Chapter 196: The Snow Arrives

“…”

What greeted her was a prolonged silence.

Though Xie Wei’s complexion was pale, his body, leaning against the dark rock, was slightly tense, exuding a poised readiness akin to a beast ready to pounce. His sharp gaze, like a blade, fell upon her.

Jiang Xuening, however, paid no heed.

She waited for a while and, sure enough, though Xie Wei’s expression was extremely grim, he slowly tightened his grip on the bow in his other hand, showing no real intention to act.

Thus, she let out a disdainful snort.

Convinced he wouldn’t do anything, she couldn’t be bothered with him anymore and headed straight into the woods by the stream, tossing back a remark, “I’ll go find something to eat.”

How strange life was.

In her past life, when she was desperate, she had brought soup in the dead of night, offering herself to the Grand Tutor who sat high in his hall. Yet, he had smiled at her as if she were nothing more than dust, telling her to “have some self-respect.” In this life, knowing her place, she had avoided this saintly figure like the plague, only to find him inexplicably haunting her, leaving her to mock him in return.

Jiang Xuening had only one thought in her mind—

What a mess!

In this vast wilderness, though rarely visited by humans, food wasn’t impossible to find.

In her youth at the countryside estate, she had loved to roam and play.

She knew what was edible and what wasn’t.

Following the stream upstream, she didn’t venture too deep, staying at the edge of the forest. Luck was on her side as she found a few edible berries within her reach.

She took a bite of one and pocketed the rest.

Though her trip wasn’t long, it wasn’t short either. When she returned, she saw a skinned and cleaned rabbit placed on the rock. The faint scent of blood lingered by the stream, and Xie Wei’s bow and arrows were set aside, one arrow still stained with fresh blood, evidently just pulled from the unfortunate rabbit. Xie Wei himself sat casually by a newly lit fire, a short knife in his hand, leisurely trimming the branches off a piece of bamboo.

That short knife…

She hadn’t seen it during their journey.

But a long time ago, she had seen it, even used it.

Walking over, she placed the berries she had gathered on the ground. Glancing at the skinned rabbit, she frowned slightly but said nothing. Instead, she sat by the fire, picked up the half-eaten berry, and took another bite, remarking, “Sir, you haven’t changed your knife in years.”

Xie Wei remained silent, finishing the bamboo and skewering the rabbit.

Jiang Xuening averted her gaze. “Wouldn’t being a chef be more relaxing than stirring up trouble in the court?”

Xie Wei glanced at her but still didn’t respond.

Jiang Xuening fell silent as well. By now, the sky was fully lit. Having fled for their lives all night, they were both exhausted and starving. They sat quietly by the fire, watching the rabbit slowly roast over the flames.

Everything seemed tranquil.

As if the earlier undercurrents and sharp exchanges had never happened.

They both knew—

In the wilderness, humans were no different from beasts.

Here, there was no Lady Jiang, no Grand Tutor Xie. In the face of life and death, no one was nobler than the other, and no one needed to fear anyone. Even with armies at one’s command and mountains of gold at home, here they were just two individuals, mere mortals. Even the grudges, hatreds, loves, and resentments seemed to dissipate like the morning mist, drifting away into the horizon.

When Xie Wei handed her a rabbit leg, Jiang Xuening politely thanked him.

In the wilderness, there were no seasonings like oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar.

Yet, Xie Wei’s rabbit was perfectly roasted—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The golden surface glistened with oil, and as she tore off a piece, the meat was exquisite, carrying a subtle aroma of pine from the burning wood beneath.

She almost ate her own fingers.

Although it couldn’t compare to meals prepared with proper seasoning, given the circumstances and the setting, it was nothing short of a delicacy.

Over the years, Xie Wei had become a prominent court official. As the saying goes, “A gentleman stays away from the kitchen,” yet somehow, his cooking skills hadn’t deteriorated?

After eating her fill, Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but glance at him.

Xie Wei had already stomped out the fire, sweeping all traces of it into the stream. He stood up indifferently and said, “Let’s go once you’re done eating.”

Jiang Xuening watched as he strapped the short knife back to his wrist, picked up his bow and arrows, and carefully wiped the blood off the arrow that had killed the rabbit before placing it back in his quiver.

Only the puncture wounds on his index finger remained visible.

She was genuinely worried he might die on the road.

So she asked, “Are you sure your wound is fine?”

Xie Wei replied, “If you hadn’t interfered, it would have healed by now.”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

She was momentarily speechless, then smiled. “I thought you had passed out from the poison.”

Xie Wei glanced back. “I was just resting.”

Then he added, “If you could tell the difference between fainting and resting, perhaps your half-baked medical skills wouldn’t harm so many people.”

Fine, it was all her fault. For some reason, Jiang Xuening found his calm demeanor infuriating. She suppressed the urge to argue with him, picked up the remaining berries from the ground, and followed him as they continued forward.

They crossed the stream and entered the forest on the other side.

The days of travel were tedious.

As the old saying goes, “The mountain you see can exhaust a horse.” Xie Wei had said earlier that once they crossed this stretch of mountains, they would reach Jinan Prefecture. But this wilderness, which didn’t seem too vast from a distance, felt endless after days of walking.

Though Jiang Xuening wasn’t particularly spoiled, her body wasn’t accustomed to such hardship.

By the third day, blisters had formed on her feet.

Even though she didn’t want to hold anyone back, it was hard to move quickly.

On this day, they had to cross a mountain ridge.

The slope was steep.

After a few steps, she was drenched in cold sweat, her legs weak. If Xie Wei hadn’t been there to pull her up, she might have tumbled down.

Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but smile bitterly. She looked up at the sky, hiding her deep concern, and said to Xie Wei, “The border is waiting for you to take charge, and the princess is in grave danger. I’m just dead weight. This journey is already difficult, and dragging me along will only make it worse. Why don’t you leave me here? I’ll stay in the mountains and won’t wander off. Once you’ve handled things, send someone to fetch me.”

Xie Wei said nothing. Instead, he grabbed the hem of his robe and tore off a strip.

With a ripping sound, he tore a piece from his already soiled white robe, tied it around Jiang Xuening’s wrist, and fastened the other end tightly to his own. His expression was calm as he said, “Let’s go.”

Jiang Xuening thought he was insane.

Her suggestion was the most practical solution.

But Xie Wei didn’t even consider it. He simply took her hand and pulled her along as they continued forward.

However, their worst fear came true—

Just as they struggled to reach the ridge, a fierce north wind howled in their faces!

To the north, the sky was thick with dark clouds.

Standing high and looking far, one should feel a sense of vast openness. But at this moment, Jiang Xuening felt a suffocating weight, as if an army was bearing down on them.

She looked at Xie Wei.

Xie Wei stood in the wind, his robe fluttering, gazing at the approaching clouds.

His eyes were unusually clear.

As if the buried dust and gloom had been swept away by the biting cold wind.

She heard his calm, distant voice: “Ning’er, it’s going to snow.”

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