Chapter One Hundred Nineteen
"They actually let you chase after us alone," the Holy Emperor remarked with a smirk. "Tsk, thinking you can retrieve two people single-handedly—do you truly have the skill, or…"
"No need for Your Majesty’s concern," Yixiao replied, casting a glance at Feng Xiyang, whose expression was unreadable. "As for her, where she goes is her own business. All I need is for Your Majesty to come with me."
"Such harsh words—how cruel. Do you hate her that much?" The Holy Emperor feigned ease, but as Yixiao drew closer, he couldn’t help but take a small step back. That single misstep sent him stumbling backward with a startled cry.
Yixiao lunged forward to grab him, while Xiyang instinctively reached for the Holy Emperor’s sleeve.
In that chaotic moment, Yixiao caught the faint, cold smile curling at the Holy Emperor’s lips. A warning flashed through his mind, slowing his steps just slightly.
Then, Xiyang’s entire body suddenly lurched forward before being violently flung back toward Yixiao. Meanwhile, the Holy Emperor used the momentum of her pull and push to accelerate his roll down the slope.
Though Yixiao had braced himself, he still hadn’t anticipated the Holy Emperor’s maneuver. There was no time to retract his blade—the razor-sharp longsword that had accompanied Feng Suige through countless battles plunged straight through Xiyang’s back, sinking to the hilt.
Yixiao froze.
The world fell into a deathly silence.
Xiyang lifted her hand numbly, as if the Holy Emperor were still before her. After a pause, she hesitantly withdrew it, her fingertips brushing against the cold steel protruding from her chest. It was real.
This wasn’t a dream. She coughed lightly, blood spilling into her palm—warm, undeniable proof.
So this was truly a path of no return. Xiyang smiled bitterly.
There was no turning back now.
Yixiao’s cold sweat and the blood dripping from Xiyang’s fingers fell onto the earth together. The autumn-yellowed mountain grass on the slope was now dyed a vivid crimson.
"You must be happy," Xiyang murmured weakly, leaning against a large rock as she coughed up bloody foam. "If I die, you can return to his side."
"Shut up, or I’ll knock you out," Yixiao hissed through gritted teeth, not daring to loosen his grip. "There must be others nearby. Keep pressure on the wound—I’ll go—"
"Don’t leave me," Xiyang pleaded with sudden strength, clutching his sleeve desperately. "Fu Yixiao, for my brother’s sake, promise me one thing."
"Speak quickly," Yixiao urged, his gaze flickering anxiously downhill. Time was running out—what should he do?
"I won’t make it. I just want to see him one last time." Xiyang’s eyes were like shallow streams, the life within them ebbing away with every passing second. "Take me to him."
Yixiao hesitated, noting the pallor of her lips from blood loss. Finally, he exhaled heavily. "Aside from carrying you, I can’t think of any other way to get you up there. But the blade must be pulled out first." He wasn’t sure if her frail body could endure the ordeal.
"I can bear it," Xiyang whispered, closing her eyes. "Please…"
They were still some distance from the mountaintop. The hem of Yixiao’s slate-blue outer robe was already soaked a dark, rusty red."We're almost there—just down the mountain ahead is a town, and they must have a medical clinic there," Yixiao said breathlessly as she climbed, her appearance already disheveled, yet she kept talking to Xiyang in fragments. "I'll protect you during the breakout, don't worry..."
"You don't need to feel guilty, and I won't thank you," Feng Xiyang, who had been silent the entire journey, suddenly spoke. Her mind was clear, but her voice was weak. "I just feel sorry for him—I knew long ago this would be the outcome, but I couldn't accept it..." Yixiao paused, then bluntly cut her off, "Save your apologies for His Highness. I'm only talking to keep you from falling asleep."
Feng Xiyang continued as if she hadn't heard, "I always wanted to return to Su Sha, but I felt too ashamed." She let out a low laugh, blood spilling from her lips onto Yixiao's already stained shoulder. "You don’t know how much I wanted to see the result. Win or lose, I just wanted to see it..." Yixiao listened silently and quickened her pace.
After a dazed moment, Xiyang struggled to lift her head, gazing at the nearing mountaintop, murmuring, "It's time to go back."
At that moment, Feng Suige and Xia Jingshi, along with most of the soldiers, were crouched in the open space of the front camp, carving wooden stakes. The remaining soldiers busily carried the finished stakes downhill, assembling them into sturdy barricades.
Suddenly, an alarm signal echoed from the rear mountain. Feng Suige hastily stood up, and Xia Jingshi set down his tools. "I'll—"
Before he could finish, a frantic shout, distorted with urgency, came from the rear: "Captain Fu!"
"Yixiao..." "Yixiao!" Without another thought, Feng Suige and Xia Jingshi sprinted toward the sound.
It felt like a dream.
In the dream, Yixiao, covered in blood, ran toward him—no, she rushed past him straight into Xia Jingshi's arms, not even sparing him a glance.
Instinctively, he lunged forward, trying to pull them apart, desperate to know where all the blood had come from. But Yixiao forcefully shoved his hand away. "Come," she urged Xia Jingshi urgently, then clasped his hand like a lover and ran off.
Of course, he chased after them—only to witness a scene in the woods that shattered his heart. Xiyang lay on a makeshift bed of hastily spread blankets, just as bloodied as Yixiao.
He watched as Xia Jingshi slowly knelt beside her and asked softly, "What happened?" Yixiao answered woodenly, "It was me..."
Hearing Xia Jingshi's voice, Feng Xiyang weakly opened her eyes and firmly interrupted, "Not her... it was the Holy Emperor..."
Only then did he take a few disbelieving steps forward, his voice trembling, "Is that... Xiyang?" Yixiao exhaled softly. "Yes."
But Feng Xiyang's gaze remained fixed on Xia Jingshi. Struggling, she lifted a hand, trying to grasp his sleeve. Xia Jingshi hesitated before taking her hand in his, comforting her gently, "Don’t worry, you’ll be fine." "I know," Xiyang said with effort, fighting back tears but failing as one slipped free. "Can you forgive me? I just wanted so badly to win back what I lost...""Xiyang..." Feng Suige's voice trembled. "How could this happen?"
"It's retribution," Xiyang replied bitterly, forcing a faint smile. "Royal Brother, when you return this time, could you take me with you... But first, I'll need to borrow your Water-Painting Garden to recover. Otherwise, Father will worry again."
Feng Suige's eyes reddened instantly, but he forced a smile. "Don't worry, I will bring you safely back to Su Sha—I still have some Black Chalcedony Marrow with me. I'll go fetch it now..."
Feng Xiyang gave a faint smile, then turned her gaze back to Xia Jingshi's face. "If you miss me, send me a letter... I will come back!"
Xia Jingshi nodded.
In the distance, the muffled sound of war drums began to echo. "They're coming," Yixiao, who had been silently standing to the side, said slowly.
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