Chapter 31

Ever since she was forcibly given an unknown drug that day, Xi Xiao felt as if her limbs were filled with lead, weak and powerless, and even lifting a finger was difficult.

She knew perfectly well that Pei Yun must have tampered with her food. From then on, she gritted her teeth and refused to eat a single grain of rice. However, before the effects of the drug had worn off, Pei Yun ordered people to force-feed her warm liquid food, and this cycle repeated itself day after day, so the drug that caused her to lose strength was never stopped.

The journey was slow and drawn out; it was less a journey and more a leisurely stroll for Pei Yun. When he was in the mood, he would lift Xi Xiao off the carriage and find a scenic spot for her to lean against him. But more often, Xi Xiao would simply sit in a corner of the carriage, wrapped in a heavy cloak, watching the passing scenery indifferently through the gaps in the swaying curtains with her cold, lifeless eyes.

After about half a month of this lifeless existence, the convoy reached the territory of Yunmeng County. Suddenly, a group of people came forward to greet them, claiming to be on the orders of the vassal king to "assist" His Majesty in searching for the descendants of the Wu tribe. Accompanying them was a county magistrate who bowed and scraped, his face full of flattery.

"Your Majesty!" The county magistrate knelt down with a thud through the carriage curtain and kowtowed three times, his forehead covered in dust. "Your Majesty must be tired from your journey. I am filled with trepidation. Although my humble abode is simple, I have done my best to clean and furnish it. I humbly request Your Majesty to take a short rest and relieve your fatigue!" His voice trembled slightly with excitement.

Pei Yun raised his hand and lifted the carriage curtain, revealing a gentle and refined smiling face, his voice as warm as a spring breeze: "My dear minister, you are very thoughtful."

The group then drove in a grand procession to the county magistrate's residence. From the moment Pei Yun alighted from the carriage, he gripped Xi Xiao's icy wrist tightly, his grip so firm that no one could break free. Seeing this, the county magistrate's eyes darted around, and he forced a broad smile, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, my daughter is quite fond of studying culinary arts. If Your Highness has the time, would you be willing to offer some guidance? It would be a tremendous honor for her..." He tried to probe with the title "Your Highness," hoping to use the opportunity to curry favor.

Upon hearing this, Xi Xiao frowned in disgust, her brows almost forming a knot. She didn't even have the energy to open her eyes and refute him, so she simply closed them, pretending it was just a gust of foul wind passing by her ears.

The word "Your Majesty" felt like honey filling Pei Yun's heart. He smiled with pleasure and casually waved his hand, signaling the county magistrate to make the arrangements.

As night fell, the county magistrate hosted a grand banquet in the back garden to welcome the emperor. The garden was brightly lit, and the air was filled with the sounds of music. Several graceful Hu women, their faces veiled in thin gauze, played the pipa and the hujia, singing and playing instruments. The melodies, tender and poignant, flowed with the slightly cool evening breeze amidst the clinking of cups, possessing a truly enchanting quality.

At the head of the table, Xi Xiao was completely wrapped in Pei Yun's large, heavy black cloak, looking like a delicate doll that had lost its soul, slumped helplessly in his arms.

Pei Yun had one arm around her shoulder, while his other hand, with an almost obsessive focus, gently played with a few strands of her hair that had fallen across her cheek. His fingertips sometimes twirled the ends of her hair, and sometimes lightly brushed against her cool, delicate skin, as if caressing a rare treasure.

Xi Xiao tried her best to ignore the disgusting touch, closed her eyes tightly, and felt a surge of revulsion in her chest that almost devoured her.

When the song ended, the county magistrate, with a broad smile, cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, did you find this exotic tune pleasant to listen to?"

"It's acceptable." Pei Yun didn't even raise his head, only uttering two cold words from his throat. His gaze remained fixed on the raven-feather-like temples of the person in his arms, as if that was the only scenery worth appreciating in the world.

During the banquet, Tang Xiangxian had drunk countless cups of wine, and now, reeking of alcohol, he began to speak recklessly again. With his drunken eyes squinting, he pointed at Xi Xiao in Pei Yun's arms and slurred, "Your Majesty, she's just a woman…why spoil her so much? You've pampered her…and she's become increasingly unruly. For days, she hasn't spoken a word, hasn't laughed or made a fuss…all she does is snuggle in a man's arms…"

He let out a few muffled, lewd laughs, his cloudy eyes darting towards Pei Yun's embrace, trying to glimpse the face beneath the cloak that could so captivate an emperor. Unfortunately, the woman remained unmoved, like a statue, offering no response whatsoever; her small face was buried deep in the shadow of the wide collar, completely hidden.

Pei Yun seemed not to hear, not even lifting an eyelid.

Tang Xiangxian, feeling awkward, sat down sheepishly. His pent-up anger had nowhere to go, so he grabbed the cold wine cup on the table, ready to gulp it down. Just as the wine was about to enter his mouth—

"Whoosh!" A tiny sound of air being cut!

A sharp pebble, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, shot towards his open mouth with a fierce gust of wind!

Tang Xiangxian, being a martial artist, jerked his head to the side at the last second. The pebble grazed his thick lips and slammed into the pillar behind him with a dull thud. Even so, a bloody gash appeared on his lip, stinging with pain, instantly sobering him up considerably.

"Who?! Which audacious bastard dares to ambush me!" He covered his burning lips, furious and roaring, his eyes sweeping across the entire scene like a venomous snake.

The county magistrate was terrified and turned pale. He hurriedly glanced at Pei Yun's face and saw that he was still focused on the beautiful woman in his arms and ignored the commotion. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He immediately gave the lead dancer, a sharp look. The dancer understood immediately, swaying her serpentine waist gracefully to Tang Xiangxian's side. She leaned against him, her delicate hands caressing his heaving chest, her voice sweet as honey: "My lord seems to be drunk. May I help you to rest for a while?"

As Tang Xiangxian leaned against this soft, fragrant woman and was captivated by her seductive eyes, his anger instantly turned into lust. He chuckled, then gave the woman's high, firm breasts a hard pinch, grabbed her slender waist, and staggered unsteadily toward the nearby side room.

The music paused briefly, then resumed immediately, with music playing and toasts exchanged, making the atmosphere even more lively than before, as if the dramatic scene from just moments ago had never happened.

*

The fields were empty, and the cold wind howled. Only a low mound in the distance offered some shelter from the wind. Yunwu, wearing an old coat, sat opposite the mound with her knees drawn up to her chest, her face ashen. The gentle breeze beside her silently gathered withered branches and leaves, piling them up to the side. Further away, under an old tree that had long since died, its branches twisted and gnarled like ghostly claws, leaned a figure.

It was Xi Yu. Days of hard work and sleeping outdoors had made him look even more gaunt and thin. His lips were cracked and bleeding slightly. His pale face was covered with a layer of tired ashen. His brows were furrowed. Even in his sleep, he seemed to be tormented by a heavy nightmare and could not find peace.

Qingfeng finally got the campfire going, and the orange flames danced, bringing a faint warmth. He glanced at Xi Yu under the withered tree, who was still unconscious, and couldn't help but nudge Yunwu beside him with his elbow, scolding in a low voice, "What's wrong with you, girl? You've been giving the young master a long face the whole way. If you were any other master, you would have been sold off to the ends of the earth long ago."

Yunwu turned her head, her eyes red, staring intently in Xi Yu's direction, her teeth clenched, still remaining silent.

Seeing her unyielding attitude, Qingfeng became furious: "Explain yourself clearly, or I'll make you leave right now without waiting for the young master's permission."

"Fine, let's go!" Yunwu was provoked by his words, and the grievances and anger she had been suppressing exploded instantly. Large tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the cold, frozen ground. "Young Master actually handed the young lady over to that evil Pei Yun..."

"Shut up!" Qingfeng shouted sharply, his expression changing. He looked around warily before lowering his voice and saying urgently, "The inside story is complicated and beyond your knowledge. That person... has already done more than enough. With you there, at least... your life is safe."

"You've done all the right thing? Your life is safe?" Yunwu seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. The fear and anxiety of the past few days had caused her dark circles to become very prominent. At this moment, she could no longer suppress the secret in her heart, and her voice suddenly rose a few decibels, "The young lady told me not to say it, but if I don't say it, the young lady will probably be killed by that person. You...you are still speaking well of that devil!"

Qingfeng was taken aback and was about to reprimand her when a low, hoarse voice came from under the withered tree: "I told you not to... what did you say?"

The two turned their heads and saw that Xi Yu had opened his eyes at some point. His usually gentle and peaceful eyes were now filled with a chilling undercurrent, cold and sharp, staring straight at Yun Wu with an unprecedented severity.

Yunwu's heart skipped a beat under his gaze, but the pent-up fear and worry overwhelmed her reason, spilling out recklessly: "Since arriving at the Marquis's residence, I've been assassinated twice. Both the young lady and I suspected something, but lacking evidence, we let it go. Later, the young lady went to the Southern Frontier, and I recuperated at the inn. Young Master Pei sent people to monitor me day and night. Before that, the young lady and I had been trying to contact you, but to no avail..."

Xi Yu froze, as if instantly frozen. During that time, he was deeply entangled in the Regent's intricate web of schemes, and to avoid the omnipresent spies, he dared not rashly seek her out, only sending a few secret letters… He had always believed… she was unwilling to forgive him because of what happened at the inn, which was why she didn't reply…

Yunwu choked back sobs, bursting into violent tears: "After returning from the Southern Frontier... the young lady changed completely, becoming melancholy and then... she disappeared from the Marquis's residence!" Yunwu's voice trembled with fear, "I was frantic, I turned the Marquis's residence upside down, and just when I was about to despair and report to the authorities, a servant from Young Master Pei suddenly found me and handed me a letter... saying it was left for me by the young lady..."

She sobbed uncontrollably, saying in broken sentences, "The letter said... I shouldn't worry, she is focused on treating Young Master Pei's illness... she will let me leave the manor when I have the chance... she will come to find me later... I realized something must have happened, so I pestered that servant every day to ask him... he got fed up with me... and locked me in the West Garden."

Yunwu raised her tearful eyes: "Until one day, the girl finally appeared. I noticed she had lost a lot of weight, but her brows and eyes were relaxed, as if she were very happy. After that, people from Young Master Pei's side came every day to collect blood..."

"Draw...blood?" Xi Yu felt as if struck by a heavy blow. His face turned deathly pale, and he staggered back a few steps, his back slamming heavily against a dead tree trunk, shaking down a few decaying leaves. He instinctively raised his hand to cover his throbbing chest, his voice so weak it almost seemed to dissipate in the wind, "But I...I checked her pulse, her body...is clearly fine..." Before he could finish the word "fine," he abruptly stopped, as if he had suddenly realized something, his pupils contracting sharply!

Yunwu stopped talking and was about to ask why she was taking her pulse when Qingfeng painfully closed his eyes, grabbed Yunwu who was about to continue speaking, and shook his head heavily at her.

Xi Yu stared blankly at the winding, desolate mountain road in the distance. A tearing pain spread from her heart to every part of her body. So that's how it is!

The blood-taking was a pretense; it must have been a deal. He had no idea that the person had such a merciful side, which could only be because... he was moved.

He suddenly let out a bitter laugh, a laugh so shrill and mournful it was filled with boundless desolation: "So it was she who was protecting me..."

Before he could finish speaking, everything went black, a metallic taste rose in his throat, and his body could no longer support him, slumping limply along the tree trunk to the ground. Before his consciousness completely sank into the abyss of darkness, he vaguely heard a woman's plaintive sobbing voice, as if from a distant dream: "My senior brother abandoned me to someone else... I'll never speak to you again..."