After vomiting, Gan Qiongying leaned against the wall and cried terribly. She felt as if she had been torn apart, half of her body was filled with fear and rejection, and the other half with helplessness and confusion in her soul.

She was deeply influenced by Princess Duanrong, by the memories of being dragged to her death, the inescapable fate, and the fear of watching the fire completely engulf the underground palace where Ganlin was.

She couldn't help but be afraid, afraid of the bloodthirsty emperor who returned to seek revenge in this book of the world.

However, her soul and her consciousness could not connect Li Hua with that terrifying existence at all. Even though she saw it with her own eyes, she was afraid and apprehensive, yet she still wanted to get close to it.

Love, like hate, is one of the most intense emotions in the world.

Duanrong's hatred for the male protagonist, a hatred so intense she was willing to sacrifice herself, and Gan Qiongying's love for Lihua, a love that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, were all intertwined, like a giant knife cutting across her nose from the top of her head, splitting her whole body in two.

She desperately wanted to rush in and find Li Hua, even if it meant risking everything. If she really entrusted herself to the wrong person, well, she had been picked up along the way, and she had faced death before, so what was there to be afraid of?

However, Gan Qiongying took only two steps before stopping.

Of course she was afraid. She wasn't afraid of Li Hua's cruel killing, nor was she afraid of his long-standing deception, his act of playing the innocent, pure white flower in front of her. She could argue with Li Hua over such deception, have a hysterical outburst, and make him give up everything to go with her; what she feared was that Li Hua would ultimately walk that path, that path of absolute power over life and death, of being the protagonist who manipulates everyone else.

What she feared was that Li Hua had no idea what she was doing and couldn't control the plot's direction; what she feared was that Li Hua was also a puppet of this world's plot; what she feared was that Princess Duanrong, who was willing to sacrifice her body and summon evil spirits to save Gan Lin and break this deadly trap, was watching her not far away.

She obtained Duanrong's sacrificial body, the family she loved with her life, and took her identity to live a second life. She also promised Duanrong that she would protect her family. How could she hand over the initiative to someone else for her own selfish feelings and for a man she only realized she didn't understand and couldn't predict?

She can gamble, but she can't gamble with Gan Lin.

Gan Lin drank the poison with a smile for her, and even if it weren't for Duan Rong, Gan Qiongying couldn't put him in danger.

By a twist of fate, the deadly trap has been broken, and everything is ready... She will soon be able to take Gan Lin and fly away, escaping this cannibalistic imperial city.

Having planned for so long, if she were to gamble everything on a man's love at this moment, she would have lived in vain.

Gan Qiongying stood stiffly beside the wall. The alley was so dark that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face, just like the road ahead that she couldn't see clearly. She couldn't turn back.

Gan Qiongying pressed her stomach, which was still churning, but since there was nothing left inside, she had vomited it all out, so all she could do was feel a futile ache.

The night wind, like a pair of hands that were both gentle and incredibly cold, wiped away and dried all the tears on Gan Qiongying's face.

She finally straightened up slowly, and supporting herself against the wall, she walked step by step toward the alley entrance, in the opposite direction from the Jin Chuan hostage residence.

With each step she took, it felt as if she were leaving behind the sweet moments she had shared with Li Hua. But she was resolute, until, with her subordinates following and watching, she slowly straightened her back and walked out of the alley, leaning against the wall.

The moment the dim red light of the lanterns, swaying in the night breeze, illuminated Gan Qiongying, she felt as if she had been through a near-death experience. Until her body was completely shrouded in a hazy light, she had severed all her hesitation. With her back straight as a pine tree, she slightly raised her hand and said to Yingyi, "Send me back to the manor!"

Yingyi stepped forward to help Gan Qiongying up, and quickly helped her onto the horse. The horse disappeared swiftly at the alley entrance where the lone lamp flickered. No matter how the desolate winter wind blew futilely against the tree branches, it couldn't bring down a single withered leaf.

Gan Qiongying returned to the princess's residence as quickly as possible, and promptly sent out the letters she had written earlier. Then she gave Yingyi the token for leaving the palace that she had prepared in advance, and let Yingyi lead the people she had prepared to follow the route out of the city.

He sent two more shadow guards to the palace to meet Gan Lin, while he himself sketched out the map that he had long ago engraved in his mind, preparing to choose a foolproof way to evacuate.

It had to be fast and unexpected, but what was giving Gan Qiongying a major headache was that she had already told Li Hua all the routes and arrangements because she completely trusted him.

Gan Qiongying made a sharp mark on the optimal route she had prepared long ago, staining half of the white paper with ink. She bit her lip, her breathing becoming increasingly rapid.

She had to leave before Li Hua returned, and she also had to make it impossible for him to catch up with her, or rather, impossible for him to find her.

Gan Qiongying scratched her head, and instead of looking at the map, she quickly wrote a letter.

She wrote two letters. One told Li Hua that something had happened to Gan Lin, that she was going to the palace tonight and didn't know how many days it would take her to return, and asked him to wait patiently and not to worry.

Then she wrote another letter, which she placed in the account book that Li Hua often looked through.

Afterwards, Gan Qiongying asked Manyue to pack her things and make the room look like she had left in a hurry, hoping to deceive Lihua for a while.

Then she led everyone from the princess's residence away. The carriage sped along the street and stopped in front of the Grand Princess Huian. Gan Qiongying didn't say anything, but Manyue covered her mouth and cried uncontrollably.

Gan Qiongying scribbled and drew on paper the whole way, and no one but herself could understand that it was a map of Nanzhao that she had engraved in her mind.

She had to find a path for herself and Gan Lin that even Li Hua didn't know, a path that even Li Hua, the male protagonist who replaced Zhong Li as the hostage of Jinchuan and held military power, could never have imagined or caught up with.

Along the way, Gan Qiongying didn't have time to comfort Manyue. When she heard Manyue's cries of pain, which were suppressed under her palm, she stopped writing and looked at Manyue with eyes full of sorrow.

“Grand Princess Huian can protect you. I have already spoken to the Grand Princess. Whether you want to marry or stay by Grand Princess Huian’s side is up to you.”

“The path I’m about to take is a one-way street. I’m no longer a princess,” Gan Qiongying said. “You can’t follow me.”

“Princess!” Man Yue’s voice was filled with sorrow.

Gan Qiongying understood her well and knew that simply pushing her away wouldn't work; she had to make sure she wouldn't dare to follow.

The uncertainty of her fate did not deter Manyue, but Gan Qiongying knew that Manyue was afraid of being a burden to her.

So Gan Qiongying said, "You can't follow me, because you'll be a burden to me."

"You know your fancy but ineffective skills can't protect me. If we encounter pursuers, will my men protect me or you?"

Manyue was stunned by what Gan Qiongying said, tears welling up in her eyes, then rolling down in large drops a moment later. She tightly covered her mouth, not wanting to reveal any pleading or crying.

Finally, Manyue stiffly stepped down from the carriage. Gan Qiongying was afraid that if she softened her heart, she would really take Manyue away, which would be harming her. So even though her nose was sore and her eyes were filled with tears, Gan Qiongying did not get out of the carriage and did not look at Manyue again.

Full Moon quickly entered the residence of Princess Hui'an, and Gan Qiongying's carriage continued to move forward.

The shadow guards around her came and went like the wind, serving as Gan Qiongying's most capable and reliable messengers.

Yingyi soon found Gan Qiongying's carriage and returned to report that Gan Lin was already at the palace gate and would soon be able to meet her.