The day Lu Feibai died, the snow was falling heavily.
He was buried in a place with excellent feng shui, and Xie Beihan ordered a mausoleum built for him, surrounded by sunflowers.
When Ye Luan arrived, it was the season when the sunflowers bloomed.
Under the scorching sun, as far as the eye could see, there was brilliance.
She immediately spotted the tombstone not far away.
In an instant, a pang of sadness surged into her heart. The person from her memories became as clear as day in her mind. Despite the bright sun, she felt a chill all over her body.
Xie Beihan's deep features were devoid of any expression.
"Let's go."
Ye Luan, carrying a basket, walked over slowly.
She crouched down and took out the sacrificial wine from the basket, placing it before the tombstone.
"Jingzhi."
She called out softly and sat on the ground covered in sunflowers.
"Jingzhi, my courtesy name."
A voice as gentle as jade echoed in her mind. Ye Luan looked at the cold tombstone, her eyes gradually misting over.
Her first meeting with him, he was dressed in green, his face as beautiful as jade, his demeanor aloof. Even seated in a wheelchair, his posture was as straight as a cypress.
She hadn't expected that their next meeting would be one of separation between life and death.
"When did he pass?"
Xie Beihan sat beside her, leaning lazily against the tombstone. Upon hearing Ye Luan's voice, he casually picked up the sacrificial wine and took a drink.
"I don't remember."
Seeing that he didn't wish to speak, Ye Luan asked no further.
Xie Beihan turned to look at her and pulled at the corner of his lips, "If I stay here for a few days, once I return to the palace, I don't know when I'll be able to come again."
"Mm."
They sat in silence for a while. Xie Beihan looked at the bright, sunny sky and suddenly spoke, bringing up their past.
The prodigal sons of youth were all wild and untamed, yet he, by fate, was stripped of his inherent pride and lingered in this world.
During those years in the deep palace, he, with his ailing body, had supported him in ascending to the throne, strategizing for him from behind the scenes, while he, like a ferocious demon, clawed his way to that position.
Now, he had ascended the throne, but the one who had accompanied him in ruling the empire was gone.
"Look, the sunflowers are blooming so beautifully."
Ye Luan glanced at his indifferent face, "Year after year, vibrant and brilliant."
They stayed there for two days, with Xie Beihan sitting by the grave for the entire day.
That day, the sky suddenly began to snow. Snow in August, with the north wind raging.
Xie Beihan sat by the grave, holding a jar of wine, drinking quietly.
White snow landed on his eyebrows, his face, his hair, his robes, accumulating a thick layer.
Yet he seemed oblivious, as if he hadn't felt anything, and had been sitting there for who knows how long.
Ye Luan walked over, holding an umbrella, and held it above his head.
"The departed are gone. Please accept my condolences."
The sky was filled with swirling snow. He sat on the ground in his black robes, languid and unrestrained. She, dressed in a red skirt, stood beside him holding her umbrella. Between heaven and earth, it was a scene of desolation.
'It was also a snowy day the day he died.'
Xie Beihan suddenly stood up. Perhaps he hadn't stood steadily, as he abruptly fell into her arms.
Ye Luan frowned. Just as she was about to push him away, he reached out and held her tightly.
"It's another snowy day, Ye Luan, I really hate the snow."
His grip was too strong, and her hand hurt. The red umbrella fell with a clatter, landing in the snow.
Ye Luan sensed something was wrong with him and said, "You've caught a chill. Have them send you back."
"What? Are you leaving?"
He suddenly bit her neck fiercely.
Ye Luan was shocked. She pushed him away with force, a knife appearing in her hand, her eyes filled with vigilance.
Xie Beihan looked at her appearance and suddenly burst into laughter, tinged with mockery.
His sinister face showed weariness of the world, and a shadow fell upon his facial contours, like a demon crawled out of hell, filled with戾气.
"Stay here and keep me company."
As soon as he spoke, he lunged at her.
Ye Luan quickly dodged by bending down, but his posture was extremely strange. Like a fleeting shadow, he appeared before her in an instant.
She directly swung her saber at him, but a tremor from his internal energy sent the saber handle clattering to the ground, and he had already pulled her into his embrace.
Ye Luan felt pain. She concealed the emotions in her eyes and looked up at him.
"Do you really have to do this?"
The corners of Xie Beihan's mouth curved upwards. He scooped her up horizontally and walked away.
"I'll take you to see a good show."
Ye Luan, clutching the wound on her neck, said nothing.
The swirling snow fell on both of them. She looked back deeply at the tomb covered in white snow, her eyes reddening.
Xie Beihan took her with him, riding horses out of the frontier and heading directly towards the Western Regions.
Perhaps it was Xiao Chizhan's people chasing after them, but Xie Beihan had been taking secluded paths.
He was accompanied by many death warriors.
Ye Luan could sense that people loyal to him were all around.
After several days of continuous travel, they finally arrived within the borders of the Western Regions.
On the city walls of Qu Guan, Chi Yan, dressed in blue, stood with her saber beneath a brick. Upon seeing Xie Beihan's entourage, she immediately descended the city tower and ordered the city gates opened.
"The Crown Prince has ascended the throne and personally come to Southern Xinjiang for the mere sake of Lingnan."
Xie Beihan rode his horse into the city. Seeing the woman descending from the city wall, he stopped his horse with a gentle neigh.
"Was the person rescued?"
Chi Yan smiled lightly, swept her gaze over Ye Luan in his arms, and replied, "She is trapped in Shangjing. Our people went several times but were killed by Liu Rongruo, but she is not dead."
Xie Beihan's eyebrows slightly raised, "Send people to rescue her. Within ten days, I want to see her alive."
Ye Luan listened to their conversation, and a flicker of surprise crossed her lowered eyes. Were they talking about the Southern Xinjiang people who had come to capture her that day?
"Big Brother Liu's family raised a very beautiful woman, rumored to be some sort of Southern Xinjiang Saintess."
Qingge's words suddenly flashed in her mind. Ye Luan froze, then realized.
"Is the Crown Prince heading to Lingnan now?"
Chi Yan casually kicked aside a person, snatched a horse, and leaped onto it.
Xie Beihan glanced at the person in his arms.
"We'll rest for a night, and depart tomorrow."
Chi Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "The Crown Prince actually knows how to pity a beauty now."
Ye Luan ignored their words and remained silent.
They rested for a night in Qu Guan, and the next day, early in the morning, they hurried towards Lingnan.
For several consecutive days, Ye Luan was wary of Xie Beihan and couldn't sleep well. While riding her horse, she was drowsy.
Xie Beihan lowered his gaze, seeing her eyes closed in sleep, and a slight smile curved his lips. He leaned over and gently sniffed her neck.
He was too close, and in this position, Ye Luan instantly awoke, tensed her body, and glared back at him.
"What's wrong?"
He smiled and continued to draw closer to her.
Ye Luan, without hesitation, dodged him and pressed his face back with her hand.
"If the Crown Prince wishes for me to be restless, feel free to be presumptuous."
Xie Beihan laughed heartily and whispered in her ear, "You don't want to be restless, but can you leave?"
Ye Luan looked at him seriously, "Since you know it's not my intention, why bother?"
"I like it."
"-----"