Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 146

Although it has been less than half a year, there are few people among the people of Fengyin who are unaware of the roc pattern. It is the symbol of Qin Luo, the young prime minister who is only twenty-one years old but whose name is famous throughout the Yixiu Continent; it is the symbol of the "Young Master" who led 100,000 Crimson Universe troops to conquer Fengyin but handed over the throne; it is the symbol of the son of the gods who was born from the fire under the double light of the sun and moon.

The caravan traveled westward, from bustling towns where crowds lined the streets to welcome them, to this secluded and quiet valley. Suddenly, a bluish shadow seemed to flash across the sky above the caravan, as if a cool breeze had swept through, jolting the soldiers, who had been drowsy from the silence, awake. But when they looked up hastily, they found that the valley was still a valley, the caravan was still a caravan, and nothing had happened. Only Shen Hong, standing beside the carriage with its fluttering banner, still couldn't hide the shock and dejection on his pale face.

"Are you sure Shen Hong can handle it?" Yi Han asked me without panting as he leaped and bounded tirelessly among the mountains and streams.

"Hmm." I replied casually, wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder, bobbing up and down steadily without feeling any discomfort. "The soldiers we've brought this time are mostly from the Chiyu Army, and they can be considered Shen Hong's confidants. He should be able to handle them. After we rescue Yunyan, we can cross the Yunshan Northwest Mountains and catch up with them. There shouldn't be any problems."

Yi Han looked down at me, his dark, jade-like eyes filled with worry: "Can your body handle it?"

I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. His body suddenly stiffened, and he almost fell off the steep cliff. Yi Han glared at me, his face slightly pale. I smiled innocently and said, "Don't worry, I'm not that delicate."

Yi Han sighed, tightening his grip on my arms. His eyes held a mixture of doting, helplessness, and a hidden fear concealed behind his indifference. The trip to Jin Yao seemed perfectly planned, but in reality, too many worries lurked within. No one knew where Yun Yan and the others were, or if they were already dead; no one knew the reliability of the information Han Ning brought from six months ago. Even with Yi Han's superior martial arts and arrogance, he wasn't entirely confident he could ensure my safe retreat from enemy territory.

However, I had no choice but to go. The terror Yunyan's feigned death had instilled in me was too great; I simply couldn't imagine whether I could bear it if Yunyan, who had been with me for over a decade, were to die. Moreover, this time, a subtle, uneasy fear lingered in my heart, a feeling that something terrible would happen if I didn't go.

Looking back much later, I realize that Yihan and I were ultimately too proud and too confident. We were always used to having everything under our control, used to keeping important people under our watchful eyes to protect them personally, only then could we feel completely at ease. Little did we know that many things, what we could foresee, were not tragedies, but rather the unpredictable outcomes that were the truly dark abyss.

Xiao Yi

2008.4.22 20:40

Chapter 24: The Rescue from a Thousand Miles Away

Next update: April 24th

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Chapter 25 The God of Lightning's Ranks (Part 1)

Chapter 25 The God of Lightning's Ranks (Part 1)

As dawn broke, the surrounding mountains and trees remained quiet, but Yi Han suddenly woke up without a sound. He frowned slightly, looked around, and listened intently for a while before calming down.

His gaze shifted downwards, landing on the boy sleeping peacefully with his head on his lap. The boy's slightly translucent, lustrous skin had a snowy, jade-like sheen in the hazy morning light. His fingers gently caressed the skin, as if his fingertips would be drawn to the smooth, cool skin.

Yi Han sighed softly, pulled the clothes covering her up, held the Qing Shuang sword in one hand and her shoulder with the other, waiting for her to wake up.

After an unknown amount of time, the person in his arms suddenly moved, her long, curled eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes slowly opened, revealing two warm and clear blue lights, which made Yi Han's lips curl up slightly.

"Yihan." The boy opened his sleepy eyes and smiled at him. "Good morning..."

That smile was pure yet alluring, hazy and soft, like a dewdrop on a pink lotus flower, making one want to keep it forever, yet even more so to lick it with the tip of one's tongue and feel its transparent presence.

And so, Yi Han did just that. He lowered his head, took the girl's slightly parted lips in his mouth, and explored her mouth with his tongue, savoring her unique flavor—the delicate fragrance of pear blossoms, the vitality of pine trees, the gentle sip of a stream. Lin Yu was still by his side, right beside him alone. He could hold her in his arms, kiss her freely, be intimately close to her… These dreamlike, beautiful realities often made him feel like he was floating on air, yet he was also filled with anxiety and uncertainty.

The light, tentative good morning kiss escalated into a deep, passionate kiss as Lin Yu hooked his neck around his neck and teased him. Luckily, the first rays of morning sunlight caught his eye, jolting him awake. He gave a helpless, wry smile, then pulled the girl—dressed like a boy, who loved to sleep soundly with her head on his lap but couldn't hide her mischievous nature when awake—into his arms and held her tightly.

"Where should we go first?" Yi Han asked the person in his arms.

“Let’s go find Qiluo.” The boy found a comfortable spot to lie down, his blue eyes gleaming with a faint yet bright light. “The two of us can’t do anything on our own. Besides, I’m worried that Qiluo won’t be able to handle it.”

Having made the decision, there was no time to waste. Yi Han scooped up the boy, who was lying comfortably in his arms and refused to take a single step, and leaped away.

Yunshan is a very famous mountain range on the continent of Yixiu, stretching for thousands of miles and spanning the kingdoms of Jinyao and Fengyin. If someone could travel from the western branch of the Ziyun Mountains to the eastern branch of the Xueyun Mountains, they would find that the journey is like traversing all four seasons: intoxicating warm breezes in spring, lush and verdant vegetation in summer, vibrant red maple leaves in autumn, and endless snow-capped mountains in winter. Being there, one might have the illusion that a day on earth is equivalent to a thousand years in the mountains.

In other parts of Jinyao, winter has long since arrived. Only the Ziyun Mountains north of Maocheng are still lush and verdant from afar, but being there is stuffy and damp, and one is constantly bothered by summer insects.

Dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit, Qi Luo led five hundred Li Luo soldiers silently through the dense thicket. The sweltering air did not slow their pace, nor did the buzzing flies around them cause them the slightest disturbance. Occasionally, Qi Luo would glance back, a satisfied smile on her face. This was the Li Luo army, trained by her master, the most perfect and elite army on the continent of Yi Xiu.

Qi Luo and Qin Xue are the only two women among the Seven Fiends. Qin Xue is charming and frail, yet she is a martial arts prodigy. Moreover, she is cold-hearted by nature, and her tenacity and ruthlessness surpass even that of men. Therefore, the young master entrusted her with leading the Blood Division, which seems the least compatible with her appearance.

Qi Luo, however, was a woman whose gender was difficult to discern even when she wasn't dressed as a man. Though a woman, she was naturally tall and slender, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and a robust build. Her temperament was both cheerful and sharp, free-spirited yet resilient, making all the outstanding soldiers of the Li Luo army willingly submit to her. If Qin Li's composure and wisdom destined him to become a revered and unparalleled general, then Qi Luo was the vanguard general who always led from the front, forever connecting with her soldiers.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead. Qi Luo, who was moving at high speed, was startled and waved to signal the Li Luo army behind her to stop. Just as she was about to send someone to investigate, she saw the dense bushes being easily parted by a pair of bronze hands. In the sparse and well-arranged forest, under the dim sunlight, the figure of a tall and strong man slowly became clear.

"Ah—" Qi Luo exclaimed softly, her voice filled with surprise and joy.

As the trees gradually grew denser in the mountain forest, a man in green robes was carrying a boy in blue robes in his arms, moving forward at a speed that was invisible to the naked eye.

"Is this the famous Purple Cloud Mountain Range in the western part of Yunshan?" The boy in the blue robe sighed, lying comfortably in the man's arms. "The wind is biting cold outside the mountains, but the summer trees are lush inside. It truly deserves to be called one of the wonders of the Ishu Continent. It is no less impressive than the mirages in the Tarakan Desert!"

Seeing that the man in blue robes, who was moving at full speed, still ignored him despite his long speech, the young man snorted and tugged at the silver hair on the man's forehead that was so out of place with his age, then twirled it around his fingertips and played with it.

The man in blue glanced at her with a mixture of helplessness and affection when she wasn't looking, and subtly tightened his hold on her, pressing her soft, fragrant body even closer to him. The person in his arms suddenly stiffened.

The young man straightened up slightly, his eyebrows furrowed, and his handsome face possessed an androgynous beauty: "Yihan, can you hear any voices?"

Yi Han felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that Lin Yu had no internal energy, but his five senses were extraordinary. If he listened carefully, even he, with his superb martial arts skills, might not be as perceptive as Lin Yu.

Concentrating his hearing, he indeed heard a faint murmur of conversation and footsteps, mixed with the rustling of leaves in the wind. Although he couldn't hear the specifics, he could guess from the crisp footsteps that it was an army of about five hundred men, and most likely the Li Luo Army led by Qi Luo.

The person in his arms struggled slightly, and Yi Han released his hand, letting him land lightly on the ground. Fearing that the dense bushes would hurt her, he held her hand with one hand and used his sword in the other to clear a path for her.

Suddenly hearing the sound of clothes rubbing against trees, Yi Han took a few steps forward, stared intently, and was greatly surprised: "Qi Luo?"

In the bushes not far away, a person was struggling to move forward, using both hands and feet, with blood drawn from their hands and feet. Who else could it be but Rakshasa Qin Qiluo?

Upon hearing his voice, the woman on the ground struggled to lift her head. Her long hair was disheveled, and her weathered face was covered in dust and blood. But her round, bright eyes shone with a dazzling silver light when they met his gaze.

"Master... Father, Lord..." The weak voice was broken and intermittent, as if it might disappear at any moment.

Yi Han and Lin Yu rushed forward and helped her up. They saw that her face, usually as strong and resolute as a man, never shedding a tear, was covered with tear stains, making her already muddy face even dirtier and uglier. However, her eyes, perhaps washed by tears or illuminated by the forest light, though dull and lifeless, still looked so bright and clear.

Lin Yu grasped her cold, blood-soaked hand, while Yi Han lifted her back and poured his pure inner energy into it.

The infusion of internal energy brought temporary clarity to her eyes. She coughed heavily twice, then grasped the young master's soft, boneless hand, which seemed to bring boundless life: "Young master... save... Li... Luo..."

"I know," Lin Yu said in a soft voice, as if afraid of startling the birds in the forest. "Those five hundred Li Luo soldiers are just ahead, aren't they? I will definitely go to rescue them, Qi Luo, don't worry."