Chapter 90: Little Wan Realizes His Feelings
Click—
This was the third time Wei Wanlan had heard the distinctive sound of a crossbow trigger being cocked.
Wei Wanlan’s ears twitched.
Suddenly, a volley of arrows shot towards the Hanyuan Hall. Fu Jun intercepted them, sending them thudding into the walls of the palace hall.
Perhaps because some troops had been diverted to move the treasure, there weren’t many Turkic soldiers left in the Imperial Villa. Including the guards outside the hall, there were only about twenty.
Leading them was a burly man.
This large man had just been drinking with Yuan Xizai at the Three Rests Terrace, his cheeks still flushed red. His cheekbones were high and prominent. He had shed his standard military uniform, revealing animal skin armor beneath his outer robes and two thick, black braids.
“Little Emperor.”
“The Little Emperor of Great Wei.”
The man approached, a heavy saber resting on his shoulder.
Wei Wanlan’s heart went cold.
—There really are Turks! And I’m facing them head-on!
This was the scenario he dreaded most.
Actually, if he were caught by Yuan Xizai, even if he died, it would just be a failed transmigrator mission.
But if he were caught by the Turks, it would carry a completely different political significance.
Regardless of what terms the enemy nation demanded from the Regent King in exchange for him, and regardless of whether the Regent King accepted, he would become the shame of Great Wei. He could also bring disaster upon countless citizens…
Wei Wanlan squeezed his eyes shut, momentarily panicked.
Seeing him like this, Ashina Qingyun threw his head back and laughed uproariously:
“Hahahaha, Little Emperor, you look like a lost lamb or a fawn on the grassland when you’re scared. By the way, don’t you have an idiom for that? Something about ‘losing a sheep at a fork in the road’?”
Xiao Ji liked reciting poetry. The Turkic Khan’s favorite general, Ashina Qingyun, liked using idioms.
Actually, if one ignored the Turkic general’s attire and only listened to his voice, he sounded like a bold and forthright man. One would never guess he wasn’t from Great Wei at all.
The non-Great Wei Turkic general waved his hand dismissively.
Ashina Qingyun didn’t even spare a glance for Yuan Xizai’s death.
Ashina Qingyun’s gaze was fixed solely on Wei Wanlan. His eyes seemed to hold two bright sparks, like an eagle circling high above the vast plains, locking onto its prey and following closely.
“The Khan has long regarded that greedy wolf as nothing more than worn-out shoes. But he thought playing along with him might yield unexpected surprises.”
“That greedy wolf leaked quite a bit of information about Great Wei to us, and even in death, he sent me a great gift.”
“The Khan is truly the Khan.”
While speaking fluent official Mandarin, Ashina Qingyun shook the saber in his hand, creating a flash of cold steel.
But his tone clearly carried a reverence for Central Plains culture, and he was still being polite to Wei Wanlan:
“I like killing. But you are more valuable captured alive. Considering you are beautiful enough to outshine all the peach blossoms in this villa, don’t force me to maim and torture you. You Great Wei people have another saying, ‘A wise man submits to circumstances’…”
“Capture… the… Little… Emperor… alive.”
“Yes, sir!”
A squad charged in from the rear door of the Hanyuan Hall.
The soldiers had discarded their crossbows.
But not their sabers.
According to Ashina Qingyun, even if Wei Wanlan suffered some injuries, as long as he wasn’t dead and had a breath left, he would serve the purpose of humiliating Great Wei and negotiating with the Regent King.
Wei Wanlan was scared out of his wits.
But unexpectedly, before Ashina Qingyun could get close, his heavy saber was parried by Fu Jun with a feint. The interception was fast and precise, as if Fu Jun understood Ashina Qingyun thoroughly.
Ashina Qingyun was stunned. Gripping his saber with both hands, he felt the intense vibration and humming sound as the blade clashed with the Flowing Water Sword. He was baffled by the source of this sudden turn of events.
Who is this person?
Fu Jun didn’t allow him a moment’s distraction.
He had already whisked Wei Wanlan away towards the other end of the Hanyuan Hall.
While being carried by the waist and running, Wei Wanlan didn’t dare move a muscle. He couldn’t activate the system either; the speed made him dizzy and nauseous.
As he was whisked through the hall, Wei Wanlan caught a glimpse of the rising dawn outside. Daybreak.
Reinforcements were not far away.
But two Turkic guards suddenly appeared at the main entrance ahead!
Fu Jun held his sword in one hand.
Facing two saber blades, his vision blurred, and he seemed to be struggling. But there were only these two warriors outside.
hardening his resolve, he left himself wide open, using only killing moves.
With the desperation of one fighting for life in the face of death, Fu Jun knocked the two blocking guards’ long sabers away, sending them flying more than ten feet. Disarmed, the two guards were swiftly cut down by Fu Jun. But this brief delay was enough for the pursuers behind to catch up.
Ashina Qingyun was on their heels again.
And because he had inexplicably lost the initiative to Fu Jun earlier and suffered a silent loss in the exchange, Ashina Qingyun was restless, unable to figure out why. His desire to compete turned into a torrent of killing intent.
After all, killing Fu Jun carried no burden.
“Kill the guard first, then capture the emperor!” Ashina Qingyun changed tactics just in time.
The Turkic soldiers switched targets.
Fu Jun guarded the main entrance of the Hanyuan Hall, his long sword pointing obliquely, dripping blood.
After putting Wei Wanlan down, Fu Jun turned his back to him and shouted:
“Little Wan, where should you run?”
Wei Wanlan: “Fu Jun!”
How could he not see that the hero was determined to fight to the death?
But Wei Wanlan looked back. The escape route was ahead, yet he didn’t move. It wasn’t that the Imperial Bridge was too far from the main gate of the villa, but in this moment, he realized he couldn’t be without Fu Jun.
Fu Jun was a very important person.
Someone who could stir his emotions, a very special existence to him.
Someone who made him, for some reason, think wildly until he couldn’t control himself.
Wei Wanlan couldn’t leave. He was just afraid Fu Jun would die here; his heart was aching to death…
He opened the system to grab something for emergency aid, but the moment the screen lit up, he discovered the doors of the Hanyuan Hall were closing. To force him to escape alone, Fu Jun had locked himself inside the great hall.
Wei Wanlan felt as if a piece of his heart had been gouged out.
Every step felt like walking on blades. He endured the pain and crossed the Imperial Bridge, already forgetting that his goal was survival. He only repeated one thought in his mind: get reinforcements to support Fu Jun and reopen the Hanyuan Hall.
Wei Wanlan didn’t stop.
He ran headlong into Xiao Ji, who was hurriedly looking around for someone.
Xiao Mengshi was so excited to see Wei Wanlan that he almost burst into tears. He truly couldn’t compose a poem even if he tried, and didn’t want to quote famous lines anymore. He quickly scanned the little emperor from top to bottom.
Two disciples of the Heavenly Sword Manor beside him had just killed the enemy guards. They were gripping the door rings, pulling the doors open from left and right.
Xiao Mengshi said: “Your Majesty, we are safe.”
But Wei Wanlan cried out to the sword-bearing disciples: “Your manor lord is still trapped in the Hanyuan Hall! How many disciples from the Heavenly Sword Manor are here? Is it enough for us to fight our way in and save Fu Jun? QAQ”
The morning sun bathed the earth in its light.
The main gate of the Luoyang Imperial Villa opened!
Outside were not just disciples of the Heavenly Sword Manor…
There were also—
Wei Wanlan’s eyes widened.
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