Safety

Chapter 64

Only my elder brother and I remained in the room. He sat down in the chair by the bed, his gaze falling on me, seemingly quite pleased with my attire. He then reached out, brushed a strand of my hair behind his ear, and said, "After looking at you for a while, it's actually not so bad."

I didn't want him to touch me, so I moved away, backing quite far. He opened his eyes slightly, probably surprised, then laughed again.

"It's good that you know how to use light footwork. In the future, when my sister is not by my side, she will have some skills to protect herself, and I will have less to worry about."

My elder brother's voice was as gentle as ever. In the past, when I was often ill, he would come to see me, sit by my bedside and chat with me. Just like now, even though he was there to visit a sick person, he always had a smile on his face when he spoke.

The memories overwhelmed me with sorrow, and I could no longer remain silent. I finally spoke up, "Brother, who are you going to give me to this time?"

Upon hearing this, he raised his hand as if to pat my face, but we were too far apart, so he lowered his hand again and said, "My royal sister is becoming more and more intelligent. There will be a new emperor in the Mo Kingdom. Last time, my royal sister did not marry Mo Fei, but this time I have found you a better man."

Being mentally prepared is one thing, but hearing it with my own ears is another. However, after experiencing what it means to be heartbroken yesterday, any intense anger or resistance was a distant thought for me. I simply looked at him with melancholy and slowly said, "Abule."

Seeing my calm demeanor, his smile softened even more. "Yes, has Your Highness already met him? He is currently waiting outside the city; you will be able to meet him soon."

Why him?

Huang Fan must have really hadn't seen me in a long time, because even in the middle of the night, he was in a particularly good mood for conversation. He sighed, which was rare for him, and spread his hands, saying, "What should we do? The man I originally chose for my sister has turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, breaking the alliance and attempting to invade our dynasty. For my sister's sake, I have no choice but to choose another suitable husband for you."

I sighed and said, "I'm not the only princess."

He smiled even more, then his voice softened as he said, "What a pity, none of them are my imperial sisters, only Ping An is."

This isn't the first time I've heard this phrase. My elder brother said the same thing when he sent me off to marry into the Kingdom of Mo.

I've never understood. There are so many princes and princesses in the palace. Even if they aren't born to the Empress, they're still the Emperor's children! Huang Fan, as the Crown Prince, always uses me? And it's not just my sister. Why is it that every time he uses me... I opened my mouth, and a thousand mysteries surfaced. I asked again, "The person behind Abule is you, isn't he? You arranged for someone to secretly help him. You already foresaw that Mo Fei would invade our dynasty? You already foresaw that they would turn on each other, so you planted Lord Li as a pawn."

"Not entirely," the elder brother shook his head. "Abule is good at fighting but not good at strategy, but he has his mother, the Grand Consort, planning ahead for him. The women of the Mo Kingdom are all very capable. As for me, I am merely lending them a hand." He suddenly clutched his heart. "Unfortunately, I no longer have any elders to worry about me, so I have to plan ahead myself."

I almost yelled, "Didn't you kill your father yourself?"

I was speechless. My brother didn't urge me to answer, and for a moment the two people in the room fell silent.

Outside, all was quiet. This city of Tuoguan, where fierce battles raged during the day, was now as peaceful as a secluded paradise. I suddenly felt a chill. "Abul is here? Has he come to kill his brother? Is Mo Fei already dead?"

The elder brother glanced at the water clock in the corner of the room. "We'll hear from Lu Jian when he returns. Ping An, will you wait with me?"

Lu Jian... I heard the name of an old friend again, it felt like a lifetime ago.

"But how can an emperor of a country die so easily?" I thought back to the half-city of fire and half-city of blood in the capital back then, my eyes glazed over.

"It wasn't that easy after all, but today someone suddenly appeared on the battlefield, forcefully cutting down the imperial banner and taking down the enemy emperor from the midst of ten thousand soldiers. Scouts reported that Mo Fei was seriously injured. Perhaps even without Abul's painstaking planning, the Mo Kingdom will change hands. The Ji family's divine might on the battlefield is indeed well-deserved. It's a pity I arrived too late to witness it in person. I will definitely reward him properly another day." My brother spoke with regret, but I felt as if I had been suddenly doused with ice water, and my whole body stiffened.

"That's not him... Don't go looking for him anymore, he won't see you." I stammered, knowing I shouldn't care about that man, but hearing anything about him immediately threw me into a panic, and I couldn't even speak clearly.

My elder brother smiled and shook his head at me. Just as he was about to speak, a voice suddenly came from outside the door, deep and respectful: "Your Majesty, I'm back."

That was Lu Jian's voice.

The elder brother did not move, but asked casually from inside the room, "Is it good news?"

Immediately, a kowtow sounded from outside the door, followed by a reply: "Congratulations, Your Majesty."

The sound of a chair being pushed rang out, and my elder brother finally stood up. I looked up at him and saw the sudden gleam of arrogance and self-satisfaction in his eyes, a light so intense that even the gentlest smile couldn't conceal it.

5

My brother finally left. I sat in the room, and the moment the door opened and closed, I saw that the doorway was already full of guards watching me to prevent me from escaping.

Why bother?

With such skilled warriors by my brother's side, let alone a mere princess like me, even my master might not be able to freely enter and leave this place.

I was left in the room. Two maids came in; they were clearly skilled in martial arts. They knelt on the ground and asked the princess if she needed anything else. They didn't leave until they got an answer from me; they just stayed in the room and kept watch.

That's really watertight.

One of them added, "His Majesty has instructed that the princess should rest early, as there are many things to do tomorrow."

My mind was in turmoil, and I couldn't possibly lie down. I took a few steps around the room, and the two maids came over together. "What does the princess want?"

I had already opened the window before them. Tuoguan City was built amidst steep mountains, with most of the houses perched on cliffs, which is why it was known as a natural stronghold. The General's Mansion was no exception; below the window was a sheer drop. A cool mountain breeze rushed in through the open window, ruffling my white hair. I couldn't help it; I just said, "Don't worry, I won't jump. I just want some fresh air."

The two maids were still worried and stood guard on either side of me. I was getting impatient and wanted them to leave. In a flash, a dark shadow flashed past me like lightning, striking the two maids' pressure points and silently knocking them to the ground.

I watched them fall, and suddenly my whole body stiffened.

A hoarse voice came from behind my ear; someone was calling my name, as low as a whisper.

"Safety."

When I opened my eyes again, Mo Li was already in front of me, his gaze fixed on my hair, his pupils contracting sharply.

With just one glance, my heart started racing.

He returned from the battlefield, having killed countless people; his body looked as if he had been pulled from a pool of blood, his scarlet clothes stained as if splashed with blood, and even his hair was wet, as if blood could drip from it at any moment.

These two different desires tore at me, the tearing sensation spreading throughout my body, the pain making it hard for me to breathe.

"Ping An." He called my name again, his face pale but his lips unusually red, a shocking sight. "I've come to take you away."

Seeing that something was wrong with him, I finally broke free of my composure and asked in a trembling voice, "What's wrong with you?"

He didn't answer me, but continued to ask, "Do you want to come with me?" These words were like a sledgehammer, hitting me so hard I almost crouched down. My heart ached terribly, and I breathed heavily, trying to get through that fatal feeling.

Even death is better than living like this.

Seeing that I didn't answer, he swayed, his face showing a stubborn and resolute expression. My heart sank, and before I could even speak, he had already wrapped me up, and then a gust of wind rushed towards me. He had carried me out of the window.

Outside the window was a sheer cliff. He pressed me tightly against him, and the wind rushed through our bodies from all directions, billowing our clothes and tangling our hair in a messy mess. I tried to speak, but the wind blew my voice away in an instant.

The fall seemed endless, the sky grew ever more distant, darkness engulfed me, and I suddenly gave up struggling, weakly letting myself go.

What more do you want?

Monsoon, I'll be seeing you soon. Before that, please forgive me. I love him. It's only a short distance away, but I love him.

I stopped struggling, but Mo Li made a move instead. As we approached the ground, he lashed out with his whip, the tip of which accurately wrapped around a tree trunk growing out of the mountainside. However, the force of our fall from such a height was too great, and the tree trunk could not withstand such force, snapping directly. But Mo Li lashed out again, and after repeating this several times, he finally slowed our descent. But it was too late; we had already reached the ground.

Contrary to expectations of impact and shattering, we tumbled together into a large net that had somehow been repaired. The trees had eased our descent, and the net was incredibly sturdy, remaining intact even under such an impact. It was merely stretched to its limit by our weight before bouncing back up. Mo Li pressed heavily on top of me, his hand loosening its grip on the whip, but his other hand still held me tightly, so tightly that his fingers seemed to dig into my flesh.

Someone was running towards us, talking rapidly as they ran, as if they couldn't stop. "How are you? Are you all alright? Did Ping An break any bones? What about your heart? Is it still beating?"

I rolled over and sat up, not knowing whether to feel fortunate or disappointed. I hadn't died. I hadn't actually died.

The moment I moved, Mo Li reacted. One hand was still on me, and the other hand supported his body as he tried to get up, but he failed and fell heavily back into the net. My heart sank, and before I could think, I had already caught him with both hands.

"Don't touch him! Don't touch him!" He Nan shouted even more urgently, almost crawling on his hands and feet to our side. He pushed me away, a little too hard, causing me to fall backward and flip directly out of the net.

"I'm fine." Mo Li's voice rang out from the net, deeper and hoarser than usual. He rolled off in the darkness, grabbed the long whip that had fallen to the side, and said, "We can't stay here any longer, let's go."

He Nan came to help me up and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I acted rashly just now. Ping An, let's go."

I grabbed He Nan, forgetting everything else. All I could ask was, "What happened to him?"

He Nan, that useless fellow, had eyes that were actually glistening with moisture in the thick darkness of the night, as if he was about to cry. "You should be nicer to him. He loves you so much. If you're not nice to him, you'll regret it later."

"He Nan, shut up." Mo Li had already walked up to us, her voice cold.

Even the hand he held was cold.

I suddenly felt afraid, the same fear of losing something that I felt three years ago, which made me tremble all over.

But how can I leave with him?

I gritted my teeth, tasting the blood in my mouth, and spoke in a strange voice that didn't sound like my own.

I said, "Mo Li, I can't go with you."

He Nan gasped beside me, his cold fingers twitched, and Mo Li's hoarse voice sounded above my head.

"Why? Would you rather marry that other man than come with me?"

I was startled. "You heard that? Did you see that man in gray...?"

I didn't hear what they said, but perhaps he did.

When I mentioned that person, his eyes suddenly dimmed, and his already pale face became even more lifeless.

I was startled again. My hand, which I had been trying to pull back, instinctively reached out and grabbed his, asking again, "What's wrong with you?"

A sudden gust of cold wind blew behind my head, like something foreign flying near my ear. Before I could react, he abruptly pushed me behind him. A crisp sound followed, as if something had become entangled.

I was pushed to the ground, my ears ringing. When I looked up, I saw a gray figure standing out in the darkness, holding a long whip in his hand. It was golden, with the tip of the whip wrapped around Mo Li's black whip.

He Nan was lying on the ground not far away, his condition unknown. I was horrified and scrambled to my feet, ready to rush over without hesitation. Mo Li, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, said, "Ping An, get out of the way."

The man turned and stared at me, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, but he said, "Mo Li, how dare you!"

Mo Li stiffened, and when she spoke again, her voice was filled with indescribable pain.

He called that person "Master".

I stood there, frozen in place. The leader? This person is Ding Tian, the leader of the Holy Fire Cult?

The valley was deserted, and Ding Tian was not wearing a mask. The light was dim in the darkness, but it was enough for me to see his face.

Those eyebrows and facial features overlapped with a face that I had known all over the past ten years; it was all the shadow of my imperial brother!

Countless jumbled images and fragments swirled in my mind. In that instant, I felt as if I were seeing the most terrifying monster in the world, sending chills down my spine.

6

Ding Tian glanced at me, probably noticing that my expression was off, and with a flick of his finger, it looked like he was about to press my pressure points again.

"Master!" Mo Li suddenly stopped his hand. "Don't touch her."

Ding Tian smiled, and his originally indifferent expression shifted, making him look even more like my imperial brother.

"You only care about her. Were you badly injured during the day? Let me see." He was actually greeting Mo Li. He raised his left wrist and retracted the golden whip, while his right hand was still flicking his fingers in the air. I felt a numbness in my shoulder, and my whole body felt as if all my strength had been drained. I collapsed to the ground, unable to lift even a finger.

"Princess, please wait a moment. I need to speak with my disciple for a few moments. I will take you back shortly. Abul will be forming an alliance with your brother outside the city tomorrow, and you must be there."

He spoke so casually and naturally, as if my brother and I were nothing more than an ordinary couple in his eyes.

When Mo Li saw me fall to the ground, he turned around abruptly. The cult leader said, "I only flicked her soft pressure point. Don't worry, you can't have sex with her."

At this point, Mo Li's voice became calm. She slightly raised her eyes and spoke softly, "Master, there was no such chaos as the Moon Chasing Rebellion at all. You just want to send me away, is that right?"

Ding Tian seemed to sigh: "Your health is not good. The things I need to do in the next three years will be arduous, but not as exhausting as you."

"Did you send someone to do the Dinghai Jinchao Hall thing? Are you trying to use all the people in the sect as the emperor's lackeys?"

Although Mo Li's voice was low, it was already accusatory. Ding Tian was not annoyed, and only said, "There are some things you understand."