Seeing that the wolf in front of her didn't move, she took a deep breath and ran back as fast as she could.
If not now, when?
She can't just stand there and wait to die!
Her adrenaline surged instantly, and Su An ran wildly without a care in the world. Even without looking back, she could hear the sound of her running relentlessly behind her.
But as night fell, and the path through the woods became increasingly rugged.
Su An didn't know what he stepped on, but he felt his foot slip and he fell backward.
It's over! It's completely over!
If I fall down, won't I be torn to pieces by the wolves?
At the critical moment, a dark figure swiftly swept past, grabbed Su An's waist, and helped her up.
At the same time, he lightly swung his sword, creating two flourishes, and the wolf that had caught up with him was instantly beheaded. The body and blood fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Su An swallowed hard, still shaken.
She didn't come to her senses until the man released her.
She bowed respectfully and thanked the person who came.
"Thank you so much for saving my life, young master. I will never forget your kindness. May I ask your name? If I return safely in the future, I will prepare gifts and visit you to express my gratitude!"
Upon hearing this, the person in front of him turned his head away, averted his gaze, and responded in a low and hoarse voice.
"It was just a small favor, don't worry about it. Even if it were someone else, I would have helped them today."
Su An was completely confused.
If she remembered correctly, she didn't seem to have said that he came specifically to save her. This sounded a bit like she was trying to hide something.
She hadn't thought much about it at first, but now she couldn't help but doubt the identity of the man in black.
Su An narrowed her eyes and quietly looked him up and down.
The newcomer was tall and slender, dressed in all black. If it weren't for the sword he carried, he would have blended into the darkness. The black veil on his face completely concealed his features, revealing only a pair of unremarkable eyes.
That look... it seems kind of familiar.
But she couldn't immediately recall where she had seen it before.
Su An frowned, desperately searching his mind for relevant memories.
Her intense gaze was impossible for him to ignore, so he could only cough lightly and sigh as he confessed.
“Miss, you don’t need to guess anymore. My appearance here is indeed not accidental. However, I have no ill intentions towards you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of saving you just now.”
These words did not dispel Su An's doubts.
She looked at the man warily and asked.
"It's not a coincidence, which means you've been following me, you know me?"
Upon hearing this, the man in black's eyes flickered, and he shook his head in response.
"I don't know him, but I do know an old friend of yours. If I'm not mistaken, Miss Su left the capital to seek out an old friend. The border region is harsh and dangerous, so I kindly advise you not to go."
"Wouldn't it be better to find a beautiful place with clear waters and green mountains, retreat to the forests, and live a free and unrestrained life?"
Before the last word was even finished, Su An seized the opportunity and swiftly ripped off his face mask.
As the face mask fell away, a strange face came into view.
None of the facial features matched the memories in my mind.
If it wasn't Fu Zhun, how could it be?
Meeting the man's astonished gaze, Su An subconsciously frowned, gripped the face towel in her hand, and pressed, "Who exactly are you? What is your relationship with Fu Zhun?"
Seeing that she had become suspicious, the man in black pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment, but had no choice but to tell her the truth.
"I was entrusted by the prince to help you, young lady."
"What about Fu Zhun? Where is he now? Why doesn't he come to see me in person?"
Upon hearing the name Fu Zhun, Su An became agitated and moved closer to the man in black, continuing to press for answers.
The man in black took the face mask back from her hand, and while tidying it up, calmly replied, "Of course, someone who is dead cannot come to see you in person."
"Where's the evidence? You think you can just say someone's dead?"
Su An felt a pang of sadness, and her breathing quickened.
Upon hearing this, the expression in the man in black softened slightly. He lowered his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"The Prince of Zhenbei's campaign against the Northern Hu was like throwing an egg against a rock. After the great battle, he died without a complete body. Countless soldiers on the border could not find his body. How can I bring it back?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Su An launched into a hysterical rebuttal.
"If he's alive, we should see him; if he's dead, we should see his body. Since we haven't found his body, it means he's still alive."
"If you won't look for him, I will. No matter what, I will find him!"
After saying this, she ignored the man in black's reaction and turned to look for An Yi.
Fearing that something might happen to her if she were alone, the man in black had no choice but to follow her at a distance.
But she searched for miles around but couldn't find An Yi; she only saw the wolf's corpse.
The sword marks were neat and almost all of them were fatal. Judging from the situation, An Yi should not have encountered any danger. So why is it that we have not been able to find him for so long?
If something hasn't happened, then he's deliberately hiding.
An Yi's mission was to protect himself, so he couldn't possibly be hiding from her. But since there were only the two of them here, if he wasn't hiding from her, then it must be someone behind him...
Analyzing it this way, Su An became suspicious of the man in black's identity once again.
She suddenly stopped in her tracks, and the person behind her, caught off guard, bumped straight into her back.
Taking advantage of the man in black's momentary daze, Su An nimbly turned around, placed her hand on his neck, stood on tiptoe, and tilted her head back to kiss his lips.
His pupils dilated slightly as he stared at Su An incredulously.
Su An looked back at him, then moved her hand to his face and gently stroked it.
It was indeed a disguise!
She narrowed her eyes sharply, moved her fingers to the flaw, and took him by surprise, directly peeled off the human skin mask from his face.
The face she had been longing for came into view, and Su An felt a surge of grievance. She stared at him intently and questioned him.
Why did you lie to me?
Seeing this, a complex look flashed in Fu Zhun's eyes. He stepped forward and hugged her, sighing, "I didn't mean to lie to you, but now that I have a conflict with the Emperor, I am destined to die a tragic death."
"But I didn't want to involve you, so I faked my death to get away, firstly to protect you, and secondly to lower his guard."
As he spoke, his voice became somewhat hoarse, with a hint of reluctance in it.
"With An Yi protecting you in the shadows, you can live a good life even without me in the future."
Upon hearing this, Su An shoved him away and slapped him across the face.
Her eyes were misty with tears, filled with disappointment.
"Can't you be a little more sensible? Do you think I'll live in peace like this? Knowing I'm leaving, he'll definitely arrest my family. They're still in the palace. How can I just abandon them?"
"We are now inextricably linked; we will die together and live together!"
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