The sky is vast, and the wilderness is boundless.

As she opened her eyes, what she saw was the endless clear sky and the boundless grassland, reminiscent of childhood scenes appearing in her dreams once again, leaving Shang Ruyi momentarily unsure whether she was in reality or fantasy.

However, the next moment, a severe jolt and the subsequent soreness of her muscles brought her thoughts back from the illusion.

"Ugh!"

Just as she awoke from her coma, she instinctively let out a soft cry, then heard a deep, hoarse voice from above that sounded like rough rocks scraping against her eardrums: "You’re awake?"

Shang Ruyi shuddered all over and immediately came to her senses.

Only then did she realize that she was still sitting on the horseback, leaning against a broad and solid chest, and when she looked up, she met the face she last saw before losing consciousness—handsome yet rugged.

Ashina Zhuxie.

Following that, a sharp pain from the back of her neck nearly caused Shang Ruyi to moan again, but she bit her lower lip and stubbornly held back. The dull pain reminded her—she was knocked out by this man because she refused to be obedient. Even after being taken far away from Qi County by this group, she still tried to escape. Eventually, Ashina Zhuxie struck her on the back of her neck, causing her to faint.

Now, the surrounding scenery was completely different than before. They had already crossed the frontier to the grassland!

No idea how long she had been unconscious.

"Stop thinking,"

The hoarse voice sounded again, calmly saying, "Earlier, you might have found a way to escape, but now that you’re on the grassland—with no horse, no food, no direction—you can’t move an inch."

"...!"

Shang Ruyi’s breathing tightened, frowning.

What he said was correct, and moreover—

Ashina Zhuxie looked ahead, riding along, saying, "Besides, you’ve been unconscious for several days without eating. Even if given a horse, you couldn’t flee now."

As soon as he finished speaking, a pain like a knife slicing through her stomach came.

Shang Ruyi bit her lower lip again, enduring the extreme hunger-induced weakness and pain. Even if she did nothing, she could feel her muscle aches and weakness, growing stronger as she came to. Soon, she was sweating coldly, with her breathing becoming labored.

How long had she been unconscious?

Feeling the weak breathing and the cold sweat from the person in his arms, Ashina Zhuxie glanced down and suddenly said, "Rest here!"

With his command, the thunderous sound of hooves around them halted. He pulled the reins tight, stopping his steed, then dismounted and reached out his hands towards the horseback Shang Ruyi.

"..."

Shang Ruyi glanced at him, said nothing, just bent down, gripped the bridle tightly, and slowly slid down from the horse.

Ashina Zhuxie watched her stubborn figure and the prominent veins on her hands, seeming to recall something, becoming momentarily dazed. Despite her successfully dismounting, the action depleted her already scarce strength. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she stumbled unexpectedly.

"Ah!"

Shang Ruyi exclaimed in fear, about to fall, when a pair of arms stretched from behind, supporting her firmly.

Shang Ruyi looked back in shock, it was Ashina Zhuxie.

He gazed at her, seemingly dazed, or perhaps exploring, murmuring thoughtfully, "You seem—"

Shang Ruyi blinked, puzzled, not knowing what he meant.

And Ashina Zhuxie seemed to sense something, quickly composed himself, supported her arms, helping her stand upright: "Can you stand steadily?"

"..."

Shang Ruyi said nothing, just clenched her jaw, relying on instinct to stand firm, then straightened herself, sweating profusely, stating, "I’m fine."

Ashina Zhuxie glanced at her again and smiled.

The troop rested, began boiling water and roasting meat. They were efficient, soon steam rose, and meat sizzled, releasing aroma in the cold wind.

Sitting by the campfire, Shang Ruyi finally received some roasted meat and a bowl of hot soup.

Once the soldier handed it over, she eagerly gulped the soup and devoured the meat, finally soothing her starving stomach with some nourishment, making her shiver all over, while Ashina Zhuxie observed her slightly healthier complexion through the flames.

Eventually, he said, "I thought you’d refuse."

Shang Ruyi swallowed a piece of meat, still feeling stuffy in her chest, drank a large mouthful of hot soup, finally easing the grease, then looked up at him, asking, "What?"

"I thought you wouldn’t eat the enemy’s food." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Why wouldn’t I?"

"Aren’t Han people concerned about—integrity?"

Shang Ruyi glanced at the swirling oil in the soup, chuckled coldly, saying, "We uphold character and integrity, but this doesn’t conflict with me eating your food."

"..."

"Besides, didn’t you just say I haven’t eaten for several days? Even if given a horse now, I couldn’t escape."

Ashina Zhuxie raised his brows slightly: "So, you still intend to escape?"

"Of course."

"..."

In fact, Shang Ruyi could feel it too. Ever since she was captured, this man had been probing her, though she wasn’t sure why. However, she had heard of this Ashina Zhuxie’s background and knew he was sinister and composed, skilled at planning and decision-making, and not easy to anger. Even if she openly declared her intention to escape, he might not be angry just because of her words.

But unexpectedly, after hearing her words, he suddenly laughed.

Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but frown.

After laughing, those wolf-like eyes slightly narrowed again, flickering through the firelight with a hint of feverish warmth, and said, "I would really like to see how you plan to escape from my grasp."

"..."

"Besides, don’t you want to see an old friend?"

"...!"

Shang Ruyi’s breath deepened and quieted down.

She understood that arguing with Ashina Zhuxie here was meaningless, especially since she hadn’t fully recovered her strength and didn’t even know their specific location. To speak of escape was indeed premature.

Moreover, he was right.

Watching them heading north, they had already reached the grassland. They were probably heading towards the Turkic’s Yatai. If that was the case, then maybe she could really see...

Thinking of this, she calmed down, said nothing more, and quietly finished the food in her hands.

Although she was full and quenched her thirst, her strength did not recover quickly, so Shang Ruyi sat quietly by the fire to rest, occasionally looking around. The area was densely packed with bonfires and crowds, nearly covering the entire grassland. When she was kidnapped earlier, it was too dark and she was too tense to figure out the size of this troop. But now, at a glance, it was at least ten thousand strong.

So many people—

She suddenly thought of something and looked towards the other side of the bonfire, where Ashina Zhuxie was eating, and said, "You were originally going to Taiyuan, weren’t you?"

Ashina Zhuxie glanced up at her but said nothing.

Yet Shang Ruyi furrowed her brow, pondered for a moment, and continued, "But you went to Qi County, and now heading north."

"..."

"You didn’t reinforce Taiyuan, so Taiyuan now—"

Ashina Zhuxie stared at her fixedly, his eyes slightly flickering in the firelight, "You, a woman, actually care about our military movements and the battle at Taiyuan?"

Shang Ruyi said, "A woman can’t care about military affairs?"

"..."

"I’ve already been captured by you; if I don’t care, I’d have no chance to escape."

Hearing her still talk of escape, Ashina Zhuxie wasn’t angered; instead, he slightly pursed his thin lips, seeming to show a hint of a smile, and said, "You do remind me of—"

"What?"

"It’s nothing,"

Ashina Zhuxie emptied the bowl of broth in one gulp, put down the empty bowl, and said, "Since you’re so concerned about military matters, I might as well tell you."

"..."

"Indeed, we were supposed to reinforce Taiyuan, but due to some unexpected events, we couldn’t reach Taiyuan as planned. And now, Taiyuan has fallen."

"Fallen!?"

These two words made Shang Ruyi’s eyes widen.

Ashina Zhuxie looked at her astonished yet slightly lost expression, calmly said, "Yes, Taiyuan City is no longer in our possession."

"..."

Shang Ruyi’s breath caught.

But she didn’t speak immediately but rather sat there somewhat stiffly, as her originally sore muscles suddenly started to hurt intensely, causing her to draw a deep breath before regaining a bit of her composure. Then she looked at Ashina Zhuxie and softly asked, "Can I ask how that battle was fought?"

Ashina Zhuxie looked at her suddenly pale face, slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Of course you can."

"..."

"I also sent people to gather intelligence. That night—, the night we caught you, a rebellion suddenly broke out within Taiyuan City; someone opened the city gate from inside, and forces lying in ambush took that opportunity to coordinate with people inside and stormed in."

"..."

"Now, Taiyuan has been retaken by the Yuwen Family."

He said this with a slight curl of the lips, gazing at Shang Ruyi’s pale face and bewildered eyes, and continued, "I just don’t know if the people who captured Taiyuan were the ones who ambushed me at Shouyang, or your husband—Yuwen Ye."

"..."

"What do you think?"