Chapter 63 Standoff

Upon leaving the Yongchang Marquis's residence, Yi Shao was pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and although the wound on his arm had been simply bandaged, the effects of the medicine left him extremely weak.

He said urgently to Ling Xi, "Sixth Prince, please take me to the Cuiwei Mountain Palace to see Lord Su. My lord may be in danger, and the capital is no longer safe. I must report to His Majesty immediately!"

Ling Xi also realized the seriousness of the situation. She dared to scheme against even her and kidnapped Fifth Sister's concubine. What exactly did Third Sister want to do?

She nodded emphatically: "Okay, let's not delay, let's set off immediately. I also feel that they are going to harm Fifth Sister."

The group hurriedly boarded Ling Xi's carriage and sped towards the city gate.

However, halfway there, the sky grew increasingly gloomy, and it began to drizzle. The rain gradually intensified, and the road became muddy.

The journey from the capital to the Cuiwei Mountain Imperial Palace takes about an hour by fast horse, but a carriage traveling in the rain would take at least two hours.

When they reached a desolate section of road with no village or shop in sight, Ling Xi suddenly heard a dense and rapid sound of horses' hooves approaching from behind.

Ling Xi's expression changed. He lifted the carriage curtain and looked back. In the rain, dozens of riders were flanking from behind. Their menacing demeanor suggested they were no innocent victims.

The carriage was forced to stop.

The encirclement quickly closed in, leaving only a narrow passage. A man rode forward slowly, revealing a familiar face.

"Third sister, what do you mean by this?" Ling Xi jumped off the carriage angrily and stood in front of it.

Ling Xuan sat upright on her horse, raindrops dripping down her soft chin, but her eyes held a cold, scrutinizing gaze.

She suddenly sighed softly, her voice exceptionally clear and cold in the rain: "Sixth Sister... so, you were pretending to be stupid too."

Ling Xi stood in the mud, looking up at her sister on horseback. The rain wet her eyelashes and washed away all the pretense in her eyes.

His eyes were filled with nothing but disappointment: "Playing dumb? Is that all you see?"

"Does the slightest threat make you feel uneasy, and you feel compelled to pin the person down?"

Seeing Ling Xuan remain silent, she grew increasingly angry and stepped forward, shouting, "Get out of my way! I need to see my mother!!"

Looking at her angry expression, Ling Xuan suddenly smiled, a smile even tinged with pity: "Now that things have come to this, Xiao Liu, do you think I would let you go?"

"You!" Ling Xi was furious, then gritted her teeth and said, "Third sister, it's not too late to turn back now. If fifth sister finds out what you've done today, she will definitely not let you off!"

"She never intended to let me go!" Ling Xuan's smile vanished, her expression turned fierce, and her voice rose. "You lot, hiding in the shadows, pretending to be weak while actually being strong, weren't you just waiting to find something to use against me and pull me down?"

"A madwoman." Ling Xi looked at the almost obsessive suspicion in her eyes and felt a chill run down her spine. "Third sister, you really do look like a madwoman right now."

Knowing that things couldn't end well today, she stopped talking and, above her, the air seemed to freeze slightly as a giant eagle with snow-white feathers suddenly appeared.

That was Ling Xi's materialized spiritual totem, a snow sculpture.

With a clear cry, the snow eagle spread its wings, and an invisible pressure suddenly spread out from Ling Xi. The guards at the front were caught off guard and felt as if their minds had been pierced by ice spikes. Their minds went blank, their limbs went weak, and they involuntarily staggered backward, creating a gap in the encirclement.

"Let's go now!" Ling Xi shouted hoarsely at the carriage.

The guard driving the carriage reacted quickly, cracking his whip and propelling the carriage toward the brief opening.

"Trying to leave?" Ling Xuan's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and an even more powerful spiritual force surged into the sky. Behind her, a ferocious red fox phantom appeared in mid-air.

The phantom of the red fox let out a hiss, and invisible ripples spread out.

Yi Shao saw everything clearly from inside the carriage. He staggered to the front of the carriage and snatched the reins and whip from the guard who was somewhat dazed from the mental shock.

"drive--!"

The horse pulling the carriage, in pain, reared up and dragged the carriage forward recklessly. Two men who tried to intercept it were unable to dodge in time and were violently knocked down by the carriage shaft. The carriage rolled through the mud and broke through the weak point of the encirclement.

Seeing the carriage rush off, Ling Xi felt a sense of relief, then gave Ling Xuan a provocative smile:

"Third sister, I've wanted to beat you up for a long time."

The snow eagle and the red fox instantly became entangled in battle. The chaotic mental field made those around them feel even more uncomfortable, and their attacks were temporarily halted.

Yi Shao gritted his teeth and gripped the reins tightly. The wound on his arm reopened, and blood mixed with rainwater flowed down.

The Sixth Prince is buying him time; he must escape.

However, just a moment later, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from behind again, getting closer and closer.

A stray arrow pierced the air and struck the hind leg of the horse pulling the carriage with pinpoint accuracy.

The horses neighed pitifully and collapsed to their knees, causing the carriage to overturn due to the immense inertia.

Yi Shao felt dizzy and was thrown out, crashing heavily into the cold mud. His vision went black, and he almost passed out.

His bones felt like they had fallen apart, and mud filled his mouth and nose.

Cannot...stop...

He coughed up muddy water, supported himself with trembling arms, dragged his legs which were completely powerless, gritted his teeth, and crawled forward inch by inch through the mud.

He used to live such a refined life, not allowing even a speck of dust to settle on him, but now he is completely immersed in the filth he despises most.

His disheveled black hair clung to his pale cheeks, but his eyes remained fixed on the distance ahead.

The sound of hooves drew near, and Ling Xi, whose hands were bound behind her back, was also carried on horseback. She glared defiantly at Ling Xuan on horseback, her neck stiff with resentment.

"You're just showing off your numbers! If you've got the guts, let me go and we'll fight one-on-one! Right now!"

"What a waste of time. You've forgotten that among us sisters, you've always been the weakest."

Upon hearing this, Ling Xi looked up and gave a mocking smile: "Yes! I am the weakest!"

I dare not argue with you, I will pretend to be stupid and stay far away!

But does life in the palace have to be a fight to the death? Was it like this when my elder sister was alive?

She stared intently at Ling Xuan, tears mingling with the rain as they streamed down her face: "Third Sister! Look at yourself! What kind of person are you now? For that chair, are you willing to give up everything? Even family?"

"What do you know!" Ling Xuan was finally enraged by her words. "You all keep calling her 'Big Sister,' but your hearts and minds are all on Fifth Brother's side! Why?!"

"She's not worthy!" Ling Xi interrupted her hoarsely, each word seemingly thrown out with all her might, "Fifth Sister is worthy!"

She shouted out the words that had been bottled up inside her for so long, disregarding everything else:

"Otherwise, why do you think Mother is delaying in establishing an heir? Do you really think she is having trouble choosing between you and Second Sister?"

You're getting along so well with those old noblemen. Are you using them, or have you already been manipulated and become their puppet? Can you tell the difference? Isn't Second Sister the same?!

“From childhood to adulthood, the only people who can handle things, besides my eldest sister, are my fifth sister! You and my second sister, aren’t you both being led by the nose by those forces behind you?”

I'm young, and I'm playful, but I'm not blind! Even I can see it, do you think Mother can't?!

She was panting heavily, tears streaming down her face, yet every word she uttered was piercing to the heart:

"You know better than anyone else what's going on—"

Since the eldest sister passed away, the person Mother favored most in her heart has always been the fifth sister.

It was only because Fifth Sister's mental strength was damaged that Mother kept quiet about it!

She's been waiting! Waiting for the day her fifth sister truly recovers!

"So you're afraid of her! Everything you've done isn't because Fifth Sister wants to harm you, but because you've always known that once she returns, once she regains her power, you'll never be able to surpass her!"