Xiyu was going to kill him!
Realizing this, Ye Weifeng widened his eyes, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. It was not an illusion; Xiyu was holding a sword, truly intending to stab him.
How could this be possible?
Tears fell uncontrollably from Ye Weifeng’s temples, as if his heart had been drenched right along with them.
“Xiyu…” Ye Weifeng silently murmured the other’s name.
Those past memories flashed through his mind continuously like a revolving lantern.
That year, he envied how his imperial brothers could be taken outside the palace by their imperial father to release river lanterns, while he was locked away in a courtyard with high walls, straining his eyes in vain with no way out. It was Xiyu who drilled through the dog hole in his courtyard to secretly smuggle him out of the palace.
That entire river of lanterns could not compare to the light in Xiyu’s eyes when he looked at him, so bright, so dazzling.
And there was that July in some forgotten year when Ye Weifeng saw everyone burning incense to offer sacrifices. He had thought nothing of it, yet felt restless the entire day.
It was not until Xiyu came to find him, bought incense and candles for him, and secretly led him to a place to burn incense for his ill-fated birth mother, that he finally found the thread tying up the emotions knotted in his heart. It turned out he missed her too; Xiyu understood him even better than he understood himself.
Then there was the time when he and Xiyu were hunted down by his imperial brothers and hid inside a stack of straw. The assassins were right within arm’s reach, yet fine chaff from the haystack kept making him cough uncontrollably. At that very moment of imminent peril where they were about to be discovered, it was Xiyu who stepped out alone to lure the pursuers away.
Incident after incident was laid out with absolute clarity right now in Ye Weifeng’s mind.
The dashing and high-spirited Xiyu of his youth, the Xiyu galloping across the battlefield to slaughter enemies, and the Xiyu who would compose music for him and roll up his sleeves to cook.
Yet no matter which Xiyu it was, he would never kill him.
He must have seen wrong. Ye Weifeng refused to acknowledge this fact no matter what, to the extent that when Xiyu’s sword charged toward him, he did not even bother to dodge.
Had it not been for the timely arrival of Ye Weifeng’s imperial bodyguard, Shangguan Yuansi, who deflected Xiyu’s sword and shielded Ye Weifeng, the latter would likely have already turned into a cold corpse by now.
While shielding Ye Weifeng and retreating, Shangguan Yuansi exchanged blows with Xiyu.
He turned his head first to speak anxiously to Ye Weifeng. “Your Majesty, Lord Xiyu appears intent on taking your life. You must carefully hide behind me while I deal with him.”
Yet Ye Weifeng shook his head repeatedly, pushing the shielding Shangguan Yuansi away himself. “No need. Xiyu will not kill me. Do not try to be clever; step aside from in front of me. I am betting on Xiyu’s true feelings for me!”
Shangguan Yuansi could not help twitching the corner of his mouth silently. If it were ordinary times, he might indeed have believed Ye Weifeng if he spoke such words.
However, just moments ago, if he hadn’t intervened, Ye Weifeng would probably have been pierced full of bloody holes by Xiyu’s sword. Under these circumstances, he only felt that Ye Weifeng was somewhat laughable.
Clinging to an attitude of if that is what you want to think, there is nothing I can do about it, he silently stepped aside, completely exposing Ye Weifeng to Xiyu.
“Xiyu, are you being coerced by someone? Do you have some unspeakable difficulty? As long as you explain it to me, I can let bygones be bygones.”
Before Ye Weifeng finished speaking, Xiyu had already thrust forward with another sword strike without the slightest hesitation. This time, without Shangguan Yuansi blocking the way, the sword pointed straight at the center of Ye Weifeng’s brows.
It stopped mere millimeters away from Ye Weifeng, yet Xiyu still showed no intention of pulling back.
“I asked, do you talk too much?” Xiyu said, looking quite impatient.
By this time, Ye Weifeng was completely dumbfounded. He was struck dumb by Xiyu’s actions to the point of losing his wits, unable to move a single muscle.
Shangguan Yuansi ultimately could not bear to watch any longer and pulled Ye Weifeng slightly to the side. As a result, Xiyu’s sword thrust askew, piercing straight through Ye Weifeng’s hair crown.
The bright yellow hair crown fell off with a crash, and a large portion of Ye Weifeng’s hair was sheared right off.
As a dignified emperor dressed in disarray with the hair strands that ancient people valued most falling all over the ground, even the normally expressionless Shangguan Yuansi could not help turning his head to the side to watch Ye Weifeng make a fool of himself.
Feeling as humiliated as if he had been slapped across the face, Ye Weifeng stood there disheveled, finally snapping out of it only to be consumed by rage and shame.
“Xiyu!” Ye Weifeng shouted in absolute fury.
Yet Xiyu remained unmoved, feeling only a sense of regret that the blade was not sharp enough to shear off all the other’s hair.
“Guards!” Ye Weifeng was playing for real now. At his command, a large contingent of imperial guards swarmed into the area.
Wenren Yan and Xiyu exchanged a glance, both startled. It seemed they had underestimated Ye Weifeng; he had prepared for this long ago.
Their current situation suddenly turned passive. Even though the combat prowess of their subordinates was strong enough to take on a hundred single-handedly, this was ultimately Ye Weifeng’s territory, and they lacked a numerical advantage.
Furthermore, their previous surprise strategy of winning against superior numbers with inferior forces had been completely ruined. Xiyu and Wenren Yan both felt an ominous premonition.
“Whoever captures Xiyu and Wenren Yan alive will receive a heavy reward!” Ye Weifeng clutched his hair with one hand, his eyes burning red as if harboring the deepest hatred, while issuing orders to his subordinates.
Upon hearing this, the Great Qing imperial guards grew even more aggressive, executing their killing moves with increasing decisiveness as everyone searched everywhere for the figures of Xiyu and Wenren Yan.
Meanwhile, Xiyu, caught in a pincer attack, was engaged in combat with Shangguan Yuansi.
“You once said that a subject should place his sovereign first. Why have you now committed such a treasonous act as regicide?” Shangguan Yuansi looked at him in bewilderment, though the offensive movements of his hands never stopped.
“That statement is not wrong, but it has a prerequisite: the prerequisite is that the sovereign is worthy of a subject’s loyal service, and vice versa,” Xiyu counterattacked.
“So instead of thinking of assisting the monarch to reform, you choose to forge your own path?” Shangguan Yuansi’s sword speed grew even faster.
Although Xiyu’s martial arts skills surpassed his, Xiyu had far too many things demanding his attention at the moment, including Wenren Yan, Fuying, and his former subordinates, to the point where he unknowingly fell behind Shangguan Yuansi.
“It is not my path; it is the path of heaven and earth. Those who follow the Dao naturally win the people’s hearts, and those who violate it will inevitably be replaced by those who come after.” Unwilling to bicker with him any longer, Xiyu launched a direct strike with his sword.
Shangguan Yuansi was forced back several steps in succession by him. Yet despite the orders Ye Weifeng was shouting from the dais, he simply gripped his elbow where Xiyu had slashed his garment and turned his head slightly to the side.
“Leave. I will not block your path.” Shangguan Yuansi knitted his brows, staring down at the floor while speaking directly to Xiyu.
Xiyu was slightly surprised, not expecting that the other would let him go. He withdrew his sword and cupped his fists toward Shangguan Yuansi. “Thank you for this assistance. In days to come, if…”
“Xiyu!” Someone shouted for him.
Before he could finish his words to Shangguan Yuansi, Xiyu had already turned around and bolted away, leaving Shangguan Yuansi gripping his sword tightly.
He thought, You changed long ago, yet I still cling to your past words as sacred laws, executing them as my guiding principle with unsparing effort. Looking at it now, it seems like a complete joke.
He no longer knew whether the Xiyu of the past was right or the Xiyu of the present was correct.
Only on one point was Shangguan Yuansi utterly certain:
No matter what, he was unwilling to hurt him.
Letting him go today would serve as repayment for the chess favor of days past, except perhaps he would never again have the opportunity to hear Xiyu finish the second half of that sentence.
He figured Xiyu would not take it to heart, but his own remaining life would probably be trapped by this unfinished sentence of his.
So be it; at least a life with someone to think of would no longer be as boring as before.
The one calling out to Xiyu was none other than Fuying. This was the first time he had witnessed blades flashing around Xiyu, as if a single mishap would leave wounds on Xiyu’s body.
He was both terrified and self-blaming, terrified that Xiyu might get hurt, and blaming himself for being unable to help.
“I am fine. Look at you instead; swords have no eyes, are you hurt?” Xiyu instinctively patted Fuying’s head.
Fuying could no longer hold back, rushing straight forward to give Xiyu a deep embrace. His hair brushed against Xiyu’s chest, bringing a faint tickling sensation.
Although somewhat awkward and uncomfortable, his heart settled down inexplicably.
“Do not be afraid, Fuying. With me here, there is nothing to worry about.” Xiyu reached out with the hand that was free of blood, stroking Fuying’s hair over and over again.
Little did he know that in this lifetime, Fuying’s only worry was him.
At that moment, Wenren Yan finally carved a bloody path through to reach Xiyu’s side.
“There are many enemies and few of us today. If we continue fighting like this, our people will likely suffer heavy casualties. The best strategy right now is to retreat,” Wenren Yan said, avoiding Xiyu’s gaze toward Fuying as he offered his analysis.
Xiyu released Fuying and nodded at Wenren Yan. “Retreat! As long as the green mountains remain, there is no need to worry about firewood.”
Thus, with Fuying leading the way in front and Wenren Yan guarding the rear, Xiyu carefully and cautiously evaded the attacks of Ye Weifeng’s men, gradually carving out a bloody escape route for their forces.
By the time they finally escaped the imperial palace, their hands were stained with who knows how many people’s blood, their garments dyed a vivid crimson, indistinguishable as to whether it was their own blood or someone else’s.
Their group finally survived against the odds. Although the losses were heavy, fortunately, a thread of life remained.
“This time, I have implicated you,” Xiyu said to Wenren Yan.
Wenren Yan told him there was no need for excess words. “It is not your fault; it is just that scoundrel Ye Weifeng is treacherous and cunning. Besides, helping you is not solely for your sake, but for my own as well.”
If this endeavor could succeed, it would naturally be a beneficial outcome for the nomadic state.
“However, the remaining path is perhaps one you must walk alone. The imperial supervisor sent me an express report a few days ago; something has happened in the nomadic state, and I must gallop back quickly to handle it.”
Xiyu looked at him. Though devoid of romantic affection, his gaze carried respect and high regard. “Wenren Yan, take care of yourself this time!”
Wenren Yan cupped his fists. “Take care, Xiyu!”
He turned around with decisive crispness, terrified that he might fail to control the urge to look back at the other person one last time.
For he knew in his heart that this might well be his final parting with Xiyu. Rather than regret, what filled him more was reluctance to part.
He unexpectedly found himself reluctant to leave.
Yet he was the leader of the nomadic state; compared to such romantic attachments, he had more important things to do, did he not?
So Xiyu, farewell!
Meanwhile, inside the grand imperial hall, upon learning that Xiyu and Fuying had escaped right under his nose, Ye Weifeng flew into a towering rage. “A pack of trash! You couldn’t even keep watch over a few people.”
After unleashing a massive fit of anger upon his subordinates, Ye Weifeng stared into the distance, his brows tightly furrowed. “Everyone listen up! No matter to the ends of the earth Xiyu and Fuying flee, you must capture them for me. If you cannot capture them alive, take their corpses.”
“Bring me the living, or bring me their corpses!”