Chapter 310 Going Back
What promises were made?
So much time had passed that even Xuanyuan Ze was stunned.
He didn't remember, so Qi Yuxuan helped him recall.
"You said you were willing to dedicate your heart to the world, hoping to one day rise to high office and reform corrupt practices. Have you forgotten all the books you studied and the principles you learned over the years?"
Qi Yuxuan sneered: "Xuanyuanze, I thought you were different."
"People say that once you have power, you can issue orders. You could have been an emperor for all time, but you've wasted so much manpower and resources in this desolate mountain temple, getting entangled with me, your old friend."
"Today I am someone else, but tomorrow I will be someone else. What you pursue throughout your life is not love, but something you can never have."
"Only in this way can you convince yourself to do these wasteful, selfish things."
"You're so pathetic."
Xuan Yuanze gripped her chin tightly and suddenly shouted angrily, "Shut up!"
His eyes were bloodshot, his gaze in the night like that of a wolf driven to the brink of despair.
"Qi Yuxuan, do you think I'm reluctant to kill you?"
Qi Yuxuan gave a soft "heh": "You know my name is Qi Yuxuan. You've been deceiving yourself by calling me Xiao Ye all this time. I thought you didn't know my current identity."
“I am from Qi, and you are the king of Yue. Even if we set aside our identities, we are still close friends. But you believed what was written on that tattered page and insisted on putting us on the opposite side.”
"You're not afraid Qi Jun will kill you; you're just afraid you can't control the situation in this world. That's why you're using this battle to show the world that you are the one destined to always have the initiative!"
"But you never were."
Xuan Yuanze's hand was already gripping her throat tightly, choking her before she could finish her provocative words.
He clenched his back teeth, and a voice escaped from between his lips: "I really will kill you."
The man's fingers were hard and broad, and Qi Yuxuan's heart raced, blood rushed to her head, and her vision blurred as he gripped her tightly.
But she seemed completely unconcerned, the corners of her mouth still curved in a mocking smile, as if she were waiting for Xuan Yuanze to finish her off.
Xuanyuanze suddenly loosened his grip.
He held her shoulders, trapping her firmly, his voice hoarse: "Why did you do this to me..."
"Aren't we clearly the same kind of people?"
"Why do you think we're enemies? Everything I've done is for you so I can live... If you just say one kind word to me and are willing to come back with me, I won't attack Qi anymore, okay?"
His response was Qi Yuxuan's weak, intermittent voice:
"No, I hate you."
These words felt like a thousand arrows piercing his heart, causing Xuan Yuanze's chest to convulse with pain.
No, that's not right.
He turned his head and met Ren Shun's face, which was covered in blood.
The young boy's face was filled with an even more innocent cruelty, as if he had no idea what he was doing. When he saw the boy turn around, the dagger in his hand went in another half inch.
Ren Shun was quick to notice the pain in his back, but he was clever enough to find the right spot. His armor protected his vital heart meridian, and his knife pierced deep into the gaps in the armor plates. Xuan Yuanze's blood immediately stained his clothes, dripping through the golden armor and onto the ground.
Xuanyuan Ze released his grip on Qi Yuxuan, turned around and slapped Ren Shun away with a palm strike.
The figure arced through the dim night, crashing heavily to the ground. He struggled to his feet, then stood up again, gripping his knife tightly, and charged forward once more.
He shouted at Qi Yuxuan, "Run!"
Behind him stood the Yue army, their spears already raised against him, but without the orders of the carefree king, none of them dared to make a move.
Even though the carefree prince had been injured by this arrogant young man, they all knew that this person was the prince's former younger brother. If they were in a hurry to claim credit and injured him, they would be in deep trouble if the prince sought revenge later.
Qi Yuxuan had already gotten up from the ground and ran towards the broken window on her right.
Confident that she couldn't escape, Xuan Yuanze didn't even glance at her, but instead dealt with this ungrateful brat who had no way out.
Qi Yuxuan stepped onto the windowsill, only having time to glance back once.
The surrounded boy had a resolute face and a fierce expression. He was not afraid of the spears around him, nor was he afraid of his former brother who was stronger than him.
His clothes were covered in dirt and grime, and his thin body was taut like a bowstring ready to be released when facing Xuan Yuanze. Even though he knew that this battle was likely to end badly, he showed no sign of weakness.
Qi Yuxuan withdrew her gaze, hardened her heart, and without further hesitation, leaped outwards with all her might.
Thirty li to the east lies the State of Qi.
As long as you run that way, you can get back.
What seemed like only half a month to her was more than two months for her mother and the others, and she couldn't afford to delay any longer.
The moment Ren Shun looked over, she had already made up her mind. If she deliberately provoked Xuan Yuanze and Ren Shun was willing to buy her time so that she could escape from Yue Kingdom, she would do her best to send someone to rescue Ren Shun.
The mountain temple was surrounded by the Yue army. Upon seeing her jump out, the soldiers' first reaction was to surround her. But inside the temple, the carefree king's voice was filled with pain and struggle:
"Let her go."
The army cleared a path in an instant, and Qi Yuxuan ran wildly in the cleared direction without looking back, afraid that if she was too slow, Xuan Yuanze would change his mind.
After she left, Ren Shun and Xuan Yuanze faced each other in silence, neither of the brothers speaking first.
Blood continued to seep from the wound on Xuanyuan Ze's back. One of his attendants could no longer contain himself and stepped forward, saying, "Your Highness, your wound—"
"Step back." Xuan Yuanze waved his hand, ordering everyone to retreat a mile, leaving only himself and Ren Shun behind.
The servant had no choice but to obey orders and retreat with the others.
The lean young man stood still, but his tense, alert posture showed that he would not waver under any order from Xuan Yuanze.
Qi Yuxuan ran tirelessly in one direction for a long time. When she got tired, she sat down on the ground to rest, and then continued running after a while.
Dangerous sounds echoed throughout the dark mountains, but she dared not listen, turning herself into a blind and deaf person, focusing only on moving in that direction.
She had never felt that thirty li was such a short distance, so short that she could see the flag symbolizing the State of Qi flying high on the city wall as soon as the sky began to lighten.
The black flag embroidered with the large character "齐" (Qi) in gold thread fluttered in the autumn wind as the first rays of the morning sun rose.
Qi Yuxuan could no longer hold on. She tripped over a protruding stone and fell heavily forward.
Before her consciousness faded, she only saw the guards on the city gate giving her a warning look and whispering amongst themselves, unsure of what to do.
Could it be that even though she has already reached the city walls, she still can't go back?
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