In the azure sky, snow-capped peaks rise high into the clouds, shining brightly, the valleys are deep and secluded, the city is hidden at the foot of the mountain, and a few wisps of light green smoke rise up.

The air is crisp.

Tanmaraka stood at the edge of the cliff for a long time, practicing Qigong and regulating his breathing. The wind blew his robe. He looked down and found that he was wearing a long brocade robe with a light blue collar and fur trim. The sleeves were wide and trumpet-shaped. When the wind blew, the folds looked like rippling water waves.

These are not his clothes.

My body felt dry and comfortable, and there was no sticky feeling of ointment, pus and blood on the wound. I also changed my underwear.

Last night, when he was feeling hot and cold and feeling uncomfortable, a pair of warm and soft hands came up to him from time to time to wipe away the sweat.

It feels like being in the Jetavana Monastery, quiet and peaceful, with a sweet fragrance lingering around your nose.

Later, he took the warm and sweet fragrance into his arms.

Tanmaraka stood on the edge of the cliff with his hands clasped together.

Suddenly, there was a series of hurried footsteps behind me.

Tanmaraka turned around.

The piled felt blankets in front of the tent were pushed aside, and Yaoying rushed out from inside, her messy braided hair draped over her shoulders, her clothes in disarray, the front of her clothes full of wrinkles, her snow-white cheeks were faintly blushed, her eyes were sleepy, and there was a touch of delicate light red in the corners of her slanted eyes, like a sleeping crabapple in spring.

Her face was full of anxiety, and she looked around as if she was looking for something.

Tanmaraka turned and walked towards her, looking straight at her with his emerald eyes, meeting her gaze.

Yao Ying's gaze fell on him. She rubbed her eyes, made sure that he did not leave quietly, and slowly exhaled.

The morning light poured down, and Tanmaragha gazed at Yaoying.

Forcing her to sleep in the same bed with him, even though it was an act done unconsciously, offended her.

Yao Ying also looked at Tanmarajiva, with no blame, fear, questioning or shyness on her face. Her hair was loose and her eyes were wet. She said with relief, "General Su, I'm glad you didn't leave."

She tossed her braided hair, turned her head and pointed at the clay pot buried next to the campfire to keep warm, "General, remember to drink some medicine soup and eat something."

After saying that, he turned around and walked into the felt tent, took off his boots, picked up the blanket and covered himself with it, and with a light bang, he threw himself into the soft felt blanket.

Last night, Tanmarajya held her hand tightly. She could not move and could only sleep leaning on his arm. In her half-awake state, she still remembered not to touch his wound, so she slept very carefully. She did not sleep well and felt sore all over.

After a while, Yao Ying's breathing became steady and she fell asleep again.

Tanmaraka: ...

She didn't seem to care at all.

…

Yaoying woke up after only sleeping for an incense stick. This time she could toss and turn in the warm felt blanket and sleep very comfortably.

The morning breeze slapped the felt tent, she opened her eyes, fully awake, stood up, put on her cloak, and stepped out of the tent.

Tanmaraka sat cross-legged beside the campfire, his eyes closed and in a state of meditation. There was a faint aura of tension around him.

The medicinal soup in the clay pot is empty.

Yao Ying did not dare to make a sound to disturb him. She carefully packed up the clothes that she had taken off from him last night, folded up the felt blanket, ate some dry food, found the mount that she had pulled to a sheltered place last night, fed it a few pieces of straw cakes, and packed her luggage.

After finishing her work, she returned to the pile of strange rocks and sat under another huge rock. Every once in a while, she raised her eyes to look at Tanmaragha.

His eyes were tightly closed, his face was calm, and beads of sweat slowly appeared on his forehead.

Yao Ying stared at him in a trance. She didn't know how long she had been looking at him. Then, a few clear and distant cries were heard from the sky, and the nimble figure of an eagle appeared in the blue sky.

She stood up and walked towards it. The eagle flapped its wings and swooped down. It glanced at her with its sharp eagle eyes and showed no sign of stopping, and flew straight towards Tanmaragha.

Yao Ying was afraid that it would disturb Tanmaragha, so she quickly took out the prepared dried meat.

The eagle flapped its wings and landed on a strange rock protrusion beside her. Its sharp claws left several marks, and it pecked her arm fiercely and picked up the dried meat.

Yao Ying looked down at her sleeves, shook her head and laughed, took the opportunity to untie the cloth strip tied on the eagle's claws, and returned to the strange rock.

After a while, Tanmarajiva slowly opened his eyes.

Yaoying immediately handed over the cloth strip.

Tanmaraka asked nothing, took it, unfolded it and looked at it carefully, then threw the cloth into the bonfire.

He pondered for a moment, raised his eyes to look at the clear sky above, estimated the time, and said, "Go down the mountain and enter the city before dark."

Yaoying agreed and stood up to pack her things. When she put away the taut leather rope, it bounced back like a sharp arrow and hit the back of her left hand.

Bang!

Even though she was wearing warm animal leather gloves, Yao Ying still gasped in pain, shook her hands, and continued to work.

The sound of long boots hitting the ground came from far away, and Tanmarajiva walked over.

Yaoying raised her head.

Tanmaraka took the brocade bag from her hand and motioned for her to raise her hand.

Yao Ying reacted and shook her hands nonchalantly.

Tanmaraka frowned slightly, "Princess, raise your hands."

The voice was gentle, yet it carried an undeniable aura and an inherent pressure.

Yao Ying had no choice but to raise her hands.

Tanmarajika lowered her eyes and gently took off the animal skin gloves on her hands.

A swollen purple mark had appeared on the back of Yaoying's mutton-fat hand. Her slender hand, with fingertips that were the pink of peach petals, made the mark even more shocking.

His movements were very gentle, but when the leather strap brushed against the swollen area, Yaoying still gasped in pain.

She didn't expect that she would get hurt like this even with gloves on.

Tanmarajiva let go of Yaoying's hand, took out the medicine and handed it to her.

Yao Ying did not take the medicine. She raised her left hand and stretched out her uninjured right hand and waved it in front of him.

Tanmarajiva was slightly startled.

Yao Ying continued to wave at him and said, "General, help me pick it off."

Tanmarajiva understood, helped her take off the glove on her right hand, and opened the medicine box.

Yao Ying came up to him, dug out a piece of ointment the size of a copper coin from the medicine box in his hand and smeared it on the back of her hand. She hissed and took a deep breath, muttering softly, "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt. I'll be fine after applying the ointment."

She comforted herself in a low voice, applied the medicine, raised her head, and found that Tanmaragha had been looking at her, his green eyes were deep and profound.

Seeing her look up, he looked away.

Yao Ying didn't think much about it. She raised her hands, walked around to Tanmarajiva, stretched out her hands to him, and fluttered her long eyelashes: "General, I have applied the medicine. Help me put on the gloves."

Her tone was light and playful, with a natural intimacy that sounded like she knew he wouldn't refuse.

She thought he was Sultan. Would she care about what happened last night?

He should explain it to her.

Tanmarajika remained silent, put away the ointment, and first helped Yaoying put on the gloves on her right hand, and then helped her put on the gloves on her left hand. His movements were more gentle than before, and he did not touch her skin throughout the process.

Yao Ying didn't move and stood obediently in front of him.

"I offended the princess last night."

Tanmaraka helped her put on her gloves and spoke softly.

Yao Ying was blowing air into the wound through the seam of her gloves. Upon hearing this, she raised her head, smiled, and waved her hands, "It's okay, General, it was unintentional. I also offended you last time when I was dispensing medicine."

When he started hugging her, she struggled a few times, but then she realized that he didn't make any other moves and there was nothing unusual about his body. She thought he probably just used her as a cool pillow.

Yaoying's eyes were dark and bright, and she was smiling. It was obvious that she didn't mind what happened last night at all.

Tanmaraka looked into her eyes and suddenly said, "Princess, don't be impatient. Even though the wound is only minor, you still need to be careful."

Yao Ying was stunned.

Tanmaraka motioned her to wait under the snow. "Princess, you have helped me a lot. I will not abandon you and leave alone."

Yao Ying breathed a sigh of relief after getting his assurance. She was afraid that he would stay away and heal his wounds alone without saying a word, like he did last night. What if he couldn't make it?

She thought about it, and helped pick up rocks to bury the campfire.

"My injuries are nothing compared to the general's. I can help the general clean up."

A hand wearing a black leather glove reached out and took the small stone from Yaoying's hand.

"I am skilled in martial arts, but you are different, princess." Tanmaraka said softly, his tone gentle but unquestionable, "Let me do it."

Yao Ying raised her eyes to look at his face, and saw that his eyes were bright, the color of his lips had recovered, and his voice was not as weak as last night, so she nodded.

The mountain road was rugged. When Yao Ying went back alone last night, it was dark again. She could not take an empty saddled horse with her, so she rode one horse up the mountain. After packing up, the saddle was full of things, and a bundle of felt blankets was piled on the horse's back.

The healthy horse snorted a few times in dissatisfaction.

Yaoying pulled the reins, gently caressed the mount, and fed it fruit.

Tanmarajiva finished packing and walked over, but before he could say anything, Yaoying took his arm, saddled the horse, and waved her left hand at him.

She had an injury on the back of her hand and couldn't hold the reins tightly.

Tanmaraka climbed onto the horse, sat behind her, and pulled the reins.

The strong horse spread out its four hooves and walked slowly, leaving a winding trail of hoof prints on the snow.

…

When we reached the foot of the mountain, the path was empty and covered with freshly fallen white snow.

The strong horse walked for a mile and came to the road leading to the nearest town. A caravan had just passed by, and there were neat camel hoof prints on the road.

Tanmarajiva asked about Yaoying's personal soldiers.

Yao Ying hurriedly said, "General, don't worry. They followed General Ashina back to the Holy City. I am the only one who knows that the general has not returned to the city."

She trusted her personal soldiers, but they were not from the royal court after all. If they were allowed to join in, Yuanjue and Bisa would definitely be worried.

The snowy plains were vast and the wind was echoing. Yao Ying was afraid that Tanmarajya could not hear her answer, so she always looked up at him when she spoke.

The felt hat rubbed against his chin from time to time, feeling furry.

Tanmarajiva did not ask any more questions.

The closer we got to the town, the more people appeared on the road. Merchants wearing thick cloaks and pointed hats rode horses and camels, carrying carts loaded with goods. Herdsmen wrapped in fur coats drove herds of cattle and sheep. The sound of camel bells, the mooing of cattle and sheep, and the melodious sound of pipa music coming from horseback all gathered together. Although the road was deserted, the sky was filled with wind and snow, and the mountains stood tall and majestic, it was filled with the scent of fireworks.

Suddenly, there was a sound of horse hooves like a heavy rain in the distance, and soldiers in leather armor rode past at high speed, with the curved swords at their waists flashing coldly.

Yaoying remained calm, wrapped the veil on her face tightly, and looked up at Tanmarajiva. He was wearing a turban that covered his head and face, and his face was covered thickly, leaving only a pair of green eyes exposed.

The two men dismounted, led their horses, mixed into the team entering the city, and approached the city gate.

This town is not very big. The city seems to stretch for no more than two or three miles, and the city wall is not tall, just a yellow earth wall with peeling soil. However, because it is under the jurisdiction of the royal court, no bandits dare to rob it. In addition, the market is strictly managed. It is the safest town for trading goods within a hundred miles, so there are many caravans and herdsmen waiting to enter the city.

There were shadows moving in front of the city gate. Soldiers were checking all those entering the city. The team moved slowly, with the tail of the team stretching out half a mile.

A businessman with two mustaches complained loudly: "There's a murderer in the Holy City recently. We're searching for him every day. We have to wait until the afternoon to enter the city today!"

Others echoed: "That's right, not only are the checks strict outside the city, but also inside the city. Anyone who travels alone will be arrested and locked up in the dungeon!"

"If we go into the dungeon in this kind of weather, we'll be frozen solid in one night!"

Another Hu merchant sneered and said, "They are checking so strictly, isn't it just for blackmail!"

Yao Ying's heart moved and she moved closer to listen to the businessmen's conversation. The more she listened, the more her brows furrowed.

Bi Suo led away a large number of killers, but the soldiers along the way did not stop searching the passing caravans and pedestrians. Although it was very likely that they were just using the search as an excuse to extort favors from the Hu merchants as the Hu merchants said, they still could not take it lightly.

Yao Ying retreated back to her mount and exchanged a glance with Tanmaragha beside her.

"These soldiers must be coming for the general. I heard the merchants describe the murderer as being similar to the general."

Yaoying said in a low voice.

The royal court issued an imperial decree to arrest the murderer, but did not dare to openly reveal the Sultan's most prominent features. It only described his stature and age, which were almost the same as the Sultan's.

"Although these people are no match for the general, we should not clash with them, lest something happens to Biso." Yaoying lowered her head and took out a few stamped parchments from her brocade bag. "This is the pass issued by Lao Qi, the caravan leader. We can pretend to be merchants and enter the city."

She brought these parchments from the royal court to Gaochang and brought them back from Gaochang, preparing them for this moment.

"What do you think of this idea, General?"

Yao Ying asked.

Tanmaraka nodded at her.

If he were alone, he could wait until dark to go into the city, but it was not advisable to take risks with her around now.

Amid the cursing of the foreign merchants, the team moved slowly, and finally it was Yao Ying and Tanmarajiva's turn to enter the city.

"My name is Akbaryan, and I come from Yangma City."

Yao Ying handed over the parchment, naturally hooked her arm around Tanmaragha beside her, and leaned against him.

"He is my husband."

Tanmarajiva's eyes flickered slightly.

Yao Ying sensed his surprise and was startled. She looked up and made eye contact with him. Didn't he understand what she said just now? The idea she mentioned was to pretend to be a couple selling felt rugs!

Tanmaraka looked away.

After reading the parchment, the soldiers immediately became much more polite, but they still checked the felt bag on the horse's back in a serious manner.

Yao Ying handed over a small bag of Persian silver coins.

The soldier took the bag, weighed it, smiled, and immediately let the man go.

Yao Ying thanked the soldiers and took Tanmarajiva into the city.

Tanmarajiva lowered his eyes, glanced at her hand hooked on his arm, and said nothing.

The two men entered the city gate and met a troop that was about to leave the city. Several strong slaves came out carrying a sedan chair, surrounded by strong servants. The soft curtains were blown up by the wind, and a handsome face flashed by.

When Yaoying saw that familiar face, her whole body stiffened.

How come Zhu Luyun is here?

Shouldn't she be in Chang'an?

The team passed by Yao Ying.

The author has something to say: Ah, I suddenly found that the nutrient solution is much better. I am really grateful to every little angel who feeds and irrigates the plants. I hug everyone (wearing a mask). I am a big MUA~