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

Qin Jiuchen stared at the star-shaped carvings on the rock wall for a moment, then his gaze returned to Yun Nian's bright eyes.

He said, "It's late at night now, the fog is getting thicker, and the cold will intensify. We've been traveling all night, and our physical strength is greatly depleted."

"Let's find a place to rest for a while and recover our strength. We'll set off again when it gets a little light and the fog has lifted."

Yun Nian stepped forward hastily and grabbed his sleeve: "But Your Highness, now that we have a new clue, shouldn't we give chase immediately? Qi Luo might be waiting for us up ahead."

Her worry made her wish she could sprout wings and fly there immediately.

Qin Jiuchen's tone softened slightly, "Precisely because we have clues, we need to be even more cautious. This mark points north, and the area is still quite large. If we rush blindly and get lost in the fog, or collapse from exhaustion, it will only delay the rescue."

He looked at her. "Be good."

When Yun Nian met his calm gaze, her anxious heart gradually calmed down.

He's right, haste makes waste.

Now that there is hope, we must take better care of ourselves so that we can better save others.

She nodded: "Alright. Nian'er will listen to Your Highness."

However, all around were towering ancient trees and rugged rocks, with damp mist condensing into water droplets on the branches and leaves, and a chill penetrating the senses.

Where is there a ready-made place to escape the cold?

Yun Nian frowned and pondered for a moment, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her.

I recall reading travelogues and anecdotes about mountains and rivers in my spare time, which mentioned methods for emergency response in the wild.

Her eyes lit up. "Your Highness, I've read some travelogues that describe how to quickly build simple shelters in the wild to avoid the cold and dew. The woods here are dense, and materials are readily available. Why don't we give it a try?"

Qin Jiuchen raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

He did not object, but simply said, "Tell me what you think."

Seeing his tacit agreement, Yun Nian looked around and quickly assigned tasks: "I'd like to trouble Your Highness to gather some dry firewood and a few stones of suitable size nearby so we can make a fire to keep warm. I'll go find some tough vines, broad leaves, and branches to build a shelter."

She instantly entered "command" mode. A smile flashed across Qin Jiuchen's eyes. Without saying anything, he turned around as instructed and began searching the vicinity by the light of the torch.

He was quick and agile, and soon he carried back a bundle of relatively dry branches and a few flat stones.

Yun Nian rolled up her sleeves, revealing her slender white wrists, and without hesitation, disappeared into the bushes beside her.

She remembered a kind of mountain vine with extremely strong resilience, and soon found several of them, cutting off several sections with the small dagger she carried with her.

She seemed oblivious to the cuts on her delicate palms.

Qin Jiuchen piled up the firewood and stones, and skillfully lit a bonfire with a fire tong.

The flickering flames from the disc player dispelled some of the chill and fog, and also illuminated Yun Nian's busy figure.

He noticed that her fair cheeks had been smeared with black ash at some point, but she simply wiped it away with her sleeve, which only made the smear spread even wider.

She was completely focused on tidying up the branches and vines, showing none of the delicate manners or hesitation that a typical young lady would have when faced with such rough work.

"Give me the vines." Qin Jiuchen walked to her side and held out his hand.

Yun Nian was busy tying two thicker branches together when she heard this. Without even looking up, she continued working: "I can do it, Your Highness. Tying the rope requires some skill. I'll be done soon. If Your Highness has the time, could you find two or three more thicker branches of similar length? They need to be sturdy."

She gave the order naturally.

Qin Jiuchen nodded, then turned around and brought back a few more tree trunks.

With the "backbone" in place, the construction speed increased significantly.

Yun Nian directed Qin Jiuchen to support the thick tree branch in a triangular shape, inserting the bottom deep into the soil to secure it. She then skillfully used vines to repeatedly wrap and tie the branch around key points, securing them with strong knots.

Then, she layered the branches together and secured them with thin vines to prevent them from being blown away by the wind.

Qin Jiuchen mostly just watched quietly, lending a hand when she needed to pass her something or secure something on a high place.

In the firelight, she would occasionally mutter to herself, adjusting the angle of her branches and leaves. Her earnest and persistent demeanor was more vivid and striking than any meticulously crafted posture.

Finally, a simple yet sturdy little hut appeared beside the campfire.

Yun Nian let out a long sigh of relief, raised her hand to wipe her sweat, and a smug smile appeared on her face.

She turned to Qin Jiuchen, her eyes sparkling: "Your Highness, it's done! Although it's simple, it should keep out some of the cold."

Qin Jiuchen's gaze shifted from the small shack to her bright smiling face, his eyes gleaming slightly in the firelight.

He grunted in agreement, walked to the edge of the shack, and sat down first, extending his hand to her: "Come here."

Yun Nian then felt the soreness and fatigue rising up all over her body, and she sat down next to Qin Jiuchen.

The small space was instantly filled, and the two people's arms inevitably touched gently together.

The heat from the campfire was concentrated in the hut, making it much warmer than being directly exposed to the cold, damp night air.

Inside the small shack, the light from the campfire shone through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting warm, swaying patches of light.

The damp, cold night air was barely kept out.

The previously tense nerves and exhausted physical strength relaxed in this brief sense of security.

Yun Nian hugged her knees, rested her chin on them, and stared unfocusedly at the flickering flames.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly spoke softly.

"Your Highness, have you ever lived in the wild like this before?"

Qin Jiuchen sat beside her, his arm gently touching hers.

His gaze fell on the leaping flames, and he nodded slightly upon hearing this. "Yes. Years ago, I fought bandits in the Qilin Mountain area to the south. That place is mountainous and densely forested, and bandits had been entrenched there for many years. Since it was inconvenient for a large army to deploy, I led a small elite team deep into the mountains and fields, tracking and maneuvering for more than a month."

Yun Nian's previously weary eyes suddenly brightened. She turned her head to look at him, the firelight dancing in her eyes: "Just like we are today?"

She pointed to the simple "masterpiece" above their heads.

Qin Jiuchen turned his head to meet her bright, sparkling eyes.

His eyes flickered slightly. "Hmm, more or less. Living outdoors and working under the stars and moon is commonplace."

"very nice……"

Yun Nian couldn't help but sigh softly, "Your Highness is able to live such an interesting life."

"interesting?"

Qin Jiuchen raised an eyebrow, a smile flickering in his eyes. "You don't want a life of luxury and servants, but instead envy this savage life of sleeping in the open and living hand to mouth?"