Zhao Xuan frowned. Zhao Han lowered his head, his gaze unreadable. After a long while, he waved his hand, "Let them pass."
A guard beside Zhao Xuan suddenly said, "Eldest Young Master, you cannot! This concerns His Highness..."
However, before the guard could finish speaking, Zhao Xuan struck him down from his horse. The guard was stunned.
Zhao Xuan looked coldly at the guard, his gaze growing colder by the second. He said icily, "Are you implying that my brother is less important than that prisoner?"
The guard stiffened and quickly said, "Eldest Young Master, this subordinate did not mean that. This subordinate..."
"Then what do you mean? Do you believe you can rescue my brother from her hands unharmed?" Zhao Xuan asked coldly, his gaze sharp enough to kill.
"This... this subordinate is incompetent," the guard lowered his head and said.
"Since you are incompetent, then do not be an eyesore here. Get lost..." Zhao Xuan said angrily.
The guard did not dare to delay and quickly retreated.
Zhao Xuan, astride his horse, looked down at Zhao Han and said coldly, "Miss Xue, if you dare to harm even a single hair on my brother's head, I assure you that by tomorrow, you will not live to walk out of Xifeng Pass."
Xue Xingyue's gaze was calm. "Eldest Young Master Zhao, rest assured. I keep my word, I will not harm him."
Zhao Xuan cast a cold glance at Zhao Han and said coldly, "Let them pass."
She carried Feng Qing on her back, holding Zhao Han hostage, and approached Zhao Xuan. She said to Zhao Xuan, "Thank you!"
Zhao Xuan did not say a word, his entire demeanor cold. Suddenly, she reached out and pushed Zhao Han towards Zhao Xuan. Zhao Xuan caught Zhao Han and saw that she had already taken the person behind her and leaped onto Zhao Han's horse, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Aren't you going to get up?" Zhao Xuan looked at Zhao Han, who was pressed against him, his tone unreadable, whether of joy or anger.
Zhao Han's scalp tingled. He got up and said with a grin, "Brother, thank you for saving me."
Zhao Xuan merely glanced at him, then suddenly spurred his horse. The horse, in pain, galloped away.
Seeing this, Zhao Han shouted from behind, "Brother, wait for me! I don't have a horse!"
Only Zhao Xuan's voice was carried back in the wind and sand, "Solve it yourself."
Zhao Han's face fell. He could only resort to walking with his two feet towards their destination.
In a civilian house not far away, Wu Hen paced restlessly. She looked at Feng Jiu and said, "How could you let His Majesty do something so dangerous?"
Feng Jiu was startled. "I'm sorry, I..."
"Second Senior Brother, why are you apologizing? Rescuing Big Senior Brother was your cousin's idea. We do as she says. Now Second Senior Brother has fulfilled his responsibility and returned, so why are you blaming him?" Hong Cha walked out indignantly and questioned Wu Hen.
Wu Hen's gaze turned cold. She looked at Hong Cha coldly. Hong Cha took a step back, her tone weakening considerably. "You... what do you want to do? I'm telling you, my Second Senior Brother is here."
Wu Hen snorted coldly. "Do you believe that for those words you just said, even if I killed you, your Second Senior Brother would not say a single word?"
"How can that be?" Hong Cha shook her head in disbelief.
Wu Hen said coldly, "If you don't believe me, ask your Second Senior Brother."
"Se... Second Senior Brother, is that true?" Hong Cha looked at Feng Jiu with astonishment.
Feng Jiu was taken aback. Seeing Hong Cha's expectant gaze, he ultimately remained silent.
Wu Hen sneered, "See? That's the attitude."
Hong Cha's eyes flickered, and finally, she ran off crying.
Watching Hong Cha's retreating figure, Feng Jiu sighed. "Wu Hen, aren't you making things difficult for me?"
Wu Hen heard this and sneered, "Difficult? How am I making things difficult? Am I wrong? Or do you think His Majesty should have done that?"
Feng Jiu quickly said, "I didn't mean that. I just don't understand why Hong Cha has to be involved. She..."
"What about her? What did I say? I merely said that in the eyes of His Highness, she is less than an ant. Was I wrong?" Wu Hen pressed Feng Jiu.
"You know I didn't mean that. I just feel that Hong Cha knows nothing, so..."
"Knows nothing? Yes, she indeed knows nothing, so she can speak carelessly. But you cannot. As a Feng Wei, you are forever a Feng Wei. You owe your master only loyalty, not betrayal. When others speak ill of the master, you must seek justice for the master. Feng Jiu, have you forgotten?" Wu Hen said, word by word, coldly.
Feng Jiu's body stiffened. "Wu Hen, I... how could I forget?"
"I also believe you cannot forget, otherwise, it would have been too lenient for you back then." Wu Hen finished speaking and left the courtyard.
A complex glint flashed in Feng Jiu's eyes. He looked at his hands and slowly clenched them.
Suddenly, there was a sound from the main gate. Feng Jiu looked up and saw Xue Xingyue walking in, carrying someone on her back. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, you..."
"Quickly help me carry Feng Qing to the bed," Xue Xingyue said.
Feng Jiu nodded. He then noticed Feng Qing on Xue Xingyue's back, his face ashen and devoid of color. He quickly lifted Feng Qing, only to find that he had become emaciated. Suddenly, his already small clothes opened, revealing a network of crisscrossing whip marks. Although they appeared to be old, they pierced the hearts of everyone present like needles.
"Wu Hen, what is Feng Qing's condition?" Xue Xingyue, looking at Wu Hen who had been diagnosing Feng Qing for half an hour, could not help but ask.