Traveling day and night without rest, they soon reached a small county town at the border of Li Du Mansion.
Zhang Yuehui became extremely cautious.
Not only about the surrounding environment, but also about Nanyi.
From the moment they left Li Du Mansion, he was no longer a gambler. He had lost all his chips and was forced to wash his hands of it all. His carefree attitude and detachment had vanished into thin air—he could no longer afford to lose. He had to face each moment with vigilance as if confronting a great enemy.
He knew he had used despicable means to snatch Nanyi to his side. Afraid she might run away, he kept her under constant watch, never leaving her side for a moment.
If he had been shameless and persistent as usual, it wouldn’t have been strange.
But he just buried his head in hurrying along the road, barely even talking to Nanyi.
Having clearly gotten what he wanted, he began avoiding her instead.
Perhaps this wasn’t even a choice made after careful consideration. He had simply found a way in the terrible situation that he felt could give him a moment’s satisfaction.
After that moment passed came the real sea of suffering.
They would stay overnight in this small county town, then set off in three different directions to confuse their pursuers. In such circumstances, they couldn’t possibly stay at inns or taverns—they only found an empty house to rest roughly for the night.
Even in such a cramped place, Zhang Yuehui still stuck closely to Nanyi.
“I’m going to the latrine—are you following me there too?” Nanyi turned around to glare at Zhang Yuehui, amused yet annoyed.
Only then did his footsteps suddenly stop.
“We’re strangers in this place—don’t wander off.” Zhang Yuehui touched his nose, his gaze guiltily looking at his feet.
The implication was: don’t think of escaping, you can’t get away.
Nanyi wanted to clarify something but ultimately remained silent.
She was someone who kept her promises. She knew what a huge price Zhang Yuehui had paid for this exchange. She would repay his kindness. Since she had decided, she would make a clean break with the past. But she also knew how awkward it was for them to suddenly find themselves in this kind of relationship.
He didn’t trust her because he hadn’t taken all of her with him.
Nanyi sighed. She didn’t want to argue with him about anything.
She silently turned and walked into the pitch-black alley. When she returned, she saw Zhang Yuehui waiting there with a lantern.
Seeing her come out, he said nothing, just slowly walked ahead, positioning himself so the candlelight would illuminate the path beneath her feet.
Long, long ago, they had lived in two thatched huts beside the fields. The washhouse was very far from their little dwelling. When they needed to wash up at night, they always had to walk a long, dark path.
Every night, Zhang Yuehui would wait for her with a lamp on the field ridge.
She would emerge with wet hair, water droplets from her hair falling into the field soil, nurturing that season’s flourishing crops.
Then, year after year passed. The crops all died, the fields lay barren, until someone returned saying there would be a bountiful harvest for ten li around this autumn.
So they began plowing and sowing again, bustling about, even though they both knew in their hearts that this barren land could no longer sprout green shoots.
This was another sleepless night.
They both forced themselves to sleep, because the coming days would bring continuous travel. Even if they could evade their pursuers, their bodies might not be able to take it.
But Nanyi was wide awake, countless memories alternately flashing through her mind.
How was Xie Queshan now? He should be safe, right? What exactly was the Nirvana Plan? Was Song Muchuan confident he could succeed?
Would she never see these people again in this lifetime?
And what kind of future could she and Zhang Yuehui reach?
Her mind was in chaos when she suddenly heard the door creak open, footsteps approaching the bedside, and a thick smell of blood mixing into the air.
Zhang Yuehui’s voice came from the darkness.
“Come with me.”
His voice was urgent. Nanyi detected something unusual and quickly threw on her clothes to follow him.
Zhang Yuehui led a horse from the back courtyard. The two of them rode together, leaving silently.
After they had traveled a good distance from the county town, Nanyi finally spoke: “What happened?”
Zhang Yuehui said grimly: “There’s a traitor among my people. Someone wants to sell our whereabouts to the Qi people.”
In that simple sentence, Nanyi tasted desolation.
Human hearts were the most uncontrollable thing—when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.
Even though Zhang Yuehui had chosen his most trusted guards for the escort, someone still felt he had lost power and decided to seek a new master.
Or perhaps that traitor had been someone Wanyan Puruo placed beside Zhang Yuehui all along.
Zhang Yuehui was no longer the omnipotent master of the Return Hall surrounded by followers.
Nanyi finally felt the reality of being fugitives. Things were spiraling out of control far faster than they had imagined. On this land, no one could remain unaffected.
At this moment, she suddenly understood completely Xie Queshan’s patience and endurance. He was using his flesh and blood to desperately prevent every worst-case scenario from occurring.
None of them dared beat their chests and claim they had any foolproof strategy in these times.
Under the moonlight, horse hooves traversed the rugged mountain path, the late spring night breeze still carrying a trace of coolness.
Suddenly, a flock of birds burst from the forest, but Zhang Yuehui was too late to rein in the horse. The horse’s legs were tripped by ropes hidden on both sides of the road. With a neigh, both riders were thrown to the ground.