"Young master, what time is it?" Shu Ying looked out the window at the dark sky and asked in a daze.

  I let out a soft sigh in my heart, having fallen ill like this, she still stubbornly remembers to call me Young Master.

  I wrung out the towel and put it on her scorching forehead, softly saying: "It's still early, you sleep a bit more, I'll call you when the medicine is ready."

  "Master, have I caused you trouble?"

  "What's wrong? Don't think nonsense, close your eyes and sleep a bit more, okay?" I helped her tidy up the messy hair on her forehead and comforted her softly.

  She nodded obediently and closed her eyes.

  I pulled the quilt over her, and then covered her with a new fox fur coat I had just bought. After falling off the cliff, she was badly hurt and couldn't stand the cold at all. Now that she's ill, she can't take any chill whatsoever.

  Looking out of the window, the strong wind rolled up the heavy snow and came whistling. People often say that it will snow in August in Hu Tian, and it seems to be true.

  I got up and walked out, gently closing the door for her.

  Downstairs at the inn, the landlady saw me and hurriedly got up to greet me: "Mu Xiao Ge, the medicine for your young servant is still being decocted, it will be ready soon, please sit down, when it's done they will bring it up."

  I smiled and bowed: "Thank you."

  "It's nothing, just a small effort." The boss waved her hand casually and said: "Besides, today is still the same as before, no one has come to ask for anyone. Mu Xiao Ge, who are you waiting for? On this snowy day, it's not easy to go out."

  I smiled politely, without saying a word, but the uncertainty in my heart grew thicker with each passing day.

  It's already been five days.

  The ballad "Clear Wind Blows Across the Northern Wilderness" has spread throughout the streets and alleys of Ye City, but on the official side, there is still no movement.

  Was I too arrogant and misjudged the situation? Or did Nan Xiangyao encounter some trouble, but didn't hear this ballad? Or perhaps he heard it, but couldn't guess the hidden meaning within?

  Innumerable possibilities hovered in my mind, and I couldn't help but smile wryly. If he didn't come soon, I was afraid that what Piao Ying said would really come true - even the silver to pay for staying at this inn would be hard to come by.

  This trip north, I only brought what was necessary, luggage and travel expenses were all calculated, although leaving some room for error, but still not too much.

  Now, coincidentally, it's snowy outside, and buying charcoal and warm clothing is an indispensable expense. Shu Ying's illness also requires spending money on medicine, so the silver I can use is actually very little.

  Yesterday, I also went to Dongji Commercial House, wanting to see if Master Dong and his family had returned. Now that I'm in this situation, with Pusu Ying ill as well, I can only swallow my pride and go seek help from them.

  However, due to this heavy snow, their cavalry is still blocked outside the city on the mountain and has not returned. I don't know anyone in the shops, and it's naturally not good to trouble others for nothing.

  Just then, the inn's servant brought up the cooked medicine: "The medicine is ready, Mu Xiao Ge, be careful not to scald yourself."

  I thanked her and got up to walk towards the boss's wife: "Would you mind sending someone to fetch a few more doses of medicine according to this prescription?"

  "Alright." The boss's wife took the order and immediately instructed the waiter to go.

  I took out the purse from my bosom and only then realized that the remaining silver was not even enough to cover the cost of the medicine.

  This time I set out dressed as a man, and didn't have any pearls or jewelry on me that could be pawned. I couldn't help but smile wryly to myself, how had I ever fallen into such a sorry state?

  He reached into his bosom and took out the close-fitting white jade flying swallow pendant, which was one of the betrothal gifts given by Nan Xiangyao in the past. He didn't usually wear it, but he had brought it to Ye City thinking that it might be useful as a token or something, and unexpectedly, it came in handy now.

  I handed the jade pendant to the landlady and said, "You can temporarily exchange this for some silver."

  When I had it with me, I didn't particularly like it, but now that I'm about to give it away so easily, I've somehow developed a sense of reluctance. After all, this was the first thing Nan Chengyao gave me, and it's also the one thing from the betrothal gifts that I treasure the most. Moreover, if he didn't come looking for me, I wouldn't even have anything on me to prove my identity, let alone see him again, which would be extremely difficult.

  Thinking so, he couldn't help but take a glance at the white jade flying swallow pendant.

  Perhaps seeing my expression, the old lady who was about to put away the jade pendant stopped and called out to me: "Mu Xiao Ge, I don't understand whether this jade is good or bad, but looking at your expression, this must be something very important to you, right?"

  I had originally intended to deny it, but I couldn't help taking a glance at the jade pendant and pursed my lips before speaking: "Actually, there's nothing much, just that if you're convenient, could you please help Mu Qin store it for a few days? I'll look for my relatives and then come back with silver to redeem it."

  "What are you talking about?" the landlady said, shoving the jade pendant into my hand. "We're not short of this little bit of silver, hurry up and put it away yourself!"

  I was busy declining, but she refused to accept it and handed the jade pendant back to me: "Anyway, you are going to stay at my inn, we can settle together later. Many people have come and gone from all over the world, I don't dare say anything else, but I do have an eye for recognizing people, I trust you!"

  I was deeply moved and couldn't bear to push him again, so I accepted it and thanked him repeatedly.

  The boss's wife waved her hand and said, "It's a small matter, what's there to thank for? However, I'm telling you, Mu Xiao Ge, on such a cold day, you should wear more. Your hands are as cold as ice blocks. Didn't I see you buy a new fox fur coat the other day? Why haven't I seen you wear it out?"

  I smiled and politely responded with a few words, then took the medicine upstairs to give it to Shuying. Her condition was still unstable, and after drinking the medicine, she fell asleep again soon afterwards.

  I pulled the quilt for her, then got up and went to the stable behind the inn to see "Chasing Wind" and Purple Swallow Colt. I vaguely heard the landlady's voice echoing in the hall, as if there were guests coming. On such a cold day, it was rare.

  Even a precious horse worth a thousand gold coins now looks somewhat listless and lazy.

  Look who's here, brayed twice and started eating the fodder in my hand.

  I stroked their necks while smiling and speaking softly to them, as Yan had told me that horses also have feelings and get lonely, needing people to talk to them, and they can understand. Now I quietly rode away on his treasured "Wind Chaser", although I was sure he wouldn't mind, but still didn't dare to take advantage of him in the slightest.

  A faint sound of footsteps came from behind, I didn't pay attention to it, thinking that it was probably a fellow traveler coming to see the horse, so I continued talking to "Wind Chaser" and Zi Yan.

  After waiting for a moment, still no one came forward, and there was no more movement behind me. I felt a little strange, just as I was about to turn my head, I suddenly heard a faint voice with a hint of smile in the howling wind and snow, carrying a careless coldness and a dizzying charm, lingering low and deep in the air.

  "It's really you..."

  I quickly turned around, in the midst of flying snow everywhere, that person was standing alone, wearing a fox fur coat, with an air of elegance like the wind, and nobility like the moon. The exceptionally handsome face had large patches of snow on it, but the faint curve at the corner of his lips remained, perfect as always.

  With such a demeanor and air of confidence, who else could it be but Nan Chongyue?

  As soon as I saw him, all the hardships and worries along the way from Beijing, the helplessness and anxiety of not being able to enter the government office in Ye City, and the distress and embarrassment of running out of money all flashed through my mind uncontrollably. To my surprise, a few grievances that even I myself did not dare to believe emerged in my heart.

  Blinked, good suppression of the sudden surge of micro-tearful intention, but on the face is a clear and shallow smile.

  I smiled faintly at him and said, "Your Highness, if you don't come soon, I won't have enough silver to pay for the room."

  He smiled and walked towards me, slightly furrowing his brow when he saw my somewhat thin clothing: "It's so cold outside, why don't you wear more clothes?"

  I blinked hard a couple of times and smiled faintly, "If I said I didn't have enough money to buy clothes, would Your Highness believe me?"

  The next second, before I could even react, the sudden warmth came out of nowhere and enveloped me completely.

  He wrapped the fox fur tightly around me and him, actually his arms were not tight, but because we were both wrapped in the fox fur, our bodies were still inevitably closely attached.

  His low and magnetic voice, with a warm breath, gently swept across my ear: "Not cold anymore, huh?"

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