Yan Feiguang uttered two simple words: “Be careful.”
Inside the tent, the female lead’s soft laughter could be heard: “It’s just a spilled wine cup. You know how I am I get drunk so easily.”
“If it weren’t for that, they would have made me drink many more cups under the guise of celebrating my birthday,” she explained.
Yan Feiguang’s response was brief: “Hmm.”
Shen Manyun stood outside the tent, not daring to move.
They were so close that she feared being discovered.
Then, she heard rustling sounds from inside the tent, as if Yan Feiguang had taken something out.
“A birthday gift,” he said.
“You’ve kept it hidden for so long, and only now are you willing to bring it out?” The female lead’s voice was laced with amusement.
“Hmm,” Yan Feiguang’s voice was low.
Shen Manyun thought, “He really did give her flowers.”
Once again, she witnessed the scene from the book.
She thought, “The atmosphere is perfect right now. If it were any other male lead, he would probably take the female lead’s hand and pour out his feelings, creating a tender and ambiguous moment to deepen their bond.”
But Yan Feiguang didn’t.
After presenting the brocade box, silence fell inside the tent.
“This flower is delicate. After returning to Luodu, you must have someone take it out at dusk every day to let it see the sunlight. Only then can it remain in bloom.”
After hesitating for a long time, Yan Feiguang finally managed to say these words.
Shen Manyun knew-and only she knew that Yan Feiguang had shed a great deal of blood for this flower.
He told the female lead nothing of the story behind it, reducing it all to a simple two-word description: “delicate.”
He gave it to her, asking her to take good care of it, his hidden feelings concealed within the fragile flower.
Who could have known?
Who would have thought that the brief scene from the book, when played out in reality, could feel so heart-wrenching?
Shen Manyun felt her heart racing, perhaps from nervousness.
At the same time, the female lead’s laughter came through: “Alright, I understand.”
As soon as she finished speaking, commotion erupted outside the tent.
Someone came rushing in with a report: “It’s the rebels! They’re heading this way!”
The world was in chaos, and this place was heavily guarded to prevent any unexpected incidents.
Occasional skirmishes were not uncommon.
Clearly, the female lead was used to such situations.
She calmly stepped out of the tent and bid farewell to Yan Feiguang: “Then I’ll trouble you to cover my retreat.”
Shen Manyun heard Yan Feiguang pause for a moment inside the tent, then heard him pick something up.
What was it?
“The flower,” Yan Feiguang said to her.
It turned out that the female lead had forgotten to take the flower with her when she left.
Of course, she had seen everything in the bustling city of Luodu.
How could she find this twilight orchid anything special?
No matter how beautiful the flower that grew on the cliff at dusk was, it could never compare to the dazzling and vibrant famous flowers of Luodu.
“I almost forgot it,” the female lead said indifferently.
Then, everyone in the area began an orderly retreat.
Shen Manyun seized the opportunity to jump up and remove the princess’s hairpin.
“Good,” she thought. “Now is the perfect time to return this hairpin to the princess and slip away in the chaos.”
This time, she had been more cautious and memorized the way back to Wuwang City.
Just as she was about to make her escape, a guard running past grabbed her arm-
“Aren’t you leaving yet? Are you waiting for the rebels to capture you?” The guard hoisted Shen Manyun by the waist and carried her out of the camp.
Only then did Shen Manyun realize that the camp was ablaze, and the sharp sounds of battle echoed in the distance.
The dangers of this world truly are everywhere.
Before coming here, her life had been too peaceful, so much so that she hadn’t realized the peril she was in.
“I’ll take you to the convoy ahead. You can return to Luodu with the Grand Ritualist,” the guard said warmly, pushing Shen Manyun forward.
“But I “Shen Manyun was about to speak when she saw the approaching rebels.
The guard immediately joined the battle, leaving her without another word.
With the battlefield behind her, Shen Manyun had no choice but to run forward with the crowd, clutching the hairpin in her hand tightly.
What should she do now?
In a daze, Shen Manyun was ushered into a carriage, which was already packed with people.
After some thought, she decided to tackle her problems one by one.
“Does anyone here… know how to reach the princess?” Shen Manyun extended her hand and whispered, “This is the hairpin the princess asked me to find.”
“So you found it?” A round-faced maid in the carriage let out a sigh of relief.
“The princess sent me to look for it. I was just entering the woods when the rebels ambushed me. I was hit by a poisoned arrow, but the protective charm the Grand Ritualist gave me earlier blocked the attack.”
“My wound still hurts-” She twisted her arm, and Shen Manyun indeed saw blood seeping through the white fabric of her clothes.
“You should give it to the princess yourself. She’ll reward you,” the round-faced maid said, not taking the hairpin.
“But… I’m not from her entourage,” Shen Manyun insisted, shoving the hairpin into her hands.
Well, mission accomplished.
Shen Manyun planned to seize the first chance to escape.
The carriage didn’t travel far before it stopped.
The rebels had been subdued by the army led by Yan Feiguang, and they were now taking a temporary rest.
Feeling safe here, Shen Manyun found a gap and hid in the nearby bushes, curling up.
She intended to wait there until the convoy left.
As for how to return to Wuwang City, she’d figure that out later.
Unexpectedly, footsteps approached not long after.
Shen Manyun held her breath, not daring to make a sound.
Through the gaps in the leaves, she peered out.
A figure so radiant it seemed to glow approached.
From Shen Manyun’s crouched position, she could only see the hem of the woman’s skirt.
But Shen Manyun recognized her voice, and the people around her confirmed her identity.
“Grand Ritualist, we’ve told you before, even if you’re inspecting the southern border, don’t stay outside the city. Wuwang City is right ahead. Stopping here only gives those bandits a chance to strike.”
“It’s fine. This is a good opportunity to lure out the rebels,” the woman’s voice was firm.
“We’ve inspected all the birthday gifts sent from various places using magic. Most of them are fine, but…”
“But what?” the woman asked.
“There’s a flower,” the subordinate replied.
“The flower carries an unclean aura, possibly from the long-lost Soul Clan… And that dusk orchid is quite ominous a flower that can’t survive past dusk. Its symbolism is unfavorable.”
“A dusk orchid?” the woman responded. “It’s not supposed to survive past dusk. Someone must have used a secret method to preserve it.”
“Such a tainted object must not be brought back to Luodu.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Discard it here. By tomorrow, it will naturally wither.”
“Then discard it.”
The woman stood up, and Shen Manyun saw the brocade box Yan Feiguang had given her fall to the ground.
The dusk orchid tumbled out, its carefully arranged petals scattering in disarray.
The delicate stem lay crooked on the ground.
She felt her breath hitch for a moment.
The book hadn’t mentioned where the flower ended up.
So, it had been discarded here.
Before leaving, Yan Feiguang had eagerly told the female lead to take good care of it—this fragile, beautiful flower.
Shen Manyun lowered her gaze.
She thought she knew-this was the fate of the fourth male lead.
In the end, he too had been discarded, hadn’t he?
After the preparations were complete, the convoy set off again.
As they left, the people of Luodu hurried forward.
Shen Manyun saw someone step on the Evening Orchid.
A few petals, white and almost translucent with a golden hue, sank into the mud, and the stem was broken.
“No…” she whispered in an almost inaudible voice, but she didn’t dare rush out from the bushes.
Only after everyone had left did she dart out and pick up the Evening Orchid from the ground.
Her movements were gentle, extremely gentle, as she carefully plucked the petals one by one from the soil.
She felt something heavy pressing against her chest.
The female lead didn’t want this flower, nor did she want him.
Yet, he had still followed her, protected her… loved her so steadfastly.
Yan Feiguang was the only male character whose affection for the female lead had nearly maxed out the moment he met her.
Because of this, the female lead had hardly made any effort to win him over.
He had already loved her deeply, and she wasn’t afraid he would suddenly leave.
She knew he would never betray her.
But… but…
Shen Manyun couldn’t articulate what she was feeling.
She could only place the discarded Evening Orchid back into the brocade box.
She tucked the box into her chest, unsure of what she even wanted to do.
She thought she shouldn’t have come here.
If she hadn’t seen anything, it would be as if this had never happened.
Shen Manyun stood up, but she felt the ground beneath her feet tremble.
Something terrifying was approaching.
She was about to hide back in the bushes when the outline of the terrifying thing appeared in the distance-it was Yan Feiguang’s mount.
Shen Manyun didn’t hide.
She simply watched as he slowly approached from afar.
Behind Yan Feiguang sat another person-Xinglan, who had returned to his original appearance.
“City Lord, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I was wrong! I shouldn’t have brought Sister Manyun here. She’s under my illusion spell, so I could sense her presence…”
“Look, she’s right there! Sister Manyun! Why weren’t you waiting in the original spot? I went around inside for a bit but couldn’t avoid the guards, so I came back!”
Xinglan’s voice reached her.
Shen Manyun looked in their direction and saw Yan Feiguang’s calm face in the night.
He was as he always was expressionless, his gaze sharp and cold as ice.
Someone like him… had actually told the female lead to take good care of this flower with such care.
The flower… should she tell him?
Shen Manyun shielded the spot where she had hidden the brocade box.
She looked straight at them and only responded to Xinglan, “I’m here.”
Xinglan jumped down from the beast and ran over, dispelling the illusion spell on Shen Manyun.
She felt the strange sensation that had clung to her disappear, and she felt much more comfortable.
“Let’s go back.” Yan Feiguang didn’t scold her it seemed he had already berated Xinglan not long ago.
“Sister Manyun, are you okay?” Xinglan waved a hand in front of Shen Manyun’s dazed face.
“I’m fine,” Shen Manyun replied obediently.
She looked up at Yan Feiguang, hesitating for a long time before finally calling out, “Yan Feiguang?”
Shen Manyun wanted to say something, but no words came out.
She could only stare at him blankly until his gaze fell upon her, prompting her to lower her head.
“It’s fine,” he said, pulling her onto the back of the giant beast with one hand.
Shen Manyun’s body was frail, so Xinglan sat behind her to protect her, ensuring she wouldn’t fall during the flight.
Shen Manyun’s hands were hidden in her sleeves, and she gently touched the dusk orchid she carried in her bosom.
Let it be this way, she thought.
As long as he wasn’t told, he would continue to believe that the dusk orchid was still alive and well in Luodu, basking in the golden sunlight at dawn and dusk.
The flames of war had mostly subsided, and Shen Manyun noticed that Yan Feiguang ahead remained silent.
During the long flight, she felt her hand, resting not far behind him, touch something warm and sticky.
Under the moonlight, she looked down and saw blood on her fingertips-Yan Feiguang’s blood.