After being reborn, the aloof prime minister was once again forced by a tyrant.

The road westward became increasingly desolate, the horses' hooves crushing the sunrise and sunset over the Gobi Desert, dust swirling with the sunlight across the horizon.

At noon on the tenth day, when the sun was at its strongest, Xie Qinglan reined in his horse, and the cliffs of Broken Eagle Gorge finally came into view.

The ravine was more dangerous than rumored.

The sheer cliffs on both sides are as if carved by nature, with sharp, knife-like edges that jut out into the air. Only a few clumps of withered yellow grass grow on the cliffs, trembling in the strong wind.

The valley floor was shrouded in a thick, inky fog, a mass of darkness that seemed to hang in the depths, its bottom invisible. One could only feel the damp, chilly air creeping up the cliff face, making one's trouser legs feel cold.

The wind swept up from the bottom of the ravine, crashing against the stone walls with a howling sound, as if it had buried countless wronged souls.

Xie Qinglan did not inform anyone of his whereabouts before entering the Western Rong.

With the Western Rong newly pacified, the royal court was in a state of flux: Wanyan Lie was in charge of suppressing the old tribes and pacifying the leaders of various tribes; Shen Hanzhou was in charge of the overall defense deployment and discipline of the border troops; Xiao Zhaoyue was in charge of reopening trade routes and border market tax regulations. The three of them had been working in the government office for days, handling important matters, so naturally no one knew that he had come.

Qi Yu, who was leading his troops in the search and rescue, spotted a person on the edge of a cliff in the distance. The person's clothes and demeanor were definitely not those of an ordinary traveler. Given that it was a sensitive period for the search and rescue, he immediately led his personal guards to quickly go forward and stop the person for inspection.

After the two exchanged names and revealed their identities, Qi Yu realized that the refined young man before him was actually the current prime minister. He quickly composed himself, changed his questioning expression, and bowed respectfully.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister...why have you come in person?"

Xie Qinglan's gaze remained fixed on the churning fog below the cliff, her voice flat and devoid of any inflection: "Take me to the place where he fell off the cliff."

Qi Yu didn't dare to persuade him further, and quickly led him along the narrow path by the cliff into the depths.

The section of cliff where the accident occurred had already been cordoned off with hemp rope. Half a deep footprint was embedded in the rock edge, and a small piece of the sharp stone edge was broken off, with dark brown bloodstains still clinging to the broken surface.

Xie Qinglan slowly squatted down, her fingertips lightly brushing over the dried bloodstain. The blood had long been embedded deep in the stone's texture, brittle from the sun's heat, rough and gritty to the touch. Despite enduring so many storms and rainstorms, it still hadn't been washed away.

My fingertip trembled very slightly.

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he lifted his eyelashes again, the turmoil in his eyes had been completely suppressed.

"Where did the search find you?"

"We've searched the entire area within a 300-mile radius of the ravine, explored the underground river upstream and downstream for a hundred miles each, and left no stone unturned in the rock crevices and hidden gullies." Qi Yu's voice grew lower and lower, his head hanging dejectedly. "No one is alive, and... no body has been found."

"Continue the search." Xie Qinglan stood up, brushing the stone dust from his palm. "Expand the search area further. Extend the underground river another two hundred miles downstream, leaving no stone unturned in the dense forests, caves, and hidden ditches on either side."

Qi Yu replied in a deep voice, "Yes."

They rested for the night in a sheltered spot by the stream. The campfire crackled and sparked, its orange light casting flickering shadows on and off.

Xie Qinglan sat on a cold stone, his fingertips repeatedly stroking a piece of mutton-fat jade. The jade was warmed by his body heat, as if it were the warmth of Xiao Jingyuan's palm when he used to hold his hand.

The wind carried the dampness of the underground river, which clung to the corners of his eyes, feeling cool and refreshing. He gazed at the dark valley, the firelight reflecting into his eyes, making them slightly sting.

Xie Qinglan personally went down to the bottom of the ravine and searched for two days without sleep.

On the third day at noon, the sun was so hot that the stones were burning hot. Suddenly, a cry of an eagle was heard overhead. An eagle swooped down and crashed into the dense forest on the west side, startling a flock of birds.

Xie Qinglan's heart skipped a beat, and she drew her sword and gave chase.

The forest was so dense it resembled a net, with old vines coiling and lying around the tree trunks, preventing even a fraction of sunlight from penetrating.

The ground was covered with decaying leaves that had accumulated over the years. Stepping on them made them soft and sinking, and a musty smell mixed with dampness filled the air.

The search and rescue team had come this far before, but seeing no way forward, they went around it. No one expected that a hidden paradise was lurking deep within the vines.

Xie Qinglan swung her sword to cut through the vines blocking her path, then stopped in her tracks—behind the drooping vines lay a half-collapsed cave, its entrance completely covered by green vines. If it weren't for the eagle scattering the vines, no trace of it would be visible from the outside.

A faint smell of smoke drifted from the cave, mixed with the aroma of roasted meat.

Xie Qinglan's heart suddenly pounded painfully in his chest, each beat heavier than the last. He raised his hand to push aside the drooping vines, bent down, and stepped inside.

The cave wasn't deep, but it was dry and spacious inside. In one corner, there was a pile of hay as tall as a person, and in the middle, a small campfire was burning. The embers flickered, making the stone walls feel warm and cozy.

A man sat with his back to the cave entrance, his robes worn and tattered, yet the material was still recognizable as imperial brocade with a dark pattern. His dark hair was loose and disheveled, with bits of grass clinging to the ends. He was turning over a wild rabbit skewered on a branch when he heard footsteps and slowly turned around.

The moment their eyes met, Xie Qinglan's breath caught in her throat.

It's Xiao Jingyuan.

A faint scar appeared on his forehead, he had lost weight, and his jawline was sharper. Much of his former imperial dignity and imposing presence had been worn away, replaced by a wildness honed in the desolate mountains. But those eyebrows, those pale eyes—he would never mistake them.

Xie Qinglan stood rooted to the spot, opening her mouth as if to speak.

Three months of anxiety, sleepless nights, the dull pain of seeing blood on the cliff edge, the dust and wind of the journey westward—a thousand words were stuck in my throat, as if something was choking me, and I couldn't utter a single word.

Xiao Jingyuan frowned.

The person before me was dressed in moon-white, covered in dust yet still looking as elegant as someone who had emerged from the snow-covered mountain peak. Although we had never met before, a familiar warmth inexplicably welled up in my heart, as if I had seen him somewhere a thousand or eight hundred times before.

He spoke, his voice hoarse from not having spoken properly in a long time, "What's your name?"

Xie Qinglan was suddenly taken aback.

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head; his blood instantly turned cold, the chill running from his fingertips all the way to his heart, making his fingertips numb.

He stared blankly into Xiao Jingyuan's eyes—those eyes no longer held the tender infatuation of the past, but rather a hint of doubt as they scrutinized him.

"You don't remember me?" He took two steps forward, his voice trembling, unaware of the panic leaking out at the end of his sentence.

Xiao Jingyuan stood up, a head taller than him, and looked down at him, his brows furrowing even more tightly.

He stared into Xie Qinglan's eyes for a long time, his fingertips unconsciously lifting as if to touch the person's face, but then he pulled them back before he could.

"Do you know me?" he asked in a low voice, his gaze sliding from Xie Qinglan's reddened eyes to her slightly pursed lips. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. "You give me a feeling...very familiar. What is our relationship?"

Xie Qinglan's throat tightened.

How should I put it? Should I say they were ruler and subject, or...?

Although no contract was signed, they had already done everything they could in bed.

The man has now lost his memory and has completely forgotten their past. For a moment, he didn't know where to begin.

Before he could even process what was happening, the person in front of him suddenly leaned forward. Hot breath brushed against his lips, carrying a hint of grass and smoke.

"May I kiss you?"

Xie Qinglan was taken aback: "What—"

The remaining words were all stuck between his lips and teeth.

Xiao Jingyuan lowered his head and covered him, kissing him urgently and fiercely, acting entirely on instinct, with a touch of helpless recklessness, yet his touch was surprisingly accurate. His tongue pried open his teeth, with undeniable force, shattering the air in his lungs into pieces.

Caught off guard, Xie Qinglan reached out to push his chest, but he instead grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms.

My palms, pressed against my lower back through the thin fabric, were incredibly hot, like a ball of fire burning into my skin through the fabric.

It's unclear how much time passed before the two finally parted ways.

Xie Qinglan was panting, her eyes reddened from the kisses, misty with moisture, and her chest heaving violently.

Xiao Jingyuan pressed his forehead against his, his breathing heavy and labored. His gaze was fixed on his swollen lips, his Adam's apple bobbing deeply as he uttered a blunt, vulgar phrase in a hoarse voice:

"Can I fuck you?"

Xie Qinglan's mind went blank, as if struck by lightning.

He never expected that this person, having lost his memory, would become even more reckless and unruly, without any attempt at concealment.

Before he could react, Xiao Jingyuan had already reached out and pulled him into his arms, while his other hand went straight for his belt.

In the desolate wilderness, amidst scattered rocks and dry grass, this person actually intended to cause trouble in this place.

Xie Qinglan's heart tightened, and she used a clever trick to break free from his embrace, raising her hand to slap him.

A soft "snap" sounded particularly clear in the silent cave.

He didn't hit him hard; he just wanted to wake him up. If he let the man run wild, he had no doubt that Xiao Jingyuan would really do whatever he wanted to him in this pile of rocks and dry grass.

But as soon as the slap landed, Xie Qinglan regretted it.

Her fingertips still held the warmth of his cheek. She had finally found him; he had barely escaped with his life. He had a wound on his forehead, couldn't even remember who he was, and had been wandering aimlessly in this desolate place for three months. How could she have raised her hand and hit him?

My heart ached with a bittersweet feeling, and tears welled up in my eyes without warning.

Xiao Jingyuan was still stunned. A light tap on his face felt like a scratch from a cat's claws, causing no pain whatsoever, but instead fueling the lustful fire within him.

He turned his head and touched his cheek, about to say something more, when he caught a glimpse of someone with drooping eyelashes, tears rolling down their pale cheeks and splashing onto their moon-white clothes, leaving small wet marks.

He panicked instantly, his anger almost completely extinguished by that single tear. He awkwardly reached out, wanting to touch it but hesitant, his hand dangling in mid-air for a long time before he clumsily tried to wipe away the tear, his fingertips trembling.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't cry." His voice softened, tinged with a sense of helplessness and panic. "It's my fault, I was wrong."

"I don't know why, but the moment I see you I just want to..." Damn it.

The last word stuck in her throat—Xie Qinglan raised her eyes and glared at him fiercely. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her fierceness tinged with moisture, but they held no intimidation whatsoever; instead, they sent shivers down one's spine.

He swallowed his words sheepishly, scratched his head, and looked annoyed.

Xie Qinglan turned her face away, raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and took a deep breath to suppress the surging emotions in her chest.

When he spoke again, his voice was still a little hoarse, but it had regained some of its usual coolness: "Come back with me."

Xiao Jingyuan nodded without hesitation: "Okay."

The answer was crisp and decisive, as if following this person was an innate and natural right etched into one's bones.

After saying that, he leaned forward again, his gaze falling on Xie Qinglan's face, which was still stained with tears, and asked seriously, "You still haven't told me what your name is."

Xie Qinglan looked up and met his direct and burning gaze. Her heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something, and it softened terribly.

"Xie Qinglan," he said softly.

Xiao Jingyuan repeated it once, his tongue rolling over the two words as if he were holding a piece of warm jade, and he pronounced them with great solemnity.

"Qinglan".

He pronounced it so naturally, as if those two words had rolled over his tongue a thousand times and were etched into his very bones.

Even if they forget the past and their entanglements, their words still sound so familiar that they make one's heart tremble.