"Let me do it." Ran Lei took Jin Bao and went over to feed him the rice soup bit by bit with a small spoon. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With something to eat, the little guy stopped crying and even happily waved his little hands.

After feeding him half a bowl of rice soup, the little guy yawned and fell asleep again.

"It’s during these times when he’s clueless that he’s happiest." Ayang sighed at her brother’s small face and then turned to look at Ran Lei, "This is a mistake father made."

"The Flame Sect harbors wild ambitions. Even if the king hadn’t had any dealings with them, someday they would have shown their claws." Ran Lei hurried to explain, "So, you don’t need to..."

"You don’t need to comfort me." Ayang gave a bitter smile and pointed to a box on the table, "It’s this Divine Incense that dragged father’s soul into Hell. If father hadn’t believed in the Flame so much, Miaojiang might still face disaster, but it certainly wouldn’t be the total destruction it is now."

"But Ayang, he was the king..."

"Even kings make mistakes, and the consequences of a king’s mistakes can be even more terrifying." Ayang waved her hand, "Don’t worry, I’m my father’s daughter. I will make amends for the mistakes he made, and I won’t let the tribe’s blood be spilled in vain."

Ran Lei nodded with relief, no wonder the king was so fond of this daughter. Her determination and clarity of thought are qualities not easily matched by many men.

"Princess, don’t worry, I will stay by your side always."

"Alei, I don’t want to burden you..."

"Princess, you should know, these years I’ve always been by the king’s side. Now that he’s gone, the Flame will not let me go." Ran Lei shook his head, "If I stay, I won’t be able to save myself, and it might even cause trouble for the tribe." He paused, "Besides, you’re not alone, you have Jin Bao with you. Forget about reaching Beijing; you might be caught just as you leave the tribe."

Ayang fell silent; indeed, she was feeling powerless now.

"Princess..."

"Alei, there’s no princess here anymore, just call me Ayang." Ayang looked up, "From now on, I’ll call you Brother Alei."

"Alright." Ran Lei nodded, "I will escort the princess north."

Ayang did not refuse further and suddenly brightened her eyes: "Great Xuan is at war with Nanzhao right now, aren’t Great Xuan’s troops stationed here?"

Ran Lei nodded.

"Then if we go to Great Xuan’s military camp, won’t we find protection?"

"But we helped the Flame Sect with quite a few things before, why would Great Xuan’s troops easily accept us?" Ran Lei sighed; going there might end up in getting killed by someone venting their anger.

"Then what should we do?"

"Unless..."

"Unless what?" Ayang frowned, "Brother Alei, don’t keep me guessing now."

"Unless we can show some sincerity."

"But how can we show any sincerity now?"

"I know, Great Xuan just sent a general some days ago because the previous one was captured by the Flame." Ran Lei’s eyes gleamed, "I’ve heard it’s the prince from Great Xuan. If we can rescue him, then..."

"That’s a good idea, but do you think with our current strength we can rescue anyone?"

"Even if we can’t rescue him, if we can find a way to get information about the prince, wouldn’t we have a reason to seek help from Great Xuan?"