With everything progressing smoothly and the source of the gu-du removed, things in Zhuiya settled back to a normal rhythm within a week, much to everyone's relief. People were recovering and lives returning to the way they were. The city gates had also been opened, and traders and travellers had slowly begun to trickle back.

Zi-ning was packing her belongings, preparing for the trip back to the capital. She had made a big gamble by choosing to come here, and thankfully her gamble had paid off. The king had already sent word that he was extremely pleased by the outcome, and formal rewards would soon follow.

She should be happy with the outcome, because she had achieved what she set out to do, and now the kingdom owed her a favour. No matter what rewards the king chose to bestow, her reputation would undoubtedly be greatly heightened upon her return—and that would certainly upset many people back home, like her dearest sister Meiyan. Despite that, she couldn't find it in her to be as delighted as she had thought she would be.

"Packing so soon?" a voice echoed from the doorway.

She looked up. Zhenghuan was leaning against the door frame, eyeing the bundles on her bed. With his mask on, she could not tell what expression he was wearing beneath, but she thought she caught a hint of disappointment in his tone.

"The imperial physicians are leaving tomorrow morning. I should go with them," she replied, trying her best to sound nonchalant.

She had not seen much of Zhenghuan ever since the day of the attempted assassination—and the day that Yu Zixi arrived in Zhuiya. He probably had plenty to settle in the city, or more important people to accompany.

Zhenghuan hummed in acknowledgement. He walked in, fiddling with a teacup on the table. "We'll also be heading to Anyang tomorrow since all the loose ends in Zhuiya have been tied up. General Du sent word that there's been some trouble up near Nanmen, so we'll have to provide support."

Nanmen?

Fear suddenly gripped her heart. What month was it? Already the eighth lunar month. Time had passed too quickly and she had almost lost track of it. In her previous life, it had been early in the tenth lunar month when they had brought her brother Yongxing home from the battlefield, and then he had died days later. If her memory served her right, then it was precisely at Nanmen where he had been fatally injured in a skirmish between the Duan border army and a group of rebels that had been colluding with the southern tribes.

Could it be that this "trouble" that Zhenghuan spoke of was exactly that?

"Zi-ning, is something wrong?" Zhenghuan frowned, watching her carefully.

Zi-ning looked up at him, chewing on her lip as she pondered upon how she should broach this request. Finally, she said, "Is it possible for me to come with you to Anyang?"

Surprise flashed across Zhenghuan's eyes. "You want to come to Anyang?"

She nodded. "My older brother is actually serving in the border army under General Du, somewhere near Nanmen I believe. Since I'm already here, it would be nice to get to see him. He hasn't been home in over two years now."

It was a good thing she had decided to bring the huanhun dan with her. If history repeated itself and her brother came to harm, she might just be able to save his life.

"Hmmm..."

Zi-ning waited for Zhenghuan's response anxiously, wondering if he would turn her down. He was not obliged to take her along, or to help her meet her brother.

"I'll let the physicians know that you won't be joining them for the journey back to Huangcheng then," he said after a long pause, with a slight smile hanging upon his lips. "We'll leave for Anyang at noon tomorrow. Don't be late."

Zi-ning's eyes lit up. The gods knew how much she missed her brother and the thought of being able to see him again brought a much-needed burst of joy to her heart. This time, she was not going to let Meiyan and Lady Min succeed in taking away her brother's life. This time, she would save him—and then she would make them pay for what they had done.

#

"I didn't think that you would be coming to Anyang with us, Miss Han," Yu Zixi said, as their carriage trundled along the dirt path and away from the Zhuiya city gates. Since they were the only two women in the entourage, they would have to share a carriage for the journey. Zixi had been visibly surprised that Zi-ning was coming with them, although she did not display the slightest bit of displeasure about this.

Zi-ning had never met Yu Zixi in her past life, so she wasn't quite sure what to expect. According to the gossip in the capital, the eldest daughter of the mayor of Anyang was one of the most accomplished and eligible young ladies in the kingdom, and many often called her a younger version of Lady Li, equally matched in terms of poise and talent. On top of that, because she had spent many years growing up near the border, Yu Zixi was also well-versed in martial arts, which was something that few girls in the capital would be capable of.

Thus far, Yu Zixi seemed to be all that.

"You can call me Zi-ning," she said with a polite smile. "I'm hoping to visit my brother. He's serving at the Nanmen camp, under General Du."

"I see," Zixi replied. "The border cities are very different from the capital. We don't have the sort of luxuries that you're accustomed to in Huangcheng. It's commendable that you're willing to travel all this way just for your brother."

"It is not as bad as people make it out to be. The people of Zhuiya were extremely hospitable, more so in fact, than the residents in the capital."

"That is true. I suppose it is because we live simpler lives. It's great that Zhenghuan can finally return home. I know how much he hates the politicking that happens in the capital." Zixi lifted the curtain of the carriage window and peered outside, searching for someone. Probably Zhenghuan.

"Indeed," Zi-ning replied simply.

Throughout their entire journey, Zixi would engage her in everyday conversation, never once dropping that polite façade. However, it did not go unnoticed by Zi-ning that the other girl would intentionally drop a mention of Zhenghuan every now and then—either speaking of his likes and dislikes, or sharing a childhood memory. It was either that Yu Zixi's subconscious was filled with nothing but the Shadow Lord, or she was purposefully trying to send Zi-ning a message about who Zhenghuan belonged to.

"We're here," Zhenghuan's voice echoed from the outside, about two hours after they had first left Zhuiya. The carriage ground to a halt as they stopped for checks at the main city gates. He lifted the curtain at Zi-ning's side of the carriage with the scabbard of his sword. "Is everything alright?"

"Just fine," Zi-ning replied drily.

"Zhenghuan, my father sent a message by pigeon earlier this morning to invite you over to our manor for dinner," Zixi said. "General Du and Lady Du will be there too. Since it's almost dusk, shall we head straight over?"

Zhenghuan nodded, then he glanced at Zi-ning. "You should come too," he said. "I'll help send word to your brother at the Nanmen camp, but it might be a few days before he's granted leave to meet you in the city. In the meantime, you can stay at the Du manor."

The smile on Zixi's face seemed to stiffen a little. "Surely that's not appropriate?" she remarked. "Zi-ning is an unmarried girl. To be staying in the Du manor might invite unnecessary gossip..."

Zhenghuan did not appear the least bit bothered by her remark. He replied, "Unnecessary gossip is not worth paying any attention to. Besides, my mother will be there, as will my sisters. The king will likely issue the formal edict to reward Zi-ning for her contributions to the Zhuiya crisis and I have already sent word back to the capital that she will be residing at our family home for the time being."

"You have?" Zi-ning pursed her lips together in annoyance. Had he even asked her if she was agreeable to this arrangement? No. Somehow, she was not surprised at his presumptuousness.

Zixi was not wrong. It was somewhat inappropriate for her to be staying at the Du manor when she was not related to the Du family in any way. A better option might have been for her to put up in an inn, but Zhenghuan had already gone ahead and made the decision for her.

Her question received no answer. Instead, Zhenghuan simply dropped the curtain and gave the order for the entourage to proceed. They passed through the towering city gates of Anyang, which looked very much similar to that of Zhuiya. As they made their way down the winding streets of the city, Zi-ning observed the hustle and bustle going on around. Anyang was far less glamorous than Huangcheng, as Zixi had pointed out, but it had a unique flavour that could not be found in the capital. Given its proximity to Shon and the southern deserts, the market stalls lining the streets offered a wide variety of colourful baubles and wares from these foreign lands, making for an interesting sight.

When they arrived, there was already a sizeable party waiting for them in front of the mayor's manor. Leading the party was a stout middle-aged man—Mayor Yu—who immediately rushed forward when he saw them approach. Beside him stood a taller, more imposing figure that Zi-ning assumed to be the older General Du—Zhenghuan's father. His skin was weathered and tanned from the long years on the battlefield, and his hair was greying at the sides. Other than that, there were also a few women in the group, the older ones likely being Lady Yu and Lady Du, while the younger ones were either Zhenghuan or Zixi's siblings.

"Mayor Yu. General," Zhenghuan greeted, sliding off the back of his horse.

General?

Zi-ning had noticed that Zhenghuan practically never addressed the elder general as "father", which seemed a little odd. Perhaps there was some friction that existed between father and son that she was unaware of.

Zixi stepped out of the carriage first. She looked towards Zhenghuan expectantly with her hand outstretched, but the latter did not move. Instead, Mingshen quickly stepped in to resolve the awkwardness, taking the initiative to help Zixi down from the carriage.

"Father, Mother, Uncle Du, Aunt Xiangyun," Zixi greeted the elders present, showing no signs of unhappiness at having been ignored by Zhenghuan.

"Zixi, you're finally back," Mayor Yu chided, though there was nothing but affection in his tone. "How could you have run off to Zhuiya like that? Even if you couldn't wait to see Zhenghuan, you should have at least told us that you were going, so that we could send more men along to protect you along the way."

"Father, I'm more than capable of protecting myself. Besides, I'm back safely now, aren't I?"

"If you had lost a single hair upon your head, I'll make sure that Zhenghuan answers for it," Lady Du said teasingly, stepping forward to take Zixi by the hand, almost as if the latter were her own daughter. "Zhenghuan, did you take good care of Zixi while you were in Zhuiya?"

There was no response, because Zhenghuan had not been listening to a single bit of the conversation that was going on. He moved back towards the carriage, saying, "Are you getting down? Or are you planning to stay in there all night?"

Everyone's attention was drawn back towards the carriage.

Inside, Zi-ning sighed. She had been hoping to slip out silently and blend in with the crowd once everyone had turned to head inside, but it seemed like Du Zhenghuan was insistent on making life difficult.

Lifting the curtain that hung across the carriage doorway, she took a step out. Zhenghuan held out his hand to her, and immediately she felt the weight of a dozen pairs of eyes studying her from top to bottom as if she were some unwelcome insect specimen.

As she had thought—he was making life difficult. Very difficult.