The journey became even more delayed as snow began to fall heavily, accumulating so much that the horses could barely make progress. The snow fell so densely that one could no longer see their own footsteps. Looking up, Yan Shi Jin watched a scout hawk circling above, signaling that his men were only a few li[1] away, ready to receive his commands. The sad thing was, he no longer had any excuse to delay.

    Cheng Xi stomped over angrily through the deep, yet loose snow, which wasn't packed enough to hold weight and sank to his knees with every step. "There were traces of at least thirty people on the ridge we crossed yesterday. Not good."

    "Indeed."

    "We should have reached the border of Lian Region five days ago. But the more we rush, the slower we seem to go. I've already sent for help from Lian Wang, but with this heavy snow, I fear it will only cause further delay." Cheng Xi was worried about a potential surprise attack. Thus, while waiting for the snowstorm to lessen, he chose a high cliff to back against and started digging trenches to fortify a camp. Yan Shi Jin offered no objection, allowing Cheng Xi to arrange as he saw fit.

    The snowstorm showed no signs of abating. The entire area was enveloped in darkness with the howling wind and the snow thickening, becoming bitterly cold. The circumstances forced him to act, but his heart hesitated.

    "It's good to have you guarding the princess, even though you can be a brute at times. I respect your skill."

    "A man's compliment gives me the chills," Yan Shi Jin replied with a wry smile. If Cheng Xi knew that his most formidable enemy was openly walking around the camp, his veins might burst. A new wave of snowstorm was now forming, presenting a perfect chance for an assassination. Yan Shi Jin was frustrated because his eldest brother had already sent an urgent order, and this would be his last warning. Otherwise, his brother's men would take matters into their own hands.

    "Sigh!"

    "Master Jin, the princess summons you."

    Jun Yi reported with a wary demeanor. Because Yan Shi Jin was tall, and his beard was rough and unshaven for a whole month, combining with the renowned skill of taking down a tiger all by himself; all this made him look as rugged as a bandit. Knowing that the beautiful princess had requested to see him only increased his irritation.

    As he stamped his feet to shake off the snow and pushed aside a thick cloak before entering the tent, Fang Ning was busy with a new embroidery piece. She was separating threads and embroidering by herself meticulously. Not wanting to disturb her concentration, he found a seat to watch her willingly, regretting that such a delicate beauty was to be sent as a concubine to an old Wang. Though she didn't express the gloom in her heart, her eyes lacked sparkle.

    Just as Fang Ning put down her needle to stretch and yawned widely, their eyes met, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

    "When…when did you arrive?"

    "I've been here for a while. You summon me. Is there anything you wish of me, my lady?" Yan Shi Jin had to pretend to raise his hand to his chin to mask his malevolent demeanor as well. Jun Yi entered the tent with a troubled look, finding Yan Shi Jin sitting imposingly like a mountain and giving her meaningful glances. Jia Wu's face paled, and she quickly bowed her head, sidling next to the princess without her usual brash demeanor.

    "The guards reported that Lady Jia Wu has requested to meet prisoner Dong Yang several times. What business do you have with him?"

    "I don't need to tell a savage from the wilderness like you."

    Yan Shi Jin laughed. "Fine, don't tell. But be careful of being accused of conspiring with the prisoner."

    "You!"

    "Enough, enough. Stop arguing in front of me. A’Jin, you shouldn't accuse her like this. And Jia Wu, from now on, do not visit Dong Yang anymore. Understand?"

    "But...but Dong Yang has been my friend since childhood... Uh... fine, I will not go anymore." Jia Wu, believing herself to be the princess's favorite, responded petulantly without considering her own status. She did not want to confront the man with the intimidating eyes and thus stormed out of the tent. Jun Yi and Jun Qiang, who had never liked Jia Wu, pursed their lips as she left.

    "Sigh," Fang Ning was having a headache with Jia Wu's immaturity. She took a deep breath to calm herself before fixing her gaze directly on Yan Shi Jin and commanded faintly, as if whispering.

    "Take off your shirt."

    "Huh?"

    Fang Ning raised her voice slightly, her already adorably rosy cheeks blushing deeper. "Take off your shirt and give it to me."

    Yan Shi Jin was taken aback and disappointed, "I cannot tell that my lady would favor such bold advances towards men."

    "Don't speak nonsense. I just need to mend your shirt."

    "Mend my shirt?" He widened his eyes, thinking she was joking, but she wasn't. Fang Ning really intended to mend the shirt of such a rough man like him. "You mean you will repair my shirt?"

    "Yes. When you fought the tiger, your shirt got torn. If left alone, it will tear even more. I've seen it and cannot stand it. I will mend it as a way of thank you."

    "No need. I wear this rough shirt just enough to keep out the cold. A tear this small doesn't need the attention of a beautiful princess. I can just take it off and buy a new one."

    "All my life I have dedicated myself to being an embroiderer, learning how to breed silkworms and weave fabric," Fang Ning spoke calmly and sweetly, but Yan Shi Jin felt a chill down his spine when he listened.

    "Do you know how many people it takes to plant mulberries, breed silkworms, draw the silk from cocoons, and weave fabric? For one shirt, many laborers are needed. Weavers work for three days, tailors for one day, and embroiderers for another three days to make one shirt. Would you still dare to casually discard clothes?"

    "No, I dare not anymore."

    Swiftly, the burly man took off his shirt and handed it over. She took it and examined the tear, calculating the thread length needed. Her red lips caught the thread tip and then she wound the thread around her finger, her movements as graceful as a painting. Her slender hands and fingers moved delicately as if performing a dance, pure and ethereal. Even if Yan Shi Jin usually acted rough, in the presence of such mastery of the art of embroidery, he had to stay silent, not daring to interrupt.

    "I have never asked you where you are from or what your family background is like."

    "I am from everywhere," Yan Shi Jin answered with a smile, trying to sound tough. "My parents are still well. I have two older brothers who are already married. As for my younger sister, sadly, I do not know her current state, whether alive or well."

    "What happened to her?"

    Yan Shi Jin glanced at the number of guards outside the tent and chose to ask instead of answering, "Suppose you were harmed, what do you think your two brothers would do?"

    Fang Ning pondered for a moment before responding, "My eldest brother would probably be indifferent. But if I died somewhere; he would find an excuse to attack that region. As for my second brother, he would... seek revenge."

    "I see."

    Fang Ning was surprised by his question and uncharacteristically silence, so she immediately sensed something was off. While mending the fabric, she suddenly said, "Your eyes sparkle like a baby desiring a toy. Are you aware of that?"

    "My eyes, like those of a baby?"

    "Yes, your eyes usually shine boldly without hesitation. But just now, when I looked into your eyes, I sensed hesitation in them... It seems the snowstorm won't settle easily. Tell me frankly, are you worried that our journey will be delayed so much that the soldiers from the Yan Region will catch up?"

    "No... it's not that... Cheng Xi has already sent people ahead to seek help from the Lian Region... I expect that Li Wang... uh, His Majesty is likely dispatching additional protection from the capital. If nothing goes wrong, you will cross the border safely."

    "And if they don't bring the Lian Region's soldiers in time?"

    They would never come back, and no one would send help. Yan Shi Jin swallowed the truth, choosing to remain silent.

    "Why don't you answer my question?"

    "I talk too much; I fear disturbing your concentration."

    "Don't lie to me. You might look down on women as knowing nothing beyond domestic affairs, but don't forget that a woman gave birth to you."

    Fang Ning stitched swiftly and continuously. Jun Yi and Jun Qiang were also embroidering fabric, but their skills were incomparable. Where else in this land could one find a beauty as perfect as she? The more Yan Shi Jin watched her, the more a pang shot through his heart, filled with conflicts. His words of deceit burned his tongue like glowing coals; not only must he kill a woman who could not defend herself, he must also lie to her. How utterly disgraceful.

    "Jun Yi, please pass me the scissors."

    "Yes, Your Highness." As she cut the thread from the needle, the thread she had measured was used up perfectly without waste. Her slender fingers traced the shirt to check again before folding it and returning it to its owner. Yan Shi Jin took the shirt and held it close.

    "Where did you mend it? I can't even see the tear." He felt as if he had received a new shirt, one that faintly carried her scent. Yan Shi Jin quickly put on the shirt and hugged himself to absorb her fragrance, imagining her delicate fingers tracing the fabric, which deepened his inner turmoil and confusion.

    "If you find a mending spot, an embroiderer like me should probably break her needle in shame."

    Fang Ning chuckled inadvertently when she saw him clutch the shirt tightly like a child. He was stunned by her smile before sighing heavily. The death of Yong An was not her fault. She was merely a pawn in the power games between regions and had never received the slightest justice. Despite how much it pained him, he knew he had to act.

    "Forgive me, I must break my promise now,"

    He finally spoke, his senses sharpened to a razor's edge.

    I must kill you... His hand moved towards a knife. He said nothing further, distrusting himself to speak while every nerve in his body screamed in protest.

    "Are you going to quit your job then?" Fang Ning raised her eyebrows, surprised by his tense, almost frightening demeanor. Jun Yi and Jun Qiang, indignant on her behalf, scolded without restraint.

    "Do you think the princess is a plaything? You speak back and forth like this, is that acceptable?"

    "You promised properly to protect the princess, and now what is this? Just hearing rumors that the Yan Region's troops might attack, you plan to flee? Coward."

    "Jun Yi, Jun Qiang, stop..." Fang Ning put away her embroidery tools into a small box beside her, her disappointed expression making him want to slap his own mouth. "So, this is what you're hesitant about. I don't like to coerce anyone. If you're not comfortable working for me, I won't force you. I thank you for the past few days, but I am also resent you."

    "Resent me?"

    "My resentment towards you is now ended. Take this money and go on your way."

    Her resentment towards him had ended. Where and when had it started? A smart person wouldn't take long to understand. She was grateful for his help during many dangers, but at the same time, she resented that he would deliver her into the hands of Lian Wang. And it had ended now that he announced he would break the contract. Yan Shi Jin solemnly withdrew his hand from the knife.

    "If you don't want to go to the Lian Region, just tell me. I'll take you home, away from all these headaches. Go home, and you'll be safe. I'll speak to your brother myself."

    "Thank you, but my life no longer has a chance to return to the Li Region."

    She refused to go back to the Li Region... He fell silent to think. She would not go back to Li Region, and he also could not take her back to the Yan Region. His father and eldest brother would tear her apart to avenge Yong An. What to do... Yan Shi Jin could not solve this problem. No... her tone was not of someone who didn't want to go home. She wanted to desperately but said she had no more chances...

    No more chances to go back... He sighed deeply, lost in thought, before the look in Yan Shi Jin's eyes suddenly turned fierce, and he lunged to grab her arm, demanding,

    "Are you planning to commit suicide!"

    Her shoulders jerked violently, startled into silence. "I... not... I..."

    "What are you doing! Let go of the princess right now!" Jun Yi and Jun Qiang shouted and dropped their work to intervene, but with a swift motion, he struck their necks, and in a blink, both were unconscious, collapsed on the ground. Yan Shi Jin growled, his eyes blazing as he sought answers, but Fang Ning bowed her head to avoid his piercing gaze.

    "Release me, or I will order my soldiers to take your life."

    "Your Highness," his voice hoarse as his burning hand reached up to tilt her chin upward, "Look at me."

    "Stop."

    "Look at me," he repeated firmly. Despite Fang Ning's struggles and pleas for release, the powerful man did not listen and pulled her against his firm chest, filled with muscle. Reluctantly, Fang Ning had to look up, though her heart resisted, knowing she would meet his deep, twilight-colored beautiful eyes and perfectly sharp features. His copper-colored skin was extremely hot, matching the storm brewing in his gaze. She knew she couldn't resist.

    "If your brother conquers the Yan Region, you think of killing yourself to give him an excuse to invade the Lian Region."

    "This has nothing to do with you."

    Fang Ning struggled, but it was too difficult. The more she struggled, the closer their bodies pressed. She was shocked that he could so easily see through her intentions. Yan Shi Jin was furious with Li Wang, cruel beyond measure, sending his sister into hell and still wanting her to die to gain an advantage on the battlefield!

    He chose to remain silent, for saying more would unleash the fierce anger ingrained in his blood. He didn't understand why he felt so vexatious, only knew that the tears falling inside her were burning his heart, leaving severe burn marks.

    "Let go... please release me, it’s hurt."

    "I am sorry."

    His strong hand inadvertently gripped her so tightly that her body bruised. Heavens! She was on a path to death, and he was nearly crushing her completely. Was there no place on this earth where she could live happily? Yan Shi Jin cursed, while at the same time, he muttered an apology, "Forgive my foolishness, my lady. I will never abandon you. Forget what I said just now; I will go wherever you go."

    His words made Fang Ning's heart flutter.

    "Do you like lychees?"

    "Lychees?"

    Fang Ning could not keep up with this giant hunter's thoughts. The Li Region was cold, with only a few types of fruits that could be grown, but for the Yan Region, lychees were a renowned delicacy, available only in the palace where just two trees were planted. It was said that lychees had a sweet and slightly sour taste that refreshed like a divine elixir, with a fragrant aroma lingering tantalizingly on the tongue. Fang Ning had heard of the fame of lychees but had never tasted them. However, afraid to disappoint him if she said she disliked or did not recognize them, so she replied that she liked them very much.

    "That's great then. You will go to the Yan Region. There, you'll have plenty of lychees to eat." Yan Shi Jin smiled, making a promise as he playfully thumbed his nose in a good mood. He was the owner of those two lychee trees and was ready to offer them to her without hesitation.

    Fang Ning listened to him, perplexed, "Yan Region? Lychees? I don't understand."

    "Rest assured, my lady. I've thought of a good plan. You don't need to fear the forces of the Yan Region at all," Yan Shi Jin stretched up to his full imposing height, every aspect of him commanding and formidable, his eyes, which she had called a child’s eyes, shining intensely with fearless determination.

    "I will protect you myself."

[1] Li (Chinese: 里), also known as the Chinese mile, is a traditional Chinese unit of distance. The li has varied considerably over time but was usually about one third of an English mile and now has a standardized length of a half-kilometer (500 meters or 1,640 feet or 0.311 miles).