Isolated town in northern border region

Xiao Lie sat under the charred tree, no longer feeling the cold.

The fire line was closing in on the mountaintop, and thick smoke pressed down on the treetops, slowly advancing like a gray wall.

He placed the iron bow on his knees, his fingers no longer able to grip the bowstring, but only lightly touching it, as if he were saying a final goodbye to an old friend.

The northern sky was empty in the distance, and the shadows of those returning birds had long since disappeared into the depths of the night.

He let out a soft breath.

"It's good that you're gone..."

His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping through dry wood.

He lowered his hand, preparing to close his eyes.

Just then, a rough, large hand reached out from behind, grabbed his shoulder, and lifted him off the ground like an iron clamp.

Xiao Lie wanted to resist, but he couldn't lift a single finger. His body, exhausted from three days of overwork, was like a broken puppet, and he could only be carried on someone's shoulder like a sack.

"you……"

"Your Highness, please save your energy."

The iron bow's voice came from below, calm as if it were talking about something trivial, but Xiao Lie could feel that his steps were both rapid and steady, each step treading on the edge of fire, like walking on a knife's edge.

Xiao Lie lay on the iron bow's shoulder, looking at the scorched earth and flames rushing past below, and managed to squeeze out a few words with great effort.

"Iron Bow... Coiled Dragon Guard... Disband on the spot... Go home... and live a good life..."

He took a breath.

"I can no longer seek justice for the people of Qingzhou... and now I am dying from poisoning... it is my retribution..."

Iron Bow's steps did not falter in the slightest.

"The Panlong Guard belonged to the late Emperor, not Your Highness."

"Your Highness has ordered us to disperse so readily; I am afraid I cannot comply!"

His voice was low and deep, like an old root pressed under a stone.

"Before the late emperor passed away, this humble general swore an oath... that I would avenge him and skin that bastard Xiao Mu alive!"

"Now Xiao Mu sits high in the court, and His Highness is on the verge of death because of him!"

"If Your Highness wants me to disband the Panlong Guard, then we must first ask the late Emperor for his consent."

Xiao Lie opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't say a word.

Iron Bow had already carried him into Ear Valley.

The mountain walls on both sides of the valley entrance still bore the marks of yesterday's battle, with broken stones and arrows scattered all over the ground. The bodies of Xiao family's guards were nowhere to be seen; it was unknown whether they had been taken away by Peng Xuan's men or by wild beasts in the mountains.

Xiao Lie didn't look, nor did he stop walking. He just kept his head down and walked forward, his feet stepping over the broken arrow shafts and shards of armor, making a soft crunching sound.

Iron Bow stopped in front of a moss-covered stone wall, reached out and parted a drooping vine to reveal a narrow crack.

The crack was so well hidden that even if you stood right in front of it, you wouldn't notice it unless you looked closely.

Tie Gong squeezed inside sideways and carried Xiao Lie for almost the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before it got dark.

The temperature suddenly dropped, and the air was filled with a damp, lime-scented smell—this was a cave.

Stalactites hung from the cave ceiling, gleaming with a warm luster in the dim light. The water, up to knee-deep, was icy cold, as if it had seeped from deep within the mountain.

Without uttering a word, Tie Gong waded through the water, walking steadily step by step.

Xiao Lie leaned on his shoulder, listening to the sound of water droplets falling, and felt his heartbeat slow down like a clock about to stop.

He didn't know how much longer he could hold on, nor what lay at the end of the crack; he only knew that when the icy water splashed up and wet his skin…

He suddenly felt that the burning heat in his heart that had been raging for three days had been somewhat extinguished.

Tie Gong walked to the end of the cave, then squeezed through a crack that was only wide enough for one person to pass through, and suddenly the view opened up before him!

As the moonlight shone down, they had reached the foot of the other side of Wolf Gaze Mountain.

Under an old pine tree, Tie Muyun was waiting.

She was carrying someone on her back—a woman in a palace dress, with disheveled hair, looking as if she had been pulled out of a fire, her face covered in soot.

Xiao Lie turned his head slightly, and when he saw that face clearly, he felt as if he had been hit hard by something.

"Bisu..."

His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.

Tie Muyun turned and glanced at him, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"That girl is ruthless. She rushed into the fire all by herself, calling out 'Your Highness' all the while."

"If I had arrived even a fraction later, she would already be charred like those pine trees."

Looking at Bi Su's quiet face, Xiao Lie suddenly felt that the numb spot in his chest had cracked open again.

He couldn't speak, he just stared at Bisu's profile as she curled up on Tie Muyun's back.

She was still clutching the dagger in her hand; the scabbard was nowhere to be found, and the blade was still covered in ash, as if she had once used it to extinguish flames.

"Iron Girl...thank you..."

Tie Muyun cupped his hands in a fist salute.

"Serving Your Highness is my duty, and I deserve no thanks."

Tie Gong didn't say anything more. He carried Xiao Lie, and led Tie Muyun and the unconscious Bi Su around the back mountain, and then went into another cave.

This cave was deeper and larger than the previous one, with water up to knee-deep, and a simple wooden boat was moored on the surface.

Tie Gong gently placed Xiao Lie on the boat, and Tie Muyun also put Bi Su down. The two lay side by side on the bottom of the boat.

Tie Gong stepped into the water, braced his hands on the stern of the boat, and pushed hard.

The small boat glided silently into the depths of the cave.

The wooden planks at the bottom of the boat were cold and rough. Xiao Lie lay there, and the stalactites above him shimmered with a moist luster in the dim light, like a flowing galaxy.

The sound of water reflected back and forth in the cave, stretching into a long echo, like the wind passing through an empty hall.

He turned his head slightly to look at Bisu's quiet face beside him. Tiny water droplets still clung to her eyelashes, as if they had been soaked by the dampness of the cave.

He looked at her profile and said softly.

"Silly girl..."

Then he closed his eyes and completely lost consciousness.

The small boat, carrying two people, moved slowly forward deep into the cave.

Iron Bow stood at the stern of the boat, propelling it with a long pole. Ripples spread from the bottom of the boat, disappearing into the darkness in circles.

Tie Muyun lit a fire tinderbox to check on Xiao Lie's condition.

"Father! His Highness can't hold on much longer!"

"Hurry up!"

Tie Gong turned his head and glanced at it, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"It's alright, just feed His Highness the 'Soldier's Powder' directly."

Tie Muyun was somewhat taken aback.

"Dad! Are you crazy?!"

"This is His Highness!"

"If I take 'Soldier's Powder,' won't I become just like those stupid, clueless idiots?"

Too lazy to explain, Tie Gong simply took out a packet of powder from his waist, poured it into the water pouch, and forced Xiao Lie to drink it.

"Your Highness took the antidote beforehand, so how could your mind be controlled?"

Tie Muyun looked surprised.

"Antidote?"

When was there ever an antidote for "Bingyongsan" (a type of poison)?

Tie Gong did not answer, turned around and blew out the tinder in Tie Muyun's hand, and continued to return to the stern to pole the boat.

Neither Tie Gong nor Tie Muyun noticed that Bi Su had already opened her eyes...