*

The journey to exile was incredibly boring; every day was spent trudging along with nothing but dread.

They set off around 3:45 AM and rested for an hour around noon.

They continued their journey at 1-3 PM and did not stop to rest and spend the night until after sunset at 5-7 PM.

Of course, Nan Qing and the others are already considered to be in a very good situation.

After nearly ten days of this tedious and arduous exile, Nanqing finally boarded the carriage.

By this time, they were already hundreds of miles away from the capital, and the people that Emperor Yan and Chief Minister Zhou had placed in the escort team had also been taken into custody by Jun Beichen.

Besides the general's mansion which was provided with a horse-drawn carriage and a donkey cart, the other mansions implicated by him were provided with two donkey-drawn carts, both openly and secretly.

This arrangement, while making the entire exile procession look somewhat strange, wasn't too outrageous.

The other people who were exiled to Lingnan with them all thought that they had paid for the carts and other supplies in the cities they passed through.

Therefore, the extremely arduous road to exile was transformed in Nanqing as well.

Not only did they have carriages to ride in while traveling, but they also stayed in the best rooms when they came to a post station.

Nan Qing remained completely unrejected, even reassuring Mr. and Mrs. Shi that everything was fine.

Since they are the same person, and have been together for so many lifetimes, what's wrong with me eating and drinking his food?

It's perfectly reasonable for him to take care of himself, isn't it?

Even when she and Jun Beichen were alone in the carriage, she stopped hiding and simply waved her hand, taking out many things she had taken from the palace.

Holding a small silver fork and a serving of chilled watermelon cut into small pieces, she pointed to the fruit and pastries on the table, glanced at Jun Beichen, and said:

"Eat up, it's from your old man's place. Even though the palace wasn't great, the food still tastes pretty good."

Crab roe pastry, honey-glazed lotus root, crystal shrimp dumplings, Longjing tea pastry...

Looking at the few special imperial pastries on the table, and the words "Imperial Servant" engraved on the jade plate on which the pastries were served, Bei Chen's pupils instantly contracted. He suddenly looked up at Nan Qing, who was sitting opposite him eating watermelon.

For some reason, he suddenly felt a little panicked.

Jun Beichen suddenly leaned forward, and at the same time grabbed Nan Qing's wrist, which was holding the silver fork, and pulled her closer to him.

"Qingqing, you... won't leave me, right??"

His eyes were fixed on Nan Qing's beautiful eyes, and his tone was no longer as indifferent as before.

If you listen carefully, you can even hear that his voice is trembling, and his narrow eyes are full of unease.

Jun Beichen's sudden movement caused the watermelon that Nan Qing had just skewered to fall onto the table. She looked down at the juicy red watermelon, then looked up at Jun Beichen across from her.

In this serious and tense atmosphere, she rolled her eyes at Jun Beichen in a rather ungraceful manner.

This guy has been chasing her for four small worlds, where can she run to? Where can she go after leaving?

Go to the next small world? Who knows if he'll follow us.

Besides, why did she run away?

Did she think that the dignified Nebula Goddess was afraid of him?

She was really curious to see who this little rascal following her around was!

So Nan Qing tugged at her right hand, which he was holding, slumped her shoulders, and said helplessly:

"Hey, Jun Jingyuan, Jun Beichen! Let go! You knocked my watermelon off!!"

But Jun Beichen opposite her still had the same expression. His already pale and sickly face became even paler, and his thin lips were pressed tightly together. His eyes were fixed on Nan Qing's eyes.

Seeing his stubborn expression, Nan Qing could only continue speaking:

"If I don't leave, I'm right here. Where else can I go?"

"Alright, I'm not kidding you, I'm really not leaving. I just have a little secret weapon that can hold things. I knew your dad was going to raid my house, so before I left, I went to the palace to cause a ruckus and grabbed a few little things along the way."

Nan Qing didn't know if Jun Beichen believed her or not, but after she said those words, he released her wrist.

At the same time, he returned to his previous calm, reserved, and untainted demeanor.

But she didn't notice that a dark glint had appeared in Jun Beichen's indifferent eyes.

Those eyes were as black as ink, with a hint of evil in their gloom.

Even with Nan Qing's assurance, the unease in his heart still did not dissipate.

Something that suddenly disappeared, lightning that struck in broad daylight.

Is his beloved really only Shi Nanqing?

With such extraordinary abilities, does that mean that if she ever wanted to leave, he would be completely powerless to stop her...?

However, he kept all these doubts and anxieties hidden in his heart, not revealing a single word.

He picked up the teapot beside him, poured Nanqing a cup of tea, and gently told her to eat slowly.

Just as the atmosphere inside the carriage was gradually returning to its previous state, a sudden commotion arose outside, including the clanging of swords.

Jun Beichen's eyes sharpened, and he quickly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain.

They saw that they were surrounded by hundreds of bandits, who were fighting fiercely with the escorting officers.

There were just too many attackers, and people kept dying under their swords. They seemed to be looking for someone, killing anyone they saw with a single blow.

In the distance, a group of people were even shooting arrows at them from afar, the sound of arrows piercing the air was incessant, and several stray arrows had already embedded themselves in their carriage, their fletchings still trembling slightly.

Having assessed the situation outside, Nan Qing waved her hand and retrieved her sword "Frostflower" from her spatial storage. At the same time, she pressed down on Jun Beichen, who was trying to get up, and said:

"Stay in the car and don't move!"

"I'm going down to check on my parents. You stay here and don't get off the carriage!"

Although he was a chosen one, he was also a sickly chosen one!

It's so chaotic down there, what if someone gets hurt and dies?

It has to be said that Jun Beichen's sickly image has deeply resonated with her.

She hadn't considered at all that if he was a chosen one, why was he so sickly and weak...?

How could such a weak chosen one of destiny so quickly overthrow the entire corrupt dynasty just a few months later?

Jun Beichen grabbed her wrist with his other hand, and was about to say something when Nan Qing stopped him again.

"Listen to me!! I told you not to get off the carriage, so don't get off. I'll protect you!"

When Nanqing said this, she looked down at him with a proud expression, her fair chin held high, as if she were completely content with her position.

Looking at Nan Qing like this, Jun Beichen felt a stirring in his heart. He stopped himself from saying what he was about to say, squeezed her wrist, and whispered:

"Then you must protect me, Qingqing... and remember not to get hurt yourself, I'll worry."

Jun Beichen spoke very softly, his voice drawn out, and he looked at her with great vulnerability, as if he was truly afraid and only Nan Qing in front of him could give him a sense of security.

If Qingbai and Qingying were there, they'd be furious. I don't know who it was, but they were incredibly fierce when they were training them!

But Nan Qing found Jun Beichen's demeanor exceptionally pleasing, even patting her own ample chest and softening her voice as she spoke:

"Don't worry, I'm here. Remember, don't get off the carriage. I won't let them near this area."

After saying this, Nan Qing quickly broke free from Jun Beichen's grasp, sword in her right hand, and leaped out of the carriage...