"Zhou-ge!" Tang Daiyu cried.

"Let me handle this, Ah Daiyu," he said sternly. "No matter how much you try to avoid and evade the arrows, you still have no martial arts."

She gulped and nodded.

I'm glad he didn't notice my martial arts. If he did, then I would've been doomed.

Her eyes widened as he drew his sword. It blurred by, cutting arrows in half right and left.

Swift Breeze indeed. It looks like he really has mastered the sect's martial arts.

When the last of the arrows had fallen to his blade, he waited for a moment before turning around. Concern flashed across his handsome features.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, but then he noticed the cut on her arm. His eyes widened.

"You're hurt."

"It's nothing. It's just a little cut. I'll be..."

Suddenly, she began to sway. Tang Daiyu coughed, and another trickle of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. He watched with horror, eye widening. Liang Yingzhou rushed forward and caught her just as she began to collapse. Her eyelids fluttered close.

"Hold on, Ah Daiyu. Just hold on."

He brought her back over to the campfire and sat her down on the log. Sitting next to her, he ripped apart the tear on her sleeve. Pressing his lips to her cut, he began to suck the poison out. After repeating the process a few times, he cleaned her face and picked her limp body back up. Then, he left.

Liang Yingzhou brought Tang Daiyu out of the forest and back into Nanning. Covering her face, he took her to Mentality Inn and booked them a room. Upstairs, he gently laid her down on the bed. He pulled up a chair and sat down, keeping watched over her. Using a couple fingers, he slowly brushed some stray hairs out of her face.

"Ah Daiyu," he murmured.

Liang Yingzhou reached forward and took her hand. His fingers curled around the back of her hand, enveloping hers in his. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Whatever you need, Ah Daiyu, I hope you know that I'll be there for you."

He remained like that, holding her hand.

~~~

When she finally woke up, Tang Daiyu's eyelids fluttered. She saw relief wash over his face. He brought up his other hand and touched it to her forehead.

"You're feeling better. I got almost all of the poison out of your system, but there might be some trace amounts still left. I think you'll be fine, but we need to flush the rest out as soon as possible just to make sure."

She nodded slowly. "Can I get some tea? My throat is dry."

"Sure, sure. Stay right there, don't move."

He left and headed downstairs to find a waiter. Liang Yingzhou came across one and approached him.

"Sir, the lady I brought in needs some tea."

"I'll bring some up soon."

"Good."

He paid the waiter and went back up to the room. Inside, Tang Daiyu was sitting up on the bed, her legs hanging off the side. She looked up as he slid the doors open.

"The tea will be up soon."

She hummed in acknowledgement and moaned, "Zhou-ge, my head hurts."

"Do you want me to go get the Royal Physician?"

"No, no, maybe the tea will help enough. I'll wait and see."

"Are you sure, Ah Daiyu?"

She nodded slowly.

I think I know what it is.

The waiter knocked on the door and came in with a tray of steaming hot tea. Liang Yingzhou directed him over towards the bed and helped him set the tray down. The waiter left, and Liang Yingzhou poured a cup and handed it to her. She took it gratefully and held it up to toast him.

"Thank you for saving me, Zhou-ge. I didn't know there would be others in the forest, especially those from the Feng Royal Family."

"Ah Daiyu, from now on, I will always be here for you."

Shame and sadness flashed across her features.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"I was too cold earlier. I'm sorry. It's just…” she hesitated, trying to find an explanation without revealing the truth. “I felt like I needed to be just as ruthless as they are to accomplish bringing justice to my family. I, I just don't know how to get ahead of them."

"Let me help you. I know a thing or two about strategy."

"You're so philanthropic, Zhou-ge! What happened in Nanchang?" she laughed.

"Haven't I always been good to you, Empress Tang?"

She had to admit that he was telling the truth.

"Zhou-ge, there's something I need to ask you about."

"What?"

She told him about the fake evidence against her father.

Liang Yingzhou listened while Tang Daiyu explained everything. When she was finished, he sighed.

"I'd say leave it where it is. Xia Dongya was an old friend of your father's. I'm sure he will make sure Emperor Rong and Prince Yelang won't find the papers."

She nodded slowly, processing his suggestion. Her eyes flicked up. Finally, she looked around the room. The walls were bamboo and white. The bustling noise of the capital rode on sound waves, accompanying the bright sunlight in through the open windows. Tang Daiyu's brows furrowed.

"Where are we?"

"Mentality Inn in Nanning. I figured you needed to be in the city in case your condition got worse and I couldn't help you."

"You're probably right," she hesitated before asked. "Zhou-ge, is it not safe for me to be here anymore?"

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I wish I could tell you that the Chang exiles are trustworthy, but I fear they each have their own agendas. All I can tell you is rule number three, Ah Daiyu: go with your guts instinct. It usually doesn't lead you astray."

She swallowed and agreed. After quietly mulling it over, her eyes met his. She had made her decision.

Tang Daiyu took a deep breath and said, "I think I need to get far away from the capital, don't you?"

"I would suggest it now that Prince Yelang has made a move. If we leave soon, he might not realise we've slipped out from underneath his eyes. Hopefully by the time he does realise you're gone, we'll already be too far away."

"We?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What? I'm not going to let you go somewhere on your own. I’d be asking your father to punish me from the afterlife."

Suddenly, she blurted out, "Then... Zhou-ge can you take me to Nanchang?"