Xie Bo shifted his head, his perpetually upturned fox eyes lowered slightly, his eyelashes singed away, yet the corners of his mouth curved upward.
He wanted to laugh, but it was likely too painful, his facial muscles twitching spasmodically, making the smile appear particularly bitter.
"Princess, I won't survive." His hand tore open his collar.
On his left chest, a black lotus the size of a copper coin emanated a faint, chilling aura.
"This is..."
Ling Yao's eyes widened. She recalled Lu Yanmo's forehead, and what he had said: the male consorts of the Qi Rong Queen all had markings on their foreheads.
"My father was controlled by her, and personally delivered me to her bed. This thing, if it hadn't been removed then, it could never be removed. It would take root within the body, sprout, and become one with the mother. Therefore, if she dies, I die."
"Princess, don't trouble yourself."
As expected, the black lotus began to emit a dark glow, like a spark that threatened to ignite a prairie fire.
Ling Yao quickly smeared her bloodied finger onto it. The flame seemed to be suppressed, no longer flickering.
Xie Bo looked at Ling Yao, his eyes reflecting a fleeting light.
They had only met twice.
And yet, she treated him like this.
If only they had met sooner.
If only she had been born in the Southern Border.
They would surely have been friends who could talk about anything.
"I'm sorry, Princess. Truthfully, I did hesitate. Before I met you on the street, I was considering betraying Da Jing to protect the Southern Border."
But seeing her pure, unblemished eyes, he had unknowingly made his decision.
He knew that only the Divine Maiden of Da Jing and the Divine Martial General could protect the Southern Border. He had been foolish at first.
He looked at the Divine Martial General, who stood silently beside them, and tried to keep his voice from trembling.
"General, please don't be angry. I just wanted to be friends with the Princess. Since childhood, only the Princess didn't look down on my appearance. She treated me like an ordinary person, and I truly enjoyed being an ordinary person. Cough, cough, cough—"
Xie Bo couldn't stop coughing. The black lotus on his chest reignited, scorching the surrounding area black.
He felt as though he could barely breathe, yet there was so much more he wanted to say.
Ling Yao pressed her finger onto it again, her eyes reddening. "Xie Bo, of course you are my friend. I am very selective about who I consider a friend, and I've considered you a friend for a long time."
Xie Bo grabbed Ling Yao, his voice laced with gasping breaths. "Princess, if she dies, my father will not live either. I beg you, stabilize the Southern Border. Support the heir, Ah Ruan, in ascending the throne.
Also, also, before my father, he sought out a Gu master from the Tuo Ye tribe. I don't know if the Gu that afflicted your father is related to him, nor do I know if anyone else has been afflicted. You must be careful, be careful...
I also heard, heard him talking with that Qi Rong enchantress. They mentioned your Left Prime Minister. I didn't hear clearly...
It's so dark, so dark. Princess, where are you? I can't see..."
Xie Bo's chest burned, creating a large hole that continued to slowly expand. His arm flailed, his eyes staring blankly ahead, unfocused.
"So dark... Abo is most afraid of the dark. Light a lamp quickly. The Divine Maiden gave me an eternal lamp. She said it could burn for a year. Grandma, Grandma, hurry up..."
Xiao Shan quickly pulled Ling Yao to his side.
The next moment, black flames erupted, engulfing Xie Bo's form. On the ground, only an ash outline remained.
"And then... nothing?"
Ling Yao stared blankly, the warmth still on her hand. The person who had been so alive moments ago had vanished.
Those handsome, smiling fox eyes, that lingering laughter, that ostentatious, brightly lit carriage.
They would never appear again?
"There's still ash," Xiao Shan waved to Meng Jiu and Chi Yun. "Quickly collect it, don't let the wind blow it away."
He still had to send the urn back to the Southern Border and assist the heir in ascending the throne, to prevent unrest.
"Xiao Shan, why are you so cold?"
Ling Yao's tears fell. She hadn't lied to comfort him; she truly considered Xie Bo a friend.
She had watched him die before her eyes, unable to do anything.
Xiao Shan pursed his lips. What else could she want? He was a prince of a vassal state, and he didn't have any deep friendship with him. Moreover, it sounded like the King of the Southern Border also harbored rebellious intentions. Did he expect him to weep at the funeral?
They had only met twice, so why was she so saddened by Xie Bo's death?
He had heard that when people are vulnerable, they can be easily moved by small kindnesses. Perhaps it was that time she had run to Xie Bo's carriage when she was upset, and he had comforted her, that she so readily considered him a friend?
Alas, it was his fault that others had an opportunity.
No matter how well Xie Bo spoke earlier, about being friends, it was because he knew he had no chance.
"Alright, this is all the doing of that Qi Rong enchantress. Now we can only follow his wishes and ensure the Southern Border remains peaceful."
Xiao Shan held her hand, seeing in the moonlight that her fingers had stopped bleeding.
"Let's go back first. Tomorrow, I will escort him back to the Southern Border for his final rest."
Ling Yao nodded listlessly, watching Meng Jiu carefully place the ashes into his clothes.
He had said he was afraid of the dark.
She would light him another lamp, one that would never go out.
After the Qi Rong Queen's death, nearly half the people in the palace died. The entire royal palace became like a tomb. The remaining people either fled or went mad. Qi Rong quickly descended into chaos.
The territory fragmented, and regional lords carved out their own domains.
The next day, Xiao Shan dispatched a troop of soldiers to escort Xie Bo back to the Southern Border and assist Prince Ah Ruan in his coronation.
Ling Yao, remembering Xie Bo's words, felt uneasy about the safety of the capital and decided to return ahead of Xiao Shan, who was still handling matters.
Just then, she received another letter from Qing He.
The letter stated that the Tujue were stirring again, and the news was confirmed.
Ling Yao didn't know Qing He's source, but she believed it implicitly and immediately informed Xiao Shan.
Xiao Shan had actually received a letter as well, from his spies stationed in Tujue. It only mentioned that the Tujue King had suddenly died, and there was a struggle for power in the royal court, but nothing else.
However, Qing He must have had a more reliable source of information.
Xiao Shan immediately ordered Yuan Bufei to lead troops back to defend Jinjiang City.
Ling Yao, just as she had arrived, quietly left Lizhou City with the King of Jiangbei and Qu Linglong.
After seeing off his people, Xiao Shan rode his horse back. He saw an unusual number of people on the streets. The battle between Qi Rong and Da Jing had ended with Da Jing's victory, and the people's faces were full of joy.
He felt a pang of melancholy. Ling Yao had come to the southwest, and he hadn't had time to stroll through Lizhou City with her. She came in a hurry and left in a hurry.
After worrying about one place, he was already concerned about another.
He wondered when these troubles would ever end.
Could they really return to Bozi Village?
Xiao Shan shook his head, wondering why he had become so pessimistic.
"Tsk—acting like a woman, moping around, pathetic!"
Of course, they could return. The crises facing Jing Country were being resolved one by one, and that day was not far off!
Xiao Shan's spirits lifted. He leisurely surveyed his surroundings, and a painting stall caught his eye, titled: Past and Present.
Oh, that's an interesting name.
He dismounted and approached the stall.
"Sir soldier, what would you like painted?"
"Growing old together."