Intercepted, Xiao Changtai's face twisted with even greater fury and rage. He aimed lethal strikes at Xiao Huayong, just as Shen Xihe rushed to the scene. She shouted, "Beichen—!"
At her call, the horse beneath her charged toward the two men. Xiao Huayong, who had been locked in a stalemate with Xiao Changtai, swiftly dodged and pushed Xiao Changtai away with force. Caught off guard by Xiao Huayong's sudden withdrawal of strength, Xiao Changtai nearly stumbled forward. As the horse charged toward him, he pivoted on his feet, spinning backward to narrowly evade Shen Xihe.
A wicked thought arose in his mind. Leaning back, he extended his arm and swept his sword, intending to knock Shen Xihe off her horse. If he could capture Shen Xihe, who knew no martial arts, Xiao Huayong would surely surrender. Yet, to his utter astonishment, Shen Xihe had been waiting for this very move. The moment he leaned back and faced her, a cloud of powder flew from her hand, scattering directly onto his face.
The choking, pungent fragrance caused his strength to falter. The horse swiftly brushed past him, and in that instant, he inhaled a large amount of the pollen. Dizziness washed over him immediately, his eyelids growing heavy as lead. With one last blurred glance at the sky above, he collapsed to the ground.
Xiao Changtai's fall threw his subordinates into panic. Moyu and Mo Yuan quickly subdued them.
Shen Xihe tightened the reins and turned to look at Xiao Changtai's subdued followers, her gaze icy. "Kill them," she commanded.
There was no use keeping them alive—these men had conspired to kill Xiao Huayong.
Urging her horse forward, she extended her fair, slender hand to Xiao Huayong. Though he bore numerous injuries, none were severe. He flashed a charming smile, revealing his white teeth, and grasped her hand, leaping onto the horse in one fluid motion.
Once Xiao Huayong was seated securely, Shen Xihe turned the horse around and headed back the way she had come, with Moyu following closely behind.
Mo Yuan hoisted the unconscious Xiao Changtai onto a horse and trailed behind with several guards.
"Please don't be angry with me," Xiao Huayong pleaded softly, wrapping his arms around Shen Xihe from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder as they jostled with the horse's movements.
Shen Xihe pressed her lips together and remained silent.
She was deeply irritated, though she couldn't quite pinpoint the reason. Xiao Huayong had acted with good intentions, using this opportunity to eliminate all of Your Majesty's spies in the northwest. She ought to be grateful. Yet, the thought of him risking his life for this, and seeing him in peril when she arrived, ignited a blazing fury within her. Frustratingly, she had no right to reproach him, so she remained tense, her expression cold and stern.
"Youyou..."
"Whatever you have to say, save it until we return," Shen Xihe cut him off coldly.
Upon her arrival, she had noticed another group lying in wait outside. They had deliberately allowed her to enter, yet for Xiao Huayong's sake, she had no choice but to charge in despite knowing the danger. Now that they had captured Xiao Changtai, these outsiders were biding their time, waiting to reap the rewards after both sides had weakened each other.
These people were undoubtedly sent by Your Majesty. The number of hidden agents Your Majesty could mobilize in the northwest exceeded their expectations. Pei Zhan had already brought over a thousand men from another direction, and here, hundreds more lay in ambush!
"I must speak," Xiao Huayong insisted. He knew well that the Youning Emperor would never operate entirely within his predictions. The Youning Emperor always had a backup plan, ensuring to the greatest extent that his prey would not escape his grasp.He hadn't arranged for anyone to approach the area where Xiao Changtai had set the trap because Xiao Changtai was vigilant. This didn't mean he hadn't made preparations afterward; otherwise, why would he need to come alone to find Xiao Changtai?
In truth, Xiao Changtai wasn't particularly fearsome. He had brought Haidongqing with him, but he never expected Haidongqing to be called away by Shen Xihe. If not for that, he wouldn't have experienced the danger earlier. Naturally, this was something he couldn't say to Shen Xihe.
"I'm overjoyed that Youyou came to rescue me." Xiao Huayong now seemed like a willful child, with none of the decisiveness he had shown when dealing with Xiao Changtai. Where was his maturity and steadiness? Haidongqing circled in the sky above, and Shen Xihe noticed its direction had deviated from their original path. Her memory was excellent, but Shen Xihe didn't hesitate—she chose to follow Haidongqing's lead.
"Youyou, you're ignoring me." Xiao Huayong held Shen Xihe a little tighter, complaining with a hint of grievance.
Shen Xihe didn't want to respond to Xiao Huayong. She was holding back a surge of anger in her chest, afraid that if she spoke, she would say something harsh to him.
"Youyou, look—you knew I was in danger, you knew coming to rescue me would also put you in peril, yet you didn't hesitate to come find me, did you?" Xiao Huayong said tactfully.
You didn't get angry at me for risking my life, so don't be angry with me now.
This was the meaning Xiao Huayong intended to convey, but Shen Xihe only grew more irritated upon hearing it.
Just as Shen Xihe was about to say something, an unexpected change occurred. Xiao Changtai, who should have been unconscious for a long time, suddenly opened his eyes and threw a punch at Mo Yuan. Fortunately, Mo Yuan reacted swiftly and dodged, but Xiao Changtai took the opportunity to roll away.
Shen Xihe and the others quickly reined in their horses. Xiao Changtai had clearly been holding his breath and had just regained consciousness. In reality, he had inhaled a significant amount of the incapacitating incense and was still dizzy-headed. There was no way he could escape Shen Xihe's numerous companions as he tumbled down the slope.
Seeing this, Xiao Huayong let out a cold laugh, blew the bone whistle, and Haidongqing swooped down, quickly intercepting Xiao Changtai. Xiao Changtai struggled, but Haidongqing grew impatient. Trained as it was, it knew its master wouldn't allow it to kill the living creature. With a mighty flap of its enormous wings, it knocked him unconscious.
Xiao Changtai was soon back in Mo Yuan's hands. This time, to prevent any further mishaps, Mo Yuan bound him securely.
However, their commotion inevitably attracted the ambushers, who began pursuing and blocking them from that direction. But with the men Xiao Huayong had arranged to engage them, they couldn't catch up to Shen Xihe.
Among this group, however, was a particularly fierce leader who managed to break through the encirclement and charged toward Xiao Huayong and the others. Watching the distance shrink, Xiao Huayong drew Shen Xihe's bow and arrows, turned around in a swift motion, leaned against Shen Xihe's back, drew the bow, and released the arrow—all in one fluid motion.
The bow was custom-made for Shen Xihe, so it felt slightly awkward in Xiao Huayong's hands. To his surprise, the man actually managed to dodge the arrow, earning a bit of Xiao Huayong's respect.
A fierce general trained by Your Majesty, Xiao Huayong narrowed his eyes. He was about to dismount and personally finish off this man when a figure in crimson flew past them, landing squarely in the center and blocking the pursuer's path.
Xiao Huayong raised an eyebrow. Seeing Xiao Changying, he wasn't the least bit surprised.He didn't care that Xiao Changying suspected his relationship with Xiao Juesong. Ever since he had given Your Majesty reassurance through the Fifth Prince's hand, someone as clever as the Fifth Prince would naturally suspect his connection to Xiao Juesong. At most, however, he would only speculate that the two had some private collusion.
Since Xiao Changying was determined to step forward, Xiao Huayong decided to play along and help him save face. Instead, he reached out and patted the horse's rump, causing the horse to speed away.
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