106 The Benefactor Who Descended from the Heavens

“Ugh… ugh…” I rushed out of the carriage and crouched by the roadside, retching. Qingyu Dongfang supported me with one hand while patting my back with the other.

We had agreed to go together to that place, yet after only a few steps, this scene would inevitably repeat: the child fussing terribly, stopping and starting, slowing us down endlessly.

“There’s a small town ahead. We’ll find a doctor to get you some new medicine. You’ve nearly finished all the sour plums, too. If it weren’t for your big brother Dongfang’s ample silver, we’d have been broke from feeding you and the baby in your belly by now.”

I wiped the corner of my mouth with a handkerchief. “Why be stingy? I’ll pay you back later. But seriously, brother, who exactly are you?”

He walked straight to the front seat and sat down. Lifting the carriage curtain, he smiled from outside. “What, so curious about who I am?”

“Never mind, let’s go.”

I slowly leaned against the carriage, pulling a blanket over me. Since the fall of my kingdom, I’d been wandering, tossed about by fate. Cloud Rong had even pushed me underwater once. My constitution was inherently cold, and while this child’s arrival was a blessing, it was still somewhat precarious—I had to protect against catching a chill.

I was deeply grateful for this new life. At least in this world, until I find my younger brother, this child would always be with me, no longer leaving me utterly alone. My heart was entirely devoted to the child, my child, who suffered from being fatherless from birth. His true father would never even know he existed.

Child, your mother will love you twice as much. If possible, I’ll make sure you live openly and proudly, no longer hiding in shadows.

The carriage still hadn’t moved. I wondered what Qingyu Dongfang was up to.

“Worried I’d despise you for having a baggage like that? Or worried I’m not worthy of you, Princess Ziyun? Come here, your real brother.”

Others might find it strange, but after a few days with him, I was used to it. Qingyu Dongfang truly had the charm to captivate everyone. As for ‘brother,’ I actually thought he seemed more like a sister.

“Ugh…”

No sooner had he finished speaking than I began gagging again, unable to even make it outside the carriage. He had no choice but to come in and pat my back.

“I said it’s not that bad, just a little narcissism. I, Qingyu Dongfang, am quite the charmer with both men and women. But you’re the first like this…”

“Ugh…”

Recovering, I gave him an exasperated look.

You know perfectly well how narcissistic you are.

Aside from the child’s occasional fussing, the journey went smoothly.

Two months later, I stood at what was once the southernmost tip of the Lingyun Kingdom. Beyond lay the endless sea. Alone, I gazed out by the shore, lost in thought.

The waves were gentle, softly lapping the coast.

That place was right in the middle of the sea. Time passed so quickly—one year since the kingdom fell, and three years since I last set foot there. I had changed much. My hand instinctively rested on my belly, now over two months along.

“You hurried for two months to get here, and this is where you want to go?” Qingyu Dongfang stood beside me, his eyes fixed on the sea, deep and unfathomable like the waters before us.

“Qingyu, do you really want to come with me? We could have stopped here.”

I had been afraid to come before—worried I couldn’t manage it alone, worried that someone might track us.

“Hey, I’ve come this far with you. You want me to turn back now?”

Qingyu Dongfang pulled me closer.

“You may go, but those following you cannot.”

“When did you find out?”

“From the beginning.” To avoid the agents of Li Yexuan and Yun Heng, and to still stand unscathed on Lingyun’s land without a single pursuer—it was all thanks to Qingyu Dongfang’s formidable skills. If it were just me, I wouldn’t know whose hands I’d have died in.

“Truly clever.” Qingyu Dongfang clapped his hands, and many people appeared around us, all skilled warriors, kneeling.

“Greetings, master.”

With a wave of his hand, they all stood.

Falling from such a towering cliff, Qingyu Dongfang had used his inner strength to slow my fall and save me. There was no way he was an ordinary man.

Now, he stood majestic, clad in blue robes that rivaled the aura of an emperor. The sea breeze fluttered his clothes, and his gaze was one of supreme disdain for the world—not the playful scoundrel I’d seen before. Perhaps I had never truly looked into his eyes. This savior who descended from the heavens concealed many secrets.

“I also need a place to lay low for a while, so I’ll go with you,” Qingyu Dongfang declared to all. “No one is to follow beyond this point.”

“Yes, sir.”

In a flash, the people disappeared as if they had never been there.

“Fine, I’ll trust you this once.”

I found a nearby rocky spot and sat down. After standing so long, my calves ached.

“Why aren’t we moving?”

“I don’t know how to get there.”

“What?!”

What was the yelling about? She just said she didn’t know the way.

“You’ve come all this way, almost at the doorstep, and you tell me you don’t know where the door is?” Qingyu Dongfang held his forehead.

“Look, it’s all sea here. To get there, we have to use a boat.”

“Then just hire a boat,” he said, reaching for his purse.

“No, that place is off-limits to fishing boats. Ordinary people dare not go there. Besides, I set up defenses there—any unfamiliar vessel approaching gets attacked.”

“There must be an exception.”

He sat beside me, fortunately.

“There is one. With this, only special boats can come. But I gave it to my younger brother.”

“Huangfu Zijun?”

I nodded, though unsure if he had safely reached the place.

“Is there no other way? Can you send a message to your people? Pigeons—would pigeons work?”

“They probably won’t fly that far.”

Pigeons have limited stamina, and that place was so remote there was nowhere for them to rest. Their fate would likely be to fall into the sea.

“Is there no way at all? Don’t the people inside ever come out?”

“They don’t have to. They can live well without coming out.”

“Ugh, who’d want to live in a place like that? So twisted.”

I could only give Qingyu Dongfang a look.

“My achievement.”

“…”

We sat until dusk. Qingyu Dongfang took me to stay with a fisherman’s family. They accepted his silver gladly and were warm to us, insisting we join their dinner.

Before reaching the table, nausea struck me again.

“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” the fisherman's wife asked with concern.

“Yes, my wife has been very unwell. Sister-in-law, do you know any remedies?” Qingyu Dongfang asked, holding my hand. This was how it had been all along; he never seemed to tire of playing the role.

“There’s not much you can do except take good care of her. I felt the same when I was expecting my eldest. That fish looks unsuitable to eat. I’ll cook something sour for you.”

“No trouble, sister-in-law. Just whatever’s available is fine.”

“Let her eat; it’s rare to have guests,” the fisherman chimed in.

“Yeah, no trouble. Pregnant women should eat well.” She headed to the kitchen.

A girl in the house, with two buns on her head, ran over and tugged my sleeve.

“Sister, shall we release the Heli Lanterns?”

“The eldest said it’s river lanterns. Her mother took her once, and she’s been talking about it every day since.”

Her mother, carrying the stew, came out. “It’s not time to release the river lanterns yet. Why the rush?”

Suddenly, I snapped awake and ran to the sea.

“Why are you running?” Qingyu Dongfang quickly followed.

“I just thought of something.”

“What is it?”

“Quick, have your men buy some river lanterns. They don’t have to be fancy—just usable. Also get brushes and ink. Hurry, it’s not fully dark yet.”

Qingyu Dongfang’s men were impressively efficient—grim-faced guards carrying seven or eight lanterns, some with one in their mouths. It was amusing.

“Pfft… your people really work fast.”

“Of course,” Qingyu Dongfang said, holding a lotus-shaped lantern awkwardly.

I grabbed the ink and brush and quickly painted a large circle with two smaller circles attached on the side.

“Copy this exactly. Paint as many as you can, on the upper part so the water won’t wash it away.”

“What kind of nonsense is this?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

I went to the shore and set the lanterns afloat.

The guards were skilled killers, not artists. Having them draw was a struggle; luckily, the design was simple—barely passable, but recognizable.

Over a hundred lanterns drifted out on the sea.

Please, let someone see them.

“How long until we get a response?”

“If nothing happens in ten days, we’ll have to think of another plan.”

What if every single lantern gets extinguished by a wave? I wasn’t a stranger to bad luck.

“Oh, that’s not necessarily so.”

On the third day, I finally understood what Qingyu Dongfang meant. As usual, I stood by the shore, gazing out. He stood beside me as something fell at his feet from afar.

“Is that… a sea azure?”

A sea azure—a rare and precious creature, owned by very few.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Qingyu Dongfang knelt and gently stroked the creature’s fur. The sea azure seemed to enjoy it.

“Come see it.”

I shook my head, one hand protecting my belly.

“No harm. It’s my friend.”

I slowly approached and crouched down. Qingyu Dongfang held my hand, stroking the sea azure’s fur. It was unusually docile.

“Does it have any token it can carry to you?”

“No, better not. I’m afraid it’d be attacked.” The sea azure was adorable; I couldn’t send it off to die, even if it looked fierce.

“Let it drop the token from a distance and return, then.”

I thought that made sense. I took out a handkerchief. The sea azure took flight, disappearing into the sky at once.