"You let them run away, and you're still not letting go!" Yang Muxi scolded Jiang Chen in annoyance.

This shameless guy had been holding her waist since earlier, not letting go for so long. Was he addicted to taking advantage of her?

Meeting her wolf-guarding gaze, Jiang Chen chuckled, "Ahem, Muxi, the situation was critical just now. I was worried about you, that's why I did that. I didn't mean to be frivolous, don't be angry."

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it. Now that he did, Yang Muxi's beautiful eyes widened even more, and she sneered, "Worried? I think you were worried about that slutty female assassin, weren't you?!"

"I was about to capture her, but you suddenly pounced on me, disrupting my focus and allowing that woman to escape... You bastard, were you reluctant to see her get hurt, and deliberately saved her?"

Hearing this, Jiang Chen also widened his eyes, feeling extremely wronged. "Muxi, how could you think of me like that?"

"That poisonous woman has been scheming against me in every way. I wish I could have had her executed on the spot. Why would I save her? I was worried about you the whole time!"

"Her short sword was about to pierce your throat. If I hadn't acted, would I even be considered a man?"

Yang Muxi narrowed her beautiful eyes. "You're not lying to me?"

Jiang Chen raised three fingers and solemnly said, "I swear to heaven, if I said half a lie just now, may I suffer..."

Before he could finish speaking, his thin lips were covered by a pair of small hands.

"Alright, I believe you. Say less of those unlucky words." Yang Muxi's pretty face flushed slightly, her beautiful eyes wandering over the stone wall, avoiding Jiang Chen's gaze.

This shy yet trying-to-appear-cold appearance made Jiang Chen's heart flutter. He couldn't help but say, "Muxi, you came to Mount Tai this time, rescued Jiaying, and helped me escape danger... Have you, perhaps, thought things through? Are you willing to be with me?"

As he spoke, he could no longer suppress the surging emotions in his heart, and took a step forward, embracing the beauty in front of him.

He believed that Yang Muxi had him in her heart!

Surrounded by Jiang Chen's fiery aura, a hint of hesitation appeared on Yang Muxi's moon-like face, but soon, she regained her usual coldness, and a layer of frost formed between her beautiful eyebrows.

"Jiang Chen, you understand me."

"My ambition cannot be shaken by love."

"You have the country and its people to protect, and as the leader of the Taiping Dao (Way of Great Peace), I also have my own responsibilities... Unless you are willing to compromise, otherwise, our relationship can only stop here!"

Yang Muxi's tone was calm, even carrying a hint of rare tenderness, but hearing it in Jiang Chen's ears was like a bucket of ice water being poured over him, chilling him to the bone.

The promise she wanted was one he couldn't give.

And so, the two fell into silence, and the originally fiery atmosphere turned cold.

Yang Muxi had long anticipated this situation, but facing it in reality still inevitably brought a sense of melancholy. After a silent sigh in her heart, she said coldly:

"Jiang Chen, now that you're safe, I'll be leaving. I have other matters to attend to."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen subconsciously grabbed her wrist, his voice tinged with reluctance. "Are you in such a hurry? Can't you stay a little longer?"

"We haven't seen each other in so long... I, I've been thinking about you."

Since their last parting in the small courtyard, Jiang Chen and Yang Muxi had barely had any contact, except for a brief encounter at the Elegant Gathering before Mount Tai. The rest of the time, they had been busy with their own affairs.

This state of being practically disconnected made Jiang Chen feel a little unbearable.

In fact, Yang Muxi was also reluctant to leave Jiang Chen, but she had her own pride, and feared that if she continued to contact Jiang Chen, she would completely admit defeat to him and abandon her years of persistence.

In the silent confrontation, the air became heavy.

Looking at the face he had been dreaming of, Jiang Chen steeled his heart and decided that he had to hold onto Yang Muxi no matter what!

Taking a step forward, he grasped the beauty's jade hand and said sincerely, "Muxi, I really can't live without you. Just stay here with me for a while, okay?"

Meeting those dark eyes filled with affection, Yang Muxi felt a surge of annoyance.

This bastard, he always uses this tactic on her!

But unfortunately, she was weak and could never resist this move!

Finally, after a long silence, Yang Muxi gritted her teeth and agreed to Jiang Chen, following him back to the main peak of Mount Tai.

Of course, she didn't make any promises, simply silently following Jiang Chen, perhaps leaving when the time was right.

The Fengshan Altar.

At this time, it had completely descended into chaos.

The Emperor had been kidnapped, high-ranking officials had been stabbed... A series of terrible events left everyone unable to cope.

Just as trusted officials like Xu Changqing were anxiously running around in circles, Jiang Chen, who had been missing for a long time, suddenly appeared, accompanied by a stunning beauty as pure and beautiful as an immortal in a painting.

Seeing this, the ministers on duty finally put their hearts back in their chests.

"Your, Your Majesty... It really is you, you're back safe!" The Consort Shu, who had arrived anxiously, had tears in her eyes, and threw herself straight into Jiang Chen's arms, her pretty face full of lingering fear.

"Wuwu... Your Majesty, this concubine was so worried, if anything had happened to you, this concubine wouldn't want to live anymore!" Choking with sobs, as if suddenly remembering something, the Consort Shu suddenly raised her head and began searching Jiang Chen's body.

"That's right, Your Majesty, are you injured? Did those assassins..."

The joy of being reunited after being lost overwhelmed the Consort Shu, and at this moment, she could only see Jiang Chen in front of her, and no one else could draw her attention away from him.

This treatment of being ignored directly turned Yang Muxi's already complicated mood into displeasure.

However, she had always been more tolerant towards women, and didn't resent the Consort Shu. Instead, she vented her displeasure directly on Jiang Chen, glaring fiercely at the guy a few times to express her dissatisfaction.

Feeling that needle-like gaze on his back, Jiang Chen chuckled wryly a few times, but there was nothing he could do.

Both the palm and the back of his hand were flesh, and he was stuck in the middle, making it difficult to handle... The only thing he was grateful for was that Yang Muxi and the Consort Shu were both kind-hearted women with no malicious intentions, and wouldn't hurt each other.

"Ahem, Yun'er, alright, I'm fine, don't cry." Jiang Chen comforted the Consort Shu, gently wiping away the tears on her pretty face.

"Your Majesty, scouts report that Mei Ruoying (Plum Like Shadow) broke through at the waist of Mount Tai, with hundreds of black-clad death warriors providing support, and our side suffered heavy losses!" Meng Qi's face was unsightly.

The fact that the Emperor had been kidnapped was already his dereliction of duty. Now, even the pursuit of an assassin had gone wrong. He felt extremely ashamed in his heart, feeling that he had failed the Emperor's trust.

However, Jiang Chen didn't blame him. With Mei Ruoying's cunning, if she were captured so easily, he would suspect a trap.

"It's okay, this poisonous woman is difficult to deal with. It's understandable that you were careless for a moment and she escaped... Continue to send people to pursue her, and first lock down her whereabouts."

"The most important thing today is still the Fengshan Ceremony, quickly clean up the altar and finish the main event."

Hearing this, the ministers nodded one after another.

Although there had been a few too many unexpected situations, the Fengshan Ceremony still had to continue, otherwise their Emperor would become a laughingstock.

An hour later, the Fengshan Altar reopened.

Although the pomp and circumstance was still grand, the number of commoners who came to watch the ceremony was clearly reduced, making the scene somewhat deserted...