Great Zhou World
The night was as dark as ink, the waning moon repeatedly torn by swirling dark clouds, revealing only a bleak grayish-white. A cold wind howled across the mountains, stirring up gravel like knives, whipping the dead branches with a sharp whistle, wrapped in the stench of rust and blood, and a biting chill.
The team finally collapsed, scattering silently among the cold rocks, huddled like stone. The pale moonlight briefly illuminated faces stained with mud and blood. Eyes closed, chests rising and falling faintly, like the withered bones scattered along the mountainside. The faint light faded, and the cold wind howled, like a cold hand caressing these cold bodies.
A chill wind whipped up gravel, whipping the makeshift tents with a dull rustling sound. This was Ning Yangyang's third day with Xiao Ziyi on their rebellion. The journey had been rough, both men and horses exhausted, but a huge question lingered in her mind, like the icy wind lingering from the Great Wall: If they were rebelling, why didn't they march directly to the heart of the capital, instead fleeing like desperate dogs to the bitter cold of the western border? What was there on the border? Or rather, who was there?
Xiao Ziyi's unusual action three days ago, personally leading the elite cavalry on a "scouting" expedition, was like a stone dropped into a deep pond, finally stirring clear ripples in her chaotic thoughts. The answer was about to emerge.
The curtains were suddenly flung open, and a gust of wind, swirling with snow and a biting chill, blew in, dimming the charcoal fire in the brazier in the corner. Ning Yangyang instinctively narrowed her eyes, only to see Xiao Ziyi's towering figure blocking the doorway, carrying a human figure wrapped tightly in a thick, dark fox fur cloak on his shoulders. The cloak was exceptionally luxurious, and a few strands of black hair peeking out from the edges fluttered in the wind.
"Catch him!" Xiao Ziyi's voice was breathless after a swift run, yet it carried an unquestionable command. He didn't even give Ning Yangyang time to react. With a swift turn, he exerted force with his arms and flung the person off his shoulders like a piece of cargo, throwing them straight into Ning Yangyang's arms!
Ning Yangyang was caught off guard, stumbling under the warmth yet chill of the fox fur. She hurriedly threw her arms out to hug him tightly. Her hands were met with soft fur and a startlingly slender figure beneath. The hood of the fur slipped off, revealing a face as pale as paper, its eyes tightly shut—Nangong Xi!
She had obviously been abducted while she was defenseless in her sleep. She was only wearing a thin plain nightgown, and even though she was wrapped in Xiao Ziyi's priceless fox fur, he could still feel her subtle but uncontrollable trembling in his arms. Ning Yangyang's heart tightened instantly, and she hurriedly lowered her head to check. Fortunately, there were no obvious scars on the exposed skin. However, when her eyes fell on Nangong Xi's face, a surge of anger rose - Nangong Xi's lips were tightly strangled by a rough cloth, leaving glaring red marks on the corners of her mouth and cheeks, and the cloth gag had slightly deformed her cheeks, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
"Nangong!" Ning Yangyang's voice trembled with shock and anger as she frantically tried to untie the damned cloth. Her fingertips touched the cold, tense skin of Nangong Xi's jaw, and she could clearly sense her suppressed fear and humiliation. The cloth finally came loose, and Ning Yangyang carefully dug the gag out. Nangong Xi gasped, then erupted in a violent cough, her body shaking even more violently.
"It's okay, it's okay, it's me, Yangyang..." Ning Yangyang hugged her tightly, one hand constantly and soothingly patting Nangong Xi's thin back, trying to pass a trace of warmth to her cold body. She could feel Nangong Xi's stiff body softening in her arms, but it was not because of relaxation, but because of exhaustion.
Xiao Ziyi stood a few steps away, his tall figure casting a huge shadow in the flickering dim firelight, almost covering both of them. He slowly took off his cold gloves and casually tossed them onto the low table beside him with a slight sound. His eyes swept across the two people hugging each other, finally settling on Ning Yangyang's face. A cold curve curved the corners of his lips. His voice was not loud, but every word was clear, carrying a cold warning:
"He ran away. You are the only one who can ask."
Ning Yangyang hugged Nangong Xi, feeling his body stiffen again at these words. She mentally raged, "System! Has he even lost the nerve to pretend?!" From the tone of his voice, it was as if Nangong Xi were his lost servant, and he'd been so kind as to bring him back for me!
She suppressed her surging anger and sense of absurdity, and suddenly turned Nangong Xi's face, letting her bury it in the crook of her neck, away from Xiao Ziyi's disgusting face full of "a villain who succeeded." She raised her head and looked directly at Xiao Ziyi, her voice deliberately calm, but with an unquestionable tone of expulsion:
"Oh, we need to rest. Could you please, His Royal Highness the Regent, give us a break?"
Nangong Xi's consciousness gradually returned in the warm embrace and familiar fragrance. The residual effect of the drug made her limbs still sore and weak, as if they were filled with heavy lead water. She struggled to recall: Yes, she thought she had finally escaped the whirlpool of the capital, and she rode fast for a few days to the western border and found an inconspicuous inn to settle down. It was just an ordinary night, a glass of water... and then there was endless darkness and bumps. When she woke up, she was already on horseback. The biting cold wind made her cheeks hurt. She couldn't speak or move. Xiao Ziyi! This madman! She was the "enemy's daughter" who carried a blood feud. She didn't even have time to kill him, and he actually dared to come to her door! This overwhelming hatred was now suppressed by the powerlessness of her body, leaving only cold despair.
Finally finding a moment of peace and security, she unexpectedly met Ning Yangyang. News of Regent Xiao Ziyi's rebellion had spread like wildfire, naturally reaching the western border as well. She had worried about Ning Yangyang's situation for the past few days, but she had never expected their reunion to be in such dire circumstances. Her own situation was clearly a hundred times more precarious than Yangyang's.
"Nangong," Ning Yangyang felt the person in her arms breathe a little more slowly, then she lowered her voice and asked with concern after surviving a disaster, "Where's your sister?"
"...In the inn." Nangong Xi's voice was very hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against his lips, and every word pulled at the corners of his mouth that were hurt.
"That's all right, that's all right," Ning Yangyang breathed a sigh of relief, genuinely thankful. "She wasn't captured." Supporting each other, they rose unsteadily from the crude camp bed and moved to sit at a nearby, equally crude wooden table. The dim light illuminated two faces, each thinner. Ning Yangyang's once rounded jawline had become more defined, while Nangong Xi's cheekbones had become slightly protruding, and a shadow of fatigue etched beneath his eyes. In just a short time, things had changed.
Looking at Nangong Xi's pale and fragile appearance, Ning Yangyang was filled with anxiety. "System," she called out again, "are you saying that Xiao Ziyi and Xiao Yuhuan, the emperor, really and completely broke up? In the PDFs I've read, they were clearly... as close as a pair of pants, die-hard fans from beginning to end." She shook her head irritably, as if trying to shake off this mess. "Forget it, relying on others is unreliable. This muddy water... looks like I have to wade into it myself!" As this thought came to her, a desperate determination quietly gathered in her eyes. She carefully picked up a bowl of lukewarm water from the table, brought it to Nangong Xi's chapped lips, and said softly, "Drink some water first to moisten your throat." Her movements were gentle, but her eyes were unwavering.
"Yangyang, your brother, he…" Nangong Xi's voice, drawn out, sticky and sweet, trembling slightly at the end, entered Ning Yangyang's ears. It was a stark contrast to his usual clear and hearty voice, so artificial it made the hairs on the back of Ning Yangyang's neck stand on end.
She whipped her head around, only to see Nangong Xi trying to put on a self-proclaimed "weak and helpless" expression, his brows furrowed, his eyes darting, even twirling the corner of his clothes unnaturally. He looked like a white flower battered by the wind and rain, and Ning Yangyang's alarm bells went off. Could it be that Xiao Ziyi had lost his patience and forced himself on Nangong Xi? Otherwise, why would this guy suddenly become like this?
"Nangong!" Ning Yangyang lowered her voice, with a hint of disappointment, "My brother is nothing but a living devil in human skin. He's a madman with a desire for control in his bones! Talking to him is like talking to a cow." She glanced sharply at the surrounding barren mountains and wilderness shrouded in the night, "The only way to survive now is to run! Take advantage of the night and pass through these desolate mountains and wilderness, all the way west! After picking up Ah Xiang, we will go straight to the country of Alai." Ning Yangyang's tone was firm.
She quickly and cautiously checked once more for prying eyes. Then, cautiously, she rummaged through a humble, old cloth bundle in her bosom, pulling out a small package carefully wrapped in oil paper. She carefully peeled back the layers, revealing three tokens radiating a faint metallic sheen and intricately engraved with runes—pass runes. She took a deep breath and pressed the heaviest of them into Nangong Xi's slightly chilled palm. The touch of her fingertips was filled with unquestionable determination. "Hold on! If you lose it, we'll be trapped." These three runes were her only "trophies" from yesterday's terrifying experience, and they were also the most valuable bargaining chips in their escape.
After giving the instructions, Ning Yangyang immediately crouched down and quietly moved to the edge of the tent. She carefully opened a gap and held her breath to peek out. The dancing light from the campfire cast bright and dark shadows on her focused face.
Speaking of these three pass runes, they were a small compensation that Ning Yangyang got from the system.
The days of flight were indeed harsh, with people sleeping in the open air, blisters on their feet breaking and reappearing, and clothes tangled in thorns. But strangely enough, the "conquest" along the way was surprisingly smooth. Several times, we were on the verge of encountering the enemy, only to have a sudden fog or a temporary rotation of the defenders, creating a gap.
Ning Yangyang used a small branch to poke the crackling fire in front of her, and tore off a small piece of the sizzling and fragrant wild rabbit meat, and put it into her mouth with satisfaction. The aroma of the oil temporarily dispelled her fatigue.
"Tsk, maybe this is what that lousy system calls 'protagonist halo'?" She twitched her lips in self-mockery. The firelight illuminated her face, revealing a weariness that wore a weathered yet stubborn weariness. The scenery of this desolate land was truly desolate and magnificent, with rolling black mountains forming silent silhouettes against the starry sky. For a moment, Ning Yangyang even thought that building a thatched hut here, sleeping by the bonfire and mountain breeze, would be far preferable to returning home to face the suffocating story progress and the fluctuating pace of Zhong Qingbi.
Yesterday's thrill is still fresh in my mind, and the warmth of the campfire cannot completely dispel the chill.
"The enemy is attacking—!"
"Enemy attack! Be on guard!"
The shrill screams suddenly pierced the silence like an icicle!
The guards on night watch seized their weapons in panic, their voices distorted with fear. Those who had just reclined rolled to their feet, their sleepy eyes filled with panic. The clash of weapons, the clatter of footsteps, and the cries of panic mingled, resonating heart-poundingly in the silent valley. Ning Yangyang abruptly rose, her heart pounding. She instinctively gripped the dagger at her waist, her gaze darting in the direction of the commotion.
"Oh, what a big scene! If you don't know, you would think that thousands of troops have arrived!" Ning Yangyang calmed himself down, listened attentively for a moment, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.
However, just as she finished her thought, a black shadow fell silently from above the tent like a ghost!
The man's movements were so swift that only a shadow remained on the retina, yet he landed as lightly as a feather, not even a speck of dust rising. He landed right in front of the still-shocked Ning Yangyang, close enough for her to clearly see the dust staining his dark suit and his face, familiar and tinged with a playful smile in the chaotic firelight.
"Long time no see!" The man stood there leisurely with his arms folded, a playful and lazy smile on his face. His peach blossom eyes looked particularly bright under the flickering firelight, yet also deep and unfathomable.
Ning Yangyang's pupils shrank suddenly at the memory, and she squeezed out the name coldly through her teeth: "Qi, Yi, Wen!"
It really is... a ghost that won't go away!
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