The 5th Chapter Deep Sorrowful Parting

king me seem pretentious about my supposed talent. It wouldn't be good for me to be dragged down by you. So, regardless of how exhausted it makes you, you have to finish reading all the books," Rong J...Chapter 5: Deep Reluctance

Looking at Yun Li's figure leaving, Cloud Qianyue didn't know whether it was good or bad to push him forward as the Prince of the Cloud Manor. But no matter what, the Cloud Manor needed a successor, and currently, the most suitable candidate was indeed Yun Li.

Squeezing her forehead with her hand, she closed her eyes. Although she felt somewhat exhausted, her mind remained excited, unwilling to sleep. She knew it was because of the excitement brought by learning that the Imperial Advisor of Southern Liang was her father. Recalling the silk kerchief in her arms with the words "I am Father" written on it, she couldn't help but smile.

Now that she had a father, wouldn't it be wonderful if her mother were also alive

"Miss, Miss Qin from Chancellor's Mansion has arrived and wants to see you!" I Xue’s voice came from outside the room.

Cloud Qianyue opened her eyes without moving her body, placing her hand back on the table. She looked towards the door and saw a guard standing at the entrance of Shallow Moon Pavilion, who was probably here to deliver a message. "Did she say why she's here" she asked.

I Xue immediately replied, "Servant asked her, and she said Miss Qin wants to see you! She insists that you must meet her or she won't leave."

Cloud Qianyue’s eyes flickered slightly. What was the purpose of Qin Yuning seeking her out After a moment's thought, she stood up and instructed, "Please invite Miss Qin to the main hall; I’ll come right away!"

"Yes!" I Xue walked to the door and told the guard to leave Shallow Moon Pavilion.

Cloud Qianyue walked to the mirror and took a look at herself. Moving her neck, red marks on her collarbone became visible again. She reached out to tie a veil around her neck but stopped halfway, untied it, and threw it onto the couch before stepping out of the room.

Seeing Cloud Qianyue come out, I Xue immediately followed behind her as they walked towards the main hall.

In the main hall, Qin Yuning was already waiting there. Through the pearl curtain, Cloud Qianyue saw a woman sitting upright. Although she had done an excellent job covering up with cosmetics, it couldn't hide how pale and sickly she looked, her eyes filled with deep shadows of illness. She looked extremely weak as if she had suffered from a major illness.

Cloud Qianyue entered smoothly, pulling back the curtain without making any fuss. "Miss Qin, why do you have time to visit Cloud Manor today I was surprised when the guard reported your arrival," she said with a smile.

"Sister Moon!" Qin Yuning immediately stood up and called out weakly.

"Please sit down, Miss Qin. There's no need for formality." Approaching her, Cloud Qianyue sat down and waved at Qin Yuning while instructing I Xue, "I Xue, bring tea."

"Yes, Miss!" I Xue hurriedly brought tea to Qin Yuning.

"Thank you, Sister Moon," Qin Yuning lowered her head in gratitude.

Cloud Qianyue had never seen such a demeanor from Qin Yuning. Smiling, she said, "How is Miss Qin feeling I was quite worried yesterday when you fainted at the birthday banquet; I thought something might have been wrong with our duet of Guqin and Xiao. Later, after the imperial physician took your pulse, he concluded that it was due to overwork, which relieved my mind."

"I am feeling much better now! Thank you for worrying about me," Qin Yuning recalled yesterday's incident, pressing her lips together as she replied softly.

"It’s good that nothing happened to you. Both the Crown Prince and Chancellor Qian were very worried at the time, not to mention Emperor Uncle also panicked a lot. He even got so angry he drew his sword against me for playing such an indecent piece of music, the 'Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix', which supposedly lured you into hearing evil sounds. I barely escaped being killed," Cloud Qianyue sighed.

Qin Yuning was startled and hurriedly said, "It's my own fault for feeling unwell; it wasn't your responsibility!"

"There’s no need to talk about such things between us. When Miss Qin cooperated with me during the birthday banquet, you showed trust in me! In this city, many people think I’m utterly useless, yet Miss Qin believed in my abilities. How could I possibly let you down" Cloud Qianyue smiled happily, "Actually, I had been looking for an opportunity to play 'Phoenix Seeking Phoenix' for Rong Jing but was too embarrassed to do it myself. Your suggestion that we collaborate at the banquet helped me accomplish this and express what's in my heart. Originally, I intended to visit you personally once Rong Jing recovered from his injuries to thank you; now you've come on your own!"

Qin Yuning stiffened slightly, her mouth opening and closing without words for a moment before she said, "It wasn’t really helping. I just felt that Sister Moon couldn't be as superficially described or rumored about being utterly useless, otherwise how could you gain the affection of Prince Jing, Seventh Prince, and Little Wang Zao So I acted on my own accord without your permission; thank goodness you aren’t angry with me."

"No blame, no blame. You helped me a great deal; why would I be angry at you for that I should be thanking you!" Cloud Qianyue smiled and waved her hand.

"That's good! Yu Ning has always felt guilty, so she came to apologize to Senior Sister Yue."

"So this is the matter. You are apologizing to me, but I should thank you; it seems we're in the same situation." Yun Qianyue smiled and said to Yixue, "Yixue, go to the Rong王府 once and find Rong Jing. Tell him that more than a month ago, my aunt gave two sets of jewelry at the Mandarin Duck Pond. I want to use one set as a thank you gift for Senior Miss Qin."

"Yes, Young Lady!" Yixue left.

"Senior Sister Yue doesn't need to do that!" Qin Yu Ning immediately stood up.

"It's really necessary!" Yun Qianyue blushed and looked at Qin Yu Ning with a shy expression. She pointed at her neck, somewhat embarrassedly saying in a low voice, "This is my wedding gift... Yesterday he did this to me..."

Qin Yu Ning trembled and couldn't help stepping back, staring at Yun Qianyue in disbelief, "Senior Sister Yue, you..."

Yun Qianyue looked out the door and seeing no one around, she pulled her collar open to reveal the pale skin on her chest. The delicate kiss marks were clearly visible on Qin Yu Ning's view. Yun Qianyue nodded bashfully, "Yes, it's just like you see."

Qin Yu Ning felt a buzzing sound in her head; she stared at the dense red plum-like marks on Yun Qianyue's exposed skin. She knew that these marks meant that Yun Qianyue and Ye Tianqiong had consummated their relationship, but unlike herself who still bore bruises after two days, Yun Qianyue’s skin was a light pink hue. It was clear how violently rough Ye Tianqiong treated her compared to the tender care Yun Qianyue received from him. Her face was pale and bloodless despite applying makeup.

Yun Qianyue pulled back her collar, blushing sweetly as she said, "Don't be fooled by his gentleman-like demeanor; he's not gentle at all with me. Not only this spot, my entire body is covered in these marks." She continued without looking at Qin Yu Ning: "If I hadn’t bumped into you and the Prince Regent, I wouldn’t have dared to mention it due to shyness. Now that you've come here today, don't you think you should accept my gift Without your help, I couldn't have played that piece of music... "

"You..." Qin Yu Ning looked at Yun Qianyue trembling uncontrollably; she seemed about to say something but didn’t. After a while, she said in disbelief: "Young Master Jing wasn’t injured by an arrow How could he..."

“He was indeed injured by the poison dart! But after I removed the poison from him, how would I know that he would act on his urges” Yun Qianyue recalled with a blush and said angrily: “Men are just like this. Even if I tried to resist, it wouldn't work. He said he got hurt in the back but... not there... and also mentioned my menstrual cycle had come; even though I hadn’t yet reached adulthood... uh, that was fine too... I couldn't escape him, so I let him do as he wished…”

Qin Yu Ning’s body shook more violently.

"Yesterday, when Rong Jing also said he should thank you for your assistance, I agreed. Although it was unintentional that I witnessed the Prince Regent and you together on that day, and although I sent gifts to both of them, it's a separate matter altogether. We originally planned to wait until his injury had healed before thanking you all together. But since you came today, I don't have to go to the Chancellor's mansion." Yun Qianyue fastened her neck buttons but couldn’t conceal the faint red marks on her collarbone area. Smiling at Qin Yu Ning, she said, "Last time Auntie wrongly accused me of burning down the Springview Tower and apologized by requesting two sets of jewelry from Emperor Uncle; each set is worth a fortune! I entrusted one set to Rong Jing for safekeeping out of fear of losing it. Now, I’d like to give you this as a gift."

Qin Yu Ning suddenly fell silent.

"Actually, even ten sets wouldn't be enough to thank you for your help; these gifts are just a token of appreciation." Yun Qianyue laughed contentedly. "When we get married, I'll invite both the Prince Regent and you over for our wedding banquet."

“You...” Qin Yu Ning seemed to have used all her strength not to faint as she heard about their marriage plans; when she saw Yun Qianyue mention getting married, a little of her sanity returned. She looked at Yun Qianyue and asked: "I've heard that Young Master Jing also has an engagement with the Eastern Sea Princess arranged by Rong Wang a century ago. Also, you're engaged to Prince Changle as well... You two can't possibly..."

"Miss Qin, do you not know what 'involuntary' means At the time, it really was involuntary," Yun Qianyue sighed sadly. "I refused originally, but Rong Jing said he would handle everything." With a sweet smile and a shy expression, she continued: "He can manage both engagements properly; therefore, I gave in to him..."

Qin Yu Ning was speechless again.

"Miss Qin, it seems you're not too happy for me" Yun Qianyue looked at Qin Yu Ning with confusion. “I was truly delighted when the Prince Regent and you were together."

“No... I am very happy,” Qin Yu Ning shook her head hurriedly, forcing a smile that she knew must look stiff. "I'm genuinely happy for Senior Sister Yue too; after all, Young Master Jing is extraordinary. Receiving his favor is the good fortune of Senior Sister Yue’s past life."

"Really" Yun Qianyue's eyes lit up.

“Yes, I’m truly delighted for you!” Qin Yu Ning nodded with a smile.

"That's great! You don't know that originally I wanted to stay in his residence during the time he was injured but this happened unexpectedly. Although I'm pleased about it deep down, I feel uneasy and hence rushed back home early morning; now you've said this, my heart feels much more at ease!" Yun Qianyue smiled.

"Young Master Jing is such a good person, Senior Sister Yue doesn’t need to worry," Qin Yu Ning managed a smile. She seemed about to faint at any moment.

"Miss Qin, why do you look so pale Shall I call a physician for you" Yun Qianyue suddenly frowned.

Qin Yucling looked at Yun Qianyue. She saw her face flush red like smoke霞般紅潤，眉目間春意盎然。她移開視線看向大廳中的一麵鏡子，那麵鏡子正對著她的方向，她可以清清楚楚看到自己臉色蒼白如鬼，眉眼晦暗無光，整個人就像秋冬裡的枯葉一般憔悴，以前的紅潤半點也不見了，短短兩日便顯得眼神黯淡無神，瘦了一圈。這樣的自己連她都不願再看一眼，更遑論彆人？她騰地站起身，搖搖頭，“不用太醫，我隻是身體有些不舒服，需要休息而已。”

"But I see you're not looking well!" Yun Qianyue looked at Qin Yucling with concern and said, "The Crown Prince must have been too protective of Miss Qin, hence causing you harm. Fortunately, he didn't like me before, but now that I compare the two situations, I realize Rong Jing is actually very gentle despite his poisonous tongue. He's the best one could ask for."

"Sister Yun, I'm heading back to my residence!" Qin Yucling suddenly wanted to leave without delay.

"Yi Xue hasn't returned from the Rong王府 yet! Miss Qin, please stay a while longer," Yun Qianyue also stood up.

“Actually, it's a trivial matter and not worth mentioning. I already feel guilty enough to come apologize to Sister Yun; how could you accept my gratitude” Qin Yucling shook her head and took a step towards the door.

"Of course you must!" Yun Qianyue followed behind Qin Yucling, walking toward the door while smiling, "Since your body isn't feeling well, go back home first. When Yi Xue brings the token of gratitude from the Rong王府, I'll send it to your residence for you. Miss Qin, please don’t refuse! If you continue to refuse, I might get upset."

Qin Yucling bit her lip and remained silent.

Yun Qianyue didn't mind; she smiled and followed her toward the door. She spoke affectionately, "Miss Qin, please come over to my residence more often in the future. To be honest, I'm rather bored as well—no one to talk to with whom I can share my thoughts. You seemed independent before and not close to me, but after what happened at Drunken Fragrance Tower when you were caught by me along with the Crown Prince, and then with your help in playing "The Phoenix Seeking its Mate" for Rong Jing which brought about our good fortune, I feel that perhaps I was somewhat impolite before. Please bear with me! We should be closer to each other in the future."

Qin Yucling tightened her fist inside her sleeve and remained silent.

"Miss Qin, I remember you liked Rong Jing. Is it because of our current situation that you're unhappy Otherwise today, since I was talking too much, why did you not speak much" Yun Qianyue turned to ask Qin Yucling.

Qin Yucling's steps faltered, her expression changed; she knew she had to respond to Yun Qianyue now, so she quickly shook her head, "It’s not like that! I genuinely wish Sister Yun happiness. Long ago, I already knew I couldn't be with Shi Zi Jing. Now since there is the Crown Prince and our marriage has been consummated, how can I still yearn for others"

"That's great! You scared me!" Yun Qianyue pretended to pat her chest.

“We should indeed be closer. Sister Yun, you have a genuine nature that I admired in the past. But you've never liked me much. Since you say so now, I will make an effort to get along better with you from now on, as long as you don't find it bothersome!” Qin Yucling took a deep breath and managed a smile.

“Alright！” Yun Qianyue smiled broadly in agreement, her whole body seeming to radiate happiness.

Qin Yucling did not speak further; she walked towards the carriage of the Chancellor's residence, stepping quickly as the coachman immediately lifted the curtain for her. She climbed into the carriage and let the curtains fall, concealing her figure. The coachman cracked his whip, ready to leave Yun王府.

"Miss Qin!" Yun Qianyue suddenly called out once more.

“Sister Yun, is there anything else” Qin Yucling had no choice but to lift the curtain slightly.

"Nothing! Just want to tell you to come over and play more often at my residence!" Yun Qianyue gave her a wide smile.

“... Okay!” Qin Yucling nodded, smiled briefly, then let down the curtains.

The carriage of the Chancellor's residence left Yun王府’s gates.

Yun Qianyue watched as Qin Yucling's carriage drove away; she withdrew her smile and pulled at the collar of her clothes with a sudden laugh. Today's events were indeed a lesson to Qin Yucling for scheming against her yesterday. She believed that from now on, every day would be a reminder for Qin Yucling, just like how the nightmare Night Tianqing imposed upon her in Drunken Fragrance Tower was unforgettable, and similar to their duet of "The Phoenix Seeking its Mate" at the Emperor's birthday banquet with Rong Jing—she had exposed the kisses marks on her body to make Qin remember Rong Jing, thus remembering these scenes. She pondered whether Qin Yucling could be considered a rival for her affection towards Rong Jing, but she would not hesitate to strike down any woman who harbored thoughts of Rong Jing.

"Miss!" Yi Xue's voice was heard.

Yun Qianyue turned around; seeing that Yi Xue had empty hands, she raised her brows, "No token"

Yi Xue saw that there were no carriages of the Chancellor's Manor at the gate, and she shook her head and whispered, "Prince Jing said he would only give it to you if you personally go to the Glory王府 to get it. Otherwise, he won't give it."

Cloud Qianyue frowned and scowled, "What a troublemaker!"

Yi Xue looked at Cloud Qianyue's expression and said with some amusement, "I think Prince Jing wants to see you. That’s why he won’t give it when I go. He just wants you to come personally."

"No way! If not, forget about it!" Cloud Qianyue turned around and walked back into the manor.

Yi Xue followed behind her as they entered the manor together.

Away for a while, Yi Xue asked softly, "Miss, what did Miss Qin of Chancellor’s Manor come to see you about"

Cloud Qianyue looked back at Yi Xue and said with a smile, "The Crown Prince's residence has been searched. Night Tianqiong is in prison as the Crown Prince. She is the future Crown Princess, so naturally she came here."

"Did she ask you to rescue His Highness the Crown Prince" asked Yi Xue in confusion.

"No! She didn’t even mention Night Tianqiong!" Cloud Qianyue said with amusement. "She may be cunning, but as a woman raised on women's teachings and moral codes, she still falls far short of Ye Qian! When she came here, she probably wanted to probe for information from me on how to save Night Tianqiong, but after seeing me, her thoughts were diverted. Now she has forgotten her original intention and left in a hurry."

"Miss Qin likes Prince Jing!" Yi Xue glanced at Cloud Qianyue’s expression carefully.

Cloud Qianyue nodded indifferently as she looked up at the sky, her gaze distant. "So what Who told her to be Miss Qin instead of me"

Yi Xue said nothing more.

When they returned to the Moonlit Jade Pavilion, Cloud Qianyue finally felt sleepy and buried herself under the blankets with a blanket wrapped around her, closing her eyes. She dismissed all thoughts from her mind and fell asleep soon after.

No one disturbed Cloud Qianyue at the Moonlit Jade Pavilion, so she slept deeply until dusk. When she woke up again, there was a tall figure standing by her bed; it seemed familiar under the dark curtains. After a moment of confusion, she recognized him as Yun Muhuan and looked at him in surprise. "Brother"

Yun Muhuan turned around upon hearing her voice and gave her a faint smile. "You're awake"

"Yes!" Cloud Qianyue nodded, puzzled by how Yun Muhuan was here. She looked out of the window but did not see Ling Lian or Yi Xue. She asked him, "When did you get here"

Yun Muhuan stood at the window and replied, "I've been here for a while."

"Why didn't you wake me up I slept so deeply that I didn’t even hear you come in. Where have Ling Lian and Yi Xue gone" Cloud Qianyue sat up and looked at Yun Muhuan as she held the blanket tightly. She had no idea when he had entered.

"I told them not to wake you! They are now in the kitchen preparing dinner," Yun Muhuan said.

Cloud Qianyue nodded with a sleepy head, "Oh!"

Yun Muhuan did not say anything more and simply looked at her. The room was unlit, and he stood by the window, so Cloud Qianyue could barely see his expression in the dim light.

"Where is Ye Qian" After a while, Cloud Qianyue asked Yun Muhuan who did not speak for some time.

Yun Muhuan replied, "She's at the Southern Frontier envoy's residence preparing to return."

"Return I thought she would be in a hurry to leave. After so long, Southern Frontier King’s health must be deteriorating," Cloud Qianyue pondered while asking, "When will she come back

"Tomorrow!" Yun Muh寒 said.

Yun Qianyue nodded. Since Nan Lingrui would return to the Southern Liang tomorrow, it was convenient for them. She looked at Yun Muh寒 and asked, "What about you"

"I'll go with him to the Southern Frontier." Yun Muh寒 replied.

Yun Qianyue nodded again. "Does His Majesty know that both of you will leave tomorrow Although he has issued an imperial decree for your marriage and received a letter from the King of the Southern Frontier, the wedding date and betrothal gifts have not been finalized yet."

"Princess Ye said everything should be kept simple," Yun Muh寒 replied in a mild tone. "Besides, these things can also be arranged after we return to the Southern Frontier."

“That’s true!” Yun Qianyue smiled. “Since Princess Ye is a princess of the Southern Frontier, her wedding ceremony won’t lack in formalities.”

Yun Muh寒 fell silent.

Not knowing what else to say, Yun Qianyue also remained quiet.

"Miss, are you awake" Ling Lian’s voice came from outside.

"Yes!" Yun Qianyue answered.

Ling Lian pushed the door open and entered, followed by Yi Xue. The two carried food with them. Since they arrived, Tingxue and Tingyu seldom appeared in her room anymore. They placed the dishes on the table and lit up the lamps before withdrawing.

"Brother, I remember we haven't eaten together at one table yet! Let's eat together!" Yun Qianyue got off the bed and went to the dining table.

“We have had dinner together every year during the New Year feast. Since I came to the Cloud王府, until now for ten years, we've only shared eight New Year feasts. The first time was because I didn't join in the banquet; five years ago it was you who couldn’t attend,” Yun Muh寒 said.

Yun Qianyue was taken aback and chuckled. “That’s right! There's still a New Year feast coming up! It slipped my mind! But we, meaning just the two of us, have never had dinner together before! In the past, when he…was around, we almost ate together every day—either at West Maple Garden or in this Jasmine Moon Pavilion.”

Yun Muh寒 naturally knew she meant 'he' was Nan Lingrui. He nodded and sat down, saying, "We won’t be celebrating the New Year feast at Cloud王府 this year! I think we won't have such an opportunity anymore in the future." After a moment of silence, he continued, “I haven’t been a good brother; you’ve always kept your distance from me.”

"Brother, don’t say that. Back then, it was my fault. If I had known earlier that you were my cousin, I wouldn't have ignored you for so long," Yun Qianyue smiled and picked a bamboo shoot to serve Nan Lingrui. "I know how much you love bamboo shoots."

Yun Muh寒 was stunned and looked at Yun Qianyue in amazement.

"Isn’t that strange I also know your daily habits," Yun Qianyue gave him a mysterious smile. "You might not be aware, but during the first half year you arrived at Cloud王府, I spent every day on the roof of your room in West Maple Garden observing you. That’s how I learned about your preferences."

Yun Muh寒 was speechless for a moment and said, "I didn’t know that you observed me for six months."

"Although I don't know why you came to Cloud王府 and became my brother, I later discovered that you had no ill intentions towards the Cloud王府. Even though we weren't close, I never thought of forcing you out; rather, I just wanted to understand more about you. Eventually, I realized that you were actually the Crown Prince of Southern Liang and also my cousin," Yun Qianyue chuckled and said with a wink: "Back then, if I hadn’t grown up already, who knows how clingy I would have been towards you!" Suddenly, Yun Muh寒 smiled and lowered his head. “I wish you had been clinging to me.”

“You only say that because you haven't experienced being stuck with me before. Ask him or ask Ye Tianqiong; they will tell you how much they want to throw me out sometimes,” Yun Qianyue said with a smile.

Yun Muh寒 laughed but didn’t speak further.

"Let's eat then," Yun Qianyue also stopped talking. Having slept for the entire day, she had no appetite. The thought of him leaving made her feel deeply reluctant. He had been in the Cloud王府 for ten years; after the initial two years where she had pushed him away, she gradually got used to his presence. After learning that he was her cousin three years ago, they developed a familial bond. However, it never deepened. The most interactions were during those half months when he forced her to learn characters after she lost her memory. She hated him back then but now found the memories amusing.

"Alright," Yun Muh寒 replied with another nod and remained silent.

Afterwards, neither of them spoke. Yun Qianyue wasn't very hungry but kept offering food to Yun Muhuan. It seemed that Yun Muhuan didn't have much appetite either, yet he ate everything she offered him until he could no longer eat anymore and then shook his head at her.

Yun Qianyue put down her chopsticks, looked at Yun Muhuan with a smile and said, "Brother, you’re going to the Southern Borderlands now. It’s not that far away after all. Actually, I have been there too. But why am I feeling so reluctant for you to leave"

Yun Muhuan was somewhat moved by her words but couldn’t force a smile out of himself. After a long pause, he replied, "Yes, it’s not that far away."

Yun Qianyue tried to keep herself calm and suddenly suggested with a grin, "Brother, why don’t you teach me how to read"

Yun Muhuan was taken aback by her request as he looked at her.

She winked at him, saying, "Just like the time when you forced me to learn characters a couple of months ago!"

"Alright!" Yun Muhuan nodded in agreement.

Yun Qianyue called out and Ling Lian and Yixue came in and cleared away the leftovers on the table. She then laid out some rice paper, ground ink for Yun Muhuan herself. Watching her, he waited until she had finished grinding the ink before picking up a brush to start writing down the names of people in their household.

Yun Qianyue watched him attentively.

And so they resumed the lessons that they used to have two months ago. Yun Qianyue realized how cute Yun Muhuan was back then, yet she had hated him at the time.

The next few hours passed in a blink of an eye and before anyone knew it, night had fallen.

Yun Muhuan put down his brush and suddenly reached out to pull her into his embrace. Startled, Yun Qianyue was about to back off when she heard him call out softly, "Sister!"

Apart from pausing in her movements, she didn’t push him away but instead had tears welling up in her eyes as she said, "Brother!"

Yun Muhuan responded with a soft voice which was then followed by silence.

Yun Qianyue thought to herself that blood relationship was indeed something mysterious. Thinking about how their mother had been his aunt and her father had been his uncle, as well as the fact that he had lost everything due to being abandoned because of his older brother, she felt an urge to take care of him. Compared with him, Nan Lingrui seemed too fortunate. Therefore, she was willing to bear another burden on top of her own, this one regarding Yun Muhuan. She wanted to treat him well and regard him as a real big brother.

After what felt like forever, Yun Muhuan finally let go of her and left the room without looking back at her.

Yun Qianyue immediately reached out to grab his sleeve. Turning around to look at her, he received a token from her and she said, "This is a token for the Wind Pavilion in the Southern Borderlands. You just need to show it to the manager of Drunken Fragrance Inn when you arrive there and he will bring you to meet the headmaster of the Southern Borderlands’ branch of the Wind Pavilion. As long as you present this token, everyone under the Wind Pavilion in the Southern Borderlands will be at your command. In addition, you can also use it for all the hidden spies, resources, shops and business routes."

Yun Muhuan looked down to examine the token he had received. On its surface was a unique dragon symbol of the Southern Borderlands. He then turned to look back at Yun Qianyue.

"The words I said to you that night in Xi Feng Garden were not mere nonsense, nor were the ones I spoke with Ye Qian about the old emperor’s birthday banquet. You are my brother now and always will be," Yun Qianyue stated.

Yun Muhuan nodded and clutched onto the token in his hand tightly before leaving the room after she released him from her grip.

Watching Yun Muhuan’s figure leave through the door of Shallow Moon Pavilion, Yun Qianyue let out a sigh as she massaged her forehead. Turning around to sit on her soft couch, she suddenly raised her head and looked outside, asking, "Rong Jing, do you intend to stand outside in the cold wind all night"

———

I really think Yun Muhuan is adorable! Don’t tell me that I’m the only one who thinks so (^_^)

Muttering to herself, she felt heartbroken… How could this be… (^_^) fall asleep now; we’re in water, and you might accidentally catch the chill," Yun Qianyue reminded him, "It’s only a few dozen miles away by river. We’ll be there soon; just hold on.""Why are you alw...