Gu Yunxi fell into the soft silk quilt embroidered with pine branches, and her whole body was instantly surrounded by chilly air.

She looked at the cold face close to her with disconcerting eyes.

"What's wrong?"

The man rubbed the girl's cheek with his fingertips playfully. His hand was as cold as porcelain, moving towards her delicate collarbone slowly.

Her youthful and delicate skin was facing the morning sunshine. Because of the irresistible coldness, the soft hairs wrapped around her skin stood upright in an instant.

He watched intently and asked,

"Are you afraid of me?"

Gu Yunxi wrapped her upper body tightly with the quilt and looked at his eyes in silence.

The gentleness in his handsome eyes was gone, replaced by deep and endless coldness.

The man lowered his eyes, trying to lift the front of the girl's upper garment with his fingertips. Seeing her trembling, he hugged her and asked,

"Do you still feel uncomfortable?"

The moment she snuggled up with him, she felt his limbs colder. Gu Yunxi couldn't help thinking about it. The Master was not like a living person at this time. He was almost like an iceberg, and the piercing coldness was about to freeze her completely.

"Master, your body is so cold..."

The girl pressed her lips uncomfortably, pressing her forehead against the man’s chest. Her teeth were trembling when she frowned and spoke.

"Oh? Since so, why don't you warm me up?"

The man finally showed a meaningful smile. He stretched his cold palm into the quilt quickly and touched the girl's graceful body dexterously.

Cold. It was so cold.

Why was the body of the Master so cold? She seemed to have encountered this cold and oppressive breath before...

A doubt flashed through her brain quickly, crushing her sweet shyness.

After the intense chill, her trembling hands raised slowly to stop the man on her body.

The door opened.

"Qinger?"

Gu Yunxi's eyes shone. As if seeing a savior, she got up from the bed quickly.

The man's face suddenly became gloomy. He turned over and got out of bed, staring coldly at Qinger who put down the tray and moved to the side of the bed with the medicine bowl in her hands.

"Madam, it's time to take medicine."

Qinger's head was half drooping, and her voice sounded somewhat weak.

"Well, I'll be here to look after her. Get out after feeding her the medicine."

The man ordered sternly with a cold face and walked to the side.

Gu Yunxi frowned, feeling strange. She looked at the man and then turned to Qinger, smiling.

"Qinger, we encountered a storm the first time we put out to sea. How are you and Brother Xiaoshen?"

The girl in front of the bed didn't seem to hear her. She still hanged her head blankly, and her face was mostly covered by the shadow of her fore hair, which looked indescribably weird.

"Feed her the medicine quickly."

The Master reminded her then. The cold and harsh sound fell heavily on Gu Yunxi's heart, causing her to shiver fiercely.

How could this be?

She felt so weird. Everyone was a little bit strange.

While Gu Yunxi was thinking silently, a white porcelain bowl was handed to her mouth quickly.

Qinger lowered her head and said word by word.

"Madam, take the medicine."

Gu Yunxi looked into the bowl and turned her eyes immediately,

"Master, what kind of medicine is this?"

"You inhaled too much smoke so your breath was unstable. This can help nurse your lungs and heart. Drink it quickly."

The man answered casually in a rigid tone, making her unable to reject it.

Having drunk various decoctions in the past, Gu Yunxi didn't bear much reluctance to the bitter medicine.

Fearing that the Master would be unhappy, she didn't ask any more but drank up the medicine in a few sips.

Seeing it, the man smiled with satisfaction and ordered Qinger,

"You can leave now."

Qinger put the bowl on the tray in silence. Without looking at Gu Yunxi, she walked out of the small room slowly with the glaze tray in her hands.

"Qinger."

Gu Yunxi failed to stop her.

She looked at the girl's leaving back unconsciously, and suddenly she felt that the girl was just like an empty body without a soul. Even her steps were ethereal like a ghost.

Maybe because of the medicine, she suddenly felt sleepy at this time. Gu Yunxi collapsed beside the bed, drowsy.

The man tucked her up. When he straightened himself, he saw a dark shadow flashing by the window,

"Have a sleep. I have something else to do."

He turned around and walked out quickly, without any reluctance.

Gu Yunxi forced her eyes to open. Watching the door close again, she felt disappointed and melancholy.

What was wrong with the Master on earth? Why did he seem to be totally different? What had he experienced in the battle in Southern Jiang on earth?

With deep sleepiness, Gu Yunxi could no longer think. She closed her eyes and fell into endless dreams...

The man stood up at the corner of the shipboard, and a masked subordinate in black clothes next to him knelt on his knee and reported in a low voice.

"Your Highness, something happened in the capital. The rest people of the Clan of Swords entered the Palace to assassinate the emperor, causing the death of Huanan Ze. The Clan of Swords has been exterminated by the army in the capital."

The man smiled coldly, saying to himself with his head raised proudly,

"Haha, ridiculous! How could the disciples of the Clan of Swords have broken into the heavily-guarded Palace without informants? Hey, although the one-armed Wenren is such a matchless martial artist, he can not escape being abandoned after he has done his job as well."

The subordinate smiled in agreement flatteringly, nodded, and continued,

"With the great victory in Southern Jiang, the fleet of Leng Qingtang will return from Qiongyang soon, and the first stop will be Wei Sea. Your Highness, should we set traps along the way?"

The man narrowed his eyes and thought about it seriously.

"No. The person hid behind Leng Qingtang and assassinated the emperor after the Eastern Depot left the capital must because he wants the emperor's throne. Compared to us, he hates Leng Qingtang more, so he will certainly not allow him to return smoothly. Order the fleet to set off tomorrow and head towards Wei Sea with all its strength."

Yuelai Inn in Da Yi.

Lu Qiange walked out of the room and walked down the stairs under the misty moonlight.

In the middle of the courtyard, a plainly dressed woman looked up at the moon, graceful.

The firmament was immersed in endless black, and the lonely moon was hanging in the sky. A meteor flashed across, whose prolonged white light illuminated the dark sky.

Lu Qiange bowed to the woman behind her and called her in a low voice,

"Mother."

Because they were out in disguise and they were foreigners, they must be very careful in their speech and behavior, lest there be ears in the corners of the wall.

Princess Anhe turned around and smiled gently,

"Is Jiyan asleep?"

Lu Qiange nodded, not talking. His clear purple eyes were full of sorrow.

Princess Anhe noticed it, and her eyebrows moved faintly.

This time, she didn't see any arrogance on her son's handsome face, and his eyes that had always been narcissistic were full of sadness and frustration.

"Do you have anything to say?"

Princess Anhe looked at her son quietly, her eyes full of affection.

Lu Qiange looked sullen and solemn, and there was great anger in his eyes,

"I didn't expect Huanan Xin to be so cruel. He used me and Master and killed his father. He even didn't intend to let go of Master and Jiyan!"

"Shh..."

Princess Anhe raised her finger and frowned to motion for her son to stop. Then she comforted him,

"People always ignore those who are good at disguising. You have done what you should do, and you are not wrong. But senior Wenren... It's really a pity."

Lu Qiange closed his eyes in grief which turned hot and wet then.

His mother said in a calm voice,

"I've talked with Jiyan along the way. I think she is a good girl. She will become mature after experiencing these things, and her coquettish temper will change."

The man opened his eyes, looking startled and embarrassed.

Princess Anhe smiled, tilted her head slightly to look at her son's red face out of shyness, and said bluntly,

"Hua'er, you are not a kid anymore. I want you to marry her."

"..."

Lu Qiange buried his head lower for a moment, looking hesitating.

Princess Anhe smiled calmly, walked closer to her son slowly, and said softly,

"Why? Don’t you like her?"

The man's eyes flickered as if he was staring at something in a daze.

After a long time, he suddenly said,

"Mother, I still have doubts in my heart."

"Talk with me."

"I still can’t let go of Yunxi. If I married Jiyan but still thought about Yunxi, it would be unfair to Jiyan."

The woman shook her head with a smile, patted her son on the shoulder with her soft hand, and looked at his helpless and twinkling eyes patiently,

"There is a poem in the Central Plains."

“Don’t just think about lofty ideals. Cherish the person in front of you."

"Even if you can’t let go of the past, now that you know the identity of Yunchao and the Commander-in-chief in the Eastern Depot, you should know that she will be the life-long lover of your uncle in the future. There will be no future between you two. Why not just let go of your obsession?"

Suddenly, his purple eyes were overwhelmed by sorrow like the fragments of stars that fell into the lake, losing the shallow brilliance.

After a moment of thinking, he asked suddenly,

"Mother, have you ever really loved someone? Is that person my father?"

Princess Anhe looked directly at her confused son with a calm expression, and said frankly,

"When I was fifteen years old, I met a man who was as handsome as an immortal, and I fell in love with him at first sight. This man was surnamed Hong. He knew that I was the eldest daughter of the Huanan royal family, so he wanted to take me away from it and to live in seclusion in a land of idyllic beauty. However, it was known by my father later, so he and all the disciples in his faction were expelled from the border of Da Yi finally."

Lu Qiange's eyes widened in amazement,

"Is the man you talked about the thirteenth leader of Tianyan Faction, Mr. Hong, Hong Zun?"

Princess Anhe smiled and nodded slightly. She turned her eyes away and looked at the brilliant stars in the northern sky,

"I have always held a grudge against my father for breaking up my lover and me until that year when he was captured by Udan as a hostage. The great country that lost its leader teetered, and I grew up instantly at that time, understanding the responsibilities as a princess deeply."

"Hua'er, you are the prince of Udan, so I hope you can truly distinguish between dreams and responsibilities."

"Yunxi is naturally a good girl, but she is the sweet dream in your young and frivolous ages. Even if you are only an inch away from her, you are unable to touch her still. As for Jiyan, she is your responsibility as a man. Can you understand?"

Standing in the night breeze, Lu Qiange lowered his eyes and pondered. After a while, he made a half fist, and his empty expression became firm and determined then,

"Mother, I got it. After it's over, I will marry Jiyan."

With chaotic footsteps, two guards appeared in front of them, bowing,

"Masters, we have discovered that five thousand soldiers in the capital army are coming, so let us protect you and leave immediately."

Lu Qiange frowned and shouted angrily,

"Isn't it enough for him to chase us all the way? Does Huanan Xin want to exterminate all of us?"

Princess Anhe narrowed her eyes and paced for two steps, sneering,

"He is unable to do that! Hua'er, take Jiyan to leave with the guards. I will block the capital army."

"That's not gonna work!"

"Why not?"

Princess Anhe smiled lightly,

"In this secret tour, I have the Ebony Token at hand which can help me mobilize the Men of Sacrifice ambushing anywhere in Da Yi. Moreover, with our special status and the relationship between the two countries, Huanan Xin dare not hurt me."

"Hua'er, ride swift horses to rush to Pengzhou with Jiyan, and we have someone at the ferry to meet you. I think that Huanan Xin will strike his ninth uncle next for the throne, so you must find your uncle as soon as possible."

Princess Anhe clasped her son's hands tightly and told him carefully.

Feeling miserable inside, Lu Qiange gritted his teeth and made up his mind,

"Mother, rest assured. I will find uncle and Yunxi as soon as possible. Since we are gonna be apart, please take care of yourself."