On the ancient road through the dense forest, the rumbling of wooden wheels slowly approached as an unassuming horse-drawn carriage slowly passed by.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the exterior of this simple, maroon carriage is made of the most sturdy iron, and the lattice windows are covered by a sky-blue crepe curtain.
Following behind the vehicle was a squad of well-equipped, black-clad armored soldiers.
Inside the carriage, a gilded incense burner held a stick of sandalwood incense.
Tianyun had a warm, cloud-patterned, gold-threaded pillow behind her back, which pinched her slender waist so that it slumped against the pillow. Her delicate fingers wandered over a pile of rare objects in front of her, and a layer of warmth inevitably appeared in her eyes.
These are the novelties His Highness found for her on the day she arrived in Xihai City, after scouring Swallowtail Street.
She was in high spirits when she took out a pair of twin moonstone bracelets with inlaid patterns and slipped them onto her smooth, creamy wrists to admire them.
"Is it pretty?" Tianyun asked with a gentle smile.
"nice!"
The exquisite bracelet on the girl's wrist was so bright and clear that it was impossible to tell which one was whiter.
Shi Que immediately chimed in obsequiously, while also feeling quite envious. She had lived a very rough life, no different from those sweaty, smelly men.
She had never understood why the girl went through such a complicated process every day, spending half an hour just applying creams and lotions, with those jars of ointments and medicines piled up all over her dressing table. Now she finally understood—so that's what they were for?
But if we were to make her live like a young woman, so meticulously, it would be better to just kill her!
Tianyun had no idea what Shi Que was thinking. She shook her hand slightly, and the sister bracelets clashed together, making a clear and melodious tinkling sound.
After playing for a while, Tianyun's gaze searched through the small pile of toys again, as if she had spotted something that suited her taste, and her eyes lit up.
She actually saw a jade hairpin that resembled Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade!
The blade is carved from rare Hetian white jade, and the handle is also made of pure silver, serving as the hairpin. The hairpin has a simple design but uses extremely high-quality materials, and it exudes the heroic and valiant spirit of a female knight-errant.
Tianyun was absolutely delighted with it and happily asked Shique to put it in her hair.
The gifts His Highness gives always suit her taste.
These past two days of wind and sun have left my lips dry. Tianyun touched up her lip rouge and chuckled, "Pick two things you like, and put the rest away. We shouldn't flaunt our wealth; we don't want to attract thieves."
These items, though not priceless, are rare treasures. The girl said she could choose whatever she wanted, so how could Shi Que dare to accept them?
She was flattered and overwhelmed, but she couldn't accept such a favor without having done so, so she quickly waved her hand and said, "This servant cannot accept it!"
Throughout the trip to the border, she only caused trouble. Thankfully, the young lady didn't find her repulsive and was willing to take her along…
Shi Que was already satisfied and dared not ask for any more rewards.
Tianyun pursed her lips, her lips slightly parted, and her almond-shaped eyes, shimmering with moisture, were half-closed. Upon hearing this, she said reproachfully, "You don't need to be so formal with me. These are all material possessions. If I give them to you, you can keep them for yourself in the future."
These words truly reflect his own concern.
What makes her so worthy of serving such a good girl?
Shi Que suddenly felt a stinging sensation in her nose, and nodded, choking back tears, "Thank you, young lady!"
Tianyun found it amusing. This silly girl, she was willing to risk her life for him that day, so loyal and righteous, and she still thought he was a burden...
Tianyun's injuries had not yet healed, so the group did not travel very fast.
They hurried along and finally arrived at Wuwang City on the sixth day.
In these six days, Xiao Ziwu successfully captured Wuwang City, and the lost territories of the three continents were all recovered in just twenty days.
But for some reason, Tianyun felt a sense of unease. Was everything going too smoothly?
※※※※
The city of Wuwang was in complete disarray. The mud walls bore the scorch marks of war, and stray arrows and mangled bodies littered the ground. The overwhelming stench of blood was so strong it was almost nauseating.
This must have been the site of a fierce and arduous battle!
Tianyun couldn't bear to watch any longer. With trembling fingertips, she slowly lowered the carriage curtain. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have known how cruel war could be.
Shi Que called out with heartache, "Miss..."
He took a warm white cloth and wiped her face clean.
Tianyun finally felt a little better, but he was even more worried about whether His Highness was injured.
She urged anxiously, "Driver, go faster!"
※※※※
Yang Yong had a cut on his arm and was also stabbed under his armpit.
When Tianyun saw him, he was comically raising his right hand and ordering his soldiers to carry all the wounded into the inner room.
The wound under his armpit hurt at the slightest touch, so Yang Yong could only helplessly maintain this posture. Tian Yun felt heavy-hearted and didn't find it funny at all. But Yang Yong, the injured person, immediately grinned from ear to ear as soon as he saw Tian Yun.
He stiffly turned around, his hand still raised high, and said, "Miss Shangguan, you've finally arrived!"
It sounds like they're eagerly anticipating her arrival.
Tianyun was puzzled and asked in bewilderment, "Vice General Yang seems to be waiting for me?"
Yang Yong grinned, "That's right! We've been waiting for the girls to arrive..." Before he could finish speaking, his expression changed drastically, and he said fiercely, "Detain them and lock them in the woodshed!"
Tianyun's face turned deathly pale; his ominous premonition had come true.
As soon as Shi Que realized something was wrong, she drew her long sword from her waist and stood in front of Tian Yun, gritting her teeth.
But it was all in vain. His hands were quickly bound and he was roughly pressed to the ground.
Shi Que's head was pressed down hard, and the coarse sand sank deep into her face, leaving countless small bumps.
Tianyun's watery eyes flickered slightly, and her usually gentle voice sounded as if it were covered with icy shards, "What does Vice General Yang mean by this? I want to see His Highness!"
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