A horse race… Yao Ji’s spirits sank further. She could ride, but her skills were nowhere near Zong Jun’s level. However, she wouldn’t go back on her word. Attended by her servants, she changed into riding attire and reluctantly mounted the gentle mare Zong Jun had prepared for her.
What began as a test had now become a leisurely ride. Zong Jun rode alongside her, one hand guiding her reins, showing her the vast grasslands that were now nominally hers. Yao Ji recalled the famous “Song of the Qi Le People”: Qi Le Plain, beneath Mount Yin, the sky like a yurt, covering the four corners. The sky is vast, the wild is boundless, the wind blows low, revealing cattle and sheep.
Perhaps leaving the capital was a good thing for the unloved Princess Xincheng. Since you’re gone, Yao Ji thought silently, I will live this life to the fullest for you.
Since descending to the mortal realm, she had been preoccupied with restoring Fei Guang’s memories. Now, for the first time, she opened her heart to the idea of truly integrating into the mortal world, no longer viewing herself as a detached celestial being.
As such, consummating her marriage with the man beside her no longer felt like something to avoid.
Unaware of his wife’s shift in perspective, Zong Jun’s gaze fell upon a man being escorted by soldiers in the distance. He instinctively halted his horse.
Yao Ji also saw the man. He was in his early twenties, hands and feet shackled. Despite the bloodstains on his face, his features were undeniably handsome and striking.
For some reason, Yao Ji’s heart skipped a beat. She felt a strange familiarity with this man, a vague, indistinct recognition. “Great Khan, Great Khatun,” the soldiers escorting the man knelt in greeting.
Zong Jun nodded slightly, signaling them to rise. “Keep a close watch on him. Don’t let him escape again.”
He turned his horse, noticing his wife’s lingering gaze on the captive, even as he was led away. Zong Jun wasn’t jealous, but teased playfully, “That’s the most renowned beauty in our barbarian lands. Does Yaoyao find him attractive?”
“Certainly not!” Unable to understand the feeling, Yao Ji simply dismissed it, giving Zong Jun a playful glare. “You’re truly detestable, tricking me and then slandering me.”
“How have I tricked you?” Zong Jun delighted in her coquettishly indignant expression, his amusement growing.
“That ridiculous test, and the whole ‘eating people’ thing. I specifically inquired,” Yao Ji huffed, still indignant. “Your people don’t eat people at all!”
Seeing that she still hadn’t realized she’d been teased, Zong Jun burst into laughter. Suddenly, he reached out, sweeping her up onto his horse amidst her startled cry. With a flick of his whip, he declared, “Very well, since you don’t believe me, I’ll show you how I eat people.”