Qin Shaozong saw that Dai Li was about to get up after speaking. His long arm tightened, pinning her back onto the soft chair. "A few moments won't make a difference. We will discuss this matter after we return to Xia Valley."
Dai Li sat back in the chair, but she was trapped in a mire of anxiety and unease.
"Those so-called divine medicines are mostly just smoke and mirrors. How could something have the effect of prolonging life while also causing one's intestines to rot, and even forcing a person to take it regularly by threatening such a fate? It sounds far too far-fetched; the rumors are likely untrue." Qin Shaozong spoke of the matter with utter disdain.
Dai Li pursed her lips and remained silent.
Qin Shaozong took one of her hands, squeezing her pinkish fingertips. "If my Lady is worried, let Ding Congjian feel the boy's pulse once we return and have him take a careful look. Ding Congjian comes from a family of physicians spanning generations. His father and his grandfather, who is now in his seventies, are both exceptionally skilled. No matter how rare the ailment, they have the cure to make it vanish."
A long silence followed his words before Qin Shaozong finally heard her soft "Mm," followed by, "Thank you."
Those two words grated on Qin Shaozong's ears. "There is no need for thanks. If my Lady truly wishes to thank me, then behave yourself in the future. Stop spending all your energy thinking about running away."
Dai Li turned her head to glare at him, her lips still pressed tight.
One look at her expression and Qin Shaozong understood everything.
Fine. She was still defiant. Likely, her current submission was only because she had been caught and had no way out, forcing her to accept her fate for now. That mind of hers, full of schemes and "wicked water," had never once run dry.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Qin Shaozong challenged her, determined to straighten out her bad habits and wayward thoughts. "Dai Li, I can grant you anything, except for one thing."
Whether it was the treasures she desired or the things she wished to do, he could find them for her and arrange everything. He could even personally pave the way for her son’s future, ensuring the boy a lifetime of wealth and status.
Except for one thing: she could never leave him.
This was his bottom line. Above that line, no matter how she acted out—even if she poked a hole in the heavens—he would be there to patch it up for her.
Dai Li knew exactly what he was referring to, but she had no heart to argue with him. "The Lord is right in everything he says."
Qin Shaozong’s lip twitched. Her voice was pleasant enough, but the words she spoke were enough to provoke a man to death.
When Dai Li had first left Xia Valley, she had shared a horse with Qin Yanzhou, traveling at a modest pace. Now, on the return journey, they traveled by carriage. The speed of the carriage was roughly the same as two people on one horse, and they arrived at the small mountain village just as dusk was falling.
They stayed in the villagers' homes just as they had before, paying them in silver.
Because they paid generously, the villagers were all smiles. Some even took the initiative to bring out chickens and geese from their homes to slaughter. Providing good food and meat meant another payment, and the offcuts that the nobles wouldn't eat would allow the villagers to feast themselves.
In the approaching night of dusk, the small mountain village was unusually lively.
Children ran about laughing, and the villagers beamed with joy over their unexpected income. The Xuanxiao Cavalry, for their part, were relaxed, having won the battle and being on the verge of returning home.
Everyone, that is, except Mo Yanyun.
Mo Yanyun had been agonizing the entire way. Ever since he had heard Dai Li’s reasoning in the eastern suburbs, he had initially felt as though he had been struck by lightning, unable to believe it.
However, thinking back on it carefully, it was completely understandable! Lady Dai was brilliantly talented, possessed peerless beauty, and had a gentle temperament. It was only logical and fair for her to demand to be the primary wife.
What woman wouldn't want to be the legitimate wife? It was just as no common soldier didn't dream of being a commander.
Unfortunately, the Marquis and the Wei family had a prior agreement. The Marquis’s word was as heavy as a thousand gold pieces; in over thirty years, he had never broken a promise made to another.
This was a difficult knot to untie.
But if he didn't tell the Marquis, and Lady Dai attempted another escape in the future, it would be considered a dereliction of duty on his part as a subordinate...
"Mo Yanyun."
Mo Yanyun was squatting on the ground, holding a wild flower and plucking its petals, muttering under his breath, "Tell him, don't tell him, tell him, don't tell him..."
"Mo Yanyun."
Mo Yanyun jolted, instinctively springing to his feet with his legs together and his back ramrod straight. "Present!"
Qin Shaozong looked at his subordinate’s strange behavior, his narrow brown eyes squinting slightly. "I'll give you the time it takes for a cup of tea to cool. Explain yourself."
Mo Yanyun cried out in his heart that he was doomed. The Marquis must have heard his indecision just now.
Fine then. No need to pluck petals anymore; the Marquis had made the decision for him.
Mo Yanyun swallowed hard, not daring to keep silent. "My Lord, when I pursued Lady Dai out of the city and was discovered by her in the eastern suburbs, I tried to persuade her to return with me. She refused, and at the time, she said..."
By the end, his voice dropped about eight decibels. "She said she didn't want to be a concubine."
Of course, as for the words he had used to persuade Lady Dai in the ruined temple, he wouldn't breathe a word of them even if he were beaten to death.
Qin Shaozong was silent for a moment. "And?"
Mo Yanyun shook his head hurriedly. "Nothing else. Lady Dai only said that one sentence."
Qin Shaozong glanced at the petals scattered all over the ground. "There is nothing to be conflicted about. In the future, if it concerns her, do not hide anything. Report directly to me."
Mo Yanyun plucked up his courage to ask, "That matter... how does the Lord view it?"
"It is only human nature," Qin Shaozong said calmly. "If you were a lady, you wouldn't want to be just a concubine either."
Mo Yanyun scratched his head. That was true enough, but what he really wanted to know was how the Marquis planned to handle the situation.
However, even asking "how he viewed it" had been an overstep; he didn't dare ask anything further.
*
On the other side, during the leisure time before dinner, Dai Li was taking a walk through the small village with her son.
Two members of the Xuanxiao Cavalry followed the mother and son at a distance—close enough to keep an eye on them, but far enough not to intrude.
Dai Li walked aimlessly.
She had so many things she wanted to say to her son, but because there was so much, it had piled up like layers of silt and sand, blocking the exit and leaving her not knowing where to begin.
Qin Yanzhou could sense his mother’s mood; she was heavy-hearted, panicked, and at a loss.
He assumed Dai Li was upset about being caught, so he comforted her in a low voice. "Mama, the failure of this trip south was an accident. We had the timing and the location, but we lacked the final piece of luck. I didn't expect the Marquis of Wu'an's reinforcements to reach Xia Valley so early, ending the war ahead of schedule. It's also my fault for not dealing with that gyrfalcon sooner, allowing it to bring word to the Marquis of Wu'an. But don't be discouraged. If it didn't work this time, we'll just wait for the next. Next time..."
As Qin Yanzhou spoke, he caught sight of the glint of tears in Dai Li’s eyes.
A shimmering layer of moisture was clearly visible in the sunset, looking so full that it seemed as though a single blink would send the teardrops falling.
The young man’s face, usually devoid of expression, now crumbled like a fracturing mountain, revealing an undeniable panic.
Last night, the thunder had been deafening and the rain had poured almost all night long. The noise in the next room had been muffled by the rain and thunder, making it almost inaudible. But when his mother had come downstairs this morning, her face clearly bore traces of exhaustion, while the Marquis of Wu'an had looked triumphant and hadn't even offered a word of reprimand regarding his attempt to take his mother south.
Though he had no experience with women in that regard, Qin Yanzhou was no fool. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened in the room next door last night.
His mother was crying—she had been humiliated beyond endurance!
A murderous intent surged in his eyes, and at that moment, his hatred for the Marquis of Wu'an reached its peak.
But in the next instant, he heard Dai Li say, "It has nothing to do with Qin Shaozong, and I wasn't thinking about our journey south just now. I just... my heart aches for Zhou Zhou."
The young man froze, the murderous intent in his eyes instantly stilled and dissipated.
Once the conversation started, the rest followed naturally.
Dai Li said softly, "Sometimes I can't help but think about those ten years—the hardships you faced, the things you went through. I try to guess how you managed to survive. Sometimes I even dream about the year of the great famine, dreaming of you as a tiny child being caught, and they wanted to kill you for your meat. The famine was so great that people exchanged their children to eat... and the one being exchanged was my son. Zhou Zhou, I’m not telling you this to burden you. I just feel like I haven't been a competent mother."
"No!" Qin Yanzhou shook his head frantically. "There is no better mother than you."
He didn't remember much from his early years; his memories only started becoming clear when he was four or five. Before that, there were only fragmented pieces.
His father had been a civil aviation captain and was rarely home. His only impressions of his father were a tall silhouette and the warmth of a large palm resting on his head.
But his memories of his mother were countless.
Those memories were like wildflowers scattered across a mountain. If he plucked one at random, it might become his mother sitting in the audience at kindergarten, smiling and holding a camera as she watched him perform alongside other parents.
It might turn into a picture of him sitting on the floor at home, playing with a toy car, while not far away, his mother worked on a laptop by the sofa.
Or it might become another scene: him playing with his friends in the neighborhood, returning to his mother’s side drenched in sweat, where the beautiful woman would hand him a water bottle. After watching him gulp down the water, she would take out a handkerchief to wipe his brow.
These wildflowers connected to form a hidden oasis, a sanctuary that resisted the terrifying sandstorms of life and allowed his scarred self to find a brief moment of rest years later.
Dai Li gave a bitter smile. "I don't deserve to be called 'good.' I left you to wander here alone for so long as a child. We finally reunited, and after only a few days of peace, you have to go on the run with me."
"Being with you is a good life to me," Qin Yanzhou said without hesitation.
The distress in Dai Li's heart reached its breaking point, and she blurted out, "You left the Lotus Sect. They know you've defected, and not only is there a bounty on your head, but they certainly won't give you that medicine anymore! Is having your intestines rot away still considered a 'good life'?!"
Qin Yanzhou's pupils contracted sharply, his lips trembling. "Mom..."
"Why didn't you tell me? Parents should be a child's support, not their burden. My child has suffered enough. I only want you to be safe and sound from now on. I don't need you to make that kind of sacrifice for me, Zhou Zhou." The tears in Dai Li's eyes finally fell.
Hearing about that matter from Qin Shaozong's mouth was no exaggeration—she truly felt as if the sky was falling.
She had thought that after those ten years, once she and Zhou Zhou were reunited, the days ahead would be the sweetness after the bitterness. Even if they weren't wealthy or as comfortable as they had been in the modern world, it would surely be better than those ten harrowing years.
But she hadn't expected the Lotus Sect to have such a hold on him, and she certainly hadn't expected her child to hide it from her...
Over the years, Qin Yanzhou had almost no one he could talk to openly. Having gone so long without arguing with anyone, he could only say anxiously, "It’s not a sacrifice! As long as you are happy, Mom, I am willing to do anything."
As Dai Li's heart twisted with pain, a surge of anger rushed to her head. "Does that medicine not have side effects? If that isn't a sacrifice, what is!"
Qin Yanzhou was speechless.
In the blink of an eye, a fresh trail of hot tears rolled down Dai Li's face. "I know you want me to be happy, and you want me to live well in this era. But Zhou Zhou, if your body is ruined by that medicine and you don't have long to live... I'm telling you, just as I could jump off that bridge back then, I can take a knife to my own throat when that day comes."
Qin Yanzhou's body jolted. His face went blank for a moment, but his eyes reddened first.
Her son was already much taller than her. Dai Li could no longer easily pat his head as she did when he was small, so she could only pat his shoulder.
"Zhou Zhou, I am so sorry I wasn't by your side for those ten years. I understand ten years is a long time—long enough for a child who relied on his mother for everything to grow into a man who stands on his own. Perhaps you aren't used to telling me everything anymore and have your own secrets and concerns. I can understand that; growing up is a process of becoming independent."
Dai Li wiped away a tear. "But you cannot gamble with your health and your life. Those are not things to be trifled with."
"Mom, it’s not that serious. My intestines won't rot," Qin Yanzhou said stiffly.
Dai Li didn't feel relieved at all, because she heard another meaning behind those words.
Her son had indeed taken the Lotus Sect's poison.
It made sense. He had been making a living within the Lotus Sect; when the medicine was given to him, several pairs of eyes would have been fixed on him, making sure he swallowed it—they might have even handed him water to wash it down.
Zhou Zhou had no choice.
Qin Yanzhou said hurriedly, "Mom, I didn't take much of that medicine. Even if it felt okay for a short time after taking it, I knew it was bad stuff. When no one was watching me, I didn't take it."
Dai Li paused, the heavy stone pressing on her heart loosening slightly. Just as she was about to speak, a soldier in the distance called out that dinner was ready, summoning them to eat.
Dai Li took a deep breath, slowly calming her emotions. "I heard that the military doctor in the North, Ding Congjian, is highly skilled. When we get back, Zhou Zhou, you must let him check your pulse."
Qin Yanzhou nodded in agreement.
Dai Li turned with him and walked back the way they came. "As for leaving, let's not think about it for now."
Qin Yanzhou turned to look at his mother, but he could only see the woman's calm profile.
When the mother and son returned to the small house, dinner was already served. One table was set inside, and several more were set outside.
The conditions of the farmhouse were limited. There were no elegant low tables; instead, they used tall, wide tables where several people dined together.
There were three people at Dai Li's table.
The space was not large, so they sat close to one another. Looking up, one could clearly see the expressions on the others' faces.
Qin Shaozong sat beside Dai Li, holding his bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other. His gaze drifted toward the woman beside him from time to time.
The afterglow of the sunset slipped through the wooden window, scattering golden fragments across the floor. A few stray beams landed on Dai Li's skirt, shimmering with a brilliant golden light. She looked as if she had been born from the light and would eventually dissolve back into the sunset.
Sensing his gaze falling on her too frequently, Dai Li turned to look at him, her eyes filled with confusion.
She was asking him what he was looking at.
She had just been crying; her eyes were bright as if washed with water, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with a flush of red, like rouge. However, her expression was somewhat weary, her spirits low.
Qin Shaozong guessed she must have gone to ask her son about the Divine Medicine. Between this mother and son, neither was easy to worry about. "Ding Congjian’s medical skills are not bad, and his father and grandfather were even better. Besides that, there are other, more unconventional ways to handle it."