Chapter 77 "From the moment I met you in Xichuan..."
The autumn wind howled along the mountain path. A dozen or so attendants guarded the carriage behind them, their swords drawn and lined up in an arc, ready for battle.
Before them stood a similarly large group of imperial guards, all lurking menacingly.
Xie Zhuo was the head of the guards. He was on horseback, his tall black hair was blown by the wind, and his sharp eyes, like those of a hawk, were fixed on the cage-like carriage surrounded by his attendants.
“Cen Zongjing, you have colluded with foreign tribes and deceived the emperor. I have been ordered by His Majesty to arrest you. Surrender now and release my wife.”
The voice was deep and cold, startling a flock of crows into flight.
After the crows had all flown away, the tightly closed carriage door slowly opened, and Cen Zongjing stepped down. Xie Zhuo's expression shifted, and he vaguely caught a glimpse of a brightly colored skirt behind him. "Yaoyao!" he couldn't help but call out.
However, the car door slammed shut instantly, completely concealing the person inside, and no response came out.
Inside the carriage, the woman from Wuxi held down Xue Mingyao's hands and feet, tightly covering her mouth. Xue Mingyao glared at her, helpless.
Cen Zongjing exchanged glances with Xie Zhuo and said calmly, "Xie Zhuo, why do you call me 'Madam'?"
Xie Zhuo had no interest in arguing with him about whose wife Xue Mingyao was, and said slowly and deliberately, "Release her."
A sinister smile curled at the corner of Cen Zongjing's lips as he shook his head defiantly. "What if I don't, General Xie?"
“You have no choice,” Xie Zhuo said decisively. “You have to release him today, whether you like it or not.”
"With just this few men under your command?" Cen Zongjing's cold gaze swept over the two opposing forces. "You're being far too arrogant."
Xie Zhuo pursued them day and night, constantly sending men to investigate the prefectures and counties along the way, and the number of his personal guards was indeed decreasing. However, Xichuan was just ahead, and intercepting Cen Zongjing was of utmost urgency; he couldn't wait for the remaining men to catch up before making his move.
“That’s enough to deal with you,” he said coldly.
I don't think so.
After Cen Zongjing finished speaking, without waiting for Xie Zhuo to speak, he directly issued the order in Uyghur and took action before Xie Zhuo could.
A group of skilled warriors from Wuxi leaped from their horses, their blades aimed directly at the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards, trained by Xie Zhuo, were no pushovers either; they drew their swords to meet the attack, and for a moment, the clash of swords and blades created a chaotic cacophony of metallic clangs.
In the midst of the melee, Xie Zhuo drew his waist knife, passed several men, and headed straight for the carriage. Cen Zongjing would not allow him to get close to the carriage, so he immediately stood in front of the carriage, brandishing his knife as a shield, and engaged in a fierce fight with him.
He was confident in his early fame, having honed his martial arts skills under General Xue and spent several years training in Wuxi. In terms of raw skill, he was second to none, far superior to a roughneck like Xie Zhuo. However, in the actual fight, after only a dozen or so rounds, he felt suppressed by Xie Zhuo, his defense outnumbered his offense, and he gradually became unable to hold on.
“Cen Zongjing, you are no match for me. It’s not too late to surrender now.” Xie Zhuo said coldly as he pressed forward, his sword still dangling from his waist.
Cen Zongjing gritted his teeth and parried, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding battlefield. The two sides were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle, and his Wuxi warriors were not gaining the upper hand. His heart tightened; the Imperial Guards' fighting strength had become so formidable. In a moment of panic, his grip loosened slightly, and Xie Zhuo stabbed him in the left shoulder, causing blood to gush out immediately.
Having landed a successful blow, Xie Zhuo became even calmer. Taking advantage of Cen Zongjing's pain, he delivered several more slashes, intending to end the confrontation immediately.
However, Cen Zongjing ducked backward to avoid the blade, and then threw something at the carriage whose door remained tightly closed. The object landed on the roof, instantly igniting a string of flames. A mountain breeze swept through, and the flames spread rapidly, until the entire roof of the carriage was ablaze in an instant.
Cen Zongjing shouted a phrase in the Uxi language, then leaped towards the nearest horse. The Uxi warriors, upon hearing the order, sheathed their swords and desperately tried to break free, attempting to seize the horse and flee.
The blinding red light made Xie Zhuo's heart skip a beat. He could no longer care about dealing with Cen Zongjing and immediately rushed towards the carriage like an arrow released from a bow.
The flames spread rapidly, and in no time, the carriage was engulfed in flames. Xie Zhuo hurriedly took off his outer robe to extinguish the flames and ordered half of the guards to chase after Cen Zongjing, while the other half came to help put out the fire.
However, no matter how hard everyone tried to put out the fire, the flames did not diminish in the slightest. Amidst the raging fire, Xie Zhuo raised his knife and slashed fiercely at the locked car door, shouting, "Xue Mingyao!"
A faint response came from the fire, indistinct and unclear.
Xie Zhuo gritted his teeth, calling out to her as he swung his knife several more times. Finally, with a cracking sound, the lock was severed. He rushed straight into the square sea of fire, and through the thick smoke, he saw Xue Mingyao lying there, her bright eyes looking at him with a smile in them.
Xie Zhuo held his breath, trembling as he carried her out and squatted down to check her injuries.
Xue Mingyao's fair face was covered in ashes, her hair was scorched, and her dress was burned with holes. She was limp in his arms, seemingly without any strength. Fortunately, Xie Zhuo did not find any wounds on her body.
Xue Mingyao let Xie Zhuo's hands roam over her body, gazing at him intently. Xie Zhuo's eyes were bloodshot, and his smoke-blackened face was filled with worry, yet she found him so handsome. She forced a smile at him, her voice hoarse as she spoke, "Xie—"
Before she could finish calling out, Xie Zhuo embraced her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck and murmuring, "Xue Mingyao..."
Xue Mingyao felt that he was still trembling.
“I’m here,” she whispered. “I knew you would come to save me.”
"I've finally waited for you." She gently patted his back.
He held her so tightly it hurt a little. She tried to break free, but couldn't, so she had no choice but to continue being held by him. Xie Zhuo's heavy breathing fell on her shoulder, gradually mixed with a few drops of warmth.
Xue Mingyao was taken aback. "You, how could you—"
"Yaoyao," Xie Zhuo's trembling voice came, "thankfully you're alright."
"Of course I'm fine," Xue Mingyao said with a smile.
"You know how afraid I am of losing you. How can I live without you..." The last syllable was drowned out by Xie Zhuo's sobs. The worry and anxiety that had been suppressed for days, the sleepless pursuit and exhaustion, all surged out at this moment, uncontrollable and unstoppable.
Fortunately, Xue Mingyao survived unharmed.
Xue Mingyao was shocked. She held the back of his head and asked blankly, "What do you mean by 'you should live like this without me...'"
Xie Zhuo hugged her tighter and murmured, "From the moment I met you in Xichuan, I have been living for you."
He had no relatives or support, and his diligent study was merely to follow his father's wishes. He did not have much of an ideal of becoming a great ruler like Yao or Shun, and fame and fortune were like fleeting clouds to him.
He was used to living this way, and he thought he would continue to live this way.
Until Xue Mingyao appeared in his life.
She gave him the most intense love and hate, and also gave him direction and meaning in life.
Xue Mingyao nuzzled him, wiping the soot from her nose onto Xie Zhuo's collar, and muttered, "Xie Zhuo, I don't understand."
"It's okay, I'll explain later." Xie Zhuo paused, then lowered his head and nuzzled her, wiping the tears from his eyes onto her shoulder.
He released her and helped her slowly stand up.
Xue Mingyao nestled against him, then suddenly remembered something, raised her head, and kissed him heavily on the lips.
“I owe you that morning when we went to Yufu Temple,” she said earnestly. “I wanted to make you happy.”
Xie Zhuo smiled, "I'll be happy as long as I see you."
Xue Mingyao wiped the cigarette ash off his face with her hand. "I've been thinking these past few days about how sad you would be if I never saw you again and you remembered the last words I said to you."
"I will never bully you again," she said solemnly.
Xie Zhuo gazed intently at her, as if trying to imprint her current appearance into his heart. Xue Mingyao knew how disheveled she looked, and lowered her head, unwilling to let him see.
But then Xie Zhuo bent down, lowered his head to find her lips, and kissed her reverently.
The fire was still burning behind them, their faces were covered in soot, and the mountain wind was blowing mercilessly, as cold as a knife.
The two kissed silently, completely absorbed in each other.
Their lips and tongues were hotter than ever before, and their hearts were closer than ever before.
After a long while, Xie Zhuo released Xue Mingyao. Xue Mingyao licked her lips, a sly smile on her face, "The soldiers are all here, aren't you ashamed!"
"They won't watch it."
The seven or eight guards around were busy with their own tasks, some cleaning up the battlefield and others putting out fires. None of them dared to look at them.
Xue Mingyao brought up Cen Zongjing, who had escaped, and said, "You didn't chase after Cen Zongjing just now, and he got away. What are we going to do now?"
Xie Zhuo pinched her cheek. "It's okay, you're the most important."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
