Though Ning Yan had given her his word, Bai Qingqing dared not show the slightest frailty.

She took her medicine without complaint, rested as she was told, and did her best to recover her strength—then went to see the maid.

The maid was in far worse condition than she was, slumped by the window like a puppet with its strings cut. She neither ate nor drank, moved nor spoke. All life seemed to have drained from her.

When Bai Qingqing appeared, she barely turned her head, only to shift it back again as if nothing mattered anymore.

Bai Qingqing sat down beside her. “I heard it was your young mistress who risked everything to help you escape.”

Without a sound, two streams of tears slipped down the maid’s cheeks. Her parched, cracked lips broke open under her own teeth, blood welling in beads.

“She said... if she wasn’t dead yet, she had to try...”

The maid hugged her knees, sobbing so hard she could barely speak. “She bit on her hairpin to loosen my bindings. She made noise on purpose to draw them away... I can’t let her down. I don’t dare stop…”

“You did very well. Your mistress was a brave, resolute woman.”

“But she didn’t survive…”

The maid bit down on her lips, sobbing in broken gasps. “She was such a good person, kind to everyone. Why is it that the good ones never get what they deserve?”

Bai Qingqing wanted to ask that too. She wanted to know why. But there was no one who could answer.

“I won’t live much longer either. Once her family arrives… I’ll go be with her.”

Bai Qingqing startled. “You want to take your own life?”

The maid’s vacant eyes drifted past her. “You’re not a servant, not a maid. You must be some well-born lady. People born lucky wouldn’t understand. After what happened to my mistress... how could I go on living?”

Either beaten to death or sold off like cattle—one way or another, she would have to bear the wrath of her mistress’s family.

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Bai Qingqing truly couldn’t understand. “Why can’t you live? Your mistress would have wanted you to live!”

Before drinking that poisoned wine in her previous life, she had made sure Zidai had a way out. But later, from Fu Yi’s mouth, she learned Zidai had followed her to death. The pain had been unbearable. She could only imagine this girl’s mistress had felt the same.

“She risked her life to save you. As long as you live, there’s still a trace of her in this world. The kindness she showed you, the things she taught you, the time you spent together—those are all pieces of her. If you die, do you think that will bring her back?”

The maid stared at Bai Qingqing, dazed, a flicker of light surfacing in her tear-soaked eyes—only to vanish before it could catch flame. “Miss, it’s not up to me…”

Her voice broke as she collapsed into sobs. “Who isn’t afraid to die? But what can I do? I don’t have a choice…”

“I do.”

Bai Qingqing’s words rang out, firm and clear. “As long as you want to live, there’s always a way—as long as you want it!”

She took out all the gold leaves and bits of silver she had and stuffed them into the maid’s hands. “The bandits caused chaos—just say you died with the rest. Life alone might be hard, but remember, you’re not living for just yourself. No matter how bitter it gets, grit your teeth and keep going.”

Death was the scariest and the easiest escape in this world. Bai Qingqing knew that all too well. But as long as even a sliver of hope remained, it was worth clinging to.

She went to ask Mu Shu on purpose—could the maid be listed among the dead taken by the bandits? Mu Shu agreed without hesitation. “What’s the problem with that?”

Though he didn’t quite understand, he didn’t want the fairy-like Bai Qingqing to see him confused, so he went to Ning Yan to make a fool of himself. “My lord, tell me—what’s that about? That girl’s alive and well, isn’t she?”