Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Birds in the woods outside Luofengpo took flight in fright, and the sound of horses' hooves shattered the morning silence.

A magnificent chestnut horse broke through the thin mist and charged straight towards the ancient sycamore tree that blocked out the sky.

The rider tightened the reins, and the chestnut horse reared up, letting out a long neigh, before coming to a steady stop ten zhang away from the barrier.

Li Qingge dismounted swiftly, her movements nimble and graceful, showing none of the delicate air she had possessed in the deep palace years ago.

She was dressed in a light yellow outfit, with a long sword hanging at her waist, and her hair was a little messy, clearly indicating that she had come at a fast pace.

She stood there, her breathing a little rapid, her gaze fixed on the invisible barrier and the red-clad figure leaning lazily against the tree trunk inside it.

Gu Xiang was squatting on the ground peeling walnuts for Su Qing when he heard the noise. He got up, patted the crumbs off his hands, and stepped out from behind the barrier.

"Your subject, Gu Xiang, greets the Fifth Princess." Gu Xiang bowed with his hands clasped, his expression calm.

Li Qingge ignored Gu Xiang and looked past Gu Xiang's shoulder, landing on Su Qing.

Su Qing held half a walnut kernel in her hand, tossed it into her mouth, and chewed it with a crunching sound. She looked at Li Qingge, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, revealing a familiar, slightly teasing smile.

"You've grown taller," Su Qing said, her voice clear but with a hint of laziness. "And you've gotten darker too."

Li Qingge's body trembled slightly.

She strode forward until she bumped into the invisible barrier. She reached out her hand, placed her palm on the barrier, and looked at Su Qing, who was so close to her, through the flowing halo of light.

"It really is you." Li Qingge's voice was tight. "My brother said you were alive, but I didn't believe it."

Su Qing dusted off her hands, walked barefoot to the barrier, and looked at Li Qingge through the light screen.

"A scourge lives on for a thousand years," Su Qing laughed. "The King of Hell thought I was too noisy and refused to take me in, so he threw me back here."

Li Qingge took a deep breath, took out a warm and smooth jade pendant with dragon patterns from her bosom, and handed it over.

"My brother asked me to give this to you," Li Qingge said. "He said that seeing Yu is like seeing the emperor. In this Great Zhou Dynasty, you can go wherever you want, and no one will dare to stop you."

Su Qing reached out, her fingertips passing through the barrier, and took the jade pendant. The pendant still carried Li Qingge's body heat.

"Please thank your brother for me." Su Qing casually hung the jade pendant on her waist. "Tell him I've remembered this favor. I'll treat him to a drink when I get out."

Looking at Su Qing's nonchalant demeanor, Li Qingge's eyes welled up with tears, but she forced herself to hold them back.

She turned her head and looked at Gu Xiang, who was standing to the side.

"Prime Minister Gu," Li Qingge sniffed, regaining her usual crispness, "your memorial is quite frightening. My brother broke a teacup in the Imperial Study, thinking you'd gone mad."

Gu Xiang smiled, walked to Su Qing's side, and put his arm around her shoulder.

"I am not insane." Gu Xiang looked at Su Qing with a calm gaze. "I have simply found what I lost."

Li Qingge looked at the two figures standing side by side. One was dressed in red and barefoot, exuding a natural demonic aura; the other was dressed in plain clothes and straw sandals, yet could not conceal his righteous spirit.

A few years ago, these same two people stirred up a storm in the capital.

Years later, they met again in this desolate wilderness, and they were even more well-matched than in the imperial palace.

"Since the princess is here, she can serve as a witness," Gu Xiang suddenly said.

"What testimony?" Li Qingge asked.

Gu Xiang turned to look at Su Qing, grasped her hand, and squeezed it rather tightly.

"I want to marry her," Gu Xiang said. "A proper marriage."

Li Qingge was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Didn't you already get married?" Li Qingge joked. "Back in Gujia Village, I heard you two had a wedding ceremony."

"That doesn't count," Gu Xiang shook his head. "That time was too rushed, and not many people knew. This time, I'm going to let the whole world know."

Gu Xiang paused, his gaze becoming exceptionally firm.

"I want to hold the grandest wedding in the capital. I want the Ministry of Rites to draft the ceremony and the Imperial Observatory to calculate the auspicious day. I want a ten-mile-long red bridal procession, a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, and I want everyone to see her enter my Gu family in a magnificent display."

Su Qing pouted and tried to pull her hand back, but Gu Xiang held it tightly.

"Vulgar," Su Qing cursed. "Extravagant and wasteful."

"I'm just plain materialistic," Gu Xiang said, looking at her. "I have money, and I'm happy to do it."

Li Qingge couldn't help but clap her hands and laugh as she watched the two bickering.

"Very well!" Li Qingge exclaimed loudly, "I grant your permission! I will personally arrange this wedding for you! Anyone who dares to utter a single word of dissent will have my brother behead them!"

Su Qing rolled her eyes: "You two siblings are both incredibly violent."

After Li Qingge finished laughing, she took out a brocade pouch from her bosom and handed it to Su Qing.

"This is a concealment talisman that the Imperial Advisor asked me to give to you," Li Qingge said. "It's because she said you're prone to attracting trouble. Wearing this will help conceal your secrets."

Su Qing took the brocade pouch and weighed it in her hand.

"That old fox is still so fond of worrying." Su Qing said, but still put the brocade pouch into her bosom.

As the sun began to set, the light in the woods dimmed.

Li Qingge could not stay long. She had run away secretly, and although her elder brother, the Emperor, had tacitly approved, it was ultimately inappropriate for a princess to be away from the capital for too long.

"I have to go." Li Qingge mounted her horse and pulled on the reins. "Sister Su, Prime Minister Gu, I'll be waiting for you in the capital. When you return, I'll bring the finest wine to welcome you back."

"Be careful on the road," Gu Xiang cautioned. "Things haven't been peaceful lately."

"Don't worry." Li Qingge patted the long sword at his waist, his brows furrowed with heroic spirit. "A few petty thieves are nothing to me, they're not even enough for me to practice on."

With a long neigh, the chestnut horse galloped away along the road it had come from.

Su Qing stood inside the barrier, watching Li Qingge's departing figure until that pale yellow silhouette disappeared into the depths of the forest.

"This girl," Su Qing said softly, "has become much more mature than before."

Gu Xiang stood behind her and draped his outer robe over her shoulders.

"She's a princess, she'll have to grow up eventually," Gu Xiang said.

Su Qing turned around and looked at Gu Xiang.

"Are you really going to have a wedding?" Su Qing asked.

"I'll do it." Gu Xiang nodded.

"Aren't you afraid of being criticized?"

"I'm not afraid."

Su Qing stared at him for a while, then suddenly stood on tiptoe and bit his lip.

"fool."

Gu Xiang touched his lips and grinned foolishly.

The wind rustled through the sycamore leaves. The old tree lowered its branches, gently brushing against their hair, as if offering a silent blessing.

To the tune of "Dian Jiang Chun" - A Visit from an Old Friend

Horses trample the autumn forest, startling birds into flight and scattering clouds and mountains.

Old friends meet, separated by a glass curtain.

A jade pendant conveys affection; let us exchange our hearts' desires.

Do not sigh.

I look at my red makeup again and make a vow to grow old together.