Chu Yuan was in high spirits. Originally outside driving, he now entered the carriage, embracing Ruan Ning and kissing her passionately. Just as they were reluctant to part, the carriage jolted, almost throwing them out. Looking back, they saw the horses had run off the road to chew on tree branches, causing the carriage to crash into a tree trunk. Ruan Ning laughed and pushed him, saying, “Driver, focus!”
“I obey the Princess’s command!”
“Chu Yuan laughed, hugging her and kissing her again. “Ning Ning, I’m so happy!”
Ruan Ning panicked, worried about being seen in broad daylight in the wilderness. She pushed him away, finding an excuse. “I’m cold too; your hands are so chilly. Don’t make me catch a cold.”
“I’m very warm. Let me warm you up; I’ll make sure you don’t catch a cold,” Chu Yuan said, tightly embracing her, pinning her down so she couldn’t move, leaving her at his mercy.
The snow grew heavier, with horses under trees shaking off snowflakes. The carriage creaked and swayed, its sounds blending with the soft falling snowflakes into a pure white landscape.
Two days later, a deep blue trace appeared on the horizon. Chu Yuan lifted Ruan Ning high and pointed, “That blue trace is Hei Mountain. See how the mountaintop is white? They say it’s snow that hasn’t melted for a thousand years. Ning’er, Yumen Pass is at the foot of Hei Mountain; we’re almost there!”
Infected by his excitement, Ruan Ning became thrilled. They spurred their horses forward. After noon, they saw a magnificent fortress ahead. The wind grew stronger, the snow heavier, and amid the wind and snow, faint sounds of fighting could be heard.
A clear excitement showed on Chu Yuan’s face. These days with Ruan Ning had been peaceful, but he inherently had a bloodthirsty side.”
The brutality of battlefields stirred his heartstrings.
She quickly climbed onto the high city wall. Looking down from the battlements, the firelight and blood-red color transformed the open ground outside the pass into a purgatory, with Chu Yuan as its greatest demon, leaving nothing alive in his wake.
