With her delicate face and slender waist, the royal uncle lost control.

She chuckled inwardly, then looked away.

"No need, Your Highness."

Yun Nian struggled slightly, trying to pull her hand back. "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious. I can handle it myself. I wouldn't dare trouble the young master."

"How is this a trouble?"

Qin Senyao gripped her neck even tighter. "The wound is on your neck. How can you see it clearly yourself? What if it leaves a scar if you don't treat it properly? Listen to me, sit down."

Yun Nian felt even more annoyed, but Qin Jiuchen was still watching from a distance, so she had to seize this opportunity.

After a slight hesitation, she obediently allowed Qin Senyao to pull her to sit down by the stone pier.

Qin Senyao took out an exquisite porcelain bottle from his pocket, uncorked it, and poured out a small amount of pale yellow powder onto his fingertip.

He leaned down and approached Yun Nian's neck, his movements extremely gentle.

"It might hurt a little, just bear with it."

He whispered, his breath brushing against Yun Nian's ear.

The two were very close, and she instinctively tried to back away, but he gently pressed her shoulder with his other hand.

"Don't move."

Qin Senyao dipped his fingertip in the medicine powder and carefully applied it to the small wound.

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt," Yun Nian said, her eyes lowered.

"Still lying,"

Qin Senyao chuckled softly, then suddenly leaned closer and gently blew a breath onto the area on her neck where the powder had been applied.

The warm breath, carrying an ambiguous dampness, brushed against Yun Nian's sensitive neck skin.

Her hair stood on end, and a strong sense of unease surged through her.

She gritted her teeth and barely managed to maintain a semblance of calm.

Qin Senyao seemed quite satisfied with her submissiveness at this moment and the excessively intimate distance between them.

The flickering firelight reflected the undisguised interest and possessiveness in his eyes.

The woman before me had shed her usual timidity and revealed astonishing courage and wisdom, and her appearance was so beautiful and charming.

Especially at this moment, her vulnerability added to his already pitiful state, making the strange turmoil in his heart even stronger.

"alright,"

He finally finished applying the medicine, and at this distance, he whispered, "Don't be so reckless again, understand? With me here, why would a woman like you need to take such risks?"

Yun Nian could no longer tolerate his deliberate concern.

She turned her head away and, at the same time, raised her hand to gently brush away his hand that was resting on her shoulder.

"Alright, Your Highness,"

"Thank you. The medicine is applied now. I'd like to go back to the village to look for Qiluo."

As she spoke, she quickly stood up and distanced herself from the two of them.

Qin Senyao's hand missed its target, and the gentle smile on his face froze slightly. A hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. "Your neck is injured, you should rest first..."

"I'm fine."

Yun Nian interrupted him and turned to walk deeper into the village.

Qin Senyao's eyes darkened, but he ultimately did not chase after them.

Night had fallen, and Yun Nian, relying on her hazy memory, headed toward the woodshed where she and Qi Luo had been imprisoned.

The further we walked, the more remote the place became, and the voices faded into the distance.

Upon arriving at the woodshed, the dilapidated wooden door was ajar, and the inside was pitch black.

Yun Nian stood outside the window, tiptoed, and subconsciously peered inside, trying to find some clues.

Moonlight streamed through the broken windowpane, but there was no sign of Qiluo.

She sighed softly.

"I have already signaled to Chen Sofa. If they are safe and sound, we will receive news soon."

A deep voice suddenly sounded above her head.

"what!"

Yun Nian was startled, let out a soft cry, and turned around abruptly.

Qin Jiuchen had appeared silently behind her without her noticing.

She turned around and almost bumped into his arms.

Yun Nian was so shocked that her heart pounded, and she staggered backward, her back hitting the mud wall.

She hurriedly raised her eyes and met a pair of increasingly deep and unfathomable eyes.

Qin Jiuchen looked down at her from his elevated position.

The moonlight mingled with the flickering firelight in the distance, casting shifting shadows on his sharply defined face. His eyes, like stars in the cold night, were fixed intently on her.

Her heart was pounding like a drum. Yun Nian composed herself and said, "Just now, I wanted to tell Your Highness that I thank you for saving Nian'er."

Qin Jiuchen looked at her quietly, his gaze lingering on her face.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Miss Yun has lied to me again."

Yun Nian was taken aback. Lie to him?

When did she lie to him?

A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes as she looked at him innocently: "What makes you say that, Your Highness?"

"You even said you wanted me to help you cancel the engagement,"

Qin Jiuchen's gaze swept over the fine marks of the medicinal powder on her neck, then returned to her feigned blank expression.

"I see that you and the Crown Prince have a very good relationship."

Upon hearing this, Yun Nian was secretly delighted.

Sure enough, he cared.

The reason Qin Jiuchen was allowed to apply the medicine in such an ambiguous manner was to test Qin Senyao's thoughts.

However, the result of this test came so directly that it surprised her.

On the surface, she said aggrievedly, "Your Highness has misunderstood. It's because Nian'er previously thought that the Crown Prince did not love Nian'er, and that this marriage was only forced by the imperial decree. It's a shackle for both him and me, so I wanted to ask Your Highness for help to dissolve this unwilling marriage."

"Oh,"

Qin Jiuchen let out a very soft, cold snort, his emotion unreadable. "You mean, if he likes you now, you don't want to break off the engagement and just wait to get married?"

Yun Nian pursed her lips, as if she was seriously considering the question.

She lowered her eyes, looking sad and dejected: "The Crown Prince's feelings for me are more out of a sense of duty as the Crown Prince, or out of a sense of care that he has to fulfill because of the imperial decree."

"Besides," she paused, her voice even softer, "the prince's beloved is not Nian'er."

"And what about you?"

Qin Jiuchen's voice suddenly drew closer. He leaned down slightly, closing the distance between them again, his cool aura enveloping them. "The one you love in your heart, is it still him?"

Yun Nian was taken aback by his question again.

She looked up and met his eyes.

She hesitated for a moment before answering, "Nian'er doesn't know."

Qin Jiuchen stared at her for a few moments, his eyes flickering slightly.

He suddenly raised one hand, his arm over her shoulder, and braced it against the wall beside her ear.

The position was so suggestive that it made her heart race.

He lowered his head, his handsome face appearing somewhat cold in the moonlight. "Next time, you are not allowed to act on your own and do such dangerous things again."

"I don't need a woman to lead the charge."

Yun Nian looked up in surprise, her eyes instantly reddening.

Her rabbit eyes looked utterly aggrieved. "Your Highness, Nian'er only wanted to help innocent women and children, and also to share your burdens. Is that wrong?"

Crystalline tears welled up in her eyes, reflecting the moonlight, making her look especially pitiful.

Qin Jiuchen's jawline tightened, and the fingers he was using to brace himself against the wall twitched slightly.

After a long pause, he finally spoke.