The moment Xiao Xun fell, time seemed to freeze.
That tall, imposing figure, who seemed to always be in control, now appeared drained of all strength, his face pale, his lips a strange, purplish-black, as he collapsed into the terrified arms of You Ye and his guards. The air was thick with the stench of blood and the acrid smell of gunpowder, mingled with the deathly aura brought by the eerie blue poisonous light, making it suffocating.
Xin Jiuwei stood rooted to the spot, as if nailed to the cold snow. The warmth of his blood lingered on her fingertips, a stark contrast to the deathly silence before her.
The phrase "chase Qi Huaiyu," interrupted by excruciating pain, echoed in her mind like a curse. But what was clearer was the impact of his broad back when he stood in front of her without hesitation—an impact that could crush all cold calculations.
"Your Highness! Hold on!" You Ye roared with a sob in his voice. He quickly tore off a strip of cloth and tied it tightly above Xiao Xun's poisoned arm, trying to slow the spread of the poison. However, the eerie blue-black color continued to erode upwards along the blood vessels at a visible speed.
"Quick! Back to the manor! Find Imperial Physician Lin! Hurry!" he commanded hoarsely. Several guards lifted the unconscious Xiao Xun and rushed towards the prince's manor like arrows released from a bow. The heavy footsteps shattered the silence of the night and struck Xin Jiuwei's heart.
The elite soldiers who were chasing Qi Huaiyu surged out of the city like a tide, following the carriage tracks. All that remained at the scene was a mess of ruins, strewn corpses, billowing black smoke, and... Xin Jiuwei standing alone in the cold wind, and Xin Kui, who was guarding her side with a deathly pale face.
The biting wind, sharp as a knife, swept across Xin Jiuwei's numb face. She slowly lowered her head, gazing at the dagger in her hand, stained with Xiao Xun's blood and stained with a ghostly blue poisonous light. The cold metallic touch seemed to carry a searing pain in her soul. Qi Huaiyu! This name, like a poisoned steel needle, pierced deep into every nerve! A boundless hatred and an unprecedented, almost desperate rage, born from Xiao Xun's fall, instantly devoured all her reason!
He escaped! He injured Xiao Xun! He's outside the city! On that fleeing carriage!
“Miss…” Xin Kui’s voice was filled with fear and worry as she tightly gripped Xin Jiuwei’s cold hand, “We…we must go back to Jingyuan quickly? His Highness…”
"No!" Xin Jiuwei abruptly raised her head, her eyes burning with a cold flame capable of incinerating everything, a flame deep within which lay a resolute determination to perish together with everything! "I can't go back! He needs the antidote! Qi Huaiyu must have the antidote! Or... he knows where the antidote is!" This thought cleaved through the chaos like lightning! Yes! Qi Huaiyu's use of poison was so ruthless and cunning; he must carry the antidote with him just in case! Even if he didn't, he must know how to cure the poison! Capturing him was the only hope of saving Xiao Xun!
"But Miss! It's too dangerous outside! His Highness's men have already chased after us..." Xin Kui looked at the desperate madness in Xin Jiuwei's eyes and was so anxious that she was about to cry.
"Xin Kui, go back to Jingyuan!" Xin Jiuwei's voice was firm and resolute, leaving no room for doubt. "Go find Lin Wanyi! Tell her that His Highness has been poisoned, that the wound is bluish-purple, and that it smells of sulfur! Tell her she must find a way! I..." She took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the dark wilderness outside the city, the direction where the carriage tracks had disappeared, "...I'll go get the antidote!"
"Miss! You can't go alone!" Xin Kui grabbed her sleeve tightly.
"Let go!" Xin Jiuwei snapped, violently shaking off Xin Kui's hand, her eyes sharp as knives. "This is an order! Go now! Xiao Xun's life...can't wait!" She stopped looking at Xin Kui, her gaze quickly sweeping across the chaotic scene. Not far away, a warhorse, frightened by its master's death, was snorting anxiously.
Chance!
Without the slightest hesitation, Xin Jiuwei charged towards the warhorse like an arrow released from a bow! Her movements were somewhat unsteady due to the old wound in her heart, but the will to survive and the rage for revenge that erupted at this moment overwhelmed all the pain! She grabbed the reins, ignored the horse's neighing, and used all her strength to flip herself onto the horse!
"Giddy up!" She spurred the horse and gave the reins a sharp jerk! The warhorse, in pain, let out a long neigh and, like a wildfire, plunged headlong into the deep night in the direction where the carriage tracks outside the city had disappeared!
"Miss—!" Xin Kui's desperate cry was instantly torn apart by the cold wind.
The biting wind cut like a knife, stinging her face. Xin Jiuwei hunched over, pressing herself tightly against the horse's back, letting the icy wind seep into her lungs. The old wound in her heart throbbed with excruciating pain from the violent jolting; each breath aggravated her still-weakened vulnerability. But she gritted her teeth, remaining silent. Only one thought occupied her mind: Catch him! Capture him! Get the antidote! Save Xiao Xun!
The night was thick and inky, barely identifiable by the faint starlight and the pale light reflected from the snow. The carriage tracks in the snow were still relatively clear, but winding and zigzagging, indicating that the fleeing people were desperately trying to evade potential pursuers. Xin Jiuwei spurred her horse on at breakneck speed, pushing it to its limit. The icy air stung her throat, causing a burning pain, but she was oblivious to it.
After an unknown amount of time in the chase, a fork in the road appeared ahead. One path led to the main road, its tracks clearly visible; the other led to a dark, abandoned village, resembling a lurking, slumbering beast. From the direction of the main road, the faint light of torches and the shouts of pursuers could be heard in the distance. And on the path leading to the abandoned village, the tracks seemed… to have faded? And some of the traces had been deliberately erased?
Xin Jiuwei abruptly pulled on the reins! The warhorse reared up, neighing in discontent. She stared intently at the path leading to the abandoned village. Intuition! An intuition born from her profound understanding of Qi Huaiyu in her past life was screaming wildly! The official road was bait! He must have taken the back road! That cunning man would never choose the seemingly smooth but easily overtaken official road! He needed time to hide, a chance to catch his breath! That abandoned village was his best hiding place!
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