"General Li, there is a young lady named Shangguan outside who wishes to see you," a guard announced outside Li Shang's tent.

Li Shang was also taken aback when he heard the guard's report. Shangguan Wei'er was looking for him? Come to think of it, he had been busy for several days and hadn't been able to see the girl. He was thinking that after finishing his work, he would ask the prince for a few days' leave and take Shangguan Wei'er out for a trip. Ever since he had taken the little girl to the Northwest, he hadn't spent much time with her.

"Hey, Li Shang, you're quite the ladies' man, aren't you? You've even managed to get a girl to your military camp," Wei Ting teased, winking at him.

Li Shang tossed the folded document in his hand toward Wei Ting, saying irritably, "Go about your business, stop gossiping, I'm going out to check." What was wrong with him going to check on his little darling? Was she bored? Or had someone upset her again?

Li Shang thought of countless reasons in her mind, but none of them came to mind as the reason for her to leave.

"Little ancestor, what brings you to the military camp today? Are you bored at home? Or has some idiot offended you again?" Li Shang asked with a grin as he walked over.

"Are you very busy? Did I bother you?" Shangguan Wei'er asked, looking at the dark circles under Li Shang's eyes. Had he not rested for a long time? Even his chin had stubble that had just sprouted, and he hadn't had time to take care of it.

Hearing Shangguan Wei'er's concern, Li Shang was taken aback. Oh no, was his little darling going to cause trouble again? Her tone was different from usual. It seemed this matter was more complicated. Lost in thought, Li Shang assumed Shangguan Wei'er was only contacting him because she was bored, someone had upset her, she was unhappy, or she was short of money.

Then there were some miscellaneous little things that he needed to deal with. Perhaps because they had been together for a long time, he had gotten used to Shangguan Wei'er's constant chatter and noise around him. He never thought that she would leave him, so based on his usual experience, Li Shang expressed his guess.

Li Shang was slightly taken aback. Faced with Shangguan Wei'er's sudden concern, he was still a little unaccustomed to it and said, "You, is there something you need? Tell me, I'm not busy right now."

"Uh... I came here to tell you that I'm leaving and I want to go home." Shangguan Wei'er suppressed her reluctance and finished speaking in one breath. Then she lowered her head and looked at the ground, not daring to look at Li Shang. She was afraid that she would not be able to control her emotions and would cry in front of Li Shang. That would be too terrible. The young lady must never cry in front of others.

Li Shang was stunned by the sudden news and didn't know what to say for a moment. His usually clever mind suddenly went blank. He pursed his lips and looked at Shangguan Wei'er's lowered head, saying, "Did someone bully you? Tell me, and I'll go avenge you." He was a little hesitant to accept the truth that she was leaving, so he changed the subject.

Shangguan Wei'er took a deep breath, looked up into Li Shang's eyes, and said, word by word, "I said, I'm leaving the Northwest and going back to Lingnan."

Li Shang sensed Shangguan Wei'er's seriousness and realized she wasn't joking; she really was leaving. He wanted to stop her, but he didn't know how. He had promised her he would return to Lingnan with her and protect her in the future, but now he had broken his promise. The situation in the Northwest wasn't resolved, and his aunt's revenge was yet to be avenged; he couldn't leave as he pleased.

Li Shang looked into Shangguan Wei'er's eyes, his hand unconsciously clenching tightly, and asked, "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning," Shangguan Wei'er answered without hesitation. She had thought about the time of parting for a long time. She knew that Li Shang would definitely ask this question, so she silently repeated it to herself hundreds of times.

"So, so suddenly? Perhaps you could stay a few more days?" Before Li Shang could finish his attempt to persuade her to stay, Shangguan Wei'er interrupted him, saying with her head down, "I've been out long enough; I should leave."

Li Shang didn't know how to persuade him to stay. He had promised her, but now he couldn't go with her. So he could only say, "Then I'll see you off tomorrow."

“Okay.” The proud Miss Shangguan was no longer acting impulsively as usual. Instead, she turned to the side and looked into the distance as she spoke.

The two stood silently for a long time, neither of them speaking. They both knew the other was reluctant to part, but they couldn't persuade the other to stay or leave with them.

Li Shang spoke first, "I'm sorry, I... I can't go back to Lingnan with you. I promised you that." He remembered that in the illusion array, when Shangguan Wei'er was poisoned, he promised that he didn't want anything and would go wherever she wanted. Now, however, he couldn't keep his promise.

Shangguan Wei'er smiled self-deprecatingly. She knew that she was the least important person in Li Shang's heart, yet she still greedily wanted so much more.

His ideals, his ambitions, his mission—his aunt had all been ahead of her. She should have realized it long ago, but she had been deceiving herself for so long. It was all a pipe dream, and it was time for her to wake up.

"It's alright, I understand you," Shangguan Wei'er said understandingly. She couldn't force Li Shang to leave her; matters of the heart can't be forced. Perhaps she and Li Shang were never meant to be.

"I...I'm sorry." Li Shang wanted to explain something, but didn't know how. In the end, all her words turned into an apology.

"I know, I'm going back to pack my things. Remember to see me off tomorrow." Shangguan Wei'er said to Li Shang with a smile. Even though she was reluctant to part, she had to say goodbye with a smile. Firstly, she didn't want to cry in front of Li Shang; she wanted to leave the most beautiful image in his memory. Secondly, the pride of a young lady wouldn't allow her to cry in front of the person she loved.

After Shangguan Wei'er finished speaking, she turned and left. Li Shang reached out to grab her, but only gently grasped a piece of silk from Shangguan Wei'er's clothes. As Shangguan Wei'er left, the silk slipped from his hand.

Li Shang watched Shangguan Wei'er's retreating figure with a sense of helplessness. Only after she had completely disappeared did he leave. He thought he needed to be alone. Li Shang walked dejectedly towards the military camp. If you looked closely, you could see that his hands were trembling slightly.

When Li Shang returned to his tent, Wei Ting was nowhere to be seen. He was all alone in the tent. Li Shang suddenly felt that it was so quiet, so eerily quiet.

Li Shang sat in the chair, listlessly sitting for a day and a night. He watched the sun set, its light shining on his face, yet he felt no warmth. He stood up, but because he had been sitting for so long, his body was numb, and he swayed to one side. He gripped the edge of the table tightly to avoid falling.

As dawn broke, it was time for her to leave.