Finally free of that ominous hall with its sinister shadows, Yixiao exhaled softly—yet found herself glancing back despite her resolve.
That heavily fortified, magnificent palace. A wedding banquet that appeared harmonious and joyful on the surface, while beneath, dark currents had surged with lethal intent. Who could perceive the killing, bloodshed, sorrow, anger, fear, and hatred concealed within those golden walls?
Noticing her backward gaze, Feng Suige paused. "What are you looking at?"
Yixiao withdrew her attention, voice contemplative. "Does living in such a place not exhaust you?"
The question struck like a blade to his heart. Feng Suige's smile emerged bitter, resigned. "I have no choice. But you do."
"Wrong." Her laugh carried no humor. "Neither of us does."
"Why?" Confusion creased his features. "You have the chance to leave. As long as you depart from Susha, even if he wants to deal with you, it'll require considerably more effort. As long as you—"
"You ask me why." Yixiao interrupted, her smile framed by raven-black hair like an epiphyllum blooming in darkness. "It's like asking why night doesn't change its color. You, standing in daylight, cannot understand the darkness of night—you even think black and white are choices to be made." She paused, letting the wind lift her unbound hair, strands drifting like silk through shadows. "Night is dark because it can only be so, not because it insists on being so. If it could choose, why would it embrace the cold?"
Feng Suige remained silent, absorbing the truth of her words. Father would indeed stop at nothing once committed to a course. Though Yixiao possessed formidable skill to protect herself, her fatal weakness lay in her inability to live solely for her own survival. She would always sacrifice herself for others.
As they approached the plaza crowded with carriages and horses, chaotic footsteps echoed behind them. Yixiao and Feng Suige turned—it was Xia Jingshi and his retinue.
Yixiao watched as Xia Jingshi walked toward her position. No—he merely glanced at her in passing, moving past like she was a stranger on the road.
Cold wind brushed her cheek, as if ice had been forced down her throat. What kind of glance was that...
For one suspended moment, Yixiao wanted to chase after him—but her legs refused the command. She could only watch his retreating figure with burning intensity.
"Yixiao." Xueying stopped before her, voice thick with unshed tears. "You said we would return together."
The armor of Yixiao's careful composure shattered instantly. She raised a hand to brush at her eyes, forcing something resembling a smile. "I'm sorry. I've broken my promise."
Everyone nearby regarded her with silent understanding. Ning Fei's voice emerged hoarse with emotion. "Don't worry. His Highness is merely angry at the moment. He won't abandon you."
"That man neither loves deeply nor hates intensely. It's because I've finally understood that point that I decided to give up." Yixiao's eyes shimmered—not with tears, but with fierce determination. "Don't worry about me. Just be good to Xueying. Don't always make her angry."
Xueying's restraint crumbled. She threw her arms around Yixiao, burying her face in her friend's shoulder as sobs wracked her frame. "Yixiao, don't stay here... Come with us, please..."
"I've thought about keeping you here with me," Yixiao teased gently, patting her back with careful tenderness even as deep sorrow filled her eyes. "But I'm afraid Uncle Ling would hunt me down and kill me. When you and Ning Fei get married, remember to write and tell me." Her voice softened further. "Among all the people I've met, you two are the most deserving of happiness."
Shouts carried from the distance—Xia Jingshi's carriage preparing to depart. Ning Fei hesitated briefly, then spoke with quiet gravity. "Take care of yourself."
Ignoring Xueying's struggles, he drew her firmly toward the plaza. The others followed in their wake. Yixiao instinctively took several steps forward—but Feng Suige's hand on her arm pulled her back.
Xiao Weiran walked at the rear. As he passed Yixiao and Feng Suige, he paused, addressing the prince directly. "She seems clever but is fundamentally stubborn. She easily infuriates others yet makes them unable to let go. She's just a lonely fool with low self-esteem—if you're not careful, she hides away to nurse her wounds alone." His gaze bore into Feng Suige with unmistakable warning. "So it's not easy to take care of her. If you cannot protect her, send her back to Jinxiu as soon as possible."
As if making a vow, Feng Suige tightened his arm around her. "I can. I'll make sure she smiles happily every day."
Xiao Weiran's smile emerged faint but genuine. He reached out to gently stroke Yixiao's face, his voice dropping to an intimate murmur. "Girl, the most useless thing in this world is reckless courage. Even if you're brimming with passion and martial prowess, in the end, two fists cannot defeat four hands." He paused, ensuring she met his eyes. "If you want to roam the world, you must rely on strategy and wisdom. This path is not easy—but as long as you understand what I've said, there's nothing you cannot overcome."
Seeing Yixiao nod with solemn understanding, he waved once and departed without looking back.
Yixiao stared after Xiao Weiran's retreating figure, lost in thought. After a long silence, a smile touched her lips—sad and wondering. What I said that day was right. The person who understands me best is indeed Xiao Weiran. Why isn't he the one I fell for?
"It's time to go." Feng Suige sighed softly. "If you truly cannot bear it, tomorrow I'll take you to see them off."
Outside Susha City
A black banner embroidered with the gold character "Xia" fluttered at the procession's head. Feng Xiyang's tears remained undried; she kept twisting to gaze at the increasingly distant city walls—as if she could still see her father forcing a smile, waving farewell from the ramparts.
Xueying sat inside the carriage with lowered eyes, her expression placid yet melancholy.
Yixiao did not come to see them off.
Feng Qishan was no easy adversary, but with Feng Suige's protection, Yixiao shouldn't suffer excessively. As for Feng Xiyang—perhaps she shouldn't harbor resentment—yet when Xiyang had sent someone to invite Xueying to ride with her earlier, Xueying had still refused...
A dull thud struck the carriage board. Guards beside the vehicle shouted nervously, "Ambush! Protect the carriage!"
Xueying's heart seized. She instinctively lifted the curtain—an arrow with long feathers embedded itself beside the carriage window. Chaos erupted outside as the carriage lurched to a halt.
Ning Fei galloped over swiftly, eyes scanning their surroundings with vigilant intensity. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
Xueying looked at him blankly. "Ah... I'm fine..." Her gaze traveled past his shoulder, fixing on the high slope indicated by the arrow's trajectory.
There, two riders stood side by side—Fu Yixiao and Feng Suige.
Yixiao held the reins in one hand, a bow in the other, commanding her mount atop the slope. Seeing the confusion below, she seemed to smile faintly. Then she tossed the bow aside and urged her horse down the incline. Feng Suige remained motionless, watching.
"It's Yixiao!" Xueying shouted, scrambling from the carriage and waving frantically. "Yixiao! Yixiao!"
Yixiao didn't rein in her horse until reaching Xueying's position. Her friend appeared simultaneously overjoyed and furious. "I knew you wouldn't come... You haven't used a bow in years. What if you'd missed and shot me dead?"
Yixiao tossed a wooden box to her, laughing with genuine mirth. "If I'd accidentally killed you, I'd follow you in death." She gestured dismissively. "Here—I heard you praise that incense last time, so I asked Feng Suige for some."
"Yixiao." Clutching the wooden box, Xueying's eyes sparkled with desperate hope. "Since you're already here, come with us. Feng Suige won't stop you."
Yixiao's smile emerged distant, desolate—like frost on a winter morning. "I'm here to see you off. How can I turn it into traveling together?" Her voice softened with affection. "Xueying, thank you for staying by my side all this time without ever leaving. I will return."
Seeing her gather the reins as if to turn back, a deep, hoarse voice called from ahead. "Yixiao... Why won't you return with me?"
Xia Jingshi walked forward slowly, his usually inscrutable eyes now naked with pain.
Yixiao remained silent for a long breath, then turned her head and smiled faintly. "I once thought we belonged to each other. But unfortunately, you made me realize I was wrong—utterly, completely wrong!"
As she uttered the final three words, a crack appeared in her previously indifferent eyes. Complex and intense emotions burst forth in that instant—relief mixed with anguish, joy tangled with sorrow, a contradiction that couldn't be reconciled.
Not giving him time to process or respond, Yixiao had already wheeled her horse around and galloped away—back toward the walls of Susha, back toward the cage she'd chosen, back toward whatever fate awaited in those shadowed halls.
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