Chiyun Yuexuan took out a letter from his chest and handed it to Tuoba Zhi.
"Please give this letter to Princess" imperial father in my stead. Since Mister Tuoba has been kind to us, I absolutely won"t bring any trouble to you. Thank you for your righteous help many times, but I have to take Princess with me, no one can stop what I have decided."
He then resolutely pulled out the reins from Tuoba Zhi"s grip. Like a gale, Flash disappeared into the night.
Tuoba Zhi remained rooted to the spot for a long time as a mix of complex feelings pervaded him. The courage that he had just mustered to pursue Murong Zhining collapsed at the first blow from Chiyun Yuexan.
The horse carriage that Chiyun Yuexuan prepared in advance stood by on the side of the main road. He gently laid Murong Zhining on the soft mattress inside.
He then rode the carriage towards the direction of Huayan. Flash was especially excited as it neighed in a low voice and followed the carriage with a wagging tail.
In the middle of the night, the drug effect wore off. Murong Zhining gradually woke up.
Her entire body limp and drained of all strength, Murong Zhining desperately tried to recall everything that had happened. When she touched herself and found that she was virtually naked under the black cloak, Murong Zhining paled in terror.
Hearing the movement from inside the carriage, Chiyun Yuexuan turned around and looked at her.
"Princess is awake?"
He only dropped a question before issuing a whistle, "Flash, lead the way."
Per command, Flash trotted to the front of the carriage, then moved forward at a steady pace. The horse pulling the carriage obediently followed behind Flash, while Chiyun Yuexuan turned to enter the trunk.
Under the dim light of the lantern, Murong Zhining curled up as small as possible inside the cloak.
"Why am I dreaming again? What is this place? I"m scared…"
Chiyun Yuexuan tried to embrace her gently but she pushed him away. "Chiyun Yuexuan why do you keep haunting me like this? You won"t let me off even in my dreams? You… what are you doing to me? Where are you taking me?"
Chiyun Yuexuan handed over a set of pink satin outfit. "Princess isn"t dreaming. Quickly put some clothes on. I"ve just rescued Princess from that beast surnamed Gao. As for where we"re going? I"m bringing you home, of course."
Murong Zhining flushed beet red in embarra.s.sment. "Turn around, I want to put on the clothes."
Chiyun Yuexuan said shamelessly, "From head to toe, every part of your body has been seen by me clearly, what"s there to be embarra.s.sed about now?"
Murong Zhining knitted her brows. Her embarra.s.sed yet resentful expression put him in a quandary. He shook his head and crawled out of the trunk, sitting at the carriage front.
Murong Zhining quickly put on the clothes and tied her hair in a bun with the silk ribbon. Then, she stared fixedly at Chiyun Yuexuan"s back while trying her best to recall what had happened. She vaguely remembered him not only forcefully kissing her, but also touching all over her body. Infuriated, Murong Zhining grabbed a bundle and smashed it at his back.
Chiyun Yuexuan laughed heartily and crawled back inside the trunk. "Princess has remembered it now? You"re shy?"
She threw him a slap. "Despicable b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you still dare to laugh?! You think I"m so easy to bully?!"
Chiyun Yuexuan didn"t dodge the slap, he didn"t even get angry. He seized her soft delicate hand with an evil but charming smile. "The skin on my face is thick, did it hurt your hand? Want to try this side as well?" He extended his right cheek to Murong Zhining.
Murong Zhining berated him, "Shameless! Are you giving up on your Grand General"s dignity now?"
Chiyun Yuexuan tried to act coy. "Why would I want dignity in front of my wife?"
Murong Zhining was shocked. She couldn"t believe that the Chiyun Yuexuan in front of her used to be that brutal, ruthless, and absolutely heartless grand general. She stared at him incredulously. "General Chiyun, are you ill? Or… did you hit your head somewhere?"
Chiyun Yuexuan stared back. "I"m ill, I"m heavily ill even, but I"ve realized that you"re my cure."
"I"ll only be your poison."
"Even if you"re poison, I would gladly accept it."
"Where are you taking me?"
"I said it already, I"m taking you home."
"My home is in Nanjin, this road isn"t the right way. Quickly send me back."
"Nanjin is your parent"s home. I"m taking you back to your husband"s home."
Only now did Murong Zhining sense the danger, she had been kidnapped by Chiyun Yuexuan. "Take me home, or I"ll jump off and walk back myself!"
Chiyun Yuexuan pulled her into his arms and tightly embraced her. "Where are you running? You received my betrothal gift when you were four, now you want to renege on our marriage? I absolutely won"t agree."
Murong Zhining struggled. Chiyun Yuexuan"s sudden change put her at a loss. Every blow she dealt seemed to fall on puffy cotton, weak and to no effect.
The more Murong Zhining struggled, the more tightly Chiyun Yuexuan clung to her. Exhausted, she softly fell into his chest. "Brazen, shameless! You"re even bluffing me now? This is kidnapping, a felony!"
Chiyun Yuexuan gently rested his chin atop her head. "Without you, I"m already sentenced to death. What else is there to fear?"
Murong Zhining"s cheeks flushed with anger and anxiety. "Chiyun Yuexuan you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Even if you tie me to your side, I"ll find ways to escape!"
Chiyun Yuexuan"s tone was even more gentle. "You dare? Don"t forget, my foster mother and Cai Sang are still in my hands. Also, I left the phoenix leaf next to your pillow, so consider it carefully. Do you think I can sneak into your little brother"s sleeping chamber too? Hmm?"
Murong Zhining suddenly realized, "You… It was you who snuck into my sleeping chamber…"
At the peak of her rage, Murong Zhining bit down on the arm that tightly trapped her. Chiyun Yuexuan didn"t move one bit. He squinted his eyes and endured the pain, his mouth emitting a faint hissing sound, but he still tightly held her in his chest.
When the taste of blood poured into Murong Zhining"s mouth, she gave up as weariness and helplessness took over her.
While Murong Zhining had exhausted her last bit of strength, Chiyun Yuexuan, on the contrary, began to launch the most tender of attacks. He let her head rest on his arm and leaned down to kiss her lips, gently yet allowing no room for rejection. He meticulously traced the outline of her lips with his. There was no violence or impetuousness in his demeanor, only pure sincerity as transparent as water.
As the carriage rock slowly, Murong Zhining fell asleep in Chiyun Yuexuan"s arms. He leaned back on the trunk wall and closed his eyes, his face completely at peace as he also fell asleep with her in his embrace.
When Murong Zhining woke up early the next morning, she found the carriage had quietly stopped at an inn and Chiyun Yuexuan"s eyes were fixed on her tenderly.
"I was afraid that it was too much on your body. Let"s have a rest in this inn."
He reached out, wanting to carry her off the carriage. Murong Zhining swatted his hands away. Chiyun Yuexuan only smiled and forcefully held her, then got out of the carriage with her in his carry.
After the two settled into a room, the inn server fetched some water and prepared a table of food for them. Washing the towel clean in the copper basin, Chiyun Yuexuan went to Murong Zhining, wanting to help her wipe her face.
Murong Zhining pouted and took the towel from him. "I have hands."
Chiyun Yuexuan s.n.a.t.c.hed back the towel, locked her head in the crook of his arm, and gently wiped her face. "It wasn"t easy to find my Little Tabby, I naturally want to clean her tabby cat face spotless."
Helpless, Murong Zhining cooperated and let him clean her face. Her voice mellowed slightly, "If you still remember our past feelings, then please, release me back to my home. You know that time can"t be reversed, what"s the point of deceiving others and deceiving yourself like this?"
Chiyun Yuexuan sighed. "Even if I have to go against the Heavens, I won"t ever let you go again. Don"t make me resort to extreme measures."
Murong Zhining deliberately provoked him, "Let me be very frank with you then, I am a princess of golden branches and jade leaves, born in the purple! Even your emperor asked for my hand in marriage as his empress, so why on earth would I want to commit myself to a small general like you?"
Chiyun Yuexuan"s action didn"t get one bit rougher, but his calm tone ran a chill down one"s spine, "What Yan Feng can give Princess, I can as well. If you want to be the empress, I"ll kill Yan Feng and take his country."
"You…" Murong Zhining involuntarily shuddered.
The two started their meal in silence.
When Chiyun Yuexuan picked up some food and delivered it into her bowl, Murong Zhining tried to reason with him, "Since General forcibly took me away, my father will be anxious. Aren"t you afraid there will be consequences?"
Chiyun Yuexuan stopped his chopsticks. "Princess can rest a.s.sured. I"ve asked people to deliver your imperial father a message, telling him that a war has broken out in the south of Huayan, and in order to ensure that the north of our country is safe during this period, I"ll temporarily keep you hostage. This kind of situation is very common among neighboring countries. Your father knows that you"re safe."
Murong Zhining threw the chopsticks away and glared at him. "When did you become so shameless and despicable?"
Chiyun Yuexuan"s expression remained unchanged. "Haven"t I always been shameless and despicable?"
"… You!"
Inside Fuyi Palace.
Tuoba Lan presented Chiyun Yuexuan"s letter to Murong Ruoyu, who fell silent after reading it.
Not knowing what was written in the letter, Tuoba Lan said, "Your Majesty doesn"t need to worry about Princess, General Chiyun won"t hurt her. They"re still bonded by fate and are really a good match. For Princess" happiness, please allow their relationship."
Murong Ruoyu looked puzzled. "But General Chiyun says in his message that there"s a war at the south of Huayan, and to ensure that Shangxia won"t take this chance to deploy our troops, he is holding her hostage. Just what is going on?"
Tuoba Lan bowed her head and spoke in a tiny voice, "Actually… Princess and General Chiyun had an engagement back in Huayan. General Chiyun was unwilling to leave Princess, so he took her away."
Upon hearing this, the heavy cloud on Murong Ruoyu"s face dispersed. "What a silly child, she should have told me about it. No matter who she likes, I would fulfill her wish, why"s the need to elope? Anyway, I"m relieved to know this. It"s good as long as she"s happy."
"Mhm! Your Majesty really loves Princess!" Tuoba Lan smiled sweetly.
In his study, Tuoba Zhi kept sighing in lamentation. Chiyun Yuexuan taking away Murong Zhining was like taking away the treasure that should have been his.
Tuoba Lan walked in and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I delivered the message! Her Majesty wasn"t angry at all, she even seemed pleased."
Tuoba Zhi rolled his eyes at her. "You ungrateful little fellow, you actually helped an outsider deceive your own brother. If he bullies Princess in the future, she"ll have no one to help her being mountains and rivers away from Shangxia!"
Tuoba Lan pursed her lips. "You think you can protect her then? Can you outfight General Chiyun? Besides, it"s not like you can"t see it already, Princess cannot forget General Chiyun."
Tuoba Zhi shook her head. "A man who could bear to brand a mark on her. Just how cruel is he to be able to do it? How can you be so sure that he"ll treat her well?"
"……" Tuoba Lan hung her head without a word, her palms sweating all over from her brother"s question.
In his estate, Gao Chenghao was drinking alone in frustration, nursing a stomach of fury from Murong Zhining being taken right under his nose. Not to mention, he didn"t even see what the one who took her look like, which was a great humiliation to him. Thinking of this, he angrily smashed the cup on the ground.
In fact, Gao Chenghao did have some talent. He had read many books, and his imperial father put him in charge in the military for several years - it was mandatory for the princes of Wuli Country to be trained in the army for a few years.
This time, Gao Chenghao"s imperial father had a.s.signed him an important mission: asking for Princess Fengyi"s hand in marriage. In the end, Wuli never once stopped coveting the Murongs" treasure.
Thinking of how the usually vigilant him had suffered such a big setback, Gao Chenghao vowed to settle this debt of a needle.
Suddenly, Gao Chenghao recalled the man who came along with Tuoba Zhi, Chiyun Yuexuan. He had heard of the man"s name, but never expected the legendary ruthless Darkface Halberd Fiend to possess a pair of charming phoenix eyes. If it hadn"t been for Chiyun Yuexuan"s halberd that pierced a hole on the stone slab in front of his door, he nearly would have judged the man by his appearance and overlooked his ability.
A chilly glint flashed through Gao Chenghao"s eyes. Not only did he strive to conquer Murong Zhining and made a name for himself for being blessed by both strength and luck with beauty, but while at it, he also wanted to wipe out this famous so-called "Darkface Halberd Fiend."
The spies he had sent out reported that Murong Zhining wasn"t taken back to the palace, and there was no news of her whereabouts in the palace either. Things were so calm as if nothing had happened. Gao Chenghao thus increased the number of manpower deployed everywhere to gather information.
Chiyun Yuexuan was riding Flash while Murong Zhining sat in front of him. Behind them, the horse pulling the carriage followed Flash unhurriedly.
Chiyun Yuexuan hooked his arms around Murong Zhining"s waist. "What did I say? You can"t enjoy such a scenery inside the carriage. I"ve always dreamed of a chance to take you on a trip like this, where we can forget the mortal chaos, carefree between the mountains and rivers as we behold all of the beautiful scenery in this world."
Dispirited and downcast, Murong Zhining fiddled with her hair. "I miss my parents. Please take me back to them."
Chiyun Yuexuan tightened his arms around her. "You mean, you want me to take them captive too?"
Murong Zhining angrily struck him with her body.
At dusk, Chiyun Yuexuan pa.s.sed on a bustling town and instead chose a quiet inn by the roadside. He didn"t want Murong Zhining to be exposed in a crowded area for fear of incurring unnecessary trouble.