Four Years Later Spring breathed life into the mountains, and flowers bloomed for miles beneath the warm sunlight.
The streets were bustling with activity.
Vendors stood beside their stalls, calling out loudly to passing customers.
Women haggled over prices, children darted through the crowd laughing and crying, and every now and then, a few irritated curses could be heard when someone was accidentally bumped or stepped on.
The entire marketplace was overflowing with life.
Rows upon rows of stalls stretched along both sides of the street, displaying everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to colorful fabrics, handcrafted trinkets, pastries, herbs, and all kinds of everyday goods.
The dazzling variety was almost enough to make one’s eyes blur.
The aroma of freshly cooked food drifted through the air, mingling with the scent of tea, spices, and flowers.
Everywhere one looked, there were people coming and going.
It was a lively and prosperous scene, filled with the warmth and noise of ordinary life.
However— amid all that cheerful commotion, several sharp cries suddenly erupted from the direction of the eastern street.
“Move!” “Get out of the way!” The shouting tore through the marketplace and instantly shattered its leisurely atmosphere.
The crowd erupted into chaos.
People instinctively turned toward the noise, only to see a girl of about sixteen or seventeen charging recklessly through the street.
Her clothes were torn and filthy, and she looked utterly miserable.
“Move!
Move!” She shouted at the top of her lungs as she ran, stumbling through the dense crowd without daring to slow down.
Crash!
A stall was knocked sideways.
Several baskets toppled over, sending their contents rolling across the ground.
“Hey!” “Watch where you’re going!” “My stall!” The vendors immediately began shouting angrily.
Pedestrians scrambled out of the way, afraid of being knocked over.
Yet the girl didn’t even have time to look back.
Because right behind her— a group of fierce-looking, broad-shouldered men was chasing her relentlessly.
Their heavy footsteps pounded against the stone road.
The scabbards at their waists knocked against one another as they ran, producing a series of cold, metallic clatters.
Their expressions were vicious, their bodies imposing.
One glance was enough to make the surrounding crowd hurriedly retreat.
At almost exactly the same moment— another sudden commotion erupted from the opposite end of the marketplace.
“Make—waaay—!” The voice was so loud and clear that it nearly drowned out the noise of the entire western street.
Heads turned simultaneously.
Before anyone could figure out what was happening, the crowd on the western side instinctively split apart, leaving a straight path through the middle of the street.
Then— a flash of brilliant red swept through.
A young girl, also around sixteen or seventeen years old, raced down the street like a streak of flame.
She wore a fitted crimson outfit that made movement easy.
Though there was a hint of panic between her brows, it did nothing to diminish the natural brightness and heroic spirit in her features.
Her brows were delicately shaped, her eyes bright as stars, and the corners of her lips naturally curved upward.
There was something bold and lively about her beauty.
She wasn’t the sort of delicate young lady who looked as though a gust of wind might blow her away.
Instead, there was a free-spirited confidence in every movement she made, mixed with the sharp vitality of someone who had never learned how to sit quietly and behave.
As she sped through the crowd, her crimson clothes fluttered wildly behind her.
Her figure was light and agile, darting between pedestrians with effortless precision.
From a distance, she looked like a blazing flame cutting through the crowded street— bright, dazzling, and impossible to ignore.
And wherever she passed, a faint medicinal fragrance lingered in the air.
It was light and refreshing, neither sweet nor overpowering.
The scent appeared for only a moment before gradually dispersing into the surrounding breeze, leaving those nearby subconsciously wondering where it had come from.
Many people couldn’t help stopping to stare.
For a brief moment, several of them even forgot about the chaos around them.
The girl looked as though she had stepped straight out of a painting, yet there was none of the restrained gentleness usually associated with a noble young lady.
Her beauty was vivid.
Her movements were carefree.
There was even a touch of youthful heroism in the way she ran.
Beautiful, spirited, and unforgettable.
Unfortunately, the scene would have been much more graceful— if there weren’t a large group of guards chasing after her.
“Young Miss!” “Stop!” “Please stop running!” The guards were clearly trained.
Every one of them moved quickly, weaving through the crowd at impressive speed.
And yet— somehow, they just couldn’t catch her.
Whenever they seemed about to close the distance, the girl in red would suddenly accelerate and widen the gap again.
Whenever they began falling too far behind, however, she would mysteriously slow down just enough for them to catch sight of her again.
The distance between the two sides remained neither too far nor too close.
It was almost perfectly controlled.
So perfectly, in fact, that anyone watching for long enough would begin to suspect— she was doing it on purpose.
She was deliberately keeping them behind her.
The guards obviously realized it too.
Several of them were already red in the face from anger and exhaustion.
Yet no matter how furious they became, none of them dared to truly lose their temper.
After all, the person they were chasing wasn’t someone they could afford to offend.
And the crimson-clad girl currently racing through the western street like the wind was none other than— Yuchi Mengxing.
At the moment, however, Yuchi Mengxing herself was feeling rather wronged.
She genuinely couldn’t understand it.
Why had she been caught today of all days?
She had sneaked out plenty of times before!
And every single time, she had managed to leave without anyone noticing.
She knew which walls were easiest to climb, which courtyards were rarely patrolled, and exactly when the servants usually changed shifts.
Over the years, she had practically perfected the art of sneaking out of the residence.
Yet today— somehow— she had been caught red-handed.
How unlucky could she possibly be?!
From the shouting behind her, she had more or less figured out what was going on.
Apparently, today was the birthday of that scumbag father of hers.
And her stepmother had issued strict orders early in the morning— no one in the residence was allowed to enter or leave freely.
Especially her.
As for the reason?
It sounded perfectly respectable on the surface.
There would be many distinguished guests visiting the Prince’s Residence today, and they were supposedly worried that she might accidentally offend someone important and embarrass the household.
Yuchi Mengxing nearly rolled her eyes when she heard that.
Embarrass the household?
Her?
And the most ridiculous part was— this year, she was actually required to personally attend that so-called father’s birthday celebration.
It was only then that Yuchi Mengxing suddenly remembered something.
Oh.
Right.
She almost forgot.
Technically speaking, she was still a “distinguished” Commandery Princess.
A Commandery Princess who was apparently important enough to attend a grand birthday banquet— yet unimportant enough to be ignored most of the time.
What an impressive status.
Yuchi Mengxing couldn’t help feeling speechless.
What she truly couldn’t understand was— why now?
Why had no one cared whether she attended in previous years?
Why did she suddenly have to show up this year?
The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.
And so— after careful consideration— Yuchi Mengxing reached a very simple conclusion.
She wasn’t going.
That scumbag father of hers probably couldn’t even remember what she looked like anymore.
Perhaps if she stood right in front of him, he would have to stare at her for a while before remembering— Oh, right.
I have a daughter like this.
In that case, why should she obediently attend his birthday banquet and put on some ridiculous performance of filial affection?
She wasn’t interested.
Not even a little.
So!
Yuchi Mengxing had thought about it.
Since the entire Prince’s Residence was bustling with preparations for the birthday banquet, servants were running everywhere, guests would soon be arriving, and practically everyone was too busy to pay attention to anything else…
Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?
She could simply take advantage of the chaos— and sneak out!
The plan had been perfect.
At least, that was what she had thought.
Unfortunately, she still had no idea which part of her carefully arranged escape had gone wrong.
One moment, she had been confidently making her way out.
The next— someone spotted her.
Then one person became two.
Two became five.
And before she knew it, a whole group of guards was chasing after her.
Which was exactly how things had turned into the ridiculous scene unfolding now— Yuchi Mengxing racing through the streets at full speed, while an entire group of guards desperately chased after her from behind.