Chapter 8 To the Death

　　The gate of the post station is right in front of me, however, at this moment, the people are mixed up, and I don't know who is friend or foe, so I don't dare to ask for help rashly. 　　See outside the door of the night is deep, thick fog, but no longer hesitate, I gritted my teeth, hair feet run to the door. 　　A person flashed out of the diagonal corner, my eyes suddenly dark, a burly figure shrouded me in gloom. 　　I looked up in horror, but the man covered my mouth with one hand and dragged me into a secluded spot under the eaves. 　　"Your Highness must not act rashly, my subordinate has been ordered by the King of Yuzhang to come to meet you and make sure to protect your Highness." 　　I shuddered, staring incredulously. 　　I couldn't see this person's face in the darkness, but only felt that this voice with a strong Guanwai accent was familiar. 　　Do not wait for me to recover from the shock, this man even stopped waist will pick me up, stride back. 　　I crouched on his shoulders, unable to move, my heart was shocked, millions of thoughts back, chaotic extreme. 　　As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he shouted: "Who's little whore escaped, I caught and counted as my own!" 　　"Damn it, this little bitch doesn't know what's good for her!" The gnarled bearded man's voice rang out, "Thanks to the brothers to help capture her, or else the silver would be gone!" 　　With a flash of light, I was thrown towards the gnarled bearded man. 　　He twisted my hands, twisting my shoulders to the point of strange pain to the bone. 　　I feigned a desperate struggle, taking advantage of the situation to sneak a look at the man who had just tackled me. 　　I only heard this gray-robed, long-booted man hem and haw and sneer, "Okay, okay, but such a big living person can't be returned to you for nothing." 　　The gnarled bearded man smiled, from the sleeve touched out a piece of broken silver, "a little bit of small meaning, to the big brother to play a pot of wine to drink. It's our first time to come out to run a business, please take care of us on the road in the future." 　　The gray-clothed man took the silver, spat on the ground and hummed, "This little girl is very handsome, and will definitely fetch a good price." 　　The gnarled bearded man's hands tightened, immovably blocked me behind, laughing: "This woman is a crazy woman, can get rid of it is good, do not expect to earn much money. When the brother made the sale, then treat big brother to a good drink!" 　　Gray man laughed, close to look at me, a look of salivation, "good pretty face, crazy does not matter ...... old brother can watch a little tight, look at these two days will be able to make the sale, do not let the silver to fly!" 　　He said, reached out to pinch my chin. 　　The gnarled bearded man laughed while dragging me back. 　　My hands were clipped, and the pain went through my bones. When I thought back to the big man's words before he left, I felt a mixture of sadness and happiness. 　　When he said, "I think we can make a deal in the next two days," he reached out to pinch my chin, and took the opportunity to give me a close look - I guess he was using this to imply that help would be coming in the next two days. 　　If he really is the person sent by Xiao Qi, then Xiao Qi already knows the whereabouts of Helan Zhen and knows that they will strike in three days. 　　It turned out that the person he sent had already sneaked in quietly, watching every move of Helan Pro and waiting for an opportunity to control the enemy. 　　King Xiao Qi of Yuzhang, the husband and son-in-law I married, did not disappoint me after all. 　　My palms were sweating from nervousness, and my heart felt like storm clouds stirring - he came to my rescue after all. 　　I thought I was in a desperate situation, isolated and without help, no longer counting on others to help me. But in the most desperate place, a ray of light suddenly shone in, dispersing the thick blackness in front of me. The person I didn't dare to count on appeared at the most critical moment. 　　I bit my lip, forced to hold back the pain and joy, no more fear in my heart. 　　The gray-clothed man's face and voice continue to flash in front of me, always feel déjà vu, I think hard, my mind suddenly flashed! 　　Is he! 　　Departure that day there is a big man whipped a crying woman, now recall, it is this man. 　　My body stiffened, but my knees went weak. 　　It turned out that they had been targeted by Xiao Qi's men in the pasture. 　　From the time I was abducted to the border, Xiao Qi already knew their whereabouts. 　　Helan Pro's men tried every possible means to blend into the ranks of the private prostitutes who trafficked in camp prostitutes, but Xiao Qi watched without moving, just waiting for them to fall into the jar. 　　What was Xiao Qi thinking? Why didn't he move when he could have rescued me long ago? 　　Did he know that I was in danger and could be humiliated and tortured at any time? 　　He didn't care about my safety at all, letting his nominal wife be trapped by the enemy. 　　My body gusts of cold, confused like being thrown up to the clouds, and then swung into the valley. 　　The fire has been extinguished, a smoky mess on the porch. 　　Gnarled bearded man pushed me into Horan Pro room. 　　A cadre of people are all there, all hanging hands and standing in silence, not a sound. 　　Helan Zhen was sitting on a chair, his white clothes sullen, his face expressionless. 　　Xiaoye kneeling on the ground, tousled hair and dirty face, unusually woeful, between the temples of the hair is still smoke and fire to the charred stains. 　　He Lan Zhen did not look at me, his eyes only swept over her, "Xiao Ye, how did she escape?" 　　Xiao Ye raised her head and stared at me, her eyes seemed to be dripping blood. 　　"The slave girl was out of sight, she set the house on fire and took advantage of the chaos to escape." Xiao Ye bit her lip. 　　He Lan Zhen looked at me sideways and smiled instead of being angry, "Good fiery woman, very good, I like it." 　　I coldly locked eyes with him, my heart was calm and fearless. 　　He looked askance at Xiao Ye, "This momentary negligence of yours almost spoiled my big event." 　　Xiao Ye kowtowed heavily, "Slave girl knows her sins and is waiting for Young Lord's chastisement." 　　His face was cold, "A waste, what's the use of punishing you?" 　　Xiao Ye cowering on the ground. 　　He Lan Zhen indifferently said, "It is not that I do not pity you, always have to teach people to know, do waste is a result ...... Sotu, waste her an arm is." 　　Xiao Ye trembled, his face was dead gray, his eyes looked at him hollowly. 　　The gnarled bearded man sank his face forward, his eagle claw like hand took her shoulder, drew his knife with his backhand, and the morose blade light was raised high. 　　"No, don't! I still have to serve the young master, don't cut my hand--" Xiao Ye looked like she had awakened violently from a nightmare, breaking free from the hold and pouncing forward to grab the hem of Helan Pro's robe, touching her head to the ground and kowtowing with a shocking sound. 　　The gnarled bearded man pulled her hair and clipped her right arm backwards, looking ready to chop it down. 　　"Stop!" I shouted, "Helan Zhen, can it be that you only take the anger of the innocent and bully women?" 　　He Lan Zhen turned his head sideways and looked askance coldly. 　　"I set the fire, it has nothing to do with her, even if you personally guarded it, I would have escaped just the same." I raised my eyebrows and looked at him angrily. 　　His gaze was like ice, looking at me for a long time, he suddenly smiled grimly, "Fine, I will personally guard you." 　　This man was true to his word, and really left me in his room to be guarded by him personally. 　　Although sharing a room, Helan Zhen did not nuisance me again, but let people hold to the cotton wool spread on the ground, he sat on his knees on the ground, closed his eyes into the fixed. 　　I do not dare to sleep in his bed, half asleep, half awake, staring vigilantly through the night. 　　At dawn, the men and horses took to the road and headed straight for Ningshuo. 　　At noon, the carriage gradually slowed down, outside the sound of people and horses, vaguely lively weather. 　　Through the curtains, nothing can be seen, and the sound is also noisy and difficult to distinguish. 　　I leaned over and listened through the airtight curtains, and breathed deeply, even if I could only smell a trace of intimacy in the dry, cold air. 　　This is Ningshuo, where Xiao Qi is. 　　This thought gave me courage and peace of mind - finally I was no longer alone. 　　Even though I was trapped by wolves, I could already see the faint light of a fire in the distance. Xiao Qi, the name, was the firelight that shone from afar. 　　As the wheels rolled, bringing me to the bottom of Ningshuo City, to this part of the land where he was, I actually had the hope for the first time, hoping to see him, no matter where, when, and in what situation. 　　When I reached the place where the sound of people was fading, I was pushed out of the car and immediately hooded. 　　For a moment I seemed to see the barracks in the distance. 　　My feet crossed several thresholds, turned left and right, and finally came to a stop. The hood was pulled off, and in front of me was a room with clear windows, and outside the door was a small courtyard with green tiles and white walls. 　　I was surprised, turned my head to look, but did not see the figure of Helan Zhen, only Xiaoye coldly stood in front of me. 　　This whole day, Xiaoye did not leave the left and right, there are guards outside the door, but Helan Zhen is nowhere to be seen. 　　It seems to be as calm as stagnant water, but the unseen undercurrent underneath the water surface is surging and churning. 　　At night, I lay down with my clothes on, and Xiaoye stood at the door with his sword. 　　The moonlight from the border came in through the window, spilling onto the ground as cold as frost. 　　"Aren't you tired of standing all day?" 　　I tossed and turned without sleep, so I sat up and talked to Xiaoye. 　　She ignored me, and her eyes remained cold when they touched. 　　I sighed. 　　"I owe you a favor, if you have any wishes before you die, you can say them to me." She spoke coldly. 　　I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't, and for a moment I couldn't think of any wishes. 　　The silhouettes of my brother, my parents, and Zi Tama swept before my eyes, and I hugged my knees and shook my head, smiling slightly bitterly. 　　"You don't have a wish?" Sayaka stared back at me in surprise. 　　In the past eighteen years, with a golden hall and a beautiful career, I unexpectedly wanted for nothing, and actually had no heart's desire to hang on to. 　　Even if one day, I disappear from the human world, my parents, my brother, and Zi Tama ...... they will certainly be sad, but after forgetting the temporary sadness, they will continue to live on, and after a lifetime of honor and glory will end up in peace, nothing will be different. 　　"See you, Young Lord!" 　　There was a sudden movement outside the door. 　　I hurriedly pulled the quilt in front of me, covering the clothes I couldn't organize in time. 　　The door opened and Helan Zhen stepped in with his hands folded. 　　The light moonlight behind him reflected his snowy white clothes, which made him more and more depressed. 　　He came in and didn't make a sound, only looked at me sitting on the bed with the blanket, his face hidden in the dark colors of the night, like a shadow like a charm, indistinguishable. 　　Then he approached the bed, flicked his sleeve, "You guys retreat." 　　"Young Lord!" 　　Xiao Ye seemed to be fuming with urgency, bending her knees, "The slave girl is bold, I beg Young Lord to focus on the great cause of revenge!" 　　Helan Zhen looked down at her, "What did you say?" 　　Xiao Ye's body trembled and said in a trembling voice, "The slave girl's death is not worth it, I beg Young Lord to look at the slave girl's past service and allow the slave girl to finish this sentence!" She stubbornly raised her head and tearfully said, "We have waited for so many days for revenge, so many people have died, success or failure depends on tomorrow's move ...... If young master is obsessed by female color and spoils the plan for revenge, how can he stand up to the Helan Clan's blood feud!" 　　He Lan Zhen was silent, the moonlight shone on his face, so white that it was scary. 　　"Thank you for your loyalty." He spoke faintly. 　　Before the words left his mouth, he saw him suddenly flip his hand and slap his hand, sending Xiao Ye flying out. 　　Xiao Ye hit the corner of the wall, spewed out a mouthful of blood, and collapsed to the ground. 　　Shocked, I jumped out of bed, not minding that I was only wearing a close-fitting Chinese dress, and scrambled to help Xiaoye up. 　　Fresh blood dripped from the corner of Xiao Ye's lips, her face was like gold paper, trembling and unable to speak. 　　"He Lan Zhen, you ......" I was shocked and furious, hard to believe that in front of me this white clothes bright, as if untainted by the dust of the people, can be loyal to a weak woman to his hands. 　　He only dusted his sleeves, "Come on people, drag her away." 　　The guards outside the door came in and dragged away Xiao Ye. 　　Before she left, her gaze was lax, still looking sadly at Helan Zhen. 　　Helan Zhen came to the bedside and sat down, using the hand that had just injured Xiao Ye, he stroked my face. 　　I froze, unable to retreat, and a chill spread around me. 　　"Killing is actually quite simple." He laughed, ruffling a strand of disheveled hair in front of my face, "I don't care how many people I kill, but the thought of killing you tomorrow is unpleasant." 　　He had a pair of ghostly black pupils that flickered with a demonic light in the moonlight, and there was genuine sadness in the bottom of his eyes. 　　"God but whenever I get a beautiful thing, it will be destroyed before my eyes. The more I like it, the less I get it." He pressed closer to me, looking into my eyes, pressing closer and closer, "That's right, I was born ominous, a cursed man, but whatever I love will be destroyed before my eyes." 　　His eyes were sad, like a madman. 　　However, the "loved ones" in his mouth stunned me. 　　"You are worthy of being my woman, fierce, beautiful and bad." He lifted my chin and looked at it in fascination, "If I were not the prince of the Horan clan and not your enemy, would you ...... not loathe me so much?" 　　"My loathing of you has nothing to do with your identity." I looked at his beautiful and demonic eyebrows, really should be a prince's face, "I only loathe you for bullying the weak, relocating the anger of innocents, and only wanting to kill and retaliate." 　　He did not get annoyed, some sadness in his eyes, "I was born to be such a person, such a life." 　　I wanted to retort, but for a moment I didn't know what words I could use to retort, what kind of tragic encounter that was, I knew nothing about it. 　　His eyes strayed to my face. 　　"Do you know how I survived, without being ruthless, without striking first, I would have died at the hands of someone else. No one will be merciful to me, except Mother, except you." He lowered his eyes and smiled bitterly, "You all have very soft hearts." 　　The Helan Zhen in front of him was unfamiliar like a lonely child, the usual ruthlessness was completely missing. 　　"When you took the knife that day and wanted to kill me, there was no cowardice at all, you were daring to kill, I know ...... but you didn t, just a little bit of soft vision, as beautiful as my mother, at that time I was almost willing to die under your knife, do you know?" 　　He gripped my shoulders and, slowly, took me in his arms. 　　I could hear the rush of his heartbeat under his chest. 　　At this moment I did not break free to resist, quiet obedience, in his softest and most vulnerable moment, softened his voice to call his name, "Helan Zhen, not no one is willing to be good to you, if you go to live a peaceful life, there will always be a lot of women to accompany the tenderness of the ......" 　　He interrupted my words, smiled and stared, "I do not want many women, I want you, but also your husband's head." 　　The coldness from head to toe, made me stiff for a long time, only cold smile, "Even if you kill Xiao Qi, your country can not come back, it is no more than hitching a ride into the lives of more clansmen, so that they will accompany you to the funeral." 　　A cruel and icy smile, like a layer of night fog slowly dispersed in his dark eyes. 　　"I'll tell you a story." He sat down by the couch. 　　"There was a beautiful and noble princess in the Helan Kingdom, so noble that it would be blasphemy for anyone to even look at her more than once." 　　He looked at me with downcast eyes, "You resemble her." 　　"The King of Helan married her off to the noblest warrior of the entire clan, and on the day of the wedding, the Turkic prince who came to observe the ceremony saw her beauty and snatched her away in public at the wedding. King Helan didn't dare to offend the Turk and had to watch her being humiliated. She is just a weak woman, no courage to resist. After being defiled by the Turkic prince, she gave birth to a pair of twin children." 　　As if he was telling a distant story, Helan Pro narrated the story, the corners of his lips still carrying a hint of a smile. 　　"She and that pair of children were seen as a great shame by the royal family. King Helan refused to recognize her identity from then on, expelling the three of them, mother and son, from the palace. Only her loyal chief of guards in the palace has been following her, helping her bring up her pair of children and teaching her son to read and practice martial arts." 　　I looked at Helan Zhen's clear side face, my heart couldn't bear it, and a trace of pain flooded my heart. 　　"Her children grew up, and the mother and son lived in poverty and hardship, depending on each other. One year her daughter was so sick that she was about to die, she took her son to ask for help from the relatives of the former royal family, but they pointed at the boy and called him a sinful bastard, driving her away. Who knew that after many years, the Turkic prince would send men to find her and forcibly take her son." 　　I said offhandedly, "Why, didn't he refuse to recognize the boy before?" 　　He laughed coldly, "His only son died in battle, and without an heir, he remembered that there was still a sinful seed left behind in Helan back then." 　　I was silent. 　　"The child was snatched away soon, the central plains and Turkic war, Helan sandwiched between the two countries, suffered from the scourge of war, the people do not want to live. The child was in Turkic, knowing that his loved ones were suffering, but could do nothing." 　　He tilted his head, unable to suppress the tears that slid down. 　　"Before Helan City was broken, Turkic was also defeated and fled to the north. That child begged with his death before the Turkic prince agreed to allow him to bring a guard to rush back to Helan to save his mother." His voice lurched, his pupils suddenly contracted, telling the most brutal scene, "He went late, only one day late ...... The royal capital of Helan had already been attacked by Xiao Qi, and the corpses were piled up like a mountain, and the blood flowed into a river. All the royal family were executed, and none of the women and babies were spared. Originally, he still had one last hope, hoping that his mother would be expelled from the royal family and not be included in the execution. But when he arrived at the village where his mother lived, the whole village had been reduced to a sea of fire. He found two charred corpses in the wreckage of his home, with his mother clinging to her sister, both of whom had died horribly." 　　I was breathless as I listened, and the ghastly scene floated before my eyes, as if I saw a despairing and frantic teenager, uttering mournful cries amidst the ruins. In the scourge of war, people's lives are like ants, from the royal family down to the commoners, no one can be spared. Even though Xiao Qi did not massacre the civilians, the civilians suffered the most. Which general's hands are not full of blood and debt, who's achievements are not piled up with white bones? 　　He Lan Zhen still tilted his head, seems to have stiffened into stone. 　　He clenched my hand hard, fingers cold, without a trace of temperature. 　　"The only attachment I have in this world, all turned into ashes on that day. From then on there was no country, no clan, no home. I became a lonely soul, unable to return anywhere. Sotou, my mother's chief of guards, found me, and with a group of palace people who managed to escape, embraced me as the young lord, vowing to die to avenge the Heran clan." 　　A demonic madness flashed in his eyes, "Ridiculous, why would I want to avenge the Helan Clan, what kind of young lord is a Turkic wild seed abandoned by his kin? But it doesn't matter, none of this matters! Wild seed or not, young master or not, as long as I can avenge my mother and sister, I am willing to do anything! Those who killed them will pay a hundred times the price!" 　　I was speechless, my mouth and heart full of bitterness. 　　Not only Helan Pro, suffered from the war poisoned the people, who do not have a mother, sisters, father and brother ...... in that lonely and angry young man's heart, mother and sister is only afraid that he is the only remaining beauty and miss. 　　Carrying a body of hurt, is not not pitiful. 　　However, his hatred, his revenge, but pointed to my husband, my family and country. 　　And I have become a pawn in his revenge.