Take Me with You!

Soon, the snow fell harder and harder.

On a sweltering June day, snowflakes as large as goose feathers came drifting down—a phenomenon unheard of.

Yin Jiuyou, Qi Shanhe, and Mu Yuwei all stopped to watch this strange spectacle.

Zhuge Qing gazed up at the falling snowflakes, a thousand thoughts swirling through her heart.

Snow in June—what did such a sight foretell?

"Miss Zhuge, we're about to part ways. There's something I need to tell you—"

Ning Que suddenly turned to look at Zhuge Qing, his gaze frank and open.

Riiip—

The next moment, under Zhuge Qing's incredulous gaze, Ning Que slowly peeled away the skin of his face.

An entirely new face appeared before her.

Zhuge Qing's eyes widened in disbelief. "You..."

She stared at Ning Que, unable to speak.

"I'm sorry. Our identities are sensitive, so we couldn't show our true faces. I had no choice but to deceive you, Miss Zhuge..."

Ning Que looked at her with a smile, his manner refined and easygoing. "Now that it's time to part, there's no need to hide it anymore."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Zhuge."

"..."

Zhuge Qing bit her lip, her expression conflicted.

She hadn't expected Ning Que to shock her yet again, even at the moment of their parting.

"I'm sorry."

Ning Que spoke suddenly.

Zhuge Qing froze, then lowered her head even further. She clenched her hands so tightly that her nails cut into her palms, drawing blood without her noticing.

"Let's go."

Ning Que took off his cloak and draped it over Zhuge Qing.

The wind rose mightily, and snow swirled through the air, making the cloak snap and flutter.

The hundred-odd people looked around in silence as they made their way toward Qingzhou City's main gate.

The Provincial Governor's residence.

"Governor, where are you going in that armor?"

Liang Bo, the Zhuge Family's steward, had served Zhuge Jingcheng for thirty or forty years, yet this was the first time he had seen his master act so strangely.

Zhuge Jingcheng put on his helmet and glanced at Liang Bo, his expression complicated. "Liang Bo, how many years have you served me?"

"Thirty-four, Master."

"Thirty-four years... That's a long time..."

Zhuge Jingcheng murmured to himself, then continued, "When Qing'er was first born, I was busy with official affairs. You raised her single-handedly. You're as good as another father to her."

Looking at Liang Bo before him, Zhuge Jingcheng suddenly felt a trace of melancholy.

"Liang Bo, if one day I committed an act of monstrous betrayal, would you forgive me?"

Liang Bo's expression turned solemn. He brushed his sleeves twice and knelt gravely before Zhuge Jingcheng. "Master, you saved this old man's life. Whatever you do, I believe you have your reasons. I am willing to follow you wherever you go!"

"Good!"

Zhuge Jingcheng patted Liang Bo's shoulder, his eyes moist. "With those words, I can rest easy..."

"It's snowing. Snow in June..."

Zhuge Jingcheng raised his head and gazed at the great, feathery flakes falling from the sky, lost in thought.

"Is Heaven warning me..."

"But I don't believe in Heaven, much less fate..."

Meanwhile.

The escorts of the Escort Guild and the hired blades of the Cave of No Worries stood ready for battle.

Many had tied on the headbands of their respective escort bureaus, perhaps sensing that they might die.

They had all left final letters for their wives, children, and elders at home.

"Lads, our final escort job is here! We'll escort the heads of those rebels and the Governor's daughter!"

"Once this job is done, the Dragon Gate Escort Bureau will disband on the spot!"

Tong Chengkun brandished his saber and shouted.

Qingzhou City was exceptionally quiet that night.

There were no lovers beneath the flowers and moon, no pleasure boats on the calm lake.

Even the bustling street of brothels had its doors tightly shut.

The whole of Qingzhou City seemed to have become a city of the dead.

That was because the Provincial Governor's residence had suddenly issued an ironclad decree—no resident of Qingzhou City was to go outside that night. There were not even any night watchmen!

The townsfolk wanted to know what had happened, but hoofbeats rang ceaselessly along the roads, accompanied by hurried rushes of air.

No one even dared open a door or window, and they couldn't help suspecting that something momentous had happened again.

Yet Qingzhou City had not truly become a dead city simply because its residents had shut themselves indoors.

More than a hundred figures marched in a great procession through the wind and snow.

They crossed the city without encountering a single obstacle.

At last, they reached Qingzhou City's gate.

Qingzhou City's walls were weathered by the years, easy to defend and difficult to storm.

The walls, originally deserted, suddenly filled with people.

Torches were lit and raised, illuminating a swath of the darkened city.

Provincial Governor Zhuge Jingcheng stood atop the wall in armor, a treasured sword in hand.

A messenger stood beside him.

It was the same man from Capital City who had delivered the letter to him at the beginning.

"Are you confident you can capture these rebels, my lord? Crush them in their cradle?"

The messenger asked.

Zhuge Jingcheng did not answer. He merely drew his sword.

"Even with your daughter in those villains' hands?"

The messenger asked again.

Zhuge Jingcheng remained silent, simply driving his sword hard into the top of the wall.

That alone was enough to show his resolve!

At last, Ning Que led his hundred-odd companions up to the city wall.

The towering wall bore down on them with an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Only now did Ning Que truly feel that this battle might be unlike any he had fought before.

This was genuine rebellion!

Yet Ning Que still brought Zhuge Qing forward and called out a challenge. "Governor Zhuge, your daughter is in my hands! If you have a shred of humanity left, open the gates and let us out!"

Ning Que's voice carried through the wind and snow to the top of the wall.

Beside him, Zhuge Qing also raised her head to look at Zhuge Jingcheng.

But Zhuge Jingcheng gave no response. His gaze was indifferent as he looked down on them from above.

Whooo...

The wind and snow grew fiercer.

Snow swept over Ning Que's and Zhuge Qing's faces.

Sometimes, silence was answer enough.

They wiped the snowflakes fiercely from their faces, their gazes changing.

Ning Que turned to look at Yin Jiuyou and the others, while Zhuge Qing's eyes filled with conflicting emotions.

Rustle, rustle...

At the same time, footsteps sounded from every direction.

More and more dark figures converged on them, bearing a chilling murderous aura.

The escorts of the Escort Guild and the hired blades of the Cave of No Worries had arrived.

As they looked at Ning Que and his hundred-odd companions, intense greed gleamed in their eyes.

Especially when they spotted Zhuge Qing among the group, the greed in their eyes deepened.

To them, she was ten thousand taels of fine silver walking on two legs!

The towering bloodlust frightened Zhuge Qing until her face turned pale and her body trembled.

"Don't be afraid."

A voice sounded beside her ear. By the time she registered it, Ning Que had already taken her hand.

At that very moment, Zhuge Qing shuddered.

Looking up at Ning Que, she suddenly burst out with the words she had never been able to utter.

"Young Master Ning, take me with you!"

Her anguished cry, mingled with the wind and snow, rang in Ning Que's ears.