Yi Shangyun looked down at her feet in silence for a long, long time before finally slowly raising her head and staring at the old king, who was now looking at her with expectant eyes.
The dignified old man before me, a veteran of countless battles, his hair now white with age, revealed a deep helplessness and a desperate plea for his life in his bloodshot eyes. One could imagine that he must have had few peaceful nights of sleep in his entire life.
He was once tall and imposing, with heroic features, full of vigor and spirit, galloping across the battlefield.
Back then, his smile must have been warm yet carefree, and his singing voice was deep and resonant, carrying far and wide as if it were the only sound on the grasslands since ancient times. He was like the legendary celestial horse of the grasslands, leaving a fleeting, breathtaking impression wherever he went.
Even now, though he is bedridden and preoccupied with his own health, he is still meticulously planning for the future of this grassland.
At this moment, Yi Shangyun couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for him.
A solemn face, seemingly forever unyielding, hesitated for a long time before finally gritting its teeth, taking a deep breath, and solemnly saying to him, "I promise you, I will personally deliver this military tally to His Highness the Second Prince, as my way of repaying Bei Lie for taking me in until now."
Upon hearing this, the old king breathed a sigh of relief, blinked, and lay back down.
Unexpectedly, Yi Shangyun continued, "However, although the Second Prince is a member of the royal family, he is also a living, breathing person with flesh and blood, his own thoughts and feelings, not a puppet that you can manipulate at will."
After a pause, an endless sense of desolation welled up in my heart. Is it true that in this world, no one can ever be the person they truly want to be, or live their life according to their own wishes?
He then added, "These past few days, perhaps because I know him too well, please forgive me for being unable to offer him any advice. After this matter is settled, I will leave this place forever, and from now on, I will have no further connection with the Northern Lie Kingdom."
After saying these words, the old king, who was once again stunned on the couch, bowed deeply to express his gratitude and to bid him a final farewell.
Then, he immediately turned and left.
Just as she had taken two steps, she suddenly stopped again, without turning around, and said firmly, "Furthermore, no matter how Western Qin treats me, even if it means my death, I will not abandon them, much less betray them. This is a belief. If a person has no belief in their heart, then their life is truly meaningless, and it would be better to be dead."
After saying that, he walked out of the tent without looking back.
Watching her frail figure disappear into the distance, the old king, trembling, propped himself up on one arm and looked at her with a shocked expression.
After a moment, his lips trembled slightly as he murmured a low sigh, "No wonder the Western Qin Kingdom has been able to stand firm on the Spirit Void Continent for hundreds of years; only they possess the protection of that mysterious power. Even such an abandoned young girl is so loyal and patriotic, let alone others! And I, Bei Lie..."
Then he thought of the generals who had surrendered to Western Qin and their current predicament. His eyes were filled with a deep sense of melancholy. He remained silent for a while, then said with a worried expression, "It seems that the fate of my Northern Lie is truly near..."
His tone was flat with a hint of weariness, and even the last bit of spirit in his eyes and brows, which had been tormented by the years and illness, vanished instantly.
After saying that, he coughed heavily again: "Cough cough cough cough..."
His eyes were filled with bitterness and melancholy. He clenched his fist tightly, the veins on it throbbing. Then, he spat out another mouthful of blood, and his vision blurred. He struggled to watch the figure of Yi Shangyun walking further and further away...
In a daze, she couldn't help but call out, "Ruoxi, this girl who looks exactly like you is even more stubborn than you were back then. Has your soul truly been reborn? Ruoxi, I miss you so much, I miss you so much..."
His strength waned, his vision blurred, and he could no longer hold on.
With a "plop," he collapsed heavily onto the edge of the bed, like a fish that had just escaped from deep water, lying on the shore, barely alive, helplessly gasping for breath.
Just then, a masked figure in black slowly emerged from the shadows, tiptoeing towards the person beside the bed.
He reached out and flipped him over, pinning him down. In a flash, he drew a sharp dagger and pressed it against the man's neck, demanding, "Where is the military tally?"
"Wh...what...what military tally?" The old king was already slurring his words, panting heavily.
The masked man in black instantly lost his patience, immediately leaning forward and staring intently at him, saying, "You're about to die, what are you pretending for? Of course it's the 'Heavenly Horse Military Seal' of the Northern Lie royal family."
The old king mustered his strength and gave a cold laugh: "Hahahaha," then weakly said, "You...you're too late. The military tally...the military tally...I...I've already passed it on...to the future king of this grassland."
"What did you say?" The masked man in black was stunned upon hearing this, and the force in his hand unconsciously increased.
The old king was suddenly startled and began to cough uncontrollably again: "Cough cough cough cough..."
At that moment, perhaps due to distraction, the masked man in black accidentally dropped a precious short sword, its scabbard and hilt gleaming with gold and inlaid with many red and green gemstones, which landed right beside the old king.
The old king struggled to regain his composure and glanced at him sideways. He immediately recognized the short sword he knew all too well. Then, with utter astonishment, he stared at the masked man's eyes, which had suddenly become filled with apprehension, and said, "You, you, you are..."
"Hiss..."
Before he could finish speaking, the man in black, realizing his identity had been exposed, suddenly raised the gleaming dagger that was pressed against the old king's neck and stabbed him viciously through the left side of his chest.
Suddenly, a large pool of blood gushed out, staining a large area red...
At this moment, as soon as Yi Shangyun stepped out of the old king's tent, without even a moment's rest, he couldn't wait to ride under the moonlight, carrying the Heavenly Horse Military Talisman, across the vast grassland, galloping straight towards the military camp.
She silently calculated in her heart that once she completed this task, she would be completely free.
It seems that Western Qin is destined to win this war. The God of War truly lives up to his name.
However, the thought of Xuan Yuanhan brought a warm feeling to her heart, but she was also filled with helpless sorrow.
Perhaps, next, she should go and see the Kingdom of Dongning. What was that country, which her mother had once visited, really like?
Meanwhile, in a simple tent in the eastern border of the Northern Lie Kingdom.
Mei Zhixuan, who would soon arrive at the meeting point agreed upon with Yi Junhao, was alone, his hands behind his back, staring blankly at a dim candlelight.
At this moment, all that could be seen in his mind were Xuan Yuan Yue's every smile and frown, her determination towards him, and that crazy night that he still finds hard to believe.
But in the end, on a face that seemed to have been sculpted by the hand of nature, the two thick, dark eyebrows finally furrowed deeply, turning into endless gloom and melancholy.
Suddenly, a guard, his face beaming with joy, hurried in and bowed respectfully to the departing figure, saying, "Congratulations, Your Highness!"
"What's the matter that makes you so happy?" Mei Zhixuan asked listlessly, not even glancing at him.
"Congratulations, Your Highness! You will soon become a father!" the guard said excitedly.
Upon hearing this, Mei Zhixuan seemed unable to believe his ears and immediately turned around to ask in surprise, "What? You said... Yue'er... she's pregnant? Is that true?"
The guard smiled and nodded repeatedly to confirm, "It's absolutely true. The imperial physicians in the palace have confirmed it. It's been a full three months, which happens to be exactly the day His Highness left Dongning."
Mei Zhixuan's cold face suddenly turned into one of wild joy. He seemed to be still grinning foolishly. The usually calm and composed man began to pace back and forth in the tent.
Judging from his anxious yet excited demeanor, if Xuan Yuan Yue were in front of him right now, he would want to lift her high above his head and announce this exciting moment to the whole world.
At this moment, the guard suddenly frowned, as if he was hesitant and had a bad feeling. He slowly took out a secret letter and handed it to Mei Zhixuan, saying, "Your Highness, this is a letter that the Empress sent back to her motherland, which was intercepted by the people who were arranged to monitor the Empress's movements in the palace."
Mei Zhixuan seemed to have been waiting for this letter for a long time, but now that it finally appeared in front of him, he suddenly hesitated.
He stared blankly at the secret letter handed to him by the guard for a long time, but dared not reach out to take it.
Finally, she mustered her courage, gritted her teeth, and took it, unfolding it.
He quickly scanned the few words, but then froze, as if stunned by the contents of the letter.
Upon seeing this, the guards rushed forward and asked with concern, "Your Highness, what has happened?"
Mei Zhixuan didn't rush to answer him, but remained motionless in silence, silent, silent...
A pair of deep eyes gradually widened, then narrowed, until they gradually turned cool...
After regaining his senses, he solemnly walked slowly to the candlelight and lit the letter.
He stared blankly at the letter in his hand that was slowly turning to ashes, remaining silent for a long, long time, seemingly lost in thought.
After it had all turned to ashes, the ashes were devoid of any warmth. Only the last tiny remnant in his hand was blown away by a gentle breeze before he said in a deep voice, "You would never have guessed..."
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