Chapter 89

Mu Yulu remained calm, but her steps were swift, and she soon arrived at the city gate.

People lined up to leave the city, undergoing routine checks. Today was the Lantern Festival, and there were many merchants coming and going, as well as many people returning home to visit relatives. Most of the guards on duty at the city gates had also gone to celebrate the festival, so there were fewer people checking than usual, and the searches were less thorough.

Mu Yulu stood in the queue, her palms sweating, but she tried her best to keep her face calm.

As people passed by one by one, she noticed that the checks were indeed lax, with the guards focusing more on the luggage than on people's faces.

"Next, hurry up." Soon it was her turn. The guard waved to her, his voice carrying a hint of impatience from being forced to work during the holiday.

Mu Yulu lowered her head and stepped forward, speaking softly: "I'm going home to visit my family, and I didn't bring much luggage."

The guard glanced at her casually, as if he thought she looked familiar but couldn't quite place her. After his gaze lingered on her for a moment, he waved her away, saying, "Go on, go on."

She breathed a sigh of relief and easily slipped out into the crowd.

Previously, when Mohe communicated with her, they agreed on a route: after leaving the city, head north, and a carriage would be waiting for them under the old locust tree three miles outside the city.

After leaving the city gate, she took a deep breath and ran in the agreed direction.

At the same time, a voice rang out from the city gate: "Wait, I remember now! She's the Princess Consort of Dingyuan! Stop her quickly, don't let her escape!"

The moment she heard that sound, she quickened her pace and ran desperately towards the city gates.

Having finally managed to secure the opportunity to leave the capital, she absolutely could not allow herself to be caught and brought back just as she was about to succeed.

The city gate guard who remembered her identity was closest to her and quickly caught up. However, due to her status as the Princess Consort of Dingyuan, the guard did not dare to touch her directly, but only dared to grab her sleeve.

Glancing at the pursuers behind her, she didn't hesitate to take off her outer garment. While the guard was flustered and unsure whether to continue blocking her or close his eyes, she draped the large outer garment over his head, then turned around and continued running in the agreed direction.

She knew that her actions could only temporarily hold off the guard for a short while, and there were still many more pursuers behind her. Moreover, these were only the guards at the city gate. Once the prince's pursuers arrived, she would truly have nowhere to escape.

The road ahead grew darker and darker, and the footsteps behind her grew closer and closer. She ran frantically, her heart pounding wildly, as if it were about to burst out of her chest.

A month after the Spring Festival, during the coldest time of the year, she took off her coat and fled in the cold wind. Although her blood seemed to be frozen, she did not feel cold at all.

Although she had tried her best to escape, she was no match for the pursuers behind her, and they caught up with her in no time.

Just as one of them reached out to grab her, someone leaped out from the sparse woods by the roadside, slashing the man's arm with a sword, forcing him to withdraw and retreat.

A familiar figure blocked her way, stopping the pursuers behind her.

Mu Yulu looked at her in surprise: "Mohe? You've learned to wield a sword in just half a year?"

At the same time, Tanxiang emerged from the forest, took Mu Yulu's hand, and was about to lead her away. "Just now, Miss Mohe showed me the way. Your Highness, please come with me. I know where the carriage is."

Mohe weaved through the pursuers' flashing blades, several bloody marks quickly appearing on her plain dress. After dodging one attack, she glanced back at Mu Yulu: "Xinyun is waiting for you in the carriage. I'll hold them off. You hurry up and go!"

Mu Yulu was naturally worried about her. There were more than just these guards in the city. Soon, the guards from the Prince's Mansion would also be coming. How could Mohe handle it all by herself?

But she also knew that this was not the time to hesitate and waste time. If she hesitated at this critical moment, none of the three of them would be able to leave.

She glanced at Mohe one last time, then gripped Tanxiang's hand tightly, and together they stumbled and continued running.

Tanxiang pulled her into the forest, weaving through the trees. However, they hadn't run far when they heard the sound of horses' hooves behind them.

Mu Yulu's heart tightened, and she turned to look at Tanxiang. They both knew that the guards from the Prince's mansion had caught up with them.

It was easy to guess that Mohe alone was barely able to hold off the guards at the city gate, let alone stop the well-equipped royal guards. And the two of them couldn't possibly outrun a horse.

The rapid, dense sound of horses' hooves shattered the silence of the forest, rapidly closing in on them.

Mu Yulu suddenly stopped and pulled Tanxiang behind a thick tree trunk. The next second, the guards surrounded them.

Their fleeing figures were too conspicuous; if they hadn't hidden themselves immediately, they would probably have been captured by now.

Mu Yulu and Tanxiang hid behind a tree, panting heavily. The moonlight, stingy with its light, filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled and fragmented shadows on them. Ahead, they could vaguely see a sparsely wooded open area where Xinyun's carriage was parked.

"Your Highness, please come with us back to the manor." The guard's voice rang out from the horse, respectful in tone but extremely cold in tone.

Mu Yulu knew that they must have discovered the injured and poisoned Mu Qinhan. If she were captured and taken back, she would most likely die.

She gently nudged Tanxiang and whispered, "I'll go back with them later. You stay here and wait until we're far away before leaving with Xinyun and the others."

Sandalwood didn't dare to say a word, it just kept shaking its head.

At that moment, several sharp whistling sounds rang out as several crossbow bolts accurately embedded themselves in the tree trunks where they were hiding. Clearly, they already knew where Mu Yulu was hiding, and this was their final warning to her.

There's no escaping it.

They were surrounded by pursuers. Although they were hiding behind the trees, they were actually within range of crossbow bolts. If they continued to run forward, they would only become live targets.

She is no longer a princess, but a fugitive who attempted to assassinate the regent of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom.

Mu Yulu leaned against the cold tree trunk, closed her eyes, let out a long breath, released Tanxiang's hand, and resignedly walked out from behind the tree trunk.

The moment she stepped out, a very faint sound came from above her head. She subconsciously looked up and immediately met a pair of beautiful eyes.

Those are the eyes of the Sanzhou Violet.

Her steps froze, and she stood there motionless.

It snowed heavily last night, and it's the coldest time of the year, but Sanzhou Jinse is still wearing the same thin pink shirt she wore when they first met.

He stood on the treetop where they were hiding, his light robe sleeves fluttering in the night wind, making him appear like a phantom, as if he might be carried away by the wind at any moment.

"Is it really you?" Mu Yulu asked in a daze.

The person before me was tall and slender, wrapped in flowing pink cloud-like clothes, yet she did not appear feminine at all; instead, she possessed an indescribable air of elegance and grace.

Who else in this world could wear a pink shirt with such elegance but Sanzhou Jinse?

The guards were also stunned, staring in disbelief at the person who appeared openly and stood on the tree branch like a ghost.

More than half a year ago, they witnessed Sanzhou Jinse fall off a cliff with several arrows in his body. With such severe injuries and such a high cliff, how could he possibly survive?

However, at this moment, Sanzhou Jinse was standing right in front of them, alive and well. Not only had he returned alive, but his martial arts skills were even better than before.

Among so many of them, not one of them saw when he arrived or how he appeared. One moment there were only swaying shadows on the treetop, and the next he was already silently standing on that slender branch.

The branch didn't even bend under his weight, as if he wasn't standing on it, but rather floating in the moonlight on an invisible breeze.

Some of them couldn't help but wonder if Sanzhou Jinse had actually died that day, and what was appearing before them now was really a ghost that could float in the air.

Sanzhou Jinse seemed not to see them at all, only looking down at Mu Yulu, and then softly replied, "It's me."

Mu Yulu covered her mouth and wept with joy, while the head guard was furious.

Sanzhou Jinse clearly didn't take them seriously. He ordered his guards to draw their bows and prepare for battle, but in Sanzhou Jinse's eyes, they were probably just a row of radishes and cabbages.

Unable to tolerate such contempt, and disregarding the possibility of accidentally injuring Mu Yulu—after all, she had injured the prince, and even if she returned alive, she would still be a wanted criminal of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom—he immediately issued the order to fire arrows. The next second, dozens of arrows and crossbows shot towards the three of them simultaneously.

Just then, the pink clouds on the treetops suddenly blurred, and Sanzhou Jinse silently slid down from the high branches, brushing away all the arrows as if sweeping away dust. The whole process was light and elegant, and he didn't even draw his sword.

After brushing away the rain of arrows, he turned and came to Mu Yulu's side. "I'll hold them off. You keep running forward. Xinyun is waiting for you up ahead."

Mu Yulu was still worried about Mohe's safety. She glanced back at the road they had come from with unease. "Mohe just stopped the first wave of pursuers ahead. I'm worried she won't be able to handle it."

At this moment, another wave of arrows came. Sanzhou Jinse easily blocked them with her sword and even had time to talk to Mu Yulu: "Don't worry, I'll deal with these people in front of me and then go to meet her. You go first."

What do you mean by "get rid of these people in front of us"? The tone was so casual, as if they were nothing more than vegetables. The captain of the guards roared inwardly, directing his men to charge towards Sanzhou Jinse.

Mu Yulu knew she couldn't delay any longer. She grabbed Sanzhou Jinse's sleeve and said, "Listen carefully, I will wait for you. Don't make me wait too long this time."

Their eyes met briefly in the moonlight, like dragonflies skimming the water, and in an instant they understood each other's feelings. Without needing to say anything more, Mu Yulu let go of his hand, turned around, and ran with Tanxiang toward the carriage parked outside the woods.