Chapter Seventy-Five
The carriage stopped in front of an inn located in the bustling market district of Su Sha City. Yixiao lifted the curtain in puzzlement and glanced outside. Before she could voice her question, the maidservant smiled lightly and held the curtain open for her. "The most dangerous place is also the safest. Captain Fu, please!"
Following the maidservant up to the third floor, they intermittently passed several groups of people along the way. Yixiao couldn’t help but admire Xia Jingshi’s meticulous planning once again. The third floor was reserved for lavishly decorated premium suites, where even the accompanying servant quarters were far more luxurious than the standard guest rooms. The clientele here consisted of wealthy merchants and affluent patrons who came and went with great fanfare, surrounded by entourages—who would suspect that among these ostentatious guests was none other than the King Who Pacifies the South, Xia Jingshi, who had returned after his departure?
The door was knocked upon three times, but there was no response. Just as the maidservant was about to push it open, a waiter’s voice called out from around the corner, "Madam, Master Shi has just stepped out." Yixiao froze for a moment, but the maidservant had already raised her voice to ask, "How could he have gone out? Are you certain?"
The slender waiter scurried over, his eyes briefly lingering on Yixiao’s opulent attire before he hurriedly offered an apologetic smile. "Master Shi truly has gone out. Just now, he mentioned that esteemed guests were arriving and asked this humble one to fetch some fresh fruits. Seeing that the bananas in the market looked good, I bought a few, but Master Shi said the guests don’t eat bananas, so..."
Hearing this, Yixiao smiled faintly. "Enough, I understand. You may go about your duties." The waiter quickly stepped forward to open the door, still smiling obsequiously. "Please come in, madam. Master Shi should return shortly—"
Even after entering the room and as the maidservant closed the door behind them, they could still hear the waiter muttering to himself outside, "Of course, I was foolish. How could a noble lady like her eat the same things as common folk like us?"
The maidservant covered her mouth and giggled. "Captain Fu’s noble bearing might even surpass that of Princess Xiyang..." "Enough nonsense," Yixiao frowned and lightly scolded. The maidservant immediately pouted in grievance and dared not speak further.
Once seated in the room, Yixiao found herself calming down. The events of these years flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. It was only after experiencing love and being loved, and learning what love truly was, that she understood what she truly needed—and ultimately found the person most suited to her, someone she could spend a lifetime with.
Now she finally grasped the meaning of Uncle Ning’s words from long ago: To find happiness, one must learn to let go.
What is lost, do not seek; what is discarded, do not retrieve. Only what remains in your hands is the true treasure.
Lost in thought, she was interrupted when the maidservant stepped forward to clear the cold tea from the table. With a respectful bow, she said, "His Highness will return soon. This servant will prepare fresh tea. Please wait a moment, Captain Fu." Yixiao acknowledged her with a casual hum, and the maidservant departed.
Xia Jingshi was a rational man, with clear distinctions between what should and should not be done. Feng Suige, however, was entirely different—he acted on impulse, doing whatever he pleased without hesitation, just as he had inexplicably abducted her and brought her to Su Sha.
As for Feng Xiyang, Yixiao had never understood how she could fall in love with Xia Jingshi at first sight. She even harbored doubts about such feelings—perhaps it was a misunderstanding. In her own understanding, to love a man meant to focus all one’s attention on appreciating his soul, not worshiping him like a deity...Yixiao suddenly felt an inexplicable restlessness in her heart, accompanied by a wave of heat spreading through her body. She glanced around and realized all the doors and windows in the room were tightly shut. It was midsummer—no wonder it felt so stifling.
She stood up and casually approached a window, reaching out to push it open—yet it didn’t budge at all!
Puzzled, Yixiao leaned in for a closer look and immediately broke into a cold sweat—the window was nailed shut with thick iron spikes! She turned and rushed toward the door, yanking at the latch—the latch came loose, but the door itself was barred from the outside.
It was a trap!!!
No one knew where the fire had started. People walking through the bustling streets suddenly noticed flames erupting from the roof of an inn by the roadside. Fanned by the wind, the fire quickly spread, devouring the entire rooftop in moments. As the massive beams crackled and burned, thick columns of smoke billowed into the sky.
Panicked crowds ran and shouted, throwing basin after basin of water at the spreading tendrils of fire, but their efforts were futile. Helpless, they watched as the eaves were swallowed by flames. In mere moments, the entire inn was engulfed in a raging inferno.
From the far end of the street came the crack of a whip and the thunder of hooves. The onlookers hastily scattered as two frantic men leaped from their horses almost simultaneously, shouting in unison, "Where is she?!"
A murmur rippled through the crowd—the arrivals were none other than Marquis Ye Duanfang of Jianxin and the Imperial Son and Regent, Feng Suige.
A man with half-soaked clothes pointed fearfully at the blazing building. "This humble servant saw them go up to the third floor, but when the fire broke out, the Minor Imperial Concubine never came out—" Before he could finish, a dark figure flashed past. Amid the horrified cries of the crowd, Feng Suige charged straight into the sea of flames.
Ye Duanfang stood frozen for a moment before bellowing, "What are you all standing around for?! Get more water pumps here!!!"
The licking flames seared Feng Suige’s face as he fought his way forward, slapping at the fire catching on his clothes. He dashed up the wooden stairs, which had yet to fully collapse, straight to the third floor.
"Yixiao!!!" He dodged a teetering wooden window frame, his voice hoarse as he roared, "If you can hear me, answer me!!! Yixiao!!!" Turning the corner of the stairs, his eyes widened in shock—a burning wooden door was barricaded by four thick wooden beams, already charred black.
Feng Suige kicked aside the smoldering wood and threw himself against the door—a wave of scorching heat greeted him. On the floor, nearly consumed by flames, lay a motionless figure curled on their side. Even in the terrible light, Feng Suige recognized that familiar silhouette at a glance.
The scorching air burned his nostrils, his throat too parched to make another sound. He took a step forward, reaching out a trembling hand, almost afraid to touch the still form.
A series of ominous creaks snapped Feng Suige back to awareness—the roof beam was about to collapse!
He lunged forward, scooping Yixiao into his arms just as the massive beam crashed down, grazing his arm before smashing into the floor. With a deafening crack, half the roof caved in, revealing a sky choked with billowing smoke.
Feng Suige rolled with Yixiao’s body in his arms, his already scraped forehead slamming hard against something solid. Blood gushed out, spilling over his lashes, down his cheeks, and finally dripping onto Yixiao’s face.Yixiao's previously unconscious body suddenly twitched, her slightly dazed eyes meeting his. "Feng Suige?" "It's me," Feng Suige gritted his teeth, roughly wiping the blood from her face with his sleeve. "Damn you, woman! Once I get you out of here, I'm going to spank you good!"
Yixiao coughed twice and sat up. "You're bleeding from your forehead," she said. Feng Suige helped her to her feet, casually patting out the flames on her smoldering clothes. "We'll talk outside..." Before he could finish, the floor beneath them suddenly tilted. With a tremendous cracking sound, the main beam of the inn collapsed. All the furniture in the room scraped against the floor with a grating noise, sliding toward the lower side.
Feng Suige pulled Yixiao tightly against him. After scanning their surroundings, he pointed toward the collapsed rear wall and shouted urgently, "Quick! Jump from there!"
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