"The Nashou escaped?" Duo Zai’s eyes lit up, and her face seemed to brighten with sudden clarity, as if the clouds had parted at the end of a hopeless road. She turned to the remaining captives and shouted, "Did you hear that? Did you all hear? Our Nashou has escaped! She’s not here anymore—she’s made it! We didn’t make this journey in vain! We haven’t given our lives for nothing, and we haven’t betrayed our distant Ernaqi brethren. We did nothing wrong, and we are not in despair. Rejoice, everyone! Today, we die without regret. Today, we die without remorse!"
Her declaration was met with cries of defiance from the captives, their voices rising one after another.
"She will come back to save you!" Ruo Wen said, his eyes narrowing. He twirled an earring in his hand, the same one he had taken from Huang Bei Shuang the previous night, playing with it as if expecting something.
"No! She won’t!" Duo Zai shouted angrily, turning to face him.
"She is the Nashou, sent to form a marriage alliance. Her existence is not for the hundred of us here—it is for the seven thousand Ernaqi people far away. She will not forget her mission, never!"
"Hmph! What’s her real name? 'Nashou' is just a title, right? What is her true name?" Ruo Wen asked.
The hall fell silent. No one answered.
Ruo Wen stood in silence for a moment, then let the earring fall to the ground with a sharp clink. The bandits around him grew excited, sensing what was coming. Ruo Wen’s cold voice echoed, "Kill them."
The hundred captives were surrounded. The bandits, with knives and swords in hand, treated the prisoners like helpless dolls of flesh and blood, cutting and slashing however they pleased.
After sunrise, the small oasis was no longer cold. Sunlight filtered through the hardy desert trees and fell on the sandy ground. Desert rodents and white scorpions emerged from their burrows, scurrying about in search of food. A thin trail of smoke drifted up from the forest’s edge, likely the remnants of a recently extinguished campfire.
Huang Bei Shuang lay wrapped in thick blankets, her skin still chilled from the icy waters of the lake the night before. Though she had resisted the primal urges, the experience had left her weak and shattered. When she woke, her face was flushed, her limbs weak, and her entire body trembling as she curled into a tight ball.
"You’ve caught a fever. Last night was reckless, wasn’t it? Your body couldn’t handle it." Qing Yun was already awake, packing up supplies. Seeing her pitiful state, he couldn’t help but be both amused and exasperated.
Huang Bei Shuang turned her head, her eyes locking onto Qing Yun. He stood tall by his white horse, his figure almost dreamlike. She stared at him for a long time before struggling to her feet, slowly walking over to him, her gaze never leaving his face. He was indeed a handsome man, with sharp features and a commanding presence, far more attractive than any man she had met in her tribe.
But doubt crept into her heart. How could such a man be wandering in the desert?
Qing Yun glanced at her, seemingly unconcerned by her thoughts. He quickly tied up his bundle, then, in one swift motion, placed his hand on her forehead. Smiling, he said, "Not bad. Your fever’s gone down a bit. Let’s find something to eat later." With that, he turned and kicked dirt over the remnants of the campfire.
Huang Bei Shuang suddenly felt shy. She quickly turned her head, touching her forehead awkwardly, though a small sense of joy warmed her heart. It was the first time in her life she had ever felt this way. It was strange—her eyes sparkled, and she couldn’t bring herself to look directly at him.
Before she could process her thoughts, Qing Yun scooped her up effortlessly and leapt onto the horse. His voice was low and firm as he said, "Let’s go!"
"Go where?" Huang Bei Shuang clung to his chest.
Qing Yun looked down at her, their faces only inches apart, and smiled. "Wherever you need to go, I’ll take you there. Yunpei? Or back to the Ernaqi? Wherever you decide."
"Why?"
"To repay you for the gift of your horse."
Huang Bei Shuang was silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "Fei Ta means a lot to you, doesn’t he?"
"Yes, it stayed loyal to me until the very end," Qing Yun replied softly, his voice filled with warmth, showing his deep attachment to the horse.
"Hah!" Huang Bei Shuang let out a faint laugh, as if recalling something. In a daze, she said, "I had a horse like Fei Ta as well."
Qing Yun looked at her, curious.
"It’s back there," she said with determination, pointing in the direction they had fled from the night before. "It’s still back there!"
"Are you sure?" Qing Yun’s grip on the reins tightened.
Huang Bei Shuang nodded, and without further hesitation, they turned the horse around and galloped back toward the bandit camp.
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