At a quarter past the hour of Hai, almost the entire city had fallen asleep, but the main house of the Song residence had just turned off its lights.

Song Shuo yawned while putting his legs under the blanket. Despite the hot weather, he still covered himself with two layers of blankets. Just as he was lying comfortably, he pressed his palm against his cheek, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside.

His heart skipped a beat. He immediately thought about hiding, but the intruder was faster than him.

The door was kicked open, and four burly men rushed into his room.

The leader, seen from a distance, had an overwhelming presence. It was dark and backlit, so Song Shuo couldn’t clearly see his face. He only heard him impatiently ask, “Are you Song Shuo?”

Song Shuo sat on the bed, paused for a moment, then replied, “No.”

Zhang Biezhi: “…”

He was angry. “This house only has you as the Master. If you’re not Song Shuo, then who is?!”

Song Shuo replied, “That’s what I thought too, but since you asked me like that, as if you expect a different answer, I’ll just go along with you.

Zhang Biezhi: “…”

He hated scholars!

The three guards behind Zhang Biezhi couldn’t stand it anymore. Since this person was clearly Song Shuo, they immediately turned around and, as per Xiao Rong’s orders, stuffed all the books and bamboo scrolls in the room into sacks. Despite his life being in danger, Song Shuo still kept his composure, mocking Zhang Biezhi. However, when he saw his beloved books being treated so roughly, he was heartbroken and almost jumped up.

No one listened to him. The guards packed the books, while Zhang Biezhi dealt with Song Shuo. In the blink of an eye, they handled everything, then quickly left, each carrying their own load.

Once outside the yard, Song Shuo saw his servants bound and gagged. The men carrying the books casually lifted them and placed them onto their shoulders with ease.

Song Shuo: “…”

His eyelids twitched, and he had a rough idea of what was happening. If these were just ordinary enemies, they wouldn’t have such quick reflexes and strength.

Zhang Biezhi carried Song Shuo in a jog, and after exiting the gate, threw him onto a horse’s back, like tossing a sack. Song Shuo scrambled to get up and saw Xiao Rong, also on horseback, smiling and looking at him in the moonlight.

Song Shuo said, “Looks like tonight’s banquet didn’t go well.”

Xiao Rong nodded casually. “Someone sent an assassin to kill me.”

Song Shuo froze for a moment. While he was pondering who it might be, Xiao Rong added, “Jinling is no longer a place I can stay. I’ve done what I needed to do, and I plan to leave tonight.”

Song Shuo looked at his belongings being moved and his voice changed. “What does this have to do with me?!”

Xiao Rong replied, “Nothing, but as you know, I’m from the Northern Army. You must have heard of the ways the Northern Army operates.”

Song Shuo: “…”

The implication in Xiao Rong’s words was clear: he was going to act like a barbarian today.

It wasn’t easy for him to say this much, and soon after, Xiao Rong turned his horse around and signaled for everyone to mount and return to join the main force.

The main force also had to carry many things. Fortunately, Xiao Rong had asked Zhang Biezhi to hire many foreigners. Now, their own people carried gold, while the foreigners carried the bundles. This helped distribute the weight and didn’t delay their journey.

The group of dancers were left on the street, and it wouldn’t be long before someone noticed something was wrong. This wasn’t because Xiao Rong had forgotten to hide them, but hiding them wouldn’t have helped. From the moment they decided to escape, the guards and servants in the guest house had been controlled. Xiao Rong had met with the young Emperor the day before, and everyone was on alert. No matter what, they couldn’t keep it a secret for long.

After checking that no one was missing, the head of the guards stepped forward to lead the way. After curfew, the city gates were tightly shut, making it difficult to escape. Fortunately, there wasn’t just one gate in Jinling, and the head of the guards had already planned an escape route from the first day. He knew which gate had the weakest guards.

As Xiao Rong and his group hurried to the gate, Yang Zangyi stood in his study, watching the scattered papers on his desk. These were all the intelligence he had gathered on Xiao Rong, from the early prophecy of trouble in Yizhou, to recommending the relocation of the Northern King’s capital to Chenliu, and finally, to the implementation of small favors to win over the hearts of the people in Chenliu. This information wasn’t hard to gather because Xiao Rong’s reputation in Chenliu was growing. Anyone who had heard of the Northern King had probably heard of this Young Master Xiao.

He was a rising star, with clear goals, like a diligent spider weaving its web. At first, his movements seemed disordered, and it was hard to understand what he was doing, but only he knew how large and intricate his web was.

If he were only weaving his web within Chenliu or the northern part of the Huai River, Yang Zangyi wouldn’t have paid him any attention, but Xiao Rong had made a fatal mistake—he had set his sights on Jinling and the Emperor.

Sun Renlan didn’t know what Xiao Rong had done to the Emperor that day, and his choice was to observe and wait. He didn’t want to conflict with the Northern King, and he always held a somewhat ridiculous thought that the Emperor was his nephew. No matter how others tried to provoke their relationship, the Emperor would still rely on him to act.

Similarly, Yang Zangyi didn’t know what Xiao Rong had done to the Emperor, but it was precisely because he didn’t know that it became a problem. From Xiao Rong’s past actions, it was clear that he was very intelligent, and always got what he wanted. Yang Zangyi couldn’t tolerate another person trying to use the young Emperor.

Before TanEr was imprisoned, he had told him about the two conversations Xiao Rong had with Empress Sun. TanEr was just doing his job, and he couldn’t tell what kind of person Xiao Rong was. Yet the more Yang Zangyi listened, the more uneasy he became.

The one who could truly see through a person’s intentions was always their peer. Yang Zangyi realized almost immediately that Xiao Rong had the same intentions as he did—he also planned to use Sun Shanlu and then connect with the young Emperor, ultimately using him.

The methods might differ, but the goal was the same.

How could he let a foreigner like Xiao Rong take what belonged to him so easily, especially after planning for so many years?

This was why Yang Zangyi had to eliminate Xiao Rong. Moreover, he felt that Xiao Rong was practically asking for death, using the excuse of being lost to meet the Emperor. Even if the truth came out, he could make Sun Renlan side with him and cover it up.

He hadn’t anticipated that Xiao Rong would recognize Xizhu’s identity so quickly. Without hesitation, he had her killed right after leaving the palace, without even bothering with the surface formalities. He was already planning to run.

After hearing his subordinates’ report, Yang Zangyi was furious but also somewhat panicked.

It didn’t matter that Xizhu was dead, or that people would discover he was the one who ordered that Xiao Rong be killed, but Xiao Rong must not leave alive!

Only the dead would keep their mouths shut. If Xiao Rong left alive, things would become very difficult, and Sun Renlan would never forgive him.

Yang Zangyi immediately sent all his private soldiers out. Even though this would alert others, he couldn’t care less. His original plan was to have Xizhu seduce Xiao Rong, then let Xiao Rong take her back to Chenliu. After a while in Chenliu, he would secretly kill him, making it look like an accident, like drowning or a sudden illness—anything unrelated to Jinling. Now that his plan had been exposed, if Xiao Rong returned to Chenliu with this information, the Northern Army might cross the Huai River in force tomorrow.

As for the play Xiao Rong and Zhang Biezhi put on, that would only fool the young Emperor and some of the less intelligent officials. How could Xiao Rong have been ostracized by the Northern Army? If that were the case, the Northern Army would never have moved their capital to Chenliu in the first place.

 

…

 

Yang Zangyi’s nerves were highly tense. From the moment this matter was exposed, there was no turning back for him. He had to kill Xiao Rong. He had to kill Xiao Rong.

At the same time, he was cursing the Qingfeng Sect in his heart.

They said that Xizhu was their most skilled assassin, with top-notch disguise skills, and no one would discover her true identity. Ridiculous! She didn’t even last for a tea’s worth of time!

Once I’m done here, I’ll go clean up your sect!

 

…

 

The Yang Family was the third-ranked family in the Central Plains. Although their position wasn’t as high as the second-ranked Sun Family, in terms of numbers and foundation, the Sun Family was far behind the Yang Family.

Aristocratic families could raise private soldiers. As long as their scale wasn’t too large, the authorities would turn a blind eye. The Yang Family had raised five thousand private soldiers, and Yang Zangyi, living near the palace, had access to two thousand soldiers.

When these two thousand men were mobilized, they had no baggage to carry, no need to bring along outsiders, and no unreliable foreign tribesmen following them. They could charge forward without having to act covertly.

Therefore, catching up to Xiao Rong and the others was just a matter of time. 

At this moment, they had just exited the city gates, and they were still far from the Huai River. They were traveling at full speed, and Song Shuo almost vomited from the rough ride, but he knew that they couldn’t stop now. He just had to endure the discomfort.

However, while he could endure it, Xiao Rong suddenly couldn’t.

Xiao Rong’s body swayed, and what had been a firm grip on the reins turned into a stumble, nearly throwing him off the horse.

A guard rushed over immediately, steadying him, preventing Xiao Rong from falling in a heap. Sighs of relief followed one after another, and everyone halted, anxiously watching Xiao Rong.

The head guard dismounted and quickly ran over. “Master Xiao! What’s wrong?”

Xiao Rong’s head spun with stars, his consciousness blurred for a moment. After a while, he finally heard the sounds around him. He blinked, then sat up straight, suddenly alert. “This is bad! Hurry, hurry! No one is allowed to stop! Move quickly!”

Everyone froze, both confused and vaguely realizing something. Those who had dismounted immediately got back on their horses.

Fearing that Xiao Rong might collapse again, the head guard gave up his own horse and led Xiao Rong forward, urging everyone to hurry. The tension among them had already been high, but now it increased, and the peaceful night air seemed to carry a faint smell of blood from a far-off place.

Song Shuo, also mounted, kept his eyes fixed on Xiao Rong, completely ignoring the bumpy road.

Xiao Rong, tense, kept his eyes on the road ahead, mentally repeating a mantra: Don’t come, don’t come, don’t come…

Just at this critical moment of their escape, Xiao Rong’s body had another problem. While it might have been someone trying to trap Qu Yunmie, he truly felt that the possibility of that was slim. More likely, Qu Yunmie was preparing to trap himself.

 

….

 

On the other side of the Huai River.

Qu Yunmie lay with his arm under his head, staring at the dim light inside his tent.

Xiao Rong had sent him a letter with no words on it, and since then, no more reports had come. He had expected this, but his mind was still uneasy.

Something didn’t feel right. Normally, before he spoke, Xiao Rong always knew what he was thinking. Regardless of whether he planned to speak or not, Xiao Rong would stop him, arrogantly acting as if he were the King of the North.

Regarding the secret messages he had sent, Xiao Rong hadn’t exposed him earlier or later, but had done so on the third day. Had he truly just discovered it by then, or had he known earlier and waited until that day to reveal it?

 

……

 

He couldn’t have been planning to use the calm from the past few days to steady him and then, after Qu Yunmie exposed himself, take action, could he?

Even though Xiao Rong always insisted that he wouldn’t face danger in Jinling, that day during their argument, Xiao Rong had let something slip. He admitted that during this trip to Jinling, his life might be in danger.

Xiao Rong wasn’t someone who worried easily. If he had been truly confident, he wouldn’t have said something like that.

Qu Yunmie’s narrow eyes remained fixed on one spot. It seemed like he was daydreaming, but in an instant, he sat up.

Dressed in dark clothes, he walked out while quickly pulling on the robe hanging on a wooden rack. Near the tent door, he glanced at the two suits of armor hanging there, and hesitated for a moment between the full armor and light armor, and eventually chose the latter.

 

……

 

It was already midnight. Yu Shaocheng sat inside his military tent, reading a military strategy book.

Ancient people didn’t sleep much, usually only three to four hours, but Yu Shaocheng was an oddity. He only slept for two hours a day.

He did this every day. Even when there was nothing to do, he wouldn’t sleep any more than that. After two hours, he would always wake up.

It was a bit scary to think about. While everyone else slept, he would be sitting on the bed, focused. If he suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, his bright, wide eyes would be staring right at you.

 

……

 

While reading, Yu Shaocheng heard someone calling his name from outside, so he immediately put the book down and ran out with his weapon.

The fully armored King was already mounted on a horse. He raised his chin at Yu Shaocheng. “Go get a team of men. Follow me across the Huai River to check things out.”

Yu Shaocheng hesitated. “Didn’t Mr. Xiao say the King shouldn’t go over there?”

Qu Yunmnie: “…”

His mood soured slightly, but since Xiao Rong had instructed him to be polite, he reluctantly expressed his thoughts, “I’m uneasy. What, do you have an issue with that?”

Yu Shaocheng: “…”

Of course not.

Don’t be fooled by how obedient Yu Shaocheng looks. During his time in the Northern Army, he hasn’t caused any trouble, but in reality, he’s even more reckless than Zhang Biezhi. Most people know that with his status, he shouldn’t cross the Huai River. Being chased is one thing, but offending the Southern Yong’s face is a big deal. However, in front of Yu Shaoxie and the others, he would obediently agree, saying that his older brother was right and that he wouldn’t go back. Once Yu Shaoxie and the others were no longer in sight, Yu Shaocheng would immediately change his demeanor.

He obediently followed orders, calling up a group of elite soldiers and bringing out his beloved horse, looking as if wherever the King went, he would follow naturally.

He neither tried to persuade Qu Yunmie nor himself. After all, if the people of Jinling were angry, it had nothing to do with him. As for Master Xiao’s anger… well, as long as the King was around, Master Xiao’s anger would definitely be directed at the King, so it didn’t concern him either.

Heh, the plan worked~

 

……

 

Qu Yunmie’s sudden action tonight was indeed a spur-of-the-moment decision. He had kept a low profile all the way, simply intending to go check if there really was no trouble over there. He never planned to find Xiao Rong, and his goal was to go quietly at night and return the same way.

Yet as soon as he set foot on the land south of the Huai River and stood outside Huaiyin City, Qu Yunmie’s nerves tensed.

His instincts were kicking in, and the killing intent in the wind was already affecting him.

Sitting on his horse, Qu Yunmie fixed his gaze on Huaiyin City in front of him. In the quiet atmosphere, the horse restlessly snorted. Suddenly, Qu Yunmie made a decision. “Bypass Huaiyin, head straight for Jinling. Follow me!”

After speaking, he shouted loudly and jabbed his horse’s belly hard. The horse, in pain, immediately sprang forward, and the small group of soldiers behind him froze for a moment. Though they didn’t know what was happening, they quickly followed him.

Meanwhile, the private soldiers sent by Yang Zangyi had already appeared within Xiao Rong’s group’s line of sight. They had just arrived near Fanliang Lake, a large lake outside Huaiyin City, still more than a hundred miles from the Huai River.

The one leading Rong’s party was the Captain of the Guards, who had long been dealing with the Hun people and was skilled at riding. Using the cover of the woods and the lake, he led the group forward, trying to confuse the pursuers behind. However, those private soldiers were no pushovers. They were Yang Zangyi’s personal guards, trained to protect him, unlike poorly equipped army soldiers.

The horses were beginning to tire, and the pursuing soldiers were still close behind. Some of their group carried goods, while others carried people. The goods could be discarded to lighten the load, but the people couldn’t just be left behind. That would be like sending someone to their death.

Xiao Rong gritted his teeth, thinking, ‘Just a little longer, just a little longer. Once we reach outside Huaiyin City and alert the Shen Family’s army stationed there, they’ll help us escape this predicament.’

However, before they could even reach the outskirts of Huaiyin City, he already heard the sound of hooves coming from ahead.

Xiao Rong couldn’t help but widen his eyes. If it was the Shen Family’s army coming now, they wouldn’t be here to rescue them—they must have received orders to join in exterminating them.

How could that be?

Shen Yangrui was a man of Sun Renlan, so he couldn’t possibly follow Yang Zangyi’s orders.

Could it be that Yang Zangyi had already confessed to Sun Renlan that these soldiers were sent by him

Xiao Rong’s mind was becoming a mess, far from the rational judgment he usually had. He knew that within such a short time, Shen Yangrui couldn’t have sent soldiers out. Moreover, if Sun Renlan had learned about this matter, he would have rushed to save Xiao Rong, not wanting to follow Yang Zangyi’s orders to kill him.

For Yang Zangyi, only by killing Xiao Rong could he be saved, because that way Sun Renlan would be forced to take his side. For Sun Renlan, keeping Xiao Rong alive would cause him less trouble. If things hadn’t reached a point of no return, he could still hand Yang Zangyi over to calm the anger of the Northern King. After all, Yang Zangyi was his political enemy, not his friend, and the mess Yang Zangyi caused was for him to clean up.

Xiao Rong stared blankly ahead, and no matter how sharp his mind was, it was of no use now. At this moment, what they needed most was fighting strength.

Finally, after a while, the enemy finally showed themselves. One person leaned forward in the saddle, holding the reins tightly. Upon seeing their group, he sped up, looking like a bolt of lightning charging toward them.

The Captain of Xiao Rong’s guards murmured, “The King?”

Immediately, the others recognized Qu Yunmie, and they shouted with joy, as though they had survived a catastrophe. “The King! The King has come!”

Song Shuo watched these soldiers, who had been on edge, not daring to speak. They seemed to be watching a Divine being descend, even though it was just one person coming.

The Captain of the Guards was also excited. He immediately raised his arm and shouted with such force that veins popped out on his forehead, “The King is here! Soldiers, follow me and join the King!”

Instantly, a loud cheer rose from the back, and the soldiers stopped speaking, howling like wolves in the jungle. The people in the midst of it didn’t notice the oddness of the howl—they felt their blood boiling, their hearts filled with courage in an instant.

This time was different from last time. When Qu Yunmie rode out after Xiao Rong the first time, he had brought several thousand heavily armored cavalry, and those people couldn’t catch up to him, so it took a long time before they appeared. This time, Qu Yunmie brought elite soldiers and light cavalry. So after Qu Yunmie showed himself, the others quickly followed—one small group of fifty, another of one hundred and fifty. Even with Xiao Rong’s guards and mercenaries, it was only a bit more than two hundred people.

Behind them, however, were two thousand people. No matter how you looked at it, continuing to flee seemed like the more reliable choice.

However, Qu Yunmie was someone who had once infiltrated the enemy camp alone. If just two thousand people could make him panic and run away, he wouldn’t have so many people chasing after him.

Therefore, even though he saw Xiao Rong and his horse had reached Xiao Rong’s side, he simply turned his head, staring at him for a moment. After that brief, frozen moment of eye contact, he passed Xiao Rong and headed straight toward the pursuing soldiers. As he left, the strong wind from his horse’s movement hit Xiao Rong’s face, causing him to instinctively close his eyes.

Once the wind passed, Xiao Rong reopened his eyes and immediately turned to look at Qu Yunmie, only to see him charging alone toward the enemy.

 

…

 

The group led by Yu Shaocheng also rushed forward to join the battle, and the guards around him looked on, eager but too afraid to speak out and say they wanted to join.

It was still Xiao Rong who spoke first. “You all go help the King, take the non-Han soldiers with you. The rest of you stay with me. Even if we can’t go into the battlefield, we can’t be a burden to the soldiers.”

Once the guards left, the remaining people were all the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled. Among them, the one who seemed most capable of fighting was the tall Ah Shu.

 

…

 

However, everyone had left, and only Zhang Biezhi remained. Xiao Rong looked at him, and Zhang Biezhi replied with a stern face, “I think someone should stay behind to protect you.”

He was worried that Xiao Rong might think he was cowardly, but in reality, he was just concerned about the possibility of an attack. Although the chance of this happening was low, given there were only two hundred people, and the private soldiers, who had never seen blood before, couldn’t even break out. The most capable person, Qu Yunmie, who was like a God of Death, had taken many lives using only a regular long sword, without even carrying the Snow-Drinking Vengeance Spear.

Gradually, there was no one left around him. Who would dare to step forward and die?

Xiao Rong didn’t mock Zhang Biezhi. Seeing his self-awareness, he was quite pleased. “Fine, you stay and protect them. I’m leaving.”

With that, he kicked Zhang Biezhi off his horse and turned around, charging toward the temporary battlefield.

Zhang Biezhi: “…”

How could he protect anyone when there was no one capable enough to be protected?

Xiao Rong was still worried. His sudden illness earlier was likely the moment Qu Yunmie began his journey toward them, which meant something would happen to Qu Yunmie, but what could happen? In battle, what could go wrong?

It could only be an injury. Xiao Rong dared not think about what would happen if Qu Yunmie was hurt.

The battlefield ahead was full of real blades. If Xiao Rong wasn’t worried about Qu Yunmie, this war might have left him with an indelible psychological scar. Knowing about it was one thing, witnessing it was another.

People feared butchers because they had seen so much life and death that they no longer feared it themselves. What people feared more was becoming a butcher themselves.

Xiao Rong tried to find Qu Yunmie amidst the chaos, but without the highly conspicuous Snow-Drinking Vengeance Spear, Qu Yunmie’s figure was hard to locate.

Though Qu Yunmie was hard to find, Xiao Rong was very noticeable, and suddenly, an enemy in the midst of battle shouted, “That’s Xiao Rong!”

Xiao Rong didn’t hear it, but Qu Yunmie immediately did. He saw an archer in the distance raising his bow, the arrow aimed directly at Xiao Rong.

Qu Yunmie was both startled and angry. He rushed toward that side. “Stop!!!”

He intended to kill the archer, but there were still people in between. Focused on stopping the archer, he exposed a gap. One of the private soldiers, seeing the opening, swung his sword at Qu Yunmie’s body. Qu Yunmie instinctively dodged, but in doing so, he lost a little time. Though he had killed the archer, the arrow had already been released.

The arrow hit Xiao Rong, and he collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest, spitting some liquid onto the earth.

In the deepening night, it was hard to see what the liquid was, but from his weak posture, it was easy to guess.

Qu Yunmie wasn’t the only one who noticed Xiao Rong’s condition. The private soldiers, seeing Xiao Rong had been shot and was spitting blood, thought their mission was completed. They immediately began to flee, not wanting to risk being involved further.

As they tried to escape, they were stunned to see that the King of the North had gone berserk.

He killed anyone who crossed his path, and those who tried to run were slaughtered. His strength was terrifying, and his sword embedded in one person’s skull after a single strike.

The next moment, the Northern King snatched the dead man’s weapon and continued killing those trying to flee.

He was in a bloodlust, resembling a demon or a grim reaper. Even Xiao Rong’s desperate shout was barely heard after a long time.

Xiao Rong: “Qu Yunmie!!! I told you to come back!!!”

Qu Yunmie froze. He turned to look back, and this was an opportunity, but no one dared to act. Everyone was fleeing in panic, crying, “This isn’t the King of the North, it’s King Yama! We’re done! No matter how much the Yang Family offers, we won’t fight anymore. We’re going home to farm!”

 

…

 

Xiao Rong’s voice had gone hoarse from shouting. He stumbled over, and when he reached Qu Yunmie, there were no more enemies left. Qu Yunmie stared at him in shock, and it took him a while to realize that Xiao Rong wasn’t injured, nor was there an arrow lodged in him.

There was a trace of red at the corner of his mouth, as though it had been wiped off.

Qu Yunmie stared at Xiao Rong, while Xiao Rong, trembling with anger, pointed at Qu Yunmie’s waist.

“You… you…”

Qu Yunmie didn’t understand. He lowered his head to see a two-inch wound at his side, blood flowing out. The skin had turned outward, but there was no bone showing, and no vital organs were injured. However, if it kept bleeding like that, even someone as strong as Qu Yunmie would die from blood loss.

Xiao Rong was really furious now. “I told you to come back, why didn’t you listen?! You get injured and still keep killing! Do you want to sacrifice yourself?! Don’t you know that if the wound goes deeper, you’ll die! I told you not to come, why do you always oppose me? Where’s the hemostatic powder?! Why hasn’t it been delivered yet?!”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

The guards behind him, trembling in fear, brought the hemostatic powder. Xiao Rong didn’t care anymore. He directly unbuckled his belt in front of everyone and first sprinkled some hemostatic powder on the wound, but after realizing such a large injury wouldn’t be affected with just that, he coldly and forcefully wrapped the wound up.

When there’s a large amount of bleeding, applying pressure could slow down the bleeding, but of course, that was just a temporary measure. The most important thing was to quickly get to a safe place and find a professional doctor.

While he was doing this, Qu Yunmie kept staring at him, not understanding why Xiao Rong seemed fine but had coincidentally vomited blood at that moment. As for whether Xiao Rong had internal injuries… well, looking at his angry and frantic state, it didn’t seem like it.

The ground was covered with the corpses of their enemies. The living enemies had completely disappeared, and their own men didn’t dare to approach. They were afraid of being scolded by Xiao Rong, so they stayed away. After treating the wound, Xiao Rong immediately ordered everyone to depart without delay, heading straight toward the Huai River.

Qu Yunmie and Xiao Rong rode together, but it wasn’t because Qu Yunmie asked for it—it was Xiao Rong’s request. Qu Yunmie wasn’t the one riding, it was Xiao Rong sitting in front. The reason Qu Yunmie sat behind was simple—if he sat in front, Xiao Rong wouldn’t be able to see anything.

 

…

 

Qu Yunmie had endured all kinds of injuries in his life. Although this wound looked a bit scary, he didn’t pay much attention to it. Sitting behind Xiao Rong, he watched him, his scalp tight with tension. Qu Yunmie felt it was quite strange.

Xiao Rong, clearly focused on the road ahead, seemed to know that Qu Yunmie was watching him.

He nearly bit his teeth out. “Qu Yunmie, if you dare die here—

“I will haunt you as a ghost!!!”

This was the second time Qu Yunmie had heard Xiao Rong call his name, and it felt… quite strange.

He thought Xiao Rong was just speaking out of anger, so he didn’t respond, but after a while, he couldn’t help but confirm with Xiao Rong, “That arrow didn’t hurt you, right?”

Xiao Rong’s expression changed. He suddenly remembered the arrow that had fallen at his feet. He wasn’t scared by the arrow because he had already been scared by Qu Yunmie.

He froze for a moment, as if he understood why Qu Yunmie had suddenly become reckless, like a madman, only knowing how to kill.

He gripped the reins tighter, slightly parted his lips, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, he closed his mouth and pressed his lips tightly together, to the point where they turned pale. He looked ahead at the dark road, and for the first time, on the road he had already traveled three times, he realized how far the Huai River really was.

……！

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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