19: Chapter 19: A Promise to Be Together, Facing Challenges Hand in Hand

Morning light spilled through the gauze curtains into the cabin, the scent of tea still lingering.

Liu Ruyan's hand remained suspended in mid-air, her fingertips just an inch away from the hand Chen Xuan had extended.

She didn't move, nor did she speak; she simply stared at that palm.

There were calluses on his palm—the marks of someone who had practiced martial arts, not something those pretentious Young Masters could fake.

"Have you really thought this through?" she finally spoke, her voice so soft it was as if she were afraid of startling something.

"I may not be good at much else, but when it comes to keeping my word, I've never lost."

Chen Xuan grinned and flipped his wrist, clasping her hand directly into his palm. "Stop dawdling. If we drag this out any longer, the sun will be high enough to burn our backsides."

She was pulled forward by him and nearly lost her balance. Her face flushed slightly, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but couldn't budge it.

He held it firmly without using force, just gripping it solidly, as if he wanted to press his words right into her bones.

Leng Shuang leaned against the window, her fingers resting on the hilt of her sword. She turned her gaze back from the river and glanced at their clasped hands.

She didn't say anything, just gave a soft huff through her nose. As she turned, her cloak stirred up a breeze, causing the tassels in the corner to sway.

Zhao Hongling stood where she was, hands on her hips, her brows furrowed into a knot.

"Fine, you're just helping everyone you see now, aren't you? Tomorrow, if you run into a beggar on the road claiming to be looking for their birth mother, are you going to run your legs off for them too?"

"That depends on whether they're as fierce as you." Chen Xuan let go of Liu Ruyan's hand and turned to wink at her. "Besides, how could a beggar be as good-looking as a top courtesan? My conscience has to weigh things carefully."

"Smooth talker!" Zhao Hongling stomped her foot, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upward. In the end, she didn't try to stop him again.

Dugu Xue had been sitting in the corner the whole time and only now rose slowly.

She didn't look at Chen Xuan, but walked over to Liu Ruyan and looked her up and down, her tone flat: "If you want to investigate your background, the road won't be short."

"The North is vast, the people are mixed, and the news is even more chaotic."

"I won't advise you not to go, but remember: don't trust clues given by strangers, especially those who offer them voluntarily."

Liu Ruyan nodded: "I understand."

"Don't scare her, either." Chen Xuan interjected, placing a hand on Dugu Xue's shoulder. "With you keeping an eye on the news in the back, me running errands in the front, and her guiding the direction in the middle, aren't we an iron triangle plus two supports? It's very stable."

"Who is in a triangle with you?" Dugu Xue turned to avoid his hand. Her face remained expressionless, but the tips of her ears quietly turned red.

The atmosphere in the cabin relaxed. Sunlight shone on the floor, casting several slanted shadows.

The teapot was still steaming. The heartfelt conversation from last night seemed to be wrapped in the rising mist, slowly settling to the bottom.

Chen Xuan looked around the circle and finally settled his gaze on Liu Ruyan: "Since we've talked this far, let's set some ground rules."

"You don't have to carry this alone anymore. For every step we take from here on, we'll discuss it together."

"If you want to investigate, I'll accompany you. If you want to stop, I will never force you to take another step forward. How about it?"

Liu Ruyan looked at him, her lips moving, but no words came out. She hadn't heard words like these since she was six.

The old nanny taught her to "endure," the manager in the building taught her to "smile," and the promises from guests were all "I'll come again tomorrow." But no one had ever said, "I'll accompany you."

Her throat tightened. She looked down at her own hands, then raised her eyes to look at him: "I... might drag you all down."

"Who doesn't have some trouble?" Chen Xuan spread his hands. "When Leng Shuang suffered from Qi Deviation back then, if I hadn't saved her, the grass on her grave would be three feet high by now;"

"The night Zhao Hongling ran away from her arranged marriage, if I hadn't been passing by, she would have been stuffed into a sedan chair and carried off;"

"When Dugu Xue was fighting in the North, she was nearly stabbed in the back by her own people, and I was the one who happened to block that sword."

"On this journey, which one of us is an easy mark? One more of you doesn't make a difference, and one less doesn't either, but with more people, it's lively."

Leng Shuang turned her head and glared at him: "Stop using me as an example."

"I'm just stating facts." He chuckled, then turned to extend his hand to Liu Ruyan: "Come on, let's officially form an alliance."

"Jianghu is treacherous; you won't get far alone. We have many people, our voices are loud, and we even have the advantage in a fight."

Liu Ruyan looked at that hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally reached out to take it.

This time, she didn't tremble.

Zhao Hongling curled her lip: "An alliance is an alliance, why make it sound like we're becoming sworn siblings?"

"That's what it is."

Chen Xuan let go of her hand and clapped: "From today on, Liu Ruyan's business is the business of all five of us."

"If anyone dares to touch a single hair on her head, I'll let them know what it means to provoke public wrath."

"You say that as if you're so powerful." Leng Shuang sneered, but after saying that, she didn't walk away; instead, she stepped half a pace closer into the group.

Dugu Xue walked to the stern of the boat, lifted the curtain, and looked outside: "The river wind is favorable, and the weather is good. If we want to set off, we can depart today."

"No rush."

Chen Xuan waved his hand: "The boat isn't packed yet, and we need to organize our things. Besides, we need to get everything clear first—not for the sake of rushing, but for peace of mind."

He turned and walked to the table, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of water, downed it in one gulp, and wiped his mouth: "Liu Ruyan, rest assured and move forward."

"Whatever we find, we'll bear it together; whatever we encounter, we'll shoulder it together."

"I can't guarantee that we will definitely find your parents, but I guarantee that I won't let you face it alone."

Liu Ruyan stood there, her fingers gently pinching her palm. It hurt. It wasn't a dream.

She took a deep breath and looked up at him: "Alright. I'll trust you once."

"Not just once." Chen Xuan shook his head. "It's every time from now on."

The cabin was silent for a moment.

Zhao Hongling suddenly stepped forward and hooked her arm around Liu Ruyan's: "Alright, alright, since we're all in the same boat, let's not get all sentimental."

"From now on, just call me Hongling. Don't keep saying 'Young Miss' or 'Miss', it sounds distant."

Liu Ruyan was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Alright, Hongling."

"And me."

Leng Shuang spoke lightly, still with her back to them, looking at the river: "If you really go north, my Cold Ice Technique can protect your body from the cold. When you need it, don't be polite."

Liu Ruyan felt a warmth in her heart: "Tha—"

"Stop." Leng Shuang glanced back at her. "I don't buy into all this thanking back and forth."

Dugu Xue walked back into the cabin, took a jade tablet from her bosom, and placed it on the table: "This is a pass for the Northern Border military stations. Holding this tablet allows you to use the transmission posts along the way. If you need it, you can use it at any time."

Chen Xuan picked up the jade tablet, looked at it, and whistled: "Whoa, this is the real deal. You're a pretty solid Princess."

"Less chatter." Dugu Xue withdrew her hand. "Only this once; don't expect it again."

"Got it."

He tucked the jade tablet into his clothes and turned to look at Liu Ruyan: "See that? Our team is fully equipped, logistics are in place, and even a Princess is handing out supplies personally. You can just relax and be our backbone; no need to worry about anything else."

Liu Ruyan looked at them—one by one, they were all standing on her side.

Not because she was a top courtesan, not because she could play the zither or dance, but because she wanted to find herself.

She suddenly felt that this boat was more secure than the golden house of the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.

"What should I do?" she asked.

"You don't have to do anything." Chen Xuan smiled. "What you need to do now is trust us. I'll arrange the rest."

"You take it easy," Zhao Hongling rolled her eyes. "Who's packing the things? Who's preparing the rations? Who's setting the route?"

"You, of course." He said righteously. "You're the most diligent, if you don't do it, who will?"

"You!" She was so angry she reached out to hit him, but he dodged away with a laugh.

Leng Shuang watched the two of them making a scene, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. In the end, she couldn't help but whisper: "Childish."

But after she said it, she didn't walk away; instead, she sat down at the table and straightened the scattered tea set.

Dugu Xue stood to the side, watching the scene in the cabin, and for once, she didn't keep a straight face.

She sighed softly and whispered: "This journey, I'm afraid, will not be peaceful."

"What's the fun in peaceful?" Chen Xuan stopped walking and turned back to smile at her. "Lively is better. With more people, we'll have more courage. Besides..."

He looked at Liu Ruyan: "There are people waiting for us to uncover the truth; how can we not go?"

Liu Ruyan stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the distant riverbank shrouded in misty rain.

The painted boat had not yet set sail, and the mooring ropes were still tied to the pier posts. The wind blew up the hem of her skirt and also ruffled the willow branches on the bank.

She raised her hand and pressed it gently against her chest. Her heart was beating steadily and powerfully there.

Chen Xuan walked to her side and looked out in the direction of her gaze: "Jiangnan is nice, but stay too long and it gets boring. I hear the capital is very lively; if we go there, we might even run into a few interesting fellows."

"Are you always this optimistic?" she asked, turning her head to him.

"What else can I do if I'm not optimistic?" He shrugged. "Living with a gloomy face just makes the enemies happy. Better to laugh twice and anger them to death."

She couldn't help but laugh.

Leng Shuang, Zhao Hongling, and Dugu Xue walked onto the deck one after another. The five of them stood side by side, their silhouettes reflected in the river, swaying gently with the waves.

The boat had not moved, but their hearts had already traveled far.