Chapter 6: Vanish Like Smoke
The group arrived at the Commandery Prince’s mansion . The guards, startled by Xia Jingshi ’s unexpected arrival, rushed to announce him. Ignoring Ning Fei and Xiao Weiran, who followed close behind, Xia Jingshi strode swiftly through the garden. His steps were sure, his path familiar—after all, this was the residence he had once bestowed upon Yi Xiao . She had changed nothing, not a single wall, not even a tile. In his mind, Yi Xiao had always been wild and radiant—brilliant as the sun on the battlefield, fierce as a beast freed from its cage. Her blunt honesty often sparked conflict among the generals, which was why he had kept her close. Yet the last time he saw her—four years ago—she had been lying wounded by an arrow, eyes filled with pain. That haunted expression, and the silent figure Xiao Weiran once described standing alone beneath the sky, felt like a stranger to him. A ripple of pain spread through his chest, subtle yet deep, as if a stone had disturbed the still waters of...
