She went out to find food, and as he watched her departing figure, he smiled and said, "Be careful."
Although the voice was faint, she heard it clearly, nodded, and went outside.
He closed his eyes, unable to sleep, his mind filled with her image. She was incredibly beautiful, no matter what she wore or what she looked like. Even now, in the middle of nowhere, with her hair disheveled and her clothes dirty, she was still exceptionally beautiful in his eyes. This beauty had nothing to do with her appearance; it was in every gesture, every smile, every glance—even her back view captivated him.
He was originally a womanizer; to him, women were nothing more than distinguishing between appearance and family background. He always believed this.
But why is there such a woman in the world who, no matter what she looks like or what her status is, is so beautiful, so breathtakingly beautiful? It seems he could gaze upon her for a lifetime and still not be able to get enough; it seems all the women in the world cannot compare to her. He smiled and asked himself, is this love? And what exactly is love?
Could this be the real reason why he refused to give up the ten thousand warhorses and tens of thousands of weapons that Fang Zhengyang had promised him? Or, as Fang Zhengyang said, was he unwilling to lose more than he gained, and wanted to play the long game? Yes, that was him; Fang Zhengyang could see right through him.
He laughed again.
When Hua Wuduo returned, he heard her exclaim in surprise from behind the cave, "Why is it the little white snake again?"
Upon hearing this, Gongzi Yi smiled and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, when Wu Yi woke up, he smelled a wonderful aroma. Hua Wuduo brought him a bowl of snake soup, saying it was to give him a good boost.
After drinking the snake soup, Wu Yi's strength indeed recovered somewhat, and he was able to ride a horse on his own. They continued their journey, laying down many false tracks along the way to confuse Liu Jing and Tang Ye, who might be pursuing them.
Despite their hurried pace, night had fallen, and no pursuers were following them. Wu Yi, however, seemed to have exhausted his strength. The two found a large tree to rest under, but unlike the previous night, they were not so lucky. There were no caves to stay in, so they had to sleep in the open, using the sky as their blanket and the ground as their bed.
After Hua Wuduo tidied everything up and ate some food with Wu Yi, she stretched out her legs and nudged Wu Yi, who was resting in the tree, saying, "Lean on my legs, it will make you more comfortable."
Wu Yi shook his head, his face pale, but he smiled and said, "I'm not that delicate."
Hua Wuduo said, "Ever since I took the Snowfield Heavenly Pill that Tang Ye gave me, mosquitoes generally don't come near me. You'll rest better if you lie on my lap."
Upon hearing this, Wu Yi suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "The Snow Region Heavenly Pill has such effects?"
"Yes, ever since I started taking it, I haven't been attracting mosquitoes. It's especially beneficial now that I'm sleeping outdoors in the middle of nowhere," she laughed.
“Snowy Heavenly Pill…” Wu Yi murmured, closing his eyes slightly and leaning on Hua Wuduo’s shoulder. After a long while, he remained silent. Just when Hua Wuduo thought he had fallen asleep, he whispered, “It’s really nice not having to bother me with mosquitoes.”
"Mm," she replied. "Go to sleep. We have to travel tomorrow."
He slowly reached out and touched her... accidentally brushing against the strip of cloth on her wrist. He suddenly realized what he'd done, pulling up her sleeve to look. She tried to cover herself, but he stopped her. The cloth was torn open, revealing a knife wound. He stared blankly at the wound. No wonder he'd smelled blood when he woke up yesterday. He looked at her, seeing her gaze darting away, silently pulling her wrist back and wrapping the wound again.
He asked, "Why?" His expression was complicated in the moonlight.
She said, "It's just a little blood."
He smiled and said, "I remember you valued your own life more than anything else. Why did you always stand in front of me, risking your life? Why didn't you leave me?"
Looking into his probing gaze, she said, "Perhaps, like you said, I'm foolish." As she said this, she pouted as if somewhat dissatisfied, and said stubbornly, "Even if you're attracted to my status, I won't leave you."
He was taken aback.
Just then, Hua Wuduo exclaimed, "Oh no, they're coming after us!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Yi sat up, about to mount his horse, when he noticed that Hua Wuduo had suddenly fainted and slumped against a tree trunk. She hadn't slept for three days, her wounds were still untreated, and she had fed Wu Yi a lot of blood, thus contracting snake venom. In her haste, the venom could no longer be controlled and spread throughout her body. She bit her lip, and only then did she regain some consciousness.
Wu Yi helped her up and asked, "What's wrong?"
She smiled and said, "I'm fine, let's get on the horse and go."
Wu Yi nodded and was about to turn around and mount his horse when he noticed that she had fallen again. Startled, he quickly picked her up, placed her on his horse, mounted himself, and said, "I'll take you with me."
She struggled to stay upright, but her vision was already blurring. Leaning against him, enjoying his protection, she suddenly realized how luxurious this moment was.
Liu Jing arrived incredibly fast, as if someone were leading the way, catching up with them flawlessly. The two of them on horseback were naturally much slower, and in no time, she sensed the approaching danger. Wu Yi, of course, knew this too, urging the horse on with increasing urgency. She struggled in his arms, pleading, "Put me down, Yi."
Wu Yi remained silent and continued to ride at full speed.
She looked up at him with a smile and said, "I beg you." In the brief moment Wu Yi opened his eyes, she used a clever trick to slide off his arm and off the horse. She staggered a few steps but miraculously managed to stand up without falling.
Wu Yi pulled on the reins and said sternly to her, "Stop fooling around, get on the horse and come with me."
“If you take me with you, you won’t be able to escape.” She smiled at him and said, “Yi, have you forgotten your dream? To overlook the land and see it as a painting, where people live in peace and there is no starvation.”
Wu Yi's expression tightened, and a hint of struggle appeared on his face.
She said, "These past few days I've noticed a small white snake following us. Perhaps it's coming because of my scent. When Tang Ye gave me the Snowfield Heavenly Pill, I knew it wouldn't be that simple. Tomorrow, we'll split up and maybe we can distract them and stop them from chasing you."
Wu Yi did not move, his gaze fixed on the distance, unfocused.
"To tell you the truth, it was Tang Ye who saved me last time. If it had been Tang Ye who came after me, he wouldn't have killed me," she added.
His expression had already wavered somewhat.
She forced a lighthearted laugh and said, "Hurry up and leave, or it'll be too late. I'll be fine. I've been through so many times, and I'm still alive and well. I've always been incredibly lucky, haven't you forgotten? You should go now!"
Perhaps he was gripping the reins too tightly, for his mount paced restlessly in circles. He knew Hua Wuduo's words held some truth; he had seen the snake several times, and it certainly seemed strange. In Shangdang, he had even seen it once outside Hua Wuduo's tent. If she had indeed brought this murderous intent… if what she said was true, and Tang Ye would pursue them, perhaps Tang Ye would spare her out of consideration for their past relationship. Weighing the pros and cons, Wu Yi finally lowered his gaze and whispered, "Be careful." Without further hesitation, he whipped his horse and galloped away.
She gritted her teeth and kept watching his back. After he ran a short distance, he stopped and looked back. She still stood straight and smiled. Knowing that he couldn't hear her, she still said softly to him, "Yi, if there is an afterlife, we will meet again."
Until Gongzi Yi left and completely disappeared from sight, she could no longer hold on. She closed her eyes, and the pain of her body hitting the ground was not obvious, because she had lost consciousness. This time, she was no longer able to stop the pursuers and shield him from their killing intent; she could only gamble with herself.
Gongzi Yi spurred his horse and galloped wildly, whipping it incessantly, trying to escape and run faster! But whether it was the strong wind blowing sand into his eyes or the suffocating feeling in his chest that caused him unbearable pain, his eyes turned red, his mind was in turmoil, and his body swayed precariously on the horse.
He ran mechanically, not knowing how long or how far he had run, only that there was a hole in his heart. It started as a small wound, but it grew larger and larger, the tearing pain feeling like he was being sliced into pieces, unbearable agony. Many thoughts, suppressed for so long, surged forth, exploding in his mind like a volcanic eruption: What if Tang Ye hadn't come? What if the snake was just a coincidence? What if she was dead? What if she really was dead this time…
He suddenly pulled hard on the reins, and the horse, in pain, reared up and neighed loudly.
The blinding, blazing sun made him dizzy. He stared blankly ahead, at his path to survival. If he could escape this forest, he could escape death. He slowly turned back; behind him lay a dead end. If he went back, he would most likely never return, facing certain death. But she was there. How could he bear to abandon her again, to forsake her for his own life? If she died, if she really died…
The horse beneath him was restless and agitated. He was drenched in sweat, biting his chapped lips until they bled, yet he felt no pain. Suddenly, he shook his head and chuckled, tears welling up in his eyes. He spurred his horse on again, galloping wildly.
Before me, besides the road, was her figure.
She smiled foolishly and said to him, "We are brothers who have been through thick and thin together."
She once told him, "Even if you're attracted to my status, I won't leave you."
She said firmly to him, "Because it's you, I have no regrets."
She struggled to say to him, "Let go, Yi, I beg you."
She looked at him, and he recognized the shape of her lips: "Yi, if there is an afterlife, we will meet again."
He suddenly pulled hard on the reins, turning the horse around...
The next life... the next life is too uncertain; how could he possibly wait for it?
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Abandoning the World
When Tang Ye and Liu Jing's army arrived, Liu Jing didn't even glance at Hua Wuduo lying on the ground, assuming she was Wu Yi's close bodyguard and had obviously been abandoned by Wu Yi due to serious injuries. A soldier stepped forward to check on her and found she was still breathing, so he reported back to Liu Jing. Just as Liu Jing was about to order his men to arrest Hua Wuduo, he heard Tang Ye behind him say, "Hand her over to me."
Liu Jing glanced at him and asked, "Who is he?"
Tang Ye said: "Old friend."
Liu Jing frowned slightly and then said loudly, "Keep chasing."
Liu Jing was eager to lead his troops to continue pursuing Wu Yi, and from beginning to end, he did not even glance at the person on the ground because the figure did not resemble Wu Yi.
Tang Ye dismounted and helped Hua Wuduo up. He checked her pulse, then carried her to his horse and, together with Fang Yuan who was with him, took her away.
Tang Ye and Fang Yuan did not take Hua Wuduo back to Liu Jing's army. Instead, they set up a tent in the mountains to treat Hua Wuduo's wounds and stop the bleeding. Hua Wuduo woke up two days later and was surprised to see Tang Ye beside him. He then said, "Thank you."
Tang Ye hummed in response and then fell silent.
The mountain air was slightly chilly at night. He lit a fire and quietly brewed medicine for her. The firelight cast flickering shadows on his face, and they remained silent. They had been betrothed since childhood, but various unforeseen events had led to their current situation. When they were together, she was always the one who talked more than him, but now she had become quiet, almost speechless. This was the second time Tang Ye had saved her. The first time was during the battle at Lower Maple Valley, when Tang Ye had secretly rescued her. Liu Jing was seriously injured and unable to attend to others, so the matter was entrusted to him. It was also Tang Ye who secretly replaced Liu Jing with Yuan Bai's mask and had him executed in public.
When the medicine was ready, Tang Ye poured it into a bowl and handed it to her. She took the medicine and drank it down sip by sip. Tang Ye looked at her, and when her gaze met his, she looked away immediately.
After finishing her medicine, she suddenly said, "There's something I've always wanted to ask you."
"Go ahead," he said calmly.
"If you weren't doing this for Xu Qingcheng, why did you break off the engagement?" Now, I can calmly ask the question I never dared to ask before.
After a moment of silence, Tang Ye said, "Since you've run away from the wedding, it means you don't want to marry me. In that case, I'll grant your wish."
"You're so understanding." She scoffed at the answer.
Tang Ye suddenly asked, "Do you want to marry me?" He asked in an extremely calm tone, so calm that Hua Wuduo was taken aback for a moment, and then smiled and said, "We didn't know each other back then. You didn't want to marry me, and I didn't want to marry you, and it's still the same now. I'm only asking you today because I want to know if my act of running away from the wedding back then was exactly what you wanted. In fact, you never intended to marry me in the first place, did you?"
The snapping of the burning branch was clearly heard in the darkness. His face flickered in and out of focus with the firelight, as if veiled by a thin mist, making him difficult to discern. After a long pause, he finally said, "Yes."
Hua Wuduo smiled and said, "Did you discover my whereabouts and guess that Yi was also there when we went to Shangdang this time, so you teamed up with Liu Jing to ambush us along the way?"
"Yes," he replied calmly.
"It's the Snowfield Heavenly Pill. You gave me this medicine, which attracted the little white snake, right?" Hua Wuduo could no longer remain calm and asked excitedly.
"Yes," he admitted again.
"It really was you..." She gave a bitter smile and shook her head, "Why would you drug me like this? Did you never intend to let me go a long time ago?..."
Tang Ye remained silent.
She suddenly remembered something and said excitedly, "Back when Liu Xiu and I were found by the Empress in Luzhou, it was you...?!"
Tang Ye said, "Yes."
Seeing his decisive answer, she was taken aback. Recalling her past with Liu Xiu, an indescribable emotion welled up in her chest, and her already pale face became even more colorless.
Tang Ye suddenly said, "Not only that, I also wanted to kill your brother-in-law Li Kang, ruining the marriage alliance between the Fang and Li families. The black-clad masked man who knocked you off the cliff was also an assassin I sent to kill Wu Yi."
She paused, then said wistfully, "Since that's the case, although you saved my life today, I don't owe you anything."
Tang Ye said calmly, "You never owed me anything."
She suddenly felt very tired and exhausted, closed her eyes, buried her head in her legs, and stopped talking.
Night falls in the woods. Starlight spills across the earth, a campfire burns fiercely, and the firelight reflects on each other's faces, flickering as if telling each other's secrets.
Tang Ye took out his long flute and began to play that familiar tune. When the piece ended, Hua Wuduo sighed softly, "It's that tune again. It's been two years since I last heard it. It's a pity it doesn't have a name."
Tang Ye said, "It wasn't there then, but now I've named it 'Longing'."
Hua Wuduo was taken aback when he heard this, and then Tang Ye said, "This piece of music was composed by my mother before she passed away."
Hua Wuduo said, "Your mother is quite a talented woman."
He nodded slightly, as if recalling his mother, his gaze softening: "My mother was of noble birth, and was the sister of the mother of Prince Che. She was not only good at composing music but also skilled in calligraphy and painting. She seemed gentle but was actually strong-willed. When my aunt secretly arranged your marriage with my father behind her back, my mother opposed it vehemently."
Hua Wuduo asked, "Why did your mother object?"
Tang Ye calmly replied, "Because the person my aunt loves is your closest relative."
Actually, she had vaguely guessed something when he mentioned Wangyou's background, and now that Tang Ye had confirmed it himself, she didn't know what to say. Tang Ye's aunt, Tang Qian, risked her life to be with Wangyou; her love was extreme and tragic. The reason for arranging her marriage to Tang Ye as a child was probably not simple. Thinking of this, she suddenly understood another layer of meaning in Tang Ye's words. He had disliked her since childhood, which was why he later broke off the engagement.