Yuan Xi disappeared, like a stone thrown into the sea, without a trace.

That day, the two secret guards waited outside the prime minister's residence for a long time, and only realized something was wrong when it got dark. When they asked the prime minister's housekeeper, they learned that the young lady had already left, but no one knew where she left.

When Xiao Du heard the news, he had been waiting at the gate of the mansion for several hours. The secret guards knelt down with a guilty look on their faces, but Xiao Du just stood there with his hands behind his back, looking into the distance, his face showing no sadness or joy. The bloody fading sun made his figure look particularly lonely.

Then, he turned around and walked back into the house, taking out all the things Yuan Xi left behind and carefully examining them, trying to find out what she left for him, even if it was just a piece of paper or a word. But he found nothing. It turned out that when a person is determined to disappear, she will not leave even the slightest trace, because she is afraid that any words will become a hindrance, and then grow into sharp sand in the years, which will hurt her bloody if touched.

He frowned and looked through all the things in the room. He began to feel a little anxious. Suddenly he remembered that during the time when Yuan Xi was in a daze, one day she suddenly sat up on the bed, held his hand and said, "Adu, we can't let them succeed. Our lives can't be controlled by them."

He suddenly understood that she was using her departure as a protest. If her fate was already determined, at least she could buy him hope. But how could a young lady who had been raised in a deep concubine for more than ten years leave alone and resolutely, taking nothing with her and leaving nothing behind? How could she survive? Would she be cold, hungry, or feel like she was in the eternal night like him?

Xiao Du reached out his hands and touched everything in front of him. That emerald-patterned outer gown was the one she had worn yesterday. He had personally pinned this double-pearl hairpin on her head. And the delicate yellow flower outside the window had already sprouted branches and would soon be in full bloom, but the man beneath the flower would never come back.

He sat there with a lot of memories for a long time, until the darkness completely drowned him, and then he fell asleep with his head resting on her clothes. After an unknown amount of time, he seemed to hear her calling him, so he woke up suddenly and rushed out, but outside the door was only the undulating roof, the dusk was dim, and the night wind swept in from all directions. Finally, he was the only one left between heaven and earth.

Perhaps this was her purpose. He still had a long journey ahead of him, and he could not afford to be weak or fail. From now on, he had no way to retreat, no worries, and could only rush forward with all his might, and would not stop until he had fought.

But without you, what would all this mean?

It is May, the birthday of the present emperor. On Zhongshan Mountain in the suburbs of Beijing, the pines are vigorous and the leeks are lush and green. The red flowers of early summer are floating all over the sky and flowing into the streams in the forest. A wild deer is drinking water by the clear stream. Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses and the barking of hunting dogs come from afar. It stares with fear, then raises its hooves and runs and jumps forward quickly.

A group of people and horses came out from behind. The leader was dressed in black and looked very imposing. The mountain wind blew his black hair up. He saw that the deer was about to rush into the forest, so he quickly drew his bow and arrow, pulled the bow to the full and shot. The arrow broke through the sky and hit the deer's throat. The man quickly reined in his horse and leaned over to take a closer look. He saw that the deer, which was still vigorous just now, had already died. Many people dressed as guards immediately surrounded him and praised him, saying, "Your Majesty is a god-like archer. We can't even compare to you."

Zhao Yan just smiled faintly. How could he not know that these people deliberately did not try their best just to let him hit the prey? Thinking of this, he lost interest and was too lazy to even take a look at the trophy on the ground.

One of them saw his expression and quickly complimented him, "I heard that Your Majesty once hunted a tiger in this mountain. It is said that the tiger was nearly twice as big as an ordinary tiger and was born with supernatural power. It can be called the king of tigers. Your Majesty can even capture the tiger king, so naturally you don't care about these ordinary little things."

Zhao Yan's expression became more and more gloomy, which made the people around him feel uneasy. He suddenly pulled the reins and sped forward, saying, "I'm going to go up the mountain again, you are not allowed to follow me." The horse he was riding was a divine horse from the Western Regions. The others were somewhat confused about the emperor's intention and did not dare to follow too closely, so they were gradually left further and further behind by him.

Zhao Yan rode all the way to the top of the mountain, finally dismounted and looked down the mountain. He saw clouds and mist in front of him, and the peaks were faintly visible. He squinted his eyes slightly, as if through the thick mist, he saw two young men, one black and one white, riding side by side from the foot of the mountain more than ten years ago. Their faces were full of frivolity and indulging, as if the whole world was at their feet and there was nothing worth their fear.

That day was his fourteenth birthday, and it was also the day when his father officially named him the crown prince. He still remembered how Chong Jiang smiled with great ambition and said to him, "I heard that there is a tiger king on Zhongshan Mountain in the suburbs. Ming Cheng, just wait. I will definitely peel off his tiger skin as a gift for you." Xiao Du entered the palace to study with him when he was ten years old. The two were of similar age and had similar interests. They went in and out together every day, and their relationship was as deep as that of real brothers. So he never called him His Highness, but always called him by his name, and he was happy to accept this unique closeness.

But the plan that day was disrupted. The tiger was bigger than they had imagined, and even after being shot by several arrows, it could still pounce on him fiercely. When the sharp claws almost tore his throat, he felt fear for the first time, and secretly blamed them for being too reckless to sneak up the mountain without any followers.

But the claw didn't fall on him. At the critical moment, Xiao Du rushed over and blocked the fatal blow with his back. Then he showed a smug smile on his face and cut the tiger's throat with the dagger hidden in his sleeve.

The smelly blood sprayed all over their bodies, and the tiger king fell backwards like a mountain of flesh. Zhao Yan would always remember that Chongjiang's back was cut with a deep cut that exposed the bone, but he was smiling very happily. He endured the severe pain in his back, simply treated the wound, and cut off the tiger skin in one piece with a dagger. Then he knelt down and said half-seriously: "I am giving you this tiger skin as a congratulations, and I wish Your Highness to succeed in your great cause soon. One day when you rule the world, I will protect this country for you."

He looked at his eyes shining in the morning light, and the vast mountains and rivers behind him, and his heart was filled with pride. So he also straightened his face and chest, and solemnly put the tiger skin back in his hand and said, "Okay, one day I will be the emperor and you will be the general, and we will protect this world together."

Then they both burst out laughing and started to playfully fight. At that time, they still didn't understand how strange and unpredictable the road to the top was. Those sincerity and warmth were drowned in the dusty years and could never be found again.

At this moment, there was a rustling sound suddenly coming from the woods beside him, which suddenly dragged Zhao Yan out of his memories. He frowned, and before he could call the guards to come forward, a long arrow "whoosh" passed by him, and then, that familiar figure seemed to penetrate his memory and walked towards him.

Zhao Yan suddenly felt uneasy. The silver bow in Xiao Du's hand made his pupils shrink. At this time, the guards heard something strange and quickly surrounded him. Xiao Du looked at them with disdain, and raised the corner of his lips in a mocking tone, saying, "Your Majesty, are you afraid of me today?"

Zhao Yan finally regained his composure, raised his hand to stop the others from coming forward, and said with a smile, "Everyone, get out of here! You don't even recognize the great Marquis Xuanyuan? He is an old friend of mine, how could he possibly harm me?"

The others looked at each other, and then they saw clearly that at Zhao Yan's feet lay the corpse of a poisonous snake, nailed firmly by the long arrow not far from his feet.