Ling Yao frowned. It wasn't just that she hadn't recognized him at first, or that they hadn't had much contact and it had been a long time. There was another reason: he had changed too much.
Indeed, from a favored son of heaven to a spy for another country, such a change in identity was difficult to accept.
It was normal for him to become like this.
"Do you truly not know that your father is from Qi Rong?"
"If I say I don't know, will you believe me?"
Ling Yao didn't know. She didn't understand him very well, and asking this now was meaningless. His identity meant he could not be tolerated in Da Jing.
Lu Yanmo said nothing more. Perhaps he knew himself that, given their respective identities and positions, this conversation was pointless.
National hatred, family vengeance.
A knot of death.
"Eat something, and then escort me one last time."
The last journey, and everything would be over.
Ling Yao was confused. He had arranged for Zhu Sheng to leave early, and then asked her to escort him. Was this what he meant?
Did he really have no other purpose?
After finishing the buns, Lu Yanmo suddenly leaned close and quickly sealed her acupoints.
"What are you doing?"
Although this man had been well-behaved these past few days, Ling Yao had not let her guard down. He was, after all, a man she didn't know well, and there was still enmity between them.
Lu Yanmo felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. She had never trusted him. Perhaps only when he died would she be truly at ease!
"I will release you after we leave the city."
He had even sealed her mute acupoint.
In the past, Xiao Shan had sealed his acupoints, and it had made her furious. She detested the feeling of her body being beyond her control, at the mercy of others. She felt even more disgusted by Lu Yanmo's actions.
Her apricot eyes seemed on the verge of spitting fire.
Lu Yanmo took out another mask and began to place it on her face.
"Close your eyes."
He was a little too close. His eyes were too bright, and his fingers trembled. He felt an urge to pull her into his arms.
Perhaps, he really could.
This was his only last chance.
Ling Yao closed her eyes. She truly couldn't understand why this man was so persistent with her.
From their first acquaintance, she had never given him a pleasant look. Why was he so relentless?
He said he had no other purpose, and she couldn't believe it.
Everyone said he was a righteous person, unlike his father. Even now, the poems composed by the five most outstanding young men of the capital at the poetry competition were still recited in the capital.
He, as one of the top three, had once been glorious. She had read those poems; they were the expressions of a young man's respect and praise for the frontier soldiers.
Perhaps, he too had once been full of passion, and had a pure heart.
But he was the son of the treacherous Lu. As he grew older, his innocence faded. Would he truly remain untainted by the mire?
His hands moved over her face, fitting the mask, and Ling Yao frowned, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Then, he boldly embraced her!
Ling Yao's eyes snapped open. Lu Yanmo had already let go and, with a guilty conscience, fled the room.
After a while, he returned, picked up the immobilized her, and carried her out to a carriage.
As they left the city, the guards at the gate found no anomalies.
Ling Yao didn't know that the city gates had been under strict scrutiny for days. It was only during this brief window, when the Prefect of the Capital had just been summoned by the Emperor, that things had slightly relaxed. After a few perfunctory questions and an inspection of the carriage, they were allowed to pass.
Alas, they had left the city so easily.
Not long after leaving the city, Lu Yanmo released Ling Yao's acupoints. His dark eyes held a hint of apology.
"Hmph!"
Ling Yao's body felt stiff and sore. Once she could move, the first thing she did was touch the mask on her face and tear it off fiercely, hurting her skin in the process.
This mask wasn't like the thin, lifelike skin masks made by Yu Liu. It was somewhat stuffy and extremely uncomfortable.
She wondered how Lu Yanmo could bear to wear it.
Lu Yanmo said nothing about her behavior. He quietly picked up the mask and put it away.
The sound of horse bells rang out from outside, indicating that a carriage was passing by.
Ling Yao and Lu Yanmo sat facing each other. He kept his eyes down, either truly at ease or lost in thought.
Ling Yao tentatively lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.
As she looked, she saw a luxurious carriage slowly approaching. The maids following it exchanged a glance with Ling Yao, their expressions filled with dread.
That maid seemed to be the one accompanying the Prefect of the Capital's wife at the flower appreciation banquet.
The maid immediately whispered something to the carriage. The carriage curtain was lifted, and indeed, a pampered, beautiful woman looked at her.
After a brief glance, Ling Yao lowered the curtain.
She glanced at Lu Yanmo. He seemed to see nothing, making no move at all.
The sound of horse bells gradually faded into the distance.
"Madam, why didn't you greet her?" the maid asked in a low voice, puzzled.
"Don't speak, hurry into the city!"
The Prefect of the Capital's wife was in turmoil. The maid didn't know, but she had heard a few words from her husband. Her husband had been out every day these past few days, searching for the whereabouts of a noble person.
The disappearance of the noble person had thrown the capital into chaos. They were already planning to search outside the city.
She never expected to encounter her.
What should she do?
She didn't know who else was in the carriage. The woman looked very relaxed, not at all like someone who had been kidnapped.
Moreover, she possessed divine power; how could she be easily held captive?
She weighed the pros and cons repeatedly and decided to report it.
To be on the safe side, she wouldn't involve her husband. She would report it to Commander Song. After all, he was a close confidant of the Emperor and could handle any matter.
Meanwhile, after Ling Yao lowered the curtain, she became increasingly puzzled.
Lu Yanmo was too casual. Besides preventing her from leaving, he didn't restrain her at all, not even turning a blind eye to her potentially sending a message.
"Princess."
"Ah?" Ling Yao was lost in thought and responded instinctively.
Lu Yanmo actually let out a soft laugh. This was the first time he had laughed these past few days, a truly content laugh.
He touched his face and began to tear off the mask.
As the mask was removed, a pale, familiar face was revealed. Because he had worn it for a long time, some red rash had appeared around the edges of his face. But what was astonishing was the coin-sized scar in the center of his forehead, as if a piece of flesh had been gouged out, creating a hollow that marred his refined features.
"How did you get disfigured?" Ling Yao asked curiously.
Seeing that she wasn't scared and no longer showed that look of disgust, Lu Yanmo pursed his lips, his body relaxing slightly.
"The Queen of Qi Rong is a licentious woman. She has countless handsome men in her harem. Her men have tattoos carved onto their foreheads..."
Seeing Ling Yao's eyes widen, he quickly retorted, "I didn't! I dug out the tattoo, which angered her, and I was imprisoned in the dungeon."
"Forget it, why am I telling you this? It will dirty your ears."
Lu Yanmo laughed at himself. "What I want to tell you is that the Queen of Qi Rong is a strange woman. She controls many people. Those tribal leaders are probably controlled by her, and she also has a very terrifying army, an army that cannot be killed."
"Cannot be killed?" Ling Yao wanted to ask more, but then realized something: "Why are you telling me this?"