Chapter 27
Halfway up Zifang Mountain in the capital, Lin Qiang, carrying a flask of wine, stood atop the highest maple tree, surveying this mountain peak, so different from Black Wind Cliff. The wine, murky and bitter, entered his throat.
Actually, he doesn't like drinking, but since there are no cigarettes here, he used to suppress his nicotine addiction by drinking alcohol.
The sounds of fighting drifted from afar, but his expression remained largely unchanged, and he had no intention of interfering. One thing that often puzzled him was: why were ancient people more violent than modern people? Why did they seem so quick to resort to violence at the slightest provocation?
Shortly after, the sounds of clashing weapons ceased, and the woman in the apricot-yellow dress fled towards him, followed by a group of assassins. He looked away, having no intention of playing the hero and rescuing her.
Yuan Qiong had barely escaped when she was surrounded again. She secretly regretted leaving her servants in the temple and wandering off on her own, hoping to relax for a moment.
Yuan Qiong drew her sword to protect her face, assuming a defensive stance. Her slender, fox-like eyes were deep and dark, and a gust of wind ruffled her hair as her mind raced, trying to figure out how to escape.
"How dare you attempt an assassination openly outside the capital! You have no fear!"
The crisp, clear female voice was both strange and familiar. The man on the treetop trembled, and several drops of wine spilled from the pot.
He abruptly turned his head and saw that extremely familiar sword-wielding posture; the petite figure in his memory overlapped with the apricot-yellow figure below...
Those were moves he taught him step by step; how could he not recognize them?!
"kill!"
The highly trained assassins, without saying a word, charged forward in unison. Yuan Qiong gritted her teeth and bravely met them, knowing she was in trouble.
Just then, amidst the rustling of leaves, a black blur flashed down from the branch like lightning. Before she could react, she heard several muffled thuds, and all the assassins who had pounced on her were sent flying backward, crashing to the ground.
With a loud "bang," a cloud of dust was kicked up.
A tall, imposing figure blocked her way. Yuan Qiong was startled for a moment, then quickly retreated, cautiously drawing her sword and staring at the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared.
The moment he turned around, his dazzling eyes sweeping over her, Yuan Qiong felt a suffocating sensation, as if she were being locked onto by a large wild beast. It was the instinct of prey being unable to escape or resist when controlled by a powerful being.
Danger! This person is dangerous! Alarm bells blared in my mind!
She clearly realized that the threat posed by the man in front of her was far greater than that of the group of assassins from before.
The assassins, thrown to the ground, tried to get up and escape or fight again, but were horrified to find that they couldn't stand up...
"Who are you?!" she asked.
The handsome man grinned, his eyes sparkling with tiny starlight, yet his gaze was as dark as a river: "Girl, that's not how you use moves."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yuan Qiong's vision blurred, and she felt a breath behind her. Before she could move, a large hand caressed her slender waist, and as she turned around, her right hand, which was holding a sword, was immediately grasped.
"How dare you!!!"
Enraged, she raised her arm to stab backward, but her arm felt as if it were weighed down by a thousand boulders, and she couldn't control it as it slid downward.
"Wild geese descending on the sandbar, that's how it should be used."
A man's slightly amused voice sounded from above. Yuan Qiong was pulled into his arms, flipped around in the wind, and leaned forward, performing a standard move called "Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank".
The moment she landed, Yuan Qiong leaped up in fury: "You deserve to die!!!"
To harass her like that, this person deserves to die a thousand deaths!
Even with her hair standing on end, Yuan Qiong was still a soft and adorable little dumpling in Lin Qiang's eyes. He smiled indulgently, neither dodging nor blocking. The moment she attacked, he grabbed her arm, bent down to intercept her long sword, and instantly used the momentum to hoist her onto his shoulder.
"How dare you do this?!"
Once she came to her senses, Yuan Qiong immediately realized her predicament of being suspended in mid-air. Having lost her weapon, she transformed her palm into a knife and slashed at the man's vulnerable neck.
He didn't turn around, but instead subdued her palm strike with his other hand, letting out a helpless sigh: "Girl, haven't you had enough? Don't force me to acupuncture your pressure points."
The overly familiar tone of voice made her momentarily lost in thought. The familiar posture brought back deep-seated memories, and her fox-like eyes widened instantly.
She instinctively turned around and grabbed his hair.
"A big black beard?!"
“............”
Why is this girl still using this trick after all these years?
Are you afraid he won't go bald?
"It's me."
“............”
Now it was Yuan Qiong's turn to fall silent.
In an instant, hundreds of emotions surged into her heart, and her eyes unconsciously reddened, her hands tightening their grip on her hair bun.
"...Girl, if you use any more force, I'm really going to go bald."
She suppressed the stinging sensation in her nose, gave a soft snort, and said in a feigned nonchalance, "So what if I'm bald? Let's see how you flirt with young girls now that I'm bald."
This bandit is incorrigible. He knew how to bully her the moment he met her. He must have abused many young girls over the years!
Thinking of this, not only did her nose tingle, but her heart ached, and her whole body ached. She felt an urge to bite him. In the end, due to the position, she could only vent her anger by punching his back a few times, which felt like a tickle to Lin Qiang.
"Put me down."
This posture of being carried on someone's shoulders is too shameful! She is the mother of a nation, how can she be treated like this... like this... Yuan Qiong couldn't find the right words to describe it, she was so ashamed that her hair was practically steaming.
What if someone sees us?
Lin Qiang ignored her and continued walking slowly up the mountain.
Didn't you hear me tell you to put me down?
"I heard you." Lin Qiang walked unhurriedly, but his tone left no room for doubt: "That's impossible."
He looked up at the temple faintly visible on the mountaintop and said, "I'm going to Chang'an Temple to see someone today. After that, I'll take you back to Black Wind Cliff. I don't know why you're leaving, and I won't ask. I just want to answer your question again."
"Yao girl, I will marry you."
Over the past three years, Lin Qiang has thought a lot. In the more than a thousand days and nights since she left, he has been thinking about the last question she asked him.
Neither in his past life nor in this one, he had never loved anyone. He didn't understand what love was, including his daughter whom he had never met; aside from blood ties, he had no deep feelings for her.
But Wang Yao is different. She is special. Seeing her fills his life with color, and he wants to spend his whole life with her.
He hoped to use his own hands to shelter her from the wind and rain, to build her a safe haven. To protect her from fear, from suffering, from wandering, from having no one to rely on. To accompany her as she grows, as she blossoms, and as she grows old.
"I want to marry you," he said, revealing a man's most genuine thoughts.
The person on the shoulder stopped struggling and fell silent.
Yuan Qiong reached out and grabbed his shirt from behind until her knuckles turned white. She chewed the two words in her throat and swallowed them back down, but she still couldn't bear to spit them out.
It's too late...
It's too late, you know?
Her stomach was feeling uncomfortable from the pressure of his shoulder bone, and she didn't want to resist anymore. But Lin Qiang immediately noticed and changed from carrying her on his back to holding her horizontally, refusing to let go.
The two remained silent as they entered the temple through a small, sparsely populated gate at the back of the mountain.
Upon hearing that the master of Fengyunxu had arrived, Prince Yuwen Ting of Jin immediately came to greet him.
Dressed in a brocade robe, he still possessed the handsome features of the Yuwen family, with long eyebrows reaching his temples, a dashing and unconventional demeanor, and a smile that carried a hint of unruliness.
"Oh, I had no idea the Lord of the Clan was such a womanizer!"
Amidst the low-ceilinged temple with its blue bricks and white tiles, he watched the tall, handsome man arrive with a beautiful woman, and smiled mischievously. Yuan Qiong, being held in his arms, buried her head deeply in Lin Qiang's embrace, her heart filled with trepidation.
She never expected that the person the bearded man wanted to see was actually Prince Jin! She absolutely couldn't, absolutely couldn't let Yuwen Ting recognize her!!!
Lin Qiang is usually extremely low-key. However, he is never ambiguous in formal occasions. His deep and upright face is expressionless, but his powerful aura is fully unleashed. One glance from him instantly startled Yuwen Ting, and the teasing smile on his face disappeared considerably.
This mastermind is indeed extraordinary.
"Your Highness Prince Jin," the man's deep voice said with composure and elegance, "Do not look at what is improper, do not speak what is improper."
As he spoke, he walked right past him and headed towards the side room not far away.
Yuwen Ting gazed at his broad, slender back, his eyes filled with uncertain emotions. After a long while, he chuckled, "Interesting, truly interesting."
Upon entering the room, Lin Qiang set her down, his icy aura instantly vanishing. With a slight smile, he ruffled her hair as before.
"Wait for me, I'll be back soon."
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
The two people standing opposite each other are no longer just a former bandit leader and a little girl, but also two mature and charming men and women.
They were drawn to each other, noticing and remembering each other's changes, yet neither of them ever mentioned it.
Yuan Qiong answered with a smile, but her words were completely false.
Why wait for him to come back? To marry her?
No, it's no longer needed...
After the man turned and left, Yuan Qiong looked around the room and then fixed her gaze on the window at the back.
She approached the doorway, glanced at the two men sitting opposite her in the distance, and then looked around at the places where her bodyguards could hide.
Yuwen Ting is always accompanied by bodyguards when he goes out. If she were to venture out rashly and alert those people, things could get very bad...
However, if she didn't escape now, she would have no chance again once the big bearded man returned...
After much hesitation and struggle, Yuan Qiong finally decided to run!
Meanwhile, Yuwenting and Lin Qiang, who were having a conversation, were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a young girl.
"Prince Jin!"
Yuwen Ting stood up in surprise: "Minister Zhi?"
Xiao Zhi, accompanied by a group of palace maids, rushed forward anxiously and whispered a few words to Yuwen Ting. His expression immediately changed drastically. He cupped his hands and said to Lin Qiang, "I am truly sorry, but I have urgent business to attend to today and must leave first. I hope the Master will forgive me."
"It's alright."
Xiaozhi glanced at the man in front of her, was taken aback by his imposing manner, and then looked away, anxiously leading Yuwenting away.
When Lin Qiang returned to the room, the person was no longer there.
He glanced at the empty room and laughed, "After all these years, this girl hasn't changed at all; she's still just as cunning..."
His tone was full of affection; he loved her little mischievousness so much—that was the real her.
"Shh—" A whistle blew, and soon a small yellow bird landed by the window. Lin Qiang reached out and took out a small yellow treat to feed it, gently stroking the feathers on its back: "Let's go, take me to her."
"Chirp~" The little creature lightly pecked his palm, then spread its wings and flew off in one direction. Lin Qiang's ghostly figure followed the bird, and soon he saw the apricot-yellow silhouette.
Standing on the treetop, a bird perched on his shoulder. Lin Qiang followed behind her with a smile on his face, moving at a leisurely pace.
He had no intention of prying into her secrets; he simply wanted to know how she had been doing these past few years.
Girl, where are you going if you leave me?
The rustling of leaves in the wind seemed to be asking questions on behalf of the man.
Where are we going?
Yuan Qiong naturally wanted to meet up with Xiao Zhi and the others, so she immediately got up and returned to the palace.
She used her lightness skill to leave the maple forest outside the temple, and soon encountered Yuwen Ting and others who had come looking for her.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
"This servant kowtows to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
On the hillside, a group of servants knelt, which relieved Yuan Qiong. She abandoned her usual composure and magnanimity, and indifferently walked past them.
"Get up, everyone."
"Here you go."
Xiaozhi, Yuwenting, and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.
Only the ghostly figure on the treetop seemed frozen in place, his heartbeat slowing down several times.
The girl he just said he wanted to marry...
How did she become the empress they talk about?
His little fox, how come it suddenly, suddenly feels so unfamiliar...
Lin Qiang felt that the wind in the mountains was a bit cold...
Author's Note: June 18th is almost here, and I've been working non-stop... My darlings, I have to go on a business trip on Wednesday, so I'd like to ask for a day off and take a break from updating. I'll be posting a 10,000-word chapter on Thursday (it will be available for purchase), and there will be red envelopes (cash gifts) in the comments that day! Thank you all for your support, my little darlings! Love you all, muah!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:
Even the top bunkmate who's terrible at naming things gets a name from one bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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