The trek through the mountains was long and arduous. As birds chirped, the green leaves rustled on the brown tree branches overhead. Bright sunlight glared down, trying to break through the canopy to the ground. With little to no breeze, Tang Daiyu took out her red oval hand fan and began to wave it back and forth near her face.

When she was almost to Wuchang, she felt a sharp pang in her abdomen. Stumbling to the side, she clutched at her stomach with one hand and used the other to prop herself against a sturdy tree.

"Ahh!"

After taking a couple deep breaths, Tang Daiyu kept on walking. She entered the city of Wuchang and wandered the market. As she neared the city square, she felt a sharp spike in her lower back. Wincing, Tang Daiyu stopped and doubled over from the pain.

"Young Miss, are you okay?" someone asked.

She looked up and saw a man, seemingly in his late twenties, standing before her. Concern was written all over his face. Tang Daiyu waved it off.

"I'm fine," she gritted out.

She tried to straighten up, but failed. His arms shot out, and he caught her.

"Young Miss!"

Picking her up, Princess Carry style despite her protests, he carried her a few doors down and entered a clinic. Inside, he laid her down on a bed.

"Young Miss, have you taken any medicines lately?"

"No," she grunted from the pain. "I'm fine. Let me go."

Ignoring her, the man examined her. He took her pulse and found it irregular. Then, he placed a hand on her stomach.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm a physician. Please don't worry, Young Miss."

"Please, don't call me that. Qiao Yue is fine."

"Young Lady Qiao, I'm Physician Wang Yishen."

Tang Daiyu glared at him for the honorific, but let it slide. She flinched from pain. Wang Yishen eyed her.

"Young Lady Qiao, are you with child?"

She bit her lip to keep from crying out and nodded. He examined her stomach more carefully. Finally, he stood up and clasped his hands together behind his back.

"Mrs. Qiao, I'm afraid you're miscarrying. You're malnutritioned and, pardon me for saying this, a bit underweight."

"You-!" Tang Daiyu sat upright, ready to teach the physician a lesson. But instead, she clutched at her stomach as the pain grew worse.

"Please, Mrs. Qiao, I can help you through this. You will have to trust me though."

She glared at him coldly but realised he was her best option at the moment. Rule number two: Don't be foolish enough to trust anyone completely.

She threw out her ge ge's suggestion and agreed to Wang Yishen's offer. He sat down on the bed in front of her and pressed one hand to her stomach and the other right between her collarbones. He closed his eyes and focused on her Conception Vessel Meridian. She watched, shocked, as he transferred his Neijing to her.

He's a martial artist. Though I should've guessed. I'm still in the martial arts world. The next city, Nanyang, is just above the northern border of the martial arts world.

The pain gradually subsided, and she could sit up without it hurting. When he finished, his hands returned to his lap. Wang Yishen looked at her.

"I cannot undo the miscarriage, I'm afraid, but I was able to ease the pain of it. You should've already bled by now."

Embarrassed, Tang Daiyu quickly nodded. She knew he was right after all.

"I'll get you a change of clothes. Unfortunately, they won't be as well made as what you have on, but at least they'll be clean."

Before she could thank him, he left the room. When he returned, he had a light blue outfit in his arms. Wang Yishen set it down next to her.

"Thank you, Physician Wang," she said.

"Of course, Mrs. Qiao. I do apologise though. These are men's clothes."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"But-"

"Really. Thank you again."

Nodding, he pulled the curtains and left the room again. Tang Daiyu changed quickly and tied her hair up to resemble a boy. She opened the curtains again, picked up her dress, and stepped out into the lobby of the clinic. Wang Yishen looked up.

"Mrs. Qiao."

She walked over and pulled out some taels of silver. He waved it away.

"There's no need."

"But-" she was about to protest when he cut her off.

"Don't worry about it."

"You used your own qi though. I have no other way to repay that."

"Mrs. Qiao, I've never seen you in Wuchang before but haven't asked you anything. It's not for me to know. What I can tell is that you must come from a prominent family to have clothing like that in your arms. There aren't many families like that here in Wuchang, and I've never heard of any Qiaos before. So, you must be from out of town."

She looked down at the ground. "I feel I must repay you somehow, Physician Wang."

"Return to your husband and-"

"I don't have one."

If Feng Rong really wants to kill me so badly, then our marriage should be null.

Wang Yishen's eyes widened.

Tang Daiyu flapped her arm around and said in a monotone, "I'm a disgrace to my family, yes, I know that already."

"Young Lady Qiao, I think it'd be best if you just go. You don't need to repay anything."

She looked at him one last time before nodding and leaving. She stepped out of the clinic and eyed the sun. Turning northwest, she resumed her journey.

~~~

After many li's and a couple weeks later, Tang Daiyu finally arrived in Nanyang. She stopped at a restaurant and sat down to eat. Just as a waiter was bringing her wine and food, she overheard a group of soldiers talking nearby.

"I can't believe Emperor Jianyuan has us stationed here. All we do everyday is sit around. There's no action. What are we even defending against? The martial artists? They don't bother with anything outside of the martial arts world usually."

"I heard that Emperor Rong is ruthless. He's sent so many of his troops to Chang'an, but they've all died. Emperor Jianyuan's also scrambling for resources ever since Emperor Rong surrounded and cut off the capital."

"They're just fighting over Heping's Empress anyways. Why do we all have to die?"

"She's Heping's Empress. I don't understanding why they're fighting in the first place."

"Hush! Don't you realise someone could hear us?"

The other soldiers blew him off. They suddenly looked up and scrambled to their feet as General Luo Fengri entered the restaurant. Out of the corner of her eye, Tang Daiyu watched with a piqued interest.

"Hey! Get back to your posts! Emperor Jianyuan is arriving today."

Her eyes widened.

He's coming here? Why?

"Yes, General," the others all muttered.

They got up and followed the General out of the restaurant. She quickly paid for her meal and headed out. Tang Daiyu followed them back to their camp on the outskirts of town and hid behind a tent.

"Listen up, everyone! Emperor Jianyuan has received news that Empress Tang was last seen in Wuchang. He's stopping here for the night and journeying the rest of the way tomorrow. I want this place orderly. Understand?"

"Yes, General!" everyone cried.

Tang Daiyu scoffed.

Correspondence sure is slow. I'll be to Luoyang faster than Emperor Jianyuan will be to Wuchang. He's going in the wrong direction, regardless.

Not wanting to risk getting noticed, she slipped away and returned to Nanyang. She paid for a room at Osprey Inn and rested her feet for the night.

~~~

The next morning, she woke up early and left Nanyang.

Heading straight north, Tang Daiyu was determined to make it to Luoyang within the next couple of days. Her pace picked up when she sensed that someone was following her. But soon, someone with amazing qinggong flew down in front of her. She stopped.

"Empress Tang," the woman bowed politely. "I'm sorry to have scared you."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Cao Meixin, the Master of Serenity Lake Sect."