Li Man'er had clearly overestimated Qi Yihan. Ever since his confession was reciprocated, that guy had completely abandoned any pretense of reserve. During the day, he could still manage a bit of restraint in front of his subordinates. But at night, he wouldn't hesitate to openly share his future wife's blanket.
Li Man'er hadn't fallen asleep yet when a slightly warm body snuggled up beside her. She opened her eyes to see a pair of eyes that gleamed even in the dark.
"Not sleeping yet?"
"I was almost asleep. If you hadn't sneakily crept in, would I have woken up?"
Qi Yihan, however, retorted, "How was I sneaking? I was perfectly open about it!"
"Your Highness, aren't you afraid of gossip acting like this?"
"Gossip about what?"
Their voices gradually lowered.
"Of course, about how you're acting improperly and rashly."
"Who would dare?" Qi Yihan deliberately leaned closer to her, but his hands and feet remained properly behaved. "Don't I not have a blanket? Aren't you afraid I'll freeze?"
"Doesn't Your Highness have a cloak?" Li Man'er edged further back, genuinely a little intimidated.
"Didn't the cloak get blood on it?"
He was spewing nonsense.
Li Man'er silently grumbled to herself and stopped talking. She was genuinely tired. In such cold weather, not eating and sleeping well would take a toll on her body.
"I can't be bothered with you. Let's sleep."
"As you command, Madam."
"Who's your Madam?" Hearing this, Li Man'er inexplicably perked up.
Qi Yihan curved his lips. "Once we return to the capital, I'll have the Empress Dowager issue a decree for our marriage. You can prepare to be the Ninth Princess Consort!"
Li Man'er wanted to retort a few more times, but her eyelids were too heavy. She fell silent. The Ninth Princess Consort, so be it. It wasn't exactly a dragon's den or a tiger's lair.
That night passed peacefully, without any urgent situations, all the way until dawn.
When Li Man'er woke up, Ah Si was the only one in the small cave. Li Man'er sat up from under the blanket and rubbed her neck.
"Miss, breakfast will be ready soon. Please get up and wash up. The water is just boiled."
Li Man'er nodded, tidied her bedding, packed her large bag, and put on her cloak to wipe her face with a towel.
Ah Si watched her with envy. "Miss, we both endure the wind and sun, so why doesn't your skin get tanned or chapped?"
Li Man'er declared with great confidence, "Probably because I'm naturally beautiful." If it weren't for the spiritual mist spring water in her space nourishing her, no amount of face cream or sunscreen could withstand the harsh winds and cold of the northern desert.
Ah Si readily agreed and turned to prepare breakfast for her.
After a simple breakfast, everyone continued towards their destination.
"We should reach here in at most one more day," Ah Wu pointed to the red circle on the map. "Your Highness, we should be able to reach the outskirts of the settlement tonight."
A heavy stone seemed to press down on Qi Yihan's heart. He nodded and led his men onward.
After walking for another half day, the path became smoother. It was as if all difficulties and obstacles had disappeared. Not only was the road flat, but the climate seemed to have changed as well. Spring colors reappeared in the mountains and wilds. The trees remained evergreen, and wild flowers could even be seen.
"What's going on? It's so warm?"
"It feels like it did back in the valley, as if there's a hot spring."
Ah Wu took out the map and compared it with the scenery before them, looking somewhat perplexed. "Your Highness, it seems there's no road ahead." He didn't see the bridge marked on the map.
As Qi Yihan was about to pick up the map, Li Man'er spoke, "No need to look. This should be the bridge leading to our destination, only it's broken."
Everyone hurried over to see. Good heavens. Between two sheer cliffs, a chasm appeared before them. Below was an unfathomable abyss, like the gaping maw of a giant beast, silently waiting to devour living beings.
"There should have been a bridge here, but it's broken." Li Man'er pointed to the marks on the mountain wall. "This bridge was likely destroyed. However, to reach our destination now, we can only find a way to build a bridge. Otherwise, there's no path forward."
This threw everyone into despair. Even if they could chop down wood to build a bridge, it would be impossible given the distance. None of them were skilled craftsmen, and they couldn't fly across.
"It's very difficult," Qi Yihan said helplessly, shaking his head. His gaze towards the opposite bank held a trace of despair. Even someone with the highest Qinggong skills couldn't leap across this gorge.
"Your Highness," Ah Wu felt uneasy as well. He wanted to offer comfort but didn't know how. If there were a way, they brothers would gladly give their lives to bridge the gap. But it was obvious that human lives couldn't form a bridge for Qi Yihan to pass smoothly.
"Rest here."
"Yes!"
Ah Wu had his men start a fire and also scout the vicinity for any other paths or methods. However, after searching, they couldn't find a second route, and almost all of them retreated after not walking very far.
"Miss, is there really no way?"
Li Man'er pondered. In fact, there was a way. In her space, she had a small glider. Utilizing the terrain here, she could completely operate it to carry two people to the other side. However, that thing was too astonishing. How would she explain it? Even if she trusted Qi Yihan and Ah Wu and Ah Si, what about the others? It was a matter of utter annihilation if even the slightest mistake was made. She couldn't do that.
Perhaps, she could find a way to let Qi Yihan leave this place first. After some time, when she completely trusted Qi Yihan, she could secretly return. At that time, she wouldn't bring anyone else, just the two of them, along with his birth mother's ashes.
"Your Highness."
Before Li Man'er could speak, Qi Yihan said, "You don't need to persuade me. I am not a rash person, nor am I someone who acts impulsively. In this situation, it is naturally not advisable to rush. I understand all of this."
Seeing Qi Yihan sitting alone and desolately, Li Man'er felt a pang in her heart. "There will be opportunities in the future. We didn't know the situation here before..."
As Li Man'er spoke, her eyes suddenly fixed on the opposite bank. Qi Yihan also noticed her abnormality, but after a careful inspection, he didn't find anything particularly noteworthy. He asked, "What's wrong? Did you discover something?"
Li Man'er simply said, "It's too dark, I can't see clearly. We'll talk about it tomorrow when it's light."
Qi Yihan's heart began to beat uncontrollably. "Did you discover something?" He knew Li Man'er wasn't one to speak carelessly. She must have had a complete certainty before pointing it out.
"I really can't see clearly. We'll discuss it tomorrow." Li Man'er was somewhat pleased. If she could help Qi Yihan fulfill his wish without revealing herself, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?