go out of the Palace to play."

Gu Yunxi shook her head.

"The holiday is not easy to get. Don't you need to accompany Mr. Fan?"

"He will go, too. Please accept our kind invitation."

Lanxin's eyes were glittering when she was speaking. She seemed to be very excited.

Gu Yunxi looked at her good friend without moving her eyes. She felt something weird in her expression, thought for a while, and said while frowning,

"I do not want to go."

"Oh, well, we are good friends. I want to buy rouge in Fufangzhai. Can you help me choose a good color? Please..."

...

The same time in the northern suburb of the capital

On the mountain, Lu Qiange stood up slowly and was shocked.

"Master, are you serious?"

Wenren Junzheng turned around. He looked at Lu Qiange with tears on his face and nodded in low spirits.

"I am to be blamed because I was not considerate. Since the Clan of Swords was destroyed by the Eastern Depot, the survived people of Green Dragon Branch and I hid ourselves from place to place. One month ago, we were saved by Princess Anhe."

"If we do not meet today, I will not know that the eunuch of the Eastern Depot forced Ruo to have a sexual relationship with him. I... I feel guilty for my sworn brother!"

"Master..."

Seeing his master crying, Lu Qiange felt as if a knife had been cutting his heart. He took a deep breath and soothed his master.

"Do not worry. Yunxi... Ruo will be OK. No message is the best message. I will not stop finding her. I'd go to the ends of the earth to seek for her."

Wenren Junzheng's identity in the underground world of martial arts was a famous chieftain of the Green Dragon Branch of Clan of Swords in Da Yi.

More than ten years ago, he was acquainted with Zheng Ran who was a Provincial Magnate of Da Yi by chance. After a Kungfu contest, they became sworn friends.

The eldest princess Anhe from Da Yi married Solo Yeli who was the king of western tribes of Udan. They gave birth to a son whose name was Solo Hua. The new name of Solo Hua was Lu Qiange.

Since the king of Udan appreciated the Kungfu of Central Plains, Solo Hua was sent to the Clan of Swords in Da Yi when he was five years old by his father to learn Kungfu. He apprenticed himself to Wenren Junzheng. After Solo Hua finished his apprenticeship, he left his master and seldom met Wenren Junzheng.

Two years ago, the Clan of Swords was destroyed by the government. The survived people and Wenren Junzheng escaped from the border of Da Yi after experiencing hardships. They hid in western tribes and Princess Anhe helped them a lot.

Wenren Junzheng came back to Da Yi stealthily today and brought a top-secret letter written by Princess Anhe to Lu Qiange. He did not expect that his apprentice would tell him such bad news which made him distraught and heartbroken.

It turned out that the woman his apprentice was seeking for at the price of money and energy was the little guard Yun Guaner who was the daughter of his sworn brother, Zheng Ran. They ever fought with each other in Qiling that year. Her name was Zheng Wanruo.

Wenren Junzheng regretted that he did not kill that eunuch desperately and save Ruo from Leng Qingtang when he met him that year. He cried loudly.

When he saw his sorrowful master, Lu Qiange's hatred towards Leng Qingtang was deepened.

That abnormal eunuch killed the whole family of the rank-top official of the government eleven years ago and kept their daughter with him. After that girl grew up, he had a sexual relationship with her. That was brutal conduct.

Lu Qiange swore by the moon that he would spend the rest of his life seeking for Yunxi, tell her the background of her family, marry her, and take her back to Udan.

...

September ninth was the Double Ninth Festival.

In the morning, all streets in the capital were bustling.

Gu Yunxi went out of the Palace with Lanxin in plain clothes. They wandered on the long road of Luoyin Street.

Lanxin was very excited. She kept speaking beside Gu Yunxi's ear. Gu Yunxi felt a little upset but did not interrupt her.

The bustling crowd passed them face to face. Gu Yunxi looked at them and could recognize that they were secret guards of the Eastern Depot.

However, her face was changed. They could not recognize her.

Revisiting the old haunt, Gu Yunxi had something heavy on her mind. When she was walking quietly, she recalled the past.

In that year, she was taken to this street by the third captain, Xiaoshen, and others of the Eastern Depot. They played, drank wine, and had meals here. Those happy scenes...

How time flew. The seventh captain had died for more than one year. The tenth captain... She did not know how he was...

"Lanxin, Muxue, we are here!"

The call made Lanxin excited. She pulled Gu Yunxi and they ran to a roadside stand.

Gu Yunxi regained her presence of mind and saw two people sitting at a square table in the open air. One person was the imperial bodyguard Fan Lin in an official suit. The other one was a handsome youth, Lu Qiange!

Gu Yunxi was surprised. She closed her eyes, opened her eyes, and looked at that person again with astonished eyes.

Yes, that was Mr. Lu! But how did he become the honour guards in the Palace?

Gu Yunxi tried her best to suppress her mixed emotions and keep calm. She looked indifferent.

They had not seen each other for nearly two years. Now he had become a solemn, bold, and unconstrained imperial bodyguard in an official suit. He was carrying a short-hilted broadsword at his waist and he was still handsome, innocent, and kind like the beautiful pear flowers. A woman might fall in love with him after having a look at him.

"Lanxin, Muxue, sit down please."

When he saw these girls, Guard Fan pulled the nearest wooden chair out.

Lanxin sat down casually and smiled at Guard Fan. Then she said to Gu Yunxi,

"Muxue, come and sit beside me."

After saying that, she pulled her friend who was surprised and stunned to ask her to sit down on another wooden chair.

Each of them sat on one side of the table. Lanxin was next to Fan Lin and Gu Yunxi was next to Lu Qiange.

Gu Yunxi looked at Lanxin and Guard Fan who were snickering stupidly. She turned her numb face to Lu Qiange beside her.

Lu Qiange looked at Gu Yunxi with a sideways glance and gentle eyes and met Gu Yunxi's surprised eyes. He raised a mouth arc and smiled slightly.

"Let me introduce..."

Guard Fan leaned forward, looked at Gu Yunxi, and pointed at Lu Qiange.

"This is Lu Jian. He has not come to the fifth team of our honour guards Tiger Battalion for a long time. It is a rare opportunity for us to get together at the Double Ninth Festival. Muxue, this is a new friend I want to introduce to you."

Before Gu Yunxi spoke, Lu Qiange opened his mouth with a smile. Under his handsome, long, bushy, and dashing eyebrows, the purple eyes were full of vitality and glittering like a coloured glaze.

"I heard that you are ingenious. It is very fortunate for me to see you today. Muxue, please drink the tea."

He picked up an empty cup at the center of the table, poured the tea politely, and put it beside the hands of Gu Yunxi.

"Thank you, Mr. Lu."

Gu Yunxi looked down, glanced at the steaming teacup, and said politely.

The purple in Lu Qiange's eyes became darker. He did not regain his presence of mind immediately and cast a glance at the girl.

When she called him "Mr. Lu", he recalled many of his memories at the bottom of his heart though she did not say that with much emotion.

The atmosphere became cold. They felt embarrassed.

Guard Fan and Lanxin looked at each other. They began to lighten the atmosphere. The ass of Guard Fan left his chair. He said with a smile,

"Lu Jian, Muxue, do not stare blankly. Let's order. We came here immediately after finishing the night shift. We are hungry!"

Lanxin echoed with a smile.

"We did not have breakfast, either. Muxue, make yourself at home. Order whatever you like. Fan Lin will treat. By the way, this restaurant is famous for its rice cake with jujube. Let's have a taste."

Guard Fan followed his girlfriend's order and asked the boss to bring four rice cakes with jujube, four bowls of glutinous millet gruel with fried meat, and two dishes of steamed dumplings. Lu Qiange was refined and courteous during breakfast. He helped Gu Yunxi pick up the food with chopsticks and poured the tea for her. When the hot porridge was served, he politely blew on it. He was so considerate as if Gu Yunxi had become his wife who deserved his meticulous concern.

Guard Fan and Lanxin were very happy. In order to leave more time for Lu Qiange to be alone with Gu Yunxi, they ate very quickly, paid for breakfast, and left Lu Qiange and Gu Yunxi with the excuse of buying cosmetics in the store in front of the restaurant.

Before they went away, Lanxin patted on the shoulder of Gu Yunxi mysteriously and whispered.

"He is good at taking care of people. Grasp the opportunity!"

Gu Yunxi was speechless with a dark face. She realized why her friend asked her to come out of the Palace. Because she wanted to arrange a blind date.

Da*n Lanxin. She was such a busybody. She would not let her go!

Now Gu Yunxi was alone with Lu Qiange. When Gu Yunxi thought of the past, she was suddenly thankful for her new face.

Lu Qiange was a kindhearted, forthright, and sincere swordsman with a sense of justice who ever saved her and Master Leng. But he was wrongful and could not understand the situation properly when they had emotional problems.

In a word, she did not love him. Since Lanxin had gone away, she should also find an excuse to go away.

When she thought of this, Gu Yunxi raised her eyes at random and looked at Lu Qiange.

"You..."

"Miss Tu!"

Lu Qiange suddenly interrupted her, became serious, and looked down at a corner of the table. His firm attitude was full of coldness, which made Gu Yunxi scared and even did not dare to speak.

"Fan Lin had told me a lot about you, which was proved to be true after I see you. You are a good person and have a pair of clever hands. I believe that you will find a person better than me when you leave the Palace someday."

Gu Yunxi was stunned. When Lanxin and her boyfriend were together with them, his attitude was much different.

Gu Yunxi's eyes glittered. She looked at Lu Qiange's coldness and asked directly,

"What do you mean?"

Lu Qiange compressed his lips and laughed.

"You are so clever. How could you not understand me? I have fallen in love with someone else. I am a newcomer in the Palace. Fan Lin is the leader of the fifth team. I cannot refuse him. Therefore..."

She was shocked just now. Hearing this, she could sigh with relief.

"I can understand you. I was invited to come out of the Palace. If I had known this, I would not have gone out of the Palace."

"You do not need to worry. After the meal, we do not need to contact each other anymore. I will tell Guard Fan my attitude. He will not get you in trouble."

Gu Yunxi said with indifference. She was elated in her heart and admired Lu Qiange.

Lu Qiange was so charming. After two years, he was still a pretty straight person, pure and broad-minded. And he did not lose his proud swordsman demeanor.

However, on second thought, why did he come here? He seemed to be working in the Palace, too.

Opposite the broad street, a team of guards of the Eastern Depot who were lifting a sedan passed. They stood in long square lines and marched in step.

Leng Qingtang was sitting in the sedan. He suddenly saw a familiar figure in front of the food stall opposite the street with his lazy eyes through the curtains made of gauze which were like the thin fog.

He lifted the curtain immediately and stretched out his neck to see that person clearly. At this moment, he saw the handsome face of Lu Qiange.

Why was he?