Chapter 59: Rival in love, the white-robed female (1/2)
The arrow that landed inside its mouth finally finished off the poison python. It turned over and stopped moving without spraying any more poison gas. Only then did a satisfied Long Feiye withdraw his bow and arrow. Meanwhile, a certain cowardly lady was still hanging off him, completely oblivious to what happened. His lips quirked into a slight curve before holding onto her and landing lightly before the python’s corpse.
“You can let go now.”
When his icy voice rose in the air, Han Yunxi recovered her senses from her fear and realized she was standing on solid ground. She raised her head to catch a certain person’s heartless eyes before releasing her hands as if she’d been electrocuted. Long Feiye ignored her, pulling out a dagger to collect the snake dan. Han Yunxi coughed lightly and pretended nothing had happened while she observed from the side. His movements were quick and efficient, and it wasn’t long before he retrieved a tiny sphere-shaped object that was what she believed to be the snake dan. Having this in hand was equivalent to having the Life Blood Pill, sparing them half the effort.
Han Yunxi steadied her nerves before withdrawing an acupuncture needle to collect some poison python blood. Of course she had to take this rare poison back for research.
“What are you doing?” Long Feiye asked coolly.
“Nothing much,” Han Yunxi’s face was serious, her voice frosty. Right now, she didn’t want to speak much with him.
“Coward,” Long Feiye retorted.
A flash of anger passed through Han Yunxi. She clenched her hands into fists but didn’t reply. After collecting the blood, she spoke again. “Since you have the snake dan, I’m pretty much useless to you now. I want to go back.”
Long Feiye gave a slight start but didn’t persuade her to say. “Then go, your lordship will take you out of the gorge.”
Thus, the two of them silently went back to where they came from. However, they discovered that both the horse and its driver had been poisoned to death, leaving no one to protect her way home. Han Yunxi was secretly delighted as she spoke. “Now see what you’re going to do with a burden like me! That’ll teach you not to look for trouble again!”
But Long Feiye only gave her two choices. “You can either go back on your own or travel with your lordship.”
He didn’t give Han Yunxi time to think when he finished, but started walking back towards the gorge. Han Yunxi cherished her life. There were quite a few bandits on the road which made it very dangerous. How could she dare go back by herself? More importantly, she didn’t even know the way home!
While she hesitated, that guy was already far away.
Was he serious?
Han Yunxi grew agitated and chased after him, yelling all the way.
“Hey! Long Feiye, you’re too much!”
“Stop right there, Long Feiye!”
“If you don’t stop, I’ll leave immediately!”
……
Long Feiye heard her shouts. Instead of slowing down, he actually sped up, the curve of his lips growing wider and wider. Han Yunxi had no choice but to run after him. Thus, the two of them–one in front, one in back, one walking along, one running after–quickly passed through the gorge.
Atop a tall tree in the gorge, Duanmu Yao lay listlessly on a branch, a trickle of blood by her mouth. Long Feiye had used the perfect amount of strength to heavily wound her so she couldn’t move, but not enough to take her life away. Her appearance resembled that of a celestial being, but at this moment, those phoenix eyes were as sinister and ruthless as a witch. She stared icily after those two departing figures in the distance.
“Han Yunxi, you’re really shameless! You actually hugged my Senior Brother!”
What happened just then was inconceivable even to Duanmu Yao’s maidservant. The mysophobic Duke of Qin allowed a woman to get close to him? And let her embrace him that tightly?
They didn’t see wrong, did they?
“Slut, I’ll definitely kill you,” Duanmu Yao grew indignant the more she thought. To be honest, she’d left the palace this time just because of Han Yunxi.
Her servant spoke in a low tone. “Princess, it’s essential to treat your wounds.”
“I won’t! See what he does if I die! See how he explains to Master what happened!” Duanmu Yao’s furious voice set off her temper and internal injuries, forcing her to spit out a mouthful of blood.
“Princess, you should know that the Duke of Qin hates people threatening him, yet why did you…”
Before the servant could finish, Duanmu Yao cut her off. “Do I count as just anyone in his eyes? He’d even injure me to protect that woman’s life? Since when did Han Yunxi become more important than this princess in his heart?”
“Princess, Han Yunxi was the Qin Wangfei assigned by Tianning’s empress dowager. The Duke of Qin probably has no choice,” the servant comforted her.
Duanmu Yao wore a cold smile. “If he isn’t willing, then nothing under Heaven can force him to do anything.”
Han Yunxi married into the Duke of Qin’s household on Tianning’s emperor’s orders. But why did Long Feiye allow her to stay in the house? So much time had passed since the wedding. She had been waiting for him to finish off Han Yunxi, but he didn’t make a move. And now he was bringing her with him? They’d been senior brother and junior sister for years, but he’d never taken her with him to do anything.
That useless and cowardly woman, what part of her had caught his eye?
The more she thought, the angrier Duanmu Yao grew. “Qiu’er,[1] let’s go to Tianning’s capital city. I want to live in the Duke of Qin’s residence…to nurse my injuries!”
“Princess, His Highness Crown Prince is still trying to ask for medicine for imperial mother from Pill Fiend Valley. For better or worse, you should take a look over there first,” the servant reminded her.
Only then did Duanmu Yao remember this fact. She nodded and mused that it wouldn’t be too late to go to the capital after getting the empress’s medicine.
—
Han Yunxi was currently in Long Feiye’s arms, flying quickly through the trees. Although she showed nothing but coldness towards Long Feiye, she was still curious about that white-robed female. Only, she couldn’t guess at her origins.