Unexpectedly, before he could even see the person's face clearly, he heard a "thud" and hot blood spurted out as he was pierced through the heart by a sharp spear.

Suppressing her inner discomfort, Shen Jiao twisted her arm and drew her red-tasseled spear.

The whole process took only a moment.

The fear in the enemy's eyes had not yet faded when he collapsed to the ground, dead.

Ji Yan stood frozen in place, staring intently at the person in front of her.

Shen Jiao was stunned, not expecting that this bastard would make her look like a half-dead ghost.

The two of them stared at each other, speechless for a long time.

Shen Jiao's arrival was so sudden that Ji Yan was momentarily stunned. He was filled with a mixture of anger and joy, his chest was throbbing, his head was spinning, and his breathing was rapid. He couldn't tell which emotion was stronger.

Or, he might prefer a certain emotion to be more pronounced.

Ji Yan spoke first: "Why are you here? Do you even know where you are?! It's very dangerous, you know that?!"

A barrage of questions made Shen Jiao feel wronged, and she roared, "So what if it's dangerous? You built the road? You planted the trees? If you can come, why can't I!"

Ji Yan remained silent, staring intently at her as if trying to bore a hole through her.

Although Shen Jiao was not intimidated, her eyes involuntarily reddened.

At this moment, Ji Yan suddenly reached out and forcefully pulled away the red-tasseled spear, throwing it far away.

He cupped the hand Shen Jiao had used to kill him in his hands and whispered, "Are you afraid?"

Shen Jiao clenched her other fist tightly to steady her trembling thighs, and stubbornly said, "...I'm not afraid!"

"Chen Jiaojiao!" Ji Yan's temples bulged with veins.

"Ji Yan!" Shen Jiao roared, "I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid! Do you hear me now? So what if you're afraid? So what if you're not afraid? If I don't kill him, you will die!"

"Then I'll die!" Ji Yan retorted angrily, "If you're afraid, why pretend to be strong?"

"Why? Why? Why? Why!" Shen Jiao clenched her fists and said, "Fine, then I will answer you word by word."

She crouched down, burying her face in the crook of his neck. The pleasant scent of sandalwood was completely overwhelmed by the stench of blood. Her voice was muffled: "I once thought I would never kill anyone in my life, but I didn't want you to die, Ji Yan. Because I didn't want you to die, I killed someone. Do you understand? Do you even understand? I didn't want you to die..."

I don't want you to die!

"...Don't leave me."

Ji Yan paused for a moment.

Shen Jiao knelt on one knee and hugged him tightly. After holding back her emotions for an unknown amount of time, she suddenly burst into tears: "Who do you think you are? Is being the Emperor so great? How dare you abandon me unilaterally? Ji Yan... How dare you abandon me unilaterally? You didn't even ask for my opinion! I won't allow it, I won't allow it, I won't allow it! You can't abandon me..."

"What will I do without you? What do you want me to do?"

The girl's tears were so hot they could burn her skin. Ji Yan, who was covered in wounds but felt no pain, was now in so much pain that her heart trembled.

He frantically wiped away Shen Jiao's tears and said urgently, "I didn't, I didn't not want you, I'm not good enough for you... I'm a beast, I'm an evil insect, I deserve to die... Jiao Jiao, to me you are the moon in the sky, the star in the night, unattainable, and undefiled."

Shen Jiao shouted, "Who the hell wants to be the high and mighty moon? The mountain road is long and arduous, but I have come only for you. Even if I am the moon, I am destined to be a rebellious and fleeing light. Wherever you are, I will go. I will light your way."

Ji Yan remained silent.

"Ji Yan?"

"Yes, I'm here."

Shen Jiao said softly, "Believe me, you won't stay in the abyss forever. Even if you do, you'll drag me down with you."

"Don't hesitate to think twice before you act."

"Just remember, I always volunteered."

Ji Yan paused, a hint of confusion and helplessness flashing in her eyes.

Shen Jiao pleaded, "Ji Yan, please don't die, please don't die!"

No one answered.

a long time.

She finally heard a "Okay".

Shen Jiao smiled through her tears: "I'll take you home."

"good."

"Give me a kiss."

"good."

**

The battle between the Great Yan and the Liang Kingdom, aided by the Wei Kingdom, lasted until May of the following year.

Finally, the states of Liang and Wei ceded territory and cities, paid hefty sums to sue for peace, and signed surrender agreements for sixty and forty years respectively. The Great Yan emerged victorious.

It was already June when we returned to the capital.

Ji Yan and Shen Jiao rode side by side, full of vigor, at the head of the procession.

Tyrants used to dislike public parades because they were boring, stupid, a waste of time, and made them dislike the world.

However, this time, since the frizzy hamster had won its first battle and was eager to show off with its tail held high, he could only go along with it.

However, given the way these unruly people in the capital behave, they will definitely stay away, close their doors and windows, and no one will come to greet them or celebrate on the street.

Fearing that Shen Jiao would be sad, Ji Yan wrote a letter to Wang Fu in advance, asking him to find some actors to make the frizzy hamster happy.

But he never expected the royal city to be so grand—

Both sides of Zhuque Avenue were lined with people, the air was filled with noise and laughter, and everyone was smiling and offering congratulations as if they were free.

People were sending flowers, eggs, cured meat, and even... birth dates and times—there was everything imaginable, creating an incredibly noisy scene.

Ji Yan: "???"

This doesn't look like an actor hired by Wang Fu. Did he come to the wrong place?

"Look at me, look at me, everyone look at me! This young master has killed over a hundred Liang dogs!" Shen Qingfeng proudly showed off to passersby, like a colorful rooster.

Passersby praised him, saying, "Young master, you're really amazing!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!