But with her sickly appearance and the possibility of her dying at any moment, she would be too easy to expose her.
"You don't want me to die?" Liu Qi said coldly.
Su Wanwan: "..."
She carefully chose her words: "That Liu Qi who brought calamity to the world is dead."
"The one who is alive now is my friend, the chivalrous and righteous Liu Qiye who rid the people of evil."
Liu Qi glanced at her.
This woman's lips were now as sweet as honey.
She never considered him a friend; she always saw him as a very useful knife.
He was happy to do it and followed her orders.
It was rare to see her back down, so Liu Qi had no intention of giving in to her wishes and lazily said:
"You said it yourself, I am the chivalrous Master Liu Qi, how can I abandon a weak woman and ignore her? Would that ruin my own reputation?"
Su Wanwan sighed and rubbed her forehead.
Your praise was too much, which gave him an opening.
So be it.
She stopped talking.
Liu Qi had excellent eyesight and hearing; he could hear that the group of people in the distance hadn't gone far and were discussing what to do.
Those people seemed to be lying in wait, ambushing around the carriage, hoping that Liu Qi and the others would walk right into their trap.
Liu Qi had a bit of a headache.
They haven't had lunch yet.
He's fine; missing a meal is no big deal.
Su Wanwan, a patient, was so pale she was almost bloodless. After traveling all that way, she was probably at her last gasp.
He worried that if she couldn't eat anything soon, she wouldn't be able to hold on.
Are you alright?
Su Wanwan forced a smile and said, "I'm fine."
She paused for a moment: "Once we get to the city ahead, you can put me down and go about your own business, okay?"
A strange mix of bitterness and annoyance welled up in Liu Qi's heart.
"You really don't want to see me?"
I don't know why, but falling from this height, several meters above the ground, in this remote forest, would result in either death or serious injury.
Sunlight filters through the dense foliage, occasionally casting dappled patterns.
A strange impulse surged within him.
Perhaps she won't last more than a few days.
Some things, if left unsaid, will remain unsaid for a lifetime.
There will never be another chance to say it.
Su Wanwan was slightly taken aback.
Her eyes were large, and now, because she was thin, they appeared even larger, with a clear distinction between the black and white of her eyes, and a hint of weakness from a long-term illness.
Liu Qi: "Wanwan..."
This was the first time he had called her by her name.
From the day he met her, she was a high-class lady.
He swam in the Grand Canal late at night, displaying remarkable swimming skills.
The stark contrast left an extremely deep impression on him.
In his mind, such a noblewoman should be dressed in fine clothes and eaten in luxury, delicate and pampered, never leaving her home.
How could someone appear on the Grand Canal in the dead of night, looking like a drowned rat?
This is the kind of life that only roughnecks like them should live.
This high-society lady, admiring his abilities, recruited him—a man from the bottom of society who wanted to make a name for himself but had no opportunity to use his talents—to serve her.
She made him who he is.
Otherwise, he would still be a petty hoodlum in a small tavern in Wen'an County, drinking, bragging, fighting, and showing off.
It brought him his moment of glory, but also his lifelong infamy.
Liu Qi was, at the very least, a fearsome demon.
It wasn't a wasted life.
Now, she has shed her glamorous attire and her noble status as empress.
He sat on this branch as an equal with him.
He was so close to her.
The coldness and aloofness I felt when I looked at him before were gone.
She said he was her friend.
They were not servants to be driven by her.
But she was dying.
There will never be another Su Wanwan in this world.
Liu Qi's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse, as if he wanted to say something.
It sounded like footsteps were approaching again.
In a moment of panic, Su Wanwan raised her hand and covered his lips.
Someone as intelligent as her would know exactly what he was trying to say.
She could tell from the fact that he had kept himself clean and tidy every day since his journey, not like a refugee fleeing from war.
Perhaps even earlier.
From the moment she and he had a tea-tasting contest, she could see the appreciation in his eyes.
How could I not appreciate it?
Those were palace intrigue techniques she had spent a lot of time practicing.
Unexpectedly, instead of using his skills in palace intrigue, he used them to recruit Liu Qi.
Or perhaps even earlier.
She sensed something when he presented her with the Crane Shadow Rose and his bright gaze lingered on her.
In her eyes, Liu Qi was like a child who always wanted candy.
But it was never said outright.
Because even if you tell them directly, you won't get it.
She took advantage of this mindset of his, driving him forward without any burden.
It would be a lie to say that I feel absolutely no remorse.
Having lived in the palace for many years, her greatest skill was manipulating people's hearts.
Liu Qi, a seemingly unapproachable but actually simple-minded troublemaker, can be easily controlled by her without much effort.
He's much easier to handle than his brother, Liu Liu.
But now that things have come to this point, she no longer wants to control him.
Liu Qi looked down at her hand that was covering his lips.
My fingers were icy cold, my palms were slightly damp, and they were so delicate that there wasn't a single callus on them.
This is one of their few opportunities for physical contact.
In an instant, she withdrew her hand.
The air grew quiet.
Only the rustling of leaves in the breeze could be heard.
The sky gradually darkened.
The last rays of the setting sun shone through the leaves and fell upon them.
It seemed as if it had been temporarily coated with a layer of gold.
As darkness fell, Su Wanwan said, "Could you please find a cure to save the Emperor?"
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