She was already some distance from the gates of the Duke's Estate, and the Compass had begun twitching wildly. Knowing someone was coming, she found a corner piled with junk and, displaying unprecedented agility, scrambled up the wall.
Hearing barking beside her, she turned and saw the dog charging beneath the wall, ready to leap at her.
Startled, she lost her footing.
Disaster struck.
Ahhh!
Jiang Yourning squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to scream for fear of attracting anyone.
Her back hit a flat surface with a muffled thud.
But it did not hurt nearly as much as she had imagined.
Huh? Was the ground that close?
"What was that noise? Master, are you all right?"
Someone lifted the curtain of a luxurious carriage and glanced out, then swiftly jumped down and drew the sword at his waist. His sharp gaze swept the surroundings, killing intent spilling out unchecked.
"I'm fine."
A cool, clear voice came from inside the carriage, with a faint tremor audible beneath it.
"Master, I'll hurry!"
The carriage resumed its journey.
Holy crap! My miserable little life is safe. Thank goodness.
Whose carriage is this? Lying on it feels more comfortable than ours.
Jiang Yourning opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. She had climbed onto a carriage roof just yesterday, so lying on one again today felt rather familiar.
The driver seemed to be an expert. She softened her breathing and carefully wriggled twice, turning from her back onto her stomach. Then she spotted the level-one danger warning on the Compass.
How can I be this unlucky? I failed to steal the treasure, and now I've barely escaped the dragon's pool only to run straight into a tiger.
Looking down at her Invisibility Cloak, Jiang Yourning wanted to cry but had no tears.
Thinking of the cloak's time limit, she closed her eyes in pained regret.
Inside the carriage, a man dressed in white sat with his eyes closed. He was wrapped in a Fox-Fur Cloak utterly unsuited to the season, bundled tightly from head to toe.
His slightly trembling hands cradled a Hand Warmer.
A closer look would have revealed a layer of frost on his brows and lashes.
Where is this carriage going? It looks like I'm getting farther and farther from home.
Already feeling unwell, the man felt as though his head would explode upon hearing these voices.
He abruptly opened his eyes and pressed a button inside the carriage.
"Ah..."
Suddenly dropping through empty space, Jiang Yourning nearly cried out, but immediately clapped a hand over her mouth.
The next instant, a wave of cold engulfed her. She felt as though she had fallen into an ice cavern.
"Master, did you hear something?"
The guard driving outside spoke again.
"No."
Jiang Yourning had just taken the opportunity to climb to her feet when she felt something press against her, like an enormous block of ice.
She immediately stiffened.
Looking down and confirming that her cloak was still on, she relaxed a little.
The next second, the world spun.
She found herself lying inside the carriage.
Before her, Jiang Yourning met a face half-covered by a mask.
Before she could admire it, the face's owner clung to her like a giant octopus, his entire body plastered against hers. The Golden Mask dug painfully into her cheek.
And she did not dare make a sound.
*Is this a person? Isn't this a human-shaped freezer? Let go of me, buddy! I'm not a furnace. You've grabbed the wrong person!
Your mask is practically crushing my face!*
For once, Qing Qianxue felt a trace of warmth, and instinctively drew on the lingering heat of Jiang Yourning's body.
The voice in his head mentioned the mask. With his last shred of reason, Qing Qianxue pulled it off and buried his head in the crook of Jiang Yourning's neck.
It seemed warmer there.
The fleeting glimpse of that peerlessly beautiful face lingered in Jiang Yourning's mind, leaving her dazed.
Ahhh! Who is this other devastating beauty? Was there someone like him in the book? How is he even better-looking than that damned lunatic?
Pah, pah, pah! What am I thinking? No matter how handsome he is, he can't hug me for warmth!!!
Pervert, pervert! Let go! I'm still a baby. How can you take advantage of me?
The harder Jiang Yourning struggled, the tighter that octopus clung to her.
"Be good. Don't move."
Qing Qianxue murmured, even his breath carrying a faint chill.
In the end.
Unable to break free, Jiang Yourning could only let the man hold her, wanting to cry but finding no tears.
Just as Jiang Yourning despairingly thought she was about to freeze to death, the carriage finally stopped.
"Master, we're here. I'll carry you inside on my back."
The carriage curtain was pulled aside.
By now, Qing Qianxue's consciousness had completely fled home. Like a puppet, he sat up on instinct. His cold eyes opened, flashing with an icy gleam, utterly devoid of life.
"No need."
He spoke.
Then.
Under Qian Yan's astonished gaze.
His master rose from the empty carriage, apparently holding something invisible. As though carrying a child, his master kept his arms wrapped around empty air and walked into the residence, step by step.
And was he imagining things? Why did he feel as though there was another faint breath here?
Also, where was his master's mask?
This was bad! Had he been too slow getting back, allowing his master's Cold Affliction to flare so quickly that it froze his brain?
Sensing that something was terribly wrong.
Qian Yan hurriedly ran off in another direction to find his eldest brother.
Jiang Yourning was falling apart inside.
Buddy, what are you doing? Sure, you've got a handsome face, but kidnapping a minor is illegal, you know?
Your carriage saved my life, but thanks to this stunt of yours, my cloak has burned through another half hour. Let me go, and we'll call it even, okay?
Finally, just as Jiang Yourning was about to go insane, she was carried into a room.
A faint scent of Cold Sandalwood Incense drifted through the room. It was not overpowering, but smelled unexpectedly pleasant.
Jiang Yourning was placed on the bed. Qing Qianxue covered her with a quilt and gently stroked her head, seemingly telling her to behave and not make trouble.
Afterward, Qing Qianxue began changing clothes on instinct.
Whenever his Cold Affliction flared up, he needed to soak in a medicinal bath.
Jiang Yourning hurriedly climbed off the bed. The instant Qing Qianxue's cloak fell away, she truly understood for the first time what it meant for silken hair to be white as snow.
His white hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall, adorned with only a single Jade Hairpin.
Then the man began removing his outer robe.
When that smooth back, seemingly luminous, appeared before Jiang Yourning's eyes, she could not help feeling jealous.
He's a grown man, yet his skin looks finer than mine. Is that reasonable?
As that thought ran through her mind.
At a certain moment.
She suddenly remembered something, and her expression froze.
Hair white as snow, lofty beyond reach.
Young Master Qian Xue, peerless as jade.
No way, right? This is Qing Qianxue? Grand Imperial Preceptor Qing Qianxue?
The Qing Qianxue who didn't survive past fifty thousand words, who enjoyed the emperor's deep trust, and whose death made the emperor order the whole city to hang white mourning banners and mourn for seven days, banning all activities in the capital?
How did the novel describe the emperor's reaction again? He cried seven or eight times and fainted two or three times. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought his mother had died.
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