Deep into the night, hoofbeats rang out once more across the snowfield outside Dongming Mountain.
Fan Qinghe rode ahead, with the Empress and Perfected Person Xuanji following behind. After their long, hard ride, riders and horses alike were growing weary.
The Empress had originally intended to chase Xue Baijin, but her Rouge Tiger was astonishingly swift, and she simply could not catch up. Once they passed beyond the frontier, there were no relay stations either. Instead, Qinghe had caught up with them from behind.
Perfected Person Xuanji had originally suggested leaving Silly and the others in Red River Town while she and Yu Hu went to find the others. But Fan Qinghe was herself the mountain queen of the Western Sea Tribes. How could she pass her own doorstep without going in? She had followed them anyway.
To speed their journey, Fan Qinghe had even borrowed horses from tribal gathering places along the way, which was how they reached the foot of Dongming Mountain only a little later.
When Xue Baijin arrived, Ye Jingtang had only just reached the mountain, and word had yet to spread. By now, however, the bonfire gathering had ended, and the surrounding Walled Settlements all knew that the Tianlang King had returned. The three women had heard the news on the road too.
Learning that Ye Jingtang was safe and sound, all three had visibly relaxed. Perfected Person Xuanji dropped her serious manner as well, sipping from her Wine Gourd on horseback and teasing:
"Hehe, why were you riding so fast? In a hurry to get back to bed?"
Fan Qinghe was indeed eager to return to Dongming Mountain and see her husband. Hearing Perfected Person Xuanji's teasing, she looked back.
"If you're not in a hurry, why are you following me? Why not turn