Once we cross this mountain, we can save a day and a night's journey and head straight up the ancient Northwest Road, a wide road that leads directly from Western Qin to Northern Lie.
At this time, the ancient road in the northwest was still in the dead of winter, with a biting wind and snow everywhere, making it difficult for most people to persevere.
This was Yi Shangyun's first time visiting Beishan, so it was completely unfamiliar to her.
Just as she was carefully observing the unfamiliar surroundings, Tuoba Ze suddenly let out a loud whistle, followed by the long neighing of a horse.
Immediately, several fine horses galloped out of the nearby woods, heads held high, carrying uniformly dressed guards in black, their hair half-tied back and swords at their waists, rushing towards the two. The sound of their galloping was like rolling thunder in spring.
One of the guards was leading a chestnut-colored horse that looked extremely valuable.
The horse quickly and obediently stopped in front of Tuoba Ze and Yi Shangyun, clearly having already been tamed by its master.
"This is...this is the legendary Akhal-Teke horse, said to be able to 'travel a thousand miles a day and eight hundred miles at night'?" Yi Shangyun exclaimed in astonishment as she stepped closer to examine it closely. Tuoba Ze couldn't help but smile, a handsome curve appearing on his lips as he watched her undisguised joy.
Unable to contain her overwhelming joy, as soon as Yi Shangyun finished speaking, she slowly reached out to try and touch the legendary spirited steed herself. Unexpectedly, the horse remained obediently in place, letting her stroke it at will.
She was so excited! "I had long heard that the Akhal-Teke horse was the most mysterious horse in the world. It was handsome and majestic, with a beautiful body, a fine head and high neck, long limbs, thin skin and fine hair, and was light and agile. It had endless endurance and stamina, making it extremely suitable for long-distance riding. It was famous for the red substance in the sweat that flowed from its neck when it ran, which was as red as blood. But seeing it in person today, it is indeed true to its reputation."
Just as Yi Shangyun was engrossed in curiously examining the legendary divine horse before her, Tuoba Ze suddenly leaped onto its back with a look of delight. With lightning speed, he scooped Yi Shangyun up, embraced her slender waist, and placed her steadily in front of him. Then, he whipped the horse and galloped straight towards the mountain path.
Several bodyguards in black suits followed silently behind.
Unexpectedly, when Yi Shangyun was caught off guard and suddenly pulled onto the back of the Akhal-Teke horse by Tuoba Ze, she was still stunned when she suddenly found herself leaving the secret room with Tuoba Ze. Before leaving, the pink sachet embroidered with butterflies and magnolias that Yu Niang had given her accidentally fell off and hung on a low crabapple tree at the fork in the road leading up the mountain.
That was something Yu Niang had whispered to her before she left, saying it could be used to track and retrieve her. If it were lost, then…
Yi Shangyun didn't have time to think any further; that might be the only memory she could retain of everything that had happened in the Western Qin Kingdom. With that thought, she stared at the pink sachet and cried out urgently, "Hey, sachet, my sachet, stop, stop!"
"It's just a broken sachet. Once you're in Beilie, I, the prince, will give you whatever you want," Tuoba Ze said as he rode his horse.
Yi Shangyun looked bewildered and contemptuous, his eyes fierce as he said, "Tuoba Ze...you...put me down, put me down now, you madman, what are you doing?"
Tuoba Ze asked, "Yi Shangyun, didn't you promise me that you would willingly return to Beilie with me?"
"That's right, I did promise to go to Beilie with you, but right now... isn't this a deep mountain?" Yi Shangyun said timidly, extremely puzzled.
Deep in the mountains and forests, what exactly did they want to do to her, a vulnerable woman? Could it be...?
Just as the group reached the halfway point of the mountain, Yi Shangyun suddenly frowned, feeling a sharp pain. He clutched his abdomen and groaned, "Ouch, ouch..."
Tuoba Ze originally thought she was just pretending to be sick and had some other trick up her sleeve. He hadn't completely given up on the idea of escaping, so he prepared to ignore her and not pay her any attention.
Unexpectedly, her groans grew heavier and heavier, and her body slumped lower and lower until she was almost touching the horse's back. Upon closer inspection, even her face had turned a frighteningly pale white, and she seemed to be... sweating profusely, which did not seem like a feigned illness at all.
Left with no other choice, he frowned and impatiently reined in his horse, asking in confusion, "What's wrong with you? You were perfectly fine just now. Is it really worth it for a broken sachet?!"
Yi Shangyun looked extremely unwell, as if her whole body was about to fall apart. She struggled to say, "I...I...my stomach hurts, I want...I want..."
Seeing her in such pain, Tuoba Ze assumed she needed to relieve herself. He then released her with an impatient yet helpless expression, saying, "Alright, no need to say anything more. Go ahead, but don't go too far. There are many jackals and wild beasts roaming in these deep mountains."
Having said that, Yi Shangyun finally broke free from Tuoba Ze's tight control, dismounted, and walked into a small grove of trees to the east.
"You two, go and follow them," Tuoba Ze instructed the two guards beside him warily.
"Yes," the two black-clad guards replied, dismounting hastily and following behind Yi Shangyun.
That said, the sudden, excruciating pain that Yi Shangyun was experiencing was not an act.
Ever since she stepped out of the gate of the Yi Mansion in the west of the city a few days ago, her eating and sleeping habits have been completely irregular, even though she already suffers from a stomach ailment.
So, at this moment, she was just suffering from a sudden stomach ailment and unbearable pain. But she was genuinely startled by Tuoba Ze's madness and domineering attitude just now.
Perhaps, before she truly decided to leave with Tuoba Ze, there was still something she couldn't let go of in her heart.
Seeing Tuoba Ze's domineering nature, she suddenly thought of someone: the unattainable Prince Xuanyuan Han of Qin.
Did he really come all the way from the Prince Qin's Mansion in the east of the city to Wanjiao Pavilion to find her? Or was she just infatuated and deluding herself?
The memories of the past, the dramatic moments, flashed before my eyes like a movie, so unreal.
She recalled how, in this Western Qin Kingdom, unknown to people from the 21st century, many had told her to seriously consider King Xuanyuan Han of Qin. Lost in thought, she murmured absentmindedly, a dreamy smile playing on her lips, "Yes, King Xuanyuan Han, he is indeed quite good..."
But as soon as she said it, she grabbed her two little fists and slammed them against her head, saying, "Yi Shangyun, what are you thinking? Your man, Wei Mingxuan, who once swore and vowed to marry no one but him, is he in the 21st century?"
But as soon as she finished speaking, for some reason, she thought of Lanxiang, of Erlang whom Lanxiang had misunderstood for so long, and of Erlang's later wife, Hongmei. That ending, it must be said, was truly heartbreaking.
She recalled what Lanxiang's grandmother had once told her: "If you find someone who loves you back and is willing to die for you, you must cherish them. Life is short, don't wait until you're separated by death to start remembering them."
Thinking of this, Yi Shangyun murmured to herself, "In this world, is there really someone willing to die for me? I think I should... I should say yes..."
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the edge of the cliff on the east side of the mountain stream. She had left the group simply to find a reason and an opportunity to catch her breath alone.
At this moment, she had stopped thinking about anything else and was only focused on pacing back and forth, massaging her upper abdomen with her hands to relieve the waves of intense pain, while breathing in the long-lost fresh and free air.
As soon as Cheng Liang received his orders from Xuan Yuanhan and arrived at the foot of Xiangmanlou, he happened to run into his subordinate guards who were about to deliver a message to him.
He hurriedly opened the letter and saw that it was a message sent by carrier pigeon from the guards who were following and helping Yi Junhao.
The letter stated that Yi Junhao and his group pursued them closely and finally found the madam who had broken out of Wanjiao Pavilion and the man in a place called Willow Grove, not far from the North and South Mountains of the city.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Liang was immediately alarmed and exclaimed, "This is bad! The foot of the North Mountain, not far from there, is the only way to Bei Lie. They... they all want to escape back to Bei Lie. This time, we must not let them return to the mountains and give them a chance to regroup and make a comeback."
He then immediately ordered, "Set off immediately to the willow grove south of the city. We must annihilate all these thieves and beasts who have invaded our Western Qin."
After receiving the order, his men followed closely behind, and as soon as they left the house, they hurriedly spurred their horses and headed straight for the back of the mountain.
In the willow grove near Beishan, on the southern outskirts of Xiqin.
Yi Junhao and several guards crouched down behind a patch of evergreen bushes, closely monitoring a fight taking place in a small open space in front of them.
All that could be heard was the extremely loud sound of rushing water, booming and rumbling, like a surging tide.
That was the deafening sound of a huge waterfall, like an inverted Milky Way, cascading down the high cliff next to the forest, not far from the northeast corner of the area.
In the open space, the madam and the man stood facing each other, their expressions increasingly menacing. They had been partners for many years, so why were they now so hostile?
The man looked down at the madam with an imposing air and shouted, "Now, it seems you're determined to betray your master, aren't you?"
Ever since the madam forced her way out of the Wanjiao Pavilion, she had been relentlessly pursued by the man. Despite her already obese body and attempts to use hidden weapons and poisons along the way, she was ultimately no match for the strong and well-informed man's relentless pursuit.
At this point, she was clearly exhausted, her legs were weak, she was panting heavily, and she simply couldn't run anymore...
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