In the Crown Prince's Manor's inner chamber, with reddened eyes, Jiang Deqing helped Qi Xiao put on his armor, repeatedly urging, "Your Highness must take care of yourself. And if you see the young prince, please persuade him not to truly engage in armed conflict..."

Qi Xiao smiled faintly, "Eunuch Jiang need not worry. I won't die, and neither will he."

Tears glistened in Jiang Deqing's blurry eyes as he shook his head and sighed, "This old servant knows, but hates... hates that the Heavens are so blind as to let Your Highness and the young prince turn swords against each other. This... alas..."

Qi Xiao lowered his gaze without a word. Jiang Deqing wiped his eyes and said through gritted teeth, "The Emperor is too overbearing, only giving Your Highness a thousand men while deliberately holding back many of our people. Now he urges you to set out immediately when Your Highness can only muster seven or eight hundred men in total. This..."

Qi Xiao sneered coldly, "Seven hundred men is enough."

Taking the taotie gold helmet handed over by a maid, Qi Xiao asked in a low voice, "Has Shunzi returned?"

Jiang Deqing shook his head, "No, haven't seen him since the fire at the prince's manor. He probably... left with the Crown Prince."

Qi Xiao nodded, "Good."

Donning the gold helmet, Qi Xiao left the residence, mounted his horse, and led over a thousand soldiers directly southward.

It was five days later when Bairen learned that Qi Xiao was in pursuit.

To avoid trouble as the Emperor had issued a warrant for his arrest, Bairen's group avoided official roads and kept weaving through remote mountain paths. Fortunately it was July, so besides some insect bites, all else was fine. That night, there was a commotion outside. By the time Bairen exited his tent, he saw the sky lit up with flames - the pursuers had actually used fire arrows to burn over half the tents!

Shunzi's eyes immediately reddened. Drawing his sword, he wanted to charge over, but Bairen grabbed him. Shunzi looked back at Bairen in surprise, "Young Prince?"

Staring straight ahead, Bairen said gravely, "Look..."

Following Bairen's gaze, Shunzi saw the "Xiao" banner fluttering in the firelight and froze on the spot. Cen Chaoge stumbled out of his tent and came over in despair, "It's the Crown Prince! The Crown Prince has come to capture us!"

Bairen clenched his teeth tightly. Turning around, he loudly ordered everyone to break camp immediately. Cen Chaoge stepped forward to grab Bairen, asking in panic, "Bairen, aren't we... aren't we going to fight? Can we escape?"

Bairen said coldly, "Can you defeat the Crown Prince?"

Cen Chaoge was speechless. Bairen pushed him away and mounted his horse, continuing to shout orders. Having no choice, the group abandoned their tents and much of their provisions and fled in panic.

The next few days felt like years to Bairen.

When he first saw Qi Xiao's soldiers, Bairen actually felt relieved, thinking Qi Xiao had come to help him. But that night, Qi Xiao first burned down all his tents, then chased him nearly 200 li southward. By dawn, just as Bairen thought he had finally escaped, he was ambushed by 200 elite soldiers Qi Xiao had already set up in waiting.

Bairen's group fell apart and was split into several routes. Fortunately, they had a unique communication method from Lingnan. After fleeing another 500 li south, they finally regrouped. But upon taking count again, out of 500 men, over 100 had been lost.

Shunzi casually brushed the dust off himself and said softly, "Crown Prince... those hundred men aren't all dead. Many were just separated. In the coming days... maybe they can still catch up."

Bairen was also covered in dust. Chased by Qi Xiao for days, he hadn't slept a wink or drank a sip of water. Now that he had finally shaken off the pursuers, Bairen cared about nothing else. Twisting open his water pouch, he took a long drink before catching his breath and saying brokenly, "No matter. Even if only one soldier remains, I must return."

Hearing this, Shunzi felt a pang in his heart. He said softly, "Crown Prince, don't say that. Our horses are better than the Prince's. As long as we don't fall into another ambush, we'll be fine. Didn't a message come from the south? People in the Lingnan capital are already waiting to receive us. We just need to cross the southern border to survive."

Bairen nodded, unconsciously repeating, "Once we cross the southern border..."

He looked up at Shunzi and after a moment of silence said, "You... can stay. You're the Prince's milk brother. He won't kill you. You... go back."

Shunzi was taken aback. Lowering his gaze, he shook his head, "The Crown Prince told me to always stay by your side. I can't leave."

Thinking of Qi Xiao's relentless pursuit over the past days, Shunzi found his own words laughable. He let out a bitter chuckle, "I really don't know... how the Crown Prince could actually take action against you."

Bairen turned his head away, shaking it as he said, "He has his own difficulties. Besides, this is what I said. From now on, whatever I do has nothing to do with him. The Emperor ordered him to pursue me, what choice does he have?"

Shunzi hesitated before saying softly, "But I heard... it was the Crown Prince himself who volunteered for this mission before the Emperor."

Bairen felt like a knife was twisting in his heart, but he still instinctively shielded Qi Xiao, "With all the civil and military officials watching him, what do you expect him to do?!"

Shunzi was stunned. Letting out a bitter laugh, he couldn't help but ask after a while, "If by any chance... the Prince catches up to us again, if swords are crossed, what does the Crown Prince plan to do?"

Each of Shunzi's questions stabbed at Bairen's heart, drawing blood.

Bairen didn't answer. He stood up and called for everyone to get moving. Along the way, Bairen set up traps to try to delay Qi Xiao's group as much as possible. Five days later, they finally reached the Kuer Mo Wasteland.

Seeing this expanse of withered yellow land, everyone wept. A few older bodyguards slid off their horses and knelt on the ground, clutching the yellow soil as they cried. They just needed to go another hundred li south, just another hundred li, and they would be past the southern border.

Once past the border, another 300 li would take them to the Lingnan capital, where all their families were waiting for them. As long as they survived the journey, there was still hope for their loved ones back home!

Everyone cheered loudly and embraced each other in tears. Bairen looked back north. Another hundred li and he might... never see Qi Xiao again.

That year in the capital had ultimately been a grand dream.

Unlike the others, Shunzi was not excited. He turned to look at Bairen, his heart aching. Riding closer, he urged softly, "Crown Prince, don't look anymore."

"Shunzi..." Bairen's ink-black eyes reflected the horizon of the wasteland. Slowly, some daunting figures appeared on that blurry horizon. His voice hoarse, Bairen asked, "Look... what is that..."

Shunzi was greatly alarmed. Whipping his head north, he cried out, "The Crown Prince!!"

Clenching his fists tightly, Shunzi roared in despair, "Why is he still chasing us?!!"

Everyone was stunned, turning their heads to look north. They saw the Xiao character banner fluttering in the wind at the edge of the desert, with several thousand elite soldiers slowly coming south like hell's asuras. The crowd cried out in alarm. Bairen closed his eyes for a moment and raised his long blade, shouting sternly, "What are you yelling about?! We're not dead yet!!"

Bairen turned his horse around and said harshly, "We've already reached Kuer Mo now. Ahead, less than 500 li away, is our home! What are you afraid of?!"

The horses neighed. Bairen gently stroked his horse's body and said loudly, "Now there's no escaping! If we flee now, we'll just lead them to our homes! Men! Do you want to die in battle? Or lead them home to kill our parents, wives and children?!"

The group had been on tenterhooks the whole way here, thinking they had finally escaped with their lives, only to find that Qi Xiao had caught up to them at the end. Now with a great enemy in front and wives and children behind, their fighting spirit was aroused.

Hearing this, they shouted in response. Bairen raised his long blade high and proclaimed, "Now we make our stand here! Block them here! Even if only one of us is left, outsiders are not permitted to enter the Lingnan capital!"

The crowd shouted in unison. Bairen turned to look at the slowly surging soldiers. He silently took off the life talisman around his neck and casually tossed it into his bundle.

Qi Xiao looked coldly at the Lingnan people not far away and said in a low voice, "Halt!"

The Imperial Guard commander He Hongluo rode up, smiled and said, "What's the matter?"

Qi Xiao ignored him. He Hongluo spoke to himself, "To be honest, I truly admire the Crown Prince's intelligence. We were able to catch up because he avoided the Lingnan people's ambushes several times."

He Hongluo shook his head and laughed, "To tell the truth, when I first left the capital, I thought Your Highness would show favoritism. Now it seems I judged you with ill intent. The Crown Prince upholds righteousness and doesn't show favoritism. I truly admire that!"

Qi Xiao glanced at He Hongluo and sneered without saying a word. This man was the emperor's confidant. In this pursuit and suppression, his assistance was a pretense; surveillance was the reality. Qi Xiao looked at the over one thousand Imperial Guards behind He Hongluo, then at his own seven hundred personal guards behind him. A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

Qi Xiao completely ignored him, but He Hongluo didn't mind at all. He understood clearly in his heart that as long as he brought Bairen back, it would count as a great merit. What did it matter if he received some cold looks from the Crown Prince?

He Hongluo smiled, "They've suffered casualties the whole way and only have this many people left. They can't withstand an attack... Why bother troubling the Crown Prince's personal guards? The Crown Prince can wait here while I lead these thousand men to directly take their lives and capture the heir alive. How about that?"

Qi Xiao raised his hand and waved it down forcefully. The flag-bearing soldiers followed his action. The crowd responded loudly and charged south like unbridled wild horses. He Hongluo lagged a step behind and sneered. What use was there in being so anxious to establish merit now?