The flames raged fiercely, dyeing half the forest crimson. Shen Xihe lifted her gaze to meet Xiao Huayong’s profound and resolute eyes. Pressing her lips together, she ultimately chose to trust him. Raising her whip, she urged her horse forward, leading the way.
He cleared a path ahead, cutting through blazing trees, while she followed closely behind. Watching as the flames licked at the hem of his robe—only for him to slice it away—and as his shoes tread upon the fire, gradually curling and blackening, her eyes grew moist.
Xiao Huayong’s soles burned intensely, the searing heat piercing like sharp needles, sending waves of excruciating pain through him. The fire was laced with poison, and he couldn’t allow it to burn through his shoes. Shen Xihe tossed two leather covers to him. "Wrap these around for now."
Though the leather covers were resistant to ignition, they conducted heat readily. Wrapping them around his feet would inevitably scald his soles.
Catching them, Xiao Huayong flashed a gentle smile at Shen Xihe. Moving swiftly, he continued to forge a path for her and the others. They couldn’t approach the still-standing trees—the dripping fire from the branches was too dense. As trees fell, the flames grew fiercer, enveloping Shen Xihe and her companions in a furnace-like intensity. Shen Xihe, with her delicate skin, already felt a stinging, flesh-tearing pain on her arms.
Acrid smoke filled Xiao Huayong’s nostrils and irritated his recently healed eyes, causing extreme discomfort. Knowing they must end this quickly, he suppressed the unease in his chest and leaped into the air. As he spun, his sleeves billowed, and the ordinary steel blade in his hand seemed cloaked in a radiant light, its sharp edge too dazzling to behold. With a sweep of his arm, a sudden gale erupted, unleashing a force even more powerful than before—like an invisible great blade shearing through everything in its path, cleanly felling a row of giant trees.
Thud, thud, thud— as these trees collapsed, the flames were momentarily suppressed. Seizing the momentum, Xiao Huayong pushed on with all his strength. After a few more leaps, two rows of trees fell more than ten paces away from him. On his final landing, his footing was visibly unsteady, and he nearly stumbled. Not wanting to worry Shen Xihe, he steadied himself, gripping the hilt with both hands. As his knees struck the ground where the flames had been extinguished by his energy, a surge of power burst from the blade embedded in the earth, forcefully sweeping aside the burning branches on either side. He felt a spasming pain coursing through his meridians—his strength was beginning to wane.
With a sharp cry, Xiao Huayong leaped up once more, his long arms brandishing the gleaming blade. Channeling all his remaining power, he swung it horizontally. Shen Xihe even had the illusion that she could see the blade’s energy surge forth like a wave, crashing into the burning trees, which toppled one after another.
The unleashed force was so immense that it instantly snuffed out the flames on the remaining standing trees. With only a few trees left, Shen Xihe shouted, "Charge!"
Xiao Huayong spun and landed, once again driving his blade fiercely into the ground. The residual energy merged with his previous force, swiftly extinguishing the last few trees.
They rushed out quickly. Seeing that they had escaped the forest, Xiao Huayong hurried after them. The moment he relaxed his grip, his energy dissipated, and the burning leaves, like candles bent by a fierce wind, reignited instantly as the force passed.Before he could charge out, droplets of fire began to rain down again, forcing him to abruptly halt his steps. Seizing the moment when the fire droplets were not too dense, he swiftly retreated to where the trees had fallen, to a spot free from falling flames.
Shen Xihe, who had leaped out on her horse, glanced back at this scene, her eyes sharpening. As soon as she cleared the forest, she tugged the reins and turned her horse around. Seeing Xiao Huayong being forced to retreat rapidly, Shen Xihe gritted her teeth, dismounted, and retrieved her cloak from her pack. She then took out a water skin, pouring all the water onto the cloak. Urging Moyu and the others, she called out, "Quickly, water!"
Moyu, Mo Yuan, and the rest needed no further prompting; they had already begun to act, pouring all their water onto Shen Xihe's cloak.
Ensuring every part of the cloak was thoroughly soaked to the point of dripping, Shen Xihe remounted, draped the cloak over herself, pulled up the hood, and tucked the edges securely under the saddle to ensure her entire body was covered. Only then did she spur her horse and charge back in. Moyu did not stop Shen Xihe or offer to take her place. Moyu understood clearly that this was something Shen Xihe had to do herself. Unbeknownst to her, the Crown Prince had become a person of utmost importance to her mistress.
Xiao Huayong's throat burned from the smoke, which grew thicker. He struggled to hold his breath, trying to devise an escape plan. If all else failed, he would have to retreat and find another way alone.
Just as he picked up the blade he had discarded earlier and prepared to withdraw, the sound of hoofbeats rang out again. Through the dense smoke and raging flames, Shen Xihe, wrapped tightly in her cloak, charged in. Only her eyes were visible, unwavering and clear.
Shen Xihe galloped forward, and as she neared Xiao Huayong, she pulled off the cloak and tossed it to him. The fire here was intense, but no flames were falling. Shen Xihe tugged the reins, swiftly turning her horse around. Before the turn was complete, she gripped the saddle with one hand and reached out to Xiao Huayong with the other.
In a spinning motion, she grasped his hand and pulled him forcefully onto the horse. Xiao Huayong had already seized the cloak and leaped onto the horse, pressing tightly against Shen Xihe's back.
"Are you afraid?" Xiao Huayong asked in a low voice, his chest against her back as they turned to face the fiery cascade ahead, gripping the still-dripping cloak in his hand.
"No," Shen Xihe replied calmly, her eyes fixed forward as she tightened her grip on the reins. "Ready?"
"Let's go."
Before Xiao Huayong's words faded, Shen Xihe had already cracked the whip, charging toward the forest. Her cloak was not large enough to cover both of them, but they had only brought so much water—not enough to soak another cloak—and there was no water source nearby. Xiao Huayong could not afford to wait for her to find one.
Without blinking, she charged toward the forest where fire fell in large, bead-like droplets. Just as they were about to reach the trees dripping with flames, Xiao Huayong gripped the edges of the cloak with both hands and swiftly flung it out, forming an umbrella-like shield that tightly covered them from above.
Xiao Huayong's arms twisted and turned, the cloak fluttering like a banner, shifting so rapidly it seemed as if it had always been held up. Not a single gap was left for the flames to penetrate, all of them falling onto the cloak.Shen Xihe placed her complete trust in him, urging her horse forward without so much as a blink. The horse's whinny and the fiery droplets falling like a meteor shower flashed past her ears and peripheral vision.
Xiao Huayong had already cut down most of the flaming trees in the forest, leaving only a short distance of about one or two hundred meters. Supporting each other as husband and wife, Shen Xihe swiftly broke through the encirclement.
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