Wei Dongling had only sung the song "Fireworks Fade Easily" for two people, and both of them had played it out separately. Those two were Qi Jinxuan and Shangguan Yun!
Qi Jinxuan was now in the capital. How could she appear at the border of Xiliang with a big belly? The person playing the zither could only be Shangguan Yun!
He must have learned that she was in danger and rushed to Jiangcheng to look for her. Fearing to miss her, he guarded the city gate of Jiangcheng and repeatedly played this song "Fireworks Fade Easily" here.
Wei Dongling's face was covered with tears, heart - broken. She climbed out of the carriage shakily and stumbled towards the source of the zither sound.
Jingzhe and Cuihuan saw that she could hardly stand steadily and quickly followed her.
Wei Dongling slipped under her feet and almost fell into the snow. Fortunately, Jingzhe behind her quickly grabbed her. Wei Dongling pointed tearfully at the snow - covered hill in the distance, sobbing. Jingzhe understood and carried her through the snow, rushing towards the source of the zither sound.
On a rather high - lying hill, a man was sitting casually playing the zither in the ice and snow. He was extremely handsome. Just sitting there, he looked like a beautiful painting.
Pinhao lowered his head and saw that his young master was still sitting in meditation with his eyes closed. The hands playing the zither were already red from the cold wind. He sighed silently in his heart. If only his young master were half as willing to listen to advice, he wouldn't have to watch him trap himself and sit here playing the zither all day!
Pinhao looked at the closed city gate in the distance and couldn't help but gently remind, "Young master, the city gate is closed. Take a break and let's go back to eat something."
Shangguan Yun glanced at the direction of the city gate with his star - like eyebrows and sword - like eyes. Just one glance, and his hands froze on the strings, motionless.
The lingering sound of the pear - wood guqin was still in the air. Before Pinhao could come to his senses, he saw his young master quickly dart out and rush straight towards the three unconnected people on the path.
Shangguan Yun only took one look at the haggard Wei Dongling in Jingzhe's arms, and his eyes instantly turned red.
Wei Dongling looked at the familiar face in front of her, her eyes also misty with tears. He had tanned and lost weight. The sandstorms in Hanzhong had made his facial features more chiseled, making him look even more manly.
Seeing Shangguan Yun's slightly red - rimmed eyes, Wei Dongling sighed secretly in her heart. She never thought that even in such a disguise, Shangguan Yun could still recognize her at a glance.
Cuihuan and Jingzhe were stunned on the spot when they saw Shangguan Yun suddenly appear here. Hanzhong City was so far from Jiangcheng in Xiliang. When had the young master Yun received the news and rushed here?
Seeing him rushing here in such a hurry, Cuihuan felt a bit more at ease.
"You've lost weight," Shangguan Yun's voice was a bit hoarse. He took Wei Dongling from Jingzhe's arms and strode away.
Pinhao looked at his young master in confusion and quickly chased after him with the pear - wood guqin in his arms.
Shangguan Yun saw that she was icy cold all over and had a high fever that wouldn't subside. He wrapped Wei Dongling tightly in a thick blanket and held her firmly in his arms to warm her up.
Leaning in his arms, Wei Dongling asked softly with tears in her eyes, "Why are you here, Young Master Yun?"
Shangguan Yun lowered his head and was silent for a moment. His voice was as cold and clear as jade, "I heard that you were going to marry far away in Xiliang. I originally wanted to come and see you and wish you well. But as soon as I entered Jiangcheng, I learned that Zhao Chuanyi was deliberately making things difficult for you here..."
So that was the case!
Wei Dongling reached out and touched his frozen and swollen fingers, whispering, "You've worked hard."
Shangguan Yun held her small hand in return and said firmly, "As long as you need me, I'll always be here!" He didn't dare to say too passionate words, for fear that she would resist and push him away again. But on the other hand, he was afraid that if he didn't say these words now, he would never have the chance to tell her.
When he first heard that she was going to marry into Xiliang, he was heart - broken and angry in Hanzhong. He was heart - broken because it had only been a short time since she had returned to her ancestral family, so why did she have to marry for peace so soon? He was angry because Yu Zixi was clearly in the capital. He clearly knew that the Xiliang prince had evil intentions. Why didn't he go and stop it?
Wei Dongling was shivering with cold. She felt that Shangguan Yun's embrace was as warm as the sun. Leaning in his arms, she sobbed, "I just thought that it was clearly that song, but it sounded so ethereal, as if I was having an auditory hallucination... Fortunately, you're really here."
Shangguan Yun's nose twitched. His voice trembled, "As long as you're willing, I'll always be here!"
Two carriages stopped in a remote small courtyard. Shangguan Yun carried Wei Dongling out of the carriage and went into the house to warm by the fire. Before entering the door, he glanced back at Pinhao. Pinhao understood and immediately went to erase the traces left by the two carriages along the way.
The place they stayed was a rural courtyard. The charcoal brazier in the main hall was burning brightly. After taking the pills, Wei Dongling fell into a drowsy sleep.
Jingzhe and Cuihuan reported all the things that had happened along the way to Shangguan Yun one by one. Hearing that Yu Zixi was about to marry Qi Jinxuan, which made Wei Dongling agree to the marriage for peace in anger, Shangguan Yun was both anxious and angry. And when he heard that she did this actually to get 100,000 Xiliang allied troops for Hanzhong City, Shangguan Yun's eyes were full of bitterness and heart - ache. When he heard that Zhao Chuanyi threatened with Old Master Su to force Wei Dongling to go with him alone, Shangguan Yun's face darkened. He just wished he could go and kill that dog - thief surnamed Zhao overnight.
Cuihuan murmured tearfully, "Miss Wei has really had a hard time these days. She was already poisoned and caught a cold. Her fever has been recurring and hasn't gotten better... Young Master Yun, take her away! That Xiliang prince is really full of bad ideas. Miss Wei hasn't even married yet, and she's already being tortured to death on the way! " Cuihuan didn't really want to push Miss Wei to Young Master Yun, but what could they do now? Her senior brother was so unreliable! Not only did he ignore Miss Wei's difficult situation here, but he was also going to marry another woman! If Miss Wei still stayed here, she might really die of illness. It would be better to go with Young Master Yun. At least she could keep her life.
Shangguan Yun said in a deep voice, "Don't worry. She'll be fine."
There were footsteps in the yard. Pinhao opened the door and led two men in. One of them was a secret guard of the prince's mansion, and the other was an old man in his sixties.
The old man stepped forward, bowed and said, "Young Master Yun, in the past two days, many Xiliang soldiers have been searching house by house. If you are found here, it may be very disadvantageous to you."
Shangguan Yun nodded and said, "I've found the person I'm looking for. But she's seriously ill now and needs to rest for a while. Don't worry. We'll leave after she gets better."
Hearing this, the old man nodded and retreated.
At night, Jingzhe and Pinhao stewed a big pot of mutton soup. Everyone sat around the fire, had a good meal, and then took a short rest by the fire.
Very late at night, Cheng Hao groped his way here following the mark left by Jingzhe. After paying respects to Shangguan Yun, he sat down and started to eat without hesitation.