Chapter Seven: Don't Touch Those You Shouldn't Touch
Xiao Yizhi pressed the blade against Li Bao'er's chin, forcing her to raise her head.
In the moonlight, a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes, as if he were looking at a laughable toy.
Xiao Yizhi slowly leaned down, his voice as soft as a viper's hiss, "Heh, do you think Cen Lin will let you off every time just because he let you go the last few times?"
Li Bao'er's breath hitched, and her pupils contracted slightly.
Seeing this, Xiao Yizhi's smile deepened, and the tip of his knife lightly grazed her cheek, sending a shiver down her spine.
"That old fox Li Xiangyuan is so shrewd and cunning in the court, how could he have given birth to such a fool as you? Apart from this face, you are utterly useless."
"You only dare to be so presumptuous because you resemble someone I know somewhat."
Li Bao'er's heart skipped a beat.
An old friend? What old friend? Could it be that Mu Cenlin's repeated tolerance of her was because... she looked like someone else?
This thought was like a thorn, piercing my heart unexpectedly.
Li Bao'er suddenly remembered the way Mu Cenlin looked at her, sometimes sinister, sometimes complicated. It turned out that he was looking at someone else through her.
Xiao Yizhi lowered the tip of his knife, pressing it against her heart. "Today, I will rid Cen Lin of this scourge."
Just as he was about to exert his strength.
Li Bao'er suddenly laughed.
That poignant and resolute smile made Xiao Yizhi pause.
Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, "Lord Xiao is right."
"I really am stupid."
It's because she's been mistaking people for others for over a decade.
But she is not anyone's substitute!
She's destined to be the woman Mu Cenlin saves!
Li Bao'er suddenly grabbed Xiao Yizhi's wrist, and in the moment of his surprise, she plunged the gold hairpin hidden in her sleeve into his arm!
"But you've forgotten one thing. I am the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family, and I will not be easily slaughtered!"
Xiao Yizhi grunted and kicked her hard in the chest.
Li Bao'er was thrown three zhang away like a kite with a broken string, her back hitting the tree trunk with a dull thud.
Blood foam spilled from her lips, and her vision blurred.
Xiao Yizhi clearly hadn't expected this sickly noblewoman to have such a tenacious side.
"I underestimated you."
“However, you’re doomed.” With a gritted-teeth voice, Xiao Yizhi pulled out three silver needles from his sleeve.
Li Bao'er curled up in the pile of decaying leaves, feeling the bloody taste rising in her throat and her chest bones aching terribly.
With difficulty, she managed to lift herself up from the ground. Li Bao'er thought she was going to die and frantically cried for help in her mind.
In her despair, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a tree branch behind Xiao Yizhi, following the moonlight.
The moonlight outlined a tall, slender figure.
Mu Cenlin leaned against the tree trunk with his arms crossed, having been observing for an unknown amount of time.
The scar under his right eye gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and his eyes were darker than the night.
Li Bao'er immediately spoke, blood gushing out uncontrollably: "Mu...Cen Lin!"
Xiao Yizhi wished he could tear her mouth apart; she was the one least qualified to call Cen Lin by name, except for the old emperor.
"Shut up! Even if he really comes, he can't save you!"
The silver needles have already pierced through the air.
Amidst the sound of snapping branches, the dark figure swooped down like a ghost.
With a flash of light, the three silver needles broke into six pieces, clattering and falling onto Li Bao'er's skirt.
"Xiao Yizhi, it's not your place to deal with her."
It turned out that Mu Cenlin had felt a sudden, inexplicable palpitation as soon as Li Bao'er left the military tent.
The feeling of weakness transmitted through empathy made him kick over the table. When he arrived at her tent, he saw only the flickering candlelight illuminating the empty bed.
As the soldiers outside the gate nervously reported that Deputy Commander Xiao had led his men out of the camp, he used his light-footed skills to slip past the camp.
Xiao Yi's pupils constricted sharply: "Your Highness, she is..."
"Shut up! Do you really think I've indulged her nonsense all these years?"
Mu Cenlin suddenly bent down and picked up the dying Li Bao'er. "Is it because of this face?"
Through her blood-blurred vision, Li Bao'er saw his thin lips part: "Xiao Yizhi, you should go to the northern frontier to feed the wolves."
Li Bao'er noticed Mu Cenlin's taut jawline and bobbing Adam's apple.
I felt inexplicably at ease.
That's great, she survived again.
This realization made her fingertips tremble slightly.
This is the second time, including the one at the mass grave.
She was pulled back from the brink of death for the second time by this man who had once humiliated her in every way.
She will definitely treat him a hundred times better from now on.
In her hazy state, Li Bao'er gently tugged at Mu Cenlin's sleeve.
"Don't move." Mu Cenlin's voice was tense, but he tightened his grip on her arm even more.
Sensing the movement of the person in his arms, Mu Cenlin lowered his eyes and looked down, his black hair disheveled, his eyes red-rimmed, and blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Mu Cenlin felt annoyed by this.
The pain in his chest told him that Li Bao'er was now half-dead.
This damn empathy.
Li Bao'er's pale lips trembled slightly, "Cen... Lin, under that locust tree to the west, the tiger... talisman is there."
Every word she uttered felt like a blade churning inside her lungs.
"And...my...jade pendant is missing."
The last sentence was almost uttered in a breathy voice, and before the last note faded, darkness completely enveloped the world.
Before losing consciousness, she vaguely saw Mu Cenlin's pupils suddenly shrink and his veins suddenly bulging.
Mu Cenlin uttered, his expression complex, "Even in this state, you're still thinking about your jade pendant."
The next second, Mu Cen lightly touched the ground with his toes, picked her up, and leaped into the air, his figure soaring to the treetop.
A crisp "crack" sound came from below.
Xiao Yizhi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his knee, and an invisible pressure slammed down on him, forcing him to kneel heavily on the ground.
The stinging pain of the pebbles embedded in the flesh was nothing compared to the shock in my heart.
The prince actually used his inner strength for this woman!
"Bring the military tally back!"
Xiao Yi stared intently in the direction where the two had disappeared.
He had only one thought in his mind: he couldn't let Li Bao'er die here.
This will surely bring disaster (皿).
I can't help but think back to how I wish I hadn't met Qingluan back in the border town.
Back when Xiao Yizhi and Mu Cenlin were still far away on the frontier, they met a woman named Qingluan.
Xiao Yizhi remembered that day when he and Mu Cenlin were inspecting the local conditions when suddenly a bridal sedan chair overturned at a street corner.
The bride broke free from her restraints and rushed to their horses.
"Help! Young masters, I was forcibly brought here, please help me!"
Having traveled extensively, Qingluan immediately recognized the two men's exceptional skills and, in her desperation, had no choice but to fight back.
She was separated from her family during the war, and because of her beauty, she was noticed by a wealthy merchant in the border town who forced her to marry him.
No matter how much she cried and screamed, she couldn't stop the two of them from moving forward.
Until the phoenix crown tilted and a corner of the veil was lifted by the wind.
Xiao Yizhi saw something shatter in Mu Cenlin's eyes.
That was the first time he had seen His Highness stop his horse for a stranger.
Tonight, the way Mu Cenlin carried Li Bao'er away was even more resolute than when he saved Qingluan back then.
Xiao Yizhi couldn't help but murmur, "Qingluan, where...where did you go?"
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