"That's just the kind of person he is. What's the point of bringing me here?"
"You can treat it as watching a show."
The starlight lit up the night sky, and the man's pale, blood-red profile was as cold as frost. Scattered blood splattered his pale clothes, like a red lotus blooming in fury after drinking blood.
His hands were trembling so much he could barely hold the reins. What good was a leisurely ride if he couldn't ride at full speed and experience the thrill of the ride with him?
That man hasn't held a sword in years, hasn't had blood on his hands in years. Why force him to this point? Do you even know how much he hates seeing blood?!
I finally understood why he didn't deal with Xiao Lianjue first but instead targeted Li Mu. He was afraid that if I really left and went with Xiao Lianjue, he might accidentally hurt me in his anger.
"...Let's go."
"Don't you want to say a few words to him?"
Whatever he says, if he sees the two of us together with no one else around, I have no idea what he might do.
Fortunately, I did not choose to be your enemy.
A white horse slowly walked up to the man's side. From my angle, I couldn't see the man's face clearly, nor could I hear his voice, but I could read his words from his lips.
Looking at Xiao Lianjue, his expression changed the moment he saw the horse, let alone understand the sentence. The dim firelight made his face look like a ghost.
Who is it?
"Tianchen, the king of the Tianzu Kingdom."
Oh, I see. No wonder you looked so pale. How does it feel to not be trusted?
"It seems this trip wasn't in vain; at least there was an unexpected gain."
Xiao Lianjue pursed her lips and then smiled again, "I could guess, but I didn't expect him to have the guts to do it. Isn't this forcing me to bite him?"
"Excuse."
I stopped laughing halfway through. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the people down the mountain had turned around and were looking in our direction. My heart pounded. Hidden behind the trees in a dark place, they probably wouldn't be seen.
But why did his gaze seem to have discovered something? It was so sharp it made one's heart race.
I tightened my grip on the rope. If I didn't turn around and avoid their gaze, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to resist walking out. But then I thought, if I moved, wouldn't I be exposing myself?
As the stalemate continued, the person suddenly started walking towards us, each step feeling like a blow to my heart, making me tense and my palms sweaty.
Upon seeing his face, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and then I felt nothing more. His eyes, which seemed to be stained with blood, and his sharp, pointed face, along with his deep, hoarse voice, were like sharp blades piercing my heart, leaving no part unscathed.
The purpose of the Guanghan Powder he gave me before was to prevent me from leaving, but now it seems that he can't live without me or I can't live without him?
Xiao Lianjue did not dodge. After a moment of silence, she walked out first, her expression unreadable.
He suddenly turned around halfway through the walk and said, "What are you daydreaming about? Come out."
After saying that, he reached out and took my horse's reins. I gasped, but it was too late to stop him.
Actually, when I went out and saw that person's face more clearly, I calmed down. I hadn't done anything to wrong him, and I had a clear conscience, so I should stand up straight and walk out with my head held high.
The man saw no surprise in my eyes, but the tension at the corner of his mouth softened instantly, and a faint smile on his lips dispelled the murderous aura that filled the mountain. But it was the smile of an Asura.
The wind stirred up scattered sparks, floating in mid-air like a red dragon coiling around that person, as if it were roaring to the heavens, ready to ride the wind and ride the clouds away at any moment. My heart tightened, as if something had squeezed it tightly.
Xiao Lianjue led the horse slowly down the road. The dark, cold fragrance mixed with the stench of blood seeped into my bones. This road wasn't long, but it felt like I had walked for a lifetime.
I tried to dismount, but Xiao Lianjue grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?!" I glared at him, completely forgetting that he had used me as a hostage.
"Don't rush to throw yourself at him. In his current state, do you want to become one of the corpses in the massacre?"
Xiao Lianjue's serious demeanor was quite intimidating. I smiled and shook off his hand. "Your Highness is indeed concerned about the people and cares about everything. I know what's right and wrong. Nangong Ling is courting death. Why don't you go and do something about it?"
"I'm more concerned about your life."
The reason I was stunned was not because of his disgusting and pretentious words, but because of the seriousness and earnestness in his eyes, which I saw in return.
Looking up, I saw that person smiling gently, as radiant as the setting sun with a hint of blood. With a leap of firelight, the hand behind his back turned to him and tossed a long sword stained with red.
That fair, delicate hand, as exquisite as a jade carving, was now covered with knife marks of varying depths, and blood was flowing continuously from the wounds, running down the fingertips in an eerie way.
"Let's go," he said with a smile, his voice low as if he were whispering.
I sat on my horse, looking down at him. I was so angry that I laughed. I bent down and slapped him across the face. I tried to slap him again, but he grabbed my hand. His sharp, narrowed phoenix eyes made me think that I would become a dead man in the next moment, but I didn't. He just tightened his grip on my hand. I couldn't tell if his palm was sweat or blood.
"Listen to me, I don't want to hurt you."
"Is it really that hard for you to believe me?"
He opened his mouth and smiled, but ultimately let go and said nothing more.
I instantly flew into a rage. Who said they would never let go of my hand? Did you not trust me, or did I not trust you?!
"Nangong Ling, you better remember this: if you miss this opportunity, don't expect me to come back!"
You were the one who pushed me away, and I'm not the kind of person who would shamelessly ask you "Do you still want me?"
He was stunned for a moment, but still didn't speak. He just slowly raised his head, a dark red tinge in the corner of his eye as if he could shed red tears at any moment. Under the dark moonlight, he was so pale that he was almost transparent.
I gritted my teeth, holding my breath, but I couldn't bear to look at him like that. I stood there, unable to turn around.
Chapter 117
"If you leave, no one will want to talk to you."
Xiao Lianjue broke the silence by speaking, and suddenly clapped her hands.
I shuddered and a number of thoughts flashed through my mind. In an instant, I understood why Xiao Lianjue had brought me to Lianshan.
Looking back at the hilltop, sure enough, a circle of archer cavalry had appeared. The battle had just ended, and the victors hadn't even had a chance to savor the victory and regroup when Xiao Lianjue arrived late with his five thousand elite troops.
"Prince Chen, you are a smart man, you should know what to do."
Tian Chen frowned, hesitated for a moment, and finally retreated behind Xiao Lianjue.
By using me to provoke Nangong Ling, he could eliminate Li Mu, an obstacle, without losing a single soldier. He must have guessed that Tianchen would be here. He ambushed Nangong Ling and gave Tianchen a show of power, thus achieving a two-birds-with-one-stone plan.
"Rong Lian," he called to me, "I've done as you wished, and now you've seen the person. Do you have an answer to your choice?"
Xiao Lianjue had given us a dead end, and Nangong Ling, being the kind of person he was, naturally guessed what was going on the moment he saw us, which is why he threw down his sword and told me to leave.
I turned around, glanced at the confident Xiao Lianjue, then turned back and bowed to meet his gaze.
Will we be able to get out?
Yao Hong's eyes widened for a moment. He reached out but stopped abruptly in mid-air. He looked at his fingertips and slowly withdrew his hand. He smiled, but with a hint of bitterness.
"I hope so."
His voice was very soft, and his eyes were very deep as he looked at me, as if he knew he would never see me again in this life, so he wanted to remember this moment forever.
My eyes flashed with malice, and I really wanted to slap him again. This guy not only didn't improve, but he's become more and more like a child. He still hasn't lost that desperate look from when he was a kid.
"Take me with you, you're not getting rid of me. If you don't want both of you to die, you better not get into any trouble!"
I'm still angry, but no matter how angry I am, I can't just watch him go and die. I wouldn't have done that when I was a kid, and I certainly wouldn't now.
"you……"
He hated hearing me say things like that, and he lifted me off the horse almost instantly. I didn't feel uncomfortable being held tightly around the waist by him; instead, it made me feel that the emptiness I had felt these past few days had been filled in an instant.
"What is this? A quarrel? Internal strife?" Xiao Lian said indifferently.
Fortunately, I was careful this time and had Xiangrui bring some people to follow behind. "Are the people from Juyizhuang any good?"
I whispered in his ear, and he turned his head so his cheek brushed against my lips, smooth yet cold.
"...How many people did you bring?"
"Xiao Lianjue originally brought three with him, and I instructed Xiangrui to arrange for some more to follow behind, so there are probably about ten in total."
After he finished listening, he patted my back, his hand trembling slightly. I sighed, feeling a pang of sympathy for him. He was indeed trying to trust me; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken such a huge risk by entrusting the Phoenix Token to me. Even if it was to conceal the truth, it would have been safer to entrust it to anyone else than to me. If I were to truly stand on the side of my elder brother and Xiao Lianjue, he would not only be helping Xiao Lianjue but also cutting off his own escape route.
"Are you done arguing?" Xiao Lianjue's voice had turned cold.
She raised her hand and pulled out a gold hairpin from her hair. Looking back, she saw several figures scattering. Before anyone could react or prepare, the situation had completely reversed. However, the people on the mountain were numerous and indeed elite soldiers, so arrows were inevitably shot at them.
Yun Zhi pulled me away, and the three people from Juyizhuang that Xiao Lianjue brought had already started fighting with him. Two of them were forced back in just a few moves. I looked back and was surprised to see him suddenly block an arrow and throw it in this direction. The long arrow was extremely sharp as it pierced through the air.
"careful!"
But it was too late. As the sharp arrow pierced the white shirt on his left shoulder, I felt my eyes redden as he pulled me to his right.
I was about to curse, but Yunzhi hugged me tightly and moved quickly toward the place where Xiangrui and the others were waiting on the mountain.
The fireflies scattered in the Red Sea quickly blurred everything in sight. The moon slanted down, and the sky disappeared into the ink-black darkness.
There was nowhere to hide near Lianshan. After searching for half a day, all they found were barren hills. There wasn't even a dilapidated temple in the area, let alone a place for Yun to heal and recuperate.
His complexion grew worse and worse, and cold sweat slid down his sharp chin. His lips were too pale, which could be attributed to excessive blood loss, but why did they appear bluish-white?
"The arrow is poisoned," Xiangrui said, frowning.
These four words struck me like a bolt from the blue, leaving me rooted to the spot, unable to move.
“It’s poison arrowwood…” He bit his lower lip, leaving a white mark. “Xiangrui, take the Lord away. There’s a mansion twenty miles to the north…”
"Shut up!" He actually wanted to risk his life to play the hero.
Startled by my yelling, he forced a bitter smile and said, "Listen to me this time, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Hmph, as if I want you to get into trouble. From now on, listen to me, or I'll knock you out if you bother me again!" I could find somewhere to stay by arguing with you. "Does anyone here know this place? Even if there are no houses or caves, that's fine."
The most important thing right now is the arrow in his shoulder. What if he pulls it out rashly now and the bleeding doesn't stop, and Xiao Lianjue catches up again?
"Lian'er..."
I glared at him. Why was this person so persistent?!
"Two long whistles, three short whistles." As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden whistle.
Although I had some doubts after taking it, I decided to wait until he blew it. I blew it as he instructed, and the whistle resounded through the sky, but there was no response for a long time.