Chapter 21 Mei Xi (Twenty-one) Recover

The door of the inner room closed behind him, blocking out the icy gaze of Li, the leader of the Blood Wolf Guard, but it could not block out the bloody murderous aura and suffocating sense of oppression that permeated the air like a substance.

Lin Jiaojiao leaned her back against the cold door panel, her body seemed to have been drained of all strength, and she slid down to the ground softly. Cold sweat instantly soaked through her thin coat, sticking to her skin and bringing waves of chills. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest like an out-of-control war drum, and every beat pulled on her fragile nerves, bringing sharp pain.

One stick of incense... Only the time of one stick of incense. This thought was like a red-hot iron, burning fiercely on her consciousness. Time had never been so precious, nor had it passed so cruelly. Every breath was like rolling on the edge of a knife.

She gasped for breath, the cold air rushing into her lungs, but it couldn't calm the fear and despair that was about to explode.

Outside the palace, the Blood Wolf Guards stood like cold stone statues. The silent murderous aura was like an invisible cage, imprisoning her tightly. The shrill screams that came faintly from the direction of the Sikou Mansion, as shrill as the wails of a night owl, were like the call of hell, constantly attacking her tense nerves.

She screamed wildly in her heart, her nails digging deep into her palms, causing a slight pain but unable to dispel the chill that penetrated deep into her bones.

Kudin's desperate cries seemed to still echo in her ears. His humble but resolute back was engraved in her mind like a brand. A complex and indescribable emotion surged in her heart, but was instantly drowned by a deeper fear.

[Host physiological indicators: Sustained high stress state! Adrenaline level: Dangerous! Logic module: Emergency plan in progress… Emotional simulation unit: …Energy core: Severely insufficient… Warning! …Zizizi…] The system's notification tone was intermittent, with a harsh murmur and an unprecedented weakness, like a candle that could go out at any moment.

Lin Jiaojiao forced herself to calm down. She couldn't just sit there and wait for death! She had to do something! She struggled to her feet and stumbled to the copper basin in the inner room. The icy cold well water was bone-chilling. She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it fiercely on her face. The biting chill instantly cleared her confused thoughts.

She looked at the blurry reflection in the copper basin - the face was still breathtakingly beautiful, but now it was as pale as paper, with wet hair sticking to her cheeks, tiny water droplets hanging on her long eyelashes, and her eyes were full of panic and fragility.

Beauty... is it still useful now? She recalled the fleeting, extremely subtle fluctuation in Li's eyes just now. Perhaps... there is still a glimmer of hope?

She quickly took off her long gown that was soaked with cold sweat and put on another moon-white long gown that was equally plain but slightly thicker in texture.

She carefully combed her messy long hair and tied it up loosely with the bone hairpin inlaid with white jade. A few strands of hair hung down naturally, making her look more fragile.

She wore no makeup, allowing her vulnerability to be revealed without reservation. Facing the blurry bronze mirror, she tried to regulate her breathing, trying to fade the panic in her eyes, leaving only an almost numb calm and... a bottomless sorrow? Like a flower about to wither in a storm.

Time passed by minute by minute, like sand falling rapidly in an hourglass. Outside the hall, the Blood Wolf Guards were like the silent god of death, without any urging. However, that silent waiting was more suffocating than any threat. Lin Jiaojiao could even hear the roar of her own blood rushing through her veins.

Just as the incense was about to burn out, Lin Jiaojiao's heart sank into the abyss of despair, and she was about to resign herself to her fate and push open the door—

Boom——!!!

A dull and rapid sound of horse hooves, like rolling thunder, came from far away and approached, fiercely smashing the dead silent night sky of the royal court. The sound was filled with a desperate madness and urgency, instantly breaking the suffocating silence.

Outside the hall, Li, who had been standing like a stone statue, suddenly raised his head. For the first time, a clear wave of emotion flashed in his cold eyes—surprise, and a hint of... anger at being interrupted?!

"Who are you?! How dare you trespass into the royal court's important territory!" A stern rebuke was heard from outside the palace by the Blood Wolf Guards, followed by the clanging sound of weapons being drawn.

"Get out of here!" A roar like thunder rang out! The voice was hoarse, but filled with violent rage and unquestionable power.

Lin Jiaojiao's heart skipped a beat. Shi Hu?! It was Shi Hu's voice! An indescribable ecstasy instantly overwhelmed all her fear. She rushed to the door and peered out through the crack.

There was flickering flame outside the hall. Shi Hu was covered in blood, his armor was torn, and his face was covered with dust and blood. He was like a demon from hell. He was riding on a warhorse that was also scarred, holding a blood-stained bronze spear in his hand. Behind him were dozens of armored soldiers who were equally exhausted, but with fierce eyes and murderous intent. They had obviously experienced a fierce battle.

Standing in front of Shi Hu were the Blood Wolf Guards. The two sides were on the verge of a fight, and the strong murderous aura collided and surged like substance.

"Shi Hu! How dare you!" Li's voice was as cold as a knife, filled with murderous intent. "The Blood Wolf Guards are acting on the king's orders! Do you want to rebel?!"

"By the king's order?!" Shi Hu's eyes were wide open with anger, and his voice was like a roaring lion, "I am also following the king's order! By the order of Princess Yuan, I am recovering the military supplies that were diverted by the treacherous people!!" He suddenly grabbed a heavy, muddy coarse cloth package from the horse's back and smashed it to the ground.

The package was opened, and inside was the tribute that had been transferred.

"Look carefully!" Shi Hu pointed at the objects on the ground, his voice like a bell, shaking the entire courtyard. "This is the supplies that Ku Ding and Si Kou, those bastards, colluded with the foreign enemy and secretly transferred out! Food! Medicine! And even tribute intended for the king! What do they want to do?! They want to cut off the king's retreat! They want to surrender the city!!" He suddenly raised his head, staring at Li with bloodshot eyes. "You Blood Wolf Guards! Why don't you catch the real traitors?! Instead, you are here to embarrass Empress Yuan! What is your intention?!"

Li's gaze fell on the supplies on the ground, and his cold eyes instantly became as sharp as a knife. He obviously recognized those tributes, and the mark of Kusi was clearly visible. Shi Hu's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting his cognition hard.

Lin Jiaojiao seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! She flung open the palace door and stepped out! Her moon-white robe fluttered slightly in the night breeze. Her pale, beautiful face was filled with a frightened, tearful expression. Her voice was trembling with just the right amount of grievance: "General Shi! You... you're finally back!"

She looked at Li, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, tears welling up in her eyes, "Royal Envoy! You heard everything! I... I was wronged. Ku Ding... Ku Ding was coerced by Sikou to transfer supplies and monitor me... I... I knew nothing about it!" She pointed to the supplies on the ground, "These... are the evidence! I... I just wanted to share the king's worries and recover the supplies, so I... I ordered General Shi to track them down... I didn't expect... I didn't expect that it would arouse the suspicion of the Royal Envoy... I... I..." Her voice choked and she could no longer speak. She just looked at Li helplessly and sadly with her tearful, clear eyes.

That beauty, illuminated by the firelight, enveloped by the darkness of night, and set against the backdrop of the panic of having just experienced a life-and-death crisis, was magnified to the extreme. That fragility, innocence, grievance, and sadness, like the sharpest weapon, instantly struck the hearts of all the men present.

The soldiers brought by Shi Hu looked at their concubine, whose eyes instantly ignited with rage. "Blood Wolf Guards! How dare you force Concubine Yuan like this?" They clenched their weapons and glared at the Blood Wolf Guards.

Even the Blood Wolf Guards who were like killing machines seemed to have a very slight wavering in their indifferent eyes. Li's gaze lingered on Lin Jiaojiao's tearful and unparalleled beautiful face for a few breaths. The coldness and scrutiny in his eyes were like an icy lake with a stone thrown into it, and finally a clear crack appeared.

He saw the supplies on the ground and heard Shi Hu's roar, but most importantly, he saw the Princess Yuan in front of him - her breathtaking beauty and fragility, her helpless sadness and grievance, did not seem like something a traitor with ulterior motives could pretend.

Could it be that... I really had wronged her? This thought, like a venomous snake, penetrated Li's mind, which was as solid as ice, for the first time.

Li was silent, and that short silence seemed as long as a century. The atmosphere in the entire courtyard was tense to the extreme. Shi Hu and the soldiers stared at the Blood Wolf Guards like tigers ready to pounce.

The Blood Wolf Guards also clenched their weapons, filled with murderous intent, while Lin Jiaojiao was like the fragile snow lotus in the center of the storm, swaying on the edge of life and death.

Finally, Li slowly raised his hand and made a gesture. The Blood Wolf Guards behind him sheathed their weapons, but their eyes remained icy.

Li's gaze fell on Lin Jiaojiao again. The murderous intent in his eyes had faded, but he still held a deep, heart-pounding inquiry. He spoke slowly, his voice still cold, but less aggressive than before: "How much supplies... were recovered?"

Shi Hu immediately clasped his fists and said in a loud voice, "Commander, 70% of the grain has been recovered! Most of the medicine and cloth have been recovered! Part of the tribute has been recovered, but the rest... was moved or destroyed in advance by Sikou and Ku Ding's confidants. However... Ku Ding has revealed all the hiding places and the names of all his accomplices! I have already sent people to control them!"

Li nodded slightly, his eyes swept over the supplies on the ground, and then he looked deeply at Lin Jiaojiao, and finally fell on Shi Hu: "This matter... I will report it to the king truthfully." He paused, and his voice carried a hint of warning, "Empress Yuanfei... take care of yourself." After that, he said no more, turned around, and with the Blood Wolf Guard, he disappeared silently and quickly into the dark night, just like when he came.

The suffocating murderous aura and smell of blood finally receded like the tide.

It was not until the Blood Wolf Guard's figure completely disappeared from sight that Lin Jiaojiao's tense nerves suddenly relaxed like a cut bowstring. Her legs went soft and she could no longer support herself, and her body fell softly backwards.

"My Lady Concubine!" Shi Hu exclaimed, and rushed forward. With Chun's support, he managed to hold up Lin Jiaojiao's shaky body.

"Empress! Are you okay?!" Shi Hu looked at Lin Jiaojiao's face, which was as pale as paper and covered with cold sweat, his eyes full of worry and fear.

Lin Jiaojiao leaned against Shi Hu's sturdy arms, feeling the exhaustion of surviving the disaster, gasping for breath, unable even to speak. She looked at Shi Hu's face, stained with blood and dust, yet filled with concern, then at the recovered supplies on the ground. An indescribable feeling of sadness and relief welled up in her heart, and tears finally rolled down her face uncontrollably.

"General Shi... you've worked hard..." Her voice was hoarse, filled with fatigue and gratitude.

"I have fulfilled my mission!" Shi Hu said in a deep voice. Looking at Lin Jiaojiao's tears, a trace of emotion flashed in the eyes of this iron man.

[Threat eliminated! External entities (Blood Wolf Guards) have evacuated! Host physiological indicators: High stress state alleviated… Emotional simulation unit: …Energy core: Slowly recovering… Redundant data (fear, relief) surges… Analyzing…] The system's notification tone carried a hint of weakness, akin to surviving a disaster, and… a strange fluctuation?