Even though Ji Hailing doesn't accept him or love him, he doesn't want the couple to live too happily. He wants to separate their family and make them suffer.
Only in this way could he feel at ease.
After glancing at Ye Lingfeng, Shi Lan looked at Feng Zixiao opposite her, her face grim and her eyes cold. Her personality was naturally cold, somewhat like Hai Ling's. In addition, she had always served Hai Ling, so she easily learned her mannerisms. Most importantly, her voice was very similar to Hai Ling's. Although she rarely spoke, this was precisely why Ye Lingfeng had her impersonate Hai Ling instead of Shi Mei. He was preventing Ye Lingfeng from doing this.
Shi Lan spoke coldly: "Feng Zixiao, are you sure you really want to do this? Do you really want to imprison my son? Aren't you afraid that Great Zhou and Northern Lu will go to war?"
As soon as she opened her mouth, she wanted to provoke Feng Zixiao, so that he would be distracted and not pay attention to whether her voice sounded similar to the Empress's.
As expected, after she finished speaking, Feng Zixiao's face darkened, and he spoke in a cold and menacing tone.
“If we’re going to fight, it’s because you Northern Lu are in the wrong. My uncle is in your hands, and you should have sent him back to the Great Zhou Dynasty for me to deal with. I never expected you to kill him. If you can kill our Great Zhou Dynasty’s Right Chancellor, it means you don’t respect our Great Zhou Dynasty. If the two countries are at war, the eyes of the world are not blind. So what’s wrong with me imprisoning the Empress of Northern Lu to show the dignity of my Great Zhou Dynasty?”
What a high-sounding argument! Ye Lingfeng and the others couldn't help but laugh. This man was using Sima Yuan's matter to cover up his true purpose. He was really shameless. Shamelessness is invincible. It seems they underestimated him.
"Feng Zixiao, enough nonsense. What exactly do you want? You don't really want my empress to exchange for my son, do you?"
Ye Lingfeng spoke with a dark and murderous look on his face. Feng Zixiao, who was opposite him, felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw his ugly face and the anger all over his body. He said coldly, "If you don't want to exchange your empress for your son, I don't mind. Then let your son stay in the Great Zhou Dynasty as a hostage. However, he is so young. I can't guarantee that he will survive if he stays in the Great Zhou Dynasty as a hostage."
Upon hearing this, Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling's hearts jumped into their throats, wishing they could tear Feng Zixiao, that shameless man, to pieces.
Shi Lan, disguised as Hai Ling, cried out anxiously, "No, don't hurt my son! Let me go and exchange him for my son!"
"Very well, the Empress is the most straightforward."
Feng Zixiao waved his hand, signaling the people behind him to bring the child forward to replace him.
On the Beilu side, Shi Lan rode forward, followed by a subordinate, ready to take the little prince. The two groups exchanged positions in the very center. As soon as Shi Lan crossed the boundary, the little prince was taken over by the people on this side. Just then, Ye Lingfeng waved his hand and gave a calm command.
"Give me the call."
He would absolutely not let Feng Zixiao and the Great Zhou Dynasty get away with this today. They dared to kidnap his son; they were courting death.
At the emperor's command, several of his subordinates and soldiers from Tangying Pass rushed forward and fought with the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Feng Zixiao was filled with hatred upon seeing the situation and waved his hand to order the soldiers brought by the Great Zhou Dynasty.
“Strike them! The people of Beilu dared to kill the Right Chancellor of our Great Zhou Dynasty. This is an insult to our Great Zhou Dynasty.”
His provocation ignited a fierce battle among the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty, while Feng Zixiao rode over to intercept Shi Lan, who was disguised as Hai Ling.
Just then, Hai Ling moved, leaping swiftly off her horse and putting on her fiery boots. With a few nimble movements, she bypassed the crowd and rushed to the guard holding the child. She snatched the child in her arms, and as soon as she held the child, her head buzzed, and she almost lost her footing, letting out a sharp scream.
"stop,"
Upon hearing her words, Ye Lingfeng suddenly raised his hand and ordered the soldiers of Beilu: "Stop."
Everyone stopped what they were doing and retreated. Even Shi Lan took advantage of Feng Zixiao's inattention and rode over.
Ye Lingfeng stared at Ling'er and asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"
At this moment, Hai Ling had long forgotten what she looked like disguised as Shi Lan, and said in a trembling voice, "This is not my son, this is not my son."
As soon as she spoke, Feng Zixiao knew that the person who had come earlier was not Ji Hailing, but the woman speaking in front of him, although her face was different, was the real Ji Hailing. Seeing her pained expression, Feng Zixiao's heart skipped a beat, but seeing Ye Lingfeng in pain, he was very happy and laughed wildly.
"Ye Lingfeng, do you think I'm really that stupid to bring your son here? Yes, your son is in my hands, but I won't hand him over easily unless you exchange him for someone else. Otherwise, don't even think about seeing your son again."
"Feng Zixiao, you madman, you'll die a horrible death."
Hai Ling's eyes were incredibly cold, glaring menacingly at Feng Zixiao opposite her.
Looking at the situation before him, Ye Lingfeng knew that even if he sent Ling'er over, Feng Zixiao might not hand over his son. Moreover, although Feng Zixiao claimed that his son was in his hands, it was uncertain whether he actually was. So, he suddenly unleashed his killing intent and gave the order.
"Kill! Capture the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
As long as Feng Zixiao is captured, her son can be exchanged. As soon as he spoke, even Hailing agreed with the idea. That's right, as long as Feng Zixiao is captured, her son can be exchanged. Otherwise, there is no other way. Even if she goes there, Feng Zixiao may not release their son.
At Ye Lingfeng's command, the soldiers of Beilu charged forward again. This time, both sides fought to the death. Ye Lingfeng ordered Shi Mei and Shi Lan to take care of Hai Ling, and then flew over the crowd to Feng Zixiao's side. Knowing that he was no match for Ye Lingfeng, Feng Zixiao quickly retreated and ordered his subordinates to block Ye Lingfeng for him.
Under the cover of darkness, the sounds of battle and fighting filled the air. Neither side would yield, and it seemed that blood would soon flow like a river and corpses would litter the ground. Moreover, after this battle, the relationship between the Great Zhou and the Northern Lu would deteriorate further, and the war between the two countries would inevitably bring disaster to the people.
But not fighting was not an option, so the two sides were locked in a fierce battle.
Suddenly, a flame appeared in the distance, eerily approaching, like a ghostly fire.
It was fleeting, happening in the blink of an eye, when a wise and clear voice rang out: "Stop."
Although the sound was not loud, it was like a melody echoing between mountains and rivers, shaking people's hearts and lungs. Those who heard it subconsciously felt a tightness in their chests. Some people with low internal strength felt their hands go numb. It turned out that the person who came was transmitting sound with internal strength. Although it was a short shout, it used internal strength, so those who heard it felt their minds were shaken.
After a shout, everyone stopped. At this moment, people on both sides were injured. Ye Lingfeng was about to grab Feng Zixiao. He didn't want to stop, but when he saw the people coming from afar, he stopped and withdrew his hands.
The newcomer, dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe, held a whisk in one hand and carried a tightly wrapped infant in the other. He moved with the lightness of a lotus flower, landing in front of the crowd in the blink of an eye. He stood in the very center, allowing everyone to see his appearance more clearly. The man was very old, with white hair and beard, wise eyes, and an air of otherworldly grace. One look at him revealed that he was no ordinary person.
Ye Lingfeng stopped what he was doing upon hearing the man's shout. The reason was simple: the man was none other than Yun Zhenzi, the former head of the renowned Sanqing Temple. Yun Zhenzi was not only skilled in martial arts but also had a deep understanding of the Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, and natural phenomena. Therefore, everyone who heard of his name treated him with great respect. Moreover, Yun Zhenzi happened to be Ye Lingfeng's uncle. His master, Elder Xuanyue, and Yun Zhenzi were fellow disciples and had a good relationship. So, when Ye Lingfeng was learning martial arts on the mountain, he had occasionally seen Yun Zhenzi. Yun Zhenzi had even been jealous of his master for having such a disciple as him.
At this moment, Yun Zhenzi spoke, so Ye Lingfeng naturally couldn't stop, and thus he stopped and led his men to Yun Zhenzi.
"Greetings, Uncle-Master."
Yun Zhenzi nodded, then glanced at everyone present, let out a long sigh, and spoke in a heavy tone.
"Can you bear to plunge the people of both countries into misery for your own selfish desires? Today, I, Yun Zhenzi, am doing you a favor. Both of you should back down and think about the people of the world."
As soon as Yun Zhenzi finished speaking, Feng Zixiao knew that the ethereal and otherworldly person in front of him was actually the famous Yun Zhenzi of the Sanqing Temple. He would not give face to others, but he would not refuse to give face to Yun Zhenzi, because everyone in the world knew that Yun Zhenzi was not only benevolent and wise, but the Sanqing Temple was also the most respected Taoist temple in the world and was deeply loved by the people.
"But my son is still in his hands."
Ye Lingfeng was furious at the thought of his son. If Feng Zixiao hadn't gone too far, he wouldn't have lost his temper and fought with him, completely disregarding the people.
Upon hearing Ye Lingfeng's words, Yun Zhenzi laughed and shook his head slightly.