At the first gray light of dawn, Yang Qing, Bu Er, and Jiang Zhizhou boarded the carriage and slowly left Yan Pass.
Behind them, two figures stood in silence.
One was Suotu, and the other was Dai Sheng.
Watching the carriage recede into the distance, Dai Sheng and Suotu bowed in unison toward its departing silhouette. "Lord Yang, may the day come when we meet again!"
From the moment he boarded the carriage, Yang Qing said nothing, sitting upright in silence.
Beside him, Jiang Zhizhou was speaking to Bu Er.
"We're taking the back roads to Northern Liang, not the main road. Be careful along the way. Don't let the horse jolt your young master."
Bundled from head to toe in his thick winter clothes, Bu Er nodded silently and raised the whip in his hand again.
"We'll take turns every hour. This stretch is still fairly even." With that, Jiang Zhizhou lowered the carriage curtain and sat beside Yang Qing.
Yang Qing remained silent, his gaze fixed on a spot inside the carriage, unmoving for a long while.
Seeing this, Jiang Zhizhou sighed softly. Just as he was about to settle into his seat, Yang Qing spoke. "Bu Er, stop."
His voice was quiet, but Bu Er, seated on the driver's bench outside, clearly heard him.
"Whoa!" He reined in the horse, and the carriage came to a halt.
"Young master, did you leave something behind?" Bu Er lifted the curtain and poked his head inside.
Yang Qing slowly rose and extended a hand toward him. "Help me down."
Bu Er supported Yang Qing as he climbed out of the carriage. Yang Qing pulled his cloak tighter around himself, turned toward distant Yan Prefecture, and bowed deeply to the ground.
Yang Qing murmured something. Though his voice was soft,