Yun Shu's peripheral vision caught sight of a blade of grass in the corner.
She did not answer Jing Heng's question.
Instead, she took two steps towards it.
Under the moonlight, the blade of grass growing by the wall looked unremarkable, its color akin to the moonlight, not the green of typical grass.
If not for the wind that had just stirred it, carrying a faint medicinal aroma, she would never have found it!
Wasn't it supposed to grow in the Northern Frontier?
How could it be here?
Seeing Yun Shu staring lost in thought at the small grass by the wall, Aunt Qian stepped forward and said, "This grass blooms, so we let it grow by the wall and didn't uproot it. It was Brother Liu from the village who brought back the seeds from the Northern Frontier from afar, saying the flowers it produced were beautiful. But it hasn't bloomed yet, and we don't know what it's called."
Upon hearing this, Yun Shu snapped back to reality and immediately pulled up the medicinal herb by the wall.
"You..." Aunt Qian was stunned. What was going on?
"Aunt Qian, I'll explain later." Yun Shu said briefly and was about to head towards the room.
But then she remembered something. Nearly a quarter of an hour had passed since then. In this time, the person in the room should have been dishevelled.
She pursed her lips and looked at Qiu Lu, who was still somewhat dazed. "Qiu Lu, go and ask the Night King if he can bear the risk of not being able to stand for a year, or even possibly being unable to have children in the future!"
"Ah?" Qiu Lu froze, completely unable to comprehend.
"Ask quickly, this is another solution." Yun Shu said sternly.
Qiu Lu immediately came to his senses. Another solution?
The heavy feeling in his heart seemed to have suddenly cleared. He nervously went to knock on the door.
Bang bang bang!
The anxious knocking sounded and entered the room.
"Your Highness?" Qiu Lu called out, his voice a little lighter yet still anxious.
It had been about a quarter of an hour since his cousin entered. Could it be...
He was extremely worried!
A knot of tension remained in his chest.
There was no response from the room.
His face instantly turned pale.
He stiffly turned his head to look at Yun Shu.
Yun Shu's face was ashen. In the moonlight, her robes fluttered, and she remained silent.
Qiu Lu's face became even paler, and his heart sank. The King and his cousin, they... they were currently...
"No need to ask." Yun Shu said calmly.
She lowered her eyes to look at the medicinal herb in her hand. It grew in the Northern Frontier. If someone hadn't brought back seeds in this season, it would have likely died long ago.
The climate here was not suitable for its growth.
In two or three months, when the weather turned cold, it would wither.
During her escape, she had thought of it, but knew it wouldn't appear near the capital. Who would have thought... it was right before her eyes, and she had overlooked it all along.
It was fate.
"Miss Yun Er..." Qiu Lu called out.
He wanted to say something but felt utterly powerless.
Why was fate so cruel?
Just a step too late?
Was it only this one step short?
Yun Shu handed the herb to Qiu Lu. "Keep it well. It will be useful after we return to the capital."
Qiu Lu took it with stiff movements, holding it carefully. He wanted to say more, but felt as if not a single word could be uttered. Just a quarter of an hour, why only a quarter of an hour?
Seeing Qiu Lu still in a daze, Yun Shu glanced at the overlapping mountain peaks in the distance and said softly, "Jing Heng and I will go and see the foot of the mountain."
"Ah, alright." Qiu Lu nodded rigidly.
Yun Shu and Jing Heng walked together towards the courtyard gate.
As the two reached the gate and Jing Heng's hand touched the courtyard door,
the room door was suddenly pushed open with a bang.
Immediately after, Qian Le'er's crying could be heard from behind them, "Wuwuwuwu..."
Qian Le'er dared not cry loudly, so she could only sob softly, crying with great grievance.
Uncle Qian and Aunt Qian were very surprised when they saw Qian Le'er run out. "Le'er?"
Qiu Lu was also dumbfounded.
Why was his cousin crying?
Yun Shu turned to look back.
Jing Heng frowned, his soul questioning, "So fast?"
Yun Shu didn't react at first. When she did, she glanced at Jing Heng, then looked at Qian Le'er, who was crying with great grievance.
Aunt Qian had already hugged Qian Le'er and was repeatedly asking, "Le'er, what's wrong?"
Qiu Lu, with his good hearing, heard Jing Heng's words and was utterly shocked.
Fast... was it?
A quarter of an hour...
Under Uncle and Aunt Qian's concerned questioning, Qian Le'er cried even more grievously, "Wuwuwuwu..."
Seeing this, Uncle Qian quickly looked at Qiu Lu. "What... what is going on?"
Qiu Lu, equally confused, genuinely couldn't answer Uncle Qian for a moment.
He could only shake his head.
His mind, which had been muddled moments ago, now calmed down amidst Qian Le'er's cries.
He hadn't dared to look earlier. Now, with his peripheral vision, he saw that his cousin was neatly dressed, her hair also tidy. Could it be...
Of course, this was just his guess.
He wanted to ask his cousin, but seeing how heartbroken she was, he could only hesitantly walk towards the open room.
"Master..." Jing Heng looked at Yun Shu.
Was the Night King's body really that frail?
If that were the case, it was good that she hadn't ruined her own future.
Yun Shu's beautiful eyes swept over Qian Le'er.
Her earlier confusion eased slightly when she saw Qian Le'er neatly dressed and her hair not out of place. Her pale face softened.
As Qiu Lu reached the doorway and before he could speak, he heard Zhan Tianye's extremely icy voice from inside the room, "Let Yun Shu come in."
The words "let Yun Shu come in" were spoken even colder this time.
It was clear that Zhan Tianye was even angrier than before.
Qiu Lu blinked twice and turned to look at Yun Shu.
Yun Shu had already started walking back. When she reached Qiu Lu, she said to him, "Grind the herb into juice. Only the juice."
"Ah, alright!" Qiu Lu quickly agreed.
Jing Heng, who was at the door, had already walked out of the courtyard. His figure, like a ghost, swiftly disappeared into the night.
Qiu Lu, holding the herb, hurried to complete Yun Shu's instructions.
Meanwhile, Qian Le'er had calmed down with Aunt Qian's comfort and was no longer crying.
She raised her head and watched Yun Shu enter the room.
Her red-rimmed eyes were filled with jealousy. She asked Aunt Qian, "Mother, what... what am I inferior to her?"
"What?" Aunt Qian didn't understand.
Uncle Qian understood and asked Qian Le'er sternly, "Did the Night King not touch you?"
Qian Le'er's eyes immediately turned red again. Her heart was filled with grievance. She said indignantly, "Father! Are you trying to stab your daughter's heart!"
Aunt Qian felt sorry for her daughter and sighed, "Le'er, don't be sad."
...
Yun Shu, having entered the room, saw Zhan Tianye sitting before her.
His complexion was even paler than before.
The aura around him was even more bone-chillingly cold.
His cold gaze swept over her, his thin lips pressed into a tight line.
His brows seemed to hold a hint of mockery.
"Seeing that I didn't touch her, are you very disappointed?" Zhan Tianye stared at Yun Shu with icy eyes, as if a terrifying storm was condensed within them.
He was very angry!