Gradually, Chi You began to struggle to keep up.
This beast was deeply cunning, his chess style vastly different from Xiao Chi Zhan’s. Before making a move, he would calculate countless steps ahead. A moment’s carelessness, and one would fall into his trap.
“Ah, it’s a dead end,” Wei Qingge exclaimed loudly.
Chi You’s expression darkened as she looked at the pieces he had captured. She couldn’t defeat him on the battlefield, and she was losing to him at chess as well.
“Another round.”
Liu Rong Ruo glanced at her calmly. “Come.”
The two of them became engrossed, playing for a long time.
Outside, the sky gradually darkened.
After losing several consecutive games, Chi You lost all interest in playing chess. She no longer contended with him and quietly stepped aside.
As she left, Liu Rong Ruo’s eyes darkened slightly.
Li Qiong Yu smiled and patted his shoulder.
“I say, brother, why so harsh when playing chess with a woman?”
Liu Rong Ruo’s expression was indifferent. “To break her stubborn spirit.”
They were on the mountain, and as it was getting late, they did not descend to return to the temporary palace.
After Chi You had eaten, Ye Lan and the others pulled her to the mountain’s hot springs.
Surrounded by mountains and dense forests, the hot spring was located beneath a wooden structure. The spring was fed by underground flowing water, with white mist billowing and steam rising.
Wearing light clothing, they entered the water and began to chat.
Ye Lan, now pregnant, had a voracious appetite. Even after eating, she was reaching for pastries and fruit platters.
“A’lan, your belly is larger than usual.”
Hearing Chi You’s words, Ye Lan lowered her gaze, looked at her belly, and frowned.
“It is indeed.”
Lan Mu Rou, listening to their conversation, glanced at her own flat abdomen. A sharp pain struck her heart, and she silently closed her eyes, calming the emotions within.
Under the night sky, the group chatted and laughed, listening to Wei Qingge recount dramatic tales and share intriguing stories from the northern deserts, creating a lively atmosphere.
Chi You, feeling the evening breeze, peered out towards the arched gateway several times.
The guards were still there.
She gritted her teeth, withdrew her gaze, and leaned against the edge of the pool, quietly listening to their conversation.
Suddenly, memories of when she first came to Shangjing, and Liu Rong Ruo had taken her to the hot springs, flooded her mind. Her heart ached fiercely, and hatred and pain surged within her.
She closed her eyes, suppressing the turbulent emotions, and smoothed her expression.
When the moon was round and high in the night sky, the group had bathed to their satisfaction. They changed into light clothing and prepared to return to their rooms. On the way, they encountered several men returning from a hunting expedition on pleasure boats, their bodies carrying a faint scent of alcohol.
Ye Lan wrinkled her nose in distaste. Xiao Chi Zhan immediately noticed and, taking off his outer cloak, walked over and picked her up.
“Why are you wearing so little?”
She leaned close to him, sniffing. Seeing that the scent wasn’t from him, her expression softened with tenderness.
Xiao Chi Zhan noticed the shift in her emotions and, with an almost imperceptible tug at his lips, greeted the others and then took her away.
The others were also tired and returned to their respective rooms to rest.
The night breeze brushed against their faces, and silence enveloped the surroundings.
Chi You watched as everyone departed and turned to leave as well.
Liu Rong Ruo grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace.
The overwhelming scent of alcohol choked her, forcing her to cover her breath and push him away forcefully.
“Get lost, you’re choking me.”
He ignored her struggles and suddenly clasped her waist, lifting her onto the roof.
In the past, they often came to the mountains to hunt, and temporary dwellings had been built.
The mountain scenery was beautiful, so Li Qiong Yu had, at great expense, constructed the Star-Gazing Tower, from which one could see the entire mountain vista.
Chi You was brought to the Star-Gazing Tower by him. Looking out, under the moonlight, fireworks bloomed across the sky, their brilliance almost otherworldly.
Having grown up in the Southern Border, she had never witnessed such dazzling fireworks. Her heart trembled involuntarily.
Liu Rong Ruo watched her stand by the railing, her eyes fixed on the resplendent display overhead. He embraced her from behind.
His grip was firm, causing the railing to sway.
Her back pressed against his hot, burning chest, her entire body trapped in his embrace.
“You’re drunk,” she said, her voice calm and indifferent.
Liu Rong Ruo buried his face in her neck, his emotions hidden.
There was no response from behind.
Chi You had seen enough and turned to push him away.
“Let’s go back to sleep.”
As soon as she spoke, he abruptly lifted her and, lowering his head, sealed her lips.
She trembled all over and, regaining her senses, tried to push him away.
The smell of alcohol, she didn’t know how much he had drunk, was suffocating.
Why hadn't it drunk him to death?
As fireworks exploded splendidly above, in the quiet Star-Gazing Tower, he personally placed a jade hairpin in her hair and kissed her passionately.
After staying in the mountains for two days, Liu Rong Ruo departed for the capital.
His wedding was approaching, and he was busy with many matters. Furthermore, Madam Liu had sent someone to find him early in the morning, reporting that Qin Yun Shang had gone to offer incense at a temple, had been ambushed, and was missing.
Upon hearing the news, he decided to return to the capital first.
Chi You was filled with excitement. She didn't know if she would finally be able to return to the Southern Border, but she was impatient to leave him, to escape this humiliating life of captivity.
She sat in the carriage, feigning a stomach ache, forcing the carriage to travel very slowly.
Liu Rong Ruo was heading to the temple. Seeing her state, he instructed Bai Ze to stay by her side to guard her and rode ahead on his horse.
However, Bai Ze did not expect that not long after Liu Rong Ruo left, as they passed through the Stone Bamboo Forest, a large group of assassins and killers emerged.
They were all highly skilled in martial arts, especially the few middle-aged men in black robes. The killing intent within their whistling sounds made all the surrounding guards and escorts unable to resist, writhing in pain.
Some of the highly skilled guards charged forward, but a swarm of蛊 worms emerged from all directions, their ringing sounds causing intense pain in people’s hearts.
Bai Ze, with his profound internal energy, also felt a vague sense of pain.
Having accompanied the Prime Minister to the Southern Border, he recognized these middle-aged men as the Ten Great Gu Masters of the Southern Border.
Three had died protecting the Prince back then, and now all seven had come to Shangjing, undoubtedly for their Saintess.
His heart tensed with urgency, and he shouted, “Quick, protect the young lady.”
Saying this, he took out a smoke bomb to summon troops.
How could Chi You allow those guards to block her path of escape? She directly snatched a horse and galloped away at high speed.
A faint pain in her belly surged, but she paid it no mind. Seeing their signal, she accelerated her departure.
The people from the Southern Border covered her retreat. Bai Ze was exceptionally skilled and particularly difficult to deal with, keeping Xuan Qing entangled and unable to break free.
Chi You couldn't worry about anything else. Their primary target was her. If they didn't see her, they would surely dispatch troops in large numbers to pursue, allowing Xuan Qing and the others to escape.
She rode towards their agreed-upon location, but before she could exit the outskirts of the capital, she encountered another group.
The newcomers were also highly skilled, their every move aimed at a fatal blow.
They fought fiercely, but with her pregnancy, her movements were hindered. These people were clearly well-prepared; a strange fragrance permeated the air, suppressing her internal energy.
She tried her best to hold her breath, avoiding inhaling the scent, but her body still went limp, and she couldn't summon her internal energy. Before long, she fainted.