"Jia Yan gege,"
The arrow did not land on Yu Mingyue, but instead struck Xie Jia Yan’s chest as he leaped to shield her.
He had shown no panic, no fear of death, when countless arrows rained down upon him earlier, but when that single arrow flew towards her, he panicked.
He loved the world, and he loved her.
He wanted the world to be peaceful, and he wanted her to be safe for all her life.
Blood trickled down Xie Jia Yan’s chest. He looked at Yu Mingyue, his eyes smiling, "Don't be afraid, it's alright now."
Having known her for so many years, it felt as though he had never done anything for her, yet in truth, he was very happy.
"Jia Yan gege," Yu Mingyue looked at Xie Jia Yan, who had collapsed into her arms, in disbelief. The blood from his chest stained her hands.
"Imperial Physician, quickly summon an Imperial Physician!" Xiao Che roared, losing his composure. "Brother, I will save you, I will definitely save you!"
Xie Jia Yan wanted to say something, but ultimately did not stop him.
Hua Chao Fei charged madly towards the direction the arrow had come from. He should not have sheathed his sword prematurely. Once drawn, a sword could not be returned without drawing blood.
Lu Jing Xing, who had been interrogating Gu You You about her whereabouts, was also shocked. He instantly understood what Gu Bo Hao had meant by "you think killing Feng Qi Rui and then me will bring peace to the world."
So, he had a backup plan after all.
"Gu Bo Hao, you are truly insane!"
Gu Bo Hao smiled coldly, "Unfortunately, I still failed to kill Xiao Che."
Xie Jia Yan suddenly vomited a mouthful of black blood. Yu Mingyue's face changed drastically. The arrow was poisoned.
Xie Jia Yan had sensed the poison on the arrow the moment he was hit. With the arrowhead lodged in his heart and the poison, it was destined to be incurable.
He had thought he could delay its onset, but he hadn't expected the poison to be so potent.
"Liu Niang, I… I must break my promise. I'm sorry!"
He would not be able to take her to travel the lands of Da Wei, nor could he fulfill his promise to be with her for the rest of his life.
"You can be saved, you will be alright, you will be alright." Yu Mingyue looked at the large patch of blood staining his chest, yet she refused to believe he would leave her.
Her Jia Yan gege was omnipotent, and he loved all living beings so dearly, how could he bear to leave?
If she had known this would happen, she would rather he hadn't fallen for her.
Xie Jia Yan curved his lips slightly, his strength failing but his gaze gentle, like a warm, spring breeze, yet this warmth was about to vanish.
"Yan'er!" Empress Wang, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, stumbled forward, almost collapsing before Xie Jia Yan.
She embraced Xie Jia Yan's body and said with grief and indignation, "It is Mother's fault, all Mother's fault. Yan'er, don't leave Mother."
Xie Jia Yan's gaze slowly shifted to Empress Wang, tears slowly sliding down the corners of his eyes, "Mother,"
He could finally call her Mother openly. He had waited for this moment for many, many years.
Xie Jia Yan, with all his remaining strength, clasped Yu Mingyue's hand and placed it in Empress Wang's palm, "Mother, for your son… protect her."
After his death, his mother would no longer have reason to cling to life. His dying wish was for his mother to live well, even if it was for Liu Niang.
Empress Wang's lips trembled violently, unable to speak.
Seeing her silence, Xie Jia Yan uttered again, "Mother…"
His voice was faint, filled with entreaty.
Empress Wang tearfully agreed. Yu Mingyue looked at Xie Jia Yan, "Jia Yan gege, you still owe me an unfinished wedding."
Last time, he had promised to take her away, but he had broken his word. This time, she would not let him leave so easily.
"I'm sorry!"
Yu Mingyue held Xie Jia Yan's hand, "Then, please ask Empress Niang Niang to be our witness."
Yu Mingyue removed her helmet and armor, drew her sword, and cut a piece of cloth from her red cloak. Her disheveled hair flew in the wind. She tied her hair with the red cloth and then tied the remaining half of the cloak around her like a skirt.
"Zhan Qing!"
Zhan Qing quickly responded. Yu Mingyue slowly looked at him, "Lend me your cloak!"
Zhan Qing quickly took it off. Yu Mingyue cut a corner from the cloak, then carefully tied it onto Xie Jia Yan, "This wedding attire is simple, Jia Yan gege, please don't laugh at Liu Niang."
"This is the most beautiful ceremonial robe I have ever seen in this life."
Yu Mingyue stood up, took a step back, and covered her head with the red cloth, "The Blazing Flame Army will escort me to the bridal chamber."
Zhan Qing's eyes welled up, almost in tears. His voice choked with emotion, "The pipes play merrily, the celestial maiden descends to Qin to receive. The magpie once invited the bright moon, the mandarin ducks now sing of affection. Kong and Le have pledged their union, the Blazing Flame Army escorts their mistress to her chamber!"
"Escort the mistress to her chamber!"
…
Yu Mingyue, leaning on Zhan Qing's arm, walked to Xie Jia Yan and slowly knelt down, "Jia Yan gege, it's time to lift the veil."
Xie Jia Yan's body was already overwhelmed by poison and he had no strength left, but he still mustered all his might to raise his hand. With a gentle push, the veil slid down.
The bride was breathtakingly beautiful, the most wonderful woman in the world.
The moment the veil fell, Zhan Qing tilted his head back and shouted to the heavens, "The ceremony is complete!"
And at this very moment, Xie Jia Yan slowly closed his eyes.