136 Runaway

◎I will not let down the Tathagata and I will not let you down◎

His voice was low, with a hint of laziness that was deliberately slowed down, like a feather gently scratching the heart.

The air in the tent seemed to be filled with warmth, and even the sound of wind and sand became distant.

Song Jinyi lowered her head and clenched the corner of her clothes, secretly competing in her heart - she couldn't be controlled by this kid's momentum.

She gathered herself, looked up to meet Tuoba Jun's gaze, and said with forced composure, "I was just wondering, there's only one bed in this tent, where am I going to sleep?"

Tuoba Jun raised his eyebrows, stared at her with a sly look and said, "Is this bed not big enough?"

"Then where do you sleep?" Song Jinyi asked, but her heart beat faster involuntarily.

"This is my tent, so of course I should sleep here." Tuoba Jun said confidently, but there was a hint of smile in his green eyes.

Song Jinyi's heart skipped a beat - if that's the case, wouldn't they have to sleep in the same bed?

The words were stuck in her throat and she stood up suddenly, turned her back to him and said, "Then I will go sleep with the maids, you sleep here."

As soon as my wrist touched the curtain, I was pulled back by a force.

She stumbled into a warm embrace, her waist tightly encircled. Tuoba Jun rested his chin on the top of her head, and spoke with a rare gentleness in his voice, "Sister, are you going to abandon me again?"

She hesitantly said, "But, but there is only one bed here..."

Tuoba Jun chuckled softly, his breath brushing against her ear: "I won't do anything to you."

"That's not appropriate..." Song Jinyi struggled to push him away, but was hugged even tighter.

"Sister," he suddenly softened his voice, with a hint of coquettishness, and the ending tone rose slightly, "Just one night, okay?"

Song Jinyi's heart softened when he called her "Sister", but she couldn't push him away, so she could only sigh as if accepting her fate - forget it, it's her territory and she has the final say.

The two of them lay side by side on the couch, with enough space between them for another person to squeeze in. The dim light of the oil lamp cast a shadow on their faces, but neither of them spoke first.

In the end, it was Song Jinyi who spoke first, looking sideways at him: "How... did you become the king of Xirong?"

Tuoba Jun was silent for a moment, his voice as light as the wind: "Fight a few battles, win, and that's it." His understated tone concealed countless swords and shadows.

Although Song Jinyi had not personally participated in his past, she knew how difficult it was. After thinking for a long time, she said, "It must have been very difficult for you these years."

These words were like a feather brushing against the tip of his heart, and Tuoba Jun's body trembled imperceptibly.

After all these years of blood and gore, everyone only saw his current power, and no one ever asked him if he was tired.

He stared at the top of the tent quietly, many emotions flashing through his mind. He turned his head and wanted to say something, but when he saw her quiet face, he fell silent.

It doesn't matter, as long as she can stay by my side, there will be plenty of opportunities to talk to her in the future.

The tent became quiet, with only the sounds of each other's breathing.

Song Jinyi was about to drift off to sleep when she suddenly felt the person beside her turn over, instantly filling the gap between them. She subconsciously shrank back against the wall, her back almost touching the cold felt, but Tuoba Jun, like a vine chasing a heat source, followed her closer.

"Tuoba Jun?" Song Jinyi called softly, but got no response. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had truly fallen asleep.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she felt a weight on her shoulders. Tuoba Jun's head gently rested on her, and one arm went around her waist, half holding her in his arms.

The warm breath on her neck made Song Jinyi's whole body stiffen. She wanted to move but was held so tightly that she could not move. She could only close her eyes and accept her fate.

In the darkness, Tuoba Jun's tightly closed mouth corners quietly raised a faint arc, and a hint of cunning flashed in his green eyes under the shadow of his eyelashes.

He rubbed against her arms again, buried his chin deeper, but his breathing remained steady, as if he was really sleeping soundly.

As the morning light streamed in through the window lattice, Song Jinyi belatedly realized she was enclosed in a warm embrace. Her nose caught the faint scent of his bath last night, a refreshing yet soothing warmth.

She froze and dared not move, her eyes uncontrollably falling on the face that was so close to her.

His skin was a cool white, almost transparent in the morning light. His nose was so high and straight that it looked like a carefully carved line, and even his eye sockets were sunken into beautiful shadows.

The most eye-catching thing is her long and thick eyelashes, which are as thick as a small fan, hanging on her eyelids and casting a faint arc of light. When she is quiet, she really looks like the exquisite sculptures of beauties in Western oil paintings, shedding her usual coldness and becoming a little softer.

Just as she was lost in thought, the person in her arms suddenly moved. He seemed not yet fully awake, and she unconsciously rubbed against him. His warm breath, lazily like someone who had just woken up, gently brushed across her neck.

The touch felt like being scratched by a feather, itchy and numb. Song Jinyi subconsciously shrank back.

"Hmm..." He was startled by her movement, his eyelashes trembling as he slowly opened his eyes. Those emerald eyes, usually clear and deep, were now misty, hazy with sleep, like a gem dipped in a spring, wet and indescribably alluring.

He didn't speak immediately, but just blinked and looked at her. Then, instead of letting go, he tightened his arms and hugged her tighter, his cheek almost resting on her neck.

"Sister, are you awake?" His voice was hoarse as if he had just woken up, lazy and soft, with a slightly rising ending, like a kitten acting coquettishly.

But this intimate gesture did not soften her heart for long. The next second, she felt an obvious, hot and hard touch through the thin fabric, right on her lower abdomen.

The strange presence instantly made all the blood in her body rush to her head, and her cheeks suddenly felt hot.

Her mind buzzed, and all the romantic thoughts she had just had disappeared, leaving only panic and embarrassment.

Almost instinctively, she raised her hand and pushed him away with all her strength.

"You...!" Her voice was trembling, and she was anxious and embarrassed. She couldn't even finish her words. She could only stare at him with a red face, her heart beating so fast that it seemed like it would burst out of her chest.

Tuoba Jun looked at her innocently, "What's wrong, sister?"

"You..." Song Jinyi glanced at his lower body, and as soon as she touched it, she felt like she was burned by something, and quickly turned her eyes away.

Tuoba Jun realized what was going on belatedly and explained with a nonchalant smile, "It's just a normal physiological reaction."

What he said made her seem like she was making a fuss out of nothing and had dirty thoughts.

"You, you..." Song Jinyi said the word "you" several times in a row, but couldn't say anything else.

say what?

That he was acting like a hooligan in broad daylight?

People explained that it was a normal physiological phenomenon.

That he had bad intentions?

But nothing really happened...

She could only swallow her bitterness and suppress the matter.

Hearing the movement in the tent, the maids came in quietly to help with the morning wash.

After the matter was over, Tuoba Jun was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something. He turned around and looked at Song Jinyi, saying meaningfully, "Sister, you are much more well-behaved today."

After hearing this, Song Jinyi seemed to have no other appropriate reaction except looking at him and smiling. She said awkwardly, "Now I have figured it out. I will naturally not do anything more if I want you to return to Yuedu."

Wait until the person leaves.

The stiff smile on Song Jinyi's lips slowly fell, and she frowned as she looked at the direction he left, silently adding in her heart, "No way!"

From last night's conversation, she realized that reasoning with him was pointless. If she brought up the past again this morning, she was afraid it would backfire and increase his wariness.

It would be better to pretend to be submissive and wait until the surveillance around is relaxed, then you will always find a chance to escape.

******

The golden red sun had already jumped out of the Gobi Desert, making the quicksand glow with warm light, and even the wool felt in the tent was soaked in a layer of warmth.

The team that should have broken camp did not move for a long time.

The maid who brought the fruit plate came in with a silver tray and saw her staring at the sun in a daze: "Madam, are you waiting to break camp? We can't leave today."

Song Jinyi's heart trembled, but she pretended to be calm on the surface. She asked casually, "What happened?"

The maid lowered her voice, "Princess Agula came after us this morning. The Agula tribe played a significant role in the battle between the king and the eldest prince for the throne. The king, mindful of their old friendship, couldn't bring himself to send her away. He's currently in the tent, racking his brains."

These words were like a stone dropped into her heart. At first, she felt a surge of joy—the longer she stayed, the more chance she had. But then, an inexplicable sadness washed over her.

The Princess of Agula was of noble status and must be good-looking. Her heart and eyes were completely devoted to Tuoba Jun. Who wouldn't be tempted?

As for herself... She pinched her palm hard to stop the inexplicable dizziness - the most important thing at the moment was to escape.

Just as the thought came to his mind, there was a sudden commotion outside the tent.

Before Song Jinyi could react to what was happening, she saw the curtain being pulled open with a "rustle", and a maid in a scarlet, narrow-sleeved Hu costume rushed in, the silver ornaments in her hair jingling with her movements.

She glanced around the room carelessly and turned her gaze towards her: "Are you the woman the king brought back from Daxia?"

After she said that, she walked straight towards where Song Jinyi was standing.

The maid guarding the tent tried to stop her, but was pushed so hard she staggered. "My princess asked me to come and see this lady, and you dare to stop me?"

As he spoke, he circled around Song Jinyi, looking her up and down with a look of disdain in his eyes. Finally, he leaned close to her ear and spoke something very quickly in a very low voice.

After she finished speaking, she stood up, sneered at Song Jinyi, "Nothing special", turned around, lifted the curtain and left.

Silence returned to the tent, but Song Jinyi froze in place, her palm tightly clutching the bag of drugs that the red-clothed maid had secretly stuffed into her hand. "Our princess knows your difficulties and has specially sent me to help you out. This medicine is your chance."

Song Jinyi sat on a Hu bed, her eyes glued to the maids busying around in the tent. One was bending over to fold clothes, while the other two were tidying up the sundries in the copper tray.

The corners of the paper bag in her palm were already soaked with sweat, and her fingertips repeatedly stroked the thin paper.

She hesitated. Could the other party really be so kind? What if it wasn't a drug...

But the other party was right, this was indeed her last chance.

She bit her lip and didn't care about anything else. If she waited until Tuoba Jun finished dealing with the princess's affairs and set off before breaking camp, she would never have the chance to escape again.

She took a deep breath, quietly brought the paper bag to her knees, quickly twisted a corner with her fingertips, and poured the fine white powder into her palm.

His eyes swept over the silver plate on the table, which was filled with fresh grapes, green and glistening with water droplets.

She picked up a grape and quickly rubbed the powder across her palm with her fingertips, ensuring it was evenly spread on the skin. She applied the same treatment to two more grapes before putting the remaining grapes aside and standing up with the silver tray. "You've been busy all day. Take a break."

The maids stood up upon hearing this. It was hard to refuse her kindness, so they each took one with a smile: "You are too polite, my lady."

Song Jinyi stood aside, staring at them as they chewed the grapes, her heart almost beating in her throat.

But after a moment, the maid who first took the grapes suddenly staggered, and whispered with her hands on the table: "Why do I feel a little dizzy..." Before she finished speaking, she slid down along the corner of the table and sat down. The other two also felt dizzy and fell on the carpet one after another.

Song Jinyi hurried forward to check their breathing, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that they had just fainted.

She quickly took off the Hu clothing of one of the maids, put it on randomly, and let her hair down and braided it into the same braid as theirs.

After disguising herself, she took a deep breath, picked up the empty lunch box, walked to the door, and listened attentively to the noise outside.

She imitated the maid's way of walking with her head down and hurried out. The guard saw that it was the maid who had delivered the meal and only glanced at her before paying no more attention.

Seeing that she had deceived the guard, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly looked for the stable.

I don’t know whether the princess used some tricks or God was on her side - the stable was unguarded!

God help me!

Song Jinyi's face revealed an indescribable excitement. She immediately noticed that one of the black horses had a white line on its forehead, extending from the forehead to the tip of the nose, as if it was highlighted.

The horse seemed to have a connection with her and actually turned its head to look at her.

That’s it!

Song Jinyi untied the reins and quietly led the horse out. The horse was very cooperative and followed her silently.

When they were almost at the camp gate, Song Jinyi unconsciously tightened her hands holding the reins. She definitely couldn't get through this checkpoint by cheating, so she had to give it a try.

She turned over and sat astride the horse, the reins causing the horse's ears to stand up, and the sand kicked up by the horse's hooves splashed onto the soldier's armor.

The shouts of "Who are you?!" from the defenders behind her immediately caused a stir. The chaotic sound of footsteps mixed with shouts of "Stop her" caught up with her. She kicked the horse hard and galloped forward without looking back.

I don’t know how long I ran, but there was no sound of anyone.

She slowly pulled the reins, and in the twilight, the only sound was the sound of sand blowing against the horse's mane. Looking around, there were only undulating sand dunes, without even a shadow.

Her fingers unconsciously clenched the reins, and hesitation suddenly came over her - thinking of Tuoba Jun, her nose felt astringent. There had always been something between the two of them.

Now that she left without saying goodbye, what would he think?

She stared quietly in the direction she had come from, a multitude of chaotic thoughts clinging to her face like spiderwebs. She blinked and silently said, "Sorry."

"I'll make plans after I finish my business." She whispered to the empty desert, a long sigh rolling out of her throat, and the tip of her boot tapped the horse's belly lightly. The horse stepped on the broken sand and slowly walked towards the deeper twilight.

The last orange of the sunset glow had long been swallowed up by the night, leaving only the dark blue sky pressing down heavily.

Song Jinyi looked at the unfamiliar environment around her, her heart sinking. Where had she gone?

In the vast sea of ​​sand, she seemed like an inconspicuous grain of sand, unable to tell the direction. She unconsciously slowed down her pace, walking slowly while feeling doubtful.

Finally, I vaguely saw a dark shadow not far away, which looked like a human figure.

Her heart tightened, and she quickened her pace as she ran over. Only when she got closer did she see clearly that it wasn't a person, but a huge, weathered rock. Five bold characters were engraved on the stone, barely discernible in the moonlight: "Number One Pass Under Heaven."

The expression on her face froze instantly. How did she end up at Yanxing Pass?

It's completely the wrong way around!

She wanted to cry but had no tears!

Her heart was filled with a sense of confusion and helplessness, so she simply got off the horse and sat down on the lying stone. The kettle was casually placed aside, making a slight knocking sound.

The moon tonight is exceptionally bright, and its light flows down like running water, coating everything around it with a layer of silver.

She looked up and saw an endless desert all around. There were no small bridges, flowing water, or lush greenery like in the Jiangnan water towns. There were only rolling sand dunes, outlining a gentle and vast outline under the moonlight.

The wind blows through the sand dunes, gently brushing my cheeks with sand. There is no noise of the crowd, only the silence and openness between heaven and earth.

Although she had stayed in the desert for a few days, she had never looked at the desert so quietly and calmly as she did today.

It seemed like a completely different scene, and the depression accumulated in my chest seemed to be quietly blown away by the night wind.

For the first time, she discovered that the rugged desert could have such a stunning beauty. Its unadorned vastness made her feel relaxed and even made her breathing smoother.

She looked up at the stars in the sky. The stars were densely dotted on the dark blue sky. They were brighter and denser than the stars in the night sky of Jiangnan, as if she could pick them with her hands.

The wind blew fine sand across the ground, and the raised sand particles swirled and drifted in the moonlight, just like a light gauze skirt dancing.

All her emotions slowly settled in the vastness of the world, and the stubbornness and grievances in her heart faded, leaving only an unprecedented calm. She had never felt her heart so open, as if it could accommodate the entire starry sky and desert.

Her complicated thoughts seemed to be soothed by the tranquility of the moment. She closed her eyes and felt the breath of nature.

She tried to imagine what method she could use to live up to Tathagata and her lover's disappointment.