Although Lei Yu told herself to lie down, she was, after all, in enemy territory. Even though she had just recovered from her illness, she didn’t want to let herself relax too much. So, while Shang Ruyi picked up her clothes and put them on, she listened carefully to the sounds outside. She heard someone say with a smile, "I noticed the Little Princess hasn’t gotten up or eaten, so I brought some food over."

"..."

"This is freshly cooked lamb soup. Didn’t the Little Princess say she wanted to drink some recently?"

As the person spoke, the wind carried the strong smell of lamb, filling the entire tent. Shang Ruyi smelled it and couldn’t help but frown slightly.

She didn’t eat lamb, as she wasn’t used to its gamey smell. At this moment, the smell was even more pungent and unpleasant than what she had encountered in the Central Plains.

Even Lei Yu, who was standing at the entrance, couldn’t help but wrinkle her brow.

Yet she remained courteous, waving her hand at the maid who brought the lamb soup and said, "I don’t feel like drinking this today, so take it to Lady Jiayuan or the Khan. I have a patient here, and she can’t eat this or anything too greasy."

The maid immediately asked, "What would the Little Princess like to eat?"

Lei Yu replied, "I still have some rice I brought earlier, so make some porridge for me, and include some light side dishes."

"Yes, I’ll take care of it right away."

Perhaps it was rare for Lei Yu to request anything, so the maid, instead of being inconvenienced, happily went away to fulfill the request. Lei Yu thoughtfully closed the tent door and returned to the inner room, where she found Shang Ruyi had already dressed and was sitting by the bed, slightly panting due to lack of strength.

She immediately said, "Why did you get up?"

Shang Ruyi smiled, "I’ve slept for too long and felt uncomfortable lying down, so it’s better to get up and walk around. Don’t worry, I haven’t had a fever for a while now."

Lei Yu knew her resilience and that she was not a delicate person, so she sighed, helped her out of the inner room, and after a simple wash, they drank a couple of cups of hot tea with milk. Although Shang Ruyi still wasn’t accustomed to the taste, she didn’t show any distaste. After a while, the porridge and side dishes were delivered. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

With the illness gone, and having not eaten much recently, she was indeed very hungry. She devoured the porridge and simple side dishes, regaining much of her strength.

Soon, the rain outside also stopped.

Although Ashina Shali hadn’t restricted Shang Ruyi’s movements, his unpredictable temperament left her fearful that she might provoke his murderous intent if he saw her. So Shang Ruyi didn’t wander far and just walked around Lei Yu’s tent. She could get a clearer picture of the Yatai.

It was similar to her initial impression last night; the Yatai was backed by two large mountains, situated on the flat Cangtou River Valley. The area was lush with water and grass, ideal for herding. Beyond the high stone walls built on either side of the Yatai, she could see countless cattle and horses scattered freely on the grassland, grazing and drinking water. As the weather improved, much of the rainwater on the ground dried up, and the soldiers within the Yatai began their drills.

The most imposing sight was the squad of heavy cavalry.

To this day, she still didn’t know how Yu Wenqian defeated Ashina Zhuxie and his heavy cavalry at Yangji, but the result had shown her that this person was no ordinary character.

Even though Yu Wenye was both literate and martial, wise and resourceful, how much chance did he have against this brother and the clever, knowledgeable, and ruthless Yu Mingyue by his side?

Just thinking about it, Shang Ruyi angrily shook her head hard.

What was she doing?

At this moment, she was still thinking of him?

All because of him, his arrogance, and even more so because of his hostility towards her and Shen Wuzheng, placing Shen Wuzheng in danger, and finally—she had no reason to think of him anymore!

Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, forcefully casting away the thoughts tangled in her mind like poisonous snakes, and looked up again. It was close to dusk, with the setting sun casting a golden net over the entire grassland. The water droplets on the grass blades reflected the sunlight, sparkling like pearls embedded in this golden net, making the entire grassland extraordinarily magnificent and resplendent.

Though her heart was heavy, such a beautiful scene was still awe-inspiring.

At this moment, she also noticed many people emerging from the surrounding tents, carrying bundles of dry grass and wood, walking out of the Yatai. In front of the Yatai lay the sun-drenched, golden Cangtou River—they seemed to be heading there for something.

Shang Ruyi couldn’t follow, so she stood at the tent entrance watching from afar. She saw these Turkic people carrying the dry grass and wood to a flat riverside beach, piling it up. Others carried thick felt and whole slaughtered sheep in that direction as well.

What were they about to do?

As Shang Ruyi pondered this, Lei Yu’s voice sounded behind her, "What are they doing?"

Shang Ruyi turned around to see Lei Yu in a jacket, walking out of the tent and noticing the people moving toward the riverside beach. Unable to resist frowning, Shang Ruyi asked, "You don’t know what they’re up to either?"

Lei Yu shook her head and said, "I know—they’re preparing for a bonfire gathering."

"..."

"I’ve seen them do this on the river beach, stacking a large pile of straw and wood to ignite, then everyone drinks and eats around the bonfire. But usually, it’s for some important festival or before a military expedition."

"..."

"Today’s not a festival, so could it be—"

She paused and exchanged a glance with Shang Ruyi, both looking somewhat complicated.

Just then, a familiar yet strong aura, carried by the wind, made her heart skip. Shang Ruyi instinctively turned her head and saw Ashina Zhuxie standing silently in front of another tent, looking towards them.

It was unclear whom he was watching.

The next moment, deliberately or not, his gaze met Shang Ruyi’s, and he simply began walking towards them.

Upon seeing him, Lei Yu immediately took a step forward, blocking Shang Ruyi and said, "What do you want?"

At this moment, the golden sunlight shone on Ashina Zhuxie’s handsome and rugged face, full of masculine charisma. He didn’t immediately answer but stood before Lei Yu, looking down at her, and after a moment of silence, said, "Father Khan wants you, both of you, to join."

Lei Yu immediately furrowed her brow upon hearing this.