Chapter 239: This Young Master Should Not (Revised)

Night fell.

After the sky-piercing flames subsided, the endless snowfield was shrouded in a blizzard, turning into a dim, lightless polar night.

Xie Jinhuan carried the light-bodied, soft woman on his back, moving silently through the knee-deep snow in the dark, occasionally glancing back at the sky behind him; only after putting distance between them and Jianchuan did his tight heartstrings relax a bit.

After the earth-shattering explosion in the square, Xie Jinhuan nearly fainted on the spot; once he recovered, he picked up Bu Yuehua and hid in a snowdrift. After waiting a moment and discovering that Lu Yan had lost his mind and suddenly chased south, he quickly broke away.

Although Bu Yuehua had divine assistance, it could not change the fact that her soul was injured and she was wounded; the high-intensity battle just now and the subsequent explosion had nearly made her faint. The rest was the 'power of the ancestor' carrying her. Now lying on his back in a daze, she didn't know how long it had been before the howling wind suppressed the ringing in her ears and her thoughts gradually cleared.

Glancing around, she realized they had reached the snowfield far from the place of trouble. She sighed in relief, but the feeling of divine assistance within her body was gone. The dual exhaustion of limbs and soul made it nearly impossible for her to lift her head; she could only rest her chin on Xie Jinhuan's shoulder and ask softly:

"Huff... Are you hurt?"

Xie Jinhuan had many superficial wounds, and his robes were scorched black by the fire impact, but overall he could still hold on. He smiled and replied:

"I'm fine. Lu Yan just suffered a loss and shouldn't catch up. You just rest well; I'll take you to a safe place."

As an elder, Bu Yuehua's realm was much higher, yet the solution to the Seven Stars Nail and even her opportunities and connections all came from Xie Jinhuan. Now, in this predicament, she had to rely on Xie Jinhuan's immortal arts and divine powers to resolve it, and even had to be carried on his back to escape. Her heart truly felt a bit ashamed. She intended to thank him twice, but then realized something was wrong.

Feeling slightly, she discovered a waist knife and the Listening Snow Sword hanging at her waist, her right hand holding the Minglong Spear for Xie Jinhuan, and her left hand clutching a warm plaque.

The plaque felt like jade, but it was quite heavy. Touching it with her fingers, she could feel the Zhu Que relief pattern...

Bu Yuehua was slightly stunned. Picking up the plaque to examine it carefully, she discovered it was indeed the family treasure of Wulingshan. Her eyes trembled slightly:

"How did the Fire Decree get into my hands?"

"Huh?"

Xie Jinhuan had been busy escaping with his life just now and hadn't noticed these details. Seeing the token before him now, his eyes also froze for a moment:

"How did you get hold of it?"

"Me?"

Bu Yuehua reasoned she didn't have such ability, but recalling carefully—when she was blown out, it seemed like she had raised her hand as if guided by ghosts...

And Ye Hongshang also appeared at this moment, carrying a red umbrella and floating before them. Her soul-stealing eyes looked slightly proud:

"Just grabbed it on the fly. Impressive, right?"

Xie Jinhuan hadn't even seen how the ghost made her move. His eyes were amazed, and his heart understood why Lu Yan chased south. He replied:

"Truly impressive!"

Bu Yuehua clearly didn't understand that Xie Jinhuan was talking to his wife. At first, she was embarrassed by the praise, but soon realized the situation was dire!

Stealing this item was more serious than taking Lu Yan's life; Lu Yan would surely go mad searching for it.

That aside, the two of them were ambushed at Jianchuan, which belonged to defending themselves against a trap set by others, but to the Northern Zhou, the situation was completely different.

Xie Jinhuan, a top figure of the Southern Court, secretly ran to the Northern Zhou, killed the master of Lishan Sword Pavilion, who was stationed in Lizhou, in the back garden of Lishan Sword Pavilion, and then refused arrest, injuring the Vice Minister of the Taichang Temple who came to handle the case.

The nature of this matter was no different from Lu Yan running to Great Qian, killing Mu Yunling at Danyang Academy, and then injuring Lu Wu Zhen who came to handle the case.

There was no need to consider the reasons; just spreading this news would be enough to cause the entire Northern Zhou court and public to rage. Allowing them to leave the border alive would be nothing short of humiliation to the Northern Zhou!

Xie Jinhuan explaining that he acted in self-defense required the Northern Zhou people to listen!

The commotion just now was so great; once the news spread, a large crowd of angry citizens would soon rush from all directions to surround and capture them.

Thinking of this, Bu Yuehua couldn't help but grow tense:

"Let's hurry back to Great Qian. We killed Li Huaichuan and injured Lu Yan. Even if we explain, the Northern Zhou people surely won't believe us. If we don't run now, it will be too late..."

Xie Jinhuan understood the current situation, but he was not afraid in his heart. After all, in the Southern Court, he could only struggle alone, but in the Northern Zhou, he truly had someone above him!

However, the premise of not being afraid was to survive and reach Yanjing first. If he was blocked by the Zhanyan School or a demon Taoist halfway, it would still be nine deaths to one life.

For this reason, Xie Jinhuan dared not delay and sped towards Yanjing:

"Going south now would definitely be heavily intercepted. Going to Yanjing is actually smooth all the way; they won't think I would run where."

Bu Yuehua frowned: "Lu Yan is the Vice Minister of the Taichang Temple. The capital is his territory. Relying solely on the identity of a military officer of the squad..."

"Don't worry, I have my own confidence."

"..."

Bu Yuehua felt that going to the capital now would be fine only if Xie Jinhuan was truly Empress Dowager Guo's underground boyfriend. Although this possibility was not great, she still trusted Xie Jinhuan's judgment, asked no more, and simply lay on his back, closed her eyes, and cultivated to restore her body...

—

As the night deepened, the wind and snow gradually grew heavier.

Jiang Xian, wearing a green Constable robe, stuck the Zhanma Dao into the snow, used a luminous pearl to illuminate the surrounding ten feet, examined the footprints on the ground that were gradually being covered by the wind and snow, and then looked forward.

The footprints were over ten feet per step. Judging by their size, it was a man, with a height roughly matching the male bandit just now. The depth of the footprints showed he was carrying someone, so that super-grade female bandit must have suffered heavily in the middle during the fight. The gait was not very steady, indicating he himself was not well off...

Two bandits who fought hard until exhausted, one of whom lost combat ability, were very easy to catch...

However, the two were extremely cautious; they would walk on hard soil rather than snow, and deliberately avoided being tracked by passing through complex environments like trees, rivers, and small villages along the way...

Jiang Xian frowned and pondered for a moment, then reached into her bulging chest and pulled out a palm-sized booklet.

The booklet was titled 'Jiang'er's Daily Record', recording her past at Jiang Family Fortress, her background, and various goals for this journey to the capital. Several items had been crossed out. The latest goal read 'Enter the Fengyi Bureau', followed by 'Become Empress Dowager Guo's right-hand man'.

As long as she handled the case in Bai Hua County, she could enter the Fengyi Bureau, but there was still some distance to becoming Empress Dowager Guo's right-hand man in the Northern Zhou.

Catching these two very powerful male and female thieves would obviously allow her to leap to a high position in one step... But how should she catch them...

After seriously reading the diary, Jiang Xian put it back in her bosom, stood up beside the Zhanma Dao, and formed hand seals with both hands while chanting:

"Three Pure Ones lend power, see through the Great Void..."

As the Qi-Viewing Divine Art was cast, golden flowing light surged from Jiang Xian's temples on both sides, converging into her eyes.

Then, the lightless snowfield shrouded by the blizzard became colorful before her eyes, and she could see various qi mechanisms floating in the heavens and earth.

Jiang Xian scanned the endless snowfield, searching for clues amidst the chaotic, colorful currents. After a long time, she retracted the divine art, pulled out the Zhanma Dao, and chased in one direction.

However, before she had gone far, a sound of breaking wind and a call came from behind:

"Xiao Biao!"

"Why are you running so fast like a rabbit..."

Jiang Xian glanced back, perhaps fearing the elderly leader would stop him, so he immediately sped up and began to sprint, shouting from afar:

"Hurry, hurry! I've found their tracks!"

"Ah?!"

Shen Cang, sword in hand, galloped forward. Hearing this, his expression changed instantly, and he hurriedly called out:

"Come back! If we find their tracks, we should report it to the experts. If we truly encounter them and the three of us can't defeat them..."

"Wealth is sought in danger. If we report it, where would our merit be? Run faster..."

"Sigh..."

——

As the night deepened, inside a small town in the northeast of Lizhou.

Xie Jinhuan, carrying Bu Yuehua on his back, quietly leaped into an unoccupied house. After confirming he had drawn no attention, he pushed open the old wooden door.

Creak~

Meiqiu, who had been supervising the battle from afar and had caught up halfway, now sensibly landed on the roof to act as a sentry, watching the surroundings.

Although Xie Jinhuan wanted to push on to Yanjing in one go, Lizhou was still far from Yanjing. The recent battle had caused too much depletion, making rest unavoidable. Now inside the room, he placed the generous Bu Jiejie on the empty bed board and finally let out a light sigh of relief:

"Huff..."

After resting, Bu Yuehua had recovered somewhat, though her head still ached and her body was severely weak. Seeing Xie Jinhuan sit beside her, she took a handkerchief from her bosom and gently wiped the frost and snow from his hair and eyebrows:

"You rest a while too. Does your wound hurt?"

"I'm fine."

Xie Jinhuan had no serious injuries, but there were indeed many areas of burnt skin, though the impact was minor. He glanced around, then tore off his scorched, tattered robe.

Seeing that Bu Yuehua was also stained with blood and her skirt had tears, he turned and went outside. He found two sets of robes in nearby houses, naturally leaving silver behind, before returning to the room and placing them before her:

"Do you need to re-bandage the sword wound on your chest?"

"Hmm... I'll do it myself."

Bu Yuehua picked up the floral dress he had found, then stood up and walked to the partition, leaning on the wall.

Rustle rustle~

Xie Jinhuan did not dare to follow and stare at the snow child; instead, he sat on the bed board to regulate his qi, while picking up the Imperial Fire Talisman and the Listening Snow Sword to admire his spoils of war.

Outside the window, the wind and snow continued, yet inside the room it was so quiet that the faint breathing of the two could be heard.

Standing by the partition, Bu Yuehua removed her damaged skirt, revealing her curvaceous waist. The curve of her hips beneath the loose skirt was no less than that of her obedient disciple; her front was like steamed buns fresh from the steamer, radiating the plumpness befitting a wealthy household.

Raising her hand, she lifted the soft armor again. The bandages binding her ribs came into view. Bu Yuehua lightly bit her lower lip as she untied them. Perhaps because it was too quiet, her mind involuntarily recalled the two of them in the tree hollow just now: how she had lifted her贴身 soft armor for the child standing close by to see, and even leaned forward to press it against his face...

Thinking of that scene, Bu Yuehua felt deeply embarrassed, her quiet cheeks turning red uncontrollably. But what was even more awkward was that she had finally lost her mind, saying that if they survived, she would let him kiss her...

How could I have said such nonsense?

Isn't this behaving shamelessly like an elder? If Wan Yi knew, she would surely stare me to death...

(←_←)!!

Bu Yuehua shrank her neck slightly. While pondering silently, she tilted her head back a bit, wanting to see if Xie Jinhuan was thinking about this too.

She discovered that Xie Jinhuan had changed into a yellow cloth robe, holding the three-foot Listening Snow Sword in his hand to examine it. His profile was as cold as a frozen spring, solemn and focused. Despite the rustic attire, it could not hide his aura of being unstained by any dust; it was as if even if the matured Little Mistress lay beside him, he would remain a true gentleman who kept his composure...

Such an upright child might not take the previous words seriously...

But whether Xie Jinhuan accepts it or not is his business; whether she fulfills what she said is her problem...

If she said something and never mentioned it again afterward, wouldn't she be seen as an unscrupulous demoness who breaks her word?

Maybe I should mention it? Xie Jinhuan probably won't accept it... right...

If he really nods, then it's my own fault for seeking trouble, but at least I can face my conscience without guilt...

(End of Chapter)