Ji Yuluo’s movements were too swift. Before Zhoushu could stop her, she had already taken his sword from his waist. He only managed to grasp a corner of Ji Yuluo’s robe.
She knelt there, one hand still gripping the sword’s hilt.
The prison cell was eerily silent, everyone frozen in that moment.
Then, with a “pfft” sound, Ji Yuluo pulled the sword out, blood splattering onto her face. She thrust it down again with force.
The servants watching from outside the cell finally came to their senses, their faces pale as they stammered, “M-murder…”
They ran out, their legs weak. Zhoushu reacted immediately, blocking their escape.
Seeing them about to shout, Zhoushu quickly seized their throats one by one, causing their veins to burst and killing them instantly.
Meanwhile, Ji Yuluo had mutilated the jailer’s corpse, stabbing it repeatedly, blood splattering onto her robe.
She pressed her lips together, seemingly enraged.
Suddenly, a large hand pressed down on the sword’s hilt, making her pause. She looked up at him, breathing heavily.
She finally took a good look at him.
His amber eyes appeared deep and shadowy under the dim light of the prison. She didn’t smile, her lips tightly pursed, still seething with anger. Huo Xian felt that if he wasn’t already in such a pitiful state, Ji Yuluo might have stabbed him a few times too.
Ji Yuluo certainly felt that way.
She wanted to carve deep, vicious cuts into his heart, making him feel the agony of heartbreak unto death.
He was too cruel!
Ji Yuluo frowned, unable to vent her anger. Her eyes reddened with frustration. She turned her face away, avoiding his gaze, trying to calm her breathing. Her hand still gripped the sword hilt so tightly that her fingers were numb and her knuckles white.
Although Huo Xian wasn’t stabbed by her, his heart ached.
With a sigh, he reached out to pry Ji Yuluo’s hand from the hilt. Weak, she let go, and with a clang, the sword fell to the ground. Huo Xian grabbed her forearm, pulling her close and hugging her.
He was covered in wounds, and Ji Yuluo, afraid of hurting him further, didn’t dare press against him. She knelt beside him, holding his head to her chest.
Huo Xian rested his forehead against the right side of her chest, avoiding her left shoulder blade. He spoke softly, “Why are you here so soon? Your wounds aren’t fully healed, are they? Did you sneak out without telling your master?”
Ji Yuluo rested her chin on his head, her fingers gently rubbing the back of his neck as if soothing his wounds. “I’m already healed. Mind your own business.”
Huo Xian chuckled at her stern tone, but it tugged at the wound in his abdomen, causing him to pause. “Ji Yuluo, I promised to bring Zhao Yong to you, and I will. Do you trust me?”
Ji Yuluo was slightly startled, then silent for a moment. She released him and looked at him, “I’ll catch him myself. I don’t need you to sacrifice yourself. Get up, come back with me.”
Her face showed no extra emotion, not even pity, but her stubborn gaze moved Huo Xian. It made him fearful of death and willing to follow her at all costs.
If she had looked at him like that on that day, Huo Xian knew he wouldn’t have had the courage to step into the Ministry of Justice’s prison.
She would have made him want to retreat.
Their eyes met, and Huo Xian said nothing.
To be honest, if he had enough time to stay with her forever, he wouldn’t have taken such a risky gamble today.
He truly wasn’t that noble, and he truly didn’t want to die.
But nothing was as he wished; now, he had no choice.
Huo Xian suddenly raised his hand to cover her eyes. “I know Zhao Yong well enough. If I wasn’t completely sure, I wouldn’t have taken this approach.”
His tone was so assured. He made himself a mountain, making people instinctively trust him.
He said, “Just this once, the last time.”
When Ji Yuluo emerged from the prison, her hands and face were covered with the blood of the jailer, smeared and mottled. Walking through the damp corridor, she appeared sinister and terrifying.
Shen Qingli swallowed his words.
He pursed his lips and said, “I will try to have someone look after him, but this matter… no one should interfere too much. Huo Xian’s abilities are well known. He will leave himself some room to maneuver in dangerous situations. If he hadn’t calculated carefully, he wouldn’t have acted recklessly. Don’t worry too much.”
Shen Qingli spoke the truth. Even if Ji Yuluo hadn’t appeared today, he could have used a dagger to cut the man’s wrist and still found a chance to fight back.
But though his words were meant to comfort, they came out sounding too indifferent. Shen Qingli closed his eyes in frustration. “I mean…”
“Tea house,” Ji Yuluo interrupted coldly. “Shen Lanxin, in that tea house.”
Shen Qingli was taken aback but said no more. He immediately mounted his horse and rode off, whipping it into a gallop.
Ji Yuluo didn’t move. She stood with her back to the prison for a long time.
The sun had dried all the blood.
–
The clouds gathered, and the sky darkened once again.
Xiao Yuanjing knelt on the ground, his head bowed low. “The servant I sent to watch over Yuanting reported that there were no signs of a struggle in the room. I don’t know what method they used to take him away. Uncle, it’s my fault. I didn’t take good care of Yuanting, which allowed him to fall into Huo Xian’s hands.”
Xiao Cheng’s face was grave. He said, “It’s because Ting’er misjudged people. He trusted Huo Xian too much.”
Zhao Yong cast a sinister glance at Xiao Yuanjing and said, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you report his disappearance? How was the explosive hidden in the palace discovered? Where have you been these days, and why didn’t you appear?”
As he spoke, Xiao Cheng also lowered his head to look over.
Two judging gazes fell upon Xiao Yuanjing.
Xiao Yuanjing clenched his fists subtly, knowing they wouldn’t easily believe him.
Fortunately, when Xie Subai ordered him to deliver the substandard military equipment to Xiao Cheng, he had secretly tampered with it, never sending the defective batch to the front lines. Otherwise, if Xiao Cheng found out, he would trust him even less.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yuanjing’s expression turned bitter. He kept his head bowed and said, “Protecting Yuanting was entrusted to me by you, Uncle, before you went to war. I failed to fulfill this duty and felt deeply ashamed. I also feared disturbing your efforts on the front lines, so I dared not report it and hoped I could find Yuanting first to atone for my failure.”
Xiao Cheng closed his eyes.
“As for the explosives…” Xiao Yuanjing’s face darkened as he continued, “Uncle and the Chief Minister might recall the Jiuzhen Temple incident where the late emperor was assassinated. On that day, I was in charge of guarding the wild animals in the mountains, but something went wrong. It wasn’t a coincidence; the new emperor had infiltrated the Imperial Guard! The explosives matter was likely known early on. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he wanted to exterminate the Xiao family. I hid because I believed you were already… I didn’t dare show myself. It’s my incompetence, and I have let you down, Uncle. Please punish me.”
Xiao Cheng remained silent for a long time before saying, “You may leave now.”
Xiao Yuanjing glanced cautiously at Zhao Yong, who also said nothing, then bowed and withdrew.
Once they were alone, Xiao Cheng spoke, “Huo Xian had some relationship with the new emperor in their youth. He likely knew of the new emperor’s plans and had been secretly helping him for a long time. He believed that nun at Chengyuan Temple could save his life, which is why he dared to break away from the Eastern Depot’s control. But now he is dying, and we must get Yuanting’s whereabouts from him before he dies. I just don’t know if his current imprisonment is all an act… Huo Xian is truly deceitful and must be watched carefully.”
As his words fell, someone knocked and entered.
The person was a jailer from the Ministry of Justice’s prison, planted there by Zhao Yong. He had come immediately after his shift change to report Huo Xian’s daily activities.
He cupped his hands and said, “That Huo fellow got into a fight today and almost died in the cell. It was a close call, but he managed to kill the jailer. People from Cuixue Tower came to help deal with the body. Also, the Marquis of Xuanping visited today. They had an argument, and the Marquis left angrily. Other than that, there’s nothing else. From what I see, Huo Xian is truly down and out now.”
Xiao Cheng sneered, “Serves him right. Betraying his master and being abandoned by his new master is only fitting. But he is detestable, seeking to align with the new master while holding Yuanting as a bargaining chip, forcing us to rescue him, always scheming.”
Zhao Yong suddenly smiled.
Scheming—Huo Xian was good at that.
Greedy and cunning, he was the one Zhao Yong had personally trained.
He had long expected Huo Xian would one day seek a new patron. An ambitious wolf would never be content to remain under someone else’s control forever.
For some reason, Zhao Yong felt a strange sense of satisfaction, but it quickly vanished. His wrinkled old face fell. “I should see him.”
