Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

"Ren Fengjue..."

Xia Ximo, still asleep, suddenly called out softly, her voice filled with an unprecedented tenderness and affection.

Because of this soft call, Ren Fengjue suddenly couldn't move his feet.

So he slowly squatted down by the bed and replied, "I'm here."

Xia Ximo, perhaps because she heard his voice, suddenly turned to face him, bringing them within inches of each other.

She groggily opened her eyes and stared at him intently.

Ren Fengjue wasn't sure if she was awake, but her eyes were blurry and she didn't seem to be looking at him.

But in those eyes, there was an unprecedented sense of longing and reluctance...

He felt his breathing become labored, his throat bobbed slightly, and he couldn't help but say, "I'm here..."

Xia Ximo reached out and gently stroked his face.

Warm fingers traced the contours of his face, instantly sending a tingling sensation through half of his face.

He was a little nervous and instinctively took her hand, while also wanting to get closer.

At that moment, Xia Ximo's thick, raven-feather-like eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she closed her eyes.

At such close proximity and in such an ambiguous atmosphere, it's hard not to be moved...

Ren Fengjue suppressed the urge to lean down and kiss him, pausing slightly.

After much deliberation, he finally placed a light kiss on the back of her hand.

"Get a good night's sleep."

Then, he tucked her hand under the covers and gently brushed the stray hairs from her forehead to make sure she could sleep more comfortably. Only then did he blow out the candle, close the door, and leave.

Just as he closed the door, the person on the bed suddenly opened their eyes again, looked into the darkness, and after a moment, let out a barely perceptible sigh.

……

Ren Fengjue seemed to have not slept all night.

When I woke up in a daze, it was still barely dawn.

For some reason, I suddenly lost my sleepiness and simply got dressed and got out of bed.

Hearing the noise, Xia from next door quickly got up as well.

He seemed somewhat puzzled: "Young master, why are you up so early today?"

As she was about to fetch water to wash up, Ren Fengjue said, "It's alright, you can sleep a little longer."

Ah Xia could tell that he was in a very good mood today, with joy evident in his eyes and brows.

This made Ah Xia even more confused. After all, she had served him closely for so many years and knew that he never easily showed his emotions.

This is the first time I've seen someone so happy.

Seeing him standing there motionless, Ren Fengjue asked again, "What's wrong? Aren't you sleepy either?"

Ah Xia was indeed not fully awake at first, but after a moment of inner turmoil, she quickly came to her senses.

"I'm not sleepy..."

He quickly went to the kitchen to fetch hot water and helped Ren Fengjue wash up.

After finishing all this, it was still not fully light.

Xia could sense that Ren Fengjue's gaze was always intentionally or unintentionally looking in the direction of Zhenxia Courtyard, and she knew that this "happy event" must be related to Xia Ximo.

He immediately asked, "Young master, have you made an appointment with Miss Xia to do something?"

Ren Fengjue smiled slightly: "That's not it."

Taking the opportunity, Xia asked again, "I noticed that you were in a very good mood today, and I thought it might be related to Miss Xia."

His bluntness surprised Ren Fengjue.

But in front of his confidants, there was no need to hide anything, so he said, "There is indeed something I just thought about last night."

A-Xia's eyes immediately lit up. "What is it?"

Just as Ren Fengjue was about to speak, the door next to him creaked open, and Yu Lang walked out.

He yawned as he said, "Isn't it a bit too early, Lord Ren? Even if you're going to see the Crown Prince off, shouldn't you wait until dawn?"

Xia had only heard half of what Yu Lang said, and, feeling a surge of curiosity, she asked, "Young Master Yu, why are you here so early too?"

Yu Lang lazily lifted his eyelids. "I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard you guys whispering outside. What were you saying?"

A-Xia immediately glanced at Ren Fengjue, hoping that her young master would continue what he hadn't finished saying.

Unexpectedly, Ren Fengjue just chuckled and said, "I didn't say anything. I'm going out for a bit."

"?"

Under A-Xia's unwilling gaze, Ren Fengjue left the guest courtyard directly.

Yu Lang asked suspiciously, "You really didn't say anything?"

A-Xia gave him a resentful look, but hesitated to speak.

Ren Fengjue personally went to the kitchen to get a breakfast, and then couldn't wait to go to Zhenxia Courtyard.

However, just as they reached the courtyard gate, a maid came out from inside.

He couldn't help but wonder, "Is Miss Xia already up?"

The maid replied, "He got up a long time ago, saying he wanted to go for a walk."

Ren Fengjue was caught off guard by her sudden sobering up and asked, "Do you know where she went?"

The maid shook her head: "Miss Xia doesn't allow us to come along."

The Prince Wu's mansion is so big that even if Xia Ximo just wanders around casually, he is bound to run into him.

Ren Fengjue thought about it and decided to wait for her in Zhenxia Courtyard.

They waited for almost half an hour, until it was completely light.

Xia Ximo was nowhere to be seen outside the door.

Ren Fengjue was looking at the clothes, ready to put them on, when A-Xia came to him and told him that the Crown Prince was about to set off to return to the capital.

Upon hearing the news, he had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being and go to see him off first.

The crown prince arrived quietly and left without any fanfare.

Yang Lin had already transferred the Golden Feather Army out of the city. Now, he would personally drive the carriage to escort the Crown Prince out of the city.

The group bid farewell in front of the Wu King's mansion. Zhao Wan held back her tears, clutching Zhao Li's sleeve and refusing to let go.

Zhao Li could only pat her head and comfort her, "If you get tired of playing in the Northern Border, go and stay in the capital for a while."

Zhao Wan nodded with red eyes, "I'll come find you when spring comes."

Then, Zhao Li spoke a few more words to Ren Fengjue.

He suddenly looked up and around, but couldn't see Xia Ximo, so he whispered, "Miss Xia isn't awake yet, is she?"

Ren Fengjue knew her temperament; even if she sobered up, she might not give him the courtesy of seeing her off.

He could only say, "She did drink quite a bit last night."

Zhao Li never cared about such things, so he just smiled and deliberately said, "Next time... it should be your wedding banquet."

Upon hearing this, Ren Fengjue paused slightly, a slight smile playing on his lips. Zhao Li patted him on the shoulder and said, "See you in the capital."

"Respectfully seeing off His Highness the Crown Prince."

The group watched the Crown Prince's carriage depart, and Zhao Wan also wondered, "Where's Xia Ximo? Is she still asleep?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure slowly walked out of the street outside the Prince's Mansion; it was Xia Ximo.