In that moment, it seemed that the cozy Jing-An Ducal Residence had been brought back.

Nothing had changed.

His father and mother, his home and his determination to protect all of them were there.

The days had not passed; the seasons had not changed, and death was non-existent.

He Xia's sword swung, easily waving back the heavy imprints of his past.

The freezing north wind was unable to stop He Xia's pride after finishing the dance. He was soaked in sweat as he used his sleeves to rub his forehead. He laughed, "Again!" The sword began to float up again, suddenly stopping. Its style appeared to change. It was a dragon, ready to take off to the skies. It had been Pingting's favourite Jing-An sword technique back then.

Ping!

As the dragon of the sword walked in the four directions, an unexpected qin sound began to ring, momentarily jolting the sword.

He Xia was delighted by this. His actions continued without pause. He turned, the sword's direction changing once more. The qin sound became louder like the call of a dragon but higher pitched.

The sword danced to the qin with the greatest accuracy, flawless.

After the entire set of Jing-An sword techniques had been danced, Pingting entered with the finale, "Nine Days."

At the final cut of the sword, the qin sound stopped too.

Two pairs of deep eyes clashed in midair as the complex yet familiar feeling came crashing back.

Dear Pingting, you're the same as me, unable to forget the past.

Your heart still has the Jing-An Ducal Residence, still has the Marquess of Jing-An!

Apart from Chu Beijie, there is no one else who can shelter your heart, right?

You're still the same!

On the white world, silence suddenly fell.

No one knew how long before the the gazes in the air separated. Pingting's pupils shifted until they rested on the ground beyond He Xia.

He Xia seemed to notice and turned back.

An elegant figure jumped into his eyes.

Yaotian was dressed in a gorgeous grand purple dress, coupled with a pure white mink coat that draped over her shoulders. Her complexion was like pearls. A complex coronet had been placed on her head. Several gemstone necklaces had been put tightly around her neck.

Her lips were cheery red; her eyes were as bright as stars.

Eight maids had their heads lowered, attending behind her.

He Xia turned around, Yaotian smiled. She praised, "This is the first time I have seen Prince Consort dancing in the snow." Her gaze shifted beyond He Xia. Her voice was soft, "As expected of one of Gui Le's two famous qin players. I have heard of your fame, Miss Bai."

"Princess." Pingting's jade hands had left the qin as she slowly stood up from her chair, leaving the pavilion. She bowed at Yaotian who was standing behind the fake mountain.

He Xia's expression changed, quickly pasting a smile. "Why has Princess come at such an hour?" He packed the qin away, walked towards Yaotian and took her hand. "Why did you not call for me and stand on the snow in such cold weather?"

"To sword dance in the snow accompanied by qin is such a beautiful and rare scene. Why would I willingly break it?" Yaotian submissively let He Xia hold her hand.

They then went into the room together. The maids served up hot tea. The three lowered their heads as they tried it, each thinking deeply. They were silent as they watched the wisps of steam.

Yaotian had the most important identity and was naturally sitting in the centermost seat of the room. She tilted her head, assessing Pingting who was sitting by her side, for a long time. She suddenly smiled, "The song Miss Bai played just now was very nice. What is the name of the piece?"

Pingting placed her teacupdown. Her manner was reasonable as she replied, "The piece's name is Nine Days."

"Nine Days?" Yaotian repeated as if chewing on the name. She nodded, "The piece is good and so is its name."

"Thank you, Princess."

"Could you play it again?"

Before Pingting could reply, He Xia happened to put down his cup. His voice was concerned, "Has Princess had dinner yet? Knowing that Princess was going to come, I specifically ordered the chefs to make some Gui Le desserts. Didn't Princess want to eat it again after trying it last time?"

He clapped twice, summoning a maid up. He told her, "Hurry, serve up the prepared desserts and a jug of the alcohol I brought back."

Not long later, the desserts and alcohol had been brought over. The desserts were indeed made by top notch chefs of Gui Le and were still steaming hot. Cute, coloured flowers had been carved on the tops of each. Five had been exquisitely arranged per plate. Each plate had a different colour on the top, indicating that the filling insides were different.

He Xia dismissed his maids and personally poured a cup of alcohol for Yaotian. Yaotian glanced at him and then stopped on Pingting, whose expression was unreadable. She then obediently lifted her head and drank the alcohol He Xia had prepared before eating two desserts. She remained quiet, her face calm.

"Pingting, you can taste one too." He Xia looked at Pingting.

The table next to Pingting's hand also had three or four dishes. She lowered her head and inspected them, shaking her head, "Master forgot that I don't eat crushed apple desserts."

"Of course I remember." He Xia replied, "Did you not see the mark for shredded carrot? The apple filling has been replaced with shredded carrot filling mixed with honey."

Pingting lifted a finger and broke it from the middle. There really was carrot stuffing in it with the smell of honey mixed into it. She carefully put it into her mouth, her eyes brightening. "These taste better than before. What did you put in?"

He Xia gave Yaotian a look before casually replying, "Nothing much, just used fresh honey. Yun Chang capital is placed close to the snowy mountains so this honey is from a type of bee unafraid of the cold."

This surprisingly tasty desert with the flavour of home seemed to bring Pingting's appetite with just one bite. She ate all five of the deserts on the table in one helping. Without hesitation, she ate each one which was about the size of a finger, gently filling her empty stomach. She then looked at He Xia's table of desserts but didn't say a word.

"Only yours has carrot filling. Ours aren't. If I knew you'd like them so much, I would've ordered the chefs to prepare more." He Xia's gaze swept towards Yaotian, carefully asking, "Princess liked the flavour the chefs prepared from last time, so Princess' are still the same. Would Princess like to try the shredded carrot filling?"

Yaotian's expression was vague as she smiled. "I love the apple filling." She then reached for the jug on the table.

He Xia helped her pour, but it was too late. Pingting had already taken the jug and helped pour a cup for Yaotian. A small, soft and friendly smile suddenly appeared on her face. "The snow has stopped and it seems the moon shall arrive soon. Why not open up the windows of the room, letting the moonlight fighter through so that Princess can drink tea while listening to Pingting play the qin to relieve boredom with a little elegance?"

"Hm, that sounds like a good plan." Yaotian nodded and called for the attendants to open the windows. The days of winter were short, and night fell one hour after they entered the room. It seemed that tomorrow would be a good day, as the moon and stars could be seen clearly.

The halo of moonlight filtered the hall like leaking water.

The maids quietly carried in and prepared a table for the qin. Not long later, the guqin He Xia had specifically bought for Pingting was carried in and placed neatly on the table.

Pingting lit the incense as usual and washed her hands, a solemn beauty already added to her face. She sat before the qin, took deep breath with her eyes closed. She placed her fingers lightly on the strings and hooked onto them.

The strings spat out a low vibrato as if choking back tears.

Yaotian listened to the sounds carefully, sighing. "Such a great qin. No wonder Prince Consort bought it despite the huge cost."