"You..." Qingchen was taken aback. "But you are the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. How can you leave the capital?"

"I have asked the Emperor for leave," Lu Shenyun said calmly, sitting on his horse and looking at her.

Qingchen glanced at him on horseback and his simple luggage. "Has the Emperor agreed?"

" Um."

After being flatly refused by Song Yue when he tried to get his favor back, Lu Shenyun used his embroidered spring knife to cut open the existing wound on his arm again. The wound inflicted by the White Lotus Sect members had already healed halfway, but this time he personally reopened it. And this time, he cut it even harder and deeper.

He did this so that he could ask Zhu Rui for leave. When Zhu Rui saw the blood dripping from his arm onto the clean and bright floor of the Qianqing Palace, he immediately agreed and told him to get some rest.

When he rushed to catch up with Qingchen, he forcefully pulled on the reins, reopening his wound. But he couldn't care less. To him, catching up with her and taking her to Yunnan already filled him with joy and excitement. However, as someone who habitually hid his feelings, his face remained indifferent.

Qingchen looked at Lu Shenyun. In the morning mist, he was dressed in black, his long legs on the stirrups, his hands holding the reins, his back straight. At first glance, he looked like a chivalrous knight who had come at dawn, unexpectedly met her on the unknown road ahead, and was determined to escort her to Yunnan.

This made Qingchen's heart swell and ache. Amidst the reluctance of parting and the disappointment of missing out on certain people, she never expected to receive his care in the last moment before parting.

After a moment of silence, she smiled and said, "Even a thousand miles of farewell must come to an end. I am going to take up a post in Yunnan. If you see me off, who will see you back? It's better not to see me off."

Lu Shenyun insisted, "It's not just about seeing you off. Along the way, I'll also be investigating the White Lotus Sect's whereabouts."

With so many Imperial Guards, why would the Commander himself have to personally investigate the White Lotus Sect, a task that requires such a great deal of effort? She understood his intentions.

"Alright then." Qingchen smiled slightly at him. "Have you had breakfast?"

Lu Shenyun had asked for leave early in the morning and then chased after her, not having had breakfast yet. When Qingchen asked him this, he honestly shook his head.

Qingchen waved to him, "I made steamed buns, come over here and eat in the car first."

He nodded, dismounted, tied the horse to a tree nearby, and then got into the carriage. Qingchen took a steamed bun from her bundle, peeled off the paper from the bottom, and handed it to him, "Eat up, it's still warm. I just made it this morning."

"Thank you," Lu Shenyun replied, taking the steamed bun and stuffing it into his mouth.

He was a military general who never cared about being refined. At this moment, he sat with an imposing air, eating his steamed bun with great relish, as if it were some kind of delicacy.

Qingchen smiled and asked, "Is it delicious?"

His mouth was stuffed full, and all he could do was nod.

Qingchen took out her own water bag and handed it to him, saying, "Don't choke, drink some water."

Lu Shenyun paused for a moment, then silently took the water bag. After finishing the steamed bun in his hand, he pulled out the stopper and took a sip.

The water flowed down my throat, cool and slightly sweet.

He wiped the remaining water droplets from the corner of his mouth and then handed the water bag back to her.

"Not drinking anymore? Are you feeling better? Would you like another one?"

He shook his head. "I'm full."

The carriage was cramped, and the three of them were quite crowded. Old Shen reached out and touched his shoulder. Lu Shenyun turned to look at him and straightened his coat, which had slipped down behind him. "What would you like, sir?"

“He doesn’t want anything,” Qingchen said. “He probably knows he’s leaving and is a little reluctant to go. He was excited to see you off.”

Older people are often nostalgic and afraid of parting and loneliness. Although her father suffered from hysteria and was not mentally clear, there were still some blurred areas in his emotional life. Watching Qingchen pack her luggage and say goodbye to the neighbors, the old man vaguely knew something. When he woke up this morning, his reaction was also somewhat different from usual; he stared blankly out the window for a long time.

Lu Shenyun nodded, then took his hand. "Don't be afraid, old man. I will get you safely to Yunnan."

Qingchen slightly curled the corners of her lips, "Are you really going to Yunnan with us?"

He nodded firmly, "I'll go."

Yunnan is so far away, and the leave he took for the round trip wouldn't be enough, but he couldn't care less. He would definitely send her to Yunnan. He was willing to do anything to spend even a little more time with her, even though he would definitely face Emperor Zhu Rui's punishment when he returned to the court, and his self-inflicted cut arm was still throbbing.

After speaking, Lu Shenyun got off the carriage and went to fetch his horse.

The carriage was too cramped for three people, and the bumpy journey would make everyone uncomfortable after a while, so he could only ride his horse alongside her carriage. When they reached the point where they needed to travel by water, they could travel together by boat.

"That's good," Lu Shenyun told himself. "If anything happens, I'll have time to react and protect her."

Before Lu Shenyun suddenly appeared, Qingchen hadn't expected that someone would silently accompany her on such a lonely and long journey. Just thinking about him accompanying her all the way to Yunnan warmed her heart.

She lifted the carriage curtain and looked out at the scenery. A gentle spring breeze was blowing, and the newly sprouted leaves were a tender green, swaying gently in the wind. The sky was already bright, the fog had dissipated, and the rising sun cast a golden glow, making the morning in the capital fresh and bright.

It's like never having experienced winter.

Lu Shenyun rode his horse beside her, his horse maintaining the same pace as the carriage, neither too fast nor too slow, just right. Behind him was a row of trees, their lush greenery making his figure appear agile and magnificent, his profile almost perfect.

Qingchen suddenly remembered the saying about the four most handsome men in the imperial court, and realized that many girls were infatuated with him. So that's how it is.

Lu Shenyun felt the gaze directed at him from inside the carriage, turned his head to look at her and asked, "Let's lower the curtain, it's cold."

Qingchen shook her head at him, "I'm not cold. Let's just talk like this."

"Um."

"By the way, how's your wound from last time? Did you feel uncomfortable when you were riding the horse?"

"Much better," Lu Shenyun said. "I don't feel uncomfortable at all."

In fact, the wound was throbbing slightly. When they reached their resting place, he had to treat the wound behind her back, changing the dressing and gauze, all without letting her see it.

"That's good." Qingchen nodded in relief. "The weather is really nice today. Spring has truly arrived."

Lu Shenyun stared at her intently. Suddenly, a branch sprouted from above his head, brushing past his neck and startling him, causing him to involuntarily shrink back. Then, a bird flew out from among the leaves, perched on his head, and flew away in the blink of an eye.

Qingchen couldn't help but smile when he saw this.

Lu Shenyun glanced at the bird, then turned back to look at Qingchen, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face.

"This seems to be the first time I've ever seen you smile," Qingchen said.

Sensitive to the situation, he immediately suppressed his smile. "Is that so?"

“Hmm, don’t accept it, it’s quite nice…” Qingchen blurted out.

"..." Lu Shenyun was at a loss for words. He was a little shy.

He'd received compliments on his appearance before, but he hadn't cared much about them. He always felt his cold and unconventional personality made him unlikable. The more he believed this, the more aloof he appeared. Huang Yu always said he was a moving iceberg, his eyes seeming to pierce through people...

Unexpectedly, Qingchen praised him. So a smile could have such an effect.

They continued on their journey, an unexpected trip with unexpected companions, yet the days stretched out slowly and without haste.

As it was getting dark, the group arrived at the post station.

There were two rooms left at the inn. Qingchen and his father shared one room, and Lu Shenyun shared the other.

After settling in, the three of them had a meal together in the hall. After the meal, Qingchen escorted his father back to his room, and then went to the courtyard to take a walk to digest his food.

Upon entering the courtyard, she saw Lu Shenyun there, feeding his black horse. He was feeding it very carefully, occasionally stroking its mane. Next to his black horse was the horse that pulled her carriage; its manger was already full of hay, which Lu Shenyun had clearly just put in.

His tall and upright figure, standing before the horse, exuded a particularly dashing and robust masculine air. Amidst his busy work, he seemed both strange and familiar. This man was Lu Shenyun from the Zhenfu Division, and also the Lu Shenyun who accompanied her to Yunnan.

Qingchen stood watching for a while, then grabbed a handful of hay, walked over to him, and helped him feed it. "You like it a lot, don't you?"

Lu Shenyun turned his head. "You've come. It's a fine horse."

"Can I touch it?"

He nodded. "It likes people to touch it."

Qingchen reached out and tentatively touched the center of its brow bone. "I've always thought that horses' eyes are especially beautiful, big and bright, gentle and tender."

Just then, the horse beside her saw her reach out and suddenly neighed. Qingchen was startled and didn't notice a stone under the dry grass at her feet. She accidentally kicked it and twisted her ankle. She gasped in pain.

Lu Shenyun was right beside her. Seeing this, he immediately reached out to support her, and Qingchen fell into his arms. In an instant, the two became very close, almost nose to nose, and could feel each other's breath.

The night was peaceful, and the stars twinkled gently in the sky.

Lu Shenyun's heart skipped a beat when the person he liked was suddenly in his arms, but he didn't forget to immediately pick her up and carry her back to the inn, where he placed her on a chair.

Then he knelt down, lifted her ankle, and massaged it with practiced yet gentle movements. "Does it hurt?"

It hurt a little when I twisted it just now, but it's much better now after he rubbed it for a while. Qingchen shook his head, "It doesn't hurt much anymore... Thank you."

Lu Shenyun was still not reassured, so he massaged her for a while longer until Qingchen repeatedly emphasized that she was fine.

She stood up, took a couple of steps, and showed no signs of discomfort. "Look," she said.

Lu Shenyun nodded, but couldn't help thinking that she had injured her foot on only the first day of their trip to Yunnan. She also had a sick father to care for. How difficult it would be for her to travel such a long distance alone if he wasn't by her side.

Fortunately, he was able to stay by her side.

Later, Qingchen went back to her room to rest, and Lu Shenyun also returned to his guest room.

He sat down at the round table, took out gauze and wound medicine from his bundle, and used scissors to cut open the gauze wrapped around the wound. The gauze was completely stained red with blood.

His arm was already injured, and the force he used when he hugged Qingchen had caused the wound to bleed again. Although his arm hurt, he didn't show it, his mind still focused on Qingchen's feet. While massaging her ankles, his arm was actually bleeding, but it was hidden by his black robe.

The next morning.

Lu Shenyun got up and ran into Qingchen outside.

He looked at her. "Did you sleep well last night?"

“Very good,” Qingchen replied. “I’m a little hungry.”

"Wait a moment, I'll have the waiter make something to eat."

Qingchen shook his head. "On my way here yesterday, I saw a steamed bun shop. Could you go there and buy me some steamed buns?"

Lu Shenyun nodded immediately, "Okay, I'll go buy it. Wait for me."

"Mm." Qingchen smiled slightly at him. "Thank you, Lu Shenyun."

The air outside the inn was exceptionally fresh. The bright sunshine today heralded a clear and sunny day.

Lu Shenyun was in a good mood. When he went to fetch his horse, he felt so cheerful that he even wanted to hum a tune. After riding back for a while, Lu Shenyun saw the steamed bun shop that Qingchen had mentioned. He bought some steamed buns of various flavors and asked the shopkeeper to wrap them up tightly, afraid that they would get cold and not taste good. Then he started walking back.

When he returned to the post station to tie up his horse, he suddenly discovered that Qingchen's carriage was gone.

Lu Shenyun's heart skipped a beat. He grabbed the steamed buns and rushed upstairs to the second floor, only to find Qingchen's room empty. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, someone from the inn handed him a letter—it was from Qingchen.

"I'm sorry, I have to go now. Don't see me off, go home. There are three roads ahead leading to Yunnan. You don't know which one I'll take, so you won't be able to catch up with me."

Upon reading the letter, Lu Shenyun felt a pang of anxiety, but he completely ignored Qingchen's advice and mounted his horse to give chase. When he reached the fork in the road, there were three paths before him. He didn't know which one Qingchen had taken, but based on his intuition, he quickly chose one and galloped off.

The wound on my arm has started bleeding again.

At this moment, a carriage slowly drove out from an alley next to the fork in the road; it was Qingchen's.

She hadn't left yet; she waited at the fork in the road until she saw Lu Shenyun choose one of the paths before she took the one he hadn't chosen.

That way, he would never be able to catch up with her again.

"Father, let's go."