lip
Chapter 52, Lips
As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight appeared, the carriage slowed down considerably, moving leisurely as if announcing that we had finally escaped the inescapable trap and entered a place where we could rest for a while.
After Mr. Tao's weighty words, which dissected the future of Bozhou and pointed directly to Eastern Chu and Tuluo, I was no longer sleepy, but I was not clear-headed either. Countless thoughts swirled in my mind, but I could not find a clue.
Lan Feiyu naturally couldn't fall asleep either. Mr. Tao's words were a heavy blow to her. Perhaps she didn't want me to see her vulnerability and struggle, so she simply leaned against me and half-lay down, but covered most of her face with her arm.
I couldn't bear to disturb her, but I was also speechless in the face of Mr. Tao, who had closed his eyes to rest again. So, the three of us remained in this eerie silence, letting the carriage sway and rock along the way.
The carriage jolted for a while before finally coming to a stop.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I cautiously lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and peered out. At that single glance, my heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly, then pounded violently, almost bursting out of my chest!
The city gate! A majestic city gate stood in the morning light! But what took my breath away even more was the soldiers guarding the entrance to the city gate, lined up in two rows—they were wearing the familiar uniforms of the Eastern Chu infantry!
It's Eastern Chu! They really are soldiers from Eastern Chu!
An indescribable surge of joy instantly swept through my body, almost bursting out of my throat as a cheer! We're saved! We've really entered the territory of Eastern Chu! This means safety, it means escaping unknown dangers, it means we're one step closer to home! The fear, anxiety, and confusion of the past few days seemed to be mostly dispelled by this familiar military uniform, and my eyes even uncontrollably welled up with tears.
However, this surge of joy lasted only a moment before being quietly overshadowed by another complex emotion welling up in my heart. Lan Feiyu's warm body leaned stiffly against me, motionless. I couldn't see her face, but even the strands of her hair exuded loneliness and sorrow. For me, the uniform of Dongchu was hope, a distant shore; for her, it was the helpless choice of "choosing the lesser of two evils" as Mr. Tao had described, a fate that Bozhou might have no choice but to submit to. My joy seemed so glaring at this moment, even tinged with cruelty. A sense of guilt crept into my heart, casting a shadow over my newly risen elation.
Just as my thoughts were churning, Mr. Tao, who had been resting with his eyes closed, silently opened them. He didn't say much, but calmly glanced at me and Lan Feiyu before pushing open the carriage door and stepping down with unhurried ease. He straightened his robes and walked straight toward the Eastern Chu soldiers at the city gate.
My heart jumped into my throat. If Lan Feiyu hadn't been there, I would have followed Mr. Tao to his death. Now, all I could do was stare at him intently.
"That's impossible!" I blurted out almost reflexively, refuting her words with unwavering certainty, my voice even trembling with urgency, "That's absolutely impossible!"
“Why is it impossible?” Lan Feiyu slowly sat up straight again, turned around, and stared at me intently. The morning light shone through the crack in the car window, reflecting faint glimmers of tears in her eyes, but her expression was unusually serious, carrying an almost tragic solemnity. “Everything I’ve done, every single thing, was to free Bozhou from the control of Dongchu. If all of this is ultimately in vain, then at the very least, I must personally kill that mad dog, Xian Asa! Bozhou must not fall into the hands of that kind of person! And you Dongchu… you Dongchu chose him…”
"Wait!" I couldn't help but shout, interrupting her, my mind filled with confusion and bewilderment. "What do you mean, 'Dong Chu chose him'?" I quickly recalled the bits and pieces my older brother had previously revealed. Yes, he had never explicitly stated which faction in Bozhou Dong Chu would support, but… he had indeed clearly warned that if Bozhou completely angered His Majesty the Emperor, the consequence could be the annihilation of the entire Bozhou… Could I tell this to the already exhausted Lan Feiyu now? Wouldn't that sound more like a threat?
“Xi’er,” Lan Feiyu saw my distorted expression, and instead revealed a sorrowful smile, but that smile brought tears to the corners of her eyes, causing them to finally slide uncontrollably down her cheeks, “You don’t need to be troubled. I know you are a girl from Dongchu, and it is precisely because you are a girl from Dongchu…”
“Xi’er,” Lan Feiyu smiled when she saw my distorted expression, but tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks with that smile, “You don’t need to be troubled. You are a girl from Dong Chu, and it is precisely because you are a girl from Dong Chu…”
Her voice choked here, her throat bobbing as if a thousand words were stuck there. Seeing her like this, my heart felt like it was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, causing me unbearable pain. With a steely resolve, I reached out and grabbed her slightly cool wrist, forcing myself to meet her tearful gaze. With all my strength, I said, word by word, "Yu'er, I will do everything I can. You care about Bozhou, and I consider it my homeland as well. Perhaps, perhaps in my heart, Eastern Chu is still more important, but I will not let Bozhou fall into the hands of Xian Asa. Yu'er, His Majesty the Emperor of Eastern Chu... well, he is definitely not someone who cannot distinguish right from wrong. If he really wants to punish you, hurt you, or kill you, Yu'er, I will accompany you to the execution ground."
Lan Feiyu's lips trembled slightly, and another crystal tear rolled down her beautiful eyes. My heart softened, and I was about to raise my hand to wipe away her tears and say a few words of comfort when she suddenly leaned forward, hugging me tightly with almost desperate force. The next moment, her warm, soft lips pressed against mine.
With a deafening boom, it felt as if something exploded deep within my mind, or as if an invisible flame suddenly ignited within me. I felt a searing heat wash over me, from my cheeks to my ears and neck, as if boiling water had been poured over me. All the blood in my body seemed to rush to my head, then surge back to my heart, pounding wildly like a drum. My mind wasn't completely blank; rather, it was utterly overwhelmed by this sudden, warm touch, carrying the slightly salty taste of tears.
It's Yu'er...it's Yu'er's lips...so real, yet so unbelievable.
I froze on the spot, as if under a spell, forgetting to breathe, forgetting where I was, forgetting Mr. Tao negotiating outside the city gate and the Eastern Chu soldiers who symbolized "homeland." The whole world seemed to shrink and fade suddenly, leaving only that breathtaking touch on my lips, her trembling body holding me tightly, and the faint, unique fragrance of her body mixed with the scent of tears.
"Master, Miss Zhao." Mr. Tao's untimely voice rang out from outside the carriage. Lan Feiyu and I separated almost hastily, our faces still flushed, our hearts pounding. The soft, warm touch on our lips seemed still vividly imprinted on our palates. Fortunately, Mr. Tao only called out from a distance and didn't immediately come to the carriage. Lan Feiyu responded, and then Mr. Tao said, "Someone has already gone to inform King Xinan. You two might as well get off first."
Lan Feiyu and I exchanged a silent glance. Her eyes were still slightly red, and her face was streaked with tears, but her gaze held a newfound resolve and... a complex emotion I couldn't decipher. She didn't speak, but simply nodded very slightly at me, a gesture that conveyed a sense of "it's come to this, so let's face it."
I steadied myself, suppressing the turmoil in my mind, and reached out, taking her hand again with even greater determination than before. Her fingertips were slightly cool, trembling almost imperceptibly. I tightened my grip, as if trying to transfer my warmth and courage to her. Then, supporting each other, we carefully climbed down from the carriage.
As soon as I landed, the cool morning air hit me, cooling my burning cheeks slightly. I took a deep breath, calmed myself, and looked around.
The Eastern Chu soldiers here were far more numerous than when we first arrived. They were no longer simple guards on either side of the city gate, but had formed a much more orderly ranks, subtly surrounding our carriage. Each soldier was fully armored, wielding a halberd or carrying a curved sword at their waist. Sunlight shone on their cold armor and weapons, reflecting a chilling light. Their faces were expressionless, their eyes sharp as hawks, silently watching us with a heavy gaze, filled with scrutiny, vigilance, and the undeniable, authoritative pressure of a soldier.
This is... the real Eastern Chu army formation!
The fleeting, almost dizzying, romantic feelings that had arisen in the train carriage because of that kiss quickly cooled and subsided in the face of this somber atmosphere. Instinctively, I pulled Lan Feiyu behind me. She seemed to stiffen for a moment, but didn't pull away. She looked up, her face pale, but she tried to straighten her back. My heart ached in waves of pain. Knowing it was futile, I couldn't help but whisper comforting words in her ear, "Don't worry, your older brother isn't unreasonable."
"It's alright, Xi'er." Lan Feiyu smiled at me gently, and there was no trace of reluctance in that smile. "I know you will always be with me, and I'm not afraid of anything."
Just as I was about to say something, I suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps coming from the city gate. I looked up and was so overjoyed that I almost collapsed on the spot: I saw a group of guards escorting a tall and upright figure walking briskly out of the city gate. The man was dressed in a dark blue military uniform. Who else could he be but my older brother?
sky!
He really is a big brother! Mr. Tao didn't lie to me!
I grabbed Lan Feiyu and rushed up, not caring about anything else. The expression on my older brother's face was also quite interesting. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew that even though his features were a bit distorted, in my eyes, he was more handsome and extraordinary than ever before.
"Zhao Xi! You disobedient little brat!" My older brother gritted his teeth, grabbed my shoulder, and looked me up and down with lightning-fast eyes. As if roaring from his diaphragm, "If anything happens to you, will your aunt still be alive?!"
I shrank my neck.
I've never seen a big brother so furious before...
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