Chapter Ninety-Nine
At dawn, they should have set out immediately, but Feng Suige was nowhere to be seen for a long time. Puzzled, Yixiao searched around the camp and finally found him leisurely washing himself by the stream.
"Hey!" Yixiao rushed forward, grabbed the robe he had left on a rock, and threw it at him. "What are you dawdling here for? Don’t you know everyone’s waiting for you?" Feng Suige fumbled to catch the falling robe, but one corner still dipped into the water. He sighed, lifting the dripping edge to wring it dry. "You were the one who said we could rest if we didn’t want to leave."
"You—!" Yixiao stomped her foot in frustration. "That’s the only thing you listened to? Hurry up and get dressed! We still have to move!" Feng Suige draped the robe over his shoulder and grinned. "In such a rush? I thought you wanted to rest for half a day too." "When did I ever say that?" Yixiao snatched the robe from his shoulder, shook it out, and thrust it toward him. "Put it on!" Feng Suige slowly slid his arms into the sleeves, still chattering, "You really don’t want to rest? Absolutely sure?"
"You’re so annoying!" Yixiao yanked the robe roughly around him. "What exactly are you up to? I don’t think you just want to rest." "Exactly!" Feng Suige beamed. "You’re getting smarter. Want to take a guess?"
Yixiao ignored him and turned to leave. Feng Suige’s smile froze, and as she strode away, he called after her, unwilling to let it go, "You really don’t want to guess?" Yixiao spun around, hands on her hips. "You! Take your time washing up. I’ll tell the others to rest first!"
Xueying lounged lazily on a soft rug spread under a tree. After her last fall, everyone treated her like fragile porcelain, forbidding her from doing anything, leaving her drowsy and bored out of her mind. If she didn’t find some amusement soon, she’d go mad.
Her gaze swept the surroundings before settling on Fu Yixiao, who was crouching not far away.
Ever since announcing the half-day rest, Yixiao had been acting jumpy, her eyes darting around as she watched Feng Suige’s every move. Feng Suige, on the other hand, seemed overly lively—joking with one person, playfully punching another—yet the two of them hadn’t exchanged a single word.
Could it be...?
"Yixiao," Xueying beckoned her over. "Come here, I have something to ask." Yixiao approached, and Xueying pulled her closer. "Did you and Feng Suige have a fight?" "I can’t be bothered to fight with him," Yixiao denied flatly, glancing at Feng Suige before muttering resentfully, "I just want to see what tricks he’s up to!"
Xueying tugged at her sleeve curiously, gesturing for her to sit down, then whispered, "You... well, last night I heard him yelling that no one else was allowed to touch you. Did you...?" Yixiao’s eyes widened. "What nonsense are you thinking?" Xueying stuck out her tongue. "Just guessing! You have no idea how loud he was—"
Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air from the outskirts. Yixiao sprang to her feet, alert. "Stay where there are more people. Don’t wander off." Without another word, she strode quickly toward the source of the sound.Feng Suige was still walking outward when Yixiao quickly caught up with him. "Which direction was the alarm from?" Feng Suige gestured vaguely, "That way." Yixiao exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that the way we came from?" "Yes," Feng Suige frowned, carefully hiding the amusement in his eyes. "Could someone have been following us?"
As he spoke, a carriage emerged from around the bend, led by two riders and followed by four more. Upon seeing the crowd gathered ahead, instead of slowing down, the riders urged their horses forward with shouts, speeding toward them even faster.
The wariness in Yixiao's eyes gradually turned to confusion. When the carriage curtain was lifted from inside, revealing a face she knew all too well, her expression finally settled into sudden realization. She turned to glare at Feng Suige, who had already stepped back a few paces, chuckling to himself. "You did this on purpose!" she hissed through gritted teeth.
On the sunlit stone-paved road, the draft horse pulling the carriage finally came to a stop, stomping its hooves. Yixiao rushed forward ahead of everyone else, her eyes already reddening as she clung to the carriage shaft. "Weiran, Weiran, Weiran, Weiran—" Xiao Weiran smiled and gently stopped her from climbing up. "Let me come down instead."
"We originally followed the trail along the plank road, but you changed your route midway. After learning the news, we turned back and chased after you for several days before finally catching up..." Xiao Weiran sighed helplessly as the medical officer fussed around him. "Really, there's no need—"
"No!" Yixiao, who had been standing by his side watching the medical officer work, unusually stern-faced, interjected. "After all that back-and-forth over so many days, you must let the medical officer examine you properly—how can you not take care of your own health?"
Xiao Weiran shook his head with a light laugh. "You’ve even learned to lecture people now." He glanced at Feng Suige. "She must be quite a handful." Feng Suige nodded with a smile. "She’s manageable."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries and seeing the medical officer off to fetch medicine, Xiao Weiran finally dropped his smile and recounted the events in a low voice. "Originally, we planned to have Yixiao return to Lucheng to call for reinforcements, but since your whereabouts have been exposed, given Yixiao’s current status, it’s no longer appropriate for her to take major actions. We’ll have to think of another plan."
Feng Suige pondered. "It’s just unfortunate that we’re already too close to the Holy City now. Otherwise, we’d have more time to devise a strategy." Xueying, who had been standing by, paled with anxiety. "I always knew Feng Xiyang was a fool! Never mind how absurd those lies were—if she had just informed His Highness earlier, none of this would have happened. Are there really so many 'good people' in the world? Couldn’t she use her brain?!"
Feng Suige shot Xueying a displeased glance. "Though Xiyang mishandled the situation, she has never been involved in any court intrigues since childhood. It’s understandable that she was momentarily deceived. There’s no need to be so harsh." "Harsh?!" Xueying jumped up. "The way she portrayed Ning Fei and Yixiao—I’ve been restrained in my words! There are far worse things I could say. Do you want to hear them?"
"You—" Feng Suige, also angered, started to rise but caught sight of Yixiao’s troubled expression nearby. Feeling a pang of guilt, he sat back down. "I won’t argue with you now. The priority is rescuing them first—Xiao Canjun, do you have any better suggestions?"Xiao Weiran was lost in thought for a moment before finally shaking his head. "With His Highness in his hands, even if we wanted to act, we'd have to consider the consequences..." Feng Suige smiled faintly. "Concern leads to confusion—his actions are all underhanded. So why not drag him out into the sunlight? The fastest thing to spread in this world is always rumor!"
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