While the hunting grounds were being stormed from one side, and court officials clamored to break through from the other, with even the dead seemingly returning to life—Xie Yanfang paid no mind to any of it. He was earnestly asking this question, as if confirming whether Chu Zhao truly intended to kill him was the most important matter in the world.
"When you met me last time, you held a poisoned teacup; this time, you wield a poisoned brush."
"I even reminded you earlier that one must always be wary—how unnecessary that was. Chu Zhao, you have been exceedingly cautious around me."
At this point, he shook his head again.
"No, it's not caution—you want to kill me."
He looked at Chu Zhao, his eyes reflecting the night and flickering flames, shifting restlessly.
"How could you think of killing me?"
Chu Zhao could listen no longer: "Xie Yanfang, what nonsense are you speaking? Why wouldn't I kill you?"
Xie Yanfang seemed slightly taken aback, as if this were a question that had never needed consideration.
"Because," he began, then stopped after two words.
Chu Zhao didn't need his answer; she provided it herself.
"Young Master Xie the Third, someone as intelligent as you—how could you ask such a ridiculous question?"
"Because you are formidable? Because you are Xiao Yu's uncle? Yes, that's right. Because you are formidable and because you are Xiao Yu's uncle, of course I treated you well, showed you respect, admired you—but that doesn't mean I cannot kill you."
"I didn't kill you earlier because I still needed you to clear thorns and part seas for Xiao Yu and me, to pave the way and remove obstacles. Xie Yanfang, now that Western Liang is pacified, Prince Zhongshan eliminated, Deng Yi dead, and Xiao Yu about to assume personal rule—you have become the obstacle I must remove. Of course I must kill you."
As she spoke, Chu Zhao pushed the brush toward his neck with renewed force. Though it remained immovable, the gesture conveyed her resolve.
She looked up at Xie Yanfang, gritting her teeth as she cried out.
"My only regret is that I acted too late."
Xie Yanfang watched the flickering flames and undisguised ferocity in the girl's eyes. The stormy haze and emptiness in his heart were instantly sliced away, replaced by sudden clarity.
He laughed.
"Yes, exactly. This is how it should be—this is right."
"People like us—of course we think of killing, of course we must kill."
He took Chu Zhao's hand and pulled it away from his neck, turning it toward her. Unlike her strained movements, his were slow and fluid, the brush tip approaching her throat amid the dancing flames.
Her pale neck and the dark blue tip of the blade shared the same lethal beauty.
There was no fear in Chu Zhao's eyes, but she tilted her head slightly, glancing toward the ongoing battle—
"Don't worry," Xie Yanfang said, not bothering to ask whom she sought. "They will all die. If you don't see them now, you will soon."
He smiled again at this.
"This is good—dying together, you'll have company in the netherworld."
Chu Zhao made a soft sound and turned her gaze back to him. "How generous of you, Young Master the Third, to join us in death. It would be far too lonely for you to live on alone."
Xie Yanfang was amused, his chest vibrating with laughter so close to her.
"I'd rather remain in the mortal world to cherish your memory," he said, a smile in his cold jade-like eyes. "Having someone to remember is never lonely."
He studied the girl's face intently, as if carving her into his heart.
In truth, she had long been etched there.
He had rejoiced at this unexpected splash of color in his world, willing to sail alongside her through wind and wave—only to find she preferred to journey alone.
What sorrow this was.He couldn't bear to watch the strange colors fade away, so he decided to make them disappear with his own hands.
Xie Yanfang lowered his gaze and extended his hand—
But at that very moment, he abruptly looked up. A figure, like a serpent, had slithered and crawled up from the ground, then spat out a crimson tongue.
A long sword grazed Chu Zhao's shoulder and thrust toward Xie Yanfang's heart.
Xie Yanfang twisted his waist and leaned backward. At the same time, Chu Zhao, still in his grasp, thrust the brush in her hand toward the assailant.
The attacker rolled like a snake, evading the brush, but Xie Yanfang had already spun around from his backward lean. His long arm struck like a blade, landing a heavy blow on the assailant.
The assailant let out a muffled groan, as if broken in two, and collapsed to the ground.
Chu Zhao, still firmly held by Xie Yanfang, screamed as she stared at the figure on the ground.
Even though it was blurry, even though not a word was spoken, she recognized it instantly.
"Mother—"
Before she could struggle desperately, another gust of wind swept in from the side. She felt the world spin, as if thrown by Xie Yanfang or sucked away by the fierce wind.
Amid the dizzying chaos, she saw blood splatter and a head fly into the air before she fell into someone's embrace.
Du Qi's headless body knelt before Xie Yanfang with a thud, then toppled over, motionless.
Behind him, Xie Yanfang knelt on one knee, his clothes stained with blood. He lifted his head slightly and looked over.
Chu Zhao also looked up and saw Xie Yanlai's pale face under the firelight, now smeared with blood, twisted and beast-like.
In the next moment, her vision blurred as she was lifted into the air again. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Xie Yanlai's neck as they raced swiftly up the mountain into the night.
At the same time, Mu Mianhong, who had narrowly escaped death after being struck down, rose and sprinted away.
The two figures moved like fiery serpents, blazing a path through the chaos of battle.
Xie Yanfang remained kneeling on the ground, watching the fiery serpents wind their way into the forest. He pressed a hand to his chest.
An inch above his heart, a long sword was embedded, trembling faintly.
……
……
Chu Zhao's ears buzzed, filled with the sounds of wind and battle, yet it seemed as if she could hear nothing at all.
She clung tightly to Xie Yanlai, her eyes fixed only on him.
"Xie Yanlai, Xie Yanlai—" she shouted, her voice hoarse and choked with tears. "How did you get here? How did you come?"
It wasn't really a question, just a cry, one after another, until her throat grew raw and tears streamed down her face.
Her heart was flooded with shock and overwhelming joy.
How could he have come? From so far away, and without her sending him any message.
And also...
"Mother—" she cried out again, her voice strained as she frantically looked around.
Where was her mother? Had Xie Yanfang—
A figure flashed past her.
"I'm here," Mu Mianhong called out, her voice slightly hoarse but her movements no slower than Xie Yanlai's. She even overtook him, rushing ahead and leaving behind only the words, "A Zhao, don't be afraid."
She wasn't afraid, not at all. Chu Zhao tightened her hold on Xie Yanlai's neck, pressing herself firmly against him.
"How did you come? How did you get here?" she asked again.
"I came because I came. Stop asking!" Xie Yanlai shouted.
As he spoke, they dashed into the forest, climbing higher. But the dense woods echoed with the sounds of battle, and flames erupted everywhere, spreading across the sky and earth like a net of heaven and earth.
"Xie Yanlai, put me down," Chu Zhao cried. "You go on, don't worry about me—"
Xie Yanlai snapped, "Shut up."Chu Zhao, however, did not fall silent. "Xie Yanlai, I treated you well in the past, and you accused me of trying to make you and Xie Yanfang turn against each other. Though I denied it at the time, I did have ulterior motives—and in the end, it turned out that way. Look, when Xie Yanfang tried to kill me, you came to save me—"
Not only did she speak at length, but she also tightened her arms around his neck, causing Xie Yanlai to stagger and nearly fall.
"Are you done yet?" Xie Yanlai snapped angrily. "Why must you always talk so much!"
"Not done. Listen to me—I don’t think that way anymore. I haven’t for a long time. I don’t want you to save me," Chu Zhao said. "Go quickly. Take my mother and leave. Don’t worry about me."
Xie Yanlai glared down at her. "You—"
"I’ve been poisoned," Chu Zhao said. "I’m going to die."
Xie Yanlai’s voice caught. By the flickering firelight around them, he saw the girl’s deathly pale face and a shallow cut on her neck, from which beads of blood oozed, shimmering with a sinister blue.
"The poisoned blade I used to kill Xie Yanfang—he still managed to cut me with it," Chu Zhao said, tilting her head to look at Xie Yanlai. Suddenly, she tightened her arms, pulling herself closer, and bit his blood-stained chin. "I’m poisoned. I’m going to die. You must go. You have to live."
For a moment, Xie Yanlai’s eyes went blank—whether from the unexpected intimacy or something else, he didn’t speak again. Instead, he held the girl in his arms tighter and quickened his pace, racing upward.
"Xie Yanlai—" Chu Zhao cried out.
"Xie Yanlai—" a voice also called from behind. "I’m going to die—"
Xie Yanlai glanced back and saw Xie Yanfang being carried by several people through the distant forest.
Torchlight illuminated his blood-soaked body, a sword embedded just above his heart.
"Xie Yanlai," he called toward the shadowy figures high in the dense woods. "Look at me."
He gripped the hilt of the sword and pressed down sharply, driving the blade completely through his body. The people carrying him on either side were instantly splattered with blood.
"Young Master—" countless voices cried out in alarm.
Xie Yanlai seemed stunned as well, his steps faltering.
"Xie Yanlai, kill Chu Zhao."
"I am already gravely wounded, a cripple with little time left. I entrust the Xie family to you, Xiao Yu to you, and Great Xia to you."
"You are the only young master of the Xie family who can replace me."
"You are Great Xia’s sole Imperial Uncle."
"The Xie family will honor you."
"Great Xia will honor you."
The Xie family, Great Xia—from now on, they would honor him? Xie Yanlai looked down at the figure below, then at the girl in his arms.
The girl’s consciousness was fading, but her arms still clung tightly to him.
"Mu Mianhong—" he suddenly shouted, hurling the girl in his arms with all his strength. "Catch her—"
By then, he had reached the edge of the cliff.
As she was thrown, Chu Zhao felt as if she were floating on clouds, plummeting swiftly down the cliffside. Her mind cleared for an instant, and she saw Xie Yanlai’s face growing farther and farther away in the firelight.
The wind whistled in her ears, mingled with what sounded like Xiao Yu’s cries and the sharp call of a bird.
Her vision went dark, everything vanished, and she knew nothing more.
…
…
(End of Volume)
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