Укротитель зверей

Глава 63

Crimson as smoke. In the instant the banner fell, it suddenly reappeared before Mo Fei's horse. Mo Fei roared and swung his sword, but the whip flashed past, and the emperor was suddenly gone from that unusually tall horse.

With the imperial flag fallen and Mo Fei dismounted, the surrounding crowd surged in that direction, no one caring to pursue the elusive crimson figure. Unaware of the emperor's condition, the Mo army was thrown into chaos. Then came the urgent sounding of retreat, and the black-clad army retreated like a receding tide. Those who couldn't keep up were slaughtered like vegetables by the defenders rushing out of the city gates. By sunset, only mountains of corpses and countless siege weapons left behind by the Mo soldiers remained before the city gates. The fierce battle had come to an end.

As Wende, Chengping, and the garrison retreated back into the city, Yi Xiaojin jumped up with joy, grabbed my shoulders, and shouted in my ear, "We won! Ping'an! We won!"

I didn't move at all, just maintained a slightly hunched posture, my hands pressed against the cold stone wall, my body struggling between longing and repression, leaning slightly forward. I couldn't see the setting sun, the vast mountains, the corpses scattered everywhere, or anyone, alive or dead.

I could only see the last ray of sunset lingering on the horizon, faint and indistinct, like a dream, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The moment we stepped off the city wall, I felt like I had suddenly entered another world.

Countless soldiers in silver helmets and iron armor stood in neat rows in the city. The corpses on the ground had been cleared away at some point. Victory flags were flying everywhere, and bright flames stretched straight from the distance to the high platform in the city center. The brutal and fierce battle to defend the city just now seemed like a dream. Even Yi Xiaojin, who was in high spirits, was dumbfounded and did not know how all this had happened.

It was completely dark when we came out. We were wearing inconspicuous military uniforms and had our faces hidden under our hoods, so no one would have noticed us. But after a few more steps, we were suddenly stopped by someone who was also wearing a military uniform. He said in a gruff voice, "You just came down from the city wall, didn't you? Don't go any further. Go to the west gate barracks. We're here to welcome you at the east gate."

"Welcome?" Yi Xiaojin asked in surprise.

The man nodded and lowered his voice: "Don't you know? The emperor has personally led the expedition and has just arrived at Tuoguan City."

3

I heard a gasp of shock; it was Yi Xiaojin. Before the man could say anything more, she had already pulled me away hastily, as if a ghost were chasing us.

At first, I followed her, but then I gradually increased my pace and eventually started running like a whirlwind. I didn't even know which way to go, and I just ran headlong. She didn't dare let go of me and was almost dragged to the ground by me.

Fortunately, she had some skills and held me tightly, turning me in the right direction. When we finally returned to the small courtyard from that morning, we both practically stumbled inside.

The lights in the courtyard were already on, and the main hall door, which faced the gate, was wide open. Wende was sitting facing us, with other people around him.

After a fierce battle, everyone was in bad shape. Cheng Wei was the busiest, constantly bandaging and treating the wounded. The most seriously injured was the eldest brother, half of his body covered in blood, yet he still stubbornly persevered.

They refused to go inside and lie down, and even Chengping was injured, with a deep knife wound on his arm that revealed the bone.

But God help them, they all came back.

Yi Xiaojin turned pale when she saw the blood on Cheng Ping. Just moments ago, she had been clinging to me, running back safely, but now her legs gave way, and she almost collapsed to her knees. Fortunately, Cheng Ping reacted quickly and caught her.

She burst into tears the moment their hands touched, tears streaming down her face like a broken dam.

Cheng Ping was helpless; his expressionless face instantly turned half black.

Cheng Wei was even more helpless than him, shaking his head and saying, "Could you take her to another room to cry? We're busy here."

Yi Xiaojin raised his head, tears still streaming down his face, and sobbed as he spoke, "Alliance, Alliance Leader, Ping An's hair... no, the Emperor, the Emperor is here..."

She was crying so hard her words were incoherent; the first part of her sentence was somewhat complete, but the second part was completely drowned out by sobs. Many people didn't understand what she was saying, and Cheng Wei was still asking, "What happened to Ping An's hair?"

Only Wende grasped the key point and stood up to ask, "Who did you say came?"

I slowly raised my head. The candlelight flickered before my eyes, making everything seem uncertain, like the overwhelming yellow banners outside the East Gate.

I spoke up, answering Wen De's question on behalf of Yi Xiaojin.

I said, "Master, it's my imperial brother who has arrived."

Everyone fell silent. Wen De's brow twitched, then he said, "There's nothing more we can do for her. Cheng Wei, are their injuries enough to allow them to set off now?"

Before he could speak, the most seriously injured senior brother struggled to his feet from the chair and said, "Master, I'm fine."

Cheng Wei helped him up, then turned his head and said, "A carriage will suffice."

"Alright, Ozu, go find the carriage, we'll leave immediately."

Yi Xiaojin wiped away her tears, nodded, and turned to leave. Almost everyone stood up immediately. When the eldest brother was helped past me, he pressed on my shoulder. Although his voice was weak, it was still...

He persisted, saying, "Don't be afraid, junior sister, let's go back to Qingcheng Mountain together."

I wanted to nod, but my body seemed to be controlled by some inexplicable force, and I couldn't move an inch. Wende walked to my side, glanced at me quietly, and suddenly spoke, his voice almost...

My ear

He said, "Ping An, can you see that? That's him."

My stillness suddenly shattered, and all I could do was bow my head.

Wende glanced at me again, but didn't continue.

The sound of the door being opened rang out, followed by Yi Xiaojin's exclamation: Cheng Ping's expression changed, and he almost immediately leaped out. Everyone turned around and saw that the area outside the door was brightly lit, as bright as day, and they didn't know how many people had come.

As soon as Wen De rose in his white robes, he was in front of everyone, having already moved past me. Cheng Ping stood beside him and pulled Yi Xiaojin behind him. The sound of horses' hooves slowly approached amidst the firelight and silence, and on either side of the long black shadows were countless people prostrate on the ground.

The man making love was dressed in bright yellow. Before he even stopped, someone crawled forward, bending their back to form a flat foothold for him to step on.

The man didn't rush to dismount, remaining seated high above the ground. His gaze swept over everyone standing in the courtyard. I heard a long-absent, shrill voice, "How dare you! The Emperor has arrived! Why don't you kneel down!" No one in the courtyard responded.

The man suddenly spoke, his voice gentle, “Hey, these brave men have just done a good job defending the city, so please refrain from making a fuss.”

The eunuch immediately fell to the ground, repeatedly crying, "This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die."

The emperor didn't give him a second glance, keeping his gaze fixed on us. After a moment, his gaze suddenly softened, like a gentle spring breeze.

He said, "General Pingbei has just reported the battle situation. You all have made meritorious contributions in defending the city, and I will reward you accordingly."

Wen De calmly said, "No need. We did not come here seeking rewards, and we are about to leave anyway. Your Majesty need not trouble yourself with this."

Many soft gasps rose from the group of people crawling on the ground, probably never expecting anyone to offend Huang Wei in this way.

The emperor, however, remained calm and composed, even stepping on the back of the man on the ground to dismount his horse. He stood outside the door, meeting Wende's gaze, and smiled again.

"Since that's the case, I won't force it. Only if there is an old friend here, whom I haven't seen for three years, with only a wide white robe fluttering in the wind."

My face remained in the shadow cast by the low brim of my hat. Looking out from the darkness, that bright yellow was dazzling, its myriad rays almost blinding me.

"How is it?" the Emperor asked again, his voice gentle, as if he were still the young brother I had tugged at in the Imperial Garden, ready to turn around at any moment and pat my head with a smile. Wen De's white robes slowly billowed, as if filled with wind. Cheng Ping tensed, Yi Xiaojin began to tremble, and I, seeing all this, took my first step. My sleeve tightened—it was Cheng Wei, one hand supporting my senior brother, the other reaching out to grab me, his face bearing an expression I will never forget. But I didn't stop because of his obstruction. Instead, I dodged his fingers, using the Cloud Soaring Technique my master had taught me, flashing past everyone in an instant, finally landing before that bright yellow figure.

A chorus of surprised sounds and the clatter of swords being drawn filled the air, and there was movement behind me. But then, suddenly, a cold glint appeared in the darkness, and in an instant, countless sharp swords were pointed at the people in the courtyard.

The bright yellow of the emperor's robes was still dazzlingly bright; I couldn't look directly at him, my eyes stinging. I had no choice but to lower my gaze and softly say, "Brother, I'm back. If you want to keep Owen, then please let them go." The emperor raised his hand, and the cold glint in the shadows vanished instantly. He was still smiling, lowering his head slightly to look at me carefully. Then, as if finding the hood cumbersome, he reached out and gently pushed it back with his finger. In that instant, the smile on the emperor's face disappeared. I spoke before he could, my voice resolute, "Brother, you must know I am no longer the Ping An of the past. If I wanted, I could kill myself at any time in a way you couldn't stop. If you still want to see me alive, please, let them leave."

After I finished speaking, without waiting for his reply, I turned around, put my knees down, and knelt down, respectfully kowtowing three times to Wende. "Your disciple is unfilial and can no longer serve you, Master. Wherever I am in the future, please let me know that you are safe and sound, so that I can live in peace." After saying this, I got up, without looking at them again, and turned to get into the carriage that had been prepared behind the Emperor.

People naturally served on both sides of the carriage, and the moment the door closed, the whole world was shut out. I heard many sounds, but then silence fell. When the door opened, a bright yellow light appeared before my eyes—it was my imperial brother, sitting right in front of me.

4

As the carriage moved, it slowly moved forward, accompanied by the orderly footsteps all around. The carriage was filled with a rich ambergris fragrance, a long-lost royal scent.

Huang Fan reached out and slowly picked up a tuft of hair hanging in front of him. The white hair shimmered with a subtle silver light under the glow of the luminous pearls embedded in the car roof, and it just didn't feel real.

He picked up a strand of hair and stared at it quietly for a long time. When he let go, he smiled and whispered, "These martial arts practitioners shouldn't have been allowed to leave."

Even after all this time, I still couldn't look him in the eye, so I could only lower my eyes and say, "This has nothing to do with them."

Huang Fan shook his head and said again, "It makes my heart ache."

I swayed for a moment and almost threw up.

Even though he was my own brother, I couldn't suppress the overwhelming fear and disgust I felt.

Fortunately, my elder brother had already turned his head away and was no longer looking at me.

Tuoguan City wasn't very large, and the carriages, moving in a flurry, stopped after a short while. Someone stepped forward to open the carriage door, and Huang Fan turned around, gently pulling my hood up and then taking my hand.

"let's go."

I instinctively stepped back. He glanced at me, not annoyed, and said, "Compared to finding you, what person in the world is hard to find? I can let them go, or I can bring them back at any time, or I can simply deal with Qingcheng Mountain, who dared to harbor the princess. Wouldn't that make the world more peaceful? Peaceful, don't you think?" After saying that, he smiled at me, turned around and walked out.

Outside, a continuous chorus of "Long live the Emperor!" echoed, and the sound of armored soldiers kneeling was like thunder. Only I, huddled in the light of the luminous pearl, sighed softly.

Emperor Fan personally led an army of tens of thousands, which camped outside Tuoguan City. The Mo army's attack on the city failed, and they also wounded their young emperor, which greatly dampened their morale. They retreated dozens of miles away to re-establish their camp, and there was no possibility of them attacking again in the short term.

Huang Fan took me to the general's mansion in Tuoguan City. This was a border fortress, garrisoned by a general year-round. Although the mansion wasn't luxurious, the buildings were neat and tidy. I was placed in a large room. Although the emperor had come to fight, he still brought many palace maids and eunuchs. That evening, a palace maid came to help me change and comb my hair. She was an old maid who had served me when I was younger. Seeing my white hair, everyone was shocked. One maid cried, "The princess is only seventeen! What hardships has she endured all these years of wandering? Her hair has turned white."

I found them too noisy, so I simply closed my eyes and kept quiet. Eventually, everything was settled, and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I was wearing the colorful phoenix robe that I hadn't worn for several years. Only my hair was a silver waterfall under the lamplight, and no one dared to touch it.

I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. I just waved them out and crawled onto the bed. After such a long day, lying down felt like my whole body was falling apart.

Suddenly, the voice of a palace maid who had just left came from outside the door, "Who are you, daring to..." The sentence was cut off halfway through, and then the door opened slightly, and someone silently walked in, floated down to the bedside, and looked down at me.

The man wore a gray robe with a long, wide hood that almost completely covered his face in shadow, and his face in the darkness was blank.

For a moment, I thought I was trapped in a nightmare. But then he suddenly spoke, his voice filled with bewilderment after overwhelming surprise.

"Chengfeng, you're here."

"You're seeing things. She's Princess Ping An." Another person walked in, their voice tinged with laughter.

I turned around and saw my Huang Fan, who was alone. It was night, and he had changed into a casual robe. Without the glaring bright yellow, his features were much clearer.

When I looked at the man again, I finally saw clearly in the light that the blank space on his face was actually a mask without facial features.

The person quickly composed themselves. When they looked at me again, the only visible eyes behind the mask were completely calm. With a flick of their finger, a delicate whooshing sound came out, indicating that they had struck my pressure point in mid-air.

I have been wandering the martial world for years and am no longer the ignorant princess I once was. But the skill of striking pressure points in mid-air without any aid has always been just a legend. I have never seen anyone actually use it. Yet this person used it so casually, which immediately shocked me.

What shocked me even more was that he actually called out "Chengfeng" in my face.

I remember this name. It's the name of the former priest of the Holy Fire Cult that Mo Li mentioned. He's the "master" that Dan Gui mentioned. He's the one who was imprisoned underground in Lan Family Village sixteen years ago and used his own blood to draw a wall of soul-capturing flowers!

Why did he and Dan Gui both mistake me for Chengfeng? What secret lies between her and me?

And who is this person standing in front of me?

Who were they? The two of them were talking right next to my bed, treating me like a lifeless decoration. My acupoints were sealed, so I could only watch them; I couldn't hear or move. The strange, masked man turned his gaze towards me. Huang Fan stroked my hair, then turned back to face him with a smile. Though I couldn't hear a single word, their mannerisms were incredibly practiced.

Then I remembered that three years ago Huang Fan had the legendary monster of the Holy Fire Cult in his possession, and had even used it on me and Ji Feng, and I broke out in a cold sweat again.

Could this person be from the Holy Fire Cult? Does Mo Li know that such a master from the Holy Fire Cult has joined my brother?

The name "Mo Li" made my heart clench. My body seemed to instinctively resist the name. I gritted my teeth and stopped thinking about it, focusing all my attention on the two men in front of me.

They stood before me, both in the same half-turned posture, left foot forward, right foot back. Huang Fan wore a constant smile, while the other man's face was hidden behind a mask, but his dark brown skin always felt familiar. I watched them silently, as if watching a pantomime, my heart filled with a strange feeling, yet I couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong.

A moment later, the person recalling turned around first, and before leaving, gently pressed my elder brother's shoulder, a gesture of an elder, done naturally.

My heart trembled violently. Even my father had never been so close to my elder brother.

My father loves me dearly, but he always seems to keep his brother at arm's length—even though they are father and son.

My elder brother is now the supreme ruler, and who in the world can place him in a lower position? Yet he did not shy away from this person's actions, and even smiled at him before pointing at me.

The man then flicked his finger again, releasing my pressure points, and then disappeared outside the door in an instant.