At this critical moment, he couldn’t resist putting on a show: “You have remarkable military achievements. Even if you don’t rebel, you could inherit the throne. But this act will only lead you into disloyalty, injustice, and unfilial behavior—”
Xie Bufeng sneered, his eyes still filled with murderous intent.
He slowly raised his left hand, signaling the soldiers behind him to advance.
—These cavalrymen even wore the heavy armor they used when fighting the northern barbarians.
Their battle-hardened determination far surpassed that of the Hengxin Guards.
The Emperor’s fate was sealed.
“Hahaha…” From the high platform, Xie Zhaolin, hidden behind countless Hengxin Guards, suddenly burst into laughter.
His bright yellow robes were disheveled, his eyes bloodshot. Laughing, he staggered backward, as if once again falling into madness.
After all the effort to seize the throne, he would now be outwitted by Xie Bufeng?
Absurd, utterly absurd!
A mix of resentment, anger, and fear surged within him.
Seeing Xie Bufeng’s unyielding demeanor, the Emperor finally tore off his hypocritical mask.
“…Bring them,” Xie Zhaolin ordered expressionlessly, motioning to the people behind him. “Bring Consort Lan and the princess.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Xie Zhaolin’s lips curved slightly.
The hatred in his eyes surged even more.
He hadn’t expected Xie Bufeng to brazenly defy tradition and charge here, catching him off guard.
Now, the Emperor had no choice but to resort to his last desperate plan—using Consort Lan and Xie Fuyin as human shields, delaying time, and escaping through the secret passages within the palace.
At worst, he would ensure they met their end today, and Xie Bufeng would become a cruel ruler forever scorned by humanity.
If he guessed correctly, Xie Bufeng seemed to have some feelings for Consort Lan and his sister.
The young man would surely grant these two some face.
With these thoughts, the Emperor smiled slowly.
Despite the stabbing pain in his forehead, he couldn’t spare a moment to take the Fuxuan Flower Pill.
The cold wind and pain combined, barely maintaining his composure.
“Your Majesty,” a trembling Hengxin Guard knelt before him. “Consort… Consort Lan and the princess, they’re gone…”
As he spoke, the guard’s body shook like a sieve.
“What did you say?!” The Emperor’s disbelief was evident.
He clutched his chest, nearly collapsing.
“Where are they?”
“No, wait… I just saw them! They were right here in the hall!”
In his panic, the Emperor’s words became incoherent.
His right hand tightly gripped the fabric over his heart, suppressing the growing pain, struggling to breathe.
He muttered in horror: “Who, who took them away?!”
The wind howled, and the Emperor appeared utterly disheveled.
The Imperial Yi Guang Hall, the residence of past emperors, held intricate secret passages and countless hidden chambers.
They’re interconnected, even extending beyond the palace walls.
Consort Lan and Xie Fuyin were locked in one of those chambers.
Not even the Hengxin Guards stationed outside knew how to open the secret passage, let alone Xie Bufeng himself.
How had Xie Bufeng managed it?
The Emperor’s voice, though not loud, carried to Xie Bufeng’s ears on the wind.
The young man smiled slowly, regarding him as if he were already dead.
It was late at night, yet the illuminated courtyard outside the Yi Guang Hall looked as bright as day.
Everyone here fought desperately.
Blood pooled into crimson streams on the ground, freezing into ice, forming small hills of corpses.
The Emperor’s gaze hollow, he scanned the surroundings.
Then, abruptly, he kicked the kneeling Hengxin Guard.
“You worthless fool! You can’t even keep an eye on two people! What use are you?!”
His vision darkened in waves.
He knew that if he turned and entered the main hall now, escaping through the secret passage, the Hengxin Guards outside would lose their backbone, surrendering to Xie Bufeng.
By that time, there would be no Consort Lan and Xie Fuyin to serve as meat shields for him to delay time.
The person he doesn’t want to meet will most likely be caught up immediately.
But under the threat of death.
The emperor still staggered step by step back towards the palace behind him.
Before his hand touched the door grille, the door behind him creaked and opened by itself.
——An old steward in purple brocade clothes appeared before him with a whisk in his hand and a smile on his face.
When he saw him, the old steward clasped his hands and bowed slowly: “Where are you going, Your Majesty?”
“you–“
After seeing clearly who the person was, the emperor suddenly felt angry and his head swelled.
In the next second, blood spurted out of his mouth.
A few splashes also landed on the corner of the clothes of the smiling steward opposite him.
“Mother… why are there so many people here?” Xie Fuyin buried his face in Consort Lan’s neck and asked fearfully.
“Fu Yin, be good,” Consort Lan gently patted her daughter’s back and comforted her as she walked out, “Just close your eyes and wait for your mother to tell you to open them, okay?”
“Well…..okay,” Xie Fuyin obediently nodded.
Held by Consort Lan, she boldly appeared behind the Emperor.
Following closely were a dozen soldiers clad in heavy armor.
“Hahaha…” Seeing this, the Emperor descended into madness. He opened his arms and stumbled backward.
Yes, he had almost forgotten.
Apart from himself, there was another person in the palace who knew the layout of secret passages and hidden chambers—the steward Xian Gonggong.
Xian Gonggong had completely sided with Xie Bufeng, leading people through an alternate route into the secret passages!
Seeing the enemy approach from behind, the Hengxin Guards lost their will to fight.
In front of the emperor, Xian Gonggong turned around and made a “please” gesture to Consort Lan.
“Your Majesty, please come this way.” Xian Gonggong quickly took Consort Lan and walked towards the sheltered corridor.
Xie Bufeng heard the Emperor’s thoughts through his inner voice.
Not long after returning to Yongdu, Xie Bufeng realized Xian Gonggong’s waning loyalty.
During the palace banquet, Xie Bufeng secretly contacted the steward, who promptly agreed to switch allegiance.
After all, it was an irresistible opportunity to pledge loyalty to the new emperor.
“boom.”
The outcome is decided.
No one knows who dropped the sword in their hand to the ground first.
One by one, the Hengxin Guards in the courtyard abandoned resistance.
“Long live the Emperor!”
“Long live the Emperor, forever and ever—”
The Hengxin Guards knelt in the blood-soaked courtyard, chanting their loyalty.
Xie Zhaolin, dressed in bright yellow, laughed maniacally.
Ecstasy, anger, and fear intermingled on his face.
He saw illusions—one moment, he was back twenty years ago, ascending the throne, and these cheers were all for him.
…The next moment, the soldiers and even Xie Bufeng appeared as the canal workers who had come to take his life in the Yinchuan.
“Help—”
“Protect the Emperor!”
The Emperor knelt, clutching his head, screaming as if he had gone mad.
A soldier in heavy armor walked out of the Yi Guang Hall, knelt on one knee on the ground, and slowly raised the jade seal in his hand.
“Long live the Emperor!”
This time, the soldiers behind Xie Bufeng finally followed suit and shouted: “Long live the emperor!”
Their voices echoed through the entire Tai Shu Palace.
The same words reached the ears of Wen Qingci.
…Xie Bufeng had ascended the throne.
Wen Qingci noticed that not far away, the leader of the Hengxin Guards had sent someone to climb a distant tower under the cover of night and wind.
They set up a powerful bow, aiming at the Yi Guang Hall.
“Xie Bufeng, watch out—”
Wen Qingci was too far from the hall, and his voice was carried back by the wind.
Not even Xie Bufeng or the Hengxin Guards heard it.
Exhausted, Wen Qingci clenched his teeth, using his last strength to perform light footwork and move forward.
Before the Yi Guang Hall, Xie Bufeng said calmly, “Stand up.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
From this moment on, Xie Bufeng became His Majesty.
“Long live His Majesty.” The supreme authority hidden behind those four words seemed to stir no ripples in the young man’s heart.
At this moment, he had only one thought: find Wen Qingci immediately.
His heartbeat skipped a beat.
After the ceasefire, the howling wind became even more piercing.
Broken swords lay scattered on the ground, tumbling in the wind.
With a resounding crash, a magnolia tree outside the Yi Guang Hall snapped in half, crashing heavily to the ground.
Magnolia blossoms danced in the wind, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
As Xie Bufeng tightened the reins, preparing to leave and search for Wen Qingci, a sudden change occurred.
“Xie Bufeng!”
The echo of the fallen magnolia hadn’t dissipated when a hoarse yet familiar voice reached Xie Bufeng’s ears.
A surge of anxiety erupted within him.
He widened his eyes instinctively, looking toward the source of the sound.
In his entire life, Xie Bufeng had never seen such a beautiful scene.
Nor had he ever witnessed something so terrifying.
A silver moon illuminated the snowy night.
Under the moonlight, Wen Qingci’s toe tapped lightly, like a petal of magnolia falling from the tower.
Xie Bufeng held his breath.
He instinctively reached out to catch the falling magnolia.
—But in the end, he only glimpsed a flash of moonlight passing before his eyes.
Everything happened in an instant.
There was a sound of breaking air in Xie Bufeng’s ears.
The next second, countless arrows flew down from the sky, chasing after Wen Qingci and heading towards him.
Some were blown sideways by the strong wind, and some were pierced directly into the vital points –
“Whoosh!”
A sharp arrow hurtled through the darkness, narrowly missing Xie Bufeng’s heart.
But at this moment, he was blocked by the moon-white figure.
In an instant, the long arrow pierced Wen Qingci’s left shoulder.
“Ah…” He let out a low groan of pain.
Blood spurted out, staining the sky red with magnolia.
The bitter fragrance filled the air and splashed on Xie Bufeng’s cheek.
In front of Yi Guang Palace, countless people looked up at where the new emperor was.
The calmness in those light amber eyes shattered in an instant, and was then filled with panic and helplessness.
The Wei Dynasty warriors saw that the new emperor, who they believed was almost omnipotent, slowly stretched out his hand, trying to grab the moonlight figure, but in the end… he only touched the cold hem of his clothes.
The moon-white figure fell on the snow.
Xie Bufeng’s world stopped in an instant.
Without caring about the arrows that had not stopped flying, he dismounted from his horse and hugged Wen Qingci tightly in his arms.
The strong wind was still blowing, but in Xie Bufeng’s ears, all he could hear was the faint breathing and heartbeat of the person in his arms.
There was only bright red in front of his eyes.
Why is Wen Qingci here?
There was only fear left in Xie Bufeng’s heart.
Unable to stop the blood oozing out from Wen Qingci’s wound.
The face of the person in his arms was as pale as paper, but a faint smile lingered on his lips, refusing to fade away.
“Cough… luckily… I made it in time,” Wen Qingci’s voice carried a sense of relief. His eyelids felt impossibly heavy, threatening to close any moment.
Within his chest, only numbness remained.
It seemed he had no strength left to speak.
“Don’t sleep, Wen Qingci, don’t sleep…” The anxiety and fear that had accumulated over days pressed down on Xie Bufeng. Unaware that his voice trembled, he continued, “Open your eyes and look at me. I’ll take you to find…”
The words “imperial physician” suddenly stuck in Xie Bufeng’s throat.
…The person before him was indeed the finest imperial physician in the Wei Dynasty.
Wen Qingci’s eyes half-opened, their pitch-black pupils now devoid of warmth.
As he gazed at the swirling snowflakes and magnolias, Wen Qingci summoned the last of his strength and whispered to Xie Bufeng, “Cough… Your Highness… Do you remember the promise you made to me? If, if I die, I hope you’ll send me back to… the Valley…”
Wen Qingci’s voice grew fainter.
Like the countless magnolias buried in the snow, his words echoed in Xie Bufeng’s mind.
—“Rather than letting my body decay into mud, use it for medical research. Let my death serve a purpose.”
A corpse.
Xie Bufeng had seen countless corpses on the battlefield, fighting for survival.
But he could never have imagined that one day, Wen Qingci would become one of those lifeless bodies.
A heavy emotion, like an ocean, surged within him. In that moment, even breathing became difficult for Xie Bufeng.
Trembling, he wiped the blood from Wen Qingci’s lips.
As if cleansing it would heal him.
Why?
Xie Bufeng couldn’t fathom what this feeling was.
He could expel the northern Di, survive near-death experiences, and seize the throne, ruling over boundless lands.
He could achieve feats unimaginable to ordinary people.
Yet, despite giving his all, he couldn’t keep this person by his side.
Wen Qingci’s warmth was slipping away.
The snow covered him, layer by layer.
As if this was the way to take him away from Xie Bufeng.
Desperate, Xie Bufeng frantically brushed away the snow from Wen Qingci’s body. Maybe doing so would bring him back to life.
But the snow refused to stop falling.
Each time he cleared a patch, new snowflakes replaced it.
Xie Bufeng suddenly halted. Clutching Wen Qingci’s icy hand, he pressed his lips to Wen Qingci’s ear and forced out each word, “After your death, there will be no antidote. I’ll have to accompany you.”
“Will you be happy to see the chaos that follows, even the Valley of Divine Physicians suffering?” It was almost a threat, an attempt to ignite Wen Qingci’s will to survive.
In truth, only Xie Bufeng knew that he cared little about the Valley of Divine Physicians or the chaos in the world.
His life had been a series of abandonments.
…Until that day when the river was filled with lotus lanterns, Wen Qingci followed the lanterns and found himself.
Finally, Xie Bufeng felt he had grasped something in his life.
But today, he realized it was yet another abandonment.
“In this world, you can never leave me…” He gritted his teeth, “Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”
He tightened his grip on Wen Qingci’s wrist, as if crushing it.
The moon-white figure almost merged with the snow.
Wen Qingci’s body temperature dropped further.
In a daze, Xie Bufeng recalled the snowy night during the Festival of Community Day.
The little lamb that had gradually lost its vitality in his arms, becoming cold and stiff.
…Gradually consumed by the snow.
“Not… not poison,” Wen Qingci struggled to speak. He smiled, coughing up blood. With a gentle shake of his head, he murmured, “… what I feed Your Highness has always been… the honey that I made… with my own hands…”
“What did you say?!”
The sweetness of that pill from two years ago seemed to melt in Xie Bufeng’s mouth once more.
In just a few words, Wen Qingci shattered Xie Bufeng’s rationality.
His ears buzzed, and his mind went blank.
He couldn’t grasp the meaning behind Wen Qingci’s words.
The cinnabar on Wen Qingci’s forehead turned bright red in the next second.
—It was a tear of blood, falling from Xie Bufeng’s eyes, landing on Wen Qingci’s forehead.
“Wen Qingci?!”
“…Wen Qingci, don’t sleep.”
Xie Bufeng’s voice became smaller and smaller, as if he was begging.
In the end, all that was left was despair.
He lost the lamb after all.
At the last moment, Wen Qingci opened his mouth slightly.
He raised his right hand with all his strength, pointed in the direction of the corridor, and said in a low voice that only he and Xie Bufeng could hear: “Ahem… Your Highness… Remember, ahem… Please, be merciful to the person in front of you.”
No one will always be with you, but there will always be someone by your side.
From today onwards, who in the world won’t recognize you?
Through the thick snow and fog, Xie Bufeng looked in the direction he pointed.
In the corridor, Consort Lan, who was usually elegant and dignified, stood there quietly holding Xie Fuyin. She didn’t know when she burst into tears, and the long tears rolled down her cheeks, smearing her makeup.
Xie Fuyin hugged his mother’s neck, crying and shouting, wanting to come to them.
Through Wen Qingci’s eyes, he saw a world that was completely different from the one before.
Now, the world is still there, but his eyes have slowly closed…
“Wen Qingci? Wen Qingci!!!”
Xie Bufeng called this name over and over again, but never got a response.
Tears of blood fell from the corners of his eyes one by one.
Hit the snow.
In an instant, it seemed as if a pair of invisible giant hands tightly grasped his internal organs and squeezed them hard.
A strange feeling that he had never experienced before arose from the depths of the young man’s heart.
The heart that had been numb for nearly twenty years was instantly activated.
Blood spread out from Wen Qingci’s body, and by the time Xie Bufeng realized it, the arrow wound on the back of the person in his arms had dyed a large area of the white snow red.
It also dyed red the wool bracelet he carefully hid under his wristband.
A painful whimper burst out of Xie Bufeng’s throat.
The strange feeling almost brought him down.
pain.
Xie Bufeng finally realized it.
This strange feeling is called “pain”.
The pain that had accumulated for more than a decade seemed to surge up at this moment along with the surging emotions and overwhelm him.
Abyss: Even though We know Qingci’s death is fake, why is this so heartbreaking (╥﹏╥) Also really? Bufeng’s feeling pain for the first time NOT NOW WHY PAIN WHY
Oh God, 😭😭 Thanks for The update❤️❤️❤️❤️
*CRYING* XIE FUYIN AND I ARE HAVING THE SAME REACTION RN