Chapter 4 Miscalculation: "I don't want you anymore!"
The man gradually emerged from the dim light, his horse's hooves slowly pounding on the solid ground, each sound captivating. Ruan Yang realized that the newcomer was not Ning Xian alone; there seemed to be countless guards following him, while she herself seemed somewhat alone.
"Can you still walk?" Ruan Yang asked, trembling slightly.
Just as Zhou Ming was about to speak, the man who was only a few meters away heard him and said regretfully, "Good Ah Heng, do you really not want your husband anymore?"
The man's black hair was tied up high and fluttered in the wind. The wide sleeves of the robe under his fur shawl were made by Ruan Yang himself for Ning Xian.
It seems so ironic now.
His long eyebrows were slightly lowered, his gaze deep and calm. The fierceness in his eyes when he looked at her was gone, replaced by the obedient look of a puppy.
However, Ruan Yangxin was extremely panicked. After exchanging a glance with the man, she immediately hid behind Zhou Ming. Seeing that she was surrounded, the nightmare in her mind seemed to immediately match reality. Ruan Yangxin had a splitting headache and almost fainted.
Zhou Ming was used to such scenes. He knew he wouldn't come here alone, so he took out a signal flare from his waist and released it into the sky. Soon, reinforcements would arrive.
Seeing Ruan Yang cowering behind him like a little chick, seemingly ignoring his words, Ning Xian couldn't help but feel even angrier.
Having received Lan Rong's letter, he suspected that this woman was up to something. After finishing his important business in the palace ahead of schedule yesterday, he had nothing to do, so he thought of going back to his residence to tease Ruan Yang, this little cat. He never expected that this little cat would run away from him!
The sound of horses' hooves echoed again from the shadows. Seeing that the enemy was about to bring reinforcements, the hidden guards rushed out before Ning Xian could give the order.
After a fierce battle, no matter how skilled Zhou Ming was, he was no match for the many opponents, and with a woman in his arms who knew no martial arts, he was quickly defeated.
The bloody scene from her nightmare reappeared before Ruan Yang's eyes, and it felt as if a huge stone was blocking her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
Just as they were about to lose their lives, a group of men rushed out from behind and killed some of the black-clad guards.
With reinforcements arriving, Zhou Ming felt even more confident and abandoned Ruan Yang to charge out on his own.
Ruan Yang: "..."
The horse was startled and kicked, causing Ruan Yang to fall off in disarray. She endured the swelling and pain in her knee and tried to run behind a tree trunk to avoid the storm, but a lazy voice came to her ear.
"Little Heng, does it hurt when you fall like this?"
Ruan Yang turned around abruptly, and a shadow quickly loomed over him.
"You, you stay away...!"
Ruan Yang hugged her knees and kept backing away. The tender and affectionate look she had when they parted was long gone, replaced by disgust and fear in her eyes.
Ning Xian looked at her in confusion, threw down the terrifying sword in his hand, and said with a hint of fierceness in his voice, frowning, "I just asked you if it hurts, why are you afraid of me and trying to drive me away?"
After speaking, he realized he had been a bit fierce, so he took out a package from his sleeve, squatted down and said with a smile, "Come here, Ah Heng, I brought back the candied hawthorns you've been craving. Come and eat them."
The road had been rushed and the rain had been heavy, and the man's candied hawthorn was flattened from the bumpy ride. Even the oil paper wrapping it was stained with mud and blood.
Ruan Yang was stunned. He had actually brought her the thing she had just made up on the spot.
Ruan Yang shook her head and pushed away the thing in the man's hand, causing the contents of the brown paper to roll all over the floor.
Seeing his sincerity trampled on, Ning Xian's expression changed, and he clenched his teeth.
Seeing this, Ruan Yang picked up the sword from the ground, stretched out his arm and pointed it at Ning Xian: "Come any closer, and I'll stab you to death!"
But the man continued to slowly approach until the sword's edge pressed against his heart. Ning Xian glanced at the teetering sword, knelt down on one knee to be level with the girl, and said in a heartbroken voice, "Little Aheng, how could you be so cruel as to want me to die?"
In the distance, Zhou Ming was slashed. Ruan Yang felt her forearms were weak and sore. She closed her eyes and tried to avoid Ning Xian, but the fragrance of lotus flowers lingered around her.
So, she hardened her heart, exerted force with both arms, and the blood from the man's heart trickled down the sword.
Ruan Yang was surprised that Ning Xian didn't dodge. She felt the sword pierce his heart and gasped, "You..."
After Zhou Ming eliminated the enemies around him, he saw that Ning Xian was injured and was about to take the opportunity to enter. When Ruan Yang saw this, her heart clenched and a sense of guilt welled up in her heart.
Waaah, when a heartless woman has no other choice, how could she be so ungrateful as to kill someone?
Ruan Yang rushed forward and immediately surrounded Zhou Ming, crying out to Ning Xian, "I'm telling you, I don't want you anymore, and I don't like you anymore! Forget about the past, hurry up and leave, or you'll die!"
Zhou Ming was imprisoned, but he was blinded by rage. He shoved the girl aside and was about to slash at Ning Xian with his broadsword.
Seeing his kitten being thrown hard to the ground, Ning Xian felt a strange sense of pleasure, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He propped himself up on his knees and lost in thought. A sudden flash of light in his eyes made him close them.
"Your Highness, be careful!"
In the blink of an eye, a large sword blocked Zhou Ming's fierce attack, and then countless people surged towards Zhou Ming.
Ning Xian snapped out of his daze, looked at the blood on the ground, and said loudly, "Stop!"
The woods fell silent. The man thought of something, a slight smile playing on his lips. When he looked up at Ruan Yang, his eyes were wet with tears. He said regretfully, "Since Aheng doesn't want me anymore, I won't force myself. Let's go."
Ruan Yang and Zhou Ming were both stunned. Looking at Ning Xian's departing figure, he was not as upright as before, and looked somewhat lonely, as if he had really been abandoned by his beloved wife.
Ruan Yang's legs went weak, and her mind was in a mess. Could it be that Ning Xian really loved her so much before?
The sky was beginning to lighten, and a sliver of light peeked through the clouds. Seeing this, Zhou Ming led Ruan Yang onto his horse and they left the place.
......
The bloodstains quickly soaked the robe. Lan Rong and the others arrived soon after receiving the news. When she took out a clean robe from the carriage to change him, she realized that the clothes His Highness had been wearing these past few days had been made by that maid.
"Bring it here," Ning Xian said coldly.
Lan Rong did as instructed, but then saw Ning Xian throw the robe and knee pads that Ruan Yang had made into the fire. With a crackling sound, Ruan Yang's hard work turned to ashes.
Ning Xian glanced at the dirty clothes and said coldly, "Burn everything that Ruan Nu made, and never let me see it again."
Lan Rong was stunned. Just a while ago, His Highness had treasured it so much. How could it be burned so suddenly? She sighed, "Yes..."
A man walked over, indignantly saying, "Your Highness, this time we accidentally gathered Lu Wenjin's men by using Lady Ruan. We could have wiped them all out in one fell swoop. Why did you stop just now?"
Ning Xian clutched the sword wound on his shoulder, and after a long while, lazily raised an eyebrow and said, "Because... it's fun."
"Fun?"
The wound wasn't in a vital spot, nor was it deep; Ruan hadn't intended to kill. Ning Xian recalled Ruan Yang's tearful appearance and couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
She couldn't bear to see him die. Perhaps after spending these past few months together, Ruan Yang had subconsciously come to regard herself as his little wife.
How could anyone bear to let such an innocent and adorable hostage, who is also prone to acting on emotions, escape?
Ning Xian beckoned to his subordinate with her finger, then turned her head and whispered something in his ear.
Upon hearing this, the attendant's eyes lit up: "So that's what Your Highness was planning when you deliberately let them go?"
Ning Xian coldly said, "If Ruan refuses to listen to reason, then don't blame me for not showing her any respect. Send men to follow her, and I will reward whoever captures Ruan handsomely."
...
A group of people crossed the green mountains and trekked to the end of the forest. Zhou Ming put Ruan Yang down from her horse and said, "Miss, the road conditions ahead are unclear. I'll send someone to scout ahead first before we continue."
Ruan Yang's hair was disheveled, and her eyes were slightly red. She hadn't eaten for almost a day, and her stomach was throbbing with discomfort.
She sniffed and asked, "General Zhou, where are we going now?"
Zhou Ming paused for a moment and said, "Once we leave the city, we can meet up with Lord Lu."
Ruan Yang asked curiously, "Is his name Lu Jinwen? Who is he to me?"
"The master and the young lady were childhood sweethearts and deeply in love. When the young lady came of age, the two families arranged a marriage."
"My fiancé?"
Ruan Yang frowned slightly. Then who is her current husband? Who is lying?
Sigh, well, they're gone now, why bother with old friends?
She took the naan and water Zhou Ming handed her and wolfed them down, trying to use the feeling of fullness to forget the person she had "let down".
But the more she tried to escape, the clearer Ning Xian's image became in her mind.
Ruan Yang suddenly asked, "General Zhou, if it had just missed the heart, would he have died?"
Zhou Ming was taken aback and said, "It depends on how far off, but it's still possible to die."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Yang felt a pang of sadness, her vision quickly blurring with tears. Her hands were still trembling as she said, "I don't know, what if he dies..."
She felt extremely guilty about that sword strike.
Zhou Ming laughed, "Miss, there's no need to be sad over someone like that. We'd be much happier if he were dead. Do you even know why His Majesty is currently in a coma...?"
Halfway through his sentence, a subordinate rushed in. He glanced at Ruan Yang discreetly and whispered something to Zhou Ming.
After hearing this, Zhou Ming avoided Ruan Yang and went to talk elsewhere.
A moment later, he returned and said, "Miss, there's nothing to worry about ahead. Let's set off now to find an inn to rest."
As dusk fell and the sun set, the market's rows of eaves and fluttering wine banners seemed to be bathed in golden light.
Not far from them, in an inn, there was a group of strangely dressed, dark-skinned men. Ruan Yang looked out and saw that their mode of transportation was not ordinary horses or mules, but camels.
Realizing that Zhou Ming was missing, she felt a vague unease. She was afraid that Ning Xian was really dead, and she was also afraid that he would appear in front of her at any moment.
She couldn't help but wonder, what would happen if he caught her? Would he whip her to death, then skin her alive to make lanterns?
Ruan Yang shivered and got up to go find Zhou Ming and his group.
...
Up in the attic, Zhou Ming had people stand guard outside the private room and summoned some trusted confidants to discuss important matters inside.
"Sir, even if we rescue this woman, it won't do us much good. We might as well sell her to those Shuobei people outside and tell them her identity. Maybe their master there will be pleased and take her to the front lines as a hostage, and we can get a lot of money."
"Yes, anyway, the situation in Bashu is hopeless, and the Ji family's iron cavalry is coming on strong. We might as well find a new master as soon as possible, so that we will have somewhere to go when the city falls."
Zhou Ming asked, "But how will we explain this to Lord Ruan?"
"Just say she hasn't been found. She's just an unwanted concubine's daughter who's lost her mother. Selling her won't make a difference anyway, since the entire Ruan family thinks she's dead."
"How will we explain this to General Lu? He has treated us well. What if he finds out that his youngest daughter is really dead...?"
"It doesn't matter if they find out. They'll just settle scores with Crown Prince Ning Xian. They'll fight until they're bloodied and battered, but that has nothing to do with us!"
After struggling internally for a while, Zhou Ming sighed and said, "Then let's sell them!"
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