"Qing Yi, leave the rest to me. You've done admirably well."
Qing Yi felt the words wash over him like a powerful force, calming his heart. He gently lowered the ice coffin from his back and handed it to Xue Jingyun. "Your Highness, their target is the Empress's body."
Xue Jingyun took the ice coffin. The maiden within remained asleep, showing no sign of awakening due to the external circumstances.
*A Ning...*
He called out softly in his heart.
Yet, the maiden remained asleep.
"Your Highness, allow me to carry it!" Xue Feng stepped forward, intending to take the ice coffin.
Xue Jingyun shook his head. "No, I will carry it myself."
His A Ning would be carried by him.
Xue Feng said nothing more. Matters concerning the Empress were always handled personally by the Prince.
"Your Highness, shall we continue onward?" Xue Feng asked.
Xue Jingyun looked at the ground before them. One more step, and they would be on the barren lands.
He turned back to Qing Yi and asked, "You said their target was A Ning?"
Qing Yi nodded. "I heard it clearly."
"Wait here," Xue Jingyun said calmly.
Xue Feng, receiving the command, instructed the army to rest in place.
About an hour later, a faint disturbance could be heard from not too far away.
Xue Jingyun, who had been sitting on a cushion, slowly opened his eyes. In an instant, they blazed with a brilliance as dazzling as starlight.
"They have arrived..."
As the words fell, a dense crowd appeared in the distance.
Xue Feng walked over and bowed. "Your Highness, perhaps I should test his skills?"
"No need. I will test him myself." Xue Jingyun rose from the cushion, the ice coffin securely fastened to his back.
Fan Min saw a troop of soldiers blocking his path, led by a tall, slender man in white.
"The Crown Prince of Xue Country!" someone behind him exclaimed in surprise.
Fan Min paused slightly. He had heard of the Xue Country's Crown Prince, how in his youth he had led troops to drive out invading enemies from Xue Country and rescue the captured Xue Emperor.
Brave and resourceful, a young hero.
Furthermore, he was a talent in governing. Although a prince, the Xue Emperor had completely handed over the reins of the country to him, and in just a few years, it had leaped to become a powerful nation.
As he drew closer, he saw that this exceptionally gifted Crown Prince of Xue Country also possessed striking good looks, with a refined and handsome countenance.
Standing there, without a word or expression, he exuded an aura of immense pressure that encroached upon Fan Min.
It forced him to lower his head.
"Crown Prince of Xue Country," Fan Min said, cupping his hands and bowing slightly.
"This is Xue Country's territory ahead. Do you intend to proceed?" Xue Jingyun asked calmly.
His voice, though soft, exerted tremendous pressure.
Fan Min glanced at the ice coffin behind the Xue Country's Crown Prince. He smiled. "Your Highness, you must know that I will not retreat. I am determined to obtain the corpse, just as you have traveled thousands of miles to find a way to revive her."
He had waited twenty years, a full twenty years, solely for the day he could fully revive Xin'er. For this conviction, he had done many things, killed many people. Others called him mad, but only he knew he simply wished to see Xin'er open her eyes and call him, "Min Ge."
No matter how arduous the path ahead, he would press on; he had no room to retreat.
Xue Jingyun looked at Fan Min calmly and said coldly, "It is impossible for me to allow you to touch A Ning. You cannot take A Ning away."
"How will you know if you don't try?" Fan Min raised his eyes, his gaze red.
"Your Highness, I shall face this person." Xue Feng was eager.
"I will go myself." Xue Jingyun stated calmly.
Xue Feng was startled. "Your Highness, you are still carrying the coffin?"
"It matters not." A Ning would naturally be with him.
He reached out to touch the maiden through the ice coffin, as if caressing her face. "A Ning, endure for a moment. I will finish this quickly."
The maiden remained motionless, asleep.
He looked up at Fan Min and said calmly, "Make your move!"
"Thank you for your indulgence!" Before Fan Min's words even finished, he lunged towards Xue Jingyun, moving with lightning speed.
Xue Jingyun dodged aside.
As their figures intertwined, exchanging blows for dozens of rounds, Fan Min felt a pang of alarm. Indeed, the Xue Country's Crown Prince was not merely a title.
But his goal was not to defeat Xue Jingyun; it was the maiden within the ice coffin behind him.
All his movements were aimed at the ice coffin.
However, Xue Jingyun managed to neutralize every attempt perfectly.
Fan Min grew anxious. If this continued, he would die of exhaustion before obtaining the corpse in the ice coffin.
With this thought, his gaze turned icy. He pulled a box from his robes and opened it, revealing a dark, toad-like creature.
Qing Yi, watching, changed color. "Myriad Poison Toad! Your Highness, be careful, it's highly poisonous!"
As Qing Yi's words ended, the Myriad Poison Toad lunged at Xue Jingyun. Xue Jingyun drew a soft sword from his waist and plunged it into the toad's body. With a flick, the toad fell to the ground, wriggling for a moment before dying.
At this moment, Fan Min had reached his back and was about to touch the ice coffin. Just as Fan Min's hand was about to make contact, Xue Jingyun swiped the ice coffin with his soft sword.
With a crack, the ice coffin shattered, and the maiden within fell out. Xue Jingyun leaped to catch her, while Fan Min, injured by the sword energy, retreated several steps.
Xue Jingyun descended slowly, holding the maiden. His white robes fluttered, his appearance refined, like an immortal.
"Fan Min, you are truly shameless, resorting to such tricks!" Qing Yi gritted his teeth in anger.
"All is fair in war," Fan Min said, clutching his chest, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"You have lost," Xue Jingyun stated calmly, looking at Fan Min.
Fan Min looked at the maiden in his arms with reluctance. But he knew he could not defeat the Xue Country's Crown Prince. It would be better to return another day. "I will return."
Fan Min led his men away.
"Your Highness, shall we pursue them?" Xue Feng asked in a low voice.
Xue Jingyun watched Fan Min's figure disappear calmly. Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood, black in color.
Xue Feng turned pale with shock and quickly stepped forward to support Xue Jingyun. "Your Highness, what is wrong?"
Qing Yi came forward and quickly felt his pulse. After a long moment, he said, "This is bad. Your Highness has been poisoned by the Myriad Poison Toad. Hurry back, I need to give him acupuncture."
Xue Feng nodded and immediately ordered a return to the palace.
Back in the palace, with others dismissed, Xue Feng, Xue Song, and Xue Li stood guard outside. Inside, Qing Yi administered acupuncture, while Xue Yan attended to him.
Seeing the Crown Prince's face turn purple, Xue Yan felt a growing sense of unease. "Qing Yi, Your Highness..."
"I don't know. I can only try my best." If only his master were here, he would surely have a solution.
Xue Yan looked at the sleeping maiden within, her heart filled with anxiety. If only Her Majesty would wake up.
She would surely have a way.
As the sky gradually darkened, Xue Feng, guarding outside, could no longer bear it. He entered the room and asked in a low voice, "Xue Yan, how is His Highness?"
Xue Yan shook her head. "Not good."