"Come on up, Flag Commander Lin. I'll take you back to Liang City." Gu Lianwei sat astride a tall, snow-white steed, the breeze stirring her hair.
Lin Xuan paused slightly. "Miss Gu is going to see me off personally?"
Gu Lianwei smiled softly. "My Snowtreader Steed is swift and has exceptional endurance. Liang City is only two hours away.
"Commander Sun hasn't given you much time. An ordinary carriage would take a day or two. If we can save a few hours and let you spend a little more time with your family, that's always a good thing."
She paused. "Besides, the matter with Gu Wuji has become quite a stir. The Qiyun Sect has businesses in Liang City as well, and I need to make arrangements over there.
"Flag Commander Lin saved the Gu Family. Can't I at least give you a ride?
"Or are you afraid your wife will misunderstand?"
"Then I'll gladly accept. Compared to riding in a comfortable carriage for a day or two, Lin would rather endure a bumpy horse ride for two hours." Lin Xuan smiled.
He turned and glanced at Zhang Xiu.
Zhang Xiu laughed. "With Miss Gu escorting you, it'll be far more comfortable than traveling with an old man like me."
"Take care, Uncle Zhang."
Then he turned to Gu Lianwei and asked, "Miss Gu, aren't you afraid of inviting gossip?"
What he meant, naturally, was the proprieties of the present age.
Gu Lianwei smiled. "So-called propriety isn't meant to bind us."
Lin Xuan was briefly taken aback, then quickly returned to normal.
Lin Xuan looked at the books he had prepared. "I won't bring the books for now. I'll leave them with the Gu Family—I still have to come back eventually."
Lin Xuan glanced at the Snowtreader Steed. "Can this