“They let you come after us alone?” the Holy Emperor said with a half-smile. “Tsk, trying to bring back two people by yourself – is it because you’re truly that capable, or…?”
“No need for Your Majesty to worry,” Yi Xiao glanced at Feng Xiyang, whose expression was complex. “As for her, where she wants to go is her business. I just need Your Majesty to come with me.”
“My, what hurtful words. Do you hate her that much?” As Yi Xiao drew closer, the Holy Emperor tried to maintain a relaxed demeanor but couldn’t help taking a small step back. That single step caused him to lose his footing. With an “Ah!”, he began to fall backward.
Yi Xiao quickly leaped forward to grab him, while Feng Xiyang instinctively reached for the Holy Emperor’s sleeve.
In that moment of chaos, Yi Xiao caught a glimpse of a cold smile at the corner of the Holy Emperor’s lips. Her heart warned her, and she hesitated for a split second.
Suddenly, Feng Xiyang’s entire body lurched forward, then rebounded towards Yi Xiao at high speed. The Holy Emperor used this push-and-pull momentum to accelerate his roll down the slope.
Although Yi Xiao had been somewhat prepared, she hadn’t anticipated the Holy Emperor’s actions. There was no time to withdraw her sword – the sharp blade that had accompanied Feng Suige through many battles pierced Feng Xiyang’s back, sinking to the hilt.
Yi Xiao froze. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to fall silent.
Feng Xiyang raised her hand dazedly as if the Holy Emperor was still before her. After a moment, she hesitantly lowered her hand and touched the protruding sword tip on her chest. It was real.
This wasn’t a dream. She coughed lightly, spitting blood into her palm. It was warm – indeed, not a dream.
As expected, it was a path of no return. Xiyang smiled bitterly. In the end, she couldn’t turn back.
Cold sweat dripped from Yi Xiao’s forehead, mingling with the blood seeping through Feng Xiyang’s fingers and falling to the ground. The late autumn grass on the slope, already turning yellow, was now stained a bright red.
“You must be happy,” Feng Xiyang said weakly, leaning against a large rock and coughing up a mouthful of blood. “If I die, you can return to his side.”
“If you don’t shut up, I’ll knock you out,” Yi Xiao said through gritted teeth, not daring to relax her grip. “There should be people nearby. Press hard on the wound, I’ll go…”
“Don’t leave me,” Feng Xiyang found strength from somewhere and clutched Yi Xiao’s sleeve tightly. “Fu Yi Xiao, for the sake of my royal brother, can you promise me one thing?”
“Speak quickly,” Yi Xiao replied, looking anxiously down the mountain. Time was running out; what should she do?
“I’m not going to make it. I just want to see him one last time,” Xiyang’s eyes were like shallow streams, their life force visibly ebbing away with each passing moment. “Please, take me to him.”
Yi Xiao hesitated, noticing Feng Xiyang’s lips growing pale from blood loss. Finally, she sighed deeply. “Apart from carrying you on my back, I can’t think of any other way to get you up there. But I’ll have to pull out the sword first.” She wasn’t sure if Xiyang’s frail body could endure such an ordeal.
“I can bear it,” Xiyang closed her eyes. “Please…”
They were still some distance from the mountaintop. The back of Yi Xiao’s greyish-green outer robe was now stained brownish-red.
“We’re almost there — just down the mountain and a short distance ahead is a town. There must be a physician there,” Yi Xiao, disheveled from the climb, kept talking to Xiyang. “During the breakout, I’ll protect you, don’t worry…”
“You don’t need to feel guilty, and I won’t thank you,” Feng Xiyang, who had been silent throughout the journey, suddenly spoke. Her mind was clear, but her voice was very weak. “I just feel sorry for him — actually, I knew long ago it would end like this. I just couldn’t accept it…”
Yi Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then cut her off bluntly. “Save your apologies for His Highness. I’m only talking to you to keep you awake.”
As if she hadn’t heard, Feng Xiyang continued, “I’ve always wanted to return to Xu Sha, but I felt too ashamed to go back.” She laughed softly, causing more blood to spurt from her mouth onto Yi Xiao’s already-stained shoulder. “You don’t know how much I wanted to see the outcome. Win or lose, I just wanted to see the result…”
Yi Xiao listened in silence, quickening her pace.
After a moment of dazed reflection, Xiyang struggled to lift her head, gazing at the approaching mountaintop. She murmured, “It’s time to go back.”
At that moment, Feng Suige and Xia Jingshi were with most of the soldiers in the front camp, whittling wooden stakes. The remaining soldiers were busy moving the finished stakes downhill to build a sturdy palisade.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded from the rear mountain lookout. Feng Suige hurriedly stood up, and Xia Jingshi put down his tools. “I’ll also—”
Before he could finish, a frantic shout came from the rear mountain, “Commander Fu!”
“Yi Xiao…” “Yi Xiao!” No longer caring about anything else, Feng Suige and Xia Jingshi rushed towards the back.
It seemed like a dream. In this dreamscape, Yi Xiao, covered in blood, ran towards him. No, she threw herself at Xia Jingshi behind him, falling straight into his arms without even glancing at Feng Suige.
He instinctively rushed forward, wanting to separate them, to know how Yi Xiao had become so bloodied. But Yi Xiao forcefully pushed his hand away. “Come,” she said urgently to Xia Jingshi, then ran off hand-in-hand with him like a pair of lovers.
Of course, he gave chase, only to witness an even more heart-wrenching scene in the woods. Xiyang lay on a makeshift bed of felt blankets, as blood-soaked as Yi Xiao.
He saw Xia Jingshi slowly crouch down and ask gently, “How did this happen?”
Yi Xiao answered woodenly, “It was me…”
Hearing Xia Jingshi’s voice, Feng Xiyang slowly opened her eyes. Weak but determined, she interrupted Yi Xiao, “It wasn’t her. It was the Holy Emperor…”
Only then did he step forward in disbelief, his voice trembling, “Is that Xiyang?”
Yi Xiao exhaled softly, “Yes, it is.”
But Feng Xiyang’s eyes were fixed only on Xia Jingshi. She struggled to raise her hand, trying to grasp the hem of his clothes. Xia Jingshi hesitated for a moment before taking her hand in his, comforting her gently, “Don’t worry, you’ll be alright.”
“I understand,” Feng Xiyang said with effort. Though she tried to hold back her tears, one escaped. “Can you forgive me? I wanted so badly to win back what I had lost…”
“Xiyang…” Feng Suige’s voice trembled. “How did this happen?”
“It’s retribution,” Xiyang’s lips twitched bitterly. “Royal Brother, when you return this time, can you take me with you? But first, let me recover in your Water Painting Garden, otherwise, Father will worry…”
Feng Suige’s eyes immediately reddened. He forced a smile and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring you back safely to Xu Sha. I have some black jade with me, I’ll go get it right away…”
Feng Xiyang smiled faintly, then turned her gaze back to Xia Jingshi. “If you miss me, send me a message… I’ll come back!”
Xia Jingshi nodded.
In the distance, the faint sound of war drums could be heard.
“They’re here,” Yi Xiao, who had been standing silently to the side, said slowly.