Li Wei Yang arched an eyebrow: “Are you afraid?”

Li Min De laughed and said: “What do you think? If I was afraid, why would I go with you? They are the ones who should be afraid.”

She noticed the vague satisfaction on his handsome face and clearly felt she should feel the same, except at the moment, surrounded by the scent of the forest, her heart began to ache.

Was this youth also forced to grow up too soon by being by her side? If it wasn’t for her, perhaps he would be an ordinary person in an ordinary environment, studying literature and practicing martial arts. Then he would marry and have children. At that moment, Li Wei Yang had forgotten Li Min De was not fortunate enough to have a normal identity. She hoped he was only an ordinary person who did not need to face the hatred and grudge that had nothing to do with him.

Li Chang Le, the Jiang family, Tuoba Zhen, Able Consort Wu … These people had nothing to do with Li Min De, but because of her, Min De must always be on guard and cautious. Those people could act against Min De. Moreover, in the past few years, Min De must have had to face many challenges when she was not paying attention … But he had never mentioned them.

Looking down, she looked at his slender fingers and pale skin. There were already signs of calluses in the palm of his hands, signs of wielding a sword. Li Wei Yang felt a bit pained, a little guilty. Perhaps she had only thought of herself and never asked him what he wanted to do in the future, completely focused on her plans. He came up with a plan for everything, practicing martial arts and studying books. He had done everything himself. What she had promised Third Furen had not been done yet. There was no need to speak of his identity, she didn't even know who his friends were.

Li Wei Yang’s stare was fixated on him. He smiled, bemused, as he helped her fasten the cloak. Li Wei Yang looked at him and slowly felt strange. He seemed faintly satisfied by this simple action. Her heart had been clear as a mirror, but at this moment, small ripples appeared on its surface. Since when had the distance between them been this close, the teenager in front of her was too close, close enough for her to hear his steady heartbeats.

Suddenly, she gently asked: “Min De, do you have friends?”

He slightly raised his head. The night wind blew past. His hair was framed by the moon above, like the stars reflected, quietly running along the river at night. He only had a small smile: “I don’t need friends.”

That tone was very certain. Li Wei Yang could not help but frowned.

“I have you and that is enough.” Li Min De naturally said.

For some reason, a simple response explaining how they lived, relying on one another, would make Li Wei Yang subconsciously take a step back.

“When you go outside, bring the hood over your head. Alright, let’s go.” Li Min De seemed unaware, as if he had not realized anything yet and continued to smile.

Li Wei Yang glanced at Bai Zhi and others but found they were all looking down, acting as if they did not see or hear anything. She turned solemn. She did not know when her servants did not notify her at the slightest when Li Min De arrived.

Lao Furen was not going today, but everyone else had left. Li Wei Yang was the last to leave. The newly appointed steward greeted her: “Xianzhu, the carriage is ready.”

This was the reason others did not want to leave with her. Li Wei Yang had a lavish carriage appropriate for her rank, which was precisely what others in the Li family could not stand. She paid no mind to it and only asked: “Where is Eldest Sister and Mother? Did they leave already?”

The steward smiled and said: “Xianzhu, the Eldest Miss and Furen have already left. Furen ordered everyone to wait for Xianzhu in front of the palace gates before heading in together.”

Members of the family went in together. They had no choice, even if they were unwilling to wait. Li Wei Yang smiled and climbed onto the carriage.

“There are forty-eight households going to the palace today. The official road may be blocked for two or four hours.” The coachman respectfully asked: “Should a detour be taken to avoid this?”

Li Wei Yang was about to say that taking a shortcut was no better than an unsafe road. Li Min De unexpectedly said: “We cannot be late. Take the detour.”

Simple but precise. The decision has been made. Li Wei Yang was momentarily left stunned.

Li Min De noticed she was staring at him, blinked and felt wronged as he said: “Blaming me for intervening?”

Li Wei Yang did not say anything. What else could she say at this time? He already said to take a detour, would she still make the carriage turn around? Forget it. She waved her hand and rested her face against her hand to rest, her elbow propped on a small table.

Bai Zhi immediately lit a candle. She carefully took out an embroidery framework and continued to work on the unfinished embroidery. Zhao Yue lowered her head and solemnly sat in the corner to polish her sword.

Li Wei Yang closed her eyes but felt a bright and warm feeling on her face, making her feel uncomfortable.

How could she sleep like this?

“We’ll arrive at the palace after a few more roads. Rest for an hour.”

She gave a mumbled response because she was a bit tired, and her eyelids were getting heavier. Something warm closed around her hand. She subconsciously held onto it.

It was cold at the start of spring, especially at night when the winds were strong. Despite knowing this, she did not bring a hand warmer. She vaguely noticed that someone rather warm came close.

Li Wei Yang gradually entered a dream-like state and had a strained, slight smile. Dream and reality began to overlap. Why didn’t anyone give her a bit of warmth in the past? If the Li family had been willing to give her a hand when she was sent to the Cold Palace, think of how much better off she would be. She did not need them to save her. Even the slightest expression of concern would have brought the warmth of loved ones, but she had received nothing.

Lao Furen seemed to love her very much now, but she herself did not believe in this love… As it turns out, she did not believe in anyone, but she still pretends to believe in life. This false warmth… She could not help but hold the hand more tightly.

“Miss …” Bai Zhi spoke up. It was too inappropriate, not right at all, absolutely not good. She followed the Miss these few years and saw many siblings that lived with one another but had never seen something like this before. Li Min De treated Li Wei Yang too well. The way his eyes lit up, even as a servant, she could not take this lightly. Ignore it…

Yes, but how could this be? They were paternal cousins. Even if Third Young master was not of the Li bloodline, as long as he bore the Li family name, this would mean chaos … The moment the thought crossed Bai Zhi’s mind, she stiffened. She instinctively wanted to speak up and remind Li Wei Yang, but Li Min De suddenly turned around and looked at her with a slightly different look in his eyes.

It was clearly an ordinary stare, but Bai Zhi felt herself trembling. There was a trace of panic in her eyes.

Zhao Yue was still carefully cleaning her sword, as if tending to flowers on the surface of her sword. She genuinely recognized Li Wei Yang as her master. These days, she wholeheartedly admired her, respected her, and even had a trace of worship towards her. However, despite how much she respected Li Wei Yang, her real master was still Li Min De.

She clearly saw Li Miin De’s burning gaze, but she still pretended to turn a blind eye. Although, she occasionally wondered, what if one day her master and Young Miss turned against one another? What should she do?

Li Min De waved his hand in the direction of the candlelight. Bai Zhi immediately understood and quickly extinguished a candle and momentarily breathed a sigh of relief.

The interior of the carriage suddenly darkened.

Li Wei Yang was unaware of how Li Min De looked at her face, vaguely satisfied, and his right hand was tightly held in her hand. He had an urge to heal the wounds of every scar in her heart…

With a bang, the carriage violently swayed.

Li Wei Yang’s eyes flew open.

“The road is a bit bumpy.” Li Min De slightly smiled, his eyes bright, “Afraid that you will not eat or say much upon arriving at the banquet and encountering many hateful people, I brought the remaining pastries with me. You had not eaten much. Do you want to have some first?”

Li Wei Yang’s vision was a bit blurry. Her gaze slowly shifted to his handsome face. In terms of appearance, she had seen many handsome men, like handsome and masculine Tuoba Zhen, Tuoba Yu who was cold and refined like the moon, and even that arrogant Jiang Fourth. They could be considered men with extraordinary looks, but compared to Li Min De, they slightly fell short. It was hard to blame Ninth Princess for always saying that he was more handsome than her brothers. In that moment, Li Wei Yang was not thinking of what happened outside but rather what kind of family had given birth to a stunning youth like this.

Before she could recollect herself, the carriage jolted again, and she fell into his arms. He instinctively shielded her head with both hands and waited until the carriage steadied. He helped her sit up and smiled at her: “Are you alright?”

Li Wei Yang frowned, what happened outside?!

Someone outside shouted: “Li Wei Yang!”

Wasn’t that Jiang Fourth’s voice? Li Wei Yang’s mind was completely cleared. Many people will choose to take a detour. They ran into Jiang Fourth here. He was probably looking for trouble. She was about to pull the curtain back and go out when she accidentally knocked over the tray of snacks. All the pastries fell to the ground. Li Wei Yang stiffened.

Li Min De carefully took her hands and helped her up, wiping the dirt off her hands.

The commotion outside grew more chaotic. She wanted to lift the curtain to see. Li Min De suddenly reached out and covered her eyes, calmly saying: “Don’t look, it’s just a mad dog.”

It turned out that while Li Wei Yang was talking to Li Min De, Zhao Nan on horseback, narrowed his eyes and saw a man on horseback riding towards them. It seemed like it was leading up to confrontation, clearly looking for trouble!

He sneered and urged his horse to charge ahead, clashing with that man. The two men only heard the sharp impact of swords. In the struggle, Zhao Nan was forced down to the ground by Jiang Nan, left covered in dust.

“In face of defeat, you dare to show up in front of me! Have your master come out!” Jiang Nan stood tall, cold and haughty. To be fair, Zhao Nan was highly skilled in martial arts, but in terms of combat experience on the battlefield, he was far inferior to his opponent!

The Li family guards were stunned. They have never been so humiliated. Seeing Jiang Nan’s forces acting arrogantly, they were already furious. However, Zhao Nan, who was the most capable martial artist among them had charged forward only to be mocked. How could they suppress their indignation? In the flight of the moment, they all raised their weapons!

“General Wu Wei! Anping Xianzhu is in the carriage!” Zhao Nan grudgingly got up from the ground and brushed off his sleeves. He wiped away the blood on his wrist. His gaze, like the fierce eyes of a wolf, was trained on Jiang Nan.

Jiang Nan laughed aloud: “Call her out!” Of course, he knew she was in the carriage. He did it to humiliate her.

Zhao Nan’s eyes were ablaze with anger. He smiled coldly and crossed his arms. He whistled once. A group of people dressed in black appeared under the dark cover of the night. Jiang Nan frowned: “Coward, you have to call for help?”

Zhao Nan sneered: “See for yourself!” Jiang Nan wanted to push others around just because he had a bit of experience on the battlefield, but the two armies were completely different. If it were one-on-one, Zhao Nan may not be a formidable opponent, but if his master’s secret guards were dispatched, Jiang Nan will not return safely!

Jiang Fourth brought quite a few people. In the carriage, Li Wei Yang heard the uproar of neighing and hooves of horses outside. She couldn't help but think of the highly skilled guards around Jiang Fourth. These people followed him on the battlefield for many years, hands full of fresh blood. If he decided to cause trouble, he will not be able to get away with it, but how will the Li family guards hold off?

“My forces are outside. Don’t worry.” Li Min De smiled softly. He did not pay any mind to the opposing army.

“You don’t understand. They’re not ordinary guards. If Jiang Fourth is determined to see me, I only need to go out! Would he even dare to kill me?!” Li Wei Yang coldly said. She thought the Jiang family will cause trouble for her at the banquet, but what did Jiang Fourth want to do now!

Li Min De held her back by the hand: “He’s not worth it.”

Li Wei Yang was momentarily stunned. The light and shadow from the curtain carriage crossed Li Min De’s face, highlighting his cold indifference. His voice had unprecedented ridicule: “You should let him know while a crab moves sideways, there will be a day when it cannot avoid a stronger opponent.”