Chapter 149 The Flowers Have Fallen

Xiao Mingxuan raised his hand to wipe away the spit that had splattered on his face and said, "I know, but... I don't care anymore. Whether it's power in the imperial city or my life in danger, I'm going to stay here just to make myself feel at ease, regardless of life or death."

"You!" Nangong Yan almost burst into curse words. After a long while, as if he had lost all his strength, he suddenly said, "Xiao Mingxuan, tell me the truth, don't you want to..."

Nangong Yan swallowed his unfinished words under Xiao Mingxuan's cold gaze.

He thought... he knew the answer.

"It's up to you. If you want to die, then go ahead and die!"

Nangong Yan walked away, but Xiao Mingxuan remained motionless.

"Xiao Xi'er." Xiao Mingxuan leaned on the railing, whispering the name hidden in his heart, "If I die in your hands, will you calm down?"

Zhao Jinyuan is in a coma, Zhao Chengning is in a state of despair, and a scheme has destroyed Emperor Jingyuan's most promising successor. Tian Shuo has no heir, so this can be considered revenge for his mother and clan.

Xiao Mingxuan felt as if he had had a very long dream. In the dream, his mother was still there, and was still as gentle and amiable as he remembered.

"Huang'er, are you happy that you've avenged yourself?"

"I'm not happy. Mother, I feel like... I have lost everything."

"Do you regret it?"

"I regret lying to her and using her, but I don't regret avenging you."

"If you had to do it again, would you do it again?"

"……meeting."

"In this life, we will always meet many people. Each person will accompany you for a period of time and then go away. If you have no regrets, let her go, and... let you go."

"Mother, I...can't bear to leave."

"If you can't bear to let go, then keep pestering me. But maybe in this lifetime... there will be no result."

"I'm happy with it."

*

In September, Beimo sent a large army to kidnap and kill Prince Jing Xiao Mingxuan.

In October, General Liu Yuan, who was in charge of the Northern Expedition, led his troops to attack the Northern Desert and went straight into the hinterland.

In November, Beimo ran out of ammunition and food, the Beimo Wolf Lord was killed, and the thirteen tribes belonged to Tianshuo.

At this point, the border troubles that had plagued three generations of Tianshuo emperors were completely ended.

Liu Yuan had just dealt with the letters of surrender submitted by thirteen tribes and counted the horses and food. When he turned around, he saw Xihe's back.

She faced the endless grassland, with a ruin burned by a fire behind her. She seemed to be standing at the dividing line between black and white, separating heaven and hell with her body.

"What are you thinking about?" Liu Yuan walked over and asked.

Xihe smiled when she saw someone coming and said, "I didn't think much of anything. I just thought this grassland was really beautiful."

Liu Yuan responded. He was a little tired after days of hard work, but now that Beimo belonged to Tianshuo, he felt his blood boiling. "From now on, Tianshuo won't have to worry about raising horses and fodder anymore."

Xihe smiled, then thought about it and suddenly asked, "Should we go back to the Imperial City?"

"Right! Once everything here is counted, we'll be back in the Imperial City before the end of the year." Liu Yuan had been away for half a year, and he missed his homeland. He glanced west and said, "If there's anyone you want to see or anything you want to say, tell them now. You might not get the chance again later."

Xihe paused smiling, pursed her lips and said, "I don't know what to say when I see you. It seems there's nothing left to say."

In the past, the two of them were always together, chatting about everything, as if they had endless things to say.

Now they are facing each other, each one more silent than the other.

Is it that I have nothing to say, or that I don’t dare to say what I want to say.

Liu Yuan casually mentioned another matter, "Just now, when we were checking, we discovered that one of the North Desert Wolf Lord's private soldiers had disappeared. I heard that they seemed to have gone west. I remember that the eldest son seemed to be stationed in the west. Do you think they will..."

Before Liu Yuan could finish his words, he was suddenly pushed away. He saw Xihe riding a horse, and the horse's belly kicked, and then ran far away to the west.

Liu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "I finally softened my heart."

*

The Beili military camp was filled with noise, the sounds of fighting were endless, and flames shot into the sky.

Xiao Mingxuan sat in the tent, his expression unchanged.

In front of him stood several burly men dressed in Northern Desert style, each holding a knife and looking ferocious.

The Wolf Lord of Beimo realized it later and suspected that Beili and Tianshuo had teamed up to trap him, so he wanted to drag Xiao Mingxuan to hell with them.

The moment the butcher's knife was swung, Xiao Mingxuan felt an unprecedented peace.

Finally... it's over.

The expected pain did not come, but the sound of a sharp arrow flying past was heard in my ears.

call out--

When he opened his eyes again, Xiao Mingxuan saw Xihe walking slowly out of the firelight. She was dressed in red, holding a bow, with a calm face. If you looked closely, you would notice the worry in her eyes.

He curled his lips and whispered, "You're here. It seems you've already taken over Beimo."

Xihe didn't respond. She looked at the bodies lying on the ground with a cold gaze. After a long moment, she looked up and asked, "Why don't you hide? Do you want to die?"

Xiao Mingxuan was wearing a wide ink-colored robe today, with a hairband loosely tied on her black hair. She looked relaxed and beautiful.

"My revenge has been taken, my wish has been fulfilled, why should I continue to live?"

Xihe was a little irritated, and her words carried a certain urgency that she herself hadn't expected. "Where's your power? Where's your glory? You don't want any of it? The throne you've dreamed of for most of your life is right here in Beili Imperial City, and you don't want it...?"

"Xihe." Xiao Mingxuan suddenly called her, "I have always seized power to avenge my mother and my people. Now that my revenge is complete, it no longer matters to me who sits on the throne."

Xihe stared at the other person blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Since you want to die so badly, why not die by my hands? How about that? You'll also earn me some credit."

Xiao Mingxuan's eyebrows curved, and he smiled warmly, "If I die in your hands, I won't have lived in vain. But... after I die, where do you plan to bury me?"

Xihe turned around, facing away from Xiao Mingxuan, and said slowly, "What's the point of burying it? Once the fire is over, it will be blown away by the wind. Why bury it underground for insects to eat?"

"You hate me so much?" Xiao Mingxuan felt the little girl constantly changing his perception. "Grinding my bones and scattering my ashes—that wouldn't be bad if you were the one to do it. My ashes will be scattered by the wind, perhaps drifting to Tianshuo. Every breeze that brushes against your cheek, every air you breathe, perhaps... contains my presence. In this way, I'll have fulfilled my promise back then to be with you for the rest of my life!"

Xihe's lips moved slightly, and he opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The noise outside had stopped at some point, leaving only a little firelight shining through the tent, casting dim shadows.

"Little brother." Xihe scared herself when she opened her mouth, and her hoarse voice was choked with sobs.

"I am here."

Xihe lowered her head and smiled, "Sometimes I wonder, maybe we weren't suitable from the beginning. If we had never met, wouldn't we both be better off than we are now?"

"You might, but... I won't." Xiao Mingxuan sighed. If there was anyone in this world who understood him best, it would definitely be himself. "If it weren't for you, I would probably have been bogged down in the vortex of power for my entire life, dying alone and helpless in my old age. There's no other Zhao Xihe in this world who could make my heart flutter like this."

Tears suddenly fell without warning, wetting the front of her shirt.

"Little brother, there's actually no other Xiao Mingxuan in this world who could make me betray my principles. If it weren't for you, I might have spent my entire life guarding the common people like I did in the spirit world."

"Xihe."

"I am here."

"After I die, will you live well?"

"Of course."

"Then I wish you great achievements here, a long life, and may you ascend to the divine throne again and live forever..."

The tent suddenly became quiet, and Xihe did not speak for a long time.

Ming Li's words rang in her ears.

[The soul is shattered, and there will be no reincarnation. This life will also end young.]

After a long moment, she smiled and said, "Do you...hate me?"

“A little.”

"Do you love me then?"

"Yes."

He lowered his head and smiled.

The love and hate in this life are intertwined and it is hard to explain.

A stream of blood splattered on the white tent. Xiao Mingxuan fell on the armchair, feeling the passing of life, a relieved smile on his lips.

A flower floated in and landed on his lapel.

Perhaps because he was on the verge of death, the legendary revolving lantern appeared before his eyes.

"Little brother, look, the flowers are blooming. Can you help me pick them later?"

【What are you doing picking flowers for? 】

【This is for you.】

【Give me? 】

[Yes! I want my little brother to be surrounded by flowers forever.]

[Xiao Xi'er, only those who are favored will be surrounded by flowers.]

[So... the little brother is Xihe's treasure.]

The flowers... fell.