Chapter Seven
Watching Ning Fei's figure disappear around a corner, Yixiao turned to Xia Jingshi. "Boating the day before yesterday, worshipping Buddha yesterday, and shopping today. Your Highness, no matter how vast Lucheng is, there will come a day when every corner has been explored. What excuse will you use to keep me here then?"
Xia Jingshi, however, did not answer her question. "Pingling—is there really someone waiting for you there?" Yixiao scoffed. "Is Your Highness concerned about me?" Xia Jingshi merely lowered his gaze to her bare feet on the black carpet. "You’ve truly changed so much."
In their exchange, neither answered the other’s question.
Feeling slightly uneasy under his scrutiny, Yixiao tucked her feet onto the couch and covered them with her skirt, stretching lazily as if to distract him. "Does Your Highness dislike the current Yixiao?"
"I do," Xia Jingshi averted his eyes and replied coolly. "What I liked was the straightforward and innocent Yixiao from back then."
She burst into laughter. "The one who made me change was you, Your Highness—could it be that you regret that arrow from back then?"
Xia Jingshi frowned. "I never regret my actions. If time were reversed and we returned to that day, if you had still defiantly executed a Military General right before my eyes, I would not hesitate to shoot that arrow again—but this time, I would personally capture you and never give you the chance to jump off that cliff!"
Yixiao clenched her fists, suppressing her emotions. "And if Your Highness had captured me that day, how would you have dealt with me?"
Xia Jingshi hesitated briefly before answering honestly. "I’ve pondered this question many times over these four years. I thought about it again when Ning Fei reported spotting you in Pingling. But I still haven’t found an answer." He leaned slightly forward, tilting her chin up to meet her dark, ink-like eyes. "Yixiao, if you feel the rank of Captain is too low, I can promote you to Lieutenant General. With future military achievements, you could even become a General. Wouldn’t that be better? Why must you repeatedly test me like this?"
Yixiao remained still, a flicker of fire dancing in her eyes. "Must Your Highness twist my feelings into some disguised plea for rewards? Does my existence mean nothing more to you than a Powerful Bow beneath your Military Tent? Are my emotions nothing but a heavy burden to you?"
Xia Jingshi sighed. "Stop asking. Just... come back to my side. Let everything these past four years be treated as a misunderstanding—"
"Misunderstanding?" Sparks nearly flew from Yixiao’s eyes as she raised her chin and glared at him. "Why must you always be so hypocritical! You have no sense of responsibility—you don’t even understand love!" With that, she shoved him away forcefully. "Let go of me! Don’t humiliate me!" Taking a deep breath, she declared, "This time, it’s me who doesn’t want you—from now on, Yixiao will never see you again!"
Suppressing the wetness rising from the depths of her heart to her eyes, Yixiao strode swiftly toward the inner chamber. Xueying hadn’t returned yet, but she could no longer stay in this place. Given their unspoken understanding, even if Xueying returned and found her gone, she would know where to look.
This time, Xia Jingshi did not stop her. Instead, he watched her with a strange, sorrowful gaze—as she changed her clothes, as she gathered her belongings, as she walked away without looking back for the second time.At night, in the dense forest outside Lucheng, a group of burly and tall guards vigilantly protected a large black carriage at the center. Heavy black gauze covered the windows, allowing only faint light to seep through.
Feng Suige leaned against a soft cushion, thoughtfully observing the unconscious captive at his feet.
The King Who Pacifies the South of the Brocade Dynasty had abruptly broken off the marriage agreement and returned to Lucheng, much to Father’s displeasure. To make matters worse, Xiyang’s stubborn insistence on marrying no one but the King Who Pacifies the South had stirred endless gossip in the court. After countless petitions from ministers urging the selection of a new consort for Princess Xiyang, he could no longer bear it. Leaving a letter for Father, he disguised himself and infiltrated the Brocade Dynasty—solely to investigate what kind of sudden illness had befallen the King Who Pacifies the South.
At this thought, he smirked coldly. Numerous signs suggested the King Who Pacifies the South was not ill at all, and this woman… He stood and walked over to her. During their past battles, she had always worn a coral-red battle robe as bright as flames, wielding a powerful bow with unerring accuracy. Even in the most chaotic battles, she had remained close to the King Who Pacifies the South, her protective demeanor evident.
Four years ago, she had vanished without a trace from Brocade. Vermilion Sand Country’s finest secret agents had exhausted themselves investigating, only to learn that her disappearance was due to the King Who Pacifies the South assigning her to an extremely secretive mission. Recently, she had suddenly reappeared, escorted into the city by two of the King Who Pacifies the South’s most trusted generals and returned to the Captain’s residence. Moreover, the King Who Pacifies the South, who had claimed illness and remained secluded in the Royal City for four years, had personally visited her multiple times. It was clear—Fu Yixiao was of great importance to the King Who Pacifies the South.
Four years—precisely the year the King Who Pacifies the South and Xiyang had become engaged.
Yet, there was no way to uncover what secret task Xia Jingshi had assigned Fu Yixiao, nor what had happened behind the scenes over those four years that led Xia Jingshi to use recurring old ailments as an excuse to avoid fulfilling the marriage alliance.
Yixiao awoke to the jolting of the carriage. Opening her eyes and seeing the roof above, she immediately recalled everything that had happened and sat up abruptly.
After leaving the Captain’s residence, she had planned to hire a carriage at the market. To save time, she had taken a familiar alleyway. The lingering pain from Xia Jingshi’s scorching gaze still burned her back, almost bringing tears to her eyes. She blinked—if Xueying were here, she’d surely scold her for being weak-willed again.
Suddenly, a man’s voice had asked, “Miss, need a ride?” Before she could even see who had spoken, a strange, pungent poisonous mist had engulfed her. Just before losing consciousness, she had clearly heard an excited voice exclaim, “We got her!”
“Are you just that composed, or has the drug not worn off? You don’t look like a captive,” a mocking male voice said beside her. Yixiao stiffened slightly and swiftly turned to look.
Leaning lazily against the carriage wall with his arms crossed stood a man clad in a black brocade robe with floral patterns. His open collar revealed a bronzed, muscular chest, and under the soft glow of candlelight, his handsome face bore an almost sinister beauty, his dark eyes deep and piercing.
Yixiao’s fingers unconsciously clenched into fists. “Feng Suige!”
Surprised that she had recognized him at a glance, Feng Suige arched a thick brow. “As expected of the King Who Pacifies the South’s woman—your memory is impressive!”Yixiao, on the contrary, calmed down. "I'm not his woman—but you, a prince of Vermilion Sand Country, have crossed into Brocade Dynasty territory and captured a military general from the camp of the King Who Pacifies the South. Hmm, just hearing it sounds quite extraordinary." She subtly flexed her numb limbs while glancing at the swaying carriage curtain not far away.
Feng Suige snapped his fingers, successfully drawing her attention back. "If you're smart, don't even think about escaping. Outside this carriage are thirty of Vermilion Sand's fiercest warriors. And you—without a bow in hand, you're nothing but a waste, Fu Yixiao!" The last three words were practically spat through gritted teeth.
As Yixiao's gaze settled on him, the scar on his shoulder seemed to throb faintly with pain once more.
There had been a particularly grueling battle where he had nearly captured Xia Jingshi. Because of this woman before him, not only had he suffered severe injuries, but he had also lost three of his guards. He would never forget those sharp, beast-like beautiful eyes that had flashed with pride and mockery the moment he was struck by an arrow and fell from his horse.
"You think someone like you could harm him?" her eyes seemed to say, gleaming like the star Sirius in the night sky.
When he returned to camp, the medical officer extracted an arrowhead from his shoulder, engraved with a tiny character: "Xiao" (laugh). He had been so furious he nearly overturned the royal tent. This wretched woman—even the arrows she shot could sting.
It was only much later that Feng Suige realized he had misunderstood. The character on the arrowhead was her name. Her name was Fu. Yi. Xiao.
Snapping back to the present, he found Yixiao watching him with amusement. "The prince's gaze is flaying Yixiao alive," she said, even daring to provoke him further. "Do we have unfinished business?"
His cheek twitched unnaturally as he reached into his robe and pulled out a sachet, tossing it into Yixiao's lap. "This—don't tell me you don't remember!" he growled.
Yixiao hesitated, picking up the sachet before setting it down again with a puzzled expression. "Yixiao doesn't do needlework..." Feng Suige nearly roared, "I meant for you to OPEN IT!!!"
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