Li Hua was fiddling with the prayer beads in his hand when Sweet Horn quickly came out and wrapped a fox fur cloak around Li Hua.
"Young Master, please come back to the tent with me quickly. The change from warm to cold might make you sick!"
When Li Hua was dragged into the tent by Tian Jiao to warm up, Gan Qiongying was in front of the next group, her heart pounding in her throat.
Hearing Li Hua's voice, Gan Qiongying didn't dare to look up at him, because she knew that if she made eye contact with Li Hua, he would recognize her.
Gan Qiongying was jumping so hard her throat felt like it was on fire when the officials suddenly told them to stop.
Leading the way was an old monk from Jishi Temple, who was chubby and looked like a Maitreya Buddha descending from the temple.
With a smile, Sanjiu greeted the officials and patrolled nearby. He glanced at the monks, then quickly looked away and left.
The officials did not make things difficult for the monks; they simply questioned them one by one according to the requirements given from above.
The old monk quickly stepped forward and, with a grin, slipped some loose silver to the officials.
"Please forgive me, sirs! I've come to Yindu to show these youngsters around. Most of my junior brothers practice silent meditation."
The fat monk pointed at Gan Qiongying and Liao Liao standing next to her and said, "Those two eyes are still half blind. Look, they can only walk by being tied together with ropes..."
"Officials, please be lenient."
The officers and soldiers were already impatient. They had been suffering from hunger and cold outside for days, checking people on the way, one group after another. With the end of the year approaching, they had no idea what big things were happening in the palace and the court.
All I know is that the New Year is almost here, but all the merchants in the city have been driven out... Where can I buy New Year's goods this year?
Finally, he encountered someone with a bit of shrewdness who knew to slip him some money. He gave him a slight shake and quickly let him pass.
Gan Qiongying kept her eyes down, holding the rope as she slowly walked alongside the two people.
Gan Qiongying knew perfectly well that Li Hua was right next to her, but she didn't dare to look at him even once.
The bitterness and sorrow in her heart were indescribable, making it almost impossible for Gan Qiong to take a step. Li Hua had come to find her...
Gan Qiongying knew all of this.
But precisely because she knew this, she couldn't expose herself at this time, so Gan Lin followed behind Gan Qiongying.
Gan Qiongying had to first get Gan Lin to a place where no one could find her.
However, even though Gan Qiongying tried her best not to think about Li Hua these days, she couldn't escape the sweet memories of being with Li Hua even in her dreams.
Love is never a one-sided affair; how could she not be heartbroken?
Gan Qiongying had no choice.
She couldn't take even the slightest risk; her life... didn't just carry the weight of her own life and death. It carried the lives of three people: herself, Duanrong, and Ganlin.
Her eyes were red, and the redder they were, the less she dared to look up. But she really missed Li Hua.
Only now do I realize how much it hurts to think about it. Gan Qiongying sniffed softly, took heavy steps, and quickly passed by the tent where Li Hua was staying.
After the two passed each other, Gan Qiongying breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.
It feels empty, as if a piece of it has been ripped out.
She bit her lip and continued walking with the group towards the vast white snowfield. She would settle Ganlin as soon as possible, then return to find Lihua and explain everything clearly, how this world works, and who she is. Whether he can accept it or not, whether he believes it or not.
"Stop!" Sanjiu suddenly shouted at this moment.
The chubby monk who was leading the group turned around and asked Sanjiu with a smile, "What are your orders, sir?"
“It doesn’t matter that they can’t speak. Just make them take off all their hats.” Sanjiu frowned slightly, his gaze shifting back and forth between Liao Liao and Gan Qiongying.
At this moment, urged by Tianjiao, Lihua reluctantly drank two more sips of ginseng soup and crawled out of the tent.
The fat monk's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly smiled again. He had also received a lot of money from Gan Qiongying, and he was obligated to help people avoid trouble.
He directed a group of young monks, saying, "Take off your hats, the official wants to take a look."
He even stepped forward to explain to Sanjiu, "They're just a bunch of little brats. The abbot asked me to bring them out to broaden their horizons so they can receive the precepts when they get back."
Everyone took off their monk hats, and as far as the eye could see, everything was bald.
Sanjiu frowned and casually waved for everyone to leave.
The fat monk immediately grinned and said to everyone, "Put them on, everyone. Let's hurry on our way. The next town is still a long way off, and with this heavy snow, we can't drive. We'll have to walk..."
Gan Qiongying's hands trembled as she took a deep breath, her stomach filled with what felt like frigid snow.
That was incredibly dangerous... Luckily, they didn't take any chances and actually shaved their heads.
After taking the monk's hat back, the group gradually walked away.
By this time, almost everyone who came from the capital had already been checked and released.
There were no people left in the outer city, and the imperial city had been searched several times by various forces, including many brothels, but none of the missing people had been found.
Li Hua clearly felt warmer after drinking the ginseng soup and thought she was feeling better.
He took one last look at the receding procession, then mounted his horse, disheartened.
But as soon as the others got on and the horse started running, Li Hua felt dizzy and his vision went black.
He has reached his physical limit. These days he hasn't been eating or sleeping properly. He only sleeps for a short while when he's extremely tired or faints. He's been holding on to this thought every day.
Now, even that last bit of hope vanished as everyone had finished their checks.
The breath I was holding in, the fire burning in my chest, had finally died down.
The horses galloped straight through the city gates into the imperial city, heading in the opposite direction from the figure he longed to find, mingling among the crowd.
Gan Qiongying walked quite a distance before daring to look back, but by then Li Hua's figure had already disappeared into the snowflakes swirling in the wind.
Li Hua rode his horse straight towards the princess's residence.
Sanjiu chased after him on horseback, but no matter how much he called out to Lihua, she refused to stop.
The princess's residence is now deserted, covered in snow and left unattended, like a completely sealed-off space.
Li Hua rode his horse and rushed in. After passing through the gate, he could no longer hold on and fell off the horse.
This time he wasn't so lucky. The horse got spooked, stepped on his leg, and then ran away.
Li Hua let out a painful groan, but didn't get up to look at the situation. He lay on the snowdrift, covered in blood, his hands braced against the snow.
The snow that had touched his hands was melting rapidly, and the feeling of melting snow was just as piercing as the burning sensation on his fingers.
He blinked and looked at the bright sun hanging in the sky above, but he couldn't feel any warmth at all.
He finally had to admit... he had been abandoned.
He finally had to admit that he had been abandoned once again.
Li Hua slowly closed his eyes. A gust of wind swept by, and he was almost buried by the heavy snow in the courtyard. But he still tightly clutched the string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand.
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