After Xu Yuehuai collapsed, her consciousness was hazy for a while, and then she became more lucid again.
Amidst this dust, she found her surroundings growing ever quieter, separated from the hustle and bustle of the world by countless mountains and rivers.
The withered leaves drifted down slowly, landing on her scarred face and leaving a cool sensation.
No one passed by, and no one offered help. She endured the torment alone, and it took her countless sunrises and sunsets before she finally recovered.
She tried to move, her fingers twitched slightly, and she gradually regained control of her body.
Then, she slowly sat up from the ground, looked at her muddy appearance, and chuckled.
"I'm alive."
Xu Yuehuai supported herself on the ground and stood up.
Her body was extremely weak, but she couldn't just sit and wait to die; she had to get to Qi Guze's side as soon as possible.
Thinking about the direction depicted on the map, Xu Yuehuai staggered as she slowly walked towards the royal city.
Within the royal city, there are people she cares about, and it is a battlefield she must reach.
Ten days later, Xu Yuehuai arrived at the edge of the royal city.
Looking around, there were far fewer people coming and going than before.
Xu Yuehuai suddenly saw several of Qi Guze's guards by the roadside.
She slowly approached the other person and whispered, "It's me. Take me to see your master."
The guard asked in surprise, "What did you say? What master or not? Even if I had a master, why would I take you to see him? Take this money and get going!"
Xu Yuehuai was somewhat disappointed that the guards mistook her for an old woman begging.
"I'm not here for money, I really need to talk to Aze about something," she tried to explain, but the guards remained indifferent.
"You think you don't have enough money? If you want more, I don't have any more! Please don't block our way, we have urgent business to attend to." The guards walked around Xu Yuehuai and tried to leave.
Seeing how they misunderstood her, Xu Yuehuai felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, and the flame of hope that had ignited in her heart was extinguished in an instant.
"I really am Xu Yuehuai, your princess!" Xu Yuehuai murmured to herself, but the guards had already gone far away, and she had no way to run after them. She could only watch them walk away.
She stood there alone in the cold wind, looking desolate and lonely, almost like an old beggar woman...
The guards returned to the mansion, chatting as they walked.
"That woman's voice did sound somewhat familiar, but how could the princess possibly have turned into that?"
"But she does seem to know who our master is. Could it be that someone deliberately sent her?"
"It would be best to inform the Prince about this matter."
"His Highness is so busy every day, it's best not to bother him with trivial matters."
Qi Guze happened to be passing by with a stack of books when he overheard their conversation, and his brows immediately furrowed.
"Who is this old woman you're talking about? What happened? Tell us quickly."
The guard reported, "On our way back, we encountered an old woman who insisted that we bring her to see the master, saying she had urgent business. We were worried that she was sent by the enemy, so we ignored her."
Upon hearing this, Qi Guze suddenly felt a strange premonition.
He immediately realized that the woman whom the guards mistook for an old woman was very likely his Ah Yue!
"Where is she? Take me there right now!"
The guards never expected that Qi Guze would be so anxious for an old woman.
Could it be that the old woman really is Xu Yuehuai?
How did Xu Yuehuai suddenly become so old?
The guards led Qi Guze to the place where he had just seen Xu Yuehuai, but unfortunately, Xu Yuehuai was no longer there.
"Where is he? He's nowhere to be seen!"
"Ah Yue! My Ah Yue, where are you?"
"Please don't let anything happen to you!"
Qi Guze stood there for a long time, looking around to see if there were any traces left.
But how could Xu Yuehuai easily leave traces so that others could find her?
Qi Guze searched for a long time but couldn't find Xu Yuehuai.
He had to gather a large group of people to search for Xu Yuehuai's whereabouts.
Persistence pays off, and Qi Guze finally found the mark that Xu Yuehuai had deliberately left behind on the afternoon of the second day.
"Ah Yue! I'm here!"
Therefore, Qi Guze hurriedly led a group of guards and quickly searched along the route indicated by the marks left by Xu Yuehuai.
When Qi Guze saw Xu Yuehuai, he froze on the spot.
The once beautiful, charming, and heroic woman was now huddled by the roadside, dressed in rags and looking haggard, drinking dirty water from a puddle.
"You horrible, strange old woman!"
"Get out of our village!"
"You must have some strange illness. Everyone will get sick if we get close to you!"
A group of children stood nearby, throwing stones at Xu Yuehuai and bullying her.
Qi Guze felt as if his heart was being torn apart; the woman he cherished so dearly had been bullied like this.
He walked over angrily and shooed the child away, saying, "Get out of here, or I'll have to say it again!"
The children, stared at by his cold gaze, felt as if they were being watched by a demon, and were so frightened that they stood frozen in place, unable to take a step.
Fortunately, the guards saw Qi Guze's fury and quickly dragged the children away.
Qi Guze walked towards Xu Yuehuai step by step. She looked up at him as if she were seeing a celestial being.
"You've come." Her lips, still damp with water, curved slightly into a sweet smile.
"Ah Yue, I'm late, and I've made you suffer again." Qi Guze squatted down and hugged him tightly, his hands trembling.
Xu Yuehuai felt his familiar scent, and tears welled up in her eyes. She hugged him back, leaned on his shoulder, and rubbed her chin against him.
"Aze, I thought I was hallucinating. I... I finally saw you again."
Qi Guze cupped her face in his hands, holding her hand as she touched his cheek. "It's not an illusion. I'm right in front of you. I'll take you home, okay?"
"Okay." Xu Yuehuai pinched his face; the touch was icy cold, and her heart ached a little, but she didn't show it, otherwise he would have been in even more pain.
Qi Guze carried Xu Yuehuai into the carriage and took her back to his residence, where he sent someone to summon the best physicians in the capital to treat her.
"Her condition is strange. Her external injuries are not fatal, but she is severely deficient in her internal organs." The doctor frowned and shook his head as he looked at Xu Yuehuai.
"Doctor, I can treat my internal injuries myself. You just need to treat my external injuries." Xu Yuehuai understood, of course, that the damage to her body could not be treated with ordinary medicine.
Upon hearing this, the doctor bandaged Xu Yuehuai's external injuries and stitched up the wounds.
After treatment, Xu Yuehuai's complexion improved a lot, but she still looked like an old woman.
After the doctor left, Qi Guze fed Xu Yuehuai her medicine.
Xu Yuehuai slowly recounted what had happened to her during this period. Although her voice was soft, every word was clear.
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