3. Breakthrough

Your Majesty! Liu Quan stood cautiously outside the door, his face as pale as paper, and behind him, Chasing Cloud also bore no trace of color. The two stood trembling under the dim yellow light, their hearts seemingly weighed down by ice and covered in snow

Qing Sang, I was reckless and should not have followed his path, rashly entering the capital

How much pain must a person endure for it to reach the point of numbing the body? In the past, Huo Tingdong did not know. Even when he helplessly watched her marry Nangong Yao, he had never felt such pain. That sense of despair seemed to tear him apart. He walked step by step to Huo Qingsang, carefully holding her in his arms. She felt as light as if she had no weight at all, yet his heart was so heavy that he could hardly breathe

The Shulan Palace was deep and tranquil. After Huo Qingsang left, most of the palace maids on duty were sent back to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for reorganization. The young eunuch on night watch was slightly taken aback upon seeing Nangong Yao

Qing Sang!" Huo Tingdong looked at Huo Qingsang in disbelief, yet he felt an unprecedented calmness within.

Go ahead! Without waiting for him to speak, Nangong Yao had already opened the palace door, and a faint scent of jasmine wafted towards him

Huo Qingsang cast a meaningful glance at the young man, recalling the pharmacy from that night, and suddenly felt a stirring in her heart, fearing that it might not be as simple as just a pharmacy

The rebels surged forward like a tide, and Huo Qingsang silently thought that it was bad. Seeing that there was no hope of breaking through, a sense of desolation welled up in his heart

The encirclement is gradually tightening, and Huo Qingsang leans against Huo Tingdong, her slightly furrowed brows and eyes illuminated by the light of the rising dawn, becoming even more enchanting.

One by one, the soldiers of the Huo family fell, and the heat waves in the air were so scorching. He had no time to express his feelings for her, nor did he dare to. At this moment, all he hoped for was that she could survive, even if it meant he would die here.

The heavy iron sled was piled high with firewood soaked in tung oil, igniting at the slightest breeze and burning upon encountering people. The three thousand troops of the Huo family were left in a state of mourning, suffering countless casualties.

Huo Tingdong gazed intently at the soldier's moving lips, and the anxiety in his heart finally subsided. It seemed that Huo Qingsang, who had circled around to the rear of the rebel forces, had indeed succeeded, not only burning the enemy's supplies but also successfully rescuing Su Wan.

You will be fine

"Do you know?" Huo Tingdong leaned close to her ear and asked.

Liu Quanyi replied, "Not yet."

Liu Quan stumbled in, only to find the Emperor's expression terrifyingly grim

In his eyes, everything around him had become invisible, as he desperately attempted to break free with the last of his strength. But is it possible? He could not even see the hope of life anymore

Huo Qingsang shook his head and laughed softly: "Brother, it is I. If it were not for my obsession back then, how could I have ended up in such misery? If I were to be reborn, I would certainly never enter those palace walls again, nor would I love that person again"

Huo Qingsang saw Wu Yue from a distance, feeling a slight surprise in his heart. Wasn't this the man in white he encountered the day he entered the city? Why was he appearing here? And why did he come to his rescue?

He sighed in alarm, reached out to touch his forehead, but was already drenched in cold sweat

"Let them all step back." Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the crowd, and the man's deep and melodious voice seemed to infuse the atmosphere with a force that could traverse mountains and rivers, resonating loudly at the mountain peak

Nothing will happen

She shook her head, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over the gray-clad youth beside Wu Yue. It was him, the boy she had rescued from the mouth of a mad dog that day. It seemed that the two were master and servant, one a young master suffering from hysteria and unable to afford medical treatment, now coincidentally appearing here. How interesting, how interesting

The golden whip in her hand seemed to have eyes of its own; every time she raised her hand to strike, it inevitably claimed a life. This is the battlefield, this is slaughter. Never before had she understood so clearly that she was born for killing. The deep palace was not suited for her; she preferred the vast sky. Yet, for that person, she broke her own wings.

She seems to have returned to several years ago, as if she has gained enough courage to stand here. This time, she is not foolishly guarding that person; she intends to protect Huo Tingdong, who has silently watched over her all these years

Huo Tingdong was taken aback for a moment, and then he understood that the Emperor intended to completely destroy the Huo family

Chasing Clouds has returned

In the night, Nangong Yao was awakened by a nightmare. When he woke up, the red candle on the desk had only burned halfway, and wisps of blue smoke were slowly rising from the incense burner, filling the main room with a faint fragrance

The Huo family army is already at the end of its tether. Murong Wufeng looked at them from a distance through the crowd and suddenly shouted, "Capture Huo Qingsang alive, the rest, kill without mercy"

Huo Tingdong anxiously paced around the room, and the people he sent out to search reported back every half hour, yet they had still not found any trace of Huo Qingsang and Su Wan.

Although the one thousand death squad led by Huo Qingsang was valiant, they were indeed no match for the remnants of Murong Wufeng's forces. In less than a quarter of an hour, Huo Qingsang and Huo Tingdong, along with the fewer than three hundred remaining men, were completely surrounded.

Huo Tingdong realized that he had been deceived, and at this moment, he also understood that the garrison in Tongzhou would certainly not come to his aid, and that he was undoubtedly facing certain death this time

He hurriedly put on his outer robe, calling out Liu Quan in a voice that was slightly hoarse

General

Nangong Yao averted his gaze from Liu Quan and looked towards Chasing Cloud, his thin lips slightly parted: "What is the situation in Tongzhou?"

Is that so? He looked up at the pitch-black garden outside the window and said softly, "I just had a dream." In his dream, Huo Qingsang lay in a pool of blood, her body covered in blood, her clear eyes staring straight at him, filled with resentment, despair, and an unending infatuation. He wanted to reach out to her, but no matter what, he could not move an inch. He shouted for her with all his might, again and again, yet he could only watch helplessly as she was dragged away by the darkness. It was as if resentment, despair, and an unending infatuation intertwined; he wanted to pull her back, but no matter what, he could not move an inch. He shouted for her with all his might, again and again, yet he could only watch helplessly as she was dragged away by the darkness.

Nangong Yao sat on the dragon bed, his gaze slightly narrowed as he looked at Liu Quan. After a while, he finally asked, "Is there any news from Tongzhou?"

It is a dream, but why does that dream feel so real

Go ahead, I shall take a walk outside

Liu Quan quietly looked at him, without responding. He knew that at this moment, the Emperor was not seeking his answer or question, but merely expressing his own emotions.

The overwhelming fire, the agonizing screams, Huo Tingdong frantically waved the long spear in his hand, clearing away the heavy iron sleds, charging towards Murong Wufeng above the depression

A group of people retreated to the foot of Yanshan Mountain, where they were met by the tardy garrison from Tongzhou.

Brother!" Huo Qingsang smiled brightly

Huo Tingdong gazed deeply at her, wanting to say something or to hold her tightly in his arms, yet in the end, he did not.

Huo Qingsang furrowed her brows as she glanced at Murong Wufeng, who stood outside the crowd with a particularly smug smile. She turned to Huo Tingdong and said, "Brother, it seems that this time we truly have no way to escape. It is a pity that Father is still imprisoned in the Tianlao of Bianjing; the Huo family is likely to face ruin." She spoke lightly, but only she knew how heavy the pain in her heart truly was, and all of this was merely a result of her obsession with Nangong Yao from years ago.

The rebels did not dare to rashly pursue and could only follow cautiously. When they retreated to the halfway up the mountain, Huo Qingsang suddenly reached out and tugged at Huo Tingdong's sleeve, leaning down to whisper a few words in his ear. Seeing the worried expression on Huo Tingdong's face, she smiled and patted his shoulder, then quietly retreated to the back of the crowd.

Ah ah ah

The wind lanterns in the corridor rustled in the breeze as he walked briskly, as if a giant beast were chasing him from behind, compelling him to keep moving forward

A voice kept calling in his ear, and he suddenly raised his head, a pool of blood red reflected in his crimson eyes: "Qing Sang!"

The garrison leader and Murong Wufeng exchanged a tacit glance. Pretending to fear for his life, Murong Wufeng requested the rebel leader to temporarily withdraw his troops. The garrison leader took the opportunity and led his forces back to Tongzhou Prefecture.

Huo Tingdong and his men only realized they had been deceived after ascending Yanshan. Murong Wufeng had long anticipated that he would launch a surprise attack from behind the broken wall, and had sent people to lure him into a remote area of Yanshan. The three thousand men brought by Huo Tingdong were all trapped in a hollow, while Murong Wufeng ordered his men to set up iron sledges on the hillside

At that moment, a person came tumbling down from the mountain, covered in blood and carrying a strong smell of charred flesh. He tiptoed and leaned down to whisper a few words in the ear of the rebel leader

Murong Wufeng never expected that Huo Qingsang would suddenly appear behind him with a thousand men. Those thousand individuals surged forth like tigers released from their cages, swiftly opening a breach to the west. Huo Qingsang, like a phoenix reborn from blood, charged into the encirclement as if it were an unguarded territory. With a sudden swing of the golden whip in his hand, he ensnared the handle of an iron sled rushing towards Huo Tingdong, forcefully flinging the sled, which weighed over three hundred jin, two meters to the right.

When the crowd retreated to the foot of the mountain, the rebel camp at the summit suddenly erupted in flames, with thick smoke billowing. Wu Yue searched the ranks and, as expected, did not see Huo Qingsang.

By the morning of the second day, a group of soldiers searching outside the city discovered the body of Murong Wufeng in a small pavilion thirty miles outside the city, with a sword piercing his throat

He does not understand what this sudden emotion represents, and he does not dare to explore it. Perhaps, he is just worried about Su Wan! The thought of that once gentle and beautiful girl being exiled to the western regions by him makes his heart instinctively ache.

He remembers that Huo Qingsang loved jasmine the most, and the backyard of Shulan Hall was planted with quite a few, many of which she personally tended to. However, for some inexplicable reason, many of them have withered recently, and the efforts of the gardeners, who took turns caring for them, have proven futile

Slaughter, bloodshed, this is the battlefield. From the moment he first stood on the battlefield alongside Huo Yun, he had prepared himself for the possibility of dying in battle. Yet at this moment, he yearned more than ever to survive, at least to live long enough to see her one more time

In the blink of an eye, the tightly shut palace doors were pulled open from the inside, and the dim light cast a shadow on his face, causing Liu Quan to instinctively take a step back

Brother

He was awakened, and the heart in his chest beat wildly. It had been half a month since he had received any news from Huo Qingsang. He was unaware of the situation in Tongzhou, nor did he know the fate of Huo Tingdong. For the first time, he felt that things were completely beyond his control. He began to wait for her news like an impetuous youth, feeling anxious and preoccupied.

The mountain wind blew, swirling layers of heat waves, yet Huo Tingdong seemed to suddenly be filled with strength; he gazed deeply at her.

Having dismissed Liu Quan, Nangong Yao walked quietly along the road to Shulan Hall. For the first time, he felt that this road, which he had traversed countless times, had become exceedingly long.

General! The deputy general behind him suddenly let out a roar, and Huo Tingdong felt his body being forcefully pulled apart, as the iron sled slid past his arm.

What is the matter

That night, Murong Wufeng, who was imprisoned in Tongzhou Prefecture, was abducted by the rebel army, while Huo Qingsang, who was on a mission to rescue Su and Wan, had not yet returned.

He vigorously swung the iron spear in his hand to pry open a heavy iron sled, his gaze coldly fixed on Wu Yue above the depression. Suddenly, the delicate face of Huo Qingsang flashed through his mind, causing a surge of warmth in his chest, and he spat out a mouthful of hot blood

When Huo Tingdong saw Huo Qingsang, her frail body was almost drenched in blood, her right arm twisted behind her back, and her wrist hung down at an odd angle. She lay on the half-wet bank like a rag doll, while Su Wan, not far away, was also unconscious, but her injuries were evidently not severe.

Tong Lin! He let out a roar, watching helplessly as the cart was about to be crushed by the iron sled.

General

Since the Empress went to Tongzhou, the Emperor has been plagued by nightmares, often waking up in the middle of the night from terrifying dreams, and then inexplicably running to Shulan Palace, where he would sit for half the night

He knows that Huo Qingsang is determined to save Su Wan, and that his father is still being held in Bianjing. Since Nangong Yao has promised to rescue Su Wan in exchange for his release, it is imperative that Su Wan remains alive, and he must be returned by the Huo family army. Only then will Nangong Yao have no excuse to continue making trouble for the Huo family

While the garrison in Tongzhou was in a state of disarray due to the death of Murong Wufeng, severely injured Huo Qingsang and Su Wan were discovered by a small stream at the foot of the Yanshan Mountains

"Descend the mountain." Wu Yue cast a deep glance at Huo Qingsang, pulling Murong Wufeng down the mountain.

Huo Tingdong kicked away a rebel in front of him and turned to protect Huo Qingsang. The rebels in front suddenly retreated like a tide. Behind the crowd, a man in white stood behind Murong Wufeng with a radiant smile, the snake-patterned seven-treasure dagger pressed against his neck, crimson droplets of blood rolling down the blade.

"Walk quickly," Wu Yue growled.

In his youth, he learned lip reading from an old soldier, so he clearly understood what the man had just said; he just did not know whether Huo Qingsang had safely returned to the city at that moment

Brother! Huo Tingdong! Brother!

He still sat quietly on the soft couch facing the western wall, the tea beside him had gone cold, and before he knew it, another night had passed

Huo Qingsang and Huo Tingdong were escorted by the remaining members of the Huo family army to Wu Yue's side.

Qing Sang, you will be fine