Lava

Kapitel 146

She quickly turned her head and stared intently at him: "Who could it be?"

Zhan Zhao paused for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't know either."

"Big brother! You must know!" Mo Yan was furious that Zhan Zhao was still keeping it from her even at this moment.

No, I don't know.

When the man made his move, Zhan Zhao recognized that he was using Central Plains martial arts. He guessed that this man was likely a spies of the masked woman in Liao. Therefore, he aimed for vital points with every move, hoping to kill the man and prevent him from causing any more trouble for Hai Dongqing.

He couldn't tell Mo Yan about this, because he couldn't let her get involved in his quest for revenge.

Chapter Seventy-Eight

That night, Zhao Yu had already gone to sleep, but then he heard that Zhan Zhao was requesting an audience outside the tent, so he had no choice but to get up again and order the maid to bring him in.

"I apologize for my intrusion, Princess," Zhan Zhao said, stepping forward and bowing.

Zhao Yu knew that he was always prudent and that he must have something important to discuss when he asked to see him. She smiled slightly and said, "Why are you being so polite? Please tell me what it is."

Zhan Zhao remained silent, glancing at the maids on either side. Zhao Yu understood his meaning, and waved for the maids to leave, instructing them not to enter without her summons.

Seeing them leave, Zhan Zhao took out a letter from his bosom and presented it to Zhao Yu, saying in a low voice, "Please have the princess deliver this letter to the Vice Envoy."

Zhao Yu was taken aback: "This letter is..."

Zhan Zhao stepped back, knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and said solemnly, "After tonight, Zhan Zhao will no longer be able to protect the princess. I hope the princess will forgive me."

Zhao Yu was startled by his words and reached out to pull him up, but he was injured and unable to move. She could only ask urgently, "What exactly happened? Tell me clearly. Are you leaving? Where is Xiao Qi?"

Now that things had come to this, there was no longer any way to hide it from Zhao Yu, so Zhan Zhao told her the whole story. "...The spy is still in the camp, and we must be wary of Hai Dongqing. I have already memorized his physical characteristics and martial arts style; you can give him the details, Princess."

After hearing his words, Zhao Yu was still in shock and could not recover. The bits and pieces of her time with Yelü Pusa Nu these days floated into her mind. She knew that although he appeared cold, he actually took good care of her. But she never imagined that he was actually a spy from the Song Dynasty who had infiltrated the Liao Kingdom.

"He...he...is a Song Dynasty person?" she asked hesitantly.

Zhan Zhao nodded: "Hai Dongqing has endured humiliation and hardship all these years, which is something no ordinary person could do. Although the princess already knows his identity, she must not reveal it in her words or actions, otherwise..."

“I understand.” Zhao Yu interrupted him. She was well aware of the danger her slight negligence might have posed to Hai Dongqing. To her, his safety, as her savior, was naturally a matter of utmost importance.

Zhan Zhao smiled slightly. He could tell that Zhao Yu was no longer the princess who would sneak out of the palace to play.

"And what about you?"

"Zhan Zhao is leaving tonight."

"Why is that? Did Lord Bao order you to go back?"

"Zhan Zhao is suffering from a severe poisoning. Today, during his battle with that spy, the poison penetrated his heart, and he is already on the verge of death," Zhan Zhao said calmly. "Zhan Zhao has only one request: please let Princess release Xiao Qi back to the Song Dynasty. I am truly worried about leaving her here alone." Without him, Xiao Qi would surely be heartbroken. If she returns to the Song Dynasty, it will be more prosperous and bustling, and she will have her senior brothers and sisters there. It would be better for her no matter what.

"You... don't you have a way to detoxify?" Zhao Yu was shocked to hear Zhan Zhao say this.

Zhan Zhao smiled faintly and shook his head: "The poison has entered the heart meridian, there is no cure."

"How could this happen... What should we do about Xiao Qi? What should we do about her?" Zhao Yu's eyes welled up with tears as she asked repeatedly.

Zhan Zhao lowered his eyes and remained silent. After a long while, he raised his head and said with a strained smile, "Xiao Qi is most afraid of seeing corpses. I don't want to frighten her, so I will leave here and go far away to a place where she can't find me."

"..." Zhao Yu remained silent for a long time, wiped away her tears, and choked out, "Don't worry, I will definitely make sure Xiao Qi goes back to the Great Song Dynasty."

"Thank you, Princess."

Zhan Zhao bowed again, stood up and said, "Then Zhan Zhao will take his leave."

Zhao Yu closed his eyes tightly and nodded heavily. He heard the tent flap twitch slightly, and when he looked up again, the curtain was gone. The candlelight inside the tent flickered without any wind, and the huge shadows of the various furnishings swayed on the tent walls. Zhao Yu's gaze remained fixed on the tent flap for a long, long time…

Suddenly, she raised her voice and cried out, "Help! Help!"

A maid rushed in: "What are your orders, Princess?"

"Quickly, go and call Miss Mo here!" Zhao Yu said urgently.

After leaving the camp, Zhan Zhao rode his horse for a while, but eventually ran out of energy and had to dismount and walk. At this point, he didn't know where he should go, so he just wandered around, lying down wherever he ended up.

The stars twinkle in the sky, so bright that they can instantly soften one's heart.

He couldn't help but recall old memories: the fireflies on summer nights in his hometown, his brother's gentle scolding, the candlelight in Judge Bao's study...

The wind swept past him, and he staggered, only managing to stay upright by gripping the reins tightly. Waves of pain surged from the wound in his chest, but he ignored it and continued walking.

He gritted his teeth, refusing to turn around, because it seemed there was always a pair of eyes, a pair of eyes as bright as morning stars, watching him from behind.

That person was his only attachment in this world.

That is also the only guilt I feel.

Whether it was due to the growing wind or the increasing chill of the night, his body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if even his blood was turning cold. He still insisted on walking forward, but his legs were already unsteady, and he slumped to the side, almost collapsing onto the grass.

The rapid sound of hooves came from behind him and reached his side in an instant. Before the horse had even come to a complete stop, someone dismounted, helped him up, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Brother, brother..."

Zhan Zhao's vision was already a little blurry, and he couldn't see her face clearly. He was both happy and worried: "Why did you chase after me again? You didn't even let anyone accompany you. What if you get scared?"

Hearing him say that, Mo Yan retorted angrily with a suppressed sob, "I don't want anyone else with me but you. Even if you die, I'll die with you."

"You're talking nonsense again." Zhan Zhao stood up straight with difficulty, gave a forced smile, and joked, "Do you think I'm someone from this barbaric land, someone who would want to be buried with me when I die?"

Mo Yan hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest, and said in a low voice, "Wherever you go, I'll go, I won't leave your side."

Zhan Zhao stroked her hair, sighed deeply, and after a long while asked, "Didn't I put you to sleep with my acupoints? Why did you come after me?"