He had died!
He watched with his own eyes as she married another, while he fell in battle.
This was the best ending she had chosen for him.
Tantai Ye was awakened by the dream, his taut nerves making his head feel on the verge of exploding.
He sat by the bedside, his eyebrows lowered, his hands resting on his knees supporting his head. His fierce, narrow eyes were filled with a murderous intent.
Lan Murou! Yelü Qi!
Yanzhou was far from Saibei, and they had been on the road for days. Blood Corpse tirelessly delivered intelligence gathered from various places.
Tantai Ye was desperately trying to capture them, driven to the brink of madness.
He looked at the intelligence, the places they had been, his jealousy turning his eyes scarlet, his anger making him want to kill.
He had never been so infuriated, his mind constantly churning with chaotic thoughts.
When Li Qiongyu entered, he heard a cacophony of smashing sounds from within.
He raised an eyebrow, looking at the mess on the floor, and said, "Can we not be so violent?"
"I want to kill Yelü Qi, I must kill him!"
How could he possibly watch her marry someone else with his own eyes?
The person Tantai Ye wanted, he had never failed to obtain.
"Yelü Qi dares to take my person, I will cut him into a thousand pieces."
Li Qiongyu placed the food on the table and said lightly, "Alright, stop going crazy. Come eat. Xiao Chizhan has finished his business in the capital and will likely be here soon."
Xiao Chizhan, unable to resist Ye Luan's persistent pleading, handed over all his capital affairs to Liu Rongruo, and then, with Ye Luan and Wei Qingge, boarded a boat to find them.
"What does Yelü Qi want with her?"
Ye Luan came out after washing up and saw Xiao Chizhan standing by the window. She walked over slowly.
Xiao Chizhan pulled her into his arms as if by instinct, leaning down to kiss her.
"Although Yelü Qi had a past with Murou, his target is Lingnan. Could he be using Murou?"
The Southern Border was in turmoil, Da Liang's Lingnan had been attacked, and the Southern Border, for reasons unknown, had suddenly become very close to Northern Qi. At this juncture, Yelü Qi coming to Da Liang was clearly with ill intentions.
His taking Murou might also have ulterior motives.
Xiao Chizhan held her, leaning against the wide-open window.
Behind them lay the boundless sea.
She was dressed in red, her dark hair tied into a cloud bun with a simple white hairpin, a few stray strands falling by her ears.
Her dark, luminous eyes were clear and bright under the sunlight.
He reached out and caressed her waist, unable to resist leaning down to kiss her again.
Ye Luan was angered by his actions, and swatting him away helplessly, she said, "I'm asking you something."
He lowered his head, nuzzling her hair, and murmured, "Nothing will happen."
"Then where are they now?"
"They might have just left Yanzhou. We'll catch up in two or three days."
Xiao Chizhan said, kneading her soft flesh, "Luan Luan, we'll be married in less than two months."
Ye Luan, stirred by his touch, reached up and hugged his neck.
"I know, stop nagging, my ears are getting calloused."
"Are you annoyed with me?"
He bit her neck in dissatisfaction.
Ye Luan gasped and quickly dodged, hitting him with annoyance.
"Are you a dog, biting me every day?"
Xiao Chizhan smirked and whispered in her ear, "It's you who bothers me every day."
"----"
Her coquettish gaze was too alluring.
Xiao Chizhan smiled triumphantly, embracing her and whispering in her ear.
This crazy man was becoming more and more clingy, and full of wicked ideas.
Ye Luan felt him holding her tightly and leaned back.
"Luan Luan, be more proactive."
Hearing his tone, Ye Luan couldn't help but tremble.
A moment later, she hugged his neck, her eyes crinkling into a smile, bright and radiant.
"I think from now on, I won't call you Little Lunatic anymore, I'll call you Xiao Jiaojiao."
Xiao Chizhan was displeased, biting her lip again and again.
"Childish."
Ye Luan, after complaining, directly stood on tiptoe and blocked his lips, kissing him deeply and passionately.
A cool sea breeze blew in gently through the window.
Suddenly, he picked her up and placed her on the windowsill.
He buried his head in her neck, kissing and licking.
Ye Luan was startled and quickly wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.
"We'll fall."
Below was the boundless sea, with ships passing by not far away. This crazy man wasn't even embarrassed.
"Don't be afraid, hold me tight."
His voice was low and hoarse, deepened to sound extremely alluring.
Ye Luan felt a pang of shame and said vexedly, "Let me down."
Xiao Chizhan paused in his ministrations to her neck. After a moment, he put one arm around her waist, brought her down, and closed the window.
Before Ye Luan could react, he pinned her against the wall, kissing her with fervent passion.
She paused for a moment, then closed her eyes, leaning forward to hug his back, responding to him.
As they entangled, she couldn't help but recall the medicine he had taken. As he kissed her lower, she managed to say, her voice muffled,
"No more drinking from now on, understand?"
He responded vaguely, "I'll listen to you."
The Blood Corpse's people investigated quickly. Before Xiao Chizhan and his group arrived, Tantai Ye learned their exact location and immediately ordered his men to sail north towards Jiangzhou.
Lately, the weather had been gloomy.
Tantai Ye's heart was even heavier and colder than the weather.
"It's been ordered that all waterways out of Jiangzhou are sealed. They will likely be trapped near the Jiangzhou docks soon."
Li Qiongyu strode over, his crimson robes flamboyant, his peach blossom eyes devoid of their usual charm, carrying a touch of coolness.
Tantai Ye's gloomy heart finally eased a bit. Without her by his side, he was truly going mad with annoyance.
As soon as he closed his eyes, her image filled his mind, and his thoughts ran wild, disturbing his peace.
"Speed up."
With the Jiangzhou waterways suddenly sealed, the large ship carrying Lan Murou remained stranded in Jiangzhou. A vague sense of unease settled in her heart.
Why the sudden lockdown? It was too strange.
"Murou, come eat."
"Brother Qi, can we disembark?"
Yelü Qi sat on a stool, his gentle eyes looking up. "The docks are sealed."
Lan Murou felt even more uneasy.
She looked at the gloomy sky, sat opposite him, and ate her food without appetite.
"Don't be afraid, he won't take you away."
Suddenly, his suggestive voice came from across the table.
Lan Murou froze, her head drooping with a sense of desolation.
Tantai Ye, that man, was too overbearing and stubborn. If he really caught up to them, neither of them would fare well.
After dinner, they stood on the deck as usual, enjoying the breeze.
Looking at the scenery on the river, Lan Murou's tense heart relaxed slightly.
"Brother Qi, when will we--"
Before she could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead.
Everyone on deck was chattering noisily.
Lan Murou stood at the edge of the deck, and hearing the crowd's noise, she also leaned forward to look.
She saw ten-odd warships suddenly speeding towards them from the southwest waterway.
On the warship in the center, a man in black stood on the bow, his sharp gaze fixed directly on her.
From afar, their eyes met across the expanse.
Lan Murou's heart leaped, and her entire being felt unsettled.
Tantai Ye!
"He's here!"