Xiao Chi Zhan did not wish to say more and upset her heart, so he changed the subject and led her back to the room.
Ye Luan saw through his intentions and pestered him with questions.
Inside the room, it was warm.
Xiao Chi Zhan took off her outer cloak for her, held her, and sat by the soft couch, warming themselves by the fire.
"I'm asking you a question."
She kicked him with her leg.
Xiao Chi Zhan grabbed her foot, pulled her down, and drew her into his arms, then lowered his head to kiss her.
Ye Luan was also stubborn and dodged his kiss.
In their struggle, their clothes became disheveled, and they tumbled onto the soft couch.
"Since ancient times, alliances between two countries have always required entering the palace."
After he explained, he pinched her chin and kissed her fiercely.
Ye Luan's body went soft from his kiss, and for some reason, her mind flashed back to when he had thrown a tantrum and smashed her flower stand as they left the capital.
She suddenly clutched his lapel, "From now on, control your temper, and no more smashing things."
Hearing her stern words, Xiao Chi Zhan was displeased, "Objects are ranked before me."
After saying that, he still felt wronged and bit her lip heavily.
"You're fierce with me for their sake."
Ye Luan was speechless at his words, "I'm talking about your temper, can you stop losing it so easily?"
"When do I lose my temper? In front of you, I have the best temper."
"----"
There was no reasoning with him.
Ye Luan glared at him and pushed him.
"I can't be bothered with you."
Hearing this, Xiao Chi Zhan's body trembled instantly, a hint of grievance gathering in his eyes, a chilling aura emanating from him, looking quite terrifying.
Ye Luan sensed the wrongness of the surroundings and looked up at his ferocious expression, her heart skipping a beat.
"You were with him in Longcheng for so long, did you fall for him?"
"----"
"Are you annoyed with me now?"
Ye Luan, "----"
"It's fine." He lowered his head and kissed her, "I will kill him."
They shouted at each other every day, but neither of them had killed the other.
Ye Luan thought to herself.
But she knew that perhaps he had developed insecurities and a lack of security because she had chosen to stay in Longcheng at the time.
She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, reciprocating his kiss.
"I only love you, and will only love you my entire life."
Many people died in the battle at Saint Pagoda. Xie Beihan, upon learning that Xu Qing had fallen off a cliff, ignored the monk's plea and insisted on waiting for the Southern Xinjiang imperial family.
"Find him, search for him, anyone who can't find him will die."
In the hall, Xie Beihan had just changed his dressing when he unleashed a torrent of anger.
He seemed to have been stimulated by something, becoming terrifyingly gloomy, and no one dared to serve him.
Huo Dao knelt on the ground, "Your subordinate has already sent people to search. The Holy Monk is highly skilled, and the area below is a river. He should not have died."
"I want results. Increase manpower, you must find him, even if he is dead, bring back his remains."
"Yes."
After the man left, Xie Beihan desperately suppressed his violent temper and looked at the monk beside him, saying, "Order reinforcements to the border."
The monk sat in his chair and, hearing his words, slightly opened his eyes.
"Your Majesty has signed a thirty-year non-aggression treaty with Daliang, so you should abide by the agreement. Your most urgent task now is to return to the palace and formally ascend the throne, not to confront the King of Dingbei of Daliang for a woman."
"You are the Son of Heaven, the ruler of Northern Qi, and should prioritize the peace and well-being of the people. This humble monk reminds Your Majesty that one who sits on the imperial throne cannot fall in love."
Hearing these words, Xie Beihan let out a loud laugh, his expression no longer one of past depravity but filled with fierce ruthlessness.
"If I lose, then I die. What is the use of sitting on the dragon throne if I cannot have the person I desire."
The monk's expression turned cold upon hearing this.
"Your Majesty's prolonged delay in returning to the palace for the coronation ceremony has already caused considerable discontent in the court. Furthermore, engaging in war with Daliang will make you a target of public criticism."
Xie Beihan lay down on the soft couch with a stern face, desperately suppressing the surge of savagery in his heart and calming his expression.
"I am the Son of Heaven, who dares to speak ill of me?!"
The monk pursed his lips, remaining silent.
"Reinforce Xuzhou River with a hundred thousand troops. Once the Southern Xinjiang matter is settled, I will personally lead the campaign to flatten Daliang."
-----
The snow in Southern Xinjiang was heavy, covering the entire cliff bottom in vast expanses of white.
In the withered forest by the riverbank, Wei Qingge woke up first.
She weakly opened her eyes, moved her hand uncomfortably, her mind was muddled, and she couldn't immediately figure out where she was.
The cold wind swept snow, causing her to shiver. Only then did she turn her eyes and look around.
She discovered she was lying in the snow.
She immediately bared her teeth and tried to get up, then suddenly remembered she had fallen from the cliff.
Li Qiongyu!
Yes, where was Li Qiongyu.
She vaguely recalled that when she pulled Chi Yan and fell, Li Qiongyu had flown down to save her, embraced her, and plunged into the river. She couldn't swim and almost drowned; he had given her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, forcing himself to carry her ashore.
Where was he?!
She quickly scanned her surroundings, ignoring her injuries, and hurried to look for him.
"Li Qiongyu, Li Qiongyu---"
The surroundings were empty, silent, and devoid of any sound.
Faintly, she heard the desolate howl of wolves not far away.
Wei Qingge shivered with fear, but dared not delay, continuing to search the surroundings.
With the snow, everything was white.
The cold wind was bleak all around, and she was wearing thin clothes, trembling from the cold.
Her martial arts were weak, and when she fell, she hit withered branches and the rocky cliff, sustaining several injuries. As she ran, her wounds were pulled, causing her to hiss in pain.
The area was vast, and after walking only a few steps, she saw the surging river, its waves turbulent and extremely terrifying.
She gulped in fear and quickly retreated. How had he managed to bring her ashore from such a fearsome river?
And him?
Had he been unable to climb ashore, and had he died?
Thinking this, Wei Qingge's face instantly turned pale, her eyes stinging unbearably, and tears suddenly flowed.
She ran to the riverbank, knelt on the ground, and shouted.
"Li Qiongyu!"
There was no response. The wind howled past, the river surged, hitting her face and body. She felt no cold, her reddened hands tightly covering her face.
It was all her fault, all her fault.
If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have fallen off the cliff, nor would he have died miserably in this desolate place.
The more Wei Qingge thought, the more she cried, tears flowing uncontrollably.
She remembered how he had been by her side all these years. The thought that he was dead, that this person would be gone, brought a dense ache to her heart.
Although he was detestable, especially after knowing certain things, and he had even chopped off her cousin's fingers, making her hate him even more.
But later, when she learned that her cousin's family had colluded with the enemy and committed treason, and that he had pleaded with the prince not to implicate their Wei family, she didn't hate him as much.
She didn't want him to die, and certainly not to die because of her.
Lost in thought, her tears continued to stream down her face.