In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Guo Chao tried, but couldn't budge an inch. Instead, he struggled so much that he almost screamed in pain and broke out in a cold sweat.

Ultimately, they gave up.

"Your Highness, please forgive me for holding you back."

Li Yuanchang waved his hand: "I'm not much better off."

"Let him rest for a while, and make plans after he can get out of bed. I reckon the Central Plains are already in an uproar."

"Everyone probably thought we were dead."

Guo Chao frowned: "Yes, they fell from such a high waterfall and were seriously injured. Who would have thought that Your Highness and I would still be alive?"

"If Liangzhou knew..."

Li Yuanchang's face darkened: "I was also worried about this. The two ladies have already given birth. How can they bear such a blow?"

"Your Highness, why don't you go first? Don't worry about me."

"Anyway, there are risks here. Didn't you say that someone in this tribe wants to harm you?" Guo Chao suggested.

Li Yuanchang shook his head: "I can't move either, I can't even walk normally."

"Huh?" Guo Chao looked surprised and sized up Li Yuanchang, thinking that he was alright and dressed quite neatly.

Li Yuanchang smiled wryly, saying he could only thank Lu Ge.

"It's not that dangerous."

"We just need to be careful. The Qimeng tribe is not under Ada's control. I have already met with the tribal chief."

"I have promised some benefits, and with Luge's protection, our safety is not a problem. That Ada wouldn't dare to do anything openly."

Guo Chao felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

"yes!"

The two then talked for a while before Qisen Luge returned with some food.

She was cleaning up after she finished eating.

"Lu Ge"

"Um?"

"Thank you." Li Yuanchang looked at Lu Ge, whom he had just met but who had taken such good care of him, and felt an indescribable gratitude.

"You don't need that." Qisenluge gave a clear smile.

Li Yuanchang hesitated and said, "Actually, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Hmm? Just say it." Qisen Luge's eyelashes trembled.

"Could you help me deliver a letter?" Li Yuanchang asked.

Qi Senlu blurted out, "Is it for your family?"

"right."

"However, the journey is quite long, and we may need some reliable manpower, because things are not peaceful there right now. The Tang Dynasty is at war with the Xueyantuo." Li Yuanchang said somewhat embarrassedly.

This kind of thing sounds easy, but in reality, it's extremely dangerous; delivering messages in ancient times was not like it is in later times.

Putting everything else aside, just not getting lost or being eaten by wild animals would be a blessing, let alone the chaos of war, which would be no less difficult than the journey to the West.

But Senluge replied almost without hesitation: "Okay!"

"Give me the letter, I'll go find someone now."

Li Yuanchang said, "I trust you and I, but you also know..."

Qisenluge laughed and said, "You don't need to be embarrassed. The children of the grasslands aren't that petty. I know what you mean. You're worried that Ada will sabotage things, right?"

"Don't worry, I won't let him know this time!"

Li Yuanchang nodded, then took out the letter he had just prepared. Almost no one could understand the contents; it was all Black Ice Guard's secret language. Only Chi Lian and Li Yi could translate it.

"Lu Ge, please."

Qi Senluge took it and placed it on his still somewhat immature chest.

He smiled and said, "Don't say 'please,' aren't we friends?"

"If you feel embarrassed, then..."

Her eyes lit up, and she said cheerfully, "Then teach me more Mandarin, my Mandarin isn't very good."

"No problem," Li Yuanchang said with a smile, determined to repay Qi Senluge handsomely when he returned.

Without her, I would have died.

Without her protection, life would never have been easy.

……

According to his estimate, it would take at least two months for the Qimeng tribe to travel from their stronghold at the Black Ice Terrace in Youzhou to deliver the message, even without taking into account unforeseen circumstances.

In the territory of the northern nomadic peoples, there are no so-called post roads; a distance of a hundred li as the crow flies can take more than ten days to travel.

In addition, Li Yuanchang and Guo Chao both suffered injuries that required a hundred days to recover from, with fractures, breaks, and cuts all over their bodies, and their recovery would take a long time.

So the two of them settled down in the Mongolian tribe.

Time passed day by day.

To avoid conflict with Ada or being targeted, Li Yuanchang and his companion rarely went out and kept a very low profile.

They kept a low profile so much that the Meng tribe even forgot that two Han Chinese lived in their village.

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.

In late November, the grasslands officially entered the depths of winter, with cold storms sweeping across the pastures and freezing many cattle and sheep to death.

The Qimeng tribe faces enormous survival challenges and resource losses every day.

Even so, under Senluge's meticulous care, Li Yuanchang recovered quickly, with all his open wounds healing almost completely.

The fractured ribs and leg bones have healed a lot. I can no longer ride horses or fight, but I can walk and move around normally without any problems.

The last day of November.

On this day, Li Yuanchang played chess with Guo Chao as usual, waiting for Qi Senluge to bring him food, and then they read and wrote together.

The three of them had become quite familiar with each other during this time, especially Li Yuanchang and Qi Senluge, who were practically inseparable.

But Li Yuanchang never got to see Qi Senluge.

"Your Highness, there's a heavy snowstorm outside. I hope something might have happened to Miss Luge." Guo Chao asked. He had recovered a lot, except for his severed hand, which was still healing.

Li Yuanchang frowned. Qi Senluge was always punctual, so his unusual behavior today made him somewhat worried.

"I will go out and ask."

"Your Highness, this humble servant will accompany you."

The two had just put on their cloaks when footsteps sounded outside the tent.

Li Yuanchang frowned. It wasn't Qi Senluge; her footsteps were light, but the footsteps that sounded were heavy, and there was more than one person.

Whoosh!

The tent flap was suddenly pulled open.

"Gentlemen, my father invites you," said Qisenba, Qisenluge's elder brother.

Li Yuanchang frowned and glanced at the tribal warriors outside; quite a few people had come.

He and Guo Chao exchanged a glance, then he asked, "Where's Lu Ge? Is she safe?"

"She's fine."

"Gentlemen, please come with me." Qi Senba gestured, but his attitude was stiff, completely different from when they met before.

Li Yuanchang frowned; he sensed it, but said nothing and simply followed him.

Stepping out of the tent, the wind and snow howled, so strong that it was hard to stand.

The tents were weighed down by the wind and snow and could not bear the weight. Many of the cattle, sheep and horses froze to death. The people of the Qisen tribe huddled in their tents, enduring hunger and cold.

Seeing this, Li Yuanchang felt a pang of pity, as if he vaguely guessed what was going on.

In no time at all.

Li Yuanchang was led to the largest tent, where a huge bull horn stood majestically at the very top.

Upon entering, the two were greeted by a lavish feast.

Seated were Qisen Nu, the chief of the Qisen tribe, Ada, and some warriors from the tribe wearing leather armor.

Li Yuanchang's gaze swept over Ada, then looked away.

"Li Zheng greets the Great Chief."