1novels Chapter 137 Continue the struggle, continue the fight.
Chapter 137 Continue the struggle, continue the fight.
He Qing supported his right arm and walked back to the Xiliang camp step by step.
His footsteps left deep and shallow imprints on the snow, each one stained with blood.
He lifted the tent flap, and there were already people waiting inside.
General Mu Yun sat at her desk, a pot of hot wine beside her. She saw He Qing enter, her gaze falling on his bloodstained right arm, her brow furrowing.
"The princess is quite generous in shielding her rival from harm."
He Qing didn't speak.
I just leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.
The arrow that was deliberately blocked went deeper than expected.
He knew Xiao Chenyuan was putting on an act.
He knew it from the very beginning of the assassination attempt in the woods.
Those well-trained assassins, those deadly moves—Xiao Chenyuan was prepared, and Ling Feng's secret guards were lying in ambush all around.
This assassination attempt was a setup from beginning to end.
But he still managed to block the arrow as it came.
It wasn't to save Xiao Chenyuan.
It is for...
"You..." Mu Yun didn't know what to say, "What are you after?"
He Qing remained silent for a moment.
"What's the point?" He repeated the question, then suddenly laughed.
The smile was faint, as faint as sunlight on snow, easily dissipated.
"I want to know," he said softly, "if I were injured, would she...give me even a second glance?"
Mu Yun remained silent.
"You're a lunatic!" she whispered. "You'd go through all this just to get her to look at you one more time?"
He Qing did not answer.
He just stared at the top of the tent, his eyes somewhat vacant.
"If you don't fight for it... you'll never get it..."
He Qing leaned back on the couch, her right hand hanging by her side, her fingertips gently caressing the jade pendant shaped like an epiphyllum flower.
"Master..." he murmured.
When will you be able to see me again?
Half an hour ago,
Deep in the forest, Xiao Chenyuan stood on his horse.
Dozens of men in black, armed with knives, surrounded them, their blades gleaming coldly, their killing intent palpable.
But His Highness the Crown Prince remained calm and did not even draw his sword.
His gaze swept past the men in black, landing on a spot in the woods, and he said calmly:
"That's all?"
The next instant, Ling Feng led his guards out from all directions, surrounding the men in black.
Swords clashed, and screams of agony filled the air.
Xiao Chenyuan remained seated on his horse.
"Go back and tell your master that if he wants to kill me, he should send more men."
The leader of the men in black gritted his teeth: "You—knew all along?!"
Xiao Chenyuan ignored him and only looked at Ling Feng: "Leave them alive."
But at this very moment—
Another group of people emerged from the woods!
This group was more trained and ruthless than the first, with each move potentially fatal.
They were clearly suicide squad members, rushing towards Xiao Chenyuan without regard for their own lives.
Although the secret guards were elite, they were temporarily entangled.
Xiao Chenyuan drew his sword to meet the challenge.
A cold arrow shot out from the shadows!
The arrow was extremely fast, heading straight for Xiao Chenyuan's back!
A figure in crimson suddenly rushed out and blocked his way!
"puff--"
The sound of an arrow piercing flesh.
He Qing let out a muffled groan, staggering a few steps from the force of the arrow. A feathered arrow was stuck in his right arm, and blood gushed out instantly, staining his entire sleeve red.
He knelt on one knee in the snow and looked up at Xiao Chenyuan.
There was even a smile in those peach blossom eyes.
Xiao Chenyuan was stunned.
He looked at the man in front of him, half of whom was covered in blood, at the arrow in his right arm, and at the bright red beauty mark at the corner of his eye that stood out starkly against the snow.
After a while, he dismounted, walked to He Qing's side, and squatted down.
Why?
He Qing smiled, blood trickling from the corner of his lips.
"Let her see," he said. "Let her know... I'm hurt too."
Xiao Chenyuan looked at him and suddenly understood what he was going to do.
"you--"
"Let's fight for it," He Qing said, raising an eyebrow. "Let's snatch it."
He swayed slightly, but managed to stand still.
Xiao Chenyuan withdrew his hand, which he had instinctively reached out to help, but He Qing still saw it.
"Your Highness is lucky," he laughed, "you won't die."
Then he turned and walked out of the woods.
"Cousin..."
"I've repaid what I owed your mother..."
"Young Master?"
Mu Yun's voice pulled him back to reality.
He Qing opened her eyes and found that her wound had been bandaged.
Mu Yun looked at him and said, "You look terrible, you should rest."
He Qing nodded.
Then, looking at his right arm, which was wrapped up tightly, he suddenly remembered something.
"Is she... alright?"
Mu Yun glanced at him.
"Miss Su cried herself unconscious," she said. "She was just taken back to her tent to rest."
He Qing was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
"It's an act," he said. "She's very clever."
Mu Yun didn't reply.
Outside the tent, the sky was getting dark, and the snow started falling again.
He Qing leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Before my eyes was still that fiery red figure, galloping away on horseback.
"What are your plans next?"
He Qing opened his eyes.
Those peach blossom eyes no longer held their usual flirtatious and alluring charm; only a deep, unfathomable depth remained.
"Keep fighting," he said. "Keep grabbing."
He paused, his voice as soft as a sigh.
"Until...she sees me."
Outside the tent, the snow fell silently.
The noise outside the tent gradually subsided, and the candlelight inside flickered gently.
The imperial physicians withdrew, and Xiao Qiming was summoned by the emperor for questioning. Even the palace servants who were coming and going were cleared out of the tent.
Su Yaoyao had been kneeling by the couch for too long, and her legs were already numb.
She wiped away her tears, stood up, and turned to leave.
My wrist was grabbed.
"Where to?"
Xiao Chenyuan's voice came from behind, low and tentative, with a hint of caution.
Su Yaoyao didn't turn around, but struggled a little.
They couldn't break free.
"Let go."
"No, I won't."
Su Yaoyao took a deep breath and turned her head.
Bloodstains still clung to his cool, handsome face, but his eyes shone brightly as he stared intently at her.
She suddenly exploded.
"Xiao Chenyuan!" she called out his full name, her voice trembling. "Are you trying to scare me to death, or are you trying to make me furious?!"
Xiao Chenyuan was taken aback by her shout.
"Next time something like this happens," Su Yaoyao pointed at him with her other finger because she couldn't shake off his hand, "could you at least say so beforehand?! Could you?!"
Her eyes were still red, but she stopped crying; her chest heaved violently, showing how furious she was.
Looking at her like this, Xiao Chenyuan felt as if something had squeezed his heart tightly.
"Slender and graceful..."
"Don't call me!" Su Yaoyao interrupted him. "Do you know how scared I was just now?! I saw you being carried back covered in blood, I—"
She couldn't continue.
Xiao Chenyuan pulled her forcefully into his arms.
Su Yaoyao struggled: "Let go!"
"I won't let go."
"you--"
Xiao Chenyuan lowered his head, buried his face in the crook of her neck, and said in a muffled voice, "Let me hold you for a while."
Su Yaoyao tried to struggle, but suddenly froze.
His hand was around her waist, his fingertips trembling slightly.
The Crown Prince, who was always calm and collected, unfazed even by the collapse of Mount Tai, was trembling.
"You..." Su Yaoyao swallowed back the harsh words that were about to come out.
Xiao Chenyuan didn't say anything, but just hugged her tighter.
After a while, he relaxed a little and looked down at her.
His gaze fell on the hem of her dress, and then he suddenly stopped.
There was a dark red mark there, dried and blackened, yet it was clearly—
"What happened? You're injured?" His voice suddenly turned cold, and the warmth in his eyes vanished instantly. "Where are the bodyguards I arranged for you?"
Su Yaoyao was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the hem of her clothes.
The bloodstains belonged to Xie Yu, or... He Qing...
Before she could speak, the curtain was suddenly pulled open.