Safety

Chapter 66

I ignored them completely, grabbed the hem of my skirt with one hand, lifted myself up, and disappeared from their sight in the blink of an eye.

Waiting? Yes, I've been waiting for far too long since the acupoints that were restrained by Ding Tian's finger snap were released.

There were guards at the entrance, and they immediately surrounded me upon hearing the maid's exclamation. I dodged several people, gathered my strength, and was about to leap onto the roof. Suddenly, a dazzling golden light flashed before my eyes. I was in mid-air and had no time to dodge; in the blink of an eye, I was forced to the ground.

A person was already standing on the eaves, with their back to the glaring sunlight, making it almost impossible to look up at them.

Ding Tian stood with his hands behind his back on a high place, looking at me, and whispered, "Where is the princess going?"

I turned my head to the side and called out, but didn't say anything.

The sounds of kneeling and kowtowing, along with shouts of "Long live the Emperor!", filled the air. Many people approached and then receded, but only two finally reached us. My elder brother, dressed in bright yellow, held the hand of the person beside him, with soldiers in iron armor and silver helmets prostrate on the ground behind him. His gaze swept over me, and in an instant, his smile was as warm as a spring breeze.

"Abule, what do you think? Isn't my imperial sister a beauty of unparalleled grace?"

The towering, black-armored man, as imposing as a giant, fixed his gaze on me, taking in my white hair, then my phoenix robe, and finally settling on my face, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He finally spoke, saying only, "Abule wishes to be forever united with the princess and to secure the Liang Dynasty forever."

The elder brother laughed and said, "Good."

I looked up abruptly, but before I could utter a single word, a cold voice suddenly came from above.

"Can't."

Everyone was taken aback. The sunlight was bright, and a person stood on the roof ridge, his clothes covered in mottled patches of congealed black blood.

"Mo Li." My body swayed, whether from joy or fear, I didn't know.

"Mo Li!" A voice rang out at the same time as me. It was Ding Tian, who was still standing on the roof ridge, his masked face showing no expression.

The bloodstained man turned to him and said slowly, "I told you, you can do whatever you want, but I won't let you take her away." As he said this, his gaze slowly swept over everyone below, and he said, word by word, "I won't let anyone take her away either."

His face was so pale, yet his voice was filled with a terrifying resolve, so terrifying that for a moment, everyone fell silent; not a single person dared to utter a sound to stop him.

In the silence, he reached out his hand to me and said, "Ping An, do you want to come with me?"

Tears were already streaming down my face. After hearing his words, I lunged at him. I heard the wind whistling behind my ears, accompanied by a chilling cold. I knew what it was, but I no longer had any desire to dodge or avoid it.

He's already here, what more could I possibly want?

The moment my fingers touched his, the emotions that exploded in my heart were enough to shatter metal and stone.

I love him! This man who carries the heart of the boy I once loved, this man who would give his life for me, this man who is on the verge of death, I love him! I can repeat these three words a thousand, ten thousand times. As long as I can be with him, even if I die in this very second, I will be willing.

He reached out and caught me. As our two long whips intertwined, a sudden gust of wind sent countless roof tiles flying. Screams echoed from the ground, and I was thrown backward with him. We landed on another house together. The roof tiles, bearing the weight of the impact, shattered and collapsed, sending us tumbling down to the floor inside.

"Mo Li." I couldn't reach myself, so I turned over to look at him. He hugged me, lying on his back on the ground, his eyes open, his pale face framed by dark, inky eyes. When he saw my face clearly, I spoke softly, in a gentle tone I had never used before, "Yes, I'm here, and I won't leave again. You don't need to worry anymore."

He looked at me and slowly smiled. On his pale, lifeless face, the smile seemed fragile and beautiful. "Is that so?"

I felt my heart shattering into pieces, but I smiled at him with all my might, then took his hand that had fallen to the ground, placed it to my lips, and kissed it very lightly, as if stamping a seal of eternal commitment.

"Yes, I will never leave you again!"

2

"Who allowed you to be together?" There were no footsteps, only the sound of a gray coat, which stopped right beside us.

I didn't look up, nor did I want to. I just held my beloved man tightly, pressing my body against his as closely as possible.

My voice came softly from the side of his face.

I said, "Go away."

Ding Tian didn't move; it was Mo Li who moved. He even had the strength to sit up and push me behind him again.

His face was terribly pale, but his lips were unusually red. He looked at the man who had raised him, his eyes burning with light—burning with the rest of his life.

"I told you, I won't let you take her away."

Ding Tian looked down at him, a slow, painful expression creeping into his eyes—the look of someone watching a loved one they had raised for so many years about to leave, the sorrow of a parent outliving their child. He spoke softly to his only disciple.

"You'll die if you do that."

The door opened, and countless people surrounded the tattered supplies. A blindingly bright yellow light shone in the sunlight, and I heard my elder brother's voice, still as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Ping An, come out, the grand banquet is about to begin."

At this point, I calmed down and reached out to tidy my messy hair. Both of us had our hair down, which had rolled and tangled together, a mix of black and white, inseparable.

How wonderful, we've tied the knot like this.

I helped him stand up again, gently brushed the dust off his clothes like an ordinary wife would, and then, unable to bear it any longer, I gently kissed his lips again. His lips were as soft as I remembered, only now they tasted of blood.

He let me do these things, and neither of us glanced at the people inside or outside the house. When I kissed him, he trembled slightly, then lowered his head and gently returned my kiss, so tender and affectionate, a thousand unspoken words.

Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer and shouted from outside, "How dare you? Let her go right now!"

The Emperor's indistinct voice rang out, followed by the sound of footsteps as everyone retreated. Even the booming roar ceased, and footsteps echoed inside. The Emperor entered, accompanied only by Lu Jian, who followed closely behind. Ding Tian remained standing silently beside us. The Emperor slowly walked to his side, glanced at Lu Jian, who immediately offered him something with both hands. The Emperor took it and then waved his hand lightly at him.

Lu Jian hesitated, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid..."

The emperor laughed, “With Master Dingtian here, who in this world can harm me? Go and guard the door, don’t let anyone in.”

Lu Jian silently withdrew and closed the door with both hands. The room fell silent as no one spoke.

Mo Li and I clung tightly together. Having decided that death was nothing more than an end, my heart felt empty, and I felt no fear whatsoever.

The elder brother looked at Ding Tian and said, "Sir, are you reluctant to take action?"

Ding Tian sighed softly, "Do you know that I once mistook him for you?"

Mo Li silently lowered her eyes. She didn't want to talk to these two people, so she just held his hand tightly.

The elder brother smiled and said, "Since that's the case, it's only right to let him suffer less. He was going to die three years ago anyway, so why should he linger?" After saying that, he handed the things in his hand to Ding Tian and said, "These are tributes from the Mo Kingdom. Do you like them, sir?"

When the elder brother spoke, he looked directly at Dingtian with a smile on his lips. Dingtian's gaze fell on his face, and slowly softened.

Blood ties are innate; this is indeed his biological child.

Ding Tian took the item, and the yellow silk covering it fell from his hand. Inside was a dark green short sword with an ancient green jade inlaid on the hilt, which exuded a chilling aura even from a distance.

"Juque!"

The tribute from the Mo Kingdom was none other than the ancient legendary sword, the Giant Sword! This was a weapon coveted by all martial artists, and the Emperor had simply handed it over to him. Such a favor, if bestowed upon anyone else, would have already prostrated themselves on the ground shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Ding Tian, of course, would not kowtow to my elder brother. He looked at the sword in his hand for a long time, and finally just nodded slightly, a smile in his eyes.

His son, being the emperor, pointed to the side of me as he presented the gifts.

The blood flowing in my veins turned into ice and fire. Mo Li's fingers gripped tightly, preventing me from moving, but her eyes were already raised, quietly gazing at Ding Tian.

"He... doesn't have much time left." Ding Tian couldn't bear it any longer, gripping the giant sword, his voice low.

The emperor sighed softly, "If what he's hindering is our empire and its future?"

He meant "we"!

These two words made Ding Tian tremble, and then he looked up and roared to the sky.

"Yes, you're right! I was foolish." With that, the long whip flew out, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, heading straight towards where we were standing.

I only had time to look up at him once, and he was looking at me too. His eyes held a thousand lonely glimmers of light, and then I was swept away by the whip's gust of wind. My body floated lightly in the air like a falling leaf, and then crashed heavily to the ground, right in front of my imperial brother's feet.

I was thrown so hard that my vision went black for a moment, and then an even bigger thing happened. I heard my brother cry out, and Mo Li flew over and pounced on me, his five fingers like claws, and suddenly grabbed my throat.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. By the time the Heaven-Stabilizing Whip was back in his hand, his elder brother had already been subdued.

The emperor could still manage a regretful expression; though his throat was gagged and he couldn't speak, his face clearly revealed his thoughts. He never expected his father to be so soft-hearted.

Ding Tian was also stunned. He must have thought that Mo Li was no longer capable of making a move, which was why he whipped me over. He never expected that Mo Li, despite being at his last gasp, could still make a move instantly and subdue the emperor right under his nose.

"Ping An, come here." Mo Li said in a low voice. I got up, and then watched in horror as he spat out a mouthful of blood, my body stiffening instantly.

"Don't try to hold on, you can't." Ding Tian sighed and slowly walked towards us.

I turned around and spread my arms to block him. "Don't come any closer."

How could he possibly take me seriously? He walked up to me and slightly raised his hand.

"Master, if you dare to hurt her..." Mo Li's voice was almost hoarse, but every word was still clear and audible, followed by a groan from his elder brother.

The emperor's transformation into a demon was not complete; his body was still that of a mortal.

Ding Tian withdrew his hand, slightly raising his eyes to look at him, "You want me to wait here for you to breathe your last?"

For a split second, I almost slapped him without thinking, but thankfully Mo Li's voice pulled me back.

“Ping An, you can go now. Tell them that if anyone stops you, the emperor will be nothing but a corpse.”

I turned back and walked towards him, then bent down to pick up the long whip that had fallen to the ground. When I got to their side, I suddenly pulled out the short sword from the whip handle and pressed it hard against my brother's neck.

I said, "Brother, please see us out. I want to go with him."

The elder brother laughed, then sighed and said, "Women are truly fleeting." As he spoke, his Adam's apple bobbed, and the sharp dagger instantly drew a bloody gash on the elder brother's neck.

Ding Tian's expression darkened, and he took another step towards us.

Mo Li's hand had already left my brother's neck. He bent over, as if being pressed by some force, and spat out another mouthful of blood. The blood-red splattered on the ground beside me, like a strange flower.

After spitting out that mouthful of blood, he was never able to stand up again. He supported himself on the ground with one hand, while the other hand reached out and gently pushed me.

"Let's go."

My heart sank lower and lower, as if it were sinking into an endless, icy pool. My hands trembled, and I could no longer hold the short sword.

Where else can I go? Without him, where else can I go? I might as well die here with him. Dying together would be good too.

Thinking of this, I lost all strength in my hands. Ding Tian, with incredible skill, floated in front of me, knocked my short sword away with one hand, and pulled my elder brother back with the other.

I couldn't care less about any of them anymore. All I knew was to kneel down beside Mo Li, holding him tightly in my arms, so tightly that it was as if he would disappear if I let go of even a finger.

I whispered in his ear, "I'm not leaving, I'll stay with you."

He glanced at me one last time, his eyes filled with lingering affection. His lips moved, but no sound came out. I felt my hands grow heavy, and as I tried to see his face clearly again, all I could see were tears streaming down my face, filling my vision.

Ding Tian rescued his elder brother and was about to examine the wound on his neck when his brother gently pushed his hand away and took a step back, then another.

Ding Tian was somewhat puzzled and was about to speak when his eyes suddenly bulged out, and he looked down at his hands in disbelief.

His hands were now covered with dark lines that were moving upwards along his veins, and in the blink of an eye, they had reached his neck.

He reached out to touch his face again, but the mask was swept to the ground, along with his long golden braid and the dark green giant sword. He lowered his hand, staring intently at his elder brother, his voice hoarse.