In the third year of Heqing of Northern Qi, Verdant Green Maiden strolled through the woods at an unhurried pace.
A light rain fell from the sky. She opened her oil-paper umbrella, while the ox bell around Old Yellow Ox's neck jingled. His hooves sank unevenly into the muddy puddles and earth, and he ambled along with a gentle sway.
A yellow ox, the woods, wet ground, and mud.
Together with the soft rustle of raindrops pattering down, it was such a pleasant scene that it made one drowsy.
At the other end of the narrow forest path, a troop of cavalry hurried toward them. Though the road was muddy and hard to traverse, the riders still charged ahead at a gallop.
They swept past Verdant Green Maiden in a flash, their horses' hooves kicking mud straight toward her. If she hadn't blocked it in time, she would have ended up a little mud dragon.
"Hey... Can't you see someone's here?"
Verdant Green Maiden furrowed her brows and looked ahead.
The cavalrymen up front were gradually coming to a halt, then turning around and riding back toward her.
"Whoa—!"
The man at their head reined in his horse before Verdant Green Maiden and stared at her without a word. Someone beside him advised, "Your Highness, we're providing covert reinforcements. We can't let anyone learn of our movements. This area is deserted, yet there happens to be a shepherd girl here. Something's definitely wrong! Better to kill an innocent than let a suspect go!"
They had come back to silence her.
Verdant Green Maiden suddenly understood. Her gaze fell on the man. He was rather handsome, though he still fell a little short of her previous life's standards. All the same, he was quite the looker!
She said leisurely, "If you'd