Bai Han's words reminded Feng Xie. In a glance, he regained his composure, his cold eyes glaring at Nangong Yue.
Their voices had clearly startled Nangong Yue and Liu Liu, who were completely engrossed in their joy. Otherwise, with their cultivation, they would have detected the presence of several more people beside them.
"Who are you?"
Liu Liu's gaze, completely unfamiliar, swept over them. She furrowed her delicate brows, scrutinizing each one of them.
Upon seeing Feng Xie and Ri Ying appear, Nangong Yue's face instantly turned ashen. He swiftly moved to shield Liu Liu's body and said in a deep voice, "Ye Nu, hurry back. They are not good people. I am here to protect you!"
"Yes." Liu Liu rose, preparing to leave. Feng Xie quickly spoke, "Liu'er, what is wrong with you? Have you truly forgotten me?"
Liu Liu's body trembled. The man's voice was so filled with sorrow that it strangely stirred a hint of heartache in her, and she felt a faint urge to cry.
Why? She slowly turned and looked past Nangong Yue. The man leading them was handsome and unrestrained, dressed in dark robes, his attire dusty from travel. A black crown secured his hair, and his eyes held profound pain and despair as he gazed at her deeply, so sorrowful. Did he know her?
Liu Liu stopped in her tracks. Seeing her reaction, Nangong Yue grew anxious. She had been slowly getting closer to him these past few days, and he hadn't expected this man to arrive so quickly. Angrily, he turned and glared at Liu Liu.
"Ye Nu, why are you not returning?"
"How dare you, Nangong Yue, you scoundrel! How can she be Ye Nu? She is your master! How dare you call your master a slave? Today, I will not spare you!"
Feng Xie unfolded his body and leaped into the air, snatching the sword from Bai Han's hand. With a flick of the sword, he conjured hundreds of sword flowers and fiercely thrust them at Nangong Yue.
Nangong Yue's eyes were now bloodshot, leaving him no choice. He leaped up, following closely behind him. As he brought out his jade flute, it emitted a dazzling wave of green light.
The sword energy collided with the flute's blast in the air. The two men abruptly veered away. The trees in the mountains and the water in the lake were scattered by the air currents, emitting a tremendous sound. Liu Liu watched the two men fighting intensely in mid-air, utterly bewildered. What was happening?
Seizing the opportunity while the two men were fighting, Bai Han quickly flashed to Liu Liu's side. "Empress, I am Bai Han. Have you forgotten your subject?"
As soon as Bai Han finished speaking, Ri Ying and Yue Ying also flashed to Liu Liu's side and clasped their fists respectfully, saying, "Your Highness, His Majesty has personally come to escort you back to the palace. Do not believe Nangong Yue's words; he is a bad person."
"Mm."
Liu Liu was somewhat angered by Ri Ying and the others speaking ill of Nangong Yue. She reached out and struck him with her bamboo flute. Ri Ying did not dodge.
The bamboo flute hit Ri Ying with considerable force, causing his figure to sway twice, but he remained standing. Liu Liu retracted her flute and looked at her hand in surprise, realizing she too knew martial arts, and this man was even stranger.
"If I hit you, won't you dodge?"
"This subordinate dares not. Even if my master were to ask for my life, this subordinate would not dare to say a word." Ri Ying spoke in a deep voice. Having taken a blow, he coughed twice. This evoked Liu Liu's sympathy, and her expression softened as she spoke gently.
"You say I am the Empress, and that man is the Emperor? That seems unlikely." Liu Liu furrowed her brows in confusion and tried hard to recall, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall any clues. Her mind was a blank slate.
"Your Highness became amnesiac to save His Majesty. To obtain the antidote, Blood Drop, Your Highness willingly suffered the pain of amnesia to save His Majesty's life," Ri Ying recounted solemnly. Liu Liu's heart trembled. Could it be that she loved that Emperor very much, otherwise, why would she willingly suffer the pain of amnesia?
"Nangong, stop fighting. If Yun Gu finds out, she will chase you down the mountain."
As Liu Liu's words fell, a cold snort came from the forest. Yun Gu, dressed in black, floated gracefully forward and said coldly, "Ye Nu, how dare you seduce two men into fighting on Snow Show Peak."
Liu Liu was momentarily stunned. What did it have to do with her? She immediately protested with dissatisfaction, "I didn't! They started fighting as soon as they met. What does it have to do with me?"
"You?" Yun Gu glared at Liu Liu furiously and called out to the sky, "If you continue fighting, get off Snow Show Peak immediately!"
These words indeed had an effect. The two men abruptly stopped fighting and landed, separating to the sides. Nangong Yue strode to Liu Liu's side and stood still. Feng Xie's face turned green but he made no move. However, his gloomy gaze swept towards the instigator, and his stern voice rose, "Damn woman, to actually give Liu'er amnesia medicine!"
As Feng Xie spoke, he arrived, retracting his sword and transforming his palm into a sword, swiftly chopping towards Yun Gu. Clearly, he was furious.
Yun Gu shifted her body, lightly evading the attack, but the spot where she had stood was hit with a tremendous impact, creating a large pit and sending dirt flying everywhere. Although Yun Gu dodged the blow, she was greatly alarmed inwardly. This man had such powerful internal energy. She suspected she could only fight him to a draw. Thinking this, she dared not be careless. She flicked her sword, tossing it towards Feng Xie from a distance, a formidable chilling aura striking him.
Feng Xie lowered his body and squatted half a step, flashing to evade. He then unleashed another palm strike. He seemed like he had gone mad, his face dark, his eyes bloodshot, completely throwing caution to the wind.
Yun Gu only had the strength to evade, not to counterattack. She fought and retreated, not daring to be careless for a moment. Feng Xie followed closely, not giving way at all. The thought of Liu'er being made to forget him by that mad woman made him determined to kill this woman today and take Liu'er down the mountain.
Nangong Yue had not intended to help that woman. Although she was his nominal martial aunt, she had never treated him as a nephew. Now he was in trouble, and it had nothing to do with him. Moreover, with her physique, she wouldn't be defeated so miserably. But who knew that after a few moves, Yun Gu would be completely outmatched? The reason for her defeat was that Feng Xie was fighting like a lunatic. He didn't follow any established moves, which threw Yun Gu's tactics into disarray, thus showing her disadvantage. This woman was, after all, his martial aunt. He couldn't just watch her be killed by Feng Xie, right? Just as he was preparing to try and save her, the three men standing beside him immediately stepped forward, looking at him coldly. Their stance was clear: they wouldn't let him intervene. The skills of these three men were all extremely high. Ri Ying and Yue Ying alone were not weak, so Nangong Yue couldn't make a move for the time being, and could only watch anxiously.
Seeing Yun Gu's increasing disarray and Feng Xie's increasingly fierce moves, one mistake would be fatal. Liu Liu, who had been standing by the forest, watched Yun Gu's predicament with concern. She leaped into the air, landing beside Yun Gu, and said sternly to Feng Xie, "Stop."
Feng Xie abruptly halted his attack, his dark eyes gazing at Liu Liu with boundless sorrow. Liu Liu's heart stirred, and the impulse to comfort him surged again. However, thinking of him wanting to kill Yun Gu, she felt a pang of reluctance. In fact, she had stayed with Yun Gu for over a month and knew that Yun Gu was just lonely and wanted someone to talk to. Most of the time, she was good to her. Although she would loudly order her around, and forbid her from seducing men, she knew Yun Gu was simply lonely, not an utterly wicked person. Therefore, she did not want him to kill her.
"Don't hurt her, she's not a bad person," Liu Liu said. The gaze of Yun Gu, standing behind her, suddenly darkened, and her heart eased slightly, though her expression remained cold. She turned and drifted towards the forest, saying, "You, get back here! Don't seduce these men."
"Yes." Liu Liu responded, turned, and followed Yun Gu's steps towards a side of the forest. Feng Xie was unwilling to let Liu Liu leave and flashed after her, disappearing into the forest. Normally, Nangong Yue would return to Wuliang Mountain to spend the night, but today, with Feng Xie on Snow Show Peak, he would never let this man have the opportunity. Therefore, he also closely followed them. Bai Han and the others, naturally, had to protect their master and followed them as well.