Un corazón puro en una vasija de jade

Capítulo 188

I bandaged Xiaobai's wound, constantly complaining about him, feeling very sorry for him.

Xiao Bai suddenly said, "She is Xinghun."

I was startled and asked him, "Who are you?"

Xiao Bai looked at me intently, remained silent for a moment, and then answered, "I won't hurt you."

He didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't ask. All I know is that I trust him.

Yi Zhongtian, drunk, stormed into the palace. He grabbed my hand, his eyes burning with lust; he looked terrifying. I grabbed a cup of tea and poured it over him, roaring, "General, have some self-respect!"

He looked at me and sneered, "Do you know why I didn't kill the Crown Prince? I was waiting for him to succeed you. If you don't become Empress, I can marry you."

I was so scared that my hands and feet turned ice cold.

He reached out and pulled me into his arms. I was furious and screamed for help, but no one inside or outside the hall responded. Yi Zhongtian's power had far exceeded my imagination.

"Yuxiu, even if you don't marry, you can still come with me," he said slowly, his eyes filled with possessiveness.

I couldn't break free from him, and I was both panicked and scared. Just then, a flash of sword light appeared, and Yi Zhongtian, holding me, dodged to the side.

Xiao Bai stood proudly in front of me, pointing his long sword at Yi Zhongtian and said, "General Yi, your martial arts are unparalleled, but a true man does not bully the weak. Unless you kill me, I will not allow the Emperor to be humiliated."

This was the most Xiaobai had ever spoken. I looked at him, and a strange feeling welled up inside me.

Yi Zhongtian laughed loudly: "Kid, you've got guts. You can't even remember your own name. You're an idiot."

Xiao Bai's eyes flickered, but his longsword remained motionless.

Yi Zhongtian released me and said very gently, "Yuxiu, we will talk in detail another day."

He glanced at Xiaobai with disdain, then turned and left.

I sensed a strong murderous aura emanating from him.

"Xiao Bai, go. Why throw your life away in vain?" I was telling the truth; Yi Zhongtian would never let Xiao Bai go. Even if Xiao Bai dies, Yi Zhongtian will still want me.

"I'll be back in three months. Wait for me." Xiaobai said very seriously, then soared into the night like an eagle.

Three months later, Xiaobai didn't return, but another person came to see me. He was veiled and wore a moon-white robe; I almost thought he was a ghost.

"Your Majesty, how do you wish to deal with Yi Zhongtian?"

His voice was very gentle, and from what he said, Yi Zhongtian was not taken seriously at all.

I hesitated. If Yi Zhongtian weren't so ambitious, my Chen Kingdom would desperately need a great general like him.

"If Yi Zhongtian didn't have martial arts skills and only relied on his military talents, would Your Majesty feel at ease?" He saw right through me, and I instantly felt that he was terrifying.

"Who are you? Why should I believe you?"

He stood quietly inside the hall, neither confirming nor denying my questioning.

I was furious: "If you refuse to tell me, then you have no right to interfere in the affairs of my Chen state."

He chuckled softly: "You saved my man, who was willing to give his life for one of your wishes, and you don't even cherish it?"

My body trembled. Xiao Bai's silent, deep gaze flashed through my mind. Was Xiao Bai his man? Was Xiao Bai willing to risk his life for his help? I rushed forward, disregarding everything else, and demanded, "What did you do to him?"

My martial arts skills were taught by Yi Zhongtian, so they're passable. But when I lunged at him, he easily dodged. Xiao Bai is very skilled, but he's no match for him.

I stopped what I was doing and asked him, "You have no need to interfere in the affairs of my Chen Kingdom. Don't kill Xiaobai."

He gazed at me and said, "He has already entrusted his life to me. If you don't want my help, it would be a waste of his life. I have no objection."

"What do you want?" I don't know why I asked that, but as long as Xiaobai comes back safely, I'm willing to exchange everything I have for it.

"Back then, he burned down the post station, disregarding her life. I was going to deal with him too. Oh well, I'll do him a favor." He finished speaking and turned to leave.

"Stop! Where is he?!" He seemed to be planning to cripple Yi Zhongtian's martial arts, but I was more concerned about Xiaobai.

"The moon will be full again. There is a mountain in the west of Qi, shaped like an eagle. It is called Eagle Mountain."

I've got it. I must find that mountain that looks like an eagle.

The next day, someone came to report that something had happened at General Yi's mansion and that his martial arts had been crippled.

Upon hearing the news, I felt no joy, only a sense of relief. I summoned the Crown Prince and the three chief physicians to discuss the abdication.

Three days later, I abdicated. The new emperor ordered his men to surround the general's residence.

What happens to Yi Zhongtian is no longer my concern. The emperor has grown up and has his own plans. I packed my bags and quietly left the palace. I was going to find him; I had to find him.

I changed horses dozens of times, and continued westward. Once I entered the state of Qi, further west lay vast, dense forests.

I kept walking westward, but the mountains were deserted. I crossed one mountain peak after another, but I didn't see a single one that resembled an eagle. I was exhausted. My horse was dying, so I killed it and ate its meat for a month, until I was vomiting and crying.

In despair, I called out to Xiaobai towards the cliff, but only a faint echo and the shadow of a rock eagle soaring past answered me.

I've been in the mountains for over two months now, and I think I definitely won't find him.

The mountain forest under the moonlight was terrifying; I ran to the edge of the cliff but refused to stay inside. If it weren't for my martial arts skills, I don't know how many times I would have died.

Was Xiaobai really that important to me? I thought back on every little detail. He always stood silently behind me, always silent. Besides that, I had no other impressions. But now that he's gone, why do I still feel the urge to see him? Why has his image become so clear in my mind after he left?

Yi Zhongtian said that when he first saw him, he wanted to kill him. Because he saw Xiaobai differently, but he himself did not realize it at all.

I sat on the edge of the cliff, gazing intently at the mountains and forests. The moonlight was slanting eastward, and I glanced westward without thinking, then jumped up in surprise. In the moonlight, didn't that mountain look just like an eagle's beak? And the continuous mountain range didn't just form an eagle's head, but its wings? I was so overjoyed that I wiped away tears.