The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Zhenhuan's heart skipped a beat. He was both surprised and delighted. He was surprised that Lin Qingyan hadn't gone into the mountains but had instead followed the group all the way. He was delighted that all his persistence had received an unexpected response.

The thought of Lin Qingyan, a teenage girl, following him through the dark woods on an empty stomach, broke his heart.

At this moment, all the humiliation and pain he had suffered before transformed into joy under those gentle, bright eyes. This was a girl he would protect for the rest of his life!

Wang Zhenhuan thought to himself, although he really wanted to rush to the girl and hold her tightly in his arms, he knew that now was far from the right time.

He lowered his head slightly to avoid revealing his expression to the golden-haired girl. After calming himself down, he looked up at the girl, smiled, and spoke in a slightly flirtatious tone.

"Come here! How am I supposed to take my pants off if you don't come and untie the ropes? Or can you come and help me?"

"Pah, shameless. I, a princess, would let a petty thief like you take off my pants? How could you even think of that?" The girl spat lightly upon hearing Wang Zhenhuan's words. Holding a torch, she walked to his side.

"Let me tell you, I can untie you, but don't even think about running away. My men are a private guard who can take on ten men at once. They are not only skilled in martial arts, but also have perfect aim."

"If you run away, arrows and swords have no eyes. If you really die, don't blame me for not warning you!" The girl put the torch on the ground and threatened Wang Huanzhen while untying the ropes.

Wang Huanzhen's heart sank upon hearing the girl's words. Although she was threatening him, her admiration for the group of Jin people was still quite evident in her words.

But now that the die was cast, he had no choice but to go. If he had previously wanted to try to escape, after seeing those eyes, he was now determined to do so.

Go! We must go! And we must go now!

He could endure the pain and humiliation, but Lin Qingyan couldn't! At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Lin Qingyan was exposed. In fact, it was possible that she would be discovered by the Jurchens tomorrow during the day.

Wang Zhenhuan believes that the nighttime hours played a significant role in her ability to stay with the group this far. This is because the Jurchens at that time mostly ate meat and rarely ate vegetables, so night blindness was common among them.

While the girl was untying his ropes, Wang Zhenhuan frantically racked his brains for a way to escape. It was early morning, and the Jin people's night blindness was something he could take advantage of.

These Jurchens were all carrying bows and arrows, and running onto the main road would be suicide. So they could only run into the mountains, but he and Lin Qingyan had run out of rations, and running into the mountains would only prolong their lives.

But life is always full of choices. As the saying goes, "When faced with two benefits, choose the greater one; when faced with two harms, choose the lesser one." So, their only option left was to run into the mountains.

Having figured it out, the golden princess untied the rope. She threw it away and was about to bend down to grab a torch when Wang Huanzhen suddenly smiled and said to her.

"No need, no need. I can do it myself. I'm scared if you don't leave me some light in this desolate place."

"Oh, so there's something you're afraid of, you little man? I saw you getting whipped before, and your neck was stiffer than anyone else's," the girl teased with a smile.

"Hey, I didn't want to lose face in front of you. Besides, you're so good-looking, you wouldn't hold a grudge against a Han Chinese like me who's down on his luck, would you?" Wang Huanzhen flattered with an awkward smile.

As the saying goes, flattery will get you everywhere. Whether Han or Jurchen, it's human nature to love hearing compliments, and this young girl was no exception. Hearing Wang Zhenhuan's words, she chuckled.

"I didn't expect you to be so young, yet so sweet-talking. If you had acted like this back then, wouldn't you have avoided all that suffering? Besides, am I, a princess, not good enough for a little man like you?"

The girl seemed somewhat moved as she spoke. She reached out and placed her hand on Wang Zhenhuan's shoulder, leaning closer little by little. Wang Zhenhuan was immediately dumbfounded; he had planned everything perfectly, but he hadn't expected that this princess would actually take a liking to him.

Is this what they call love at first sight? That's ridiculous! He couldn't figure out what about him had attracted this girl. Besides, he was disheveled, with blood on his face.

Forget handsome, he's not even remotely good-looking, is he? But that's fine, it gives him a chance to escape. He lowered his head slightly, blushing, feigning shyness.

His hands, however, were restless, slowly climbing up to the girl's waist. And you know what? No wonder she was from a people who grew up on horseback; the girl's body was shapely and graceful, with curves and undulations.

The girl reached out and wrapped her arms around Wang Zhenhuan's neck, pressing her entire body against him. She seemed to be enjoying his scent, but he knew his own situation best.

After days of travel, and having fallen onto the riverbank, he was at least smelly enough to make anyone grimace. But this princess still clung to him like that.

Perhaps this is a case of two birds with one stone falling for each other. He couldn't help but sigh again at the free-spirited nature of these foreigners. They never concealed their love for one another.

Unfortunately, his mind wasn't on it. After a brief, impromptu apology, he swiftly chopped the girl in the neck. She didn't even open her eyes before losing consciousness.

Wang Zhenhuan supported her with his hand, looked around to make sure no one was around, and then led the girl to a tree, placing her against it. He then took off his outer garment and covered her with it.

Returning to his previous spot, he picked up the torch from the ground and stuck it in the ground a short distance away, hidden by bushes. After doing this, he returned to the tree.

He glanced at the girl with a complex expression, then unfastened the curved sword from her waist, sighed, and turned to disappear into the bushes. He groped his way back to where he had been, looking around nervously.

"Brother, I'm here."

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from the side. Wang Huanzhen went over with his curved sword and saw that the girl in front of him was none other than Lin Qingyan. However, Lin Qingyan was in very poor condition at the moment.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and her pretty face and arms were covered with red spots, probably from mosquito bites. The two of them, their eyes red, looked at each other in silence. Wang Huanzhen suddenly hugged her tightly.

He held her tightly, as if trying to meld her into his embrace. At that moment, he finally understood what true mutual support meant; the two of them had journeyed south together, experiencing countless hardships along the way.

But they never considered giving up on each other. Their mutual dependence wasn't just talk. He, a man, should have borne all of this, but Lin Qingyan, a woman, silently endured it all alongside him, which made it all the more precious!

Not long after Wang Zhenhuan left, the golden princess under the tree opened her eyes. She looked in the direction Wang Zhenhuan had gone with a complex expression, lost in thought...