In this confrontation, Hua Zhu Yu was definitely the winner.

  She only felt Xiao Yin grasp her hand and start to push the broken joints back into their sockets. It was still very painful. Xiao Yin’s movements were very trained, far more than it had been when he was breaking joints. It seemed like he was trained to break and then put back joints. After Xiao Yin finished putting the joints back in place, he called for people to remove the barbed arrow from her shoulders.

  Two white-robed people entered. They were said to be the army doctors.They took a sharp short knife and placed it in the fire until it was burning red. The knife was stabbed into her flesh and the arrow was finally removed from her shoulder. At last, medicine was placed on the wound.

  The action was extremely deft, however, this wasn’t chopping wood or carving a chiseled stone, couldn’t they at least use some anesthesia?

  Maybe it was the pain, or maybe it was because she had been so active during half the night, but after the arrow was removed, Hua Zhu Yu immediately fell asleep.

  Hua Zhu Yu had to take half of month in order to heal the wound, yet only a scab had been created for the wound. The fingers on her left hand still had not healed. She couldn’t move it all all. She stayed in the red tent, however their att.i.tude towards her was completely different than before. There were even servants for her at the door. Xiao Yin seemed to actually want her to stay in the North Dynasty.

  Xiao Yin had also specifically sent Hui Xue to serve her. If Hua Zhu Yu’s memory wasn’t wrong, then Hui Xue should’ve actually been Xiao Yin’s personal maid.

  In this half a month, the North Kingdom and the South Kingdom were still in a deadlock and both had lost many soldiers. This time the Hua family had lost a lot of soldiers as well as they were the main force for the South Kingdom.

  It was said that after seeing that North Kingdom was difficult to defeat, he had sent about 50,000 soldiers, yet they had suddenly retreated midway. This piece of news, to the North Kingdom, was definitely good, however Hua Zhu Yu felt a little uneasy.

  The emperor had provoked the battle, so why had he so easily given up? Could it be that there was something happening in East Yan?

  The majority of East Yan’s territory bordered the South Kingdom. Even though East Yan was not vast, their production was abundant and their military strength was powerful. These years, East Yan and the South Kingdom had harmonious relations, however that didn’t mean that when South Kingdom was weakened they wouldn’t attack.

  The South Kingdom and West Liang had fought for many years and the military power had also weakened. The South Kingdom today would definitely not be able to withstand the power of East Yan and the North Kingdom together. Additionally, if they couldn’t immediately resolve the conflict with the North Kingdom, the South Kingdom had only one road to go: pleading for peace.

  As expected, a couple days later, Hua Zhu Yu heard from Hui Xue that the North Kingdom and the South Kingdom had signed a contract for three years of peace. The two armies simultaneously retreated. Yet the place where she belonged, was still the North Kingdom.

  She had heard that on the battlefield, her father had requested to let Xiao Yin leave her, but he had said: “Even though she is just a servant and a replacement, however as she had come for a marriage alliance, she is already someone of the North Kingdom and so it would not be reasonable to give her back. Moreover, she had already agreed to stay in the North Kingdom.” Seeing that her father had not revealed her real ident.i.ty, he most likely though that the ident.i.ty of a servant – to her – was the most safe.

  The day of the peace contract was signed, Hua Zhu Yu had followed along with the soldiers of North Kingdom to retreat.

  This time, Xiao Yin had not ordered people to place her in a bag, rather he had allowed her to sit in a horse carriage. As the wheels rolled across the pavement, Hua Zhu Yu peered outside. She only saw the seemingly endless plains of gra.s.s rapidly receding far into the distance. And she was also leaving the South Kingdom, leaving her home country at the same speed.

  When the carriage temporarily stopped,a figure brushed open the curtain and entered the carriage to sit on the seat across from Hua Zhu Yu. Other than Xiao Yin, who could it possibly be?

  Carriage

  After she had fainted that day half a month ago, he had never gone to see her.

  Hua Zhu Yu had originally thought that he had forgotten her – which was an extremely good thing. Or maybe that she could leave after her wound was healed. But she had never imagined that he had actually not forgotten her.

  Xiao Yin had already changed from the military uniform that he wore on the battlefield to simple black robes. He didn’t even look at Hua Zhu Yu before pouring a goblet full of wine and gulping it down. He filled it with wine again and then raised it toward Hua Zhu Yu, quietly asking: “Do you want a cup?”


  “This servant doesn’t dare!” Hua Zhu Yu softly said.

  Xiao Yin narrowed his eyes and seemed like he wanted to splash the wine out from the goblet. She doesn’t dare? Who was it that had smacked the table and drunk all of tea?

  However, the wine hadn’t splashed out. But because his hand had shook a little, some wine had sprinkled out.

  The female in front of him seemed to be the female that day yet also not.

  Pale face. Long and graceful eyebrows – like the refreshing far mountains.

  Eyes were like a phoenix, radiant and clear, yet also incredibly captivating. When in concentration, her eyes would be quiet like ice jade. When she smiled slightly, her eyes would let off brightness like that of the sunrise.

  Her nose was delicate yet also seemed to carry innate arrogance.

  Her lips were tender and beautifully soft.

  She didn’t wear makeup again, removing the coquettish aura, and replacing it with a clear yet suffocating one. It was like a fine jade stained in oil, but when the oil was removed, it showed stunning purity and beauty.

  Xiao Yin momentarily went into a daze. The cup in his hand slightly tilted to the side.

  Hua Zhu Yu reached out her hand and took the cup in his hand and drunk it all down. Her posture was that of the clouds and flowing water. When she finished drinking, she raised it slightly and faintly smiled at Xiao Yin with a trace of grace yet also of free and easy pride.

  Truthfully, sometimes, a battle with another was the best way to understand another person. She now didn’t need to pretend to be some servant.

  Xiao Yin was fleetingly shaken by Hua Zhu Yu’s smile.

  Ice and fire. When these two extreme temperaments are combined in her, it is actually extremely beautiful. When sinking down, it is ice – deep and cold. When floating up, it is fire – radiant and gorgeous.

  “You don’t want to ask why bendianxia asked you to follow bendianxia?” Xiao Yin broke out of his trance. He took back the goblet and playfully rotated it around in circles. He seemed to be holding back a smile that was not a smile.

  Hua Zhu Yu leaned against the carriage and her lips lifted into a slight smile, making an exquisite scene: “Is there any need to ask? I’ve already been an army prost.i.tute. What else is there that I can’t do?”


  The expression on Xiao Yin’s face seemed to slowly freeze up. The temperature in the carriage also seemed to slowly go down. It seemed like ice would appear at any moment.