1 Prologue

Two men rode along the evergreen mountains path.

One was dressed in robes as blue as the never-ending seas, embroidered with golden lotus flowers, which made him look distinguished and refined. He carried a sword that emitted a powerful aura. He rode a tall brown majestic horse, and two together looked like stills from an ancient Han dynasty painting with the towering mountain scenery as their backdrop.

In contrast, the other man wore simple white ethereal robes and was unadjourned apart from a silver jade pendant. He was a handsome young man with sharp contours, his figure steady and profound. He rode a horse that was black as the night. Together, they made a beautiful yet jarring pair. They were like an immortal and a celestial horse descending from the heavens.

The two men galloped faster and faster as they were in a hurry to reach their destination, but they were not. The sun was setting when they came upon a waterfall. Its water was so clear; you could have sworn you saw not only your reflection but your past, present and future.

The white-robed man stopped to glaze upon the waterfall; it was a breath-taking sight. The surrounding peach blossoms trees have lost their flowers to the river every autumn. Hence the waterfall was known as 'The Fall Where Blossoms Go to Rest.'

The white-robed man gradually awoke from his trance, and just as he was about to signal his horse to move, he saw glimpses of red silk.

The white-robed man was a curious child, and even though he had grown up, that had not changed. Hence naturally, he got down from his horse to follow the red silk. The blue-robed man only looked on with amusement as he waited for the white-robed man to indulge his curiosity. But both could not have guessed where the red silk would lead.

The white-robed man walked along the river until he was reached the far ends of the waterfall. He was shocked to find two people, a man and a woman, arguing.

A man wearing a blackguard uniform was lying down by the shore. His legs were bandaged, clearly injured. The woman wore a light blue servant's banbi with a white veil and was frantically pacing.

As the white-robed man got closer, he could see that she was also crying. The injured man sensed another person approaching and quickly tried to get up before wincing in pain and falling.

The white-robed man saw this and sighed, then said, "I mean you no harm. I came from the other side of the river and saw red silk floating in the water. So, I followed it."

As soon as he mentioned the red silk, the woman started to cry more. Finally, she spoke to the injured man in a foreign language, "Maybe he can help us?"

"Help you with what?" replied the white-robed man, which shocked the man and woman as he understood their native tongue.

The woman pointed to the far end of the river and said, "With her! I can't swim, and he is injured."

The white-robed man turned to see where she was pointing, and he immediately understood everything.

An unconscious young lady lay at the end of the river, in between a tangle of branches.

The white-robed man saw that the red silk was her veil. He could only see parts of her face, but he saw that she was stunning. She was a peerless beauty that could topple nations.

The white-robed man silently removed his boots and took off his outer robes. He made his way into the river and swam.

Although they had asked him for help, the injured guard and the crying maid felt that this man was not simple; he had a robust figure and commandeering aura despite his simple white clothes. Yet, despite that, their hearts were at ease that he could rescue their mistress.

The current where the young miss was trapped was not easy to swim in. It took a while, but the white-robed man got to her.

The white-robed man took a dagger hidden under his clothing and cut the branches that surrounded her. Then, as he was about to lift her, she fell into the water.

Fortunately, the white-robed man caught her in time thanks to his quick reflexes as he was secretly a martial arts expert but kept that hidden from the rest of the world. While still holding her, he swam back to shore.

The woman ran to them and called out "Your Highness...", still speaking in their native tongue.

The white-robed man understood what she said.

So, she was also royalty, he thought as he looked down at the icy beauty in his hands. The woman dropped to her knees and started shaking her unconscious miss to wake up, yet she still did not wake. The injured man limped as he made his way to them.

The woman saw this and said, "Meng Yongwu, what are you doing? You are severely injured! You will reopen your wounds."

Meng Yongwu did not heed her words and only said, "Bao Lan, cover her face."

It was then that Lan remembered that the princess's veil was gone. So Lan quickly took off her veil and covered her face.

The white-robed man silently watched the whole exchange and started to piece together their identities.

It is evident that Bao Lan is the first-ranked maid of the princess, and Meng Youngwu is her guard. The language they spoke was the dialect of the Northern Qing Empire. The Northern Qing was renowned for its veiled women. But was an important member of the Imperial Qing Family doing in Western Jin?

Suddenly, the woman in his hands began to stir. She half-opened her eyes and coughed up water.

"Bao Lan! Meng Yongwu!" She faintly yelled.

She turned to see the white-robed man. Then, confused, she asked, "Who are you?"

Meng Young and Bao Lan became fearful as they realized they forgot to ask the white-robed man his name and background in their desperate state to rescue their princess.

The white-robed man calmly said, "Lian." He said no other name, clearly wanting to hide his origins.

He just went on to ask her name in return.

Thus, she only replied, "Yijun."