Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

As the night rain subsided, water dripped from the tips of the paulownia leaves, striking the bluestone beside the campfire with a crisp sound.

The flickering firelight illuminated Su Qing's stunningly beautiful face, even without makeup.

She was barefoot, curled up inside Gu Xiang's large outer robe, holding a rough porcelain bowl with a chip in it, the bottom of which still had some oil from the chicken soup.

Gu Xiang sat three feet away from her, separated by that invisible barrier.

His official robes were already soaked through, clinging to his body and making him look somewhat disheveled, but his eyes were frighteningly bright, staring intently at Su Qing, not daring to blink even once, for fear that the person in front of him would turn into smoke and disappear again.

"Have you seen enough?" Su Qing put the bowl on the ground, stretched lazily, revealing a section of her fair leg. "If you look any longer, I'll charge you."

Gu Xiang grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. He looked incredibly silly, completely lacking the majesty of the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Not enough," Gu Xiang said. "Even a lifetime wouldn't be enough."

Su Qing rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile.

She stretched out her toes and kicked the barrier, creating ripples of golden light.

"This damn tree is sick," Su Qing cursed. "It let you in, but won't let me out. Has it taken a fancy to you?"

Gu Xiang paused for a moment, then stood up and tentatively reached out his hand.

The moment the fingertips touched the barrier, the righteous energy did not stop it; instead, it gently dispersed as if it had encountered a family member.

He took a step forward.

Without any hindrance.

Su Qing stared wide-eyed as Gu Xiang easily passed through the barrier and walked up to her.

"Why should I?" Su Qing was furious, grabbing a dry branch and smashing it against the tree trunk. "Where did you come from, you wild onion? Why is this tree so wary of strangers?"

The old sycamore tree swayed, sprinkling a few drops of rain that landed right on Su Qing's nose, as if mocking her.

Gu Xiang squatted down, bringing his line of sight to Su Qing's.

He raised his hand, wanting to touch Su Qing's cheek, but stopped in mid-air, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Su Qing didn't dodge; she just stared at him intently.

"Feel it," Su Qing said. "It's warm."

Gu Xiang's hand finally came down, his fingertips brushing against her cheek, the warm and delicate touch spreading throughout her body.

In that instant, Gu Xiang's eyes reddened, and she almost burst into tears again.

"Don't cry." Su Qing turned her head away in disgust. "You look awful."

Gu Xiang sniffed, forcing back her tears.

He withdrew his hand and his gaze fell on Su Qing's bare feet.

Those feet were dazzlingly white, with a few specks of mud still clinging to their ankles, making them appear somewhat pale in the night breeze.

"Are you cold?" Gu Xiang asked.

Su Qing snorted: "What do you think? I might as well freeze to death."

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Xiang had already reached out and grabbed her ankle.

Su Qing instinctively tried to pull her foot back, but Gu Xiang held it tightly.

His hands were large and rough, with calluses from years of holding a pen, and a burning heat emanated from them.

"What are you doing?" Su Qing glared at him.

Gu Xiang didn't say anything, but simply unbuttoned his outer robe and stuffed Su Qing's icy feet into his bosom, pressing them against his burning chest.

Su Qing's body stiffened.

Through the thin inner garment, she could clearly feel the beating of Gu Xiang's heart beneath his chest.

Bang, bang, bang.

That was her heart.

Three years ago, she personally dug out the exquisite heart with seven orifices from the ancestral hall and stuffed it into his chest.

Now, her heart beats strong and steady within him, carrying his body heat, which in turn warms her newborn body.

Su Qing lowered her eyes, concealing the turbulent emotions within them. The heat emanating from the soles of her feet traveled upwards along her meridians, making her cheeks feel hot.

"Gu Xiang," Su Qing's voice was somewhat hoarse, "you're the prime minister, have you no shame?"

"No, thank you." Gu Xiang answered decisively, gently massaging the back of her feet through her clothes to help improve blood circulation and warm them. "Can your face feed you? Can it warm your feet?"

Su Qing chuckled, but her body went limp, and she leaned back against the tree trunk.

"Is this how you've spent the last three years?" Su Qing asked. "Didn't you find someone else?"

Gu Xiang paused in his work, looked up, and said with a deep gaze, "I've found it."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow, about to lash out, when Gu Xiang continued, "He found a knife and killed quite a few people."

Su Qing's imposing aura vanished instantly, and she curled her lip, saying, "Pathetic."

"The northern demons invaded the border, and I massacred three thousand of them." Gu Xiang's tone was calm, as if he were talking about what he had for dinner that night. "Some people in the court were corrupt, so I skinned them and hung their skins on the Meridian Gate to dry. If any spies from the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect came, I killed them one by one; if two came, I killed them both."

As he spoke, he continued to gently warm Su Qing's feet with his hands, his face showing no hostility, only an indescribable weariness.

Su Qing looked at the few glaring white hairs at his temples.

She's only twenty-seven, how come she looks so old?

"Good riddance," Su Qing said. "Those people deserved to die."

Gu Xiang smiled, and the gloom in his eyes dissipated somewhat.

"They all say I'm crazy," Gu Xiang said in a low voice. "They say I'm a living Yama, a cruel official. Even Li Yu joked that he was afraid I'd go berserk one day and kill him too."

"Li Yu is a coward," Su Qing said dismissively.

Looking at her lively expression, Gu Xiang finally felt a weight lifted off his shoulders after three years.

it is true.

It's not a dream, it's not an illusion.

The Su Qing who could curse, was mischievous, and fiercely protective of her own has truly returned.

"Su Qing," Gu Xiang called to her.

"what?"

"Don't leave again," Gu Xiang said. "I'll give you whatever you want. If you want the stars in the sky, I'll have someone pluck them from the sky. If you want to kill someone, I'll hand you the knife. If you want this Great Zhou Dynasty, I'll kick Li Yu down so you can sit on him."

Su Qing was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down her face.

"Gu Xiang, Gu Xiang!" Su Qing laughed, slapping her thigh. "What good has all your education done? How dare you say such blasphemous things?"

"I dare." Gu Xiang looked at her, his eyes resolute. "As long as you're here, I dare to do anything."

Su Qing stopped laughing and stared at him intently.

The firelight reflected in Gu Xiang's eyes, and there was only her reflection in them.

"Idiot," Su Qing muttered under her breath.

She pulled her foot out, leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Gu Xiang's neck, and hung on him.

Gu Xiang quickly reached out to support her waist, afraid that she would fall.

Su Qing buried her face in Gu Xiang's neck and took a deep breath. It was the familiar scent of ink, mixed with a faint smell of soap, and Gu Xiang's unique fragrance.

"I'm not leaving," Su Qing said in a muffled voice. "This damn tree is trapping me; I can't leave even if I wanted to."

Gu Xiang tightened his arms, pulling her tightly into his embrace, with such force that it felt like he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

"Then we'll just stay trapped," Gu Xiang said. "Trapped for life."

A night breeze rustled the leaves of the sycamore trees.

Su Qing closed her eyes and listened to Gu Xiang's steady heartbeat. The heart that had been hanging in suspense for three years finally settled back into her stomach.

"Gu Xiang".

"Um?"

I'm hungry.

"...Didn't we eat that chicken just now?"

"That's just for filling a tooth gap. I want to eat braised pork, I want to eat the braised pork knuckle from Zuixianju, and I want to drink Nu'erhong wine."

"Not here."

"Then go catch a wild boar."

"……good."

Gu Xiang let go of her and got up to go into the woods.

Su Qing grabbed his sleeve and glared at him: "You're really going? It's pitch black outside, what if you get carried off by a wolf?"

Gu Xiang scratched his head: "I have a righteous spirit, even wolves are afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid." Su Qing pulled him back and pressed him down to sit beside her. "Sleep with me."

Gu Xiang froze, her face instantly turning red to the roots of her neck.

"Sleep...sleep?" Gu Xiang stammered. "This...this remote place...isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Su Qing rolled her eyes, lay down on his lap, and settled into a comfortable position.

"What are you thinking about?" Su Qing closed her eyes. "I wanted you to be my pillow. It's hard and uncomfortable."

Gu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt inexplicably disappointed. He adjusted his sitting posture to make Su Qing more comfortable, then took off his outer robe and covered her with it.

"Go to sleep," Gu Xiang said softly. "I'll stay with you."

Su Qing responded groggily, and soon her even breathing could be heard.

Gu Xiang lowered his head and, by the dim firelight, greedily traced her eyebrows and eyes.

That night, the wind on Luofeng Slope was no longer cold and gloomy, and even the old sycamore tree seemed to have become a little gentler.