Chapter 34 Melting "Are you betraying him?"
The sky was overcast as dark as night, and the snow on the ground was whipped up by the north wind, turning the world into a vast expanse of white. The sleet hit the rocks like small pebbles, pricking the skin and causing a stinging pain.
In his dazed state, Ning Xian caught a glimpse of the pale purple skirt disappearing from his sight. His eyes inexplicably stung, and a moment later, the corners of his mouth trembled slightly as his fingers gripping the rock gradually lost their strength.
Never mind, it's good that she's alive.
"Hang in there."
The moment his hand slipped, Ning Xian suddenly felt his numb hand being grabbed by something soft and warm. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that it was Ruan Yang.
Upon seeing that familiar face, the tears that had been welling up in my eyes fell like beads from a broken string.
She came back to save him? But shouldn't Ruan Yang be the one who most wanted him to fall into the abyss and be shattered to pieces?
Ruan Yang knelt on the snow and grabbed Ning Xian's hand, saying, "Don't cry, don't be afraid. Hold on tight and I'll pull you up. We rolled to a cave in the cliff. It's a relatively secluded spot, so they won't find us so quickly."
Seeing that Ning Xian's consciousness was somewhat scattered, Ruan Yang thought to herself that at this critical moment, she was still being stubborn and angry with her, which was really annoying.
If it weren't for helping Lu Wenjin completely eradicate the remnants of the Ji family, she would have already let go and left.
She coaxed softly, "Ning Xian, don't give up. For my sake, please live on. Otherwise... otherwise, if you die, I will not remain chaste for you."
Ning Xian looked at the girl's disheveled hair and anxious expression, his eyes welled up with tears, and he then grasped Ruan Yang's hand tightly, saying, "Thank you."
Fortunately, she could use the rocks under her feet for leverage, and it took Ruan Yang a lot of effort to pull the person up. She spread out her hands, which were white from being strangled, and lay down on the snow, feeling relieved about the head on her chest: "It's okay, it's okay."
"Ning Xian, we don't have to die for now."
Ning Xian took a while to get up from Ruan Yang. The boy sat on the snow, rain and snow sprinkling on his black cloak. His breathing was slightly rapid, and the corners of his eyes were still red. His eyes looked at Ruan Yang with a hint of resentment.
Like a young woman living deep in the inner palace, neglected by the emperor.
Ruan Yang was stunned and said, "I saved you, why are you still looking at me like that?"
Ning Xian remained silent, staring at Ruan Yang for a long time. When Ruan Yang lost patience and was about to leave, he knelt on the snow and leaned over to hug the girl in his arms.
He suppressed his sobs and nestled in Ruan Yang's arms, saying in a deep voice, "Weren't you leaving? Why did you come back? If you were going to leave, then don't come back. Go live a good life with someone else."
Ruan Yang was silent for a moment, then patted his head and said, "Then why are you hugging me so tightly? Let go."
Ning Xian: "......."
Upon hearing this, the boy hugged Ruan Yang tighter, buried his head in her shoulder, and hummed a few times in grievance and dissatisfaction. He gritted his teeth and said, "Don't even think about it, I won't let go."
Ruan Yang sighed, "You gave me the chance to live, so I can't bear to see you die like this."
"You saved me because you didn't want to owe me anything, right?" Ning Xian asked.
Gummy nodded, then immediately shook her head, changing her tune and saying, "No, I saved you because I like you, it has nothing to do with anything else."
Seeing Ning Xian covered in wounds, Ruan Yang rubbed his hands and said, "I wonder how Lan Rong and the others are doing. Their target is you. Now that you're missing, they've given up on dealing with Lan Rong and are searching for us everywhere. We need to get through tonight safely and then find a chance to reunite with Lan Rong and the others."
This is a snowy forest, and wolves will definitely come out at night. Although they have brought fire, they must find a place to stay to spend the night.
As Ruan Yang was thinking this, several howls of wolves came from not far away, and the sound seemed to be not far from them.
Ning Xian said, "Let's go, we shouldn't stay here any longer."
...
"I advise you not to waste your energy; you won't get out."
From the shadows, a human voice suddenly appeared. In this situation, hearing a human voice was far more terrifying than the howling of wolves.
Ruan Yang looked toward the source of the sound. Behind them was a dark cave. As the sound faded, a cluster of hazy firelight came into view.
The snow crunched, and the tinder in the man's hand illuminated his face.
The man was young, with amber pupils. His clothes looked completely different from those of the Central Plains. Although his clothes were elegant, they were covered in mud and water, and were tattered.
It seems they encountered the same thing as them.
"Why can't we get out?" Ruan Yang asked.
"The wolves in the northern frontier are not as docile as the ones kept in cages in the Central Plains. These guys are much bigger, fierce, and smart. Usually, by the time you spot them, they've already surrounded you."
"The three of us combined only have one short dagger, making it extremely difficult to escape."
After speaking, he walked up to Ning Xian, bowed slightly, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, it's been a long time."
Ruan Yang looked at Ning Xian, but the young man's eyes were indifferent, showing neither joy nor wariness.
The man continued his inquiry, "I wonder how Your Highness has been since returning to the Central Plains?"
Ning Xian pulled Ruan Yang behind him and said in a deep voice, "Young Master usually loves to travel and enjoy the scenery. How did you end up here and get yourself all bruised and battered?"
Helian Jia, the heir of the Northern Frontier, is the son of the Prince of Zhenbei. He has fought alongside his father since he was a young man and has made great contributions to the war. Therefore, the emperor values the Prince of Zhenbei and his son highly.
Helian Jia said, "The Lord's birthday banquet is in a few days. I originally intended to climb the snow mountain to pick the Tian Shan snow lotus, but unexpectedly a blizzard suddenly fell and I got lost, which is why I ended up here."
He looked at the young girl behind Ning Xian and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Your Highness has a beautiful face. When you returned to the Central Plains, many people must have had improper thoughts about you, right? Although Your Highness is now married, the Lord doesn't care about such things and even likes you more. You still need to protect yourself."
Ning Xian chuckled: "Thank you for the reminder, Young Master."
"Ruan Yang, let's go."
Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two, Ruan Yang guessed that Ning Xian had formed a grudge against him when she was a hostage in the Northern Frontier.
She nodded, and as she took a step with Ning Xian, she saw the pack of wolves drooling over them overhead.
The lead female wolf was huge and very fierce. After taking aim, she jumped down from the high rock.
The two were separated by the tide, and when Ruan Yang got up and turned around, Helian Jia was nowhere to be seen.
Upon hearing the command of the dominant mother wolf, the other members of the pack jumped down from all directions to hunt them down. With so many wolves and all of them extremely hungry, they had almost nowhere to escape.
Ruan Yang pointed the dagger in his hand at the wolf pack, but the mother wolf only hesitated for a moment before pouncing on him without any hesitation.
"careful."
Before the mother wolf could pounce, Ning Xian stood in front of Ruan Yang, letting out a muffled groan. The girl who led the circle tumbled into the nearby cave with him.
The cave was narrow, but fortunately Ning Xian had lit a tinderbox beforehand. With the light, the wolf dared not approach for the time being and just kept pawing at the ground.
“Ning Xian...”
Ruan Yang saw that Ning Xian's clothes on his right shoulder were torn, revealing bloody muscles.
The wolf had torn a huge gash in his shoulder, even separating the flesh from the skin, and blood was gushing out, quickly staining the pristine snow a deep red.
These wolves were extremely hungry; wild wolves would never behave like this. Therefore, there is only one possibility: these wolves were deliberately released by Helian Jia.
How many enemies did Ning Xian make in the past that everyone wants to kill him?
Nearly half an hour later, the wolves lost patience and chose to leave, but Ning Xian also fainted due to excessive blood loss.
"They're quite clever, knowing to hide here."
When Ruan Yang saw that Helian Jia was surrounded by a row of well-trained guards, she knew that her guess was indeed correct.
Helian Jia squatted down and looked at Ning Xian, who was pale-faced, and said with a smile, "It seems that he likes you quite a bit. Such a selfish person is actually willing to give up his life for others."
"Why did you do this to him?" Ruan Yang asked.
Helian Jia sneered, "Deal with Ning Xian? I think you're really confused. Can't you see that the person I'm actually trying to kill is you?"
After speaking, Helian Jia picked up the crossbow in his hand and aimed it at Ruan Yang.
Ruan Yang was stunned and said, "Me? I have no grudge against you, and we only met today. What good would it do you to kill me?"
“You have no grudge against me, but someone hates you to the bone. Think carefully, did you offend anyone when you were in the Central Plains?”
Ruan Yang frowned and tentatively asked, "...Is it Ji Changhuan?"
Helian Jia laughed and said, "I heard from Chang Huan that you often bullied her when you were in Daye."
This is clearly a case of the thief crying "stop thief!" Ruan Yang sighed, "How could an unknown nobody like me dare to bully the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion?"
Ji Changhuan must have offered tempting conditions to get the Crown Prince of Northern Xinjiang to rescue her from the small courtyard in Lizhou. Otherwise, the dignified Crown Prince of Northern Xinjiang would never risk harboring a criminal from a neighboring country just because of a beautiful woman.
Ruan Yang smiled and said, "Although I am a woman confined to my chambers, I am not oblivious to what is happening outside. The military equipment and soldiers accumulated by the Ji family over generations, while not enough to rival a nation's wealth, are difficult to eradicate completely in a short time. Moreover, the Ji family is fortunate to have one son who has escaped..."
"How dare you! You falsely accuse me of colluding with traitors from a neighboring country?"
Helian Jia drew his sword from his waist and held it against Ruan Yang's neck.
Ruan Yang looked at the gleaming silver sword and continued, "I'm not talking nonsense. The hatred for killing one's father is irreconcilable. Do you think the remnants of the Ji family would willingly assist you and do your bidding for nothing? The Ji family colluded with Ning Xianxian long ago. Ning Xianxian's exile to Lizhou was just a temporary measure for them."
"We'll wait until we have plenty of troops and then go back to fight. Once Ning Xian has secured his throne, the first thing he'll probably target is the Northern Frontier, which has caused him so much humiliation."
Helian Jia sheathed his blade after hearing this, his eyes narrowing slightly: "It seems you've learned quite a bit while staying by Ning Xian's side."
Ruan Yang rubbed her reddened neck: "I am not advising the Crown Prince to abandon the alliance with the Ji family, and I know that the Crown Prince only sees me as someone who sows discord, but it doesn't matter, I can express my sincerity to you."
“Ning Xian has a guard army. If Your Highness investigates along this guard army, you might be able to find out exactly how many troops the Ji family has. You can then prepare for the future.”
She was alone and powerless, unable to even escape Ning Xian's control, let alone go out alone to investigate any clues. Using the Helian family's connections to investigate was the only way at the moment.
"Then what do you want?" Helian Jia asked.
"What I want is very simple. I only beg you to spare my life. I will stay with Ning Xian day and night, and I can help you when necessary."
Why should I believe you?
"Lizhou is practically your second homeland in the Northern Frontier. Even the officials who are in charge of exiling criminals to Lizhou have to be mindful of the young master's feelings. If you find that what I'm saying is even slightly false, then it won't be too late to kill me."
Upon hearing this, Helian Jia pointed to Ning Xian, who was lying motionless on the ground in the distance, and sneered, "So, are you betraying your husband now?"
Ruan Yang lowered her eyes and remained silent.
She was just imitating Ning Xian; how can that be called betrayal?
Seeing that Helian Jia had given up the chase and was about to ride away, she ran to the horse and said, "It's too cold and unsafe here. Young Master, could you give us a ride?"
Helian Jia sat on horseback, while the woman in purple robes, clad in a white fox fur coat, stood straight on the snow and looked at him. He said, "I'm not going to Lizhou, but back to the manor. Ji Changhuan is there. Are you coming with me?"
She glanced at the dying Ning Xian and said, "Of course."
"I have to save his life."
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Author's Note: The scumbag has fallen in love with the female lead, but her feelings for him are no longer pure; they're now mixed with selfishness and manipulation, just like how the scumbag used her before. Now the roles are reversed. Is this the male lead's karma...?
The female lead immediately embarks on her first escape attempt [shy]
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The story of a naive young nobleman who gets involved with a black mamba princess, thinking he has the upper hand, only to find himself the prey. Those interested can check out the column! [Sprinkling flowers]
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