âWhat do I have to do for you to trust me again?â Lou Zigui pleaded. Ning Xiaoyao pursed her lips.
âThank you for saving my brother,â Lou Zigui grabbed Ning Xiaoyaoâs hand again, âIâll leave the position of emperor to my big brother. From now on, Iâll accompany you to wherever you want to go.â
Ning Xiaoyao suddenly raised her head. After putting in so much effort and even destroying their relationship, he says he doesnât want to be the emperor anymore? Is he serious?
âXiaoyao,â Lou Zigui softly called to her. Ning Xiaoyao was still in a state of shock and hadnât gotten back to her senses. Ning Taosu was the one who replied to Lou Zigui with some âahâ sounds. She curiously stared at the person in front of her with a pair of almond eyes that were similar to her motherâs.
Lou Zigui was too focused on Ning Xiaoyao and didnât pay attention to Ning Taosu. But when Ning Taosu called out to him, Lou Zigui looked down and saw the little rascal in Ning Xiaoyaoâs arms.
âOh!â Ning Taosu called out to Lou Zigui again and habitually reached out to him, asking Lou Zigui to carry her. Ning Xiaoyao raised her hand and smacked her daughterâs hands down. Do you even know who that person is? Youâre just going to let him carry you like that?
âYa!â Ning Taosu retorted Ning Xiaoyao. âStop making noise!â Ning Xiaoyao was in a horrible mood and scolded Ning Taosu fiercely.
Ning Taosu was not afraid of her mother and tried to appease Ning Xiaoyao by stuffing berries in her mouth. Ning Xiaoyao turned her face. Only an idiot would eat this sour berry ah!
Lou Zigui measured Ning Taosu. This child appears to be around five to six months old and her face isnât fully developed yet. But her looks... Lou Zigui looked towards Ning Xiaoyao, âWho is she?â
Ning Xiaoyao stayed silent but she had a âthis baby has nothing to do with youâ expression on her face.
âNing Xiaoluoâs wife is pregnant,â Lou Zigui analysed, âThis child definitely isnât over six months old. This canât be Ning Xiaoluoâs child.â
Ning Xiaoyao: ... This person even did his research on his enemies before coming?
âWho is she?â Lou Zigui questioned. âMy big brotherâs ah,â Ning Xiaoyao nonchalantly replied.
âAh!â Ning Taosu called out. âShut up!â Ning Xiaoyao smacked her daughterâs head.
âThis child is so similar to you,â Lou Zigui softly responded.
âYou should hurry and head back,â Ning Xiaoyao changed the subject, âAfter everything thatâs happened, youâre not going to be the emperor? Who are you kidding? What about the people under you?â
âMy big brother is around. Originally, the Black Frost Cavalry belonged to him anyway.â
âYouâve discussed this with your big brother?â
âMy big brother is also here. Letâs go and tell him.â
âNah,â Ning Xiaoyao shook her head, âThis is a matter between you two. Donât drag me into it.â
âI wonât let go now that Iâve found you,â Lou Zigui stood in the cave and blocked Ning Xiaoyaoâs way out.
âAre you going to be this shameless?â Ning Xiaoyao furrowed her brows. Lou Zigui stood there without moving. What is dignity in front of his future wife? âIs this my daughter?â Lou Zigui pointed to Ning Taosu.
âNope,â Ning Xiaoyao promptly replied and squeezed pass him to leave. The sky thundered and the ground even shook. Ning Taosu heard the loud thunderclaps and was afraid again. She burrowed her face into Ning Xiaoyaoâs chest and crooned.
âItâs just thunder ah,â Ning Xiaoyao coaxed Ning Taosu, âItâs a natural occurrence. Thereâs nothing to be afraid of. We donât have to be scared.â
Just as Ning Xiaoyao said those words, the sky replied with another round of thunder. A few large rocks rolled down from the cliff and landed in the river, creating a huge splash. Ning Taosu was frightened and immediately started wailing.
Ning Xiaoyao pursed her lips. This baby isnât similar to her at all. How can she be afraid of thunder? (Author: Can you say that with a clear conscience?)
âBe good, donât cry,â Lou Zigui couldnât bear the sight and reached out to carry Ning Taosu.
When Ning Taosu saw a pair of hands reaching out to her, she looked up and saw Lou Ziguiâs face. She started squirming in Ning Xiaoyaoâs embrace. She wanted Lou Zigui to carry her.
Just when the father was about to carry his daughter, Ning Xiaoyao heard some noise from outside the cave. She reached out to grab Lou Zigui. At this moment, Lou Zigui opened his arms and hugged both Ning Xiaoyao and Ning Taosu.
Ning Xiaoyaoâs world seemed to be flipped around when she heard the dull sound of iron being stabbed into the body. Lou Zigui fell to the ground. However, he was afraid of squashing Ning Xiaoyao and Ning Taosu and could only hold onto the wall of the cave.
Ning Xiaoyao pulled Lou Zigui behind her and took a knife from the assassins with her bare hands.
âXiaoyao?â Lou Zigui shouted. Ning XIaoyao placed Ning Taosu in Lou Ziguiâs embrace and shouted, âThese arenât your underlings?â
Lou Ziguiâs body slowly slipped down the wall. But he still kept Ning Taosu tight in his embrace.
The hand Ning Xiaoyao used to grab the knife was stained with blood. The wound stretched from the tip of her middle finger all the way down to her palm. You could even see her bone within the flesh.
Lou Zigui wanted to say something but was dizzy from the loss of blood and couldnât make a sound. Ning Xiaoyao hurriedly tapped Lou Ziguiâs shoulder before rushing out of the cave. More than ten people ran over and started fighting in the cave.
The people that arrived werenât wearing what Ning Xiaoyao would imagine assassins to wear. She had assumed that they would be wearing camouflage clothing but these people were in normal villagerâs outfits. Their faces werenât even masked.
When Ning Xiaoyao ran out by herself, the assassins didnât even pay any attention to her. They risked their lives and hiked down the cliff to mount a sneak attack on Lou Zigui. Now that Lou Zigui couldnât move, they didnât expect a tiny lady like Ning Xiaoyao to fight back. The assassins felt that theyâve already completed their mission.
âWho sent you guys?â Ning Xiaoyao asked in the pouring rain. The assassins didnât reply and surrounded Ning Xiaoyao instead.
Ning Xiaoyao picked up a rock on the way out of the cave. She made her move after she saw them rushing towards her. The battle was over in a flash. It was a fight between normal humans and an evolved human being. Obviously, normal humans didnât stand a chance.
Ning Xiaoyao weighed the brick in her hand and squatted in front of an assassin and asked, âYouâre from Northern Hu?â The assassinâs leg was injured by Ning Xiaoyao and he was struggling on the ground. However, he was still stubborn and refused to answer to her question.
âI can tell even if you donât say anything,â Ning Xiaoyao wiped her face, âBased on your appearance, itâs obvious that youâre from Northern Hu.â
The assassin stared at Ning Xiaoyaoâs hand. Earlier, he clearly saw his comrade slicing through her hand and drawing blood. But now thereâs no wound on her hand at all. How could this be?!
âYou were sent by Modou right? Xie Wenyuan havenât pissed him to death? â The assassin stared at Ning Xiaoyao and his face paled, âYou monster...!â he screamed.
Ning Xiaoyao knocked this assassin out with her brick. She hated this type of people the most -the kind that casually used the word âmonsterâ. Standing up, she swept a glance at all the assassins. They consisted of both Northern Hu and Yongning men.
âYouâre Xie Wenyuanâs men?â Ning Xiaoyao asked the guy that looked like he was from the Central Plains. This man was more pitiful than the previous Northern Hu person. Both his legs were injured and his head was even split open by Ning Xiaoyao. He couldnât stop trembling when Ning Xiaoyao asked about Xie Wenyuan.
âOkay, you donât have to tell me. I can see you trembling. I guess you are Xie Wenyuanâs underling.â
The man wanted to say that he wasnât but couldnât speak.
Xie Wenyuan is still alive. Ning Xiaoyaoâs mood worsened. Could this unlucky bastard really live for a thousand years?
âXiaoyao?â Lou Zigui said from inside the cave. Ning Xiaoyao walked back into the cave. âItâs Modou and Xie Wenyuanâs men. Youâre being followed.â
Lou Zigui knitted his brows. âLet me see your injury,â Ning Xiaoyao walked forward. Lou Zigui obediently let Ning Xiaoyao remove his clothes to take a look at his back. He actually felt quite happy that Ning Xiaoyao still cared about him. This meant that he still had a place in her heart.
Ning Xiaoyao looked at the wound. It was very deep and the bleeding stopped but the damage was extensive. In fact, even his muscle flesh could be seen. This wound could have taken his life. âI could have evaded it. Why did you have to risk your life like that?â
The corners of Lou Ziguiâs mouth were curved upwards but he didnât say anything. âYou almost died ah. Can you still be the emperor if youâre dead?â Xiaoyao muttered.
âI donât want to be the emperor anymore,â Lou Zigui repeated, âIâve already said Iâll travel the world with you.â
âW-who said I want to travel the world?â Ning Xiaoyao stuttered, âMy big brother said that he would set up a clinic in Fengzhou for me. My big brother also said I can earn a lot of money with my medical skills.â
âThen Iâll be your assistant,â Lou Zigui said optimistically, âI donât need a salary. You can just provide me with food and lodging.â
Suddenly, Ning Xiaoyao wanted to kill the person in front of her. How could he have the mood to chat with her when he just got stabbed?!
âModou canât enter the Central Plains,â Lou Zigui reassured Ning Xiaoyao, âSo, there is no reason for him to work with Xie Wenyuan anymore. Xie Wenyuan is not from the same clan as Modou. Modou will definitely get rid of him.â
âIâm not worried about that. It has nothing to do with me.â
âIt has nothing to do with me either,â Lou Zigui immediately followed.
âCan you talk properly?â Ning Xiaoyao was angry, âIf you really thought this way, why did you listen to your teacher the other time? Do you think Iâm stupid? Stop trying to deceive me.â
Lou Zigui flipped over to face Ning Xiaoyao. Ning Xiaoyao had a deadpan expression. âTurn around. Iâll heal your injury. You can leave with Big Bro Lou after we get out of the mountains. Go and do what you have to do.â
Lou Zigui grabbed Ning Xiaoyaoâs hand. âItâs fine. As long as I wonât die, thatâs good enough. Healing me will make you tired.â
Ning Xiaoyao was startled.
âYou can talk to animals. You can heal people,â Lou Zigui saw that Ning Xiaoyao was shocked and took the opportunity to stroke Ning Xiaoyoaâs face. âMy big brother was disabled but you could still treat him. I know that youâre not an ordinary person. At the time, I already knew you would be fine. But I have made a huge mistake. Itâs not whether you would die or not. Instead, where was I when the enemies surrounded the city walls?â
Ning Xiaoyao dug her fingers into her palm. Actually, Ning Xiaoyao didnât know what she was upset about. She was just upset.
Lou Zigui carefully hugged Ning Xiaoyao, making sure not to squish Ning Taosu in the middle. âI was able to continue living because I knew you were fine. Itâs great that you are alive. Thank you, Xiaoyao.â
Ning Xiaoyao inhaled. She didnât get it. Why did Lou Zigui have to thank her for being alive?
âAh!â Ning Taosu reached out to touch Lou Ziguiâs face. Lou Zigui hugged the mother and daughter duo in his embrace. He knew, even without Ning Xiaoyaoâs confirmation, that this was his daughter. It could only be his daughter.
âHello, my little princess,â Lou Zigui kissed Ning Taosuâs chubby face and leaned his head against Ning Xiaoyaoâs neck. In no time, Ning Xiaoyaoâs shoulder was wet.
(Wtf? Why is her shoulder area wet? Is he drooling on her shoulder or something? #confused... oh maybe he was crying. Oops.)