The night passed quickly.
When Ji Feiyu woke up, the fire had gone out. To her surprise, she was wrapped tightly in the clothes Yong Yaxuan had worn the previous day. She reached out and rubbed her eyes. The warmth of her hands was instantly replaced by a chill, so she sat up involuntarily. As soon as she did, Yong Yaxuan's clothes slipped off, and she shivered. It had to be said that the early - morning on the grassland in late autumn was really cold. She was just wondering why she hadn't felt cold while sleeping on the ground when she noticed that there were two wolf skins spread where she had slept. It must have been Yong Yaxuan's doing. Presumably, he was afraid she would feel uncomfortable, so he got the wolf skins after she fell asleep and then carried her onto them.
After getting up, she rubbed her hands and stamped her feet. Finally, she felt a bit warmer, and then she started looking for Yong Yaxuan.
Not long after, Yong Yaxuan actually rode in on Jingyun, leading the horse she had ridden the previous day in his hand.
If she remembered correctly, the Second Prince had said that Jingyun was a horse that kept strangers at bay and had a very bad temper. Her good relationship with Jingyun was purely due to luck, but she couldn't figure out how Yong Yaxuan managed to ride Jingyun.
Ji Feiyu picked up Yong Yaxuan's clothes from the wolf skins on the ground. Just as she was about to ask him why he wasn't cold, she saw Yong Yaxuan approaching, wrapped in a wolf skin. He really looked like a hunter on the grassland.
"Where did you find the horses?" Ji Feiyu shouted at him as he came closer.
Hearing this, Yong Yaxuan trotted back on Jingyun. Seeing Ji Feiyu looking at him from afar, a faint smile appeared on his face. He replied, "Your horse came back on its own. I spent a long time persuading it before it took me to find my horse."
Jingyun had this ability? Ji Feiyu was quite surprised. But Yong Yaxuan had made it sound so effortless. It must have been quite difficult to "persuade" the horse.
"Come here and change your clothes. Then we'll go find Zhan Shan and Huahudie," Ji Feiyu said.
Yong Yaxuan nodded and reached Ji Feiyu's side in a moment. He looked a bit tired but still mustered his energy to face Ji Feiyu. He had hardly slept all night, keeping the fire going and standing guard for Ji Feiyu. After dawn, when he saw Jingyun return, he did several important things. First, he disposed of the skinned wolf carcasses from the previous night. Second, he tamed Jingyun. Third, he rode Jingyun to retrieve the arrows he had shot the previous day from the remaining wolf carcasses. Finally, when it was completely light, he set up traps around and then let Jingyun take him to find his horse that had run away the previous night.
Yong Yaxuan dismounted. Noticing that Ji Feiyu had been looking at him, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Ji Feiyu shook her head. "It's nothing. Oh! Thanks for your clothes..." She handed his clothes over.
Yong Yaxuan took them and smiled as he took off the wolf skin. Just as he was about to put on his own clothes, Ji Feiyu, with her sharp eyes, noticed that the sleeve of his arm had been scratched by a wolf's claw, leaving three bloodstains. She immediately grabbed his arm and said, "Wait! Your arm is injured. Why didn't you tell me yesterday?"
When his arm was grabbed, Yong Yaxuan also saw the scratches and blood on his inner robe. So he said, "I must have been scratched accidentally. I didn't even feel it myself. How could I tell you?"
Ji Feiyu said, "Let me take a look."
"It's not necessary," Yong Yaxuan said as he tried to pull his hand back.
Ji Feiyu stubbornly said, "No, I have to see. A wild wolf's claws are not clean. I'm afraid your wound will fester." After saying that, she was about to pull at Yong Yaxuan's clothes.
Yong Yaxuan felt extremely uncomfortable. Finally, he grabbed Ji Feiyu's small hand and said, "Yu'er, it's not appropriate for you to act like this towards me now." His hands were warm, completely enveloping hers.
Ji Feiyu looked up and accidentally met Yong Yaxuan's deep eyes. She was stunned for a moment, then averted her eyes and withdrew her hand, saying, "Fine, fine. If you don't appreciate my concern, I won't care about you anymore."
After saying that, she seemed a bit angry as she walked towards Jingyun.
"Get dressed, and then we'll set off," she said without looking back.
Yong Yaxuan still held his hand in the position of just grabbing hers. He slightly curved his lips and then picked up the clothes on his forearm and put them on.
The two rode their horses forward in silence.
After an unknown amount of time, as they were riding, they suddenly saw a signal flare go up on the grassland ahead. Yong Yaxuan recognized it as Zhan Shan calling for him. Immediately, he said to Ji Feiyu, "Zhan Shan is over there. Let's go."
Ji Feiyu then whistled, hoping to find out if Huahudie was nearby, but it was of no use.
"He's not around us. Let's go find Zhan Shan first, and then figure out how to find him," Yong Yaxuan said.
The two rode forward quickly.
Fortunately, when Ji Feiyu and Yong Yaxuan arrived where Zhan Shan was, they found that Huahudie was also there. They then asked about what had happened to the two of them after they separated the previous night.
Needless to say, Zhan Shan had good martial arts skills, so he naturally killed all the wolves. Huahudie was less fortunate. He kept running in circles around the wolves, hoping to find a hunter on the grassland to help. In the end, instead of a hunter, he met Zhan Shan. It was a great blessing in misfortune.
As soon as Huahudie saw Ji Feiyu, he started complaining to her. Ji Feiyu said, "You should also practice your martial arts well. Just learning how to run away won't do. Two legs can't outrun four legs!"
Huahudie pouted, looking a bit aggrieved. He murmured, "I was almost scared to death last night. You don't even comfort me. I thought I'd never see you again."
Ji Feiyu then remembered the danger of the previous night and said, "Okay. I also need to practice martial arts. I'll practice with you, okay?"
Only then did Huahudie look a bit happier. Then he praised, "Your two bodyguards are really good. Did Yong Yaxuan leave them for you? Did he tell you that they're in disguise?"
Yong Yaxuan and Zhan Shan were instantly a bit helpless. Their simple disguises couldn't withstand Huahudie's scrutiny.
Ji Feiyu glanced at them and said, "Yes, he did. In Beihan, we have to be careful everywhere. It's normal to be in disguise."
Yong Yaxuan looked at her gratefully.
Huahudie said, "Even so, we should leave quickly. We're still in Beihan. No one knows what will happen."
Ji Feiyu thought he was right. So she told everyone, and the four of them set off together again.
When they reached a small town and a checkpoint, Ji Feiyu showed the token in her hand, and they were allowed to pass smoothly. Presumably, the Second Prince hadn't informed the checkpoints in the following towns of the latest interception information.
The four of them had a simple breakfast in the town, replenished their water and dry food, and then set off on their journey.