The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Catching a Chick

Xia Wenjin glanced at him, grabbed the front of his shirt, and lifted him up.

This posture was like grabbing a chick.

Ling Xiao showed no resistance and no dissatisfaction, hanging his head like a rooster that had lost its strength, allowing her to carry him.

Xia Wenjin quickly walked toward the woods and said, ”You need to take good care of your injuries. I know what you’re thinking right now, but if you don’t have your life, where’s the revenge?”

Ling Xiao glanced at her again, his gaze slowly coming into focus, and he said slowly, ”I won’t overestimate myself. I will live to seek revenge and repay my debts!”

Xia Wenjin replied with relief, ”That’s good, I’ll find you a place to heal first!”

”No need!” A trace of self-mockery appeared in Ling Xiao’s eyes: ”People like me have tough lives. King Yan won’t accept me; I can heal anywhere.”

Xia Wenjin thought for a moment. Ling Xiao was firm-willed, calm, and sharp. He clearly knew what he wanted and what he intended to do. As long as his life wasn’t in danger, he could take good care of himself. So she nodded and said, ”Alright! Then take a rest here. I’ll leave you the horse! There’s some dried food on the saddle; you can make do with it!”

Seeing that Xia Wenjin didn’t ask or say anything more and just turned to leave, Ling Xiao called out to her, ”How do I find you?”

Xia Wenjin turned back, her eyes reflecting the sunlight, unusually bright, and she said casually, ”Have you heard of Feiyun Pavilion?”

Ling Xiao shook his head.

Xia Wenjin laughed, her smile brilliant and dazzling, her eyes bright as stars, with a hint of mischief in her gaze: ”It’s good you haven’t, because it was founded just yesterday. I’m the Pavilion Master of Feiyun Pavilion! In two years, Feiyun Pavilion will be a famous force in Nanxia.”

Ling Xiao smiled faintly; he was still very weak, and his voice was small, ”Will you accept me?”

Xia Wenjin said, ”Accept!”

Ling Xiao said slowly, ”Feiyun Pavilion, I’ll remember it! Pavilion Master, give me a year!”

Xia Wenjin said, ”No problem!”

She didn’t have to say anything more, and because of this life-saving grace, Ling Xiao had already decided to spend a year dealing with his affairs and then seek her out.

Just like in his past life, clear in distinguishing between kindness and grudges!

Returning to the main road, Xia Wenjin didn’t slow down even though she was on foot.

She naturally continued heading toward Liangzhou.

Huangfu Jingchen spurred his horse relentlessly, pursuing for two days. He quickly felt something was amiss. Following Xia Wenjin’s usual way of doing things and taking the shortest path, he had already traveled a hundred miles from Da Jin Prefecture, but had completely lost track of Xia Wenjin.

Or perhaps, Wenjin didn’t want him to find her?

Huangfu Jingchen’s mood became gloomy.

In any case, they would meet in Liangzhou. Why hurry? Wenjin didn’t want to see him.

With this thought, his heart sank, descending deeper until it reached the bottom; he slowed his pace, confused and despondent.

He seemed like a child who had lost his way, alone and uncertain.

Moving on with frequent stops, at times thinking of turning back, his desire to meet Xia Wenjin prevailed, so he continued, albeit at a slower pace. ℴℴ𝘮

Moreover, he wasn’t tracking her.

He had even lost Xia Wenjin’s direction.

All he knew was that she would go to Liangzhou to retrieve the Jade Pendant; beyond that, he had no idea where Xia Wenjin was, where she had been, or what route she’d taken.

Perhaps Xia Wenjin hadn’t even come. Perhaps she had already passed by, moving far away. She might have even retrieved the Jade Pendant!

He didn’t even know if his obstinate pursuit was the right thing to do.

Leading his horse, Huangfu Jingchen walked mechanically forward, Xia Wenjin’s face filling his mind: playful, mischievous, roguish, cunning...so familiar, yet so distant.

His lips alternated between smiles, bitterness, sorrow, and joy...

She was in his heart, but where was she now?

Did she ever think of him?

Did she know he was thinking of her?

He walked on, not realizing how far he had gone, until it grew increasingly dark.

Huangfu Jingchen, lost in scattered thoughts, finally snapped back to reality, finding it had turned to night.

He had wandered aimlessly with his horse all afternoon and, looking around, found himself far from any village or inn, leaving him with no option but to camp out.

Camping out!

The memory of camping with Xia Wenjin resurfaced.

His heart was filled with a faint sweetness, a faint bitterness. He tied his horse to a roadside tree to let it graze freely while he gathered wood to start a fire.

Not for warmth, but for a bit of light.

In the quiet of the night, a fire could dispel some loneliness.

He considered going hunting but, remembering his cooking skills and fearing he might not even roast a rabbit, dismissed the idea. Instead, he found some sweet potatoes in a field by the road, buried them in the fire, and stared at the flames. The firelight seemed to dance with Xia Wenjin’s laughing face, her playful and mischievous eyes questioning him, ”Why are you so dumb?”

Indeed, why was he so dumb?

When she was around, there was roasted rabbit to eat, soft, thick leaves for a mattress, and dreams that smelled fragrant all through the night.

Now, he could only eat roasted sweet potatoes and sleep on the ground.

After eating one roasted sweet potato, he couldn’t eat more, sitting apart to watch the firelight flicker, closing his eyes to doze.

In a daze, someone tapped him awake. Seeing Xia Wenjin standing before him, teasingly she said, ”How can you sleep like this? Can’t you make yourself a bit more comfortable?”

Overjoyed, Huangfu Jingchen jumped up, grabbing her, both happy and aggrieved, ”Wenjin, I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore!”

Xia Wenjin rolled her eyes at him, ”I didn’t want to see you; you’re just too silly!”

Huangfu Jingchen felt a fullness in his heart, chuckling foolishly, ”Yes, I am too silly; I should have realized long ago that I like you!”

Suddenly, Xia Wenjin’s expression changed, angry, ”I told you I’m a man; I want to marry a wife and have children. I won’t fall for you!”

With that, she abruptly flung off his hand and turned to leave.

Panicked, Huangfu Jingchen hurried to chase her, only to find himself stepping into space, waking with a start to find the gentle breeze around him and no sign of Xia Wenjin.

It was just a dream.

Feeling lost, Huangfu Jingchen found the campfire had died, too apathetic to add more fuel.

As he wrestled with his emotions, he realized something felt wrong. Suddenly, the sound of something hurdling through the air erupted. Huangfu Jingchen leapt up, sweeping a branch in front of him.

The branch snapped into pieces, a dozen or so concealed weapons landing where he had just stood, glimmering with a blue hue, clearly meant to kill him.

Alarmed, Huangfu Jingchen wondered who wanted him dead.

Last time, the assassins, whether targeting him or Xia Wenjin, had been dealt with by Xia Wenjin. How could there be more assassins?

As Huangfu Jingchen relocated, seven assassins emerged from the shadows.

Judging by their movement technique and the force of their hidden weapons, they were all top-tier experts.

Huangfu Jingchen’s eyes revealed a trace of gravity.