Chapter 128
The Holy Emperor departed, taking four Imperial Guards as his escort while leaving the remaining four behind in the ruined temple to continue guarding Yixiao.
Yixiao's eyes were slightly closed, her forehead resting against the ground as she rapidly calculated in her mind. The Holy Emperor had detained her, and this trip was undoubtedly to use her as leverage. For her safety, both Xia Jingshi and Feng Suige would surely make concessions. Regardless of the terms, she simply didn’t believe the Holy Emperor would release her after achieving his goal.
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the nausea rising in her throat, but instead inhaled a mouthful of dust from the ground, triggering a violent coughing fit. The four Imperial Guards seated nearby turned their heads at the sound. After a moment’s hesitation, one of them picked up a waterskin and approached Yixiao.
He was a young soldier. Stopping before her, he helped her lean against a nearby pillar before opening the waterskin and bringing it to her lips. Yixiao drank a few sips, immediately feeling much better. She gave him a faint smile and whispered her thanks.
The soldier lowered his gaze, avoiding her eyes, and said softly, "Just hold on a little longer. Once His Majesty returns safely, he’ll let you go."
"Is that so?" Yixiao sneered. "I have serious doubts about his integrity!"
"No!" the soldier insisted earnestly. "As long as the King Who Pacifies the South signs a pledge never to return to court, His Majesty will release you!"
"Never return to court? And what about Su Sha?" Yixiao scoffed. "After kidnapping me, do you think Feng Suige will just let it go? Even if I’m eventually released, this grudge won’t be forgotten. If you were the Holy Emperor, would you really let me go?" With each word she spoke, the soldier’s frown deepened. When she finished, he had barely uttered a "Yes" when another Imperial Guard barked from behind, "What are you whispering about over there? Get back here! Once we return, we’ll take you to the pleasure houses—what a greenhorn, can’t even keep his legs steady at the sight of a woman!"
His face flushed red, and with a vague murmur of acknowledgment, he hurried back with the waterskin.
Feng Suige sat blankly by Feng Xiyang’s bedside, gazing at her sleeping profile.
Since waking up that day, Xiyang’s periods of unconsciousness had gradually lessened, and color had begun returning to her face. The physician said the Black Chalcedony Marrow was taking effect—with proper rest, she would soon recover. This eased half of Feng Suige’s worries, but where was Yixiao...?
A sharp alarm whistle suddenly shattered the silence. Feng Suige jolted upright, knocking over a stool with a loud crash that startled Feng Xiyang awake. "Brother?" she asked fearfully, her eyes flying open. "What’s happening?" Feng Suige leaned over to tuck her blankets in. "Go back to sleep. I’ll check!"
Rushing out the door, Feng Suige’s pupils constricted abruptly. Guards converging from all directions had formed a circle, at the center of which stood the Holy Emperor, utterly composed, flanked by four Imperial Guards with drawn blades. The Holy Emperor paid no attention to the surrounding guards, strolling leisurely into the courtyard as if no one else were present.
Without hesitation, Feng Suige charged forward and demanded, "Where is Yixiao?" The Holy Emperor ignored him, his gaze fixed instead on Xia Jingshi, Xiao Weiran, and the others approaching swiftly from another direction. Smiling, he remarked, "You’re quite prompt. I expected you to arrive later."Xia Jingshi met his gaze for a moment before suddenly smiling. "If you have something to say, let's talk inside."
"Don't think about stalling," the Holy Emperor's grin twisted into something vicious. "If I don't return within an hour, who knows what might happen to Fu Yixiao..."
"You!" Feng Suige was furious but powerless, grinding his teeth in frustration. Xia Jingshi's smile also faded as he said coldly, "What do you want?"
"What do I want?" The Holy Emperor leisurely plucked a loose thread from his sleeve. "I don’t know what reasoning you used to convince those old fools in the Holy City—even the Guardian General has taken your side. That Imperial Edict... I have serious doubts about its authenticity. If you write a confession admitting you forged it, I’ll spare Fu Yixiao. You can all leave safely, and I’ll never trouble you again..."
Xia Jingshi listened quietly, then uttered a single word from his thin lips: "No."
Before the word had even fully left his mouth, Feng Suige lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him violently. "You dare say no? If it weren’t for you, Yixiao wouldn’t have rushed back to Brocade, wouldn’t have risked her life to save you... And now you say no?!"
Xia Jingshi didn’t push him away, only replied icily, "Yixiao is his lifeline—he knows full well that if she dies, even if I don’t kill him, you won’t let him off easily."
"Indeed, I won’t kill her," the Holy Emperor said, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "I merely told the guards watching her that if I don’t return safely within an hour, Fu Yixiao is theirs to do with as they please. Whether they keep her for themselves or sell her to a foreign brothel... Well, that’s beyond my knowledge."
"You wouldn’t dare." Feng Suige suddenly released Xia Jingshi’s collar, his fury receding like a tide. The Imperial Guards flanking the Holy Emperor shuddered involuntarily. "If even a single hair on Yixiao’s head is harmed, I’ll make you regret being born," Feng Suige said, his tone still calm, but the murderous intent blazing in his eyes was unmistakable. "I’m not Xia Jingshi. I don’t have his scruples. If you dare, go ahead and try."
In the dilapidated temple, four Imperial Guards sat chatting and laughing. One of them suddenly tossed aside the dry branch he’d been fiddling with, stretched, and cursed under his breath. "Damn, this backwater is so dull. Old Cui, is your stomach growling too?"
The soldier called Old Cui replied gruffly, "Isn’t it obvious? We haven’t had a decent meal in days!"
The first man got up and peered out the window, then brightened as an idea struck him. He hurried back to Old Cui’s side. "Old Cui, didn’t you say there’s a pond not far behind this temple? The Emperor won’t be back anytime soon—why don’t you go check if you can catch some fish? A little feast would do us good.""This..." Old Cui hesitated and looked at another older soldier. The man caught his questioning gaze, thought for a moment, then nodded. He nudged the young soldier sitting dazedly nearby, "Old Cui and I will catch some fish. You go gather firewood, let Brother Qi stay here and keep watch." The young soldier was still in a daze when a slap landed on his head, "Hurry up! If you dawdle any longer, the Emperor will be back!"
Yixiao was leaning drowsily against a pillar when she was suddenly startled awake by an overwhelming presence before her. Focusing her gaze, she saw the old soldier who had scolded the young man earlier now crouching in front of her. His eyes roamed freely over her body, and when he saw her awake, he grinned, "Your Highness, you're awake!"
Yixiao started, instinctively glancing toward the corner—empty.
The soldier slowly turned to look at the tightly shut temple door before facing her again, "They've gone to find food... won't be back for a while..."
A sense of danger prickled at her instincts, and she shrank back, hissing, "Stay away from me!" Instead of retreating, the soldier leered and moved closer, "I heard all about it back at the Imperial Guard Barracks—Princess Xingping is born with irresistible charm. Not only the Phoenix Prince of Su Sha, but even our King Who Pacifies the South has fallen at your feet. For you, he even neglected his newlywed princess—now that the timing and conditions are perfect, why don't we get closer too..."
As he approached, Yixiao kicked at him furiously, shouting, "Get lost!" But he unexpectedly caught her leg and grinned, reaching toward her chest, "So fragrant..." Enraged and terrified, she struggled upright and shoved him away, though her threat lost half its force through her restraints, "If you dare touch me again, I'll kill you!" "Go ahead!" The soldier laughed and lunged at her again.
BANG! A deafening crash—the barred temple door was violently kicked open. A figure flew in, startling the soldier so badly he scrambled to his feet, yelling, "Who's there?"
Yixiao, thrown to the side, struggled to look up—it was the young soldier who had given her water earlier. Clearly unprepared for the scene inside, he froze the moment he burst in.
The temple was so quiet you could hear a heartbeat.
Amid the tension, the young soldier suddenly laughed, "I heard noise outside and thought something was wrong—old brother, sneaking a bite without inviting me? That's not very friendly."
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