Chapter 96: Where Spring Returns (1) Only when you miss someone will you be with another person...

Sending a message now would be far less efficient than Yan Huinan returning in person. He couldn't afford to lose a moment, and regardless of going against the flow of refugees, he had no idea that he was about to return to a city besieged by the plague.

Xie Yun is the only one in my mind, and I am worried that I won’t be able to see her.

So he rode non-stop all the way, and by the time he arrived in Jincheng, two of his horses had died from running.

We were about to enter a flat plain, but the mountains loomed large, snow-covered, and the road to Xingyang was completely blocked, with no way in or out. We could only wait for the snow to subside and clear a passable path.

Si Wen, who had been following Yan Huinan all the way, also warned them that if they continued in the snow and wind, they would both risk freezing to death. Since they only rested to change horses, they didn't dare to stop for a moment, so they didn't drink a single sip of hot water along the way.

They stopped at a post station at the foot of the mountain. This station provided rest and supplies for travelers who had crossed the mountain all year round, and it was a bustling and large post station.

At this moment, the post station was crowded with people fleeing from the south.

Everyone was filled with uneasiness because of the snow, as if the heavy snow had blocked the spreading plague under the white sky.

Half a month passed, and some of the people who escaped before the city was closed fell ill on the way. Now, in addition to Baixia City, many other cities are also closed, and people who escaped from Baixia City are strictly prohibited from entering the city.

These people could only hasten their escape northward, as someone had discovered that the colder the place, the slower the onset of the disease. Although the reason was unknown, heading north was at least the only way to survive.

Yan Huinan and Si Wen spent a lot of money to book a room. A family that also spent a lot of money to book a room with Yan Huinan lived next door to Yan Huinan.

In the middle of the night, there was a loud noise outside the post station, like angry thunder.

Not long after, someone was heard shouting outside the inn, "The heavy snow is crushing people to death!"

It turned out that a thick layer of snow on the mountain collapsed from the mountainside, and a wall of snow rolled down like a flood, crushing several pedestrians on the mountain road.

Someone needs to go dig the man out of the snow.

The group of soldiers that had lagged behind Yan Huinan and Si Wen had also arrived not long ago and were stationed not far from the post station. Yan Huinan, being kind-hearted and considering it a good deed, asked Si Wen to find a few strong men to help dig out the bodies.

Yan Huinan's fingers would ache in the wet weather of rain and snow, and he stayed awake all night, just standing on the top of the post station, watching from the distant lights.

Among the group of people who were hit, a few managed to escape.

After Si Wen went to the scene, he returned to report an unexpected news to Yan Huinan.

"Your Highness, it's the Wen family."

"Which Wen family?" Yan Huinan's heart tightened when he heard it was the Wen family.

The Wen family of Langya or the Wen family of Baixia.

"The Wen family in Baixia." Si Wen knew what Yan Huinan wanted to ask, "The princess and the young prince are not among them."

Yan Huinan could no longer suppress the anger in his heart. He strode out, facing the fierce wind and snow, like a ghost walking out of hell.

Arriving at the scene, Wen Rui was huddled in her brother Wen Yao's arms, weeping. The two sat on a wooden box nearby, still terrified. The man trapped in the snow was their father. Mrs. Wen, with all her willpower, remained calm and directed the men to dig the snow.

Si Wen followed Yan Huinan half a step behind him, holding a fluttering lantern. Wen Yao looked up at the light and was shocked to see Yan Huinan standing in front of him with indifference.

He never thought that he would meet Yan Huinan on the way to escape.

The Wen family had intended to flee to Langya, but the city had been sealed off long before their arrival, making it impossible to enter. The garrison stationed there was none other than Peng Ye's army. Because Langya was Xie Yun's former home, Yan Huinan stationed troops there after her departure. Presuming Xie Yun dead, Yan Huinan considered the land of Langya as significant as Xie Yun's legacy.

He was also afraid that Xie Yun would return to Langya one day, so since then, the Langya garrison has always been led by Yan Huinan's former personal guards. Now it was Peng Ye.

Peng Ye is not someone who can be moved by profit. For the sake of the people in the city, Peng Ye will not open the gate easily.

So the Wen family was forced to head north.

"Why are you here?" Wen Yao asked in shock, his voice a little weak. He had come north from Baixia, while Yan Huinan had previously set out for Daliang in the north. How they would meet here was both unexpected and reasonable. After all, the Jincheng route was the shortest.

Yan Huinan spoke clearly, "I want to ask you, your Wen family fled with all their wealth, but lost Xie Yun, right?"

Wen Yao had no way of defending himself in this matter. He had indeed left Xie Yun in the dangerous Baixia City.

But the young man was unwilling to admit his mistakes, or perhaps it was his stubbornness that made him subconsciously defend himself, "That wasn't my intention! I asked her, I did ask her. I begged her to leave Baixia with me, but she insisted on staying! There was nothing I could do."

Yan Huinan had probably seen too many people who acted indecisively and selfishly, so in his eyes, Wen Yao was just an ignorant child who could only shirk responsibility when faced with difficulties. Therefore, his previous anger was somewhat extinguished, and he felt only pity for this fool.

"I don't want to lose her either. I moved out of Yan Lang, and I even asked you, but she said that her heart is as firm as a rock. She wants to stay in the city to find a solution to the epidemic and live and die with the people in the city." Wen Yao said anxiously.

"So you left?" Si Wen, who was always calm and composed, couldn't help but get angry. He didn't expect that when Xie Yun's mind was full of the people of Baixia, Wen Yao, who was so afraid of death, would just leave like that.

After hearing what the others said, Wen Rui stopped crying and stood up angrily. "What else? Are we going to let my brother and her stay in Baixia City together and wait for death? If my brother dies, what will happen to our parents and our Wen family?!"

Wen Rui had just gone from a pampered young lady to a refugee, having just lost her father. She was immersed in her own grief and spoke without restraint, "My brother also said that he had persuaded her and begged her. It's not that we don't want to take her away, it's that she wanted to stay. We can't just wait to die with her! Your Majesty, you are also a human being. Would you choose to wait to die with such a crazy woman?"

Yan Huinan didn't want to pay attention to her. It was just a waste of words.

Si Wen answered for him, "The reason we met here is precisely because the prince is going to Baixia."

If I go back to the capital, I will definitely not go here.

Wen Yao and Wen Rui both thought Yan Huinan was crazy when they heard this. At this moment, Baixia City had been sealed off, and he could naturally go in as a prince, but this was tantamount to committing suicide.

But everyone knows that Yan Huinan's parents and close relatives are all dead, and the closest blood relative to him now is Yan Lang.

Si Wen's tepid words just now made Wen Yao feel that his dignity had been trampled upon. He saw deep contempt in those words and the expressions of the two people. "Yan Huinan, your parents are both dead, so you are naturally free from all worries. That's why you can so easily say such words to shut me up. Not everyone is like you, so carefree!"

Yan Huinan couldn't help but lower his head and sneer when he heard this.

Si Wen was also completely enraged by these words. He drew his sword angrily and was about to kill Wen Yao.

But before he could draw his sword, Yan Huinan had already reached out and grabbed Wen Yao's neck tightly.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged, and he felt guilty and annoyed. He said in a deep voice, "I was wrong, Wen Yao. I mistakenly thought that if she chose you, I could withdraw and let her choose what she wanted. I was wrong. I thought that although you were incompetent and stupid, you at least had feelings for her. If I died, you could take care of her and accompany her in the future. I was so wrong!"

At this moment, Yan Huinan's eyes could no longer control the redness, and the strength in his hands suddenly increased. Wen Yao's face immediately showed a painful expression, and he couldn't help struggling, trying to break free from Yan Huinan's shackles.

Yan Huinan gritted his teeth and said, "Your life is your life, but others are not ants either. Is she determined not to leave, or is she kind and unwilling to give up? Wen Yao, how can you be worthy of Xie Yun?"

Wen Rui saw that her brother was about to be strangled to death, and tears began to flow out again, "Let my brother go!"

After saying that, she raised her hand to hit Yan Huinan's arm.

But Si Wen didn't give her any chance at all. The cold blade that had just been unsheathed was quickly pressed against Wen Rui's neck.

Wen Rui was immediately frightened and could not move, and could only cry.

Just as Yan Huinan said, he was able to easily kill Wen Yao with his bare hands, and Wen Yao was completely unable to fight back.

But just before Wen Yao was about to die, he loosened his grip. Wen Yao immediately fell to the ground like a dehydrated dog, breathing heavily.

The body of Master Wen and some of the luggage of the Wen family were dug out. Yan Huinan let Wen Yao go and turned to leave. Wen Yao and Wen Rui's hearts were beating wildly. They were worried that Yan Huinan would suddenly come back and kill them, and they were heartbroken and worried about their father. Finally, until Si Wen gave the order and the soldiers who came to help left, Wen Yao and Wen Rui dared to run over to check their father's body.

After leaving, Si Wen asked, "Master, are you going to let him and the Wen family go just like that?"

Yan Huinan simply hummed.

Xie Yun did not blame Wen Yao for leaving. She did not hate the Wen family for abandoning her. It was just because she had never had any expectations or love for Wen Yao.

This only means that Xie Yun doesn't hate him, so Yan Huinan won't really do anything bad to Wen Yao. This is in accordance with Xie Yun's wishes.

But just because she doesn't rely on the Wen family and has no expectations of Wen Yao doesn't mean that Xie Yun doesn't need someone to stand firmly by her side at this moment.

This time, even if Xie Yun pushed him away, he would not let go. Even if he was asked to die with Xie Yun, he would be willing to do so.

After dawn, the snow in Jincheng finally stopped.

The natural disaster of the previous night was also buried under a thick layer of snow. At daybreak, Wen Yao and his family set out for Jincheng. Yan Huinan's men were also heading in the opposite direction, taking advantage of the snow to clear a passage.

Wen Yao seemed to have woken up from the sadness of last night. The marks on his neck left by Yan Huinan were very obvious. The blow from Yan Huinan last night had brought Wen Yao to the brink of death, and that moment had also woken him up severely.

When they said goodbye at the post station, Wen Yao, who had lost his father, walked up to Yan Huinan with a look of despair on his face and said, "The plague is severe in Baixia. Since you are the regent, you must have many ways to save the people. Prepare more supplies and medicines, and bring the imperial physician to Baixia."

After a long bout of nonsense, Wen Yao finally managed to utter something useful amidst his guilt: "Xie Yun and I are not married, let alone husband and wife. Yan Huinan, when we first met, she said that my high-spirited personality was very similar to someone she knew in the past. I think the person she was talking about was you."

"Only when you miss someone can you see the shadow of the person you miss in another person." Wen Yao said, "I may never understand her, but I guess that in her heart, you must be more important than me."

For the first time, Yan Huinan looked this young man in the face. This young man was young, proud, and felt so lonely after making a mistake.

For the first time, I felt like talking to him.

In the past, I always spoke to Wen Yao with contempt and helplessness.

But this time is different.

Yan Huinan curled his lips and said, "Remove the word 'should'. She just cares about me more and loves me more."

But he did agree with what Wen Yao said: Only when you miss someone will you see his shadow in another person.

-----------------------Author has something to say: Entering the final stage [rainbow fart][rainbow fart][rainbow fart]