A Gift from Winterfell, A Kindness of KindnessThree days later.
The wooden boat sailed eastward, the green mountains on both banks rushing past. Dai Yao, dressed as a fisherman, sat at the bow, his bare feet skimming the water. Gazing at the mask in his hand, he fell into deep thought.
This is the mask of the Asura Emperor.
If all goes well, they can all return to Spirit City safely. He wasn't afraid to see Bibi Dong, nor was he afraid of the spirit beast forces hiding in the Spirit Hall, those eyeing him. He simply didn't know how to face Hu Liena.
He was right beside Hu Liena, watching her frantically search for the Asura Emperor, yet he said nothing. Later, he even personally shattered Hu Liena's infatuation. Before arriving in the Heavenly Dou Empire, Hu Liena knew his identity, yet she still expressed her feelings like a moth drawn to a flame.
Dai Yao desperately wanted to escape because his relationship with Hu Liena was a mistake from the very beginning.
An error from Bibi Dong.
He sighed softly, looked up, and felt the mountain breeze, its dampness brushing against his face, clearing away some of the gloom in his heart. He rallied his spirits; he hadn't left the Heavenly Dou Empire yet, and couldn't let his guard down.
He stood up and returned to his cabin. Just as he was about to tidy up, he discovered that Qian Renxue, who looked like Xue Qinghe, was lying on the bed in the rear cabin, staring straight at him.
Dai Yao was somewhat surprised and said:
"You're finally awake?!"
Qian Renxue wanted to answer, but her mouth opened slightly, barely managing to utter a 'huff' sound. She felt aches all over her body, unable to even lift her hands, and her soul power seemed locked, sluggish and unable to circulate. A surge of resentment immediately welled up within her. She was the possessor of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, the most talented Soul Master in the Spirit Hall; even injured, she couldn't show such weakness!
She struggled desperately to get up. Her arms trembled slightly as she tried to support herself, but they were like limp noodles, unable to provide any strength.
His slightly raised body immediately slammed heavily onto the wooden board, making a dull thud.
A wave of excruciating pain washed over her, and Qian Renxue desperately tried to make a sound, but she managed to suppress it.
She would never show any weakness in front of outsiders! From the moment she left the Spirit Hall to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire, she made up her mind!
Looking at Qian Renxue's strong-willed demeanor, Dai Yao fell silent. From the original story, he understood the reason for Qian Renxue's personality. Bibi Dong's abandonment had fostered extreme arrogance in her, coupled with an almost obsessive stubbornness. Qian Renxue's actions were sometimes foolish, but it must be said, she was a pitiful person.
In the original story, she became a god, but lost her only loving grandfather and everything else; she finally forgave Bibi Dong and won Bibi Dong's love, but Bibi Dong died in her arms.
Her life was a tragedy.
The outward strength and arrogance are merely a protective shell for a heart that has suffered countless wounds.
Dai Yao slowly walked to Qian Renxue's side, looked at her lying on the wooden bed, squatted down, and said softly:
"Don't rush. Your injury hasn't healed yet and you need to rest for a while. Strenuous activity will only worsen your injury. Don't rush to speak. If you want to sit up, blink once. If you want to stay in bed, blink twice."
Qian Renxue blinked without hesitation.
Dai Yao sighed, reached out and grabbed Qian Renxue's back, slowly lifting her up so she could lean against the wooden pillar behind her.
Dai Yao clearly saw that when Qian Renxue's back leaned against the wooden pillar, a look of pain flashed across her face, but it disappeared immediately. A light sheen of cold sweat appeared on Qian Renxue's forehead.
Dai Yao found a wooden box, sat on it, and tried to keep his eyes level with Qian Renxue, saying:
"You have been unconscious for three days. During these three days, we have traveled day and night, covering a distance of 400 kilometers by boat, but we are still far from reaching the open sea. In other words, we still have a long way to go before we are out of danger."
"I'm not sure if the road ahead will be safe. If we encounter an enemy we can't face, I'll try to lure them away. But if your injuries haven't healed, I can't guarantee your safety. Because, in the original plan, I was supposed to be alone on this road."
A look of struggle appeared on Qian Renxue's face.
She hated the child version of herself who could only cry and whine. She vowed never to show her vulnerable side again, but now, she needed to heal her injuries to face the road ahead. She didn't want to accept her fate, but at this moment, did she have any other choice?
He closed his eyes in pain, enduring the soreness, and nodded gently.
Dai Yao breathed a sigh of relief. If Qian Renxue had continued to force herself to stay in the line of duty, things would have been troublesome. If pursuers came to investigate, she might have been exposed, which would have been truly dangerous.
"Then lie down and rest first, don't push yourself. If you agree, blink once; if you disagree, blink twice."
Immediately, Qian Renxue blinked.
Dai Yao stepped forward, supporting Qian Renxue's back as she lay down on the wooden bed. He covered her with a blanket and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. After doing this, Dai Yao washed a towel, warmed it with his soul power, and placed it on Qian Renxue's forehead, whispering:
"Since escaping from Heaven Dou City, you haven't eaten anything, and you've been unconscious for three days. Do you want something to eat? If you need something, blink once; if not..."
Qian Renxue understood Dai Yao's meaning, but could she eat on her own in her current condition? Although she was very hungry and knew that she would recover better if she ate, she still habitually wanted to refuse Dai Yao's kindness. Just as she was about to blink twice to refuse Dai Yao, a gurgling sound suddenly came from her stomach.
An eerie silence fell over the cabin.
A faint blush rose on Qian Renxue's pale face, it was hard to tell if it was from shyness or from showing her vulnerable side in front of Dai Yao. Dai Yao, suppressing a laugh, turned his head and said:
"I understand. You've just woken up and can't eat anything too greasy. I'll cook you some porridge first. Please wait a moment..."
Qian Renxue stared intently at Dai Yao's retreating figure. After a long while, she closed her eyes, as if resigned to her fate, and let out a heavy sigh.
······
Dai Yao went to the bow of the ship, took out a stove and a pot from the forecourt, and started a small fire. After rinsing the rice, he put it in the pot, poured in plenty of water, covered it with the lid, and a little white steam rose from the edge of the lid.
Dai Yao kept the stove steady to prevent the mountain wind from causing the wooden boat to shake and capsize it.
After a while, Dai Yao opened the wooden lid, and white steam rushed up all at once. The white porridge in the pot was bubbling away.
Dai Yao extinguished the firewood and ladled out a bowl of plain porridge. After the porridge had cooled slightly, he entered the cabin, looked at Qian Renxue with her eyes closed, and whispered:
"Due to limited resources, this bowl of porridge is just ordinary porridge, not comparable to the delicacies you usually eat."
Dai Yao scooped some porridge with a spoon, preparing to feed it to Qian Renxue.
Qian Renxue looked at Dai Yao with complicated emotions, then fixed her gaze on the white porridge in the spoon. For a moment, she was caught in a dilemma. She was extremely hungry, but she couldn't bring herself to be fed.
Dai Yao reached out, and the spoon slowly approached Qian Renxue's lips. Dai Yao placed the bottom of the spoon against Qian Renxue's lips, and gently twisted it. Her lips parted naturally, but the spoon was blocked outside her tightly closed teeth.
Dai Yao sensed Qian Renxue's inner resistance, slowly raised his head, met her complex gaze, and after a long while, sighed softly:
"Eat some, or your body will suffer. Even if you don't care, the Grand Master will definitely be distressed."
Qian Renxue was startled, her jaw loosened, and Dai Yao was overjoyed. He quickly fed Qian Renxue the white porridge in the spoon.
Qian Renxue was too weak to chew. She sipped her food for a while before swallowing it with great difficulty, her throat feeling as if it were being cut by a knife.
After eating the congee, my empty stomach felt warm.
Qian Renxue stared blankly at Dai Yao, her gaze incredibly complex.
Indeed, she endured hunger willingly, but those who loved her would feel sorry for her. But in this world, besides her grandfather, who else would love her?
That woman in the Papal Palace? Or those subordinates of the Spirit Hall?
Back then, she was so arrogant, looking down on Dai Yao, rejecting his advice, and even straining their relationship. After the failed palace coup, Dai Yao not only killed Xue Beng and Prince Xue Xing to clean up her mess, but also took her, a burden, on a journey of escape.
When he was seriously injured and unable to move, and was starving, he would personally cook porridge and feed it to himself.
She felt sorry for Dai Yao, but Dai Yao didn't hold a grudge. He helped her when she was at her most helpless.
As a child, she was disliked by Bibi Dong and could only lick her wounds alone in her room, like a wounded animal. No one was there for her; she didn't understand the feeling of parental love.
In a foreign land, she once again found herself in the same helpless situation as before, severely injured and unable to move. Dai Yao became her support. Back in Tian Dou City, when she encountered danger, Dai Yao had also stood in front of her without hesitation, taking a blow from the Seventh Elder for her.
Now, Dai Yao goes to great lengths to personally feed her porridge.
Deep down, she hated herself and her powerlessness, yet she also felt a strange attachment to Dai Yao's care.
She had never experienced such a feeling before.
Like a traveler in the desert who has suddenly seen water, Qian Renxue, though unsure if it's an illusion, is becoming increasingly enamored with Dai Yao's care, finding herself unable to extricate herself...
Her martial spirit was unparalleled, her status was noble, she possessed everything, yet she had nothing that she truly desired. But with Dai Yao, she sensed something that had once been unattainable.
There was nothing else mixed in; it was just pure emotion.
Moreover, she hadn't revealed her true form yet, and Dai Yao didn't even know her true gender. Qian Renxue could only explain all of Dai Yao's actions as purely out of kindness…
Thinking of this, her gaze towards Dai Yao softened.
As Dai Yao fed Qian Renxue, he suddenly noticed that compared to the initial difficulty, Qian Renxue seemed to have let down her guard, and feeding her porridge became very easy. Although he was somewhat surprised by Qian Renxue's change, he believed that such a change was ultimately a good thing. After eating, Qian Renxue recovered faster, which would also make their escape easier.
However, seeing Qian Renxue, who looked like Xue Qinghe, staring straight at him gave him a very strange feeling.
Despite his discomfort, Dai Yao continued feeding her. When the porridge in the bowl had sunk halfway down, Qian Renxue blinked, and Dai Yao, understanding her intention, stopped feeding her.
"Are you full?"
Dai Yao asked.
Qian Renxue blinked.
Dai Yao breathed a sigh of relief: "Then you should rest for a while. After you've digested it, I'll help you rest."
He then hurriedly fled from Qian Renxue's side. A grown man stared straight at him, and even though he knew Qian Renxue's true identity, he still felt quite uncomfortable.
Watching Dai Yao's fleeing figure, Qian Renxue's gaze froze for a moment, then a faint smile flashed across her face.
······
Winterfell, snow falls from the sky.
The northern lands were exceptionally cold. Tang San looked at Winterfell City, its gates tightly shut and the air thick with a somber atmosphere, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Winterfell seems to have carried out my orders seriously. If nothing unexpected happens, the carriage that escaped from Skyfighting City has entered Winterfell. The four carriages that escaped from the south, west, and east have all been captured, and the carriages are all empty."
"The Asura Emperor and Qian Renxue should be in the carriage I'm chasing. Right now, they should be hiding in Winterfell!"
Thinking of this, Tang San's lips curled into a cold smile. Now, the Asura Emperor and Qian Renxue were trapped like fish in a barrel; he only needed to exert a little force to capture them! He would nip the greatest threat to the Spirit Hall in the bud!
"Walk!"
Tang San gave the instructions.
Reaching the gates of Winterfell City, Tang San retrieved King Lan Hao's token, and a series of urgent sounds immediately rang out from the city walls. A moment later, the gates opened, and a middle-aged man in a magnificent robe appeared before Tang San.
Upon seeing Tang San, the middle-aged man's knees buckled, and he immediately knelt before Tang San, fawningly saying:
"Welcome, Your Highness Lan Hao!"
The soldiers behind the middle-aged man immediately knelt down, joining him in flattering Tang San.
Tang San frowned and said:
"Who are you?"
The middle-aged man raised his head and respectfully replied, "Your Excellency King Lanhao, I am Horus, the lord of Winterfell. I have strictly followed your orders. Within Winterfell, no one has left, only those who enter."
Upon hearing this, Tang San nodded in satisfaction, then asked:
"A carriage has arrived from Tiandou City. Have you found out?"
Horus nodded, then waved his hand obsequiously behind him. A moment later, the carriage that Dai Yao had used to escape from Tiandou City was brought before him.
"Lord Lanhao, this should be the carriage you were looking for. However, when we found this carriage, we didn't find anyone there."
Tang San's expression immediately darkened:
"They haven't even found the groom?"
Feeling the chill in the air, Horus swallowed hard in fear, glanced at Tang San timidly, and slowly nodded. Although he didn't know who Tang San was looking for, he could tell from Tang San's expression that he seemed to have messed up.
Upon receiving Horus's affirmative reply, Tang San's expression turned even colder.
It's important to understand that while the coachmen were captured in several other locations, they vanished in Winterfell. This unusual detail must have significance. In other words, there's a very high probability that the Asura Emperor and Qian Renxue are hiding in Winterfell!
Tang San stared at Horus and said coldly:
"Go, search! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find those two guys!"