Lava

Kapitel 145

Zhan Zhao leaned against the cushion, took her hand, and asked with a smile, "By the way, why did you bring so many needles?"

"The poison in your body was from the poison needles, right? They looked pretty potent. I bought a few packs of embroidery needles when I was shopping in town, thinking I'd practice when I had some free time, but I never had the chance." She chuckled. "I didn't expect them to be so useful on my first try."

"What a coincidence."

"Exactly! If they had succeeded and forced you to take action, wouldn't that have been terrible?" Mo Yan still felt lingering fear as she recalled the incident, and let out a long sigh of relief. "Thankfully, it was a close call."

Zhan Zhao gently brushed a strand of her hair aside and chuckled, "By the way, how do you plan to concoct an antidote for the poison you made up on the spot? Just stop playing tricks on them."

Mo Yan had originally intended to play a trick on those people, and now that she heard Zhan Zhao say this, she could only laugh and say, "Then I'll just give them some ginger soup to drink, how about that?"

Zhan Zhao smiled and nodded: "That's a great idea."

The two chatted and laughed, having just experienced a thrilling ordeal. Now back at the camp, they were both much more relaxed. Mo Yan, who hadn't slept all night driving, was overcome with fatigue and yawned several times. She simply curled up on the soft couch and drifted off to sleep next to Zhan Zhao. Zhan Zhao, already weak, took a thin blanket from beside him and covered her with it before lying down to rest himself.

Chapter Seventy-Seven

After taking a nap for about an hour, Mo Yan faintly heard voices outside the tent. She opened her eyes and listened carefully, and frowned: it turned out to be Xiao Xin's guards again. They probably couldn't wait any longer and came to ask for the antidote, so the Song guards came to report.

Zhan Zhao, who had woken up at some point, chuckled softly, "It seems they were quite frightened by you. You'd better send them away quickly; their commotion makes others think you're deliberately making things difficult for them, which won't be good for the future."

Mo Yan was indeed getting impatient with them, so she got up. When she turned around, she saw Zhan Zhao also sitting up and putting on his outer robe. She asked in surprise, "Brother, are you going out too?"

"I have to go to the princess's tent, otherwise people might suspect that I am injured."

Mo Yan scratched her ear: "What does it matter if the Liao people know you're injured?"

Zhan Zhao smiled but did not answer, only saying, "It's better that they don't know."

Mo Yan sighed softly and didn't ask any further questions. Knowing that raising his hand would aggravate his wound, she took out a small comb from her bosom and combed and tidied his hair, carefully tying it up with a hairband.

"Does the wound still hurt?" she asked with concern as she put the comb away.

Zhan Zhao smiled and shook his head, gently pointing his finger towards the outside of the tent. Mo Yan, having no other choice, reluctantly lifted the tent flap and walked out, with Zhan Zhao following behind her.

To facilitate Zhan Zhao's recovery, they deliberately chose the most secluded tent, far from the others and hidden in the woods due to the terrain. It was already afternoon, the sun was blazing, clouds drifted slowly across the sky, a gentle breeze rustled through the trees, and cicadas chirped noisily all around. Mo Yan frowned as soon as she stepped out of the tent, faintly hearing the Liao guards making a ruckus nearby, which only increased her irritation.

She took a few steps forward, then, still uneasy, turned back to look at Zhan Zhao. He slowed his pace slightly and gave her a gentle smile.

Suddenly, a faint, string-like sound of a weapon being drawn reached her ears. Before Mo Yan could react, she saw a figure leap out from the bushes beside her, the cold light of the blade slightly dazzling, heading straight for Zhan Zhao.

"Big brother, watch out!"

The moment she cried out in alarm, Zhan Zhao had already stepped back, narrowly avoiding the blade. Unable to circulate his internal energy, his movement was greatly hampered; this retreat, though it saved him, was incredibly lucky.

The man followed up with a second slash, but unexpectedly a silver sword shot out from the side, coiling around the blade like a snake, and he couldn't shake it off for a moment.

"Who are you? Did Xiao Xin send you again?" Mo Yan shouted. Seeing that the man was dressed as a Liao guard with a black veil covering his face, she naturally suspected Xiao Xin again.

The man gave a cold snort, and Mo Yan felt a powerful force surge from the sword, overwhelming her. Her tiger's mouth went numb from the shock, and she couldn't even hold the sword, which slipped from her hand. She was immediately terrified; this man's skill far surpassed hers, and he was definitely not comparable to those low-level guards she had encountered before.

"Xiao Qi!" Zhan Zhao saw her sword being knocked away and feared she was injured, so he rushed forward urgently.

"Big brother, let's go!"

Although Mo Yan had no sword and knew she was no match for the man, she couldn't care less about anything else in order to protect Zhan Zhao. She rushed forward with a flurry of punches and kicks, aiming straight for the man's vital points. She launched several attacks in a row, hoping to hold him off, but her defenses were full of openings, and she couldn't protect them properly.

The man's target was Zhan Zhao. Seeing Mo Yan in his way, he became increasingly anxious and his blade became even more ferocious, unleashing a series of deadly attacks. Mo Yan's skills were far inferior to his, and he was forced to scramble and dodge in a sorry state... The blade flashed coldly, turning from a thrust to a slash. Mo Yan's right arm was about to be severed when suddenly someone reached out from the side, tapped the blade with their finger, and the blade trembled violently, almost flying away.

At the same time, Mo Yan was pulled away. She staggered, her eyes fixed on the person who had pulled her away, so tightly they seemed to be bleeding...

Because the person who pulled her away was Zhan Zhao.

The man initially thought Zhan Zhao's injuries would severely weaken him, and intended to kill him. However, after a few moves, he realized he was still no match for Zhan Zhao. He didn't want to continue the fight, but Zhan Zhao pressed him so hard that he couldn't break free. Zhan Zhao, who was usually kind and generous, was now inexplicably targeting his vital points with every move, clearly intending to kill him.

Seeing that he couldn't gain the upper hand for the time being, and fearing that the nearby guards would arrive and he would be even more unable to escape, the man became anxious. He caught a glimpse of Mo Yan standing blankly by the tree as if in a trance, and immediately came up with a plan. Without dodging Zhan Zhao's attack, he struck Mo Yan with a heavy palm.

As expected, Zhan Zhao fell for the trap and turned to save him. He took the opportunity to escape the predicament, leaped into the nearby bushes, and disappeared without a trace after a few quick movements.

Seeing the figure disappear, Zhan Zhao was too weak to give chase. The fight had reopened his chest wound, and blood seeped through his robes. He leaned against the tent, panting slightly, his eyes fixed on Mo Yan.

The nearby guards arrived at this moment and, seeing that there was no one else there except Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan, asked in surprise, "It seems like we just saw someone fighting here?"

"I was sparring with my wife and I. I apologize for disturbing you all," Zhan Zhao said with a forced, faint smile.

"Oh, I see."

The guards chuckled, intending to make a joke, but seeing Mo Yan's distraught appearance, they refrained from saying anything, exchanged a few polite words, and left.

After the guards' footsteps faded away, the surroundings were eerily quiet, except for the sound of cicadas.

A gentle breeze swept through the treetops.

The clouds slowly tore apart and then gathered again.

The two of them were less than a foot apart, yet they gazed at each other with longing, as if separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, as if the hustle and bustle of the world had left them behind.

Mo Yan's eyes were dry, but they revealed a grief even greater than sadness.

She tried to open her mouth, but no sound came out. She felt her blood churning in her chest, and all the sorrow and joy of the past few days surged up at once. She vomited a mouthful of blood and her body swayed precariously.

"Xiao Qi, you..." Upon seeing this, Zhan Zhao rushed forward to support her, reluctantly wiping the blood from her lips with his sleeve, but he didn't know what to say to comfort her.

Mo Yan buried her head in his chest, her body trembling uncontrollably. Zhan Zhao held her tightly, thinking that they had only been married for a few days, yet he had hurt her so deeply. He was heartbroken and couldn't help but shed tears.

The guard who had come earlier to urge for the antidote came over again. Seeing the two looking puzzled, he coughed twice before asking, "Prince Qi's subordinates have come again to inquire when Miss Mo can prepare the antidote for them?"

Mo Yan, who had been lying motionless in Zhan Zhao's arms, suddenly looked up upon hearing the words "Prince Qi," her eyes flashing with murderous intent. Knowing that she was like Zhan Zhao, he whispered in her ear, "It's not him, it can't be him."