Mu Yunhe was set to lead the army into battle, reportedly due to a joint recommendation by the Fifth Prince and an old minister. The southern barbarian border was in turmoil, and the stationed troops were continuously losing ground, having already lost a crucial city.

However, the court was also in a precarious situation, and moving the defenses from nearby counties was too risky, so they set their sights on the Mu family army.

This unit was currently under the command of Lady Mu, who had not yet transferred its authority to Mu Yunhe. Initially, Lady Mu intended to petition the emperor to lead the army herself, but Mu Yunhe stopped her. Despite his shortcomings, he couldn’t bear to let his mother go to the battlefield.

“In the past, I was indeed reckless and neglectful, but this is a great opportunity to establish myself. Now that I have a family, I should rely on my own efforts to achieve success, not live under the shadow of my father’s legacy.”

He expressed this resolve, which greatly comforted Lady Mu.

Yet, there was one thing that left Mu Yunhe feeling disappointed: Bai Fanlu showed no opposition to him accepting the expedition order. He merely acknowledged it with a calm response, without the slightest hint of reluctance or concern.

A part of Mu Yunhe wanted to ask, “Aren’t you worried about my safety?” but he felt it would be too melodramatic, so he buried himself in preparing for the campaign instead.

Sensing his unease, Bai Fanlu didn’t offer any explanation; this was the result he wanted.

Regardless of how he distanced himself emotionally, life and death were matters that couldn’t be ignored.

In fact, he had already thoroughly inquired with Lady Mu about the situation. While the conflict at the southern border was intense, the Mu family army had always been invincible in previous encounters with the southern barbarians, never suffering defeat.

Although Mu Yunhe lacked experience in commanding troops, he would be assisted by a deputy general who had been one of General Mu’s trusted aides, making the battle not too difficult. It would likely be over within six months.

Bai Fanlu calculated that six months would not bring him close to his life-and-death tribulation, and since he wanted to maintain distance from Mu Yunhe, this timing was a perfect opportunity provided by fate.

Once the decision to go to war was made, Mu Yunhe became increasingly unavailable. He initially returned to the palace at night but soon began staying directly at the Mu family army camp, where he worked with the generals to draft marching strategies.

Bai Fanlu neither inquired nor commented on this, and it wasn’t until the day before the expedition that Mu Yunhe returned to the Wangfu. Lady Mu had specially arranged a farewell banquet for him.

During the banquet, Mu Yunhe drank a lot, and when Lady Mu instructed someone to help him back to rest, he insisted that Bai Fanlu be the one to support him.

In front of Lady Mu and the servants, Bai Fanlu couldn’t refuse, so he helped Mu Yunhe, and the two of them staggered into Xianxue Courtyard.

This wasn’t the first time Bai Fanlu had taken care of this drunkard. He skillfully got him settled when there was a knock on the door; it was Liu Xin delivering a hangover soup.

Bai Fanlu brought the soup into the room and sent Liu Xin away to rest.

He propped up the drunken man and held the soup bowl steadily, asking, “Can you drink it by yourself?”

“No, you feed me!”

Mu Yunhe started acting drunk again, and Bai Fanlu sighed silently, bringing the bowl to Mu Yunhe’s lips. Unexpectedly, after taking a sip, Mu Yunhe suddenly sat up straight, pulling Bai Fanlu into an embrace and pressing his lips against Bai Fanlu’s.

The bowl fell to the floor, and the hangover soup spilled everywhere.

Bai Fanlu, forced to swallow the mouthful of hangover soup passed to him, choked and coughed repeatedly. He wasn’t even drunk; why did he need hangover soup?

“Lin Qiu, you… you’re so bad!”

Mu Yunhe clung to him like an octopus, his lips fumbling around Bai Fanlu’s face as if he couldn’t find the right spot. The smell of alcohol made Bai Fanlu feel utterly disgusted as he dodged Mu Yunhe and said, “I’ll go get you another bowl of soup.”

You need to sober up quickly.

“I’m not drunk!”

Mu Yunhe clutched Bai Fanlu’s waist tightly, shouting loudly, “I’m not drunk!”

Bai Fanlu was helpless. “Everyone who’s drunk says they’re not.”

“I’m not drunk; it’s you who’s drunk…” Mu Yunhe suddenly buried his face in Bai Fanlu’s waist. “You’re drunk, that’s why… that’s why you’re ignoring me. I want you to sober up. You’re drunk…”

Bai Fanlu frowned and tried to pry Mu Yunhe’s hands off his waist.

“Lin Qiu, I feel so miserable…”

Bai Fanlu froze for a moment, and his hands suddenly lost their strength. He sat silently by the bedside, then turned his head slightly, as if “looking” back at the man behind him.

“Don’t ignore me…”

Mu Yunhe, half-draped over the bed and half-clinging to Bai Fanlu, muttered in a drunken voice, full of pleading.

“You look like anything but a general who’s about to lead troops into battle.”

Bai Fanlu patted his hand. “Let go of me, and I’ll go get another bowl of hangover soup.”

There was no response from behind, but Bai Fanlu could hear Mu Yunhe’s breathing, knowing he was still there.

“Then comfort me… and I’ll let go.”

Comfort you? You think you’re a child? Though he thought this, Bai Fanlu still softened his tone. “Be good, let go first.”

After a brief pause, Mu Yunhe indeed released his grip. Bai Fanlu didn’t hesitate to stand up and walk outside.

Mu Yunhe sat dumbly by the bed. Just when he thought Bai Fanlu would leave and never return, the door moved, and Bai Fanlu came back with another bowl of hangover soup.

“Drink it, and then get some good sleep.”

Bai Fanlu stood there calmly, offering the hangover soup.

Mu Yunhe, still sitting, looked up slightly at Bai Fanlu’s face. This time, he didn’t act out but obediently took the bowl and drank it all.

Then, he watched as Bai Fanlu climbed into bed, lying down fully dressed as he had done for the past several days, without saying another word to him.

The hangover soup burned in his stomach, as if it scorched more intensely than the strong liquor he had just consumed.

Mu Yunhe prided himself on enduring it all, but the feeling of being strangled by someone, unable to breathe, only grew stronger.

His hand, gripping the edge of the bed, tightened and turned white. Suddenly, he swung his hand, and the bed curtains fell on both sides.

Before Bai Fanlu could react, he was fiercely embraced. Mu Yunhe, like a wild beast, bit down on his throat, with no tender kisses, no foreplay, only a raw and forceful approach.

Bai Fanlu initially resisted instinctively, but eventually, he stopped moving.

Just as Mu Yunhe was about to go further, he suddenly stopped.

He abruptly rolled off and out of bed, pulling open the curtains and storming out.

Bai Fanlu listened to his footsteps fade into the distance, a wave of desolation washing over him. He lay there in silence for a long time, not even thinking to straighten his clothes or cover himself with the quilt.

It wasn’t until a warm hand touched his chest that Bai Fanlu shivered, realizing how cold his body had become.

Mu Yunhe sighed, “This is the second time I’ve left and come back for you. I can’t help it—I’m just that pathetic. Go ahead and laugh at me; I won’t blame you.”

He held a jar of ointment in his hand and gently applied it to Bai Fanlu’s neck. Earlier, in his reckless biting, he had left marks all over Bai Fanlu’s shoulders and neck, and there were even purple bruises from his fingers around his waist.

Yet Bai Fanlu hadn’t uttered a word of complaint.

But now, after Mu Yunhe had left, this despondent appearance—was it a sign of affection, or was it indifference?

Mu Yunhe was thoroughly confused.

“If you’re angry, you can bite me back,” he said.

“…”

Of course, Bai Fanlu wouldn’t bite him back—he wasn’t like someone else, a canine.

His body ached, but Mu Yunhe’s careful application of the ointment, with each tender, precise touch, made Bai Fanlu’s heart ache even more.

The self-control he had been clinging to nearly crumbled, almost making him call out “A Zhan.”

But now, from his current position, he could no longer call him by that name.

After applying the ointment, Mu Yunhe helped Bai Fanlu put on his clothes again, bent down, and kissed his forehead. Then, as he had done countless nights before, he held him close and whispered in his ear, “Sleep.”

After a while, Bai Fanlu responded, “Mm.”

They lay in silence for a long time before Mu Yunhe spoke again, “I’ll be heading to the barracks at dawn tomorrow. You don’t need to see me off—get some more sleep.”

His final words were, “Take care of yourself.”

Bai Fanlu didn’t reply.

In the still of the night, someone softly sighed, adding to the thin coldness of the quilt, leaving both bodies feeling isolated and lonely.

After Mu Yunhe left for the battlefield, Bai Fanlu’s days became even quieter. In Xianxue Courtyard, aside from Liu Xin, only Lady Mu occasionally visited.

Bai Fanlu continued to have Liu Xin read medical books to him, and later, he began buying medicinal herbs to study their properties and delve into medical theories. He also painted whenever he had free time.

He set a long-term goal for himself—to paint a thousand-mile landscape scroll. Mo Jiuli had taken a year to complete his, and Bai Fanlu figured he had about the same amount of time left.

Living like this, his days were fulfilling, without any disturbances or worries, until one evening, about half a month later.

As usual, Bai Fanlu was sitting in the courtyard painting when he suddenly felt as if someone was watching him.

However, that feeling of being observed quickly disappeared, and by the time Bai Fanlu tried to discern it, it had vanished as if it were just a misconception.

This strange sensation persisted for about a week, always appearing at the same time and place. Finally, one day, Bai Fanlu clearly heard a noise outside the courtyard wall, as if a small cat had climbed onto the roof.

He waited for a while and then asked, “Who are you?”

The person’s breathing remained calm in the silence, and just when Bai Fanlu thought they wouldn’t respond, the person asked him a question.

“Do you remember Xiao Liu?”

Bai Fanlu was startled. Of course, he remembered Xiao Liu; he was Bai Fanlu’s most important younger brother from his childhood in the real world.

But how could he be mentioned in the book? Bai Fanlu sensed something strange, but it felt like there was more to it.

This “Xiao Liu” seemed to have some important identity, but Bai Fanlu couldn’t recall what it was. When he tried to ask further, the person had already left.

At first, Bai Fanlu waited for some time, but after that, the person mysteriously disappeared as they had come, never to be seen again.

Gradually, almost half a year passed since Mu Yunhe’s departure. He sent a letter home every month to report his safety, and there was always a separate letter for Bai Fanlu, but Bai Fanlu never read them.

Every time Liu Xin received the letter, she would excitedly bring it to Bai Fanlu, but he always made an excuse, saying he was busy and would read it later, though he never actually did.

Eventually, Liu Xin also sensed something was off and rarely mentioned the little prince in Bai Fanlu’s presence.

They had first met in late spring, and now, it was already mid-autumn.

The Wangfu held a simple family banquet to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Bai Fanlu and Lady Mu shared dinner together, followed by osmanthus tea and mooncakes. They returned to their rooms later than usual.

Bai Fanlu didn’t need anyone to serve him, and recently, Liu Xin had made new friends, so Bai Fanlu had sent her off early, leaving himself alone in the courtyard.

On this Mid-Autumn Festival night, he was supposed to enjoy the moon, but Bai Fanlu couldn’t see it.

He leaned back in his rattan chair, tilting his head slightly, imagining the moon in his mind.

This was the perfect time to paint something festive, but Bai Fanlu felt too lazy to move. Unconsciously, he thought of that person’s words—“I’ll show you the stars by ‘letting you listen’ to them.”

If he were here, what would he say?

“How could you admire the moon without me?”

Suddenly, a pair of arms embraced him from behind, pulling Bai Fanlu into a strong, firm chest.

“…Am I hallucinating?”

But this hallucination felt too real.

Bai Fanlu instinctively raised his hand, touching the arms encircling him. The warmth and sensation were unmistakably real.

“Lin Qiu, it’s me. I’m back.”

Mu Yunhe’s hoarse voice, along with his entire being, was still filled with the dust and grime of the battlefield, as if he had just been fighting on the front lines a moment ago and rushed here the next, without even catching his breath.

“You… how did you get back?” Bai Fanlu still couldn’t believe it.

Mu Yunhe let out a tired laugh, “I wore out six horses getting back.”

“That’s not what I meant. How’s the situation at the front?”

“The situation is stable for now, nothing major. Everyone gets homesick during Mid-Autumn, and so did I.”

Only then did Bai Fanlu realize that Mu Yunhe had actually returned, crossing a thousand miles from the southern barbarians to Hengchang.

He steadied himself, intending to extricate himself from the embrace, but instead, he was held even tighter. Mu Yunhe, his voice clearly exhausted, clung to him, muttering, “I haven’t rested in two days and nights, Lin Qiu. Is your heart made of stone?”

Bai Fanlu, who had always thought his heart had hardened like stone, felt a tremor at those words. “…I was just going to find someone to get you some bathwater. A bath will help you relax.”

Mu Yunhe still didn’t let go, only saying, “No need. I just wanted to see you. I’ll be leaving soon.”

Bai Fanlu was stunned. “L-leaving soon?”

Mu Yunhe tightened his grip, nuzzling Bai Fanlu’s neck with infinite longing. “Yes, I’ll be leaving soon, so there’s no need to tell my mother. If she knew, she’d scold me for being so irresponsible.”

“…” Bai Fanlu never imagined that two days and nights, six horses, were all for this brief moment.

Mu Yunhe laughed self-deprecatingly, “But I’m just that irresponsible. I couldn’t help but miss you… Lin Qiu, you really have a cruel heart. Not only did you not reply to my letters, but even now that I’m finally back, you’re still so cold to me.”

Hearing this, Bai Fanlu realized that he might indeed be cruel, but what choice did he have?

After a long silence, Bai Fanlu finally spoke, “You should sleep for a while before you leave. If you keep traveling without rest, your body will break down.”

But Mu Yunhe asked, “Can I sleep with you?”

When had Bai Fanlu ever refused to let him sleep with him?

“Okay,” Bai Fanlu answered.

Mu Yunhe kissed the corner of his eyebrow lightly. “That’s good.”

“You should wash up first; it’ll make you feel better,” Bai Fanlu urged, hoping he would let go.

However, Mu Yunhe only chuckled at his suggestion. “If you spoke a little more gently, I’d think you were hinting that I could do something else.”

Hearing this playful tease, Bai Fanlu felt as though he had been transported back to those earlier, simpler days when he knew nothing.

He lowered his head and stopped urging Mu Yunhe to let go.

Yet, Mu Yunhe didn’t take a bath, nor did he stay to sleep. He just held Bai Fanlu in the courtyard for a while, telling him stories about the stars and the moon, stories of the gods and mortals, as if they were a typical family enjoying a peaceful reunion.

Then, Bai Fanlu felt a cool sensation on his wrist as a jade bracelet was slipped onto it. At the same time, Mu Yunhe leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

The kiss was brief, as if he feared lingering any longer would make it impossible to leave.

After the kiss, he left.

He had stayed for perhaps half an hour at most. Bai Fanlu sat alone for a long time afterward, and when he finally decided to return to rest, he felt as though he couldn’t tell what day it was.

But the cool touch of the jade bracelet on his wrist was real. That man had indeed come back.

Six horses, two days and two nights, just for this brief moment, just to say this one sentence:

“May we be blessed with fullness and longevity. Lin Qiu, happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”

That night, Bai Fanlu finally dreamed again. Since the day he had the dream about “Mo” and “Zhan,” he hadn’t dreamt of them again. Perhaps it was because of the rift that had grown between him and Mu Yunhe, and thus, even his dreams had ceased to visit him.

But this time, the dream was hazy, and he couldn’t see anything clearly. He could only hear the two of them speaking.

Mo Jiuli’s voice was cold as ice. “Yes, I am the Demon God. The world’s corruption stems from me. Qi Zhao, why haven’t you made a move?”

Demon God? Bai Fanlu heard the term—what was it?

“How could you be the Demon God? You’re just an ordinary person!”

Qi Zhao’s voice seemed to be coming from somewhere, filled with a furious rage, yet broken, as if being violently disturbed by some unknown force.

Mo Jiuli’s voice remained as cold as ever. “Didn’t you already suspect? Otherwise, why did you imprison Xue behind the mountain? You noticed it, didn’t you? The thing on its body… that was something I used as a cover.”

“A Li…”

“If you don’t kill me, you won’t be able to protect the world.”

Qi Zhao seemed to be struggling to break free. In a sudden burst of anger, Bai Fanlu could clearly feel the immense power of Qi Zhao’s divine energy.

“No! You wouldn’t be so cruel as to destroy the world. Those paintings you made, those depictions of mortal life! I don’t believe you could do something so heartless!”

Mo Jiuli was likely under Qi Zhao’s divine power, but his voice was as calm and cold as a breeze over water.

“Emperor Zhaoge, you’re far too naive. The world’s foremost god, the only pure god, should have righteousness in his heart. With your indecision, the world should have collapsed long ago.”

Bai Fanlu faintly sensed a chilling force, creeping from the edges of Qi Zhao’s divine energy, winding around his wrist and then engulfing his entire body.

Mo Jiuli laughed coldly, “You’ve already seen it, haven’t you? And those paintings… what do they replace? Can they replace your eyes, or your hands? Can they help you protect anyone, or destroy anything?”

“A Li…”

“Qi Zhao, I’ve been curious for a long time, wondering what kind of person you would be, destined to be my opponent.”

“And now, I’m satisfied. Make your move. I told you before, if this day were to come, I’d want you to be the one to kill me. Only you can kill me.”

“No—!” Qi Zhao roared, “I won’t do it! A Li, don’t force me! I’ll find a way, I’ll figure out a way to restore you! I swear I will!”

“Wait for me! Don’t go anywhere! Wait for me!”

Qi Zhao’s divine power suddenly withdrew.

Only then did Bai Fanlu realize that within this space, there was a dark, oppressive force, as vast as the heavens and earth at the beginning of time.

Whose power was this?

After Qi Zhao left, the place returned to its original silence.

Bai Fanlu stood there in a daze, staring into the void. Suddenly, he heard Mo Jiuli’s voice echoing from deep within his heart.

“I have already recovered… Qi Zhao, this is the real me… The pitiful person who has waited in the ‘darkness’ for countless years, he should have died long ago, and he has long wanted to die.”

“But now, he can’t bear to let go…”

Bai Fanlu woke up, tears streaming down his face without knowing why.

He tightly gripped a sachet in his hand. Ever since he had been idle at home, the sachet had remained under his pillow, never worn, but somehow, in his sleep, he had unknowingly grasped it.

The fabric was smooth, and when he squeezed it, he could feel the outline of a small object inside.

As if possessed, Bai Fanlu reached inside, intending to take out the two little rabbits, but his fingers first touched something else.

Smooth, thread-like strands—hair?

“One comb to the end, two combs till white hair meets brows…”

“You say, does this mean… we’re tied by hair?”

It turned out to be two locks of hair, bound with red thread—two locks of hair.