The carriage rolled to a stop before an inn situated in the heart of Su Sha city's bustling marketplace. Yi Xiao lifted the curtain with curiosity, peering at the crowds and merchant stalls that surrounded them. Before she could voice her question, the maid smiled knowingly and held the curtain aside. "The most dangerous place is often the safest place, Commander Fu. Please, after you!"
Following the maid through the inn's entrance and up the stairs to the third floor, Yi Xiao occasionally passed groups of other guests—wealthy merchants, traveling officials, their servants laden with packages. She couldn't help but admire Xia Jingshi's meticulous planning once again. The third floor housed the most luxurious "Tian" class rooms, where even the attached servants' quarters surpassed the "Di" class guest accommodations in opulence. The occupants were all prosperous merchants who entered and exited with great fanfare, drawing attention wherever they went. Who would suspect that hidden among these ostentatious guests was the returned Marquis of Zhen Nan himself?
The maid knocked three times on a particular door. Silence greeted them. Just as she moved to push it open, a waiter's voice called out from around the corner. "Madam, Master Shi just went out."
Yi Xiao felt a flicker of confusion, but the maid was quicker to respond. "How could he have gone out? Are you sure you saw it correctly?"
The thin waiter hurried toward them, his eyes sweeping appreciatively over Yi Xiao's luxurious attire. He quickly arranged his features into an ingratiating smile. "Master Shi did go out. He mentioned that an honored guest was coming and asked me to get some fresh fruit. I saw some nice bananas in the market and bought some, but Master Shi said the guest doesn't eat bananas, so…"
A faint smile touched Yi Xiao's lips at this detail—such a small, intimate piece of knowledge. "That's enough, I understand. You may go about your business."
The waiter hastily opened the door with an obsequious bow. "Please enter, Madam. Master Shi should be back soon—"
Even after they entered and the maid closed the door behind them, they could still hear the waiter muttering to himself in the corridor. "I was indeed foolish. How could such a noble lady eat the same food as us?"
The maid covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. "Commander Fu's noble air might even surpass Princess Xi Yang's…"
"Stop this nonsense." Yi Xiao frowned, her rebuke gentle but firm. The maid immediately pouted in disappointment and fell silent.
Seated in the elegantly appointed room, Yi Xiao found herself growing unexpectedly calm. All the experiences of recent years passed through her mind like a revolving lantern show—each scene vivid, each memory sharp. It was because she had experienced love and being loved, had learned to give love in return, that she finally understood what she truly needed. She had found the person most suitable for her, someone with whom she could envision spending the rest of her days.
Now she finally grasped the meaning of Uncle Ning's words from long ago: to be happy, one must learn to let go.
What's lost, don't seek. What's dropped, don't pick up. What's in your hand is the true treasure.
Lost in her contemplation, Yi Xiao barely noticed when the maid came forward to clear the leftover tea from the table. The young woman bowed respectfully. "His Highness will be back soon. This servant will go prepare fresh tea. Please wait a moment, Commander Fu."
Yi Xiao murmured her agreement absently, and the maid slipped out.
Alone with her thoughts, Yi Xiao considered the men who had shaped her path. Xia Jingshi was a rational person, someone who clearly distinguished between what should and shouldn't be done, who weighed every action with careful deliberation. Feng Suige was his complete opposite—he always acted on impulse, doing things first and thinking later, just like when he had inexplicably abducted her to Su Sha without warning or plan.
As for Feng Xi Yang, Yi Xiao had never truly understood why the princess had fallen in love with Xia Jingshi at first sight. She even doubted such feelings could be genuine, suspecting the young woman might have misunderstood her own heart. In Yi Xiao's understanding, loving a man meant focusing all one's attention on appreciating his soul, his essence—not worshipping him like some distant, untouchable deity…
Suddenly, Yi Xiao felt an inexplicable wave of anxiety wash over her, accompanied by uncomfortable heat. Glancing around the room, she realized with growing unease that all the doors and windows were tightly shut. No wonder she felt stifled in the oppressive summer heat.
She rose and walked casually to the nearest window, reaching out to push it open for some much-needed air. To her shock, it refused to budge!
Yi Xiao leaned closer to examine it, and a cold sweat broke out across her skin—the window was fixed shut with large iron nails driven deep into the frame! Her heart hammering, she whirled and rushed to the door, yanking forcefully at the bolt. The bolt came loose in her hand, but when she tried to pull the door open, it held fast. Something was blocking it from the outside.
It was a trap!!!
No one could say where the fire had started, but people walking through the marketplace suddenly noticed flames erupting from the inn's roof. Fanned by the afternoon wind, the fire spread with terrifying speed, consuming the tiles and beams. Within moments, the entire roof was ablaze. The massive wooden beams crackled and groaned as they burned, sending a thick column of smoke spiraling into the sky.
Panic seized the crowd. People ran in all directions, shouting warnings and hurling buckets of water at the advancing fire dragons, but their efforts were futile—like pouring a cup of water onto a burning cart of wood. They could only watch in horror as the eaves were devoured by flames, and within heartbeats, the entire inn was engulfed in a raging inferno.
Suddenly, the sharp crack of a whip and the thunder of hoofbeats echoed from the end of the street. Onlookers scattered as two figures on horseback charged through, both men leaping from their mounts almost simultaneously. Their voices rang out in unison, urgent and desperate. "Where are they?!"
A ripple of recognition passed through the crowd—the newcomers were none other than Earl Jian Xin, Ye Duanfang, and the Regent Prince, Feng Suige.
A man with water-soaked clothes pointed with a trembling hand at the flame-engulfed building, his voice shaking with fear. "Your subordinate saw them go up to the third floor, but didn't see the Concubine come out when the fire started…"
Before he could finish his sentence, a dark shadow flashed before everyone's eyes. Amid the crowd's terrified cries, Feng Suige plunged headlong into the sea of flames without hesitation.
Ye Duanfang stood frozen for a heartbeat, his face a mask of shock. Then he suddenly roared at the stunned onlookers. "What are you all standing around for? Get more water hoses here!!!"
The flames licked at Feng Suige's face with searing intensity as he charged through the inferno. He beat at the sparks catching on his robes, coughing against the acrid smoke, and climbed the not-yet-consumed wooden stairs in desperate bounds, heading straight for the third floor.
"Yi Xiao!!!" He dodged a falling, burning window frame, his voice hoarse from smoke and desperation. "Answer me if you can hear me!!! Yi Xiao!!!"
As he turned at the stair landing, his eyes suddenly widened in fury. Outside a burning wooden door, four thick wooden pillars, now charred and smoldering, were propped against it—deliberately barricading it shut.
Feng Suige rushed forward, kicking away the still-burning wood with savage force, then threw his full weight against the door. It burst open, and a wave of scorching heat hit him like a physical blow. Through the smoke and flames, he saw a motionless figure lying on the floor, dangerously close to the advancing fire. Even in that hellish light, through the distortion of heat and smoke, Feng Suige could instantly recognize that familiar form.
The scorching air burned his nostrils and throat, leaving him unable to make a sound for a moment. He stumbled forward, reaching out with trembling hands, almost afraid to touch that terrifyingly still body.
Several ominous creaking sounds snapped him back to full awareness—the main beam overhead was about to collapse!
Feng Suige darted forward, scooping up Yi Xiao's body in one fluid motion. The massive falling beam grazed his arm as it crashed heavily onto the floor where they had just been standing. As the beam fell, accompanied by a thunderous crack, half the roof caved in with a shower of sparks and debris, revealing a sky thick with roiling smoke.
Feng Suige rolled away from the impact, cradling Yi Xiao protectively. His forehead, already injured somewhere in his frantic ascent, struck something hard in the chaos. Fresh blood flowed freely, trickling over his eyelashes and down his cheeks, finally dripping onto Yi Xiao's pale face.
Yi Xiao's previously unconscious form suddenly stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, slightly confused, and met his gaze. "Feng Suige?"
"It's me." Feng Suige gritted his teeth against the pain, roughly wiping the blood drops from her face with his sleeve. "You damned woman, once I get you out of here, I'm going to give you a good spanking!"
Yi Xiao coughed twice, the sound harsh in the smoke-filled air, and struggled to sit up. "Your forehead is bleeding."
Feng Suige helped her to her feet, quickly patting out the embers catching on the hem of her clothes. "We'll talk once we're out…"
Before he could finish, the floor beneath them suddenly tilted at a sickening angle. With a tremendous cracking sound that seemed to split the world in two, the inn's main support beam collapsed completely. All the furniture and floorboards in the room scraped against each other with a horrifying grinding noise, sliding inexorably toward the lower end of the tilting floor.
Feng Suige pulled Yi Xiao tightly against him, his arm locked around her waist. After a quick assessment of their desperate situation, he pointed to where the back wall had partially collapsed, creating a gap to the outside. "Quick, jump down from there!"
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