The dreams that he had about her ... about them, were probably the reason to why he was behaving like this. The image of her in his head was off-tangent to what he saw in the dream. It was as though he misunderstood something, and now it's too late to apologize.

At first, he was unable to accept the fact that she doesn't want him any more. She went through all the trouble of giving him a cold shoulder, acting distant, behaving properly and finally escaping from the high walls of the imperial palace.

A place called home.

The feelings he had, torn him apart when he witnessed her riding the horse, escaping through the gates of Capital of Xuan. The empty and heartbreaking feelings that he had when he saw the lifeless pale body of hers, lying in the arms of his while he tried to find ways to revive her.

Since she planned all those acts just to be his Empress, without his permission, she will forever be branded as HIS Empress. She will be the Empress of Xuan eternally, till her deathbed. Even if she dies, she will be buried beside him in their tomb.

He will never let her escape from the path that she chose by setting him up.

That sickening confession of truth that she doesn't love him anymore, he refuse to acknowledge and deny them with every living fibre of his.

How dare she decide to not love him anymore? After being together for 4 years, she is sick of him already? How can she abandon him when he has yet to even complain any about her?

If she leaves, what about him?

The hate that he had for her, where can he direct it to? Without her, the crazy feelings that drive him to continue on with this marriage, what should he do with it? No, he cannot just let her run free. He needs her back.

The more he waited, the more dreams he had.

The initial hate has weakened and curiosity has risen with the urge of finding out the truth. The truth of her. The real her. And ... who is her? Embarked on this solo journey to find her, he wants to know her. But even if he gets to know her, then what's next?

A struggled laugh forced out of his throat with a straight face.

One by one, everyone returns to the campsite with the items necessary for them to pull through the night. Yu-ji station by the sides of Jae-in while Qing Feng carefully roast the fishes caught by the river for dinner.

Qi Yuan and Jae-in continue to discuss the theories and concepts of medicine while Wu 'Er lean against a nearby tree with his arms crossed over one another and a sword in his hands. Occasionally, Jae-in will look around to see if Xuan Di has return to the campsite, but still did not see any familiar figure.

A small part of her felt guilty for behaving rudely towards a stranger based on her selfish attitude. Those harsh words were not necessary, but she said it to hurt him. Hiding her feelings, she focused on the explanations given by Qi Yuan on the Water Hemlock grass.

Once Qing Feng is done with the roasting of fishes, he serves the first one to his master and subsequently to Lady Jae-in. Next, he gives Yu-ji the fish that he specially roasted with additional spices for her to enjoy.

"Thanks Qing Feng!"

However, upon receiving them, Yu-ji quickly grab a bottle of water by her side and run towards Wu 'Er. Seeing that he is closing his eyes to rest his body, she awkwardly open her mouth.

"Wu 'Er Gong Zi, dinner is ready! You can take this fish and water."

Opening his eyes, he sees this petite lady holding a stick of roasted fish and a bottle of water with sparkling eyes that he feels uncomfortable with.

"Thanks." He politely replied.

"No worries!"

Seeing that she is still standing in front of him as though she wanted to say something, he initiated the conversation.

"Is there anything else Yu-ji Gu Niang?"

"Um ... That ... I just want to say thank you for helping me to retrieve the money bag from the little thief."

"Your welcome, it is a small matter. I hope Yu-ji Gu Niang will not think too much over it."

"Um ... But the thing is, the money bag is not just any other item. It means a lot to me as it was the last gift from my brother, so this is why I feel so strongly towards your righteous act and therefore, I need to repay your favours."

"You ... You want to repay a favour for just that money bag?"

"Yes! Please! Wu 'Er Gong Zi, please let me repay you! Tell me! Tell me what you need me to do! I will definitely accomplish them! I am good at cleaning, I am good at fixing clothings, I am good at everything! As long as you want, you can tell me and I will do it for you!"

The overwhelming passionate feelings of Yu-ji caught Wu 'Er off guard as he is not familiar with such people. His world is dark, filled with dirt and blood, not a single light has ever shine into his world before.

The bright and shining aura of Yu-ji is blinding his eyes. He never met anyone so pure and honest. He is unsure how to react to her and felt a need to run away from this bright lamp filled with passion.

"Y-you ... I do not need your help in anything."

"No! I insist!"

Before Wu 'Er can answer her, a jar filled with vinegar cut into their conversation.

"Yu-ji what are you doing here? Didn't I pass you the fish to eat for dinner?"

"Y-yeah, but I need to tal-..."

"See! Wu 'Er Gong Zi is having his dinner, it isn't nice of you to disturb his meal time. Now, let's take a seat and I shall roast another fish for you with your favourite spice."

"But I haven't ..."

Before she is given any chance to speak, Qing Feng wrap his arms over her tiny waist that he was so familiar with during that night, and carried her off the ground while making his way back to the camp fire.

With a strong grip on her hand to prevent her from running away, Qing Feng feed her carefully with the fish he roasted twice the effort that he put in earlier on and attempt to distract her from the thought of running into another man's arm.

He doesn't like to wear a green hat, and he hates the colour green.

Soon, everyone settled into their own comfortable position and sleeps peacefully except for Jae-in. Till now, she has yet to see Xuan Di return to the camp site.

The night was short and eventually the blinding sunlight woke everyone up. This time, when Jae-in open her eyes, she sees Xuan Di casually feeding grasses to the horses. A sigh of relief run through her as she will feel guilty if he were to be in danger just because of her harsh words.

Everyone clean themselves up and pack their stuff, ready to continue their journey.

Jae-in secretly looks at Xuan Di and when she is caught by him, a forced smile filled his face before he looks away. The more he does this, the more guilty she felt.

As expected, the group continue to travel for half a day and finally reach the gates of Luo City.

Unlike the usual strict gate-checks, without checking their identities, the guards let them in easily. Upon entering the city, the sights of Luo city is vastly different from Ding City. It seems to be more vibrant and lively. All sorts of flower trees are planted at every inch of the city, make it look like a City of Flowers.

However, there is a weird vibe going on in this city.

Jae-in realized that there are more men than women on the streets. Unlike the common ladies in the cities of Kai or Ding, who likes to show off their womanly beauty, the ladies here dressed up differently. They are wrapped with cloths, covering all parts of their body and dressed in oversized clothes that makes it hard to determine their figure. Even their head and faces are tightly wrapped with cloth, only revealing their eyes.

Same goes to the younger kids and Jae-in seldom see any young people walking on the streets.

Riding on the horse steadily in a slow pace, Jae-in looks around to take in the information gathered through her eyes while Yu-ji hugs Jae-in from the back trying to hide her face. Countless eyes have been staring at them, especially towards Yu-ji.

The hunger in those eyes are disgusting.

Noticing the dangerous gaze, Jae-in quickly order Yu-ji to cover her face with any cloth. However, it is too late as the news already start to spread like wildfire to their local community.

"Everyone, if you guys don't mind, we can stay in the Si He Yuan that I assigned Wu 'Er to buy in Luo City. It is hard for me to explain now so let's go there." Xuan Di suggested.

"Okay. Please lead the way Wang Gong Zi." Qi Yuan said.

_______________________________

Jae-in ♥ Xuan Di