Distant footsteps grew closer.
Shen Muzhou withdrew his gaze, his eyes falling on the woman beneath him. Her almond eyes were clear and luminous, filled with a mixture of fear and confusion, like a startled little rabbit.
A soft, smooth sensation came from his palm, and he recalled her soft, tender lips brushing against his neck just moments ago. He averted his gaze with a trace of unnaturalness.
They looked at each other, separated by mere inches. Shen Muzhou frowned faintly, his eyelashes, thin as cicada wings, trembled twice. Dusty memories were suddenly stirred.
Her eyebrows and eyes were somewhat familiar, very much like someone.
The footsteps did not move away as hoped, but grew even nearer, "There's movement here, spread out and search."
"Your Highness, I will deal with them," Xiao Liu said softly.
Shen Muzhou got up, remaining silent for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice sounded as if it carried immense pain, "There are too many of them."
His lowered eyelashes were long and slender, coated with a thin layer of frost. He curled up, trembling, a coldness like gnawing poisonous ants drilling into his very bones.
Xiao Liu, who had been by Shen Muzhou's side for many years, immediately noticed his unusual state, "Your Highness, your cold illness has flared up."
Cold illness?
Lin Yanxi observed the young man before her with a calm demeanor. No wonder, even though it was June, the height of the flower season, he was still wrapped in a cloak and his face was unusually pale.
A malevolent aura of curses emanated from him.
Talismans were divided into two types: insignia talismans and curse talismans.
Curse talismans were often used for poisoning or bringing about misfortune.
Her maternal grandfather was an upright and benevolent person. He would never use curses against an ordinary person.
Could there be someone else in Nanmin who practiced curses? But she had never encountered such a person in her previous life.
Moreover, curse arts were tied to a special bloodline. Only her grandfather and uncle could cultivate talisman and curse arts; even her mother had not awakened spiritual roots.
Seeing the approaching group and realizing they were in an open area where they could be easily discovered, Xiao Liu gripped the long saber in his hand and no longer hesitated, leaping forward to draw the pursuers away.
"Over there, chase!"
A group of men pursued Xiao Liu, heading in the opposite direction. Their scattered footsteps gradually faded into the quiet mountain forest.
The cold moonlight cast a glow on the young man's face. A gentle breeze lifted his smooth, dark, lustrous long hair. His black cloak fluttered, making him seem like an immortal fallen to the mortal realm.
He leaned against a tree trunk, the coldness seeping into his limbs like insects and ants gnawing at his bones and blood. He closed his eyes slightly, his eyelashes trembling. He tried his best to steady his breathing, but it was evident he was trembling uncontrollably.
Lin Yanxi subtly retreated half a step. Shen Muzhou's curse had taken hold, and with no one else around, it was her best opportunity to escape.
Should she leave, or save him?
The court was divided into two factions: one supporting Crown Prince Shen Qingyun, led by her father and the Empress.
The other faction supported Shen Muzhou, who was known in Nanmin as a sickly, cruel, and bloodthirsty individual.
Shen Muzhou's fate in his previous life was arguably as tragic as her own. He had been sickly since childhood. Apart from the Crown Prince, all other princes were granted their own fiefdoms upon reaching adulthood. Only he remained in the capital, enfeoffed as a prince with real power. The Emperor's arrangement inevitably aroused the Crown Prince's suspicion, making Shen Muzhou a target.
After being enfeoffed as a prince, he was assassinated and lost an arm. Later, he was imprisoned due to the disappearance of a jade talisman, subjected to torture, his face disfigured. He eventually escaped to the border, colluded with foreign tribes, and returned to Nanmin to slaughter the capital.
Shortly after her own misfortune in her previous life, news spread of the Ninth Prince being assassinated and losing an arm. Could it have been tonight?
He had his own destiny to walk. She was ten years ahead of her time and knew everyone's ending.
She was not a deity descended to earth; she could only save her own destiny.
Lin Yanxi's gaze turned cold for a moment. She took a few steps back, biting her lip as if making a decision. The moment she turned, a slightly trembling voice rang out.
"Walk towards the moon, and you can get out of this forest."
Shen Muzhou's deep voice held a trace of weakness that inexplicably made hearts tremble.
Lin Yanxi looked up at the moon in the sky. So she had walked in the wrong direction. Her slender, soft hand, hidden in her sleeve, trembled slightly as she slowly curled her thumb, clenching her palm.
She took a few small steps forward, then hesitated for a long time before quickening her pace.
Shen Muzhou leaned against the tree trunk, a self-mocking cold laugh escaping his lips.
Since childhood, he had always been the one left behind. Moreover, she was a little liar with a silver tongue. Her eyes were only slightly like that person's, which made him care a little more.
Lin Yanxi ran a few steps towards the moon. Along the way, she saw corpses lying in the forest. She suddenly stopped, breathing in short, rapid gasps.
This was truly damned!
Why did she keep recalling Shen Muzhou's voice and appearance? That person wanted to kill her, yet why did she keep thinking about him? Did she owe him something in her past life?
She bit her lip, her chest feeling heavy and stifled. Her gaze fixed on a corpse. She guessed it was one of the pursuers, killed by Xiao Liu.
Who on earth had such audacity to try and assassinate the dignified Ninth Prince…
Huh?
She crouched down for a closer look and discovered a dark cloud pattern embroidered on the chest of the corpse. Beside the body, a pair of twin heart-blooming flowers were about to open.
In her previous life, after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he revealed his wolf-like ambition. Under the pretense of her ominous fate threatening Nanmin, he intended to offer her as a sacrifice at the divine altar. Her grandfather used his talisman arts to help her escape Nanmin, with a few secret guards dispatched by her father to protect her along the way.
Those secret guards had the same cloud pattern on their chests.
So, the one who had the audacity to assassinate the Ninth Prince was actually her father!
These actions were done by the Grand Tutor's mansion for the Crown Prince's faction, but they later became evidence used to impeach her father for treason.
Lin Yanxi sighed and covered her forehead. She turned back and ran towards Shen Muzhou's direction.
She hoped it wasn't too late…
A masked man raised his broad saber high above Shen Muzhou, about to strike. As he swung, the three copper rings on the saber's back jingled.
"Stop!" Lin Yanxi cried out to halt him.
Day and night had now transitioned, and the dawn light filtered through the layers of mist onto the mountaintop.
Lin Yanxi rushed forward and picked up a long sword from the ground. Unbeknownst to her, the sword weighed over ten catties. She held it with both hands, her feet wobbling.
The masked man paused, instinctively blurting out, "Little..."
Lin Yanxi quickly interrupted him, "Little what, little what? Watch your sword!"
The masked man dared not retaliate, only parrying Lin Yanxi's wild, unorganized feints with his broad saber.
After a few exchanges, Lin Yanxi was the first to become breathless, her arms aching. She weakly let the long sword droop to the ground, "With me here today, you will not harm him. Now leave!"
Shen Muzhou leaned against the tree trunk, a faint, almost imperceptible smile gracing his lips.
She winked at the masked man, signaling him to leave quickly.
The masked man hesitated for a moment, then departed.
Seeing the masked man retreat, she dropped the sword and went to check on Shen Muzhou.
Shen Muzhou was pale and weak, his appearance cold and refined. His slightly upturned lips were tinged with a hint of blood. The dawn light cast a golden hue on his profile, making him appear noble and detached.
He seemed dazed from the cold illness and likely hadn't noticed anything suspicious.
She gently shook Shen Muzhou's arm, "Hey, Shen Mu... Ninth Prince, are you alright."
No response?
She boldly reached out and poked Shen Muzhou's cheek, pinching it a couple of times.
The texture was quite good. She had to admit, this fearsome god was truly handsome and unparalleled in the world.
Shen Muzhou frowned and looked up at the woman before him. Her bright eyes and white teeth gave her a youthful appearance, especially her dark, lively almond eyes.
He suddenly embraced Lin Yanxi, murmuring indistinctly, "Zhaozhao."
Lin Yanxi's back stiffened, her breath catching.
Lin Yanxi, her courtesy name was Zhaozhao, meaning the Grand Tutor hoped she would still have a rising light even when in darkness.
"How could you..."
Xiao Liu then arrived from the depths of the forest, covered in blood. Seeing them embracing, he was also shocked.
Was this still their Ninth Prince who disliked women?
Lin Yanxi's ear tips turned fiery red. Her small hands flailed, pushing him away.
As Shen Muzhou embraced Lin Yanxi, he felt a warm current flow into his body, and his mind suddenly cleared. The cold illness within him began to recede.
He held her tighter, his breathing becoming even. The faint scent of her filled his nostrils, different from the perfume of women, very fresh and calming. Only after the cold illness completely subsided did he release the woman in his arms.
Lin Yanxi immediately stood up from the ground, gently touching her chest. Why was her heart beating so fast?
She calmed herself down, thinking of her earlier intention to abandon him and flee, she felt a pang of guilt. Her phoenix eyes curved into a flattering smile, "I am a... maidservant from the Grand Tutor's mansion. I truly admire Your Highness, which is why I risked my life to save you! Now, can this prove that I am not an assassin?"
She had already made her plan. Rather than being interrogated about her identity, it was better to proactively reveal a false one. This would curry favor with the Grand Tutor's mansion and also clear her father of any suspicion of assassination.
Shen Muzhou was not overly surprised to learn she was from the Grand Tutor's mansion. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Hand me that sword, it is my personal sword."
She looked at him suspiciously but put on a show of nonchalance as she picked it up, her expression momentarily awkward.
What a heavy sword.
Lin Yanxi's wrist involuntarily sagged as she dragged the sword to him. She was in a hurry to return to the mansion to stop her stepsister, Lin Yuan, from entering the palace, and did not want further entanglements.
In her past life, it was Lin Yuan who went to the palace and spread rumors that Lin Yanxi's ominous fate endangered those around her. The Crown Prince and her father colluded frequently. He needed the support of the Grand Tutor's mansion but did not want to be completely controlled by her father.
Therefore, the Crown Prince and Lin Yuan plotted to make her the scapegoat of Nanmin. To protect her and their marriage, her father had no choice but to be manipulated by the Crown Prince and commit many wrongdoings.
After the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he colluded with the Directorate of Astronomy, solidifying the accusation that she was Nanmin's bane and must be eliminated. Her father also became a great traitor who disrupted the court, leading to the ruin of their family.
Shen Muzhou took his personal sword and cast a cold glance at her with his beautiful, dark eyes. A faint, fleeting smile touched his lips, "If you have lied about your admiration for me even once, I will throw you into the Ten Thousand Snake Den to feed the venomous snakes."
Lin Yanxi's spine chilled. She was most afraid of snakes, no, right now she was most afraid of the unpredictable prince before her.
She met his piercing gaze, forcing an unnatural smile onto her face, "Hehehe, how could I lie to Your Highness? My admiration is as true as heaven and earth. I wish I could be by Your Highness's side day and night."
She felt goosebumps from her own words. This malevolent god should be satisfied now.
He scoffed inwardly and said no more, his lips slightly pressed together, cold as the moon.
Lin Yanxi was anxious to return, and with a look of pained reluctance, said, "The thought of separating from Your Highness breaks my heart. But our statuses are different, and I know I am unworthy. Let us bid farewell here, and may we each find happiness hereafter, never to meet again! Your Highness!"
Her words grew more and more exaggerated. By the last few words, she feigned tears, wiping her eyes with her sleeve as she turned and walked away.
Xiao Liu seized the opportunity to say, "Ninth Prince, we must also return immediately. Princess Zhaoyang is still waiting for you."
Lin Yanxi paused. Princess Zhaoyang? So, when he fell ill just now, he had mistaken her for someone else. Zhaozhao, what a close name.
Shen Muzhou's voice still held a hint of coldness, "Wait. Since Miss Lin saved me, and is so devoted, then I shall escort you back to your mansion."
The sky had already brightened. She had to return as soon as possible. If she took his carriage, she might still make it in time.