Small stones were still rolling down the slope when people on the opposite side began to stand up. Ning Fei quietly and slowly took one step back, then another. Suddenly, he spun around, threw down his water skin, and sprinted towards the opposite slope. Immediately, shouts and chaotic footsteps erupted behind him.
There was no time to think; only one thought remained: run.
Suddenly, he heard the fierce neighing of horses and the splashing of water. The hoofbeats grew closer. Ning Fei gritted his teeth, stopped, and turned to draw his sword. He’d fight to the death!
To his surprise, when the pursuing cavalry saw him stop and draw his sword, they also reined in their horses. As Ning Fei hesitated, the leading military officer called out, “General Ning, don’t misunderstand! We mean no harm!”
Seeing that Ning Fei still warily pointed his sword at him, he ordered the other soldiers to retreat several zhang and dismounted himself. Bowing, he said, “General Ning, we are cavalry under the Guardian General. We’ve been searching along the road by order of the Prime Minister…”
Ning Fei immediately sneered, “If you think I’ll believe you just because you’re using my mentor’s name…”
“General, you misunderstand!” the officer explained urgently. “The Empress Dowager’s plot to throw the harem into chaos and deceive the world has been exposed by the old Prime Minister in court. Now, the military affairs of the capital are under the old General’s control. The Prime Minister ordered us to search everywhere to invite His Highness back to the capital to take charge!”
Ning Fei looked him up and down skeptically, still unwilling to let his guard down. After brief consideration, he asked loudly, “Without proof, how can I trust you?”
The officer carefully pulled out a letter from his bosom, stepped forward, and placed it on the ground. Then he led his horse away. Only then did Ning Fei slowly approach to pick up the letter, retreating a few steps before unfolding and carefully examining it.
After a while, Ning Fei hesitantly folded the letter. “Indeed, it’s my mentor’s handwriting. But His Highness isn’t traveling with me…”
The officer smiled, “Don’t worry, General. Other teams set out in different directions at the same time as us. If they were successful, they should have found Prince Zhen Nan by now — after all, riding on the road is different from riding in the forest!”
Ning Fei finally nodded. He cupped his hands and said, “Thank you for your efforts. However, please report back to the old Prime Minister that Ning Fei must continue forward as agreed with His Highness. Please go back!”
The officer thought for a moment, then nodded. “Very well, but it will be hard on you, General.” He turned and ordered half of their horses to be left for Ning Fei, bowed to him once more, and then departed.
Ning Fei watched them ford the small stream and disappear into the forest on the other side before finally relaxing. As the mountain wind blew, he suddenly realized he was drenched in cold sweat. He shrank his neck, looked at the horses drinking water or resting by the riverbank, then looked down at the document in his hand. Still not entirely sure, he opened and read it several times before folding it and hiding it close to his body. He muttered, “It’s broad daylight, I couldn’t have seen a ghost — could it have been resolved so easily?”
The fierce assault from the reinforcements of Lu City forced the Imperial Guards to withdraw some of their troops that were about to ascend the slope. They had to concentrate all their efforts on resisting the attack. The thunderous battle cries and the cruel slaughter drew the Holy Emperor out of his tent. He sat in a large chair placed in a safe location, squinting at the flashing swords and bloodshed of the battle.
Perhaps, the Holy Emperor thought vaguely, he had been waiting for this day for so many years. That time when the Emperor had distributed horses gifted from foreign lands, it was supposed to be for the princes to choose themselves. But in front of everyone, the Emperor had pointed out the most spirited one for Xia Jingshi. Yet, that was also the one he had set his eyes on.
Later, when they were all studying together, the Emperor sent palace servants to summon Xia Jingshi alone. Curious, he had followed out of the academy, only to be caught and brought back by the tutor. He still remembered the tutor shaking his head and saying that he heard the three most learned scholars in Jin Xiu had been recruited by the Emperor with hefty rewards to give private lessons to the prince who would inherit the throne.
But, his mother had said, without the empire, they would be at the mercy of others. He didn’t want to be buried in obscurity, much less kneel at Xia Jingshi’s feet. Until one day, his mother told him that Xia Jingshi was no longer an obstacle to his ascension to the throne…
Who would have thought that in the end, even when Xu Sha sued for peace, the peace terms presented to him after a long journey also bore Xia Jingshi’s name?
Finally, he was enraged. He couldn’t understand why, even as the Son of Heaven, he was still inferior to Xia Jingshi!
But now it seemed like heaven was on his side — he had thought he could only be a captive or a bargaining chip, losing everything miserably in Xia Jingshi’s hands. Who knew there would be such an unexpected turn of events…
Xia Jingshi, it’s all over now.
Yi Xiao sat by Xiyang’s side for a while. Seeing her fall into a light sleep, she quietly stood up and walked to the open space in front to look down the mountain.
Countless weapons reflected cold light. Closing her eyes, she could almost smell the earthy scent of war horses mixed with the unique smell of sweat and blood from intense fighting. The smell of the battlefield.
Opening her eyes, she suddenly saw the Holy Emperor sitting outside the formation, guarded by several purple-clad generals. She couldn’t help but feel a surge of hatred, her teeth itching with the urge to act. If she had Greedy Wolf with her, she might have been able to test her arm strength and shooting range. Now, she could only torture him with her gaze.
After a while, Yi Xiao exhaled dejectedly and slowly shifted her gaze to the distant mountains. This time, she wondered if they would escape.
Just one glance, and she involuntarily raised her hand to clutch her collar, frozen in place — in the sunlight, several large flags led a vast army rapidly moving in their direction.
Weiran had arrived. This must be the army from the capital.
After standing dazed for a moment, she suddenly smiled and turned to run quickly toward the shaded area where Feng Xiyang was.
When Feng Xiyang woke with a start, Yi Xiao was placing a water skin and an unsheathed short sword beside her. “Keep this for self-defense,” she said. Meeting Xiyang’s confused gaze, Yi Xiao smiled and said, “Jin Xiu’s great army has arrived. I’m going to chase after them.”
“Wait,” Xiyang struggled to move. “You mean…”
“It’s likely to be nine deaths, one life situation,” Yi Xiao said with a smile, shaking out a warm cloak to cover her. “If we win, I’ll come back for you. If we lose, we’ll meet again in the underworld.”
A little further down was level ground. Through the trees, they could faintly see sparse purple moving back and forth not far from the foot of the mountain. Carefully avoiding any paths where they might be discovered, Xia Jingshi and Feng Suige led over a hundred men winding their way down through rocks and small woods.
Feng Suige, who had been silent all the way, suddenly laughed. “You and I used to be mortal enemies on the battlefield. Who would have thought we’d end up like this?”
Xia Jingshi couldn’t help but smile. “It must be fate. Just like you and Yi Xiao — who would have thought you two would end up together?”
“No, I noticed her very early on,” Feng Suige chuckled softly. “It’s just that at that time, I hated her for challenging me on the battlefield. If you hadn’t turned back midway, I was already prepared to send you back to Jin Xiu after Xiyang’s grand wedding, and ask the Holy Emperor to hand her over to me on the way.” Mentioning Xiyang, his eyes darkened slightly. “Xiyang’s injury seems very serious. I don’t know how long she can hold on…”
As he was listening silently, the sound of falling rocks came from above. Xia Jingshi instinctively dodged backward as several fist-sized rocks fell straight down, brushing past his face and leaving him in a cold sweat.
Before he could recover from the shock, a muffled cry of surprise came from behind. “Ah…!”
Feng Suige and Xia Jingshi turned their heads almost simultaneously. They saw a Jin Xiu guard with his head half-tilted back, his eyes fixed as he mumbled, “Junior… Junior Consort…”