The young soldier escorted Feng Xiyang out of the room, step by step, forcing back the surrounding Biaoji guards. Fully alert, he brought Feng Xiyang before the Holy Emperor. A Yulin soldier came forward and took her from his hands. Only then did he bow and kneel at the Holy Emperor’s feet.
“This subject acted on his initiative. I deserve death. Please, Your Majesty—” Before he could finish, the Holy Emperor had already kicked him. “You know you deserve death?!” The soldier didn’t try to avoid it, taking the Emperor’s kick head-on. With a loud thud, his internal organs shook, and he instantly fell backward. As soon as he hit the ground, several steel blades were at his neck.
Feng Suige watched as Xiyang fell into the Holy Emperor’s hands. He stamped his foot in frustration and turned to go to Yi Xiao, but Xiao Weiran had already beaten him to it, taking Yi Xiao into his arms. Stepping aside to avoid Feng Suige’s outstretched hand, Xiao Weiran said disdainfully, “I’ve got this. You’d better take care of your people!”
Feng Suige looked at the weak Yi Xiao, feeling slightly guilty, but unwilling to explain further. He nodded slightly, but Yi Xiao had already struggled out of Xiao Weiran’s arms to grab his clothes. “That soldier isn’t bad. Don’t make things difficult for him…” Hearing this, the Holy Emperor immediately laughed coldly, “To escape, you didn’t hesitate to exchange Feng Xiyang. Fu Yi Xiao, what a scheme, how vicious!”
Pressed to the ground by the sword’s edge, the soldier still called out urgently, “It wasn’t like that…” “Then what was it like?!” The Holy Emperor glanced at him, moving closer to the pale-faced Feng Xiyang, smiling slyly, “If you were to die, the biggest obstacle between her and Xia Jingshi would disappear. Tell me, isn’t her plan brilliant?”
Feng Xiyang spat at him but still cast a doubtful glance at Yi Xiao. Yi Xiao was both anxious and angry, not knowing how to explain, when Feng Suige spoke coldly, “Apart from using women as shields, do you only know how to judge others by your own wolf-hearted and dog-lunged standards?” Saying this, he gave a reassuring smile to the somewhat bewildered Xiyang, “Don’t listen to his provocation. Even if Yi Xiao wanted to compete with you, she would do it openly and fairly—don’t be afraid, with your elder brother here, you’ll be fine.”
A flash of admiration passed through Xiao Weiran’s eyes. As he carried Yi Xiao past Feng Suige, he paused and said softly, “I’ll look after Yi Xiao. You can rest assured.”
Watching helplessly as Xiao Weiran and several Jinxiu military officers quickly escorted Yi Xiao away, the Holy Emperor, though outwardly calm, began to panic as his plans were repeatedly disrupted. Gritting his teeth, he decisively said, “Since things have come to this, there’s no point in dragging it out any longer. Let’s end today’s affairs here. All grudges and rights and wrongs can be settled slowly after I return to the Holy City!” With that, he gestured to the Yulin soldier holding Feng Xiyang behind him, “Let’s go!”
“Wait!” Feng Suige strode forward, “You can’t just come and go as you please. Do you think this is a children’s game?!” The Holy Emperor raised an eyebrow, “So what if it is?” Feng Suige clenched his fist secretly and said hatefully, “You can leave if you want, but leave Xiyang behind…” “Don’t try to negotiate with me,” the Holy Emperor sneered, pinching Feng Xiyang’s chin and glancing sideways at Feng Suige, “I make the rules. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to play—at worst, we’ll fight to the death. With her by my side, it won’t be too lonely in the afterlife!”
“Let her go, and I’ll go with you,” Xia Jingshi suddenly spoke up. Immediately, a chorus of shocked exclamations erupted around them. “Your Highness!” “Think twice, Your Highness…”
Raising his hand to stop the alternating voices of dissuasion from his generals, Xia Jingshi said calmly, “She’s injured—if you’re still a man, don’t make things difficult for a woman.” The Holy Emperor laughed loudly, “Don’t play tricks with me. What are you up to…” “I’m just making a suggestion. You can consider it,” Xia Jingshi interrupted him calmly. “If anything happens to her on the way, you won’t be able to bear the consequences.”
The Holy Emperor’s expression immediately became grave. After a brief thought, he looked up at Xia Jingshi, “Alright, but you must show your sincerity.” “Sincerity?” Xia Jingshi frowned, “What would you consider sincere?” The Holy Emperor’s lips curled into a mocking smile, “You must travel in the same carriage with me until we meet up with the Yulin main camp. Of course, you can bring your guards, but they can only stay on the outskirts. Unless there’s a special event, they’re not allowed to approach the carriage by even one step!”
Immediately, the whole courtyard erupted in an uproar. Many military officers showed contemptuous expressions, and some even shouted abuse. With a clang, someone’s sword was the first to leave its sheath, triggering a series of sword-drawing sounds.
Xia Jingshi lowered his brows in thought for a while before looking up at the Holy Emperor, “Speaking of sincerity, shouldn’t you also send Xiyang back?” The Holy Emperor smiled, “Certainly. Everyone else steps back ten paces. You come over slowly.” He then gestured to the soldier holding Feng Xiyang to move forward.
Feng Suige watched coldly from the side, his words strong and forceful, “If anything happens to you before reaching the Holy City, Su Sha will not stand idly by!” Xia Jingshi nodded at him with a smile. And so, under everyone’s intense gaze, Xia Jingshi began to walk step by step towards the Holy Emperor, while simultaneously, Feng Xiyang was pushed by that soldier, slowly walking towards Xia Jingshi.
Feng Xiyang’s gaze had been fixed on Xia Jingshi’s face since he first spoke, and now she was in tears.
She hadn’t misjudged this man.
Just as she had told her father before the grand wedding, no matter what danger they encountered, he would never abandon her.
Although she wasn’t clear about what hardships he had endured during his detention by the Holy Emperor, in those days when she drifted in and out of consciousness, she vaguely heard Feng Suige telling the physician to take the remaining black jade marrow to treat Xia Jingshi’s wounds—too many people had paid the price for her willfulness, including him.
Even if she had failed him, this price was enough. He couldn’t fall into the Holy Emperor’s hands again…
He couldn’t!
So, at the moment when the two were about to pass each other, Feng Xiyang mustered all her strength to shake off the Yulin soldier’s restraining hand and lunged toward Xia Jingshi. Caught off guard, the soldier staggered back half a step and instinctively drew the long sword at his waist.
Everyone cried out in unison.
“Princess!”
“Lady!”
“Xiyang!”
“Husband…” After a soft, smiling call, the sharp blade cut through the air with a rainbow-like arc, slashing straight towards her. The intense pain in her back made her instinctively arch her neck, her thin, frail body bending into a beautiful curve in the air. As her long hair flew, her eyes were more brilliant than ever before.
In his shock, Xia Jingshi only managed to catch her falling body.
In the chaos, the dumbfounded Holy Emperor was already pinned down by a rush of military officers, and the four Yulin soldiers who tried to resist and escape were quickly cornered.
“Xiyang!” Feng Suige’s roar shook the skies. Without checking Feng Xiyang’s life or death, he snatched a long sword from a nearby guard and swung it at the Holy Emperor.
The Yulin soldier who had been captured earlier widened his eyes in horror, struggling wildly while shouting fiercely, “You can’t harm the Emperor!”
With a crisp clash, sword met sword. Feng Suige’s long sword almost flew out of his hand, while the opponent’s sword broke into two. His tiger’s mouth split open, blood flowing freely. Feng Suige looked up in fury, only to meet a pair of sincere eyes. “Prince Feng, it’s better to save the Princess first. After all, he is still the Emperor of Jinxiu!”
It was Shang Yun, the commander of the Biaoji camp who had come with Xia Jingshi.