The maid was startled, but fortunately there was a screen in the way, so she didn't see the princess sitting naked in the bathtub.

Lu Yuyan said to the maid, "You may leave."

Seeing the heartache in his master's eyes, but his downturned lips making his face appear as cold as ice, the maid dared not linger and quickly closed the door and left.

Lu Yuyan stepped inside.

"Don't come any closer!" Ruoling cried out.

“Ruoling…” Lu Yuyan stopped in his tracks.

"Ayan, don't come any closer! That person touched my hand, my waist, and my leg. Ayan, I'm so dirty, I can't get clean, boohoo, Ayan..." Ruoling cried as she scrubbed herself vigorously.

Lu Yuyan didn't care. He walked over in a few steps, draped the clothes hanging on the screen over her, and pulled Ruoling out of the water, holding her tightly: "Ruoling, you are not dirty, not at all. In my heart, you are the best girl in the world."

"The hand that touched you has been chopped off by your older sister. Please don't torture yourself..."

Ruoling's arms hung limply at his sides as she wailed. Soon, the water on her body formed a sizable circle on the ground.

Lu Yuyan let her cry as much as she wanted, dressed her, and held her tightly in his arms.

Ruoling's condition is not good; she has a high fever, caused by excessive fright.

She was, after all, just a fifteen-year-old girl. The fact that she could persevere until now, calmly persuade her elder sister and Zhu Yu not to kill Tuoba Min, and even think of using this to make Tuoba Min and Tuoba Yao fight each other, stirring up internal strife in Southern Liang and giving Great Zhou a chance to catch its breath, was far better than that of many young ladies in their boudoirs.

His spirit is very strong and good.

Finally, half an hour later, Ruoling fainted and fell asleep.

Lu Yuyan stayed by her bedside without leaving her side, taking meticulous care of her.

But she didn't sleep well, often waking up in fright, sometimes even screaming and crying in her dreams.

Lu Yuyan then held her in his arms and gently patted her. Only in this way could Youling sleep for half an hour, but even so, she was always startled.

As evening approached, Ruoling finally woke up and found herself sleeping in Ayan's arms. The boy had dark circles under his eyes, and although his eyes were closed, his brows were still furrowed, and he looked exhausted.

His slightly downturned lips revealed the heartache in his heart.

Ruoling gently raised her hand and touched his furrowed brows, wanting to smooth them out.

Lu Yuyan immediately opened his eyes alertly: "Ruoling, how are you?"

His voice is hoarse when he speaks.

Ruoling wrapped her arms around Ayan's waist, buried her head in his chest, and said in a muffled voice, "I'm fine now. I'm sorry for making you worry."

Lu Yuyan breathed a sigh of relief and gently patted her back: "I will never leave you again."

Ruoling lifted her head from his embrace, her misty eyes looking into the eyes of the boy before her: "Ayan, if, if Tuoba Min had succeeded yesterday, would you, would you still treat me like this? Would you think I'm dirty?"

Upon hearing these words, Lu Yuyan felt as if his internal organs were being squeezed, making it difficult for him to breathe.

He suddenly captured Ruoling's lips in his mouth, giving all his answers in this deep kiss, kissing away her tears little by little.

After a long while, Lu Yuyan finally released the person in his arms, panting: "Ruoling, you can't say that again, absolutely not. I won't be able to resist going to Nanliang right now and chopping that bastard to pieces."

Ruoling quickly shook her head: "No, I will never say that again."

He gently kissed her forehead: "Are you hungry? How about I cook you a bowl of noodles?"

"Okay, I'll go with you."

The two went to the kitchen together, where Lu Yuyan skillfully started a fire, rolled out dough, and boiled water.

Ruoling moved a small stool and sat by the stove, watching Ayan's busy figure.

"Ayan, you, you and Fourth Brother, how did you end up in Liangzhou City?"

Lu Yuyan gently stirred the noodles in the pot with a spatula to prevent them from sticking together: "The Emperor has passed away, the Crown Prince has ascended the throne, and after everything is settled, the Prince will go to the palace to discuss with the Emperor the possibility of bringing you back to the Great Zhou."

"Fifth Brother, he..."

In the steam, Lu Yuyan lowered his head and looked at the girl sitting beside him: "Zhu, cough, the Emperor is very good. He said he must bring you back. If Nanliang refuses to release you, then we will fight. Our Great Zhou is not afraid of fighting."

Ruoling finally smiled. Fortunately, she still had Ayan, her fourth brother, her fifth brother, and her fourth sister-in-law.

"Then how did you manage to..." Ruoling's face turned pale at the mere thought of that name, "How did you manage to control those five hundred Southern Liang soldiers?"

Wasn't it a northerly wind last night?

"Um."

“I got some medicine and used the wind to blow it into their camp. The Southern Liang soldiers guarding outside collapsed in no time. Plus, it was late at night, so the Southern Liang soldiers inside the tents were fast asleep.”

"Moreover, the prefect of Lincheng, Han Jin, gave our men excellent lightness skills. They quietly threw the sleeping pills into their tents. As long as they didn't kill anyone, they wouldn't make a sound. In less than a quarter of an hour, all of them were drugged and passed out."

At this point, Lu Yuyan's face showed a trace of pain: "But we're still too late. The people you brought have already fallen victim to their cruelty, and you almost..."

Seeing that her face had turned pale again, Lu Yuyan quickly changed the subject: "I can make several kinds of noodles, and I'll make dumplings for you later. I'm a very good cook."

"Okay." Ruoling smiled at him, suppressing the fear welling up inside her.

Lu Yuyan ladled out the noodles, sprinkled some chopped green onions on top, and then brought over a small low table. He placed a bowl of fragrant plain noodles in front of Ruoling and said, "Eat up and try my cooking."

...

Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Yu arrived at the Nanliang Pass an hour later, riding on horseback.

Upon seeing the two Zhou soldiers, the Southern Liang soldiers immediately went on high alert.

Lu Xiaoyun, riding on horseback, shouted to the opposite side: "Hey, call out your general guarding the pass. I need to speak with him."

"Who are you?"

Zhu Yu sneered: "Are you Southern Liang soldiers so ignorant that you don't even recognize His Highness Prince An of Great Zhou?"

King An of Zhou!

Upon hearing these four words, the Southern Liang soldiers' expressions changed drastically. The man on horseback, exuding nobility and possessing unparalleled handsomeness, was none other than Zhu Yu, the Prince of Zhou, who had routed the 300,000 iron cavalry of Northern Qi and beheaded the Crown Prince of Northern Qi!

The people of the Great Zhou called him "the number one demon king of Shengjing," but they preferred to call him "the god of slaughter"!

One of the Southern Liang soldiers said to another, "Quickly, go and summon the General. He knows the Prince of Zhou An. The General will know at a glance whether this is him or not."

The soldier immediately ran towards the guardhouse at the back, and a short while later, a burly middle-aged man came out.

The man had a curved knife at his waist. When he saw the person opposite him, he was startled. Five years ago, he accompanied the Crown Prince on a diplomatic mission to the Great Zhou Dynasty. He had intended to show off his power and give the people of the Great Zhou a hard time, but instead, he was humiliated by this Prince An.