Unyielding Spring Mountains - Chapter 74: The Departure

Ji Yuan walked out of the royal hall, followed by a group of guards in dark attire. The palace servants along the way stepped aside in fear.

The gates of the Qingxue Courtyard were wide open. Ji Yuan walked forward and reached the inner courtyard, seeing the hall doors closed. He asked the maid at the entrance, “Where is your princess?”

“Your Highness, the princess is bathing inside.”

“Bathing?”

The maid, overwhelmed by the imposing aura of the visitor, could barely straighten her back and stammered, “Does Your Highness have something to discuss? This servant will relay the message.”

Ji Yuan took a few steps up the stairs, about to knock when the sound of splashing water came from inside.

His hand paused mid-air, and he turned his head. “Go inside and urge your princess for me. I have something to ask her.”

“Yes.” The maid pushed the door open and entered.

A breeze blew in from the entrance. Ji Yuan caught sight of the light gauze fluttering within the hall. Behind the gauze, a beautiful woman was bathing in a tub, her back facing him.

Ji Yuan turned away from the entrance, frowning slightly.

After a while, the maid returned and said, “Your Highness, please wait a moment. The princess will be out shortly.”

Ji Yuan nodded and, hearing the continuous sound of water from within, lightly spun the silver serpent-patterned ring on his finger.

The scene he had unintentionally witnessed surfaced in his mind. The woman’s shoulders were slender, her long hair draped down her back, revealing a thin, sharp jawline.

That person didn’t seem to resemble Wei Zhen…

He looked again at the maid before him, who wasn’t the usual attendant by Wei Zhen’s side. “Where is Liang Chan, the maid always with the princess?”

The maid lowered her head, her body trembling. “Liang Chan is serving inside.”

In the next moment, the man was already heading toward the hall’s door. The maid cried out, “Your Highness, the princess is still bathing, you cannot enter!”

Before she finished speaking, Ji Yuan had ordered the guards to kick the door open.

With a loud bang, followed by a woman’s scream.

Ji Yuan strode inside, swept aside the light gauze, and saw the woman in the bathtub turn around in panic. Her face was not Wei Zhen’s but Liang Chan’s.

There was no trace of Wei Zhen anywhere in the room.

“Where is your princess?” the guards demanded.

The palace servants knelt on the ground, trembling, “The princess left around dusk…”

Ji Yuan chuckled lightly.

The bamboo slips on the table rustled in the breeze. Ji Yuan walked over and casually flipped through them, finding his own letters.

Among them was a letter recently sent by Qi Yan from the border, which read: “Blindness of the heart can be cured. In the vast universe, one is as insignificant as a mayfly, like a blade of grass compared to towering mountains. A broad mind makes the sky boundless.”

Ji Yuan calmly finished reading the letter and asked the man behind him, “Is the city gate sealed?”

Silence hung behind him before someone responded, “I will handle it immediately.”

Ji Yuan turned, “Bring my horse.”

The guards followed him out of the hall. Ji Yuan looked at the night falling on the horizon. He clearly remembered that when he returned to the palace at dusk, the guards at the gate hadn’t reported anyone leaving. That meant if Wei Zhen had left, it must have been after his return, and she couldn’t have made it out of the city yet.

The sound of hooves clattered against the stone pavement, echoing loudly.

“Hyah!”

The capital’s streets were bustling, crowded with people. When they heard someone shout, “Make way,” they turned to see a young woman on horseback galloping forward. Her crimson dress billowed like flames as she sped by.

Following her were about twenty guards, each equipped with longbows or swords, all tall, strong, and imposing.

“Make way!”

Before leaving, Prime Minister Wei had left a group of men stationed outside the palace for Wei Zhen. Earlier, she had presented her jade token and met with those men at the martial hall. Knowing that traveling alone would be dangerous, these were her personal guards.

“Hyah!” Wei Zhen urged her horse forward with all her strength.

Ahead, the city gate was slowly closing, and the last glimmer of light outside was about to be swallowed by darkness.

The soldiers at the gate turned around, seeing a group of riders charging toward them from the end of the road. “Who goes there!”

The girl on horseback raised a token. The precious hairpin on her temple gleamed, reflecting the fervor in her eyes. “I am the Princess of Chu, acting on the King’s orders to leave the city. Open the gates immediately!”

The soldiers hurriedly replied with respect, “So it is the Princess. But just now, the palace raised the flag from the watchtower, ordering the city gates to be locked. You might not…”

Before he could finish, the girl’s horse had already galloped past.

The soldiers who were closing the gates quickly stepped aside, pulling the doors open. The girl in her splendid attire rode forth, her guards following in a single file.

Shortly after they exited the city, thunderous hoofbeats rumbled behind them, shaking the ground.

“Princess! The pursuers are here!”

Wei Zhen glanced back and saw a group of guards approaching from the distant road, with a man at the front leading the charge.

She lowered her body as her long hair flew wildly in the wind. She lashed her horse with the whip, urging it to run with all its might.

The two groups, one pursuing and one fleeing, raced across the open plains, raising clouds of dust.

At that moment, an arrow whizzed past Wei Zhen, accompanied by a sharp, cutting sound as it struck the back of her leading guard.

The arrow was fast, accurate, and ruthless. In an instant, the guard fell from his horse.

The horse let out a long neigh before collapsing in the middle of the road, causing the others to stumble and crash into each other, resulting in chaos.

This moment gave the pursuing forces their chance to catch up.

Wei Zhen turned her head to see Ji Yuan just a few yards away, holding a longbow.

His robe fluttered as he took another arrow handed to him by his guard, nocking it to the bow and aiming once more at the men by her side.

Wei Zhen pulled her reins, her dark red steed neighed and slowed down.

She turned around and called out, “Ji Yuan.”

Ji Yuan lowered his bow and reined in his horse, smiling. “I thought I would have to shoot down a few more of your men before you’d finally stop.”

His gaze swept over her, then landed on the bundle tied to her saddle. “Is the princess planning to leave the palace?”

Wei Zhen said nothing.

“Is the princess planning to see General Qi, or to meet the King? In a few days, the battle reports from the front line will reach the capital. There’s no need for such haste.” His tone was calm.

Wei Zhen watched her guards remount their horses. “Ji Yuan, you conspired with the Qi army, intending to kill your king and grandfather to seize power. The heavens will not tolerate it.”

Ji Yuan’s eyes reflected the distant plains, his features carrying a trace of aloofness as he said softly, “It’s getting late. If the princess returns now, we can still have dinner together.”

Before anyone could react, Wei Zhen drew her bow and aimed an arrow directly at him. His guards, startled, drew their swords and pointed them at her.

Ji Yuan looked at the gleaming arrowhead and then back at her.

In the dimming light, her lashes were touched by dew, and her fierce, beautiful eyes shone with a sharp, icy brilliance.

Ji Yuan’s lips parted slightly. “I haven’t told you about your true origins, have I?”

“I know,” she said, her arrow aimed at his forehead. “I saw it in your letters.”

Ji Yuan gazed at her, a ripple passing through his dark eyes before they settled into a calm, impenetrable depth. “So the princess is still determined to go to the front lines?”

Wei Zhen replied, “Yes. Now, have your guards stand down.”

Ji Yuan’s lips curved slightly. “The letter you saw was sent from the border two days ago. The army will be fighting tomorrow. By now, it’s useless.”

He stepped back and ordered his guards to seize her.

Wei Zhen said, “Ji Yuan, you once said our marriage alliance is deeply entangled and complicated. What you value about the alliance with Wei is actually the benefits behind it, isn’t it? But I don’t like being forced.”

Her meaning was clear: even if Ji Yuan took her back now, she would absolutely refuse to cooperate and help him secure those benefits.

Ji Yuan smiled faintly. “The princess insists on going to the front lines. But do you know what awaits you on the road? The journey is fraught with dangers. Are you truly willing to sacrifice everything for love, abandoning your status, your identity, even your life?”

Wei Zhen grasped the reins and turned her horse around. “Let’s go.”

“Let the princess pass.” Ji Yuan stepped back.

His subordinate hesitated and tried to dissuade him, “Your Highness—”

“If the princess insists on leaving, I will not stop her.”

Wei Zhen raised her whip and urged her horse forward. Her retinue quickly resumed their journey.

Ji Yuan’s gaze remained cold as always. He stood high on the hill, watching her figure race away like the wind, disappearing into the distant road.

“Your Highness,” one of his men said, “how could you let the princess go?”

“She won’t make it in time.” The shadow of tree branches cast across Ji Yuan’s face.

At their speed, reaching the front lines within two days was already the limit.

The place she was heading to was nothing more than the military camp. Once she arrived and saw Qi Yan’s corpse with her own eyes, she would give up.

By then, Ji Yuan’s men would naturally escort her back.

A cold wind swept through his long sleeves. Darkness surged in his eyes as he tugged on the reins. His horse reared and began heading back toward the capital.

Magnificent fiery clouds burned overhead, painting the sky the color of fire.

The steed galloped swiftly along the road. Wei Zhen looked out over the undulating mountains stretching endlessly like waves.

She had no idea how long it would take to reach the Jin border.

She knew she was running out of time, but still clung to the last sliver of hope.

That day, Ji Yuan asked her how far she was willing to go for love. Was it to abandon her status, forsake her identity, or gamble with her life? She had answered that she did not know. Even now, at this very moment, her mind held only one thought: to charge toward Qi Yan without hesitation, to see him one more time.

She didn’t know if Qi Yan had heeded her words, bringing more soldiers when carrying out missions alone.

She was terrified, unable to bear the thought of losing him. That fear burrowed deep into her heart, roaring through her blood. She pushed her horse harder, urging it to go faster and faster.

Wei Zhen urged her horse eastward, the fiery glow of the clouds lighting her path.

The world darkened, leaving only the brilliant Milky Way. Moonlight bathed the girl in her red dress as she rode toward the end of the road.

Light alternated between bright and dim, over and over. Two days later, they reached the border between Qi and Jin.

Wei Zhen halted her horse and looked up at the sky.

The surrounding mountains glowed with a scorching red under the afternoon sunlight.

Her guards caught up, their brows tightly furrowed. “Blazing sun and bloodthirsty omens. The celestial signs are unusual. There must have been a brutal battle here last night.”

The sound of fighting came from ahead. Wei Zhen urged her horse forward. The steed halted on a hillside, its mane and tail blowing wildly in the wind.

Amid the swirling sand, Wei Zhen looked down—

On the distant battlefield, rivers of blood flowed, and bones littered the ground. Smoke rose desolately toward the sky. The soldiers of both sides were still fighting, their roars like relentless crashing waves.

“Princess, the battlefield is just ahead. We should stay away from it.”

Wei Zhen stared at the fluttering flags below. “Is that the Jin King’s camp?”

Her guard handed her a map. Wei Zhen closed her eyes, her senses overwhelmed by the stench of blood in the air.

She had no soldiers of her own. She could do nothing to help the Jin King.

A vague, paralyzing fear seeped into her skin from the wild winds all around. She shivered. “Let’s go around these mountains and check the area ahead.”

Qi Yan’s troops should be over there.