Palace Coup 31

"Bad news, my lady! The man you brought back has escaped."

Xie Miaoxuan was wrapping the cloth strips she had cut the night before around her wrists, warming up with a light jog in the courtyard. She was so thin that her joints felt stiff, and she was deeply focused on figuring out how to optimize her physical training in the shortest possible time when she heard Da Niu’s thunderous roar from outside.

It was a true reversal of fortune; yesterday she had startled Xie Yuanju, but today, Da Niu’s sudden outburst made her jump.

A question mark slowly formed over Xie Miaoxuan’s head. "What?"

She stepped out and asked with curiosity, "He was able to move freely after just one night?"

Was the healer’s technique truly that miraculous, or had she underestimated his resilience?

Da Niu explained, "This morning, the gentleman went out to handle the errand you assigned, and you told me to keep an eye on him. I only stepped out for a moment to get breakfast, and when I returned, the bed was empty. Even that long blade of his was gone."

Da Niu couldn't help but grumble inwardly. This man was truly dishonorable. He had made a deal with the lady to teach her swordsmanship for three months, and after she had applied medicine and let him rest for a single night, he had vanished the moment Da Niu turned his back. He felt guilty, blaming himself for the man’s departure without a word. How was he to explain this to the lady?

Seeing Da Niu pacing in a frenzy, Xie Miaoxuan patted his arm. "Don't worry, he won't get far. Bring the horses."

The two of them rode swiftly toward the main road, pulling their horses to a halt at a fork. "You take the left path, and I’ll take this smaller one on the right."

Xie Miaoxuan finished her sentence and kicked her horse’s belly, darting away.

Da Niu wanted to argue that the small path was difficult to traverse and that he should go instead, but he saw the dust rising ahead as the lady was already far off.

There was no time to waste in pursuit. He had to bow his head and charge forward, thinking that if the man was on his path, the lady would be safe, and if not, he would rush to support her as soon as he confirmed it.

He fretted over Xie Miaoxuan being alone, secretly kicking his horse to go faster. If he had known the man would escape, he would have asked his master for more men. His master had been busy with many affairs, and all available retainers had been dispatched. He had assumed there would be no need for them at the estate, but who could have guessed!

Fortunately, his master had left him a signal flare to be used in emergencies, visible for three hundred miles. It was extremely difficult to craft, and his master had only given him one. He took it out, looked at it, and stuffed it back into his robes. Use it now? He shook his head; he would run a bit further to confirm the man's location before deciding. If Li Ge was on his path, he wouldn't waste such a precious item.

Xie Miaoxuan had been practicing her riding for the past two days, and her efforts were beginning to show. As the path grew narrower and more desolate, she expertly controlled the reins, and her horse cleared the obstacles smoothly.

***

After riding for a while, the sounds of fighting suddenly drifted from the mountain forest ahead. The closer she got, the more intense the clashing of blades became.

She quietly slowed her horse, leaning low to peer ahead.

Through the gaps in the trees, she saw about thirty men surrounding a single person. Ten or so bodies lay scattered on the ground.

Li Ge could no longer feel pain. The indigo robe that Xie Miaoxuan had gone out of her way to have someone change him into was soaked in blood, turning into countless dark, crimson patches that covered his chest, abdomen, back, thighs, and arms—all critical areas.

The churning, stagnant sensation in his body reminded him that he had been poisoned with muscle-relaxing powder.

He was parrying the blades of those who relentlessly sought his life based purely on instinct. But the opposition was numerous, and in his current state, he could hold out for at most another quarter of an hour.

*Splat.*

Someone behind him seized the moment he faltered, driving a sword into his back and pulling it out.

His heart began to race—he knew this was the surge of emergency blood flow the heart provides before death. It had been only a night, and he was once again facing the threat of extinction.

But this final surge was enough for him to drag these men with him to the underworld!

There was no fear or panic in his eyes; they were as cold as snow piled in a mountain stream. His bones were cracking inch by inch, and agonizing pain flooded his body.

He narrowed his black eyes, pressed his tongue against his palate, and curled his lips into a silent smile, as if savoring the sensation.

"Watch out! He wants to go down with us!"

Just then—things happening in the blink of an eye—the sound of rapid hoofbeats joined the fray.

Xie Miaoxuan had hesitated, but in the end, she decided to save him. She had watched Li Ge’s desperate struggle; even as he grew weaker, he still managed to find vicious angles to take one of them down, even at the cost of his own injury. He was not losing ground despite being surrounded by over thirty men.

She kept her horse moving at high speed, her right hand wielding a long whip. While it couldn't inflict lethal damage, it swung heavily, clearing the men surrounding him.

Two breaths of time were all she needed!

"Grab my hand!"

She burst through the crowd, her body pressed low, her left hand reaching out toward Li Ge. Li Ge narrowed his eyes, watching the girl charge toward him against the light like a ball of fire. The hand she extended—which he could have easily broken under normal circumstances—had become his bridge to salvation.

This was the girl who had said last night that saving him was a huge headache, who had ignored him while he lay there severely wounded, and who always claimed to be concerned only with her own safety. Yet, in such a dangerous situation, she had charged in to save him.

***

"Hurry!" Xie Miaoxuan urged, frowning and growling, *Why are you spacing out?*

Just as they were about to pass each other, the youth lunged, gripping her hand firmly, and with a push of his long legs, he vaulted onto the back of the horse behind her.

Xie Miaoxuan felt the horse sink under the weight. She had saved him!

She whipped the horse and dug her heels in, accelerating once more.

The pursuers behind them were agile, their figures darting forward in hot pursuit, all of them highly skilled experts.

"Chase him! Don't let him get away, or we'll all have to pay with our heads!"

Xie Miaoxuan cast a glance back and then looked away, unable to help but sigh again. Her foresight had been correct—she had truly rescued a disaster.

The estate was currently filled only with farmers who knew how to till the land. The men chasing him were clearly ruthless killers. She dared not lead them toward the estate, and every time she encountered a fork in the road, she veered in the opposite direction.

They reached another junction. As she wondered which way to go, the person behind her spoke: "Take the path to the northwest."

Their lives were now tied together; they were grasshoppers on the same string. Xie Miaoxuan did not hesitate and acted decisively, following his instruction and turning onto the left path.

The forest grew deeper, with high, tangled branches hanging low. Li Ge raised his hand and slashed off a branch, gripping it and dragging it behind the horse.

Xie Miaoxuan saw that he could still wield his blade so steadily on the back of a galloping horse, while also being meticulous enough to use the branch to sweep away their hoofprints. She thought to herself: if he could be so moved by her second act of saving his life that he would teach her his swordsmanship without reservation, then this risky rescue might not be a loss after all.

The road became increasingly difficult. Xie Miaoxuan felt the weight leaning against her back becoming heavier and heavier.

Glancing to the side, she saw that the youth, who had been sitting with a straight back, now had his chin resting on her shoulder. His eyes were half-closed, his face drained of all color. Her heart sank.

"Don't sleep! If you fall asleep, you won't wake up again!"

Xie Yuanju was just about to leave the Chen Family Rice Shop on horseback when his heart gave a violent, rapid thump.

He looked up at the sky, vast and azure, a boundless expanse of green waves.