Nangong Yu didn't know whether to consider himself unlucky or Murong Shengrui lucky, as they took different paths yet ended up encountering each other.
"Nangong Yu, finally..." Before Murong Shengrui could finish speaking, Nangong Yu, with Chu Qingge in tow, darted into another fork in the road, fleeing without looking back.
"Nangong Yu, you coward! A dignified ruler only knows how to run!" Murong Shengrui was furious. If he hadn't lost his martial arts, Nangong Yu wouldn't have been able to escape. "Why aren't you chasing him? Don't let him get away."
Wei Wuji glanced at He Zhongtian. He Zhongtian immediately gave chase. Wei Wuji, however, remained with Murong Shengrui. After all, they were in a dangerous place, Murong Shengrui had lost his martial arts, and the poison could act up at any moment. Under such circumstances, he dared not leave Murong Shengrui alone.
He Zhongtian pursued relentlessly. After a stretch, he lost Nangong Yu's trace, frowning. He used to think Nangong Yu of Yusheng was a capable man, skilled in both civil and military arts, with superb strategies. Now, it seemed he was just a coward who only knew how to flee.
He Zhongtian didn't know which path Nangong Yu had taken and chose one at random. As soon as he stepped onto it, he triggered a mechanism. The ground gave way beneath him, and he plunged into a trap. He quickly thrust his sword into the wall, narrowly avoiding being impaled by the spikes below. Su Dan Fiction Network
He Zhongtian looked at the spikes below, feeling a tremor of fear. Just as he was preparing to pull himself up, he saw Nangong Yu standing above, looking down at him with a cold expression. He Zhongtian’s face filled with horror. Nangong Yu raised the sword in his hand and brought it down mercilessly. He Zhongtian's sword instantly snapped into two, and he plummeted into the trap.
Nangong Yu let out a cold laugh and turned towards another direction. When Murong Shengrui finally caught up, all he found besides He Zhongtian's body, impaled into a sieve-like corpse in the trap, was the absence of Nangong Yu.
Wei Wuji frowned slightly, "Your Majesty, the road ahead is perilous. Perhaps we should..."
"I will kill Nangong Yu!" Murong Shengrui roared in uncontrollable rage. If it weren't for Nangong Yu, his mother wouldn't have abandoned him. If it weren't for Nangong Yu, they would still have a loving mother and son, and Yun Qi would be thriving. But all of this was ruined because of Nangong Yu!
Killing Nangong Yu had become Murong Shengrui's obsession. Even though he knew the path ahead was dangerous and that chasing would be futile against Nangong Yu, and that Murong Shengrui himself was in danger of being killed by Nangong Yu, the hatred-blinded Murong Shengrui couldn't see the potential peril.
"Your Majesty, all our men are scattered. Continuing forward is extremely dangerous, especially since that Nangong Yu is exceptionally cunning. Why not retreat first, regroup, and then challenge him?"
"Wei Wuji, do you think I'm out of my mind?" Murong Shengrui said coldly. Did he not know the danger ahead? He had no certainty of victory. But if he retreated, he would only meet his death. The paths outside were already sealed off; he had no way to retreat.
"This servant does not."
"Do you think I have a retreat?" Murong Shengrui walked forward slowly, his steps firm. "There is no way back for us outside. This is a path of no return. From the moment I stepped in, there was no turning back."
"Your Majesty..." Wei Wuji sighed and followed. The path within was fraught with danger, yet it offered a sliver of hope. But if they retreated now, they would face annihilation, for neither Xiao Man nor Nangong Yu would leave them alive.
"Wei Wuji, if you're scared, you can leave. I'll go alone."
Wei Wuji followed behind Murong Shengrui, still with a meek and obedient demeanor. "Where Your Majesty goes, this servant follows. I will accompany Your Majesty through mountains of knives and seas of fire."
"You old fox, you speak beautifully," Murong Shengrui chuckled. "I never expected that in the end, only you would remain by my side. Wei Wuji, tell me, have I made a mistake?"
"Your Majesty has made no mistake," Wei Wuji replied. "Everything you have done has been carefully considered, for the good of Yun Qi and its people. It is merely that the enemy is too cunning."
Murong Shengrui was not pleased by these words. He knew he had made mistakes. It was his jealousy that ruined his relationship with Dugu Man. His possessiveness led him down a path of no return. But if given another chance, he would still choose the same path.
"You don't need to flatter me. I know I was wrong. Even knowing I was wrong, I wouldn't change. Give me another chance, and I would still do the same. I absolutely cannot let her help my enemies." Although Murong Shengrui didn't know Dugu Man's original intention in supporting Nangong Yu, he understood that from that moment on, a rift had formed between them.
He was panicked, he was afraid. He feared abandonment and worried about returning to the days of being bullied. Under the dual onslaught of fear and jealousy, he ultimately embarked on a path of no return.
"That is why this servant says Your Majesty is not wrong," Wei Wuji said softly. "This path is the one Your Majesty chose, and I will accompany Your Majesty down it, even if it means crawling."
"Wei Wuji, do you remember Mother?"
"This servant remembers. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was a woman of extraordinary talent, but unfortunately, she was too restless," Wei Wuji said calmly. "Such a woman, with too much capability and an inability to stay put, would inevitably compete with men for power and profit. If Your Majesty had not acted first, you would have ended up being harmed by her. Your Majesty acted merely in self-defense."
"Self-defense?" Murong Shengrui merely smiled. Dugu Man had intended to withdraw from court and return all power to him, but he refused to let go. He couldn't let her fly away, nor could he tolerate her leaving his side.
To keep her, he chose to cooperate with Feng Moran. He wasn't unaware of Feng Moran's malicious intentions, but jealousy had disfigured him, and he acted recklessly. He ultimately achieved his goal, but it also led to their complete estrangement.
"It wasn't for self-defense. It was selfishly that I wanted her to stay by my side. Whether alive or dead, she would belong only to me." A peculiar smile appeared in Murong Shengrui's eyes. He turned to look at Wei Wuji and smiled. "I know, she will definitely come here. I am waiting for her ahead!"
Wei Wuji thought to himself, His Majesty has truly become obsessed. Previously, he went to any lengths for the Empress Dowager, and now, for this Xiao Man, he is reckless. How did a good human emperor get ruined by women?
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and Empress Lan Yue, who do you care about more?" Wei Wuji inquired. He didn't understand love, but he knew a man's heart couldn't hold two people. If there was a successor, it meant the previous one wasn't loved!
"Wei Wuji, you old fox, you seem intelligent most of the time, yet how can you not realize that Xiao Man is Dugu Man?"