The riders continued onward. Gu Qinglu, positioned in the middle of the group, occasionally lifted her eyes to survey the western terrain.
This party resembled her patrols in Miaojiang: scouts were positioned both ahead and behind.
She observed the direction the forward scouts had gone.
In the distance, mountain peaks rose one after another, thick with trees.
If her intuition was correct, this was the deep mountain forest Xiao Xingcang had prepared for her.
As the sun dipped toward the west, the horses slowed once more.
Gu Qinglu felt hungry and wanted to eat some hardtack.
Ahead, Xiao Xingcang was tilting his head, speaking with Qi Heng and Hu Wei. They were still some distance away, so she couldn’t hear.
A while later, the two men rode off, and Xiao Xingcang flicked the reins, heading toward her.
Gu Qinglu didn’t notice his gaze, frowning as she inspected the hardtack in her hands.
She never expected it to be so coarse. One bite caused her gums to bleed, and swallowing made her neck feel as though it had to stretch a mile.
This tiny bundle of hardtack was too much for her.
As she raised her hand to her chest, a golden-trimmed water pouch was suddenly offered to her.
Her throat smarted painfully from the dry bread. She didn’t speak, only regarded him with her eyes. Men and women shouldn’t touch, she thought. Sharing a water pouch is far too intimate.
Xiao Xingcang lowered his gaze, noticing for the first time the fierce, precocious sharpness in her eyes—especially at moments like this.
He pulled the cork from the pouch and held it to her lips. “The maids prepared this for you. It’s fresh.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Gu Qinglu’s eyes flicked. She seized the pouch and drank deeply.
“Enough—don’t drink too much,” he warned, seeing she didn’t hand it back. He worried that she would need the bathroom soon, and there were no maids to assist her.
She didn’t move, her eyes narrowed, expression unreadable.
Seeing this, he feared she might choke. “Princess Consort?”
Her eyes remained downcast. “Stop disturbing me,” she said coldly.
The golden eagle, linked weakly through the mother-child poison insect connection, was attempting to locate its mother insect.
Gu Qinglu focused, sending information about the terrain they had passed to the eagle.
Xiao Xingcang waved away the guards and frowned, watching her still.
The forward-returning Qi Heng and Hu Wei saw the scene and halted from a distance.
Qi Heng whispered to Hu Wei, “Didn’t expect this… earlier he left the Princess Consort behind, now he’s keeping a close eye on her.”
Hu Wei also felt surprised, unable to discern Xiao Xingcang’s intentions.
Some might think him careless with his newlywed bride—separated from him in another courtyard.
Or think he didn’t care about the Princess Consort’s comfort, but she had never lacked anything, always receiving the best.
Of course, supporting a woman was trivial for someone like him.
Still, Hu Wei was surprised: “When did the Prince become so… mundane, judging by appearances?”
Yet he couldn’t deny—the Princess Consort was stunningly beautiful.
Even in coarse linen, her presence couldn’t be hidden. Almond-shaped eyes, bright and lively, sometimes mischievous, sometimes sharp.
Most striking, at times her aura resembled the Prince’s.
The more Hu Wei thought, the stranger it seemed. Who wakes up with such a commanding presence? Her expressions weren’t forced—they were innate.
Soon, Xiao Xingcang noticed their gaze and turned, signaling them silently.
At that moment, Gu Qinglu flicked her eyes up, lifted the water pouch, and took a sip, muttering, “Fool.”
Xiao Xingcang frowned, scanning the surroundings. No one else was near. Was she scolding me? he wondered.
“Scolding me again?” he asked, his tone slightly cold.
Hearing him, Gu Qinglu wasn’t intimidated. She shot him a glance and retorted, “Are you?”
She had been frustrated enough—the connection with the mother insect had been severed midway due to weakness.
And now he came over, making presumptions.
After the retort, she gave him no further glance, stowed the water pouch, and urged her horse forward.
Watching her vanish into the distance, Xiao Xingcang seethed silently.
There was nothing he could do. He had to wait for her to clear the poison.
Once she was finished, he could hand over the divorce note and the gold—then they could part ways.
..
As the sun neared the horizon, the group had traveled for two hours along a narrow mountain path.
“Your Highness, arrangements are complete,” the scout who had returned earlier reported, bowing before Xiao Xingcang.
Xiao Xingcang glanced, waved his hand dismissively.
After a pause, seeing no movement behind, he raised his hand holding the folded whip and pointed: “Princess Consort, rest in the small courtyard for now. Tomorrow we enter the mountains.”
Gu Qinglu finally realized his wave meant she should move forward.
Dismounting, she said, “I’m entering the mountains now. If you need rest, you rest.”
She wanted to take advantage of the nightfall—animal bones glow in the dark, making them easier to locate.
Xiao Xingcang frowned instantly. Stubborn as a mule.
He pulled folded yellow hemp paper from his robe and handed it to her. She glanced up: “Have your men collect these herbs and poisonous creatures tomorrow—alive.”
Xiao Xingcang unfolded it, scanning roughly: scorpions, centipedes, blood mantises, venomous snakes…
And some toxic herbs he didn’t recognize.
He handed it back, eyeing her from head to toe. “For what purpose?”
“No comment,” Gu Qinglu said firmly, meeting his gaze.
Remembering the three pledges, Xiao Xingcang stopped pressing. “Follow the Princess Consort into the mountains.”
He assumed she would emerge once night fell. After all, it was already late October—there wouldn’t be many venomous creatures left to hunt.
At his command, all guards dismounted, lifting their bows in readiness.
Gu Qinglu glanced sideways at the proud man and thought, Pride, huh? I was once a revered holy woman with thousands following me.
She pulled a small hoe from her basket and turned into the dense forest.
Xiao Xingcang followed, bow at the ready, calm and deliberate.
“Princess Consort, is this the plant?” someone asked, stopping at a purple-leaved herb.
Gu Qinglu walked over, her expression brightening. “Dig halfway and leave the roots.”
In Miaojiang, she had learned: when harvesting herbs, never take the whole plant—leave half the roots so it can regrow next year.
Xiao Xingcang leaned against a tree, quietly observing.
Hearing her voice, he glanced at Qi Heng, signaling.
Qi Heng nodded, stepping forward with his blade. “Princess Consort, what is this?”
“Qingma,” Gu Qinglu said without looking up. “It clears heat, eliminates dampness, detoxifies, and opens the orifices.” She raised her small hoe and dug.
After placing the herbs into her basket, she glanced at Xiao Xingcang.
She instructed Qi Heng: “Follow my diagram. Sprinkle the powder on yourselves to prevent the herbs’ toxins from overwhelming you.”
With that, she turned, basket on her back, and ventured deeper into the forest.
The sun had already set.
Towering trees shrouded the forest in darkness.
Watching her retreating figure, Xiao Xingcang clicked his tongue. Too clever.