Meng Yuxiu and Xu Yuandao first met twelve years ago when the internal strife in Yun Kingdom had just been quelled. Meng Yuxiu was ordered to go to the border to repel the barbarians who were attacking fiercely, and that's how they became acquainted.

"Could he be..." Chang Lili exclaimed in surprise, "...he's from Da Shun..."

Meng Yuxiu tapped her on the head and said, "What are you thinking? A great fire broke out in the Da Shun palace, and almost all the members of the Da Shun royal family died inside, upholding their integrity to the death. The rest were all collateral relatives, and Xu Yuandao was just a refugee who went north."

After the fall of the Great Shun Dynasty, many of its loyal subjects refused to remain under the rule of the Yun Kingdom and spontaneously went to the desolate northern lands to remain loyal to the Great Shun.

The Xu family was one of them.

Chang Lili nodded thoughtfully.

Listening to Meng Yuxiu recount that chaotic period of history, it felt so distant, yet it was only about ten years ago.

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye; it seems that everything has changed and everything has been taken away.

The dead are now just skeletons, and the living will forget them. But where are those who went to keep vigil for the Great Shun Dynasty? Do they still remember their former dynasty?

Chang Lili felt a pang of sadness for no apparent reason. She shook her head, banishing those inappropriate thoughts, and asked, "Then how did they end up here?"

"I met him in Duanzhou. At that time, there were refugees everywhere, and people were in a state of panic. Where there is panic, there are riots. The Xu family were all scholars, and their clothing was different from that of ordinary refugees, so they were targeted by people with ulterior motives."

The Xu family was robbed on the way to Duanzhou. Xu Yuandao was only thirteen or fourteen years old at the time. He witnessed his relatives being humiliated and picked up a broken scimitar, intending to die with the mob.

Meng Yuxiu happened to be passing by and rescued the family.

"Then what?"

"Then, because his father died and his mother was injured, I had them taken to Duanzhou for resettlement."

Meng Yuxiu never imagined that his unintentional action would later save his life.

As they were talking, he and Chang Lili arrived at the inn. The crowd below had thinned out, and Chang Lili realized that it was already quite late. She and Xu Yuandao had spent three hours on the small boat.

Meng Yuxiu thought that they had traveled for so long, so he told Chang Lili to get some rest.

The two returned to their room. Chang Lili stretched and lay on the bed, only then realizing how tired she was from traveling all day. She hugged the blanket and didn't want to get up.

Meng Yuxiu stood at the head of the bed, watching the person acting coquettishly, a fleeting smile in his eyes.

He was quite surprised that Chang Lili could accompany him for so long and even go for a walk with him, without complaining of being tired at all.

Having probably suffered a lot in the past, Chang Lili had almost none of the usual feminine gentleness. As she herself said, she was no less than a man.

Meng Yuxiu didn't force her. He personally fetched hot water and wrung out a towel to wipe Chang Lili's face.

Chang Lili was initially quite embarrassed, but she was too lazy to move, so she lay on the bed with her eyes open, staring at Meng Yuxiu.

Meng Yuxiu wrapped a hot towel around her face. Seeing her focused gaze, his heart stirred. He covered her dark, bright eyes with the towel and lowered his head to kiss her soft, rosy lips.

Chang Lili felt something warm in front of her eyes, and then her lips touched something even hotter. She moved her fingers and wrapped her slender arms around Meng Yuxiu's neck.

When their lips parted, Chang Lili's eyes seemed to be warmed up, and the corners of her eyes turned a little red.

Meng Yuxiu threw the towel into the basin of water, then held Chang Lili's leg and took off her boots.

Chang Lili was really embarrassed and quickly said, "I can do it myself, I can do it myself."

She should take off her shoes and wash her feet herself, lest Meng Yuxiu think she's lazy and doesn't like to tidy up.

After soaking her feet in a warm bath, Chang Lili was still full of energy when they lay down in bed together.

Lying in Meng Yuxiu's arms, she continued to ask, "Go on, you haven't told him how he saved you."

"So interested in him?"

"Half and half." Chang Lili grabbed his arm. "Tell me, how did he save you?"

Meng Yuxiu suddenly rolled over and pinned Chang Lili down, his strong masculine scent enveloping her, filled with aggression and oppression: "Chang Lili, you're lying on my bed saying you're interested in another man, are you looking for death?"

Chang Lili swallowed hard: "Stop spouting nonsense. You were the one who was supposed to talk, but now you're stopping halfway through."

Meng Yuxiu said, "Where can you find a story that can be told all at once? Isn't this giving you a free ride? Are you going to sleep or not? If not, we'll do something else."

As he spoke, he placed his hand on the small buttons on her clothes.

Chang Lili quickly covered her chest and closed her eyes: "Sleep, I'm going to sleep."

Meng Yuxiu smiled almost imperceptibly, pulled Chang Lili into his arms, kissed her forehead, and closed his eyes as well.

After sinking into the deep sea of ​​sleep, a familiar dream slowly unfolds.

Armored in silver with a long spear, his eyes gleamed with sharp, piercing light.

That was Meng Yuxiu at the age of eighteen.

Eighteen-year-old Meng Yuxiu led 50,000 soldiers northwards and rescued the down-on-their-luck Xu family members along the way.

Xu Yuandao, who had just been rescued, hugged his battered father and wept bitterly.

Meng Yuxiu lost both his parents at a young age, and at that time he was not yet a war god who was used to killing and whose heart was as firm as a rock. He felt pity for the children on the roadside.

"Someone, find a carriage and have the accompanying military doctor treat them."

The lieutenant hesitated.

The suppressed mob seized the opportunity to shout, "They are rebels from the previous dynasty! General, are you going to save people like them too?"

Rebels?

Meng Yuxiu wanted to laugh when he heard those words.

He had long been unaware of the concept of a rebel party.

"Take them into the car and return what you stole to them."

After taking the Xu family with him, he instructed the military doctor to take good care of them and then left them alone. When they parted in Duanzhou, the young man who had cried bitterly when he was desperate came to find them. He washed the dirt off his face and looked very clean and refined: "General Meng, I am Xu Yuandao. I have brought my grandfather here to thank you for saving my life."

Which Xu family?

"Xu Baien, Grand Tutor of the Capital".