Chapter 111 "We've met before."...

Ji An always remembered the day he parted from Yuan Chaolu; it was also a snowy day. Inside the house, a charcoal fire burned in the stove. He asked his sister what birthday gift she wanted after the New Year. His sister clasped her hands together and made a wish in front of the stove: she hoped that their mother's caravan would return soon so that their family of four could be reunited.

However, on that day, instead of their mother, they were greeted by the Helan family, who barged into their home without a word.

The entire house was ransacked. The elder sister was dragged out of the mansion, the puppy's spine was broken, and he was also severely beaten. Like a dog to be trampled on, he was thrown aside, listening to his elder sister's cries and watching helplessly as she was taken away.

He hadn't seen her in so long.

"Sister, why did you come here? It's so dangerous here."

Ji An watched as she walked towards him, and then he was pulled into a warm embrace.

At this moment, Ji An was certain that this was not a dream. Trembling, he raised his arms and hugged her tightly.

I miss you so much.

Yuan Chaolu raised her hand and hugged his cheek, saying, "I miss you too. Now is not the time to reminisce with you. Helan Yi's people are looking for you. Quickly pack your things and I will take you back."

He paused, his gaze hesitant, as if he had some reservations.

Yuan Chaolu asked, "What's wrong?"

"I did some things before, so I'm afraid I can't go back."

"I know what you did; we'll talk about it later."

Yuan Chaolu grasped his icy hand firmly and said, "Go quickly."

Ji An met her gaze, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay."

As Ji An was tidying up, Yuan Chaolu turned her gaze to the man beside her. Xiao Zhuo was picking up a sharp curved knife from the table when he noticed Yuan Chaolu's gaze and turned his head away.

"Thank you. I didn't expect you to come looking for Ji An. I—"

He paused halfway through his sentence.

Xiao Zhuo raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

Yuan Chaolu then mustered her courage: "He is my brother. You and I both know the consequences if word gets to the court officials about what he did. I thought you didn't know, but now that I think about it, you said you came to inspect the border, but you were actually looking for him, weren't you..."

In the end, she really didn't know what to say.

Xiao Zhuo said, "I will look for him, because he is your family."

One sentence left Yuan Chaolu stunned.

She looked at him for a while, then lowered her eyes to look at the heater at her feet, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. "Thank you."

While the two were talking, Ji An had already packed his bags. Time was of the essence, so he had brought almost nothing, just a thick fleece coat and a few essential clothes.

When he looked up, he saw his sister and the man talking quietly by the tent.

Yuan Chaolu said, "Let's go quickly."

Ji An nodded, took a step, then remembered something and turned back to look behind him. The elderly man was standing there, looking at him with reluctance. Uncle Aqi was over seventy years old, and his children and grandchildren had all passed away. At this age, he was all alone, guarding his ranch. During this time, the two of them could be said to depend on each other for survival. Although they had no blood relation, they seemed to be connected by blood.

After Ji An left, one can imagine how lonely he would be again.

After his father's sudden death, his family was destroyed, and he felt as if he had been abandoned by heaven and earth. But Uncle Archie took him in.

Ji An stepped forward, lowered his head, and hugged the old man's slightly hunched body tightly.

"Uncle Archie, take care."

Uncle Aqi didn't say much. He personally led the fattest horse from the shed behind the tent, handed it to Ji An, tied two large bags of dry food to the horse's back, patted the horse's body, and told him to hurry up and get on the road.

“Go, child.” He stroked his cheek with his wrinkled hand.

The group mounted their horses in the cold wind, and Ji An couldn't help but look back.

In front of the tent, Uncle Archie watched him, his robes fluttering in the wind, all alone, until the group went further and further away, and he turned into a black dot and could no longer be seen.

**

The three reached the hillside and met up with the waiting crowd. Soon after, they set off. The only sound in the entire landscape was the crisp sound of horses' hooves striking the frozen earth.

However, the wind and snow were getting heavier and heavier, and even the usually strong and elite soldiers were finding it difficult to cope.

Xiao Zhuo turned his head and saw that Yuan Chaolu's entire face was covered up, with only his eyes showing, and his eyelashes were covered with snow.

She looked up and said, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me falling behind. Just keep going."

Not long after he finished speaking, with a "whoosh," a long arrow suddenly flew from behind and embedded itself deeply in the grass.

"Your Majesty, we are being pursued from behind."

Ji An, who was following behind Xiao Zhuo, was stunned when he heard "Your Majesty" for the first time. He didn't have time to think about it and turned his head to look.

On the hillside they had just left, a group of people appeared, spreading their wings, and rushed towards them to surround them!

The pursuers behind them were fierce, surging forward like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey, their ferocity suggesting a desperate fight to the death, using every last ounce of strength they had.

"Whoosh!" Another cold arrow pierced the air and pierced a soldier's back. Blood gushed out and splattered on the snow. The guard groaned and fell off his horse.

The soldiers of Daqi prepared to meet the enemy.

These cavalrymen were the elite of the elite, having fought year-round, capable of taking on ten enemies at once. Even while mounted on horseback, they could turn their backs and shoot down enemies coming from behind.

At this moment, everyone took out their longbows. Xiao Zhuo also spurred his horse, nocked his bow, and aimed at the pursuing soldier charging at the front. His movements were swift and decisive, and he shot an arrow through him.

Blood flew wildly in the wind, splattering all over the ground. The sounds of horses' hooves and fighting echoed across the grassland.

Even though this force was elite, the enemy's numbers far exceeded theirs...

Seeing this, Han Peng said, "He Lanyi's men far exceed our expectations. Your Majesty and the Empress should go first. I will stay behind!"

He tried to draw his sword, but Xiao Zhuo forcefully pressed it back down, causing the scabbard to vibrate.

Han Peng asked, puzzled, "Your Majesty?"

Xiao Zhuo turned his gaze, the wind and snow hitting his cheeks, making his skin appear even paler, and his eyes were particularly calm as he observed the situation.

“He’s not one of Helan Yi’s men. He has Rong Bei’s assistant. If you go now, you’ll only be going to your death.”

Suddenly, a gust of wind carrying a blizzard howled and surged in, and in an instant it seemed as if the world was spinning. Snowflakes poured down like a great river, and the wind was so strong that it could overturn horses.

Everyone stopped moving at once, instinctively lying prone on the horse's back and gripping the reins tightly.

The heavy snow fell like a curtain, obscuring the road ahead, creating a vast expanse of white – a very ominous sign.

Ji An suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the left, "Go this way, I hid here before. There's a river valley below, and a hidden path there that can help you avoid pursuers!"

Xiao Zhuo's gaze quickly swept across the valley below. Through the wind and snow, he could see that the sparse trees growing near the valley could indeed provide cover and shake off pursuers.

Xiao Zhuo looked at Yuan Chaolu with a resolute gaze and ordered, "Han Peng, you take a team to escort the Empress away. Follow the path to the hidden mole in the southwest. I will lead another team to the southeast."

Yuan Chaolu was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Xiao Zhuo's wrist. "What are you going to do?"

"The enemy is pursuing us, so we must split up. This is a strategy the team had planned beforehand. Otherwise, both you and I will be in a disadvantageous position."

Yuan Chaolu said, "You told me to take the back path while you led your troops, clearly intending to divert some of your forces to draw away the pursuers so I could escape? Do you think I don't know that!"

She held onto Xiao Zhuo's hand tightly, tilting her head up to look at him. The wind and snow reddened her eyes, but they remained dry as she stubbornly gazed at him.

Xiao Zhuo reached up Yuan Chaolu's hand with his other hand and gently tried to pry it open, but she grabbed it again.

“Aju, listen to me. It’s not that I’m going to draw away the enemy’s forces for you; we have to separate. Since I can do these things, I’m at least 50% sure of success.”

Half? Yuan Chaolu's eyes welled up with tears, and she trembled with anger, wanting to pick up her horsewhip and whip him.

They dare to do this with only half the budget?

“If your husband only had that much ability, he wouldn’t have become the emperor.”

He pulled his hand over and gently placed it on his cheek, his eyes filled with laughter. Yuan Chaolu's palm trembled slightly as something else was placed into his hand.

It was the bone whistle that belonged to her.

Xiao Zhuo said, "We met a long time ago."

"I know, it's in that dilapidated temple in Longxi..." She didn't want to let go of him and really had no mood to talk to him about these things.

In a daze, it was as if she had returned to the hunting grounds, and at the moment when she saw the wild bear about to pounce on him, she was overwhelmed with emotions, and countless voices called out to her that she could not watch him die.

The wind whipped her hair wildly, tears welled in her eyes, and words caught in her throat, choking her: "I..."

Xiao Zhuo slowly released her hand and looked at her: "I met you even earlier."

Yuan Chaolu's voice choked slightly: "When was it? I don't remember!"

"If you can't come back to see me again, I will hate you for the rest of my life!"

Amidst the swirling snow and the glint of swords, he heard these words, lowered his eyelids slightly, and forced a smile, saying to Han Peng, "Take the Empress away; this is a military order."

Han Peng understood and immediately led his guards to surround Yuan Chaolu, protecting her. He then pulled on the reins and led the Empress, shouting, "Your Majesty! Let's go!"

Another gust of wind and snow swept in, and Yuan Chaolu could barely open her eyes as she was led forward on horseback. When she looked up again, he was nowhere to be seen.

Not only him, but Ji An is also missing.

In the hazy distance, only the departing figures of that group disappeared into the distance.

"Your Majesty!" someone urged.

Yuan Chaolu gripped the bone whistle tightly, this time gritting her teeth, and without lingering, shouted, "Go!"

In the wind and snow, the group suddenly split up, one rushing down into the valley below, while the other headed towards another snow-capped mountain.

The pursuers behind them seemed to notice the group separating ahead, hesitated for a moment, and reined in their horses. In an instant, the group in front almost disappeared from sight.

Everyone could only look to the decision-maker.

Soon, the pursuers split into two groups like flowing water, with the main force rushing towards the snow-capped mountains to capture the group.

The only remaining sounds in the world were the mournful cries of wind and snow.