Chapter 129
After a brief pause, the old soldier gave an awkward laugh. "Right, right! Brothers like us should share fortune and wine together, and, well, share women too, hahaha!" The young soldier smiled faintly, turned to close the door securely, picked up the fallen latch to bar it, and then walked unhurriedly toward them. "Old brother, you go first. Just leave me some time." The old soldier was overjoyed. While pinning down Yixiao's struggling and kicking body, he shifted aside to make room. "Good brother, truly loyal—don’t worry, I’ll make sure you have your fun..."
His rambling abruptly ceased when a heavy blow struck the back of his head. Half-turning his face in disbelief, he stared at the broken brick in the young soldier’s hand. His mouth opened slightly, his eyes rolled upward, and he slowly collapsed backward, propelled by Yixiao’s forceful kick.
Tossing the brick aside, the young soldier swiftly drew a dagger from his boot and cut the ropes binding Yixiao, helping her up. "Can you move?" Yixiao nodded, biting her lip as she tried to stretch her numb limbs, but she couldn’t stand on her own. Gritting his teeth, the soldier turned and crouched in front of her. "Get on my back. I’ll carry you!"
Facing Feng Suige’s icy glare, the Holy Emperor remained unperturbed. "I came personally to hear Xia Jingshi’s answer—whether he writes it or not is his choice! As for you, Phoenix Prince, what’s so great about Fu Yixiao? Clinging to a woman who doesn’t love you—don’t you find yourself pathetic?!" Feng Suige’s eyes nearly turned red with fury. "You’re lying!" "Lying?" The Holy Emperor burst into loud laughter. "You don’t know, do you? In my death cell, she and Xia Jingshi put on quite the tender, loving show!"
"Don’t listen to his provocations," Xia Jingshi interjected gravely, speaking to Feng Suige. "If others don’t understand Yixiao, shouldn’t you?" Before Feng Suige could respond, the Holy Emperor sneered and cut in, "Exactly. If others don’t understand, shouldn’t you? If Xia Jingshi seizes the throne, do you really think Fu Yixiao would stay in Su Sha as a mere concubine?" "You—"
"Enough!" Feng Suige roared suddenly. "I don’t care about the future! All I want to know is—where is Yixiao now?!"
Carrying Yixiao on his back, the soldier rushed out of the ruined temple, quickly orienting himself before sprinting toward the town. Still shaken, Yixiao hung weakly over his shoulders and whispered, "Are you His Highness’s man?" "Me?" He hesitated briefly before replying bitterly, "I’m with the Imperial Guards. How could I serve the King Who Pacifies the South? If I hadn’t overheard them saying Old Qi deliberately sent us away, I wouldn’t have doubled back. I’ll take you to the estate’s perimeter. Once the Emperor emerges safely, you can go in."“Aren’t you coming in with me?” Yixiao asked hesitantly. “Are you really going back?” He gave a firm nod. “Of course I must return. The Emperor has already promised to release you. At worst, I’ll face a few months of hard labor when I go back, and I’ll buy some gifts to make amends with Old Brother Qi.”
“You don’t understand,” Yixiao tried to persuade him. “The Holy Emperor will never let you go. Why not stay? Wouldn’t serving His Highness be better? Or, if you’re willing, you could come back to Su Sha with me…”
The soldier chuckled softly. “It’s you who doesn’t understand—the Imperial Guard Battalion exists for the Emperor. If I betray him, what kind of Imperial Guard would I be?”
“But—” Yixiao wanted to argue further, but he cut her off. “Enough. I only brought you out because I couldn’t bear to see you mistreated by those people. As a hostage, it was my duty to ensure your safety until the Emperor’s return—nothing more!”
Seeing his resolve, Yixiao sighed and closed her eyes, focusing on enduring the violent jolts of the journey. Yet the more she concentrated, the tighter her chest felt. After a while, sparks burst before her eyes, and with a soft gasp, she lost consciousness.
When she awoke, the soldier’s worried face was the first thing she saw. Carefully helping her sit up, he hesitated before asking, “How long has it been?” Still dazed, Yixiao clutched at him and answered reflexively, “It’s been like this since I woke up…”
The soldier blinked, then suddenly smiled. “You really don’t know?”
“Know what?” Yixiao steadied herself, suspicion creeping into her voice. “Why are you laughing?”
“It’s nothing.” He took a deep breath, gazing up at the sky before looking back at her, his eyes bright. “You need proper rest—come, I’ll take you back.”
Baffled, Yixiao let him guide her forward before realizing what was happening. Struggling slightly, she demanded, “Wait—didn’t you say you had to wait for the Holy Emperor to release me?”
“I’ve changed my mind,” he replied, still walking. “If you don’t want to owe me, could you ask the King Who Pacifies the South for a favor? Until the Imperial Edict’s authenticity is verified, don’t harm the Emperor.”
“Why?” Yixiao pressed. “After all the evil he’s done, why still help him?”
“You know,” he suddenly stopped, his gaze softening as it settled on her face, though his words had nothing to do with her question, “if not for youthful recklessness, my child would be nearly a year old now.”
Receiving no response, the Holy Emperor remained unhurried, standing casually in the courtyard with a knowing smile as he glanced between Feng Suige and Xia Jingshi. As time dragged on, even Xia Jingshi’s usual composure began to fray, while Feng Suige grew increasingly frantic.
A withered yellow leaf sliced through the stifling air, landing on the armor of a Piao Cavalry soldier before skittering off with a faint rustle. In that tense moment, the creak of an opening door drew everyone’s attention—even the Holy Emperor turned toward the entrance in disbelief.
“The Minor Imperial Concubine!” someone gasped.Haggard and disheveled, Yixiao leaned weakly against the doorframe. Meeting the gazes of the crowd, she offered Feng Suige an exhausted smile. "I'm back!"
"Yixiao!" As Feng Suige sprinted toward her, Xia Jingshi decisively pointed at the Holy Emperor and shouted, "Seize him!"
"Who dares act recklessly!" Another voice thundered like lightning. A purple-clad figure emerged by the hut's entrance, gripping Feng Xiyang—who should have been resting on her sickbed. Clearly injured during the struggle, Xiyang's face was as pale as paper from the pain, yet she clenched her teeth stubbornly. Her gaze swept past the crowd to lock onto the Holy Emperor. Trembling pale lips mustered every ounce of strength to rasp, "Don't mind me—kill him!"
"She's wounded!" Feng Suige, frozen mid-step in the courtyard after failing to reach Yixiao, turned ashen with panic. "Release her at once!"
The Holy Emperor, fury and shock twisting his features, jabbed a finger at the purple shadow in the doorway and ground out through clenched teeth, "You released Fu Yixiao!?"
OpenNovel