Chapter Twenty-Six: Her Future Husband
In a flash, Li Bao'er spurred her horse and charged away.
Mu Yunshang was already terrified. Seeing someone rushing towards her, she instinctively shoved them away, yelling, "Get out of my way!"
"Sister!"
"Bao'er!"
"Sister Bao'er!"
Li Bao'er felt dizzy and lost her balance. Just as she was about to fall off the horse, time seemed to freeze. She saw Li Yu's bloodshot eyes and the afterimage of Xiao Han flying towards her.
001 screamed loudly, "Host! Watch out!"
Mu Yuan leaped forward, raised his arrow, and fiercely shot it at the enraged tigress, shielding Mu Yunshang behind him.
Li Bao'er didn't even want to think about the pain of falling off the horse. She thought to herself that if she didn't break an arm or a leg, she would have to be brave.
Li Bao'er kept her eyes tightly closed, but the intense pain she had imagined did not come. Instead, she smelled the scent of green bamboo.
She opened her eyes blankly and met Xiao Han's gaze, which was so close to hers. His eyes, which were usually as calm as a deep pool, were now churning with turbulent waves, and even his breathing was trembling noticeably.
"Bao'er, where are you hurt?" Xiao Han's voice was hoarse, but his arms held her steadily.
Xiao Han was extremely grateful that he had intentionally kept a proper distance from Bao'er; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Does it hurt, sister?" Li Yu's eyes were red and filled with tears. Her trembling fingers wanted to touch her left arm but dared not.
Li Bao'er then noticed that her left arm was hanging at an unnatural angle.
Although Xiao Han caught her in time, the horse wasn't very high, and even though Xiao Han was very fast, Li Bao'er's arm still hit the ground hard.
At this moment, my entire arm felt like it didn't belong to me; I couldn't even feel my fingertips.
However, Li Bao'er was still relieved that Xiao Han caught her in time; otherwise, she would have been trampled by the startled horse and would have been finished.
"I'm fine, but I feel like I can't feel my hand," Li Bao'er forced a smile, but her voice was uncontrollably weak. She wanted to reassure them, but her left hand probably... well... it really seemed like she couldn't feel it.
Li Yu's eyes were bloodshot as she stared intently at Mu Yunshang, who was trembling behind Mu Yuan.
His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and veins bulged on his forehead: "Mu Yunshang! My elder sister kindly saved you, and you repay kindness with enmity by pushing her off her horse! Your royal family is a bunch of depraved..."
The words came to an abrupt halt.
Li Yu felt a heat on her wrist and looked down to see that Li Bao'er's face was turning pale at a visible speed, and her lips were almost transparent.
"Ah Yu...be careful what you say." Li Bao'er shook her head weakly.
She couldn't actually feel the pain, perhaps because the injury was too severe and her body had become numb.
However, Mu Yunshang is the old emperor's only daughter and is deeply loved. Li Yu's nonsense will cause trouble.
"Don't say so much yet, let's go back first." Xiao Han had already taken off his outer robe and covered Li Bao'er with it, and carefully picked her up.
As he passed by Mu Yuan and his group, his cold gaze swept over them, sending chills down their spines.
Mu Yunshang then seemed to snap out of a daze, trembling as she grabbed Mu Yuan's sleeve. Her delicate makeup was smudged with tears, and her eyes were filled with panic: "Third Brother, I didn't mean to... I was just too scared, Miss Li's hand..."
Mu Yuan frowned as he looked at the unconscious Li Bao'er in Xiao Han's arms. On her limp left arm, a hideous wound was oozing blood, staining Xiao Han's clothes crimson.
A sudden, inexplicable sense of unease welled up inside him.
"Now you know fear?" Mu Yuan shook off his sister's hand, his voice chillingly cold: "Go back and apologize to Father Emperor yourself."
Just then, a strange sound came from the depths of the dense forest, and a purple figure rushed over, stepping on the falling leaves. Wherever it passed, even the air froze.
Just moments before, on the viewing platform, Mu Cenlin was casually twirling a white jade wine cup.
Several senior officials surrounded him, chattering on about frontier military affairs. Their high-sounding official jargon buzzed like mosquitoes, gradually hardening his eyes with frost.
"What does Your Highness think we should do?" The Minister of War suddenly fell silent.
A thin crack appeared in the wine glass in Mu Cenlin's hand, and amber-colored wine dripped through his fingers.
His left arm suddenly lost sensation, as if the entire arm had been severed, and he could not even feel his fingertips.
Just then, the Fifth Prince came over with a fruit platter: "Second Brother, would you like to try these grapes... Second Brother?"
Before he could finish speaking, a purple shadow suddenly appeared before his eyes!
Mu Cenlin leaped directly from the ten-zhang-high platform. His purple figure swept past like a ghost, creating violent shockwaves wherever he went, tearing apart all the banners and curtains along the way.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the hunting grounds, Xiao Han was carrying Li Bao'er as they ran.
The girl in his arms was already in a daze, her left arm hanging limply at her sides, and the blood seeping from her sleeve spread a large dark patch on his clothes.
"Bao'er, hold on a little longer," Xiao Han said, his voice strained, but he abruptly stopped just as he rounded the cliff.
Amidst the falling leaves, Mu Cenlin's purple robes fluttered in the wind.
"Mu Cenlin?" Xiao Han subconsciously pulled his arms back.
When Mu Cenlin flew closer and saw clearly the person in Xiao Han's arms, Mu Cenlin's eyes suddenly narrowed.
"Give him to me," Mu Cenlin's voice trembled without him even realizing it.
In her unconscious state, Li Bao'er murmured, "It hurts..."
The mountain wind, carrying the stench of blood, swirled between the two.
Xiao Han's arm trembled slightly, yet he held the unconscious Li Bao'er even tighter. He
He could feel the faint breath of the person in his arms brushing against the side of his neck, and the warm blood had already soaked through three layers of clothing.
"Give her to me."
Mu Cenlin's voice was colder than the edge of a sword.
"In what capacity does Your Highness request this person? I recall that you just publicly stated that you looked down on Bao'er."
"My queen."
Xiao Han's pupils suddenly contracted.
He was unwilling to accept that Bao'er's heart had finally moved on from Mu Yuan, only to turn back to Mu Cenlin.
Xiao Han was unwilling to remain hidden in the shadows forever, protecting the one he loved.
"You publicly humiliated Bao'er, you are not worthy of marrying her!" Xiao Han roared angrily.
Mu Cenlin felt a surge of irritation as he looked at the blood dripping from the limp hand.
He was unwilling to waste any more words. "Oh? Young Master Xiao is very unwilling? If you have the ability, go and beg the Emperor to annul the engagement."
A cacophony of voices drifted from afar, but Mu Cenlin seemed oblivious. He suddenly pressed his sword against Xiao Han's throat, while his other hand gently caught Li Bao'er.
As Mu Cenlin turned around with the person in his arms, he gave Xiao Han a meaningful look: "Young Master Xiao, it's best not to have any designs on someone who isn't yours."
When Li Yu finally caught up with Xiao Han, she cried out, "Xiao Han! My sister..." but her voice trailed off.
The boy looked around blankly and saw only Xiao Han all alone.
"Where's my older sister?"
Xiao Han gazed at the fluttering purple hem of her robe in the distance, his Adam's apple bobbing: "She was taken away."
"By whom?" Li Yu was so anxious she was about to cry, but then she saw Xiao Han suddenly punch the tree trunk.
A startled bird flew past his reddened eyes, and his reply was as soft as a sigh:
"Her future husband."
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