Hunting in the canyon.

Tanmaraka stood there in a daze.

Yao Ying pulled his sleeve, coughed a few times, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

"In the past, I respected and trusted the magicians, including the magicians during my time as the Regent, and never thought of anything else."

No matter whether he was Tanmaraka or Sultan Kumbh, he was always calm and steady, never had any unnecessary emotions, and never showed any manly desires.

And when she accidentally saw him naked, he was very calm, with no other emotions at all, as cold and pure as jade.

Yaoying thought that Tanmarajiva treated her as a little girl who had not grown up.

In addition, she was worried about Li Zhongqian's safety and the situation in the Western Regions, so she had no time to think about these things.

"Later, when the Master was ill, Bisa repeatedly asked me to accompany him. Although I had some doubts at the time, I didn't think much about it. I just thought that Bisa came to me because I understood the Master's condition and would keep it a secret for him. It was not until the last time that I began to doubt..."

Yaoying looked at Tanmarajiva's profile.

"That night, the Master covered me with a blanket while I was sleeping and wanted to...touch me..."

At that time, he stared at her for a long time, so long that she wondered if he wanted to do something.

When she mentioned what happened that night, Tanmarajya remained silent, with his sleeves fluttering in the wind.

Yao Ying said firmly: "I know, that is not my dream."

…

Tanmarajiva was a monk, it was impossible for him to want to touch her just out of sympathy and pity.

That night, Yao Ying's suspicions were confirmed. She was shocked. Her heart was pounding. She was stunned and couldn't believe it.

She was glad that Tanmaraka was ill, otherwise she would have been able to hear her heartbeat like a drum.

In her eyes, Tanmarajiva understood everything. Because he saw through everything, he didn't care. Sometimes he was even so calm and rational that he was almost indifferent. How could a man like him fall in love with a woman?

He actually likes her? And wants to keep her?

Yaoying didn't sleep all night. Her mind was in a mess and her thoughts were overwhelming and indescribable.

Many things that she had felt were wrong before now had reasonable explanations. He took her to the pagoda to pray, asked an Indian doctor to diagnose her pulse without telling her, hugged her in the rain, and Bisha said he was depressed. He often stared at her without saying a word, and told her in his dreams that he wanted her to stay with him...

Memories flooded into Yaoying's mind. She turned over and looked at Tanmarajiva who was lying on her side on the couch. Her heart was filled with soreness and a heavy feeling.

Shock, astonishment, bewilderment, contradiction, confusion, sadness...

The only thing that is not there is the hidden anger.

There is no fear of being in the same room with him.

If it were any other man who wanted to touch her in the middle of the night while she was sleeping, she would have rolled up the quilt and found an excuse to leave.

But when it came to Tanmaragha, she was not afraid at all.

Yaoying was very sad.

Not for myself, but for Tanmaragha.

He was a monk, and in the book he stuck to his beliefs until his death. He fell in love with her and kept her by his side, and he must have suffered a lot in his heart.

And she didn't know anything and might hurt him unintentionally.

Every time she got close to him was a test for him.

She had happily talked to him about returning home so many times...

Yao Ying stared at him, thinking about many things for a long time, and her thoughts gradually became clear.

…

The sun rose to the top of the cliff, and a cool breeze blew past, and a strange roar echoed in the canyon.

Yaoying raised her head.

"Master, when Bishuo entered the room that morning, I was awake and I made a decision. Do you know what my decision was?"

Tanmarajiva let her hold his sleeve without saying anything.

Yao Ying said, "I understand the Master's thoughts. After thinking carefully, I understand a lot of things, so I decided to ask you for confirmation."

If he denied it, she left.

"The Master is a practitioner. I know how firm his faith is and the responsibility he bears as a Buddhist. Since he has never shown any affection in front of me and denied it after I tried to test him several times, it shows that he is determined and his feelings are just a momentary impulse. The Master has a profound understanding of Buddhism and must be able to comprehend it thoroughly. He will not be disturbed by feelings."

"Before, I didn't know the Master's mind and accidentally caused trouble for him. Later, I knew the Master's mind. How can I continue to stay in the Holy City and disturb the Master?"

"Since the mage has made his decision, I will not force him to admit that he has feelings for me. Doing so will only make both you and me unhappy and add to our troubles."

"I want to say goodbye to the mage cheerfully."

This way, when they think of each other in the future, they will only remember the good things about each other.

At that time, Yao Ying thought: Although Tanmarajava was in love with her, he didn't intend to tell her, so why should she delve into it?

Since he had no intention, she would never get involved.

So she left.

Yao Ying faced the bright sunlight pouring down and said softly, "Master, do you know that when I left the Holy City last time, I made up my mind that I would never see you again in this life."

She spoke with a smile and downplayed it.

Tanmarajiva closed his eyes.

"I will not write to you personally, and I will not come to the Holy City again."

"I have nothing to do with you in this life."

"We shall never see each other again in this life or death."

Yao Ying spoke word by word in a calm tone.

Tanmaraka said nothing, and the wind blowing on his face was cold.

Yao Ying smiled and said, "Master, I thought at that time that I could keep my word and never come back to bother you."

That was what she intended, and that was what she did.

After leaving the royal court, she no longer wrote to him or inquired about him. Even when she met his personal soldier Yuan Jue in Gaochang, she did not mention him at all and only discussed some military affairs of the royal court.

They parted in this way, and she was grateful to him in her heart. He cared about her silently, and from then on they went their separate ways, each living happily.

Thousands of miles away, but the sky has no boundaries.

Yao Ying let out a long breath and her gaze fell back on Tanmarajiva's face.

He had just torn off the mask, and there were still some marks on his face. His facial features, outlined with ink, were deep and pale, his eyebrows were like mountains and rivers, and his eyes were like colored glaze.

"This is what the wizard wants to see, isn't it?"

Tanmaraka was silent.

Yes, this is the best outcome between them.

"You want to end things with me completely. Even if you accidentally reveal your true feelings to me today and let me know what you are thinking, you will not change your mind. You would rather reveal your identity and tell me directly that you are Sultan Gu than let me have any thoughts about you... Even if it is a disguised identity, you will not allow yourself to relax in the slightest."

Tanmaraka did not move.

He didn't dare to relax. She liked Sudanguru, and he had to tell her the truth, because he knew that if he dealt with her as Sudanguru, he would indulge himself step by step, which would be unfair to her.

Knowing what you want means you have to decide the possibility.

"You are sober and rational, and you think things through..."

As Yao Ying spoke, a hint of a smile flashed across her face, and she let out a long sigh, feeling both happy and sad.

"Luo Jia, why did you come to Gaochang?"

After asking this question, the surroundings fell silent.

Tanmaraka remained silent, with a flickering light in his eyes.

Yao Ying looked at him and said, "Master, you are a great monk. You should be more decisive and perseverant than me. Since you can control yourself, why did you come to Gaochang in person to save my brother?"

"Luo Jia, you can't let me go. Even if I leave the Holy City, you still can't let me go, right?"

"You are seriously ill. If I stay with you, you will feel better, right?"

"Luojia, monks do not tell lies."

Yao Ying spoke one sentence at a time in a hoarse voice, and met his eyes.

"Luo Jia, don't lie to me again."

"Do you know that I worry about your health? Do you know how sad I was when I found out that Abhi was you and you rushed thousands of miles away and then left alone with injuries? Do you know that I was sad when you kept caring about me even though I was determined to forget you and not disturb your practice? You have a lot of concerns and worries, but you keep them to yourself and don't tell me anything. I just think that I am a disaster on your path of practice and have caused you trouble. I am determined to stay away from you, but you come to provoke me again."

"If I like someone, no matter who he is, I will love him well. If he doesn't need my love, I will leave."

Her face turned cold.

"And you?"

"You said you like me and it's none of my business, so I shouldn't care...Okay, I don't care, I'll stay away from you and never see you again...Can you really let it go?"

"Next time, will you still hide from me, sneak up on me, and then quietly leave?"

Tanmarajiva lowered his eyes and stared at Yaoying. His fingers made a gesture of touching Buddhist beads, and a faint bitter smile flashed across his face.

It turns out she knew everything.

The last time we left was truly a farewell.

"Princess, I am a monk."

"I know you are a monk, and I know your choice. I respect you."

Yao Ying looked directly at Tanmarajiva and changed the subject, "Then please don't interfere with my choice, Master."

The wind died down and a few grey birds flapped their wings and flew over their heads.

Tanmaraka's eyes rested on her face: "What is the princess's choice?"

Yaoying turned sideways, facing the bright golden light, gazing at the orderly arranged rocks in the distance, her face glowing brightly.

"You are seriously ill now. I am your inner demon. I want to help you overcome it."

"No matter what happens, this is my choice. When you figure it out, I will leave and won't bother you."

"I understand. You are a Buddhist disciple of the royal court. Not only do you have a firm belief, but you are also a Buddhist disciple in the eyes of countless believers. You will never return to secular life in this lifetime."

"If you don't want to return to the secular world, then don't return to the secular world."

Yao Ying smiled faintly, coughed a few times, waved her hand, and looked calm and composed.

"I don't care that you're a monk."

"Luo Jia, I will not force you to abandon your responsibilities and beliefs. I just want to take good care of you. From now on, don't hide things from me anymore."

She has never cared about her so-called reputation.

The mountain breeze blew her hair into a mess. Her eyes were bright and she said, "I am a calamity on your path of cultivation. Let me accompany you through this difficulty."

Tanmarajiva stood there motionless. The wind blew the clouds and a beam of light fell right on his handsome face, reflecting his distinct features. Fine rays of light shimmered and floated in his eyes.

She was willing to help him overcome his inner demons, but what about herself?

He stared at her for a moment, then turned and walked away, his sleeves waving slightly.

Yaoying's lips curled up slightly, and she lifted her feet to follow him. After taking a few steps, she felt dizzy and walked among the rocks, taking one deep step and one shallow step.

The figure walking in front stopped, hesitated for a moment, then raised his arms with his back to her.

Yao Ying opened her mouth, feeling a little sad, and gently took his arm.

He couldn't bear to see her fall, but he had to send her away again and again.

She leaned against him, feeling at peace. Fatigue gradually rose up in her and she coughed softly.

…

The fire had long since burned out.

Tanmarajiva opened the jar and found that the water inside was still hot.

He poured a bowl of water and handed it to Yaoying's lips.

Yaoying had talked too much and her throat felt like it was on fire. Every cough sounded heart-wrenching. She drank a few sips of water from his hand.

After a while, Tanmarajiva felt the force on his sleeve loosen.

Yaoying let go of her hand, closed her eyes, and fell asleep tiredly with a haggard face.

I just put in all my effort just to tell him everything I wanted to say so that he wouldn't have a chance to escape.

Now that energy is gone, my whole body aches and I feel groggy.

Tanmarajiva picked up the felt blanket and covered Yaoying again, frowning slightly.

The bruises on her face and neck became more noticeable.

He looked at her for a moment and then gathered the blanket.

Yaoying's body gradually warmed up, and she couldn't help but rub against his arms, her breath passing through her clothes and onto his chest.

Tanmaraka's body stiffened slightly, and he closed his eyes, letting her snuggle up to him so that she could sleep more comfortably.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard in the quiet valley.

Tanmaraka put on his turban and mask.

Bi Suo came over with three horses, looked around for a while, took a few steps forward, and said in a low voice: "Prince Regent, Princess Wen Zhao's personal soldiers came to find her. The princess did not return all night... They were worried that something happened to the princess, so they found the camp and asked where the princess was. I found an excuse to evade them. The army is about to set off... It's time for you to leave too."

Tanmo Luojia picked up Yaoying and said, "I will take the princess back to Gaochang."

Bi Suo frowned and raised his voice: "Your body... must return to the Holy City as soon as possible to dissipate your energy..."

Every time his energy completely dissipated, he couldn't walk for a few days, and he had been relying on medication to suppress the symptoms during these days.

"After sending her to Gaochang, I will rush back immediately."

Tanmarajiva said lightly, wrapped Yaoying tightly, and sent her onto the horse.

This movement woke Yao Ying up. The felt moved and stretched out an arm. Then, her tired face poked out of the felt. Her dazed eyes gradually became clear. Her brows were wrinkled, and her gaze slowly scanned around and fell on Tanmaragha.

Tanmaraka stood beside the black horse, silent.

Yao Ying narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she was thinking about something.

"Regent, what do you think of my proposal?"

Tanmaraka did not answer.

Bi Suo was keenly aware of the strange atmosphere between the two people, and she watched their faces intently, without moving a muscle.

The cool breeze blew, Yao Ying coughed, looked at Tanmaraka, and asked, "Where did you say you were going to take me?"

Biso dared not say a word.

Tanmo Luojia helped Yaoying sit down and said calmly: "I will send you back to Gaochang."

Yaoying smiled, she knew he would answer like this.

She said in a hoarse voice: "Don't bother the Regent to send me back. I will not return to Gaochang. The Wei Dynasty will recover the lost territory. I will go to the Holy City to meet the Buddhist disciple and present him with a letter of credence and a gift of thanks. This is a matter of diplomatic importance and cannot be taken lightly."

Bi Su's face twitched slightly.

I didn't realize it before, but Princess Wen Zhao called him Prince Regent much more smoothly than he and Yuan Jue did.

Tanmarajiva’s eye veil was lifted.

"Are we on the right way?" Yao Ying wrapped herself tightly in the felt and lifted the reins. "I just happened to meet you. Bandits are rampant right now. I only brought a few dozen personal soldiers with me. It's safer to follow the army. I'm very tired and uncomfortable. I want to go back to the big car in the camp and have a good sleep. Let's go."

As she spoke, she did not even look at Tanmaragha, but looked at Bishuo, urging him with her eyes.

"Let's go."

The voice was filled with fatigue.

Bisa didn't know what to say and looked at Tanmaragha.

Tanmarajiva looked into the distance, and with the corner of his eye he saw the bruise on Yaoying's forehead becoming more and more obvious.

He deliberately avoided the main road as the canyon was sparsely populated. She had no martial arts skills and had come all the way in the rain to find him. She must have had many more scratches than the ones he saw.

She has been coughing all the time, and it will hurt her body if she continues to do so. She needs to rest and take medicine now.

He mounted his horse and took up the reins.

Bi Suo on the side breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s better to go back to the Holy City.

With the princess around, Luo Ga doesn't have to hide from others and sleep in the open air all the way.

When they returned to the camp, Yao Ying's personal soldiers came over as expected. When they saw Tanmarajiva, whose identity was unknown and whose face was covered, they did not ask any questions and drove a cart over.

Bi Suo counted the troops and led the army to continue their journey, while Yao Ying's personal guards followed behind in a large carriage.

Yaoying read several military intelligence letters, wrote a reply, and fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up again, she was lying in a bumpy car, covered with a soft quilt.

She sat up, rubbed her sore shoulders, opened the car curtain, and was about to call for help when she was stunned.

A familiar figure was riding a horse in front of the carriage, wrapped tightly in a narrow-sleeved white robe, and his back was lonely.

Fortunately, I didn't run away quietly this time.

A cool breeze blew towards her, and Yaoying coughed against the car window. The man not far away heard the sound, turned around, and his eyes fell on her face.

The two people's eyes met through the wind and sand. He had a windproof mask on his face, so his expression could not be seen clearly.

Yao Ying's face turned red from coughing and she waved at him.

"Come here."

Her voice was hoarse.

Tanmaraka looked at her for a while, then turned his horse around.

When he got closer, Yao Ying opened the car curtain and said, "Come up, I have something to say to you."

She signaled to the other guards with her eyes.

The personal guards immediately rode forward, their eyes burning, waiting to take away Tanmaragha's horse.

Yaoying was holding the car curtain with one hand, still coughing, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Tanmarajiva swept his long legs, turned over and got off the horse, and got on the carriage.

The curtains were lowered, and Yaoying sat against the wall of the car, hugging a quilt. The narrow space was filled with a faint sweet fragrance. Tanmaragha bent down and sat down in the corner farthest from her.

"Your injury hasn't healed yet, and you can't always be in the spotlight. Stop riding the horse and ride with me."

Yao Ying said.

Tanmaraka remained silent.

Yao Ying didn't need his answer. She hugged the quilt and lay down again. She was worried about missing him. She had been traveling day and night for several days and climbed the mountain road for such a long time to find him last night. Her whole body was aching and now she just wanted to have a good rest.

She lay on the soft blanket and glanced up at Tanmaraka.

He sat upright and didn't look at her.

Yao Ying sighed inwardly, let go of the quilt, crawled up to him using her hands and feet, and looked him in the eye.

The threads of Tanmarajiva do not move.

Yao Ying raised her hand and took off the mask on his face: "Don't wear this in the car, it's just a pity. Don't worry, without my order, my personal soldiers will not lift the curtain to come in, they will not discover your identity."

Tanmarajiva lowered his eyes and looked at Yaoying, his gaze lingering on her forehead for a long time.

"What's wrong?"

Yao Ying felt that there was something strange in his eyes and asked.

Tanmaraka said softly, "You need to apply some more medicine."

Yao Ying sat up blankly, picked up a small mother-of-pearl bronze mirror, looked at her face, and uttered a soft "ah".

She bumped into things and fell several times last night, her cheeks were a little scraped, and the bump on her forehead was getting bigger and bigger.

Yao Ying's mouth twitched.

No wonder Bi Su looked at her strangely.

She shook her head and laughed. This morning, she had a big bag on her head like Shouxian Gong and talked to Tanmarajiva for such a long time. Her tone was still very serious. She must have looked very funny.

It's a pity he didn't laugh.

Yao Ying raised her eyes and looked at Tanmarajiva.

"Look—"

She pointed to the bump on her forehead.

"It's because you traveled thousands of miles and left without saying goodbye that I was worried about you and came all the way here to find you. That's why I ended up like this. If you had told me the truth, I wouldn't have suffered all this."

Tanmaraka was speechless.

Yaoying put the small bronze mirror into his hand and said, "Hold it for me."

She lowered her head, found the ointment, opened the clam shell, sat cross-legged in front of Tanmaragha, picked up a little ointment, raised her face, and rubbed the ointment on the bronze mirror.

The red and swollen area felt burning with pain and she hissed softly.

Tanmarajiva held the bronze mirror with an expressionless face.

The lump on Yaoying's forehead didn't go away for several days.

She would look at herself in the mirror every morning to see if the bruise had healed. When she was about to get off the carriage, she would put on a veil to cover her entire face.

During this time, she asked Tanmaragha to stay in the carriage to recuperate. When he showed signs of wanting to leave alone, she lifted her veil to let him see the bump on her head.

"You were injured while trying to save my brother. I have to take good care of you. If you leave without saying goodbye, I will look for you again until you recover."

Tanmaraka said: "It's just a minor flesh wound."

Yao Ying smiled: "I just have some scratches and a slight cough. You told me to apply medicine and take medication, why is it different for you?"

Tanmarajika looked away and looked at the swaying curtain with a calm expression.

"I am not like the princess."

He was silent for a while and said.

Yao Ying shook her head: "It's all the same. We are all mortals. We feel pain when we get hurt and feel uncomfortable when we get sick."

Tanmaraka thought of the injuries she had sustained in the gorge on a rainy night and remained silent.

A few days later, they arrived at the border town. The army returned triumphantly, and the garrison commander led the entire city's soldiers and civilians out of the city to welcome them. Flowers were blooming and wine was intoxicating.

After hosting a grand banquet, Bi Suo was surprised to learn that the envoy of the Wei Dynasty was at the city post house, preparing to go to the Holy City to offer gifts of thanks. The princess did not lie, the Wei Dynasty did send an envoy, but the envoy was not Princess Wen Zhao.

When the envoy heard that Yao Ying and his entourage had followed the army into the city, he immediately found the inn where they were staying and pushed the door open to go in.

The lights were on in the room, and the desk was filled with account books. Yao Ying was writing at the desk. When she heard the report from her personal soldier, she stood up with a smile.

"Brother, I was just about to send someone to the post house to inquire whether you had arrived."

The chief envoy of the delegation was Li Zhongqian. Yaoying had made an appointment with him to come to the Holy City together. He set out early and thought she was still behind him, but he didn't expect that she would catch up so quickly.

"I arrived this morning."

Li Zhongqian said, his eyes casually scanning the area, and caught a glimpse of a figure in the inner room, with a frown on his face and a look as sharp as lightning.

A tall figure was sitting cross-legged on a felt rug in the inner room, seemingly practicing qigong and regulating his breathing. There was no light in the inner room, and the man's face was covered by a gauze curtain, so his features could not be seen clearly.

Li Zhongqian's eyes showed vigilance.

It's so late, why is this man still staying in Mingyue's slave room?