The moment Ning Xuan emerged from the room, Qing Zhu and Mo Qi hurried over to him. Qing Zhu was especially dramatic, tugging at Ning Xuan’s arm, patting his legs, and giving him a thorough inspection. In the end, he stared at Ning Xuan in disbelief for a long while before lamenting as though the heavens had collapsed. “How is this possible? You actually came out alive—and completely unharmed at that! I’d already finished drafting the speech for your funeral.”
Ning Xuan’s face darkened. He truly could not understand what went through Qing Zhu’s head all day. The sharp contrast between the warmth indoors and the cold outside sent chills through his body. Pulling the fur cloak that Mo Qi had draped over him tighter around his shoulders, Ning Xuan quickly walked away.
By now, daylight had fully broken. Thinking about it, Feng Xuanyi should be returning from court soon.
“Hey, I wasn’t finished talking yet! Why are you leaving already?” Qing Zhu hurried after him. “What did the Princess Consort say to you?”
“What were you hoping she’d say to me?” Seeing Qing Zhu’s eager expression, Ning Xuan found it impossible to associate such a look with concern. If he absolutely had to connect it to something, it could only be gossip. He had never understood why entertainment reporters could tirelessly collect bits and pieces of hearsay, then spin endless speculation from them, nor why countless people eagerly consumed news that was only partially true. But after seeing Qing Zhu, he could only sigh. Gossip journalism truly was an inevitable stage in the evolution of civilization.
“Nothing much,” Qing Zhu replied. Seeing the calm look on Ning Xuan’s face, as though his little thoughts had been seen through completely, he rubbed his nose in disappointment. “I was just curious what a Princess Consort who never leaves her residence would look like when defending her rights.”
Thinking of the Princess Consort, Ning Xuan could not quite describe how he felt. Dignified, beautiful, gentle, virtuous—every good adjective seemed appropriate for her. She always gave off a quiet aura. Yet for someone her age, she was perhaps too quiet. Noble and exalted, yet distant. From beginning to end, aside from that brief moment of confusion and hesitation, Ning Xuan had not seen even the slightest ripple in her dark eyes. It was as though she were merely a doll placed in that position, devoid of desires or demands.
If she had summoned him because she had heard rumors and wanted to warn him to keep his distance from Feng Xuanyi, then she showed none of the jealousy one would expect. Besides, even if she did care deeply, there were plenty of young masters and consorts throughout the Prince’s residence. Why single him out? Moreover, if she had endured it all these years without complaint, why summon him first thing in the morning while Feng Xuanyi was away? What exactly was her purpose?
Ning Xuan could not figure it out. On the way back, he passed the lotus pond. The lotus blossoms had long since fallen, though the leaves had not yet withered. Then the early frost and snow had arrived in a hurry. The once-green scenery was now painted silver-white, colder and lonelier than before. A thin layer of ice had formed over the pond. Given another stretch of time, it would probably be thick enough to skate on, but for now, it likely could not support a person’s weight.
It was here that he had first met Feng Xuanyi. Because Feng Xuanyi had been drying books by the pond. Because Ning Xuan had hurried past and stumbled.
Just like now.
Ning Xuan had only paused for a moment while staring at the pond when a fierce gust of wind struck him head-on, accompanied by a powerful force. He felt his entire body lift into the air. Then the thin icy surface of the pond rushed closer and closer. Before he could even cry out, there was a loud splash as he plunged into the frozen water.
All Ning Xuan could hear was the roar of wind in his ears. Through the haze he vaguely heard several people shouting his name before the biting cold enveloped him completely, as though even his eyeballs had frozen solid.
Damn it! Nothing good ever happens when I pass by this place!
Ning Xuan desperately flailed in the water, only to discover that he was a complete landlubber. After struggling toward the surface several times, he found that the only break in the ice was the hole he had fallen through. The rest of the frozen surface remained stubbornly solid.
He struggled to lift his head, forcing his frozen eyes open in search of something to focus on. The bubbles constantly escaping his mouth only made it harder to see. Qing Zhu and Mo Qi stood anxiously on the shore, yet neither one came down to lend a hand. Ning Xuan gritted his teeth in frustration.
I cared so much about you two, and now you’re just standing there watching me die!
Then came another splash nearby.
Ning Xuan paid it no mind. Just as he was about to throw himself upward with all his strength, something suddenly restrained his limbs. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not move freely.
His first reaction was despair.
Don’t tell me it’s a water ghost? In this freezing weather, and I’m already a landlubber. If I run into a water ghost too, there’s really no hope of surviving.
Ning Xuan fought desperately, but the water ghost was surprisingly strong. It barely moved, yet somehow rendered him completely immobile, like a corpse floating in the water. His breath was nearly exhausted. Spots danced before his eyes. Even someone as optimistic as Ning Xuan had to admit that this was probably where his story ended, though for no understandable reason whatsoever.
Determined to end things quickly rather than be torn apart by some unknown creature, he took a sharp breath—
Only to discover that what rushed into his lungs was not icy lake water, but damp, freezing air.
Caught completely off guard, Ning Xuan broke into a violent coughing fit that felt as though it might tear his lungs out. His already weak constitution immediately rebelled. Darkness swam before his eyes. He wanted to speak but could not find the opportunity.
Sitting in the snow, he shivered like a leaf even without the wind’s assistance. After gathering his senses, he saw Qing Zhu and Mo Qi hurrying over to shield him from the wind. A strange figure appeared before him, rushing about busily. Ning Xuan did not have time to see who it was. The man snatched the cloak hanging from Qing Zhu’s wrist and wrapped it around him. Then his body suddenly grew light as the man lifted him into a bridal carry.
The cold wind cut across Ning Xuan’s face like knives, as though it might tear his skin apart. His eyes blinked stiffly. He could even see tiny beads of ice clinging to his eyelashes. Having just been hauled from the water, he was now being carried up and down like he was on a roller coaster. His empty stomach churned unpleasantly. He wanted to tell the man not to rush around as though he were racing toward reincarnation, but his lips felt frozen shut.
The surroundings suddenly became familiar.
In the blink of an eye, he was back in Feng Xuanyi’s main bedchamber.
The sudden warmth almost made Ning Xuan think he had been reborn. Thick quilts were piled over him. As one blanket was tucked around his shoulders, a lock of his hair brushed against it. The frozen strand snapped cleanly in half at a right angle.
The sight nearly made him laugh.
“What happened?”
Feng Xuanyi arrived immediately afterward, following the man who had rushed all the way here using qinggong. His gaze swept over the newcomer and then landed on Ning Xuan, who had been bundled into a human dumpling on the bed, soaked through and pale from the cold. His handsome brows furrowed slightly as his deep gaze moved between the two men.
The man—Feng Xuanzhen, the Eighth Prince and Prince Yu—had spent years training on the frontier, yet in front of Feng Xuanyi he still displayed a somewhat boyish side. He rubbed his nose awkwardly, trying to hide his guilt.
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