"What? You're in danger? But why come to me?" he asked, puzzled.
"I'm not very strong, you know."
Huang Yi hesitated for a moment. "It's not about strength."
"Then why?" she asked, her voice trembling. "You're the only person I trust right now."
"I'm not forcing you. It's your choice whether to help me or not," she added, her voice softening.
"Hmm, okay. But first, tell me what you need my help with," he replied, unconcerned about his own safety due to the helper card and protection pendant from Yun Xiu.
He was arguably the safest person in the empire.
"I'm returning to the imperial city, but I have a bad feeling something will happen on the way," she confided.
"And after that incident, I don't trust anyone around me anymore."
Hun Yu listened intently.
"What's in it for me?" he asked.
She fell silent, unsure of what to offer him.
"How about 10,000 gold coins?" she proposed. She might not have rare herbs or treasures, but she had plenty of money.
Hun Yu considered it. Money wasn't particularly useful to him now, as he had enough to get almost anything he needed.
"Hmm, alright. When do we leave?" he asked.
Seeing his willingness to help, she broke into a smile, her excitement palpable.
"Tomorrow."
"Hmm. I have a plan," he said, leaning in to whisper in her ear.
"Oh... This plan is very good," she said, impressed. But then she remembered her maid distracting the guards to help her sneak away. They might notice her absence.
"I have to go. They'll notice I'm gone," she said quickly, bidding him farewell and rushing back.
{Mission: Gain Complete Trust of Huang Yi
Time Limit: 1 month
Rewards: Revealed Upon Completion}
{Accept/Reject}
As Hun Yu looked at the mission details, he noted it was the same as before but now required gaining her complete trust.
Why does the system want her trust so badly?
But whatever.
Later, Hun Yu arrived at the designated location, spotting a group of guards escorting a cart. Nearby, he noticed a woman in a dark robe hiding.
"Let's go," he said.
After some distance of walking, Huang Yi suddenly stopped and used the wall for support.
The wound she had from the sword was still not healed, even after applying all the top-class medicines. It caused her pain when she walked.
Hun Yu looked at her, sensing that if she continued walking, it would take them days to reach the city. He also had the mission to complete: win her complete trust.
"You won't be able to walk much because of the injury," he said. "So come," he added, turning his back towards her and kneeling on the ground.
"But..." she hesitated.
She wanted to refuse, but what he was saying was true. She couldn't walk much because of this injury, let alone all the way to the imperial city.
"Okay," she said, her face reddening with embarrassment and blush.
She slowly wrapped her arms around him, and Hun Yu secured her legs with his arms.
As she felt his arms on her legs, she became embarrassed, and Hun Yu was not unaffected either. He could feel her soft Pom Pom against his back.
He somehow managed to ignore it and walked forward, while Huang Yi buried her face in his shoulder in embarrassment.
"Since you're here, who was inside the carriage?" he asked. Their plan was to take a different route and let all the guards leave with the carriage.
"There's no one inside. The carriage is special; no one from the outside can tell if there is anyone inside or not. So the guards probably think I'm inside," she explained.
"Oh, I see."
"How long will it take us to reach the city?" she asked.
"Two to three days," he replied.
Hun Yu took out the Duality cloak and put it on himself. His presence seemed to become unnoticeable.
Huang Yi did not realize why he suddenly wore a cloak. Soon, with the help of the cloak, Hun Yu arrived outside the city without being noticed by anyone.
"Wow, nobody noticed us," she said, still not realizing it was because of the cloak.
As Hun Yu walked slowly, he got used to the princess asking various questions from time to time. She seemed to be very curious about everything.
"Why are you going back to the Imperial City?" he asked.
Huang Yi heard this and suddenly lowered her head onto his shoulder. She hesitated, debating whether to reveal the truth. "The reason is related to my marriage," she finally admitted.
"My father wants me to marry the neighboring empire's prince to establish a friendly relationship," she said with a sad tone. "Being born into the imperial family seems like a blessing, but for a girl, it could be nothing more than a curse."
"Oh."
"But I don't think the emperor will change his decision," he said.
"You are right, but I have to try."
"What if you still fail?"
"Then... I will probably run away or die. It's still better than marrying someone just for the sake of making relations between empires better."
Hun Yu fell silent after hearing this.
"Alright, good luck to you in advance," he said before he increased his speed.
Huang Yi, who was on his back, gripped him tightly. Slowly, she placed her head on his shoulder, her hot breath directly hitting Hun Yu's skin.
As they continued their journey, the sun set, casting long shadows across the path. Hun Yu felt Huang Yi's breath steady, and her grip around him loosened slightly.
"You know," Hun Yu began, breaking the silence, "I never imagined I'd end up carrying a princess on my back."
Huang Yi chuckled softly. "And I never imagined someone like you 'd carry me. Life is full of surprises."
They reached a small clearing where Hun Yu decided to take a short rest. He gently lowered Huang Yi to the ground and sat beside her. The air cooled and refreshed, a stark contrast to the day's heat.
Hun Yu scanned the route they were taking to the imperial capital.
Being close to the Prana Beast Forest made it a bit dangerous, so encountering some Prana Beasts was likely. But with his broken duality cloak, he could probably evade most of them.
...
In the Sky Wind Sect's main hall, Yun Xiu sat alone at her seat of authority.
The room was quiet until she noticed a pigeon flying toward her. She stood up as the pigeon landed on her hand, quickly untying the letter from its leg and opening it.
As she read its contents, her face turned a deep shade of red.
"You assistant, what nonsense are you writing?" she muttered, safely storing the letter in her ring.
She took out a brush, scribbled a response, and attached it to the pigeon's leg. As the pigeon flew away, her face remained flushed, the letter's contents lingering in her mind.
...
As night fell, Hun Yu collected some wood for a campfire. The gentle crackling of the fire brought a sense of warmth and security amidst the looming darkness of the forest.
Huang Yi watched him, her eyes reflecting the dancing flames. "You still haven't told me your name," she said, her voice soft.
Hun Yu, poking the fire with a stick, hesitated. He thought about whether to tell her but realized he needed to earn her complete trust. "It is Hun Yu," he finally said.
"Oh, Hun Yu, it sounds good," she replied, a small smile forming on her lips.
Suddenly, Hun Yu stood up as if he sensed something. Within seconds, he extinguished the flames, surprising Huang Yi.
He picked her up and, taking out the duality cloak, hid behind a nearby tree. Confused, she wanted to ask something, but Hun Yu sealed her mouth with his finger.
Moments later, voices broke the silence.
"Hey, there are burned woods. Someone must have been here."
"Yes, it looks like they were extinguished recently. Let's go. She should be nearby."
"who would have thought that this princess not only avoided our trap but also took this route."
Hun Yu and Huang Yi stayed hidden, barely daring to breathe, as the voices grew fainter and eventually disappeared into the night.