She could finally see him again!
Although he was still far away, she still recognized him at a glance. At this moment, Han yunxi wanted to dash right over and hug Long Feiye tight, never letting him go again. Even if he wanted to chase her away, she wouldn’t release him.
Long Feiye had finally seen the person he’d been thinking about for days. He was certain he must have owed this woman in a past life, which was why he had to repay her in this one by tormenting himself willingly now for her sake. He wanted to fly straight up into the air and carry her off without a word, never releasing her hand again. He wanted to take her far away from all these complicated things and forget who either of them were.
Both of them were impulsive people, but they were very rational ones, too. They had always been one of a kind, together.
Behind Long Feiye stood Baili Yuanlong, while Ning Cheng was flanking Han Yunxi’s back. They were the respective commanders of the two armies and the most loyal factions of each side. At the same time, they loathed their enemy more than anyone else.
Han Yunxi had paid a huge cost, even swearing on the West Qin princess’s name, to win over Ning cheng’s trust. Long Feiye had taken great pains, with help from Gu Beiyue’s secret letters, to allow Baili Yuanlong to pause the fighting and accept this meetup. Neither of them knew what the other had done yet, but both of them treasured this chance. If they could get things off on a good foot, then future meetings would be easier. It was even possible that they could meet alone. Neither side budged as they stared at each other from a distance. Under the quiet moonlight, the entire world seemed to grow still, leaving no one but the two of them in it. Or perhaps, they had entered into their own world while keeping everyone else out.
But even within the same world, they stood on opposing sides of fate. Between them laid the hatred of their countries, the pa.s.sions of its sons and daughters, and hundreds of setbacks in every possible way.
Finally, Han Yunxi couldn’t bear it anymore and took a step forward onto the bridge. Long Feiye’s heart immediately quickened its beat. At the same time, Ning Cheng moved forward and murmured, “Princess, be careful. This subordinate will help you over.”
The old chain bridge was extremely dangerous. A single misstep could send one falling to the chasm below. Han Yunxi didn’t know martial arts either, so how could she ever cross it.
“Princess, please pardon the transgression.” As Ning Cheng spoke, he wrapped an arm around Han Yunxi’s waist. At the same time, Long Feiye’s eyes turned cold as he emanated killer intent. If looks could kill, he would have tore Ning Cheng into 10,000 pieces a hundred times by now.
He finally lost his cool and rose into the air, his aura billowing coldly towards Han Yunxi’s group. Before anyone could react, he had already landed in front of Han Yunxi to stare icily at her shoulder. Ning Cheng immediately pushed Han Yunxi behind him.
“Long Feiye, is this the good faith you show us for these negotiations What do you mean by this?”
Long Feiye didn’t answer beyond looked frostily at Han Yunxi, who subconsciously backed away to maintain her distance from Ning Cheng. Still, Long Feiye stared at her as if he could eat her alive, making her lower her head.
What a familiar scene.
In the past, whenever he frowned or looked serious, she would know that she’d set off his temper. Han Yunxi even thought, for a moment, that they had returned to those times again.
Long Feiye, ah, Long Feiye, just what do you mean by this? What right do you have to be so unsatisfied with my actions?
It seemed like his nature to be unsatisfied. Even in a place like this, when they had to be prudent, he couldn’t hold himself back. But he never thought she’d act the same as before. Whenever he was unhappy, she’d turn docile and meek like a little rabbit.
Han Yunxi, ah, Han Yunxi, just what do you mean by this? Shouldn’t you hate me to the bone? Why are you still so being so meek?
Ning Cheng could sense something amiss immediately. Once again, he blocked Han Yunxi from view with his body and demanded, “Long Feiye, don’t blame me for being blunt if you continue to treat the princess rudely!”
Was Long Feiye here to talk or seek revenge? It was clearly him that had used Han Yunxi, so what’s with his att.i.tude now? Ning Cheng had once admired Long Feiye greatly, but now he scorned him from the bottom of his heart. If now for the sake of stopping their fight, he would have moved against the man long ago.
Long Fiye finally met gazes with Ning Cheng and asked, “Ning Cheng, what ight do you have to speak to this crown prince? Since when has the Di Clan gained the right to speak for the West Qin princess?”
Ning Cheng laughed coldly. “This clan head disdains to waste words with petty man like you who only uses woman for your own gains. Long Feiye, you were the one who wanted to talk, so why--”
Before he could finish, Long Feiye raised a hand to summon a shadow guard, who placed a flat brocade box into his hands.
This was…
Ning Cheng and Han Yunxi were both bewildered. Baili Yuanlong, who had finally caught up, was lost as well. His Highness hadn’t mentioned this before the meeting!
What was it?
This was the first time that Han Yunxi had seen this brocade box, so it was completely foreign to her. It looked like a woman’s jewelry case, or perhaps something for accessories, but what was inside? Under the gazes of everyone present, Long Feiye slowly opened the box. Everyone sucked in a breath as they saw its contents, before turning to stare at Han Yunxi.
Inside was none other than the ripped purple outer robe from the night of Han Yunxi’s kidnapping. Here was the proof that she’d been abused, a disgrace for her as a woman! As Long Feiye picked up the garment with one hand, his lips curled into a cold, amused smile. Ning Cheng’s face abruptly paled, while Han Yunxi’s cheeks turned red. Actually, her eyes were turning red, too. She never thought that after enduring and staying strong for all this time, what awaited her was such humiliation.
Long Feiye, you really took the pains!
Han Yunxi looked at the man she was most familiar with as her heart grew chaotic and uncertain!
But Long Feiye didn’t stop there.
“Ning Cheng, did you see the phoenix birthmark on her back clearly?” Long Feiye’s voice seemed to be rising from the darkened depths of an abyss, cold enough to make one’s hairs stand on end. “Did you, as the clan head of the Ning Clan, bully and humiliate her, or…” Despite his hesitation, Long Feiye finished the rest of the sentence.
“Or did she willingly show it to you!”
Silence greeted his words. Ning Cheng’s face alternated between shades of red and white. He even forgot to retort as he unconsciously tuned towards Han Yunxi, whose eyes were as red as a rabbit’s. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, wanting to speak to her, but uncertain of what to say.
What kind of talks were these? Who cared about stopping the fighting?
Long Feiye must have come with the purpose of shaming the princess, right? After using her for so long, he was even disgracing her now. How could this be accepted? He prepared to draw his sword when Han Yunxi suddenly rushed in front of Long Feiye with hr hand raised in the air.
“Long Feiye, even if I did it willingly, it has nothing to do with you! Who are you to me?!”
Pah!
A single slap to the face broke the stillness. All of the people behind Long Feiye sucked in a cold breath. No one thought this would happen before the negotiations even began. Baili Yuanlong could only think that Tang Zijin and his sister were overly anxious from the start. How could His Highness Crown Prince ever pine or yearn for this woman?
No matter how much a woman was favored, she wasn’t worth a word in the face of national enmity!
“Impudence!” Baili Yuanlong withdrew his sword first, but Ning Cheng was quick to follow suit with his own. Neither side was willing to yield a step. But Long Feiye and Han Yunxi didn’t move beyond staring at each other. They were so close, yet so far.
Long Feiye lightly rested a hand against his still burning cheek, his face expressionless. He was about to hand off the box to a shadow guard when Han Yunxi said coldly, “It’s my stuff, give it back!”
Before Long Feiye could speak, Han Yunxi had already grabbed the box. No one noticed him exhale in relief at the sight. He knew Han Yunxi all too well, so he’d made her mad on purpose to let her s.n.a.t.c.h the box. Only then could it pa.s.s Ning Cheng without eliciting his suspicions or questioning. This was actually a double layered box. He hoped that this woman would be meticulous enough to check it without wasting his efforts here.
Although his heart was filled with pain, he still pulled away from Han Yunxi’s red-rimmed eyes and pretended that nothing mattered. “Alright. West Qin princess, the old scores have been settled, so let’s get back to the main matters.”
Main matters?
So to him, what happened just then doesn’t count as proper business?
Han Yunxi’s heart was about to break! She used to think she had enough courage to remain calm and rational until the end. She kept telling herself that Long Feiye was using the West Qin princess, not herself, so she still had a chance!
She always hoped that Long Feiye could still be hers alone, her one and only His Highness, if there was no hatred between them. But in the end, her heart was still cut with a knife when facing him.
Long Feiye, do you know how bitterly I waited for you at Medical City when Chu Xifeng put me under house arrest? I hoped that you’d come. But you didn’t!
Long Feiye, do you know how afraid I was when faced with Ning Cheng’s a.s.sault? But you weren’t there!
Long Feiye, do you know how much I endured these days by Ning Cheng’s side until this moment when we could meet? But you actually humiliated me!
Long Feiye, all they see is the cool-headed, calm and courageously merciless Han Yunxi.
But...but how can you be like the rest of them? Why can’t you see all the hard work I’ve put in to prop myself up like a fool?
At this moment, Han Yunxi wished more than anything else that she really was the West Qin princess inside and out. This way, love and hate would be so simple. She wouldn’t have to suffer anymore, either.
Long Feiye, if I, Han Yunxi, can’t afford to love you, I can at least afford to hate you!
“There’s nothing to discuss with you lot!” Ning Cheng was so angry, his face turned white. Actually, Ning An had already asked him three times about the same thing. Why was he ash and crude enough to find Han Yunxi himself, then personally inspect her birthmark? If he had brought along a servant girl, or even kidnapped Han Yunxi first and check her later, this awkward situation wouldn’t happen today.
But who could know of his excitement and joy upon hearing of Han Yuni’s origins? He himself didn’t even understand why he was so fixated on her missing acupuncture needle until the news of Han Yunxi’s ident.i.ty broke. All of his obsession stemmed not from love or hate, but a mixture of both. When he realized the woman he both adored and detested was his own master, it meant he didn’t have to make her his enemy. He could serve her loyally for a lifetime. Why wouldn’t he lose all reason then?
The incident from that night was something he regretted both most and least of all. Every beautiful moment had been etched into his memory like a poison seeping into his life.
“Princess, let’s go!” Ning Cheng would rather deal with the Wind Clan alone than see her face such indignities.