The young girl stood there, looking down from above, her water-and-sky colored dress fluttering without a breeze.
Her pure and beautiful face held eyes that were clear and ice-cold, gazing at Xue Yunlan.
An aura of noble detachment radiated from her, the majesty of a sovereign, brooks no questioning.
Xue Yunlan was inexplicably suppressed by this pressure, unable to lift her head.
The girl's rosy lips parted slightly, and her clear, cold voice emerged slowly, "One comes, I capture one; two come, I capture two. I will absolutely not allow you to sow chaos in Huangze."
Xue Yunlan chuckled softly, her smile filled with unwillingness and mockery, "Then I wish you can always uphold those words."
The girl's gaze chilled. She flicked the dagger in her hand, sending it towards Xue Yunlan.
Xue Yunlan gasped in shock, "You... you want to kill me?"
"Your death is not a pity," the girl said, her voice as cold as frost, without batting an eye.
Xue Yunlan's eyes widened in a daze, watching the dagger fly towards her, utterly unable to move.
Was she willing? So unwilling. Her father's mission was not yet complete, how could she die?
Yet, she could not evade this death.
Thinking of this, she slowly closed her eyes.
The dagger's chill had already reached her. She knew her life was definitively over.
Suddenly, an arrow shot from a corner, knocking the dagger away.
The dagger clattered to the ground.
The girl looked up, seeing a figure slowly emerge. He wore a robe of jade brocade, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, inscribed with "My heart remains as it was."
Why did she know it so clearly? She watched him approach, for she recognized him.
When she arrived, she had told herself to remain calm and composed, no matter what.
But now, at this moment, she found herself unable to calm down, unable to be composed.
His refined face held the same eyes, the gaze she had seen countless times.
It was etched into her bones, unforgettable.
"You've come," the girl said softly, looking at the young man.
The young man nodded, "Yes, I've come."
He saw the girl smile, a smile more bitter than any he had ever seen, even carrying a trace of sorrow. He averted his gaze, suddenly knelt on the ground, lowered his eyes, and said faintly, "Your Majesty, this is likely my last salutation to you."
The girl did not move, watching the young man perfectly complete his kowtow to her, step by step.
The young man finally kowtowed, his head touching the ground. The girl knew it was over; their lord-subject relationship had vanished.
"Rise!" She bit her lower lip, and finally managed to force out these two words.
Just these two words had exhausted all her strength.
The young man slowly rose, his gaze turbulent yet ice-cold, no longer clear as it once was.
"Are you going to make a move?" she asked softly.
The young man shook his head, "I don't wish to act this time, but... next time..."
He paused again, slowly closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them wide and said, word by word, "We fight until death!"
Her gaze froze, but her body remained still. After a long moment, she uttered a few words, "Very well, I, Xue Zining, will accompany you to the end!"
The young man turned to leave. Suddenly, someone landed beside him and whispered, "Young master, you must not! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Outside, it is already our sect's people. As long as the young master..."
Before the man could finish, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, so intense he could not speak. He stumbled back several steps, only to see a sword being withdrawn from his chest.
He looked up at the young man, bewildered, "You..."
"When has my actions been for you to question?" the young man said coldly, his expression as frigid as frost.
The man fell to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Retreat!" The young man left without looking back.
"Wait a moment..."
The young man stopped but did not turn. "What is it?"
"Can you spare General Wu's family? Must our grievances involve others?"
The young man said faintly, "They are already at Apricot Blossom Ridge, ten miles away."
"Tha...nk you!"
Upon hearing this, the young man visibly stiffened.
"Take care of yourself in the future..." The young man's voice drifted back.
Xue Zining's body slowly slid down. Before she lost consciousness, she seemed to hear someone calling her name.
Who was it? Who was it?
"Stop!" A figure in white descended from the sky, landing before the young man.
The young man slowly raised his eyes, looking at the newcomer, his gaze chilling. "You've come."
"Hua Yunjin, why?"
The young man smiled at this, his expression unruffled, "Should I call you Jingge, or Yanzhao? Or His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Xue Kingdom?"
"Hua Yunjin, you should not have hurt her. In both past and present lives, she is innocent."
"Innocent?" Hua Yunjin sneered coldly, his eyes glacial. "Who in this world is truly innocent? It is merely the cycle of heaven, karma and retribution."
"Hua Yunjin, in your past life, you impersonated me and hurt her. In this life, you have harmed her once more."
Hua Yunjin turned his face away. "I said it is the cycle of heaven, karma and retribution."
"You..."
"Enough. And what about you? In your past life, you made her desire what she could not obtain. In this life? Aren't you still concealing your identity by her side? Speaking of which, we are no different from each other."
Xue Jingyun shook his head. "No, you and I are fundamentally different, in both past and present lives."
Hua Yunjin sneered, "Saying this now is utterly useless. High mountains and flowing water, we shall never meet again!"
With that, the young man turned and left.
Xue Jingyun sighed softly, looking in the direction of the departing young man. From this moment on, they would be strangers.
"Your Highness, the Empress is unconscious!" Xue Song walked over and said in a low voice.
He turned and walked towards the courtyard. The young girl's face, pale, leaned against something.
He had never seen her like this before.
She must be deeply hurt.
Someone she had genuinely cared for had suddenly changed, becoming her opponent.
He slowly approached, gently picked up the young girl, lowered his head to look at her pale face, and sighed.
Outside the courtyard, Xue Yan was stopped by Xue Song. She said angrily, "Xue Song, get out of the way! If you hadn't knocked me out back then, I would be by the Young Master's side right now, and those treacherous officials wouldn't have harmed His Majesty!"
Xue Song said in a low voice, "My Young Master has already gone in. Are you sure you want to go in?"
Xue Yan froze, then looked to see the Crown Prince already carrying the Empress out.
"Your Highness, Her Majesty she..."
"Go to the Hua family," the Crown Prince said coldly, without turning his head.
Hua Rong was startled by the Crown Prince's appearance. "You..."
He quickly looked around, saying anxiously, "Why are you appearing so brazenly in Huangze? This..."
"We can't worry about that now. Help me clear out a room."
Hua Rong glanced at the unconscious Empress, not daring to say more, and quickly gave instructions. A room was prepared.
"Hua Rong, come here in a moment." The Crown Prince suddenly stopped and left a message.