Chapter 101

Five days later, Chencang.

The banks of the Wei River were lush with greenery. Occasionally, there would be soldiers rushing to Yuanzhou on the government-made road. When they saw the flag in front of them, they quickly got off their horses and stood quietly by the side of the road.

The villages and towns by the road were the same. Many children stood by the government-made road and looked at the procession they had seen a few years ago slowly passing through the towering walls of Thousand Sun Pass.

The black-armored soldiers walked in front with their chests puffed out. The black flag in their hands fluttered in the wind as they announced who the master of the procession was.

Su Of Gojoseon!

The huge carriage driven by five horses passed through the wide government-made road under the scorching sun.

Three hundred cavalrymen guarded the sides with their hands on their sabers. They were solemn and silent. Even the hooves of their horses were meticulous.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Western Army, Guo Zhongxian, and countless soldiers stood at the top of the walls of the pass they had just obtained. They watched as the vassal's carriage slowly passed by. Their hearts were in their throats.

As long as Prince Su's procession passed through the gate and was handed over to the Xu Army, it would have nothing to do with the imperial court if they died. But if they died before they came out of the pass, it would be a storm that would be difficult to calm down!

"Tiger!"

"Tiger!"

"Tiger!"

On the other side of the first pass in the northwest, three thousand Xiliang cavalrymen rushed over from the army. They rode on their horses and raised their sabers high. Their majestic presence made the imperial court soldiers on the city walls not dare to make a sound.

General Yang Zunyi of the Southern Road sat on his Snow Treading Warhorse. After the carriage passed through Thousand Sun Pass, he raised the long lance in his hand horizontally, and the whistling stopped.

Yang Zunyi rode his horse forward and said in a clear voice,

"Yang Zunyi of the Southern Road greets the Crown Prince!"

"Greetings, Crown Prince!"

The cheers shook the heavens.

Xu Buling had been training at the borders since he was young. He was known as the Young King of Hell. His peerless killing power had already built up his reputation in the Xiliang Army.

But at that moment, Xu Buling, who was at the end of his rope, could not show himself.

Xiao rode to the side of the carriage and raised the cane in his hand.

Yang Zunyi immediately turned around and pointed his lance northwest.

"Escort the Crown Prince back to the city!"

"Yes!"

Thud, thud, thud!

The sound of hooves thundered as three thousand iron hooves occupied the entire wilderness. They galloped toward the northwest, getting further and further away from Chang 'an!

Compared to the majestic scenery of the northwest outside, the carriage was much quieter.

The carriage was as large as a house, and there were bead curtains on all four sides to block out the light. Maids were fanning the carriage to disperse the stuffy summer heat in the carriage.

In the spacious carriage, Xu Buring was lying on the couch with a towel on his forehead. His face had turned from green to pale, and his breathing was weak. However, his eyes were open, and he kept looking at the woman beside him.

"Boohoo … we're already out of Thousand Sun Pass. We'll be back in Suzhou soon … don't be afraid … it's fine …"

Lady Lu was dressed in a thin white blouse. Her hair was tied up casually, and she sat beside Xu Buling. She had dark circles under her eyes, and they were bloodshot. She had cried her eyes dry, and she held onto Xu Buling's hand tightly. Ever since she saw Xu Buling again, she never let go.

On the eighth of May, Lady Lu went out of the city with her baby to relax, but she did not expect that from that moment on, her entire world would collapse.

Assassination, regicide, forced abdication, rebellion, Su Of Gojoseon leaving Qin Province, and Xiang 'er committing suicide …

Her originally peaceful and quiet life was suddenly torn apart by the tsunami-like changes, directly crushing the heart of this delicate woman.

Xu Buling became a regicide within a few hours, and when she saw him again, he looked like he did not have long to live …

Her best friend was disheartened by the fratricide in the imperial family, and their brief quarrel in the carriage turned into a final farewell …

She didn't know how Lady Lu managed to pull through, but she felt like she was already dead. The only reason she wasn't dead was because Xu Buling wasn't. If she died, there would be no one to take care of Xu Buling. No matter what happened, he had to live …

It wasn't until the situation changed that Xu Buling was framed and Su Of Gojoseon turned from a traitor to a meritorious minister that Lady Lu recovered a little.

But so what if she recovered?

Xiang 'er died just like that.

Ling 'er was already at the end of his rope. Even the imperial physician said that he could barely feel his pulse. It wasn't a question of whether he could get better, but whether he could survive.

The only thing left in Lady Lu's world now was Xu Buling's breath. She didn't dare to close her eyes every day and just stared at him, afraid that Xu Buling would be gone if she closed her eyes. She didn't know when she would faint, but when she woke up in a panic, she continued to stare at him …

The continuous tension in her heart had already pushed the weak woman to her limits. Her originally gentle and beautiful face was now haggard. She didn't eat or drink, and her lips were already pale. She would only force herself to eat a few mouthfuls if she was afraid that she would die first.

"Ling 'er … it's fine … it's definitely fine …"

She had repeated this silently countless times, and it was still going on.

Xu Buling lay on the couch, holding Lady Lu's hand. His heart was clenched, but he couldn't get better before they reached Su Of Gojoseon's fief. He could only watch like this.

The horses galloped, and the sun and moon moved. After watching like this for a long time, a patch of green suddenly appeared outside the window. The branches and leaves of the poplar trees blocked the light, making the inside of the carriage a little cooler.

Xu Buling's eyelashes fluttered a few times, and he said weakly, "Aunt Lu … where are we?"

The muddle-headed Lady Lu was shocked, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Ling 'er! You can speak … "She hurriedly held Xu Buling's hand and looked around in a flurry. Finally, she remembered to look outside the carriage and replied incoherently,

"Poplar forest … so many poplar trees …"

Outside the carriage, the sound of Xiao hitting the carriage with his walking stick could also be heard.

Thud, thud —

"Little King, we're home."

Lady Lu was a little anxious. She hurriedly wanted to scold Xiao so that he wouldn't disturb Xu Buling.

But Xu Buling, who was like a dying lamp in front of her, heaved a long sigh of relief. He turned over, took the spittoon next to him, and spat out all the medicine used to block his qi and blood in his stomach.

"Cough, cough — Bah, bah, bah …"

"Ah —"

Lady Lu screamed and hurriedly supported Xu Buling. She looked anxious and panicked. "Ling 'er, what's wrong with you? Help … Boohoo! "

After spitting out the medicine, Xu Buling covered Lady Lu's mouth with his hand, picked up the towel that had fallen to the side, and wiped his mouth, revealing a bright smile.

"Aunt Lu, I'm fine. I'm just pretending."

Lady Lu's eyes widened as she looked incredulously at Xu Buling, whose face had returned to normal in an instant. Tears slowly welled up in her eyes, but she couldn't believe it, fearing that it was a dream.

Xu Buring had been taken care of by Madam Lu for the past few days, so he had seen everything. His heart had long melted. After wiping his mouth clean, he released Madam Lu's hand. Then, he mustered up his courage and went forward to hold Madam Lu's pale and beautiful face, kissing it hard.

"Bo, bo, bo …"

Lady Lu was still stunned on the spot. She was kissed several times by Xu Buling. Although he only kissed her forehead and not her lips, it was more like an intimate action. The impact brought by it gradually awakened Lady Lu's closed mind for many days.

"Ling 'er … Ah —"

Lady Lu suddenly came to her senses, as if her soul had returned to her body. Her face turned red in an instant, and she raised her hand to slap Xu Buling a few times. She even kicked him, and instinctively scolded him with shame and indignation.

"I'm your aunt!"

After that, Lady Lu completely came to her senses. She stared blankly at Xu Buling, who was full of vigor and dared to bully her aunt. Tears came out in an instant, and she couldn't hold it any longer. She hugged Xu Buling and cried out loud.

Xu Buling held Lady Lu in his arms. After thinking for a moment, he covered her mouth again.

"Boohoo …"

Lady Lu's tears fell like rain. When she realized that Xu Buling was really better, she patted Xu Buling's back with her hand. She had a thousand words to say, but she couldn't say any of them. She could only cry.

Xu Buling hesitated for a while and didn't tell Lady Lu the truth directly. After all, Lady Lu didn't know anything from beginning to end. It was better to wait for a few days when her mood recovered.

"Boohoo …"

Whimpering incessantly, Lady Lu, who originally had no strength, now used great strength to hold Xu Buling so tightly that Xu Buling was a little out of breath.

With a bright smile on his face, Xu Buring also hugged Madam Lu gently. From time to time, he would secretly kiss Madam Lu's face, who was in a daze.

"I … boohoo … Aunt …"

Lady Lu's words were vague. In the end, she didn't hide her anger anymore. Her arms gradually became weak. She just lay on Xu Buling's shoulder and murmured faintly.

As the sky gradually darkened, the accompanying troops set up camp. For the first time in so many days, Lady Lu fell asleep instead of fainting.

Xu Buling's movements were gentle. He put Lady Lu on the bed. After thinking for a moment, he kissed her slightly moving eyelashes on her face again. Then he left the carriage silently …