The reason I was stunned was not because of his disgusting and pretentious words, but because of the seriousness and earnestness in his eyes, which I saw in return.
Looking up, I saw that person smiling gently, as radiant as the setting sun with a hint of blood. With a leap of firelight, the hand behind his back turned to him and tossed a long sword stained with red.
That fair, delicate hand, as exquisite as a jade carving, was now covered with knife marks of varying depths, and blood was flowing continuously from the wounds, running down the fingertips in an eerie way.
"Let's go," he said with a smile, his voice low as if he were whispering.
I sat on my horse, looking down at him. I was so angry that I laughed. I bent down and slapped him across the face. I tried to slap him again, but he grabbed my hand. His sharp, narrowed phoenix eyes made me think that I would become a dead man in the next moment, but I didn't. He just tightened his grip on my hand. I couldn't tell if his palm was sweat or blood.
"Listen to me, I don't want to hurt you."
"Is it really that hard for you to believe me?"
He opened his mouth and smiled, but ultimately let go and said nothing more.
I instantly flew into a rage. Who said they would never let go of my hand? Did you not trust me, or did I not trust you?!
"Nangong Ling, you better remember this: if you miss this opportunity, don't expect me to come back!"
You were the one who pushed me away, and I'm not the kind of person who would shamelessly ask you "Do you still want me?"
He was stunned for a moment, but still didn't speak. He just slowly raised his head, a dark red tinge in the corner of his eye as if he could shed red tears at any moment. Under the dark moonlight, he was so pale that he was almost transparent.
I gritted my teeth, holding my breath, but I couldn't bear to look at him like that. I stood there, unable to turn around.
Chapter 117
"If you leave, no one will want to talk to you."
Xiao Lianjue broke the silence by speaking, and suddenly clapped her hands.
I shuddered and a number of thoughts flashed through my mind. In an instant, I understood why Xiao Lianjue had brought me to Lianshan.
Looking back at the hilltop, sure enough, a circle of archer cavalry had appeared. The battle had just ended, and the victors hadn't even had a chance to savor the victory and regroup when Xiao Lianjue arrived late with his five thousand elite troops.
"Prince Chen, you are a smart man, you should know what to do."
Tian Chen frowned, hesitated for a moment, and finally retreated behind Xiao Lianjue.
By using me to provoke Nangong Ling, he could eliminate Li Mu, an obstacle, without losing a single soldier. He must have guessed that Tianchen would be here. He ambushed Nangong Ling and gave Tianchen a show of power, thus achieving a two-birds-with-one-stone plan.
"Rong Lian," he called to me, "I've done as you wished, and now you've seen the person. Do you have an answer to your choice?"
Xiao Lianjue had given us a dead end, and Nangong Ling, being the kind of person he was, naturally guessed what was going on the moment he saw us, which is why he threw down his sword and told me to leave.
I turned around, glanced at the confident Xiao Lianjue, then turned back and bowed to meet his gaze.
Will we be able to get out?
Yao Hong's eyes widened for a moment. He reached out but stopped abruptly in mid-air. He looked at his fingertips and slowly withdrew his hand. He smiled, but with a hint of bitterness.
"I hope so."
His voice was very soft, and his eyes were very deep as he looked at me, as if he knew he would never see me again in this life, so he wanted to remember this moment forever.
My eyes flashed with malice, and I really wanted to slap him again. This guy not only didn't improve, but he's become more and more like a child. He still hasn't lost that desperate look from when he was a kid.
"Take me with you, you're not getting rid of me. If you don't want both of you to die, you better not get into any trouble!"
I'm still angry, but no matter how angry I am, I can't just watch him go and die. I wouldn't have done that when I was a kid, and I certainly wouldn't now.
"you……"
He hated hearing me say things like that, and he lifted me off the horse almost instantly. I didn't feel uncomfortable being held tightly around the waist by him; instead, it made me feel that the emptiness I had felt these past few days had been filled in an instant.
"What is this? A quarrel? Internal strife?" Xiao Lian said indifferently.
Fortunately, I was careful this time and had Xiangrui bring some people to follow behind. "Are the people from Juyizhuang any good?"
I whispered in his ear, and he turned his head so his cheek brushed against my lips, smooth yet cold.
"...How many people did you bring?"
"Xiao Lianjue originally brought three with him, and I instructed Xiangrui to arrange for some more to follow behind, so there are probably about ten in total."
After he finished listening, he patted my back, his hand trembling slightly. I sighed, feeling a pang of sympathy for him. He was indeed trying to trust me; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken such a huge risk by entrusting the Phoenix Token to me. Even if it was to conceal the truth, it would have been safer to entrust it to anyone else than to me. If I were to truly stand on the side of my elder brother and Xiao Lianjue, he would not only be helping Xiao Lianjue but also cutting off his own escape route.
"Are you done arguing?" Xiao Lianjue's voice had turned cold.
She raised her hand and pulled out a gold hairpin from her hair. Looking back, she saw several figures scattering. Before anyone could react or prepare, the situation had completely reversed. However, the people on the mountain were numerous and indeed elite soldiers, so arrows were inevitably shot at them.
Yun Zhi pulled me away, and the three people from Juyizhuang that Xiao Lianjue brought had already started fighting with him. Two of them were forced back in just a few moves. I looked back and was surprised to see him suddenly block an arrow and throw it in this direction. The long arrow was extremely sharp as it pierced through the air.
"careful!"
But it was too late. As the sharp arrow pierced the white shirt on his left shoulder, I felt my eyes redden as he pulled me to his right.
I was about to curse, but Yunzhi hugged me tightly and moved quickly toward the place where Xiangrui and the others were waiting on the mountain.
The fireflies scattered in the Red Sea quickly blurred everything in sight. The moon slanted down, and the sky disappeared into the ink-black darkness.
There was nowhere to hide near Lianshan. After searching for half a day, all they found were barren hills. There wasn't even a dilapidated temple in the area, let alone a place for Yun to heal and recuperate.
His complexion grew worse and worse, and cold sweat slid down his sharp chin. His lips were too pale, which could be attributed to excessive blood loss, but why did they appear bluish-white?
"The arrow is poisoned," Xiangrui said, frowning.
These four words struck me like a bolt from the blue, leaving me rooted to the spot, unable to move.
“It’s poison arrowwood…” He bit his lower lip, leaving a white mark. “Xiangrui, take the Lord away. There’s a mansion twenty miles to the north…”
"Shut up!" He actually wanted to risk his life to play the hero.
Startled by my yelling, he forced a bitter smile and said, "Listen to me this time, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Hmph, as if I want you to get into trouble. From now on, listen to me, or I'll knock you out if you bother me again!" I could find somewhere to stay by arguing with you. "Does anyone here know this place? Even if there are no houses or caves, that's fine."
The most important thing right now is the arrow in his shoulder. What if he pulls it out rashly now and the bleeding doesn't stop, and Xiao Lianjue catches up again?
"Lian'er..."
I glared at him. Why was this person so persistent?!
"Two long whistles, three short whistles." As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden whistle.
Although I had some doubts after taking it, I decided to wait until he blew it. I blew it as he instructed, and the whistle resounded through the sky, but there was no response for a long time.
Just as I was getting impatient and preparing to leave, a cluster of lights suddenly appeared on a hilltop not far away. I squinted for a while before my eyes adjusted.
When I saw who it was, I was stunned for a moment. Wasn't that the bearded head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the Thousand Autumns Bureau?
"City Lord Nangong, Li Mu hasn't shown up yet, so how come...City Lord?!"
So there were people lying in ambush here, and they specifically brought in outsiders to lower Li Mu's guard? Does that mean Li Mu wasn't involved in the killing just now, and he was hiding somewhere else?
"We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's go to the headquarters first."
The group moved swiftly. Xiangrui and I helped Yunzhi over, one on each side. He was hanging mostly on me, and even though he was so injured, he was still careful to control his strength so as not to hurt me.
"Chief镖林, please turn off all the lights. There are still Xiao Lianjue's men around here."
"Prince Xiao?" Chief镖师 Lin immediately frowned. "This is troublesome..."
Tsk, where are the Four Protectors when it matters most? Oh well, it's better to rely on yourself than others.
Looking down, the person was now in a semi-conscious state, his body soaked in blood like overlapping blood lotuses in full bloom, reaching the extreme before decay, perhaps about to wither and die at any moment.
Instantly, my heart clenched with pain, and an unprecedented fear gripped me.
But at this moment, I had no time to hesitate. I took a breath and tried to calm myself down. With trembling hands, I touched the arrow. How should I pull it out?
The person nestled in my arms suddenly hesitated, half-closing their eyes, "No...don't hesitate...just pull it out in one breath..."
I almost cried; it felt like the pain wasn't my own.
Chapter 118
I thought I could at least wait for him to stop bleeding and rest for a while, but before half a quarter of an hour had passed, the sound of war drums rang out outside. It's true that when you're down on your luck, even drinking water can cause problems.
"Your Majesty!...My Lady?"
The person who suddenly rushed in was so fast that no one was prepared, but Cheng Lu, who was next to Xiang Rui, drew her short sword and stabbed at the newcomer in the blink of an eye.
"Wait a minute!" I quickly called out to Cheng Lu after recognizing the person. "You've come at the right time. You take Yunzhi north first, and we'll follow you."
I was both surprised by Cang's appearance and, upon reflection, it was also expected. No matter how chaotic the situation outside is, it is really important to let Yun find a place to recuperate.
Just as I was about to hand the person who was half-lying on me over to Cang Zhe, the person opened their eyes as soon as they moved, gripping my clothes tightly and staring blankly with no focus.
"...You go first, I'll be there shortly. I won't let anything happen to me and I won't leave again, okay?"
His fingers loosened slightly but not completely, so I leaned down and whispered reassurance in his ear before he slowly let go.
I have complete peace of mind entrusting him to Cang Zhe. As I watched his figure carrying Yun Zhi disappear into the night, I breathed a long sigh of relief. Looking down at my hands covered in blood, I felt as if I had just walked through the gates of hell, and I was still shaken.
Lin, the head镖师, and the others stayed behind, saying they dared not act rashly without Yun Zhi's orders. I didn't linger either, and followed them with Xiang Rui and Cheng Lu.
Twenty li to the north was the former residence of the Han family. Isn't this the place most likely to be discovered?
"How many villagers can be gathered here?"
"How much does the Commander want?"
"At least let us have a month or two of peace and quiet here."