Liang Yuan.
Ye Luan felt like she was going mad because of him.
She bit him hard on the neck, "Are you tired of living?"
Xiao Chi Zhan remained silent, kissing her lips, licking and biting her body as if to leave his mark on her.
Ye Luan couldn't hold on any longer, tightening her grip, making him unable to help but surrender everything.
"Vixen."
He hugged her and kissed her fiercely, burying his head in her neck to calm himself.
Only when she urged him did he release her.
The moment Ye Luan's feet touched the ground, her legs felt weak.
She quickly tidied her clothes and glared at him.
"A dog that's not afraid of death."
Xiao Chi Zhan fixed her clothes and pulled her tightly into his embrace.
Her cheek rested against his chest, and she could hear the beating of his heart, feeling inexplicably at ease.
"I'll cover your escape."
With the An Ding Gate burning and chaos erupting in the city, even if Xie Bei Han disregarded the lives of the Southern Xinjiang soldiers, as long as she appeared, he would definitely be able to leave safely.
Xiao Chi Zhan kissed her long hair, his eyes carrying a hint of coldness.
"What if I insist on taking you with me?"
Ye Luan hugged his waist and said softly.
"I'll wait for you!"
In two days, Long Cheng would be captured by Da Liang. She would quickly find out where Mu Rou was imprisoned and take her with her.
"----"
Their breaths intertwined, and the surrounding temperature was ambiguous and lingering.
Ye Luan knew she couldn't delay any longer, so she let go of him first.
"You go quickly, I'll stop him."
Xiao Chi Zhan took out a dagger from his embrace and handed it to her.
"Take it for self-defense."
Ye Luan took the knife and put it away.
Xiao Chi Zhan then lifted her hand, fiddled with the twin rings on her fingers, and touched a raised part beneath the rings.
"If you encounter danger, take this Feng Gu and blow it. The hidden blood zombies nearby will come to your rescue."
Ye Luan looked at the tiny, slender red gem with surprise. She hadn't known it had such a use.
"Why are the blood zombies in Long Cheng?"
It wasn't that he had deliberately left them to protect her, was it?
Xiao Chi Zhan did not speak, lowered his head, kissed her lips, and held her with a force that seemed as if he wanted to knead her into his flesh and bones.
"Luan Luan, I really want to take you away."
The thought of her being by Xie Bei Han's side made him want to kill.
Anger and jealousy were consuming him.
Ye Luan looked up, "Tantai Ye is your brother. You know his temper. If Mu Rou falls into Xie Bei Han's hands, he will go mad."
Xiao Chi Zhan pursed his lips, his arms around her tightening.
The sound of guards and armor outside rang out, a large group of people surging towards them.
The two exchanged glances.
Ye Luan nodded, and Xiao Chi Zhan immediately hugged her and flew down from the tree.
"I'll go and lure them away, you go quickly."
Xiao Chi Zhan held her hand, refusing to let go.
Ye Luan looked back, stood on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him heavily.
"Go quickly."
With that, she broke free from his grasp and ran in the opposite direction.
After entering Liang Yuan, Xie Bei Han ordered the surrounding area to be sealed off.
Ye Luan went to the pond behind the rockery, tidied her clothes, applied medicine to erase the marks on her neck, and then burned incense to mask Xiao Chi Zhan's scent.
After everything was done, she stood by the rock and looked into the water.
The water reflected a tall, slender figure with a beautiful, alluring face that clearly showed she had been "nourished."
She pursed her lips slightly, took out medicine from her embrace, and drank it, her complexion immediately worsening.
Noisy sounds came from not far away.
Ye Luan withdrew her gaze and ran out.
Liang Yuan was not particularly large, but as soon as she ran out of the rockery, a killing intent suddenly came from behind her.
Startled, she quickly dodged and drew her sword to strike back.
"Who?!"
The attacker was dressed in black, with a masked face. Judging by his build, he was a big man.
His attacks were fierce, each one deadly.
Ye Luan was no match for him, cold sweat breaking out on her back.
She dodged desperately, running towards the front garden.
"Help, help---"
This was the Prefect's mansion, all of Xie Bei Han's men. The one trying to kill her must be his subordinate.
But she knew that Xie Bei Han had not given the order. It was very likely that someone was unhappy with her and deliberately wanted to assassinate her.
While dodging, Ye Luan kept shouting. The big man, seeing that she knew martial arts, couldn't catch her, and his face contorted with anger.
Xie Bei Han heard the commotion and immediately brought his men over.
The assassin also sensed someone approaching, glared at Ye Luan, and fled in a flash.
"Ye Luan!"
Xie Bei Han walked around the corridor and saw her figure. He let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, and the terrifying, gloomy look in his eyes instantly vanished.
Seeing her collapse on the ground, his expression turned cold. He immediately leaped over, helped her up, and hugged her tightly.
He was quite surprised that Xiao Chi Zhan hadn't taken her with him.
Ye Luan glanced at her surroundings with her peripheral vision. There were hidden guards everywhere.
She pushed him away and spoke.
"I was walking in the garden, and an assassin suddenly appeared and went in that direction. Do you want to send someone to check?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Bei Han suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, hooked his unnaturally red lips, and looked at her.
"Assassin?"
"Yes, it was a masked big man."
Seeing that what she said was true, Xie Bei Han immediately sent people to pursue.
After giving the order, he suddenly turned back and stared at her with a smile, his eyes filled with a hint of playfulness.
"Ye Luan, do you know that Xiao Chi Zhan has entered Long Cheng?"
Ye Luan was surprised, "How did he get here?"
"He entered the mansion, didn't he come to find you?"
Ye Luan deliberately sneered at him, "So, you suspect I'm lying?"
Xie Bei Han raised an eyebrow, "I naturally believe you."
"However, this lunatic actually trespassed into Long Cheng. I will definitely make sure he never returns."
As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on her, as if trying to pierce through her calm exterior and see into her soul.
Ye Luan looked at him coldly, remaining silent.
Xie Bei Han laughed heartily, suddenly grabbed her hand, and pulled her into his embrace.
She froze for a moment, instinctively resisting him.
Xie Bei Han lowered his head and sniffed her neck.
Ye Luan felt uncomfortable and turned her head to avoid him.
"In broad daylight, does Your Majesty still care about his reputation?"
Xie Bei Han chuckled, his expression clearly improving.
He looked back and saw everyone with their heads lowered, not daring to look too closely.
"No one is watching."
Ye Luan deliberately retorted, "Your Majesty abducted me but cannot guarantee my personal safety. Your Majesty might as well let me leave early."
Xie Bei Han knew she was referring to the assassin incident.
"I will give you an explanation."
"However, Xiao Chi Zhan dares to enter my Long Cheng, truly showing no regard for me."
As he spoke, he ordered behind him, "Come, search. Even if you have to search the entire Long Cheng, you must capture him."
As he spoke, he deliberately stared at Ye Luan. Seeing that she showed no reaction, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
Ye Luan was not afraid. With Xie Bei Han here, those common soldiers in Long Cheng wouldn't be able to stop Xiao Chi Zhan. He would surely escape safely.
She only needed to stall Xie Bei Han.
That night, not only the Prefect's mansion but the entire Long Cheng was illuminated by torches. Soldiers in armor searched and patrolled the streets, city walls, and alleys.
Shops and private homes were not spared, and the search was extremely thorough.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
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ps: Starting tomorrow, there will be three updates. The main story will conclude at the end of this month or early next month.