Chapter 73 Offspring: "Don't make fun of me."
The mountain rain continued unabated until dawn, and the sky was overcast. Looking out, the pavilions and temples hidden in the lush green forest seemed to be submerged in water, and the dark, solemn eaves looked shiny and glossy.
The mortuary on the outskirts of Jiaozhou was a place for the body to be laid to rest. The bodies there were all people without any relatives or friends, and most of the officials who guarded the place were people who had been dismissed and exiled in the past.
Those who come to the mortuary are destined to live mediocre lives with no chance of turning their lives around. The Lin clan members who escaped Ningxian's siege by chance secretly changed their identities and hid their talents in the mortuary.
After several days of travel, I finally arrived in Jiaozhou, but now I'm stuck at the door.
Ruan Yang came here alone. Under the pretense of praying for Ning Xian, she took advantage of the chaos when the carriage axle broke down while going down the mountain.
She is now disguised as a man, wearing a human skin mask.
On a rainy day, the mortuary was deserted, and the sound of bells and drums echoing from a distant temple made the silence somewhat eerie.
Ruan Yang put down his sword and stood under the eaves, wringing out the rainwater from his wrist guards.
Who is it?
The official on night watch saw a suspicious person standing in front of him and, without saying a word, drew his sword and held it to Ruan Yang's neck.
Ruan Yang turned around calmly and held the token given to her by the Third Prince in her palm: "Take me to see your master."
Now the entire mortuary has been taken over by the Lin family. The two exchanged a glance and led Ruan Yang to another location.
......
Inn.
Ning Xian stood by the window, gazing at the continuous rain outside. He casually broke off a locust branch that had peeked in and played with it in his palm.
"Have you found out everything?"
Fuling took off her rain hat and said, "We've investigated. The terrain here is rugged, and it's been raining heavily for several days. The road up the mountain is blocked by mud and rocks. Even if reinforcements arrive, they won't be able to find our exact location for a while."
They are currently surrounded for dozens of miles around and are trapped in a mountain inn, unable to escape for the time being.
Ning Xian's trip to Jiaozhou in Lingnan is an incognito visit, and few people know of her whereabouts. If she were to make it public, it would only attract more enemies.
After all, there are countless people who want Ning Xian dead.
Since those inside can't get out and those outside can't get in, he'll just have to wait it out with them.
Ning Xian sat down lazily, resting her elbows lightly on the chair: "Have you checked the surrounding area? Did you find anything suspicious?"
Fuling shook her head: "We haven't found any trace of the Lin family. The only place we haven't checked is the mortuary in the suburbs. The people working there are all local officials, so I don't think there will be anything wrong with it."
"We've come all this way, how can we take chances? We should go back after lunch; the mortuary is probably the biggest problem there."
Fuling nodded and was about to take the food Ningxian offered when she met his eyes, which seemed to see right through her.
“We are half-brothers, sharing the same mother but different fathers. You can’t hide anything from me. What did those people say to you just now?”
Fuling lowered her eyes and said, "They said you must draft an edict to abdicate before nightfall and tell them where the military seal is hidden, otherwise don't blame them for killing you without mercy..."
Ning Xian remained expressionless and sneered, "They want me to abdicate and hand over the military seal, but I refuse. If they really want it, they can come to the underworld and ask me for it."
He picked up the sword beside him: "Fuling, later lead the remaining elites to break out from the southeast corner."
A sudden gust of wind arose, and thousands of silver threads of rain poured down from the sky, creating a vast expanse of white. In the distance, only faint, ink-like shadows of the mountains remained, floating and sinking in the rain curtain.
Flashes of swords and shadows passed by in the hazy distance until the last head rolled off, and blood and rain mingled and seeped into the soil.
"Fuling, what are you still standing there for?"
Ning Xian mounted his horse swiftly and decisively. He tightened the reins, glanced at the pale-lipped boy on the ground, and extended his palm to him.
"Get on, I'll take you with me."
Fu Ling clutched her wet abdomen, the pain making it difficult for her to utter a few words: "Let's go quickly, their reinforcements will be here soon, I... stay behind to cover the retreat."
"What are you doing, staying behind to cover the retreat in this state? Don't you think they've killed enough already?"
Ning Xian bent down and grabbed Fu Ling's wrist: "If you die, my mother will blame me, and that woman will be sad too."
Fu Ling's eyes were drenched by the rain and he could only hear Ning Xian's voice. He remained silent for a moment, then grabbed Ning Xian's sleeve and mounted the horse.
Rain streamed down his straw raincoat, and the horse neighed, about to bolt. Fuling, aiming for the back of his neck, silently drew her dagger from her waist...
A series of hoofbeats came from the rainforest behind, sounding rapid and powerful, indicating a large number of riders.
Fuling's hand trembled, and she withdrew the dagger.
"You just left like that, without even checking who you are?"
The man was masked and completely concealed from head to toe. He pulled the person he was carrying off his shoulder down with him.
Ning Xian stared intently.
The man quickly tore off half of the black cloth, revealing a sleeping girl to Ning Xian. The girl's hair was disheveled, her pink lips were pale, and her thin face was covered with dirt, mud, and blood. She was not wearing a raincoat, and the dense raindrops soaked her to the bone. Under her half-open collar, her sharp and translucent collarbone seemed to pierce Ning Xian's eyes.
"Don't you recognize me?"
Ning Xian took a deep breath. Why would she run out at this crucial moment?
He curled his lips into a smirk: "Is this an attempt to blackmail me?"
The man grabbed Ruan Yang by the neck: "Agree to my conditions and I'll let her go."
Ning Xian laughed and said, "You mean you'll let her go if I die? But normally we'd both be silenced, right?"
The man frowned and glanced at the unconscious Ruan Yang. Although they were acting, they would naturally not harm their only informant. However, the woman on the other end remained completely unmoved, which was not at all like the rumors that this woman was Ning Xian's darling.
He whispered to Ruan Yang, "Hey, could you at least cry once and call out 'husband' a few times? If you're going to act, at least make it convincing."
Ruan Yang closed her eyes and said calmly, "I've fallen to such a state, and I haven't seen Ning Xian soften his heart. This proves that he doesn't care about me that much. He just treats me like a pet. If your cat or dog dies, how much of an impact will it have on you? At most, you'll be sad for a few days and then forget about it."
“Although Ning Xian is very accommodating to me and seems to love me to outsiders, you have overestimated him. If he valued my life, he wouldn’t have sent people to chase me during my childbirth, and I wouldn’t have suffered a difficult delivery.”
She said helplessly, "I think you should stop wasting your energy and just give up."
"This kind of trick is too stupid. Have you forgotten what Ning Xian said about someone who is capable of killing his father and brother? How could he possibly care about his pet?"
The man wavered after hearing this.
Ruan Yang was worried that Ning Xian's reinforcements would arrive. If he were captured and subjected to Ning Xian's torture, the secret of the mortuary might be exposed, which would be difficult to handle.
She advised, "Why don't you retreat? If Ning Xian's people wipe us out, how will your prince, all alone, seek revenge? Send me back to his side, and we can discuss this further."
When Ning Xian saw that he still wouldn't let go, and that his hand even went further and hugged Ruan Yang's waist, she felt a nameless fire in her heart.
He has never considered compromising with anyone in his entire life.
He wants the country, and he wants Ruan Yang too.
Ning Xian stared ahead with sinister eyes, then gave Fu Ling a wink. He quietly raised his hand from under his raincoat, and a hidden weapon flew out from the ring on his knuckle.
The attack hit its mark, freeing Ruan Yang from his restraints. Fu Ling also rushed out with the hidden weapon and snatched Ruan Yang back.
......
Three days later, the horse finally crossed the border of Jiaozhou, and Ning Xian safely reunited with the reinforcements sent by the imperial court.
The inn's private rooms were heavily guarded, not even a fly could get in. Inside, the rooms were brightly lit with candles and the windows were tightly shut, so they were very safe.
Ruan Yang changed out of her soiled clothes, took a bath and changed her clothes, then turned and went to the bedside. She parted the soft bed curtains and looked at the man who was lying carelessly on the bed.
Ning Xian was not wearing an upper garment; his lower body was covered only by a thin blanket. The doctor slowly inserted needles and thread into his abdomen.
Ning Xian is injured; the wound is on his left chest, overlapping with an old injury, and now it has caused a fever. He must be feeling very unwell.
Ning Xian noticed her arrival, opened her eyes, and forced a smile: "You're here? Seeing me like this, do you feel quite pleased?"
The doctor left, and Ruan Yang knelt on the prayer mat, applying medicine to the newly stitched wound. She did not answer his earlier question: "Thank you, otherwise I would be the one lying here."
"Why are you being so polite all of a sudden?"
Ning Xian sounded quite surprised. What he really wanted to say wasn't politeness, but gentleness. He was a little unaccustomed to being so obedient all of a sudden.
Ning Xian couldn't help but cough a few times. The uneven muscles on his chest rose and fell slowly with the man's breathing, and with each movement, blood seeped out.
Ruan Yang said, "Don't be so polite, or your ministers will impeach you again, saying that I don't have the demeanor of an empress and that I only know how to make trouble all day long."
Ning Xian looked at her and chuckled: "You really took it to heart? Just ignore those words. No matter what mistake you made, I won't punish you."
"By the way, how did you end up in Lingnan? Who were those people?"
Ruan Yang had come up with a plan and shook her head, saying, "I was kidnapped by them. That day, Ji Changhuan told me that you were in trouble, so I was anxious to rescue you and go with her to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to get help for you. But I didn't expect to be intercepted on the way and cause you trouble."
Ning Xian pouted: "Is that really true?"
Ruan Yang felt incredibly guilty, but she still nodded vigorously: "Really, I swear, if I'm lying even a little bit, may God punish me..."
With a deafening roar, a clap of thunder sounded, and a flash of silver light streaked across the sky. Ruan Yang's heart skipped a beat.
"......."
Ning Xian joked, "It seems even the heavens aren't on your side."
Ruan Yang lowered her eyes and sighed softly: "I do hate you, that's true, but I don't want you to die like this."
After speaking, she picked up the scissors and fiddled with them in her hand: "For example, I can avenge Lu Wenjin right now, but I don't want you to die so quickly."
"Oh, really?"
Ning Xian suddenly stood up, grabbed Ruan Yang's wrist with her other hand, and pointed the scissors at her neck: "I told you not to mention him, why do you still keep talking about Lu Wenjin?"
Ruan Yang didn't expect him to still have the strength, and she immediately cowered. Feeling Ning Xian's hot breath rushing to her ear, she couldn't help but get goosebumps.
"I won't mention it anymore, just let me go."
Ning Xian ignored her and continued, "Tell me, now that others have discovered you are my weakness, what should we do? Although we escaped by chance this time, what about next time?"
Although Ruan Yang was used to Ning Xian's unpredictable moods, she was still afraid that the scissors would pierce her throat the next second: "What do you mean?"
Ning Xian bluntly stated, "I want to kill you so that no one can threaten me."
Ruan Yang was taken aback, and subconsciously asked a question that she herself found laughable: "...You're willing to do that?"
Ning Xian wasn't actually using much force in her hand holding the scissors; perhaps because of a slight movement in her arms, the scissors fell to the ground.
He said with a hint of sarcasm, "I can't bear to part with you, but no one is more important than my life, especially you. I actually really dislike you. You almost keep me up at night and prevent me from eating."
"...It can't be that bad, can it?"
Ruan Yang felt helpless, but listened to him calmly: "Although we sleep in the same bed every night and have frequent marital relations, I have never pestered you or forced you to have sex with me."
What's the use of having your body nearby if your heart is still far away?
Ning Xian snorted: "Idiot."
Then, the scissors in his hand pressed against her skin and slowly slid down her chin.
Fortunately, the scissors weren't very sharp; with such a slip, only red marks were left where the sharp object had passed.
Ruan Yang didn't expect him to be serious. After a moment of surprise, she quickly accepted what Ning Xian was going to do to her.
She dared not move an inch, yet her body still trembled uncontrollably.
Seeing that she was crying, Ning Xian wiped away her tears with her fingertips, not wanting to play any more scary tricks on her.
He chuckled and said, "So you're that afraid of death? Fine, then give me a reason why I'll let you go."
"I like....."
"Wait, don't pretend to love me. I'm sick of hearing that. And don't try to seduce me with kisses. I can't satisfy you in my current state."
What else is there...?
Ruan Yang sighed, thought for a long time, and then quietly said, "I'm pregnant."
Ning Xian frowned, her heart skipped a beat, and then tightened her grip: "Don't make fun of me, don't joke about the imperial heirs! Ruan Yang, how many heads do you have?"
"I...I'm not lying to you, it's just very likely that it is."
The Phoenix Palace burned incense to prevent pregnancy, so she couldn't possibly be pregnant. Yet, the fact that she blurted it out wasn't entirely unfounded.
My period didn't come this month, and recently my body has been reacting the same way it did when I was pregnant with that child.
Whether it's true or not, saving her life is the priority right now. It's best if she's not pregnant; even if it is, she won't give birth.
"What’s wrong with you?"
As the scissors fell to the ground, Ning Xian suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, his large hands gently but firmly pressing against her flat stomach.
This surprised Ruan Yang, who was stunned. Even with his back to Ning Xian, he could sense that Ruan Yang was very excited.
"......."
She was out of immediate danger, and Ruan Yang breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to comfort her, saying, "It's been too short. The doctor might not be able to diagnose it. If it's a false alarm, don't be too disappointed. I'm not making fun of you."
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