Chapter 5

I approached him, bent down, and said: "You are moving too slowly. Soon the assassins will be upon us. Come on, I will carry you."

What do you know

Worrying is of no use; the future will inevitably come. Compared to me, this child must have a deeper sense of unease in his heart. He is so brave, so I naturally cannot fall behind.

With a pause in his footsteps on land, sea, and air, he quietly spoke in the smoky air: "Yunxiang, I cannot go to the Xiang residence"

There are actually two people inside the wall! They are going to saw off Lu Haikong's legs! My heart trembled, and suddenly I had a flash of inspiration and shouted: "Father! Quickly bring the guards from the Xiang residence over! The assassins inside are going to cut off Lu Haikong's legs!"

At that moment, I was resting and drinking tea at a small tea stall by the roadside with Lu, Hai, and Kong, while a few scholars nearby were sighing in lamentation.

"I originally came to collect your body." His gaze darkened as he nodded. I continued, "However, I am now here to save you." I grasped his arm and asked, "Is it tight?"

Immortal beings enjoy a long and eternal life, unaware of the suffering of separation in life and the pain of parting in death. From the perspective of immortals, this is merely an ordinary cycle of reincarnation, devoid of any deep sorrow. However, for mortals, once something is lost, it is as if everything has been lost.

My appearance may have been unexpected for everyone, which is why those two assassins left so readily; they were not afraid of me, but simply wanted to return quickly to report to my father. This is why Lu Haikong kept asking me, "Are you here to save me?" This is also why Lu Haikong was astonished that I knew nothing and yet implicated my father. Thus, the next day we were able to leave the city gate smoothly, traveling all the way to the present without hindrance; this must also be my father's protection from behind the scenes. After all, I am still his daughter, and he has watched Lu Haikong grow up since childhood. After all... To take action against a friend of decades, he must feel uneasy deep down. Deliberately letting Lu Haikong go was probably just my father's soft-heartedness as a scholar at play. After all, I am still his daughter, and he has watched Lu Haikong grow up since childhood. After all... To take action against a friend of decades, he must feel uneasy deep down. Deliberately letting Lu Haikong go was probably just my father's soft-heartedness as a scholar at play.

Having skillfully deceived the foolish guards, I climbed over the wall from the back courtyard of the minister's residence. After making a considerable detour, I finally arrived at the back door of the general's residence. The general's residence was engulfed in flames, yet apart from the sound of the fire burning, there was nothing but a profound silence.

I smiled slightly and said: "Young man, let us elope."

His slender body trembled slightly, yet at that moment, I couldn't help but twitch the corner of my mouth: "Eloping is fine, hugging is also fine, you little rascal, don't take advantage of this moment to make a move on me! Look where you're holding!" I was half-squatting, while he stood straight, his head a full one shorter than mine, and he wrapped his arms around me, just resting across the soft flesh of my developing chest.

Since this fellow speaks with such certainty, I can also feel a bit more at ease... Although I still do not understand what exactly has transpired in the court...

The person behind me remained silent for a long time. I turned around and saw him staring at me in a daze. I was puzzled and said, "Come up."

He did not feel embarrassed at all, calmly moving his hand onto my shoulder and wrapping his arm around my neck. I couldn't be bothered to care, so I carried him and walked away. Lu Haikong seemed extremely tired, resting his head on my shoulder, mumbling drowsily: "Yunxiang protects me, and in the future, I will surely protect Yunxiang."

I looked at his grayish right eye and reached out to touch his head: "Let us be on our way."

I turned back to glance at the general's residence, where the flames had momentarily subsided, and suddenly understood that I would never again find someone who would look at the land, sea, and air with such eyes.

Thus, we will chop off this brat's legs, ensuring he can never run away again

Hearing a ten-year-old child, after experiencing the ravages of life, utter such a profound statement to me made my heart skip a beat. I irritably scratched my head and murmured softly, "Alright, alright, I admit it, I won't change my fate. It's better than going back and being punished with something else to make up for it."

My companions and I continued northward for approximately half a month when suddenly news arrived from the capital: the emperor had died, and a new emperor had ascended the throne. Surprisingly, the new emperor was not the crown prince, but rather the crown prince's uncle, the younger brother of the late emperor, Prince Zhi Hou. A significant portion of the ministers in the court had been purged; the powerful and influential elders were either dismissed, returned to their hometowns, or died unexpectedly. The only one who remained firmly in his position was my father, Prime Minister Song Qinwen, as he was the first to bow before the new emperor in the court.

Staring at his quiet head as he drinks tea, I turn back to reflect on all the performances of Lu, Hai, and Kong that night, leaving only a long sigh.

Such emphasis indicates that his determination is resolute. I instinctively feel that he must be concealing many things, and I also have a strong intuition that from this moment on, Lu Haikong's life has completely changed. More instinctively, I sense that the moment I have chosen has arrived—either to stay alone at the Xiang residence or to follow Lu Haikong northward beyond the Great Wall

Thus, the General's Mansion was set ablaze

In the past, Lu Haikong was naive due to his small stature, but now he is gradually awakening, becoming more intelligent and composed. After experiencing such upheaval, he is likely to become even more profound...

I sighed deeply, suddenly feeling as if I had glimpsed the secrets of the universe

His words remind me of ten years ago, when the general's wife looked at the infant Lu Haikong, her gaze as gentle as crushed sunlight. She said, "I am older than Lu Haikong. Now I protect him, and in the future, he will protect me"

Perhaps it was my sorrowful appearance that made Lu Haikong think too much. He turned around and walked alone to the other side of the alley: "Yunxiang, we shall meet again."

Li Tianwang, so you were waiting for me here! If I had drunk the Meng Po soup, I would have lived my life as an ordinary young lady of a noble family. If Lu Haikong had not been delayed in the underworld for five years, he would likely be of the same age as I am now. Two betrothed individuals, deeply in love, the young lady of the noble family could not bear to let the young general carry the burden of hatred alone as he heads north. She willingly abandoned her prosperous life to follow the young general.

"Yunxiang." His voice was weak and powerless, filled with confusion, "I am still alive..." It sounded less like an answer and more like a rhetorical question directed at me

However, it seemed too unfilial to leave just like that, so I picked up a charred piece of wood and casually wrote on the wall: "Father, your daughter has eloped with her beloved, in good spirits and health, please do not worry." After finishing, I did not care whether Father Song would find this secluded dog hole above and see these words in the future, I threw away the burnt wood and hurried to catch up with Lu Haikong.

"You are still alive." I stared at him, watching my reflection slowly appear in the black pupil of his left eye, while the eye on his right side would likely never be usable again

He did not move, and I did not urge him; in the end, he finally reached out and embraced me: "Thank you..."

King Li, do you dare to pour out a few more buckets of black dog blood? Is there a sea of dead dogs in front of your mansion? Where exactly do you obtain such cheap and inexhaustible dog blood? How many more scenes of tragic drama have been staged in the northern frontier waiting for me?

The victory came too suddenly; I never expected that my title would be even more effective than my father's. After indulging in a moment of self-satisfaction, I fell into a somber mood... If even assassins are so fearful of me, what kind of image have I created in the eyes of ordinary people...

The land, sea, and air heard my voice, slowly raising their heads. The once clean face was stained with blood, and the eyes that had always been clear and bright seemed to be covered with dust, appearing gray and dim. He stared blankly at me, without the slightest fluctuation of emotion, like a puppet

There is no time to think too much, I resolutely pulled Lu Haikong out, held his hand and headed towards the Xiang residence: "You should go to my place to hide for a while."

When this life ends, it signifies the end of eternal life, and no one can recount his entire life completely, not even himself

The first act of the tragic play of the young wife pursuing her husband unexpectedly unfolded at such an unanticipated moment

He remained silent for a long time and said: "Yunxiang, I must go to the frontier, it is the only way to the frontier, I must go to the frontier."

He seemed almost unable to believe it, staring at me blankly. However, before he could utter another word, I felt his body shrink back as if someone on the other side of the wall had grabbed Lu Haikong's leg and was pulling him back. Lu Haikong's eyes widened in shock, looking at me in panic, momentarily too frightened to speak.

The second act of the young wife desperately pursuing her husband unexpectedly unfolded like this!

She is the daughter of the nobleman

I extended my fingertip but hesitated for the first time, afraid to touch him: "Land, sea, and air." He did not respond, still staring blankly at me. I blinked, not understanding the suffocating feeling that gripped my heart. I gently poked his forehead, "Are you still alive?"

I too was flustered, tightly holding onto him without letting go, at that moment I heard someone from the other side of the wall say: "There are still people outside helping him"

Yunxiang

I do not understand their noble sentiment of concern for the country and the people, but I suddenly grasped all the strange details of that night when the general's residence was set ablaze

Lu Haikong continued to be stunned for a while, then shook his head. In his remaining eye, there was a mix of three parts helplessness, three parts amusement, and even more that I could not comprehend. He lowered his head and nibbled on the steamed bun, mumbling, "It's nothing, Prime Minister Song will be fine"

An inexplicable sense of unease grew increasingly strong within me, and I could not help but reach out to touch his head, gently rubbing it a few times. I felt the stickiness in his hair and guessed that he must have crawled out from a pool of blood. In a single night, his family was shattered, which is truly too cruel for a ten-year-old child.

"That mixed sky female demon king?" The two assassins inside fell silent for a moment, "Withdraw!"

Having only received ideological education from the human world for many years, I feel that crawling through a dog hole is indeed not a very honorable task. Therefore, I have not crawled through one for many years. Today, as I attempt it again, I am uncertain whether my physique can still manage it.

"Yun Xiang." Lu Haikong finished his tea, looked up at me, "I have rested well."

He is stuck in the dog hole, a situation so awkward and ridiculous, yet I cannot muster even the slightest smile.

I crouched down, and in the flickering firelight within the wall, I saw that his right eye appeared as if it had been scorched by something, the color of the sclera and the iris indistinguishable, murky all around

With a shift in thought, I found myself harboring a deep-seated hatred, wishing to pluck out each of King Li's whiskers one by one. If the current scene were to change, it would depict a desolate picture— the young lady of the Xiang residence, filled with resentment, following the general's son northward. The young man, while loving the lady of the Xiang residence, also harbored a profound hatred for her due to her father's actions. Amidst the intertwining of love and hate, he would likely exhibit an attitude towards the lady that fluctuated between distance and closeness. The lady of the Xiang residence lived a life filled with heart-wrenching torment, yet she remained steadfast in her unwavering pursuit of the young man.

The land, sea, and air sat in silence over tea, while I quietly sorted through my tangled thoughts. My father, General Lu, and the old emperor were three good friends. After all these years, my father and the emperor's brother became even better friends, no longer favoring the other two as much. The old emperor fell ill, and his brother aspired to become emperor, so my father shifted his support to the emperor's brother, while General Lu continued to staunchly support the old emperor's lineage and backed the crown prince

When I reached the base of the east wall, I was surprised to find a person stuck in the dog hole, precisely the one I was to retrieve, Lu Haikong. Half of his body was outside the wall, and half was inside, caught in an awkward position. I nodded slightly and pondered, "It seems that I truly cannot pass through."

I suddenly feel that something is a bit strange. My indifference towards death may be inherent to my nature, but Lu Haikong's silence and lack of emotion are extremely unusual. I turned my head and glanced at the boy who was resting on my shoulder with his eyes tightly closed. Perhaps I will never understand Lu Haikong's pain tonight for the rest of my life

However, it seems that this is not the right time to express such sentiments

Therefore, Lu, Hai, and Kong are not at all concerned that my words will implicate Father Song, because the plan to eliminate his family was entirely devised by my father

Lu Hai Kong lowered his head and did not answer me. At this moment, he was clearly just a dirty little child, yet I strangely felt that the thoughts in his mind were far more complex than those of me, a little celestial being who had lived for several hundred years in total, including my past life.

I stared at the tightly closed back door for a long time, thinking to myself how awkward it would be if I were to walk in and run into the assassin coming out after completing their task. At that point, I wouldn't be able to collect the bodies of the land, sea, and air, and I might end up losing my own life, which would not be worth it. As my thoughts shifted, I remembered there was a dog hole at the base of the eastern wall of the general's residence. That spot was concealed, and even if there were assassins inside, they would not be able to find that place.

Song... it seems like my father has been dragged into trouble because of me. I scratched my head and said to Lu Haikong, "Last night, in my eagerness to save you, I ended up involving my father. What I did doesn't seem right."

Compared to my belated guilt, Lu Haikong displayed an expression of utter astonishment: "Yunxiang, you know nothing, yet you dare to say such things!"

The next day, as soon as the city gate opened, I left the city with Lu Haikong. Half a day after departing from the capital, my mind finally processed what I had done wrong the previous night.

He looked at me for quite a while before asking, "Are you here to save me?"

I was astonished: "Why? Are you afraid that my father would be unwilling to protect you?"

Moreover, with my current mindset and the way I interact with land, sea, and air, can it truly satisfy the unique preferences of King Li Tian