Chapter 66 Love Arises from Nowhere
As dawn broke, the group finally spotted Snowfall Town, hidden in the twilight, in the distance.
The architectural style here has many similarities to that of Yejing, such as the same red tile and brick walls.
Perhaps these red tiles can help lost travelers find their way home amidst a vast expanse of white snow.
Seventeen remembered that his family used to be like this, a low red-tiled house. Every time it was mealtime, his mother would cook all kinds of delicious food in the kitchen. But when his father came back, he stopped his mother from cooking and took over the cooking himself.
"Welcome, Your Majesty!"
Yellow sand swept over the city walls, and the city gates of Luoxue Town were wide open. The county magistrate, Meng Xiaoxiao, dressed in his official robes, had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing the bright yellow imperial banner billowing like a dragon in the wind and sand, he shouted.
As soon as he finished speaking, the people following behind him all knelt down and bowed even lower, their shouts echoing through the sky.
Seventeen was stunned by such a shocking scene for the first time, and was only brought back to his senses by Eunuch Yuanfu's sharp voice after a moment.
"Lord Meng, please let the people go home quickly. His Majesty has instructed that there is no need for further formalities."
Meng Xiaoxiao straightened up, her face, weathered by the hardships of the northern lands, filled with determination and reverence.
He turned around and gave a few instructions, and the soldiers escorted the people away. Seventeen had good hearing and could hear some people complaining that they hadn't seen His Majesty's face yet and wondered if he really looked like a god descended from heaven.
Whether or not he resembles a god, Emperor Jing has an excellent reputation in Snowfall Town and even throughout the entire northern region. If it weren't for the explicit prohibition, they would probably all worship him as a deity.
Meng Xiaoxiao stepped forward to greet the carriage. The first person she saw was Seventeen. The other person's overly young face and distinctive attire made her slightly taken aback.
Long Langyue was not an arrogant and aloof person. Meng Xiaoxiao was a talent he had personally promoted. She had failed to realize her ambitions under her father's care and was even somewhat arrogant, so he sent her to the North. Over the years, she had been tempered and become more mature.
Because they had been instructed not to be extravagant, the group ate a few bites of food together at the inn. Long Langyue, concerned about the northern battlefield, quickly filled his stomach and then left without saying anything more, heading straight for the northern military camp.
The soldiers in the camp had been waiting there for a long time. As night was about to fall over the entire camp, they heard the sound of horses' hooves.
Xie Qingyan gripped her cloak tightly, feeling both nervous and expectant.
Several tall horses galloped in from a distance, none other than Long Langyue's black horse, and behind him was a brown horse.
Xie Qingyan once saw a horse that was also entirely black and extremely human-like. At the time, he was surprised that a guard by the side of a prince could possess such a fine horse. Could it have been a gift from the prince?
Looking back now... Xie Qingyan's expression was complicated, but at the same time, she was also glad that she had made the right choice.
Choosing the right path brings wealth, honor, and admiration from all; choosing the wrong path means losing your head and having no one to claim your body.
As the two horses drew closer, Xie Qingyan wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and bowed, saying, "This humble subject greets Your Majesty."
Long Langyue's gaze swept over him, making Xie Qingyan feel somewhat uncomfortable.
The deputy general standing nearby quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "We have been welcoming Your Majesty for a long time."
Long Langyue nodded and said coldly, "No need for formalities, please go inside."
Yuanfu and the carriage were left behind by the two of them, and they arrived in a hurry quite a while later.
Long Langyue went straight into the main tent, frowned as he looked at the defense map in front of him, and the deputy general next to him was explaining the situation over the past period of time.
That day they suddenly received an urgent report that the Northern Rong had launched an attack, but because the Northern Rong often did this, the Northern Army was not flustered.
At that time, Long Xiaoyun led a team to stop the Northern Rong army in front, but this time the Northern Rong army's momentum was somewhat different.
In the past, after they fought back and killed a few Northern Rong soldiers, they would have retreated on their own. This situation left them in a limbo, frustrated but unable to pursue them directly.
Even though they had killed nearly half of the Northern Rong army that had launched the surprise attack, they still showed no signs of retreating. Long Xiaoyun was puzzled and, instead of continuing the pursuit, prepared to retreat on his own initiative.
Just then, a short arrow was fired from the Northern Army and pierced straight into Long Xiaoyun's shoulder. Despite his best efforts to guard against it, he never expected that there was a traitor within the Northern Army, and the short arrow seemed to contain poison.
Long Xiaoyun was affected by the poison and fell off his horse. The other soldiers were terrified and were about to go forward to take their deputy back when the Northern Rong army attacked again.
Amidst this chaos, Long Xiaoyun vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead.
As the lieutenant spoke, he grew increasingly angry. Forgetting all about the emperor before him, he slammed his fist on the table and cursed, "That beast! He was saved by Lieutenant Commander Long, and yet he repays kindness with such treachery!"
After slamming his hand on the table, he realized that the person in front of him was not the carefree Long Xiaoyun, but Long Langyue, the current Emperor Jing.
Even though the other party was the commander who led them to victory back then, their status has changed drastically now.
"Uh, I got a little excited. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
The burly man, his face flushed, bowed his head in apology. Long Langyue chuckled and teased, "What mistake? Did you treat me as the Emperor, instead of the commander of the Northern Army?"
Hearing this, the deputy general, who considered himself to know Long Langyue fairly well, chuckled, scratched his head, and said, "We've locked up that traitor, but haven't dealt with him yet. Would Your Majesty like to go and see him?"
Long Langyue waved his hand: "No need for now. Just keep the people under control. The most urgent thing is to find Deputy General Long."
The deputy general nodded heavily. Half a month had passed, and there had been no news of Deputy General Long. Although they did not believe that he had sacrificed himself, they were still afraid.
Long Langyue came prepared for this battle, intending to break ties with the Northern Rong, but the specifics still needed to be investigated further.
Although he knew about the situation here from Long Xiaoyun's constant messages, he could only understand many things by being there in person.
But now... his thoughts were in disarray. Long Xiaoyun's matter kept swirling in his mind. Reason told him that he couldn't panic at this moment, but as a brother, he couldn't put his mind at ease no matter what.
Late at night, Long Langyue washed up quickly and lay down on the cleaned bed. Seventeen, as a bodyguard, did not have his own bed and was stationed outside.
Some soldiers came to greet him. After all, he was only seventeen and very handsome. Many people were curious as to why someone like him would come to this harsh northern land with His Majesty.
Seventeen smiled without saying a word. Finally, Long Langyue glanced at the deputy general who had walked back and forth in front of them three times and said coldly, "Seventeen, go."
...Why does it sound like you're yelling at a dog? Seventeen was speechless.
But he still obediently drew his sword and stepped forward. The deputy general, caught off guard by the sudden attack, grabbed a weapon and began to fight with Seventeen.
Seventeen's moves were quite different from those of these northern men. On one hand, he needed to use covert techniques to conceal his aura, while on the other hand, he used a wide-open, battlefield style. The two fought back and forth.
However, once Seventeen sheathed his sword, the lieutenant understood that although this little beauty's moves were relatively simple, they were too unpredictable. If he were to use underhanded tactics against her, even ten lives wouldn't be enough to take her down.
Seventeen, however, had other ideas. His skills were not considered very good in the camp, and most of the moves he learned were suitable for killing with one blow. In a chaotic situation like on the battlefield, with many people, he would have some difficulty.
However, in his battle with the deputy general just now, he seemed to have grasped a bit of the trick, and perhaps he could integrate into the group, since he was no longer just a simple bodyguard.
Even late into the night, Seventeen was still outside talking to his deputy. Long Langyue, annoyed by what she heard, called out, "Seventeen."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Seventeen responded from outside, nodded apologetically to the deputy general, and went inside.
Upon entering, one sees His Majesty leaning against the headboard, his long black hair cascading onto the bed, and he sleeps without clothes on.
Perhaps it's because I didn't bring many clothes... Anyway, I'm not wearing anything right now, just rubbing my forehead with my upper body bare.
Seventeen was immediately struck by the sight of so much "flesh-colored" flesh upon entering. After a moment of shock, she realized something: "Does Your Majesty have a headache again?"
He walked quickly to the bedside and asked in a low voice, "Would Your Majesty like to have your massaged again?"
Long Langyue frowned slightly, clearly looking quite uncomfortable: "I'm sorry to trouble you, Seventeen."
"It's no trouble at all. Your Majesty must be tired from your journey. Please rest well these next few days."
His voice was soft, but he knew it was all in vain.
Long Xiaoyun's whereabouts are still unknown, and no one would feel at ease resting in his place.
Long Langyue sat further into the bed and said gently, "Seventeen, come sit here, it'll be more convenient for you."
Seventeen didn't realize how close she was to the other person; her mind was full of thoughts of how uncomfortable the other person was. She obediently sat on the side of the bed, and then a big head lay down next to her.
...the exact same posture as when he was in the carriage.
Seventeen lowered his head, and the ponytail at the back of his head slid down his shoulder, with a few strands occasionally brushing against Long Langyue's face, making him feel a little itchy.
He opened his eyes and brushed aside the few strands of hair, only to meet Seventeen's gaze.
For a moment, neither of them made any move; they were very quiet, yet both understood each other's feelings.
Many things don't need to be said directly. For Long Langyue, being able to subtly express his feelings to Seventeen using Mingyue's status was already the most outrageous thing he could do. But now... he was a little scared.
Seventeen lowered his eyes and remained silent, gently pressing his fingertips on Long Langyue's temples, his movements slow but forceful.
The two people thought differently, but their feelings for each other were laid bare, leaving no room for concealment.
Seventeen's heart was also somewhat complicated. In fact, he didn't have many complicated emotions. Apart from his parents' matter back then, there was only one thing left: Mingyue.
But now he learned that... Seventeen's breathing was very light and soft, like a light feather, or like a speck of dust.
It can't be grasped, it can't be kept.
Sometimes Seventeen would wonder what it was about her that attracted Mingyue. But she couldn't find an answer no matter how much she thought about it, until one day she saw a storybook on the street with a huge title: Love Doesn't Know Where It Begins.
This was a modified version of a phrase written by an ancient person, which left Seventeen stunned. The shopkeeper, thinking that Seventeen liked this kind of thing, secretly came over to recommend it.
Seventeen, however, vaguely understood something: if one could truly explain where love originates, then it wouldn't be love at all.
So he always wanted to find Mingyue to get to the bottom of things, but... the ending was somewhat disappointing.
It wouldn't be accurate to say it's not entirely satisfactory, but Seventeen really doesn't know what to do.
If it were still the bright moon, he could open his heart and be with her, and no matter the outcome, good or bad, he wouldn't regret it.
But if the bright moon were His Majesty, then everything would change.
My identity has changed, my status has changed, and many things have changed as well.
His feelings for His Majesty were complex; there was a little bit of pity involved, but more than that, it was gratitude.
Seventeen sighed softly. He hadn't expected His Majesty to have such a hobby, liking to pick out someone he liked.
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