Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Night had fallen deep, and I waited in silence.

Suddenly, the sound of iron chains clattered. I turned my head, my gaze colliding with Xiao Xing’s eyes.

Neither of us spoke, simply staring at one another.

His gaze told me that he knew I would act soon. The elderly jailer was kind-hearted; once his companion fell asleep, I would call him in.

At that moment, Xiao Xing tapped against the wooden bars.

“Food!” he commanded.

The jailer, who had been dozing off, jolted awake. He hurriedly brought his own midnight snack over to Xiao Xing.

“Hey!” Xiao Xing called out again, though his eyes remained fixed on me.

The jailer fumbled as he tried to feed him. Xiao Xing swept a glance over the man and said coldly, “Get lost.”

“Yes, yes!” The jailer understood and looked at me imploringly.

I relented.

Still holding the rice spoon, I looked at Xiao Xing. “The General no longer seeks death?”

Xiao Xing ate the food from the spoon and raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think you can get away?”

I shook my head.

“But I have to try.”

It was precisely because the chances of success were slim that I had come to beg him. But since he was unwilling, I could only rely on myself.

“Risking your life to try?”

“Risking my life to try.”

We faced each other in a silent standoff.

“Why have you stopped begging me?” His voice was low, like gravel brushing against my ear, laced with a hint of playfulness.

Was he waiting for me to beg him?

Why?

A honey trap couldn’t move him, and I truly had nothing left to my name. The current Yun Manor was a collapsed ruin; I had nothing left to promise him.

My mind raced. Steeling my heart, I reached out and grasped his hand.

“I beg of you, General,” I said softly.

I had to get out. As long as I was alive, there were a thousand possibilities.

My sisters, my brothers, the lives of my clansmen… as long as Xiao Xing was willing, we would all have a path to survival.

I couldn’t guess why he had changed his mind, but he was undoubtedly the strongest straw I could grasp.

If he was willing, I would give anything.

His sharp gaze fell upon my face, as if peeling back layers of a secret.

I tightened my grip on his hand.

“Have you made up your mind?” he asked.

“I have!” I replied.

“No regrets?”

“None!”

He swept the bowl aside and gripped my hand in return. At that exact moment, the iron shackles on the wall behind him were ripped out by the roots with a deafening crash, sending dust flying everywhere.

I stared at him in shock.

Leading me by the hand, he walked toward the door, step by step.

The chains piercing his collarbones were not a burden to him; instead, they had become his weapons.

Wherever he passed, sand and stone flew, and everything in his path was crushed!

On the late-night streets of the Capital, figures in black leaped through the shadows. they surrounded Xiao Xing like hungry wolves that had been lurking in the dark for a long time.

With cold, sharp fangs, they tore through the throats of the city guards, hot blood splattering across the ground.

Xiao Xing pulled me onto a horse and galloped away.

The night wind of the second lunar month was still biting cold, yet I felt warm. This was my wind-the wind of being alive.

I heard shouts erupting from the city walls. Someone cried out, “Miss Yun has abducted General Xiao! Report this to the throne immediately!”

I froze.

Xiao Xing, however, laughed.

“How is it that I abducted you?” I frowned.

“I originally intended to die. You entered the prison for five days, and then I broke out. To say you abducted me is not an injustice,” Xiao Xing said with a faint smile.

“Could it be that the General had long intended to escape, but lacked a proper pretext?”

My arrival simply gave him the perfect excuse-that he had been bewitched by a beauty and lost his mind.

I didn’t believe for a second that Xiao Xing would fall for a honey trap.

He seemed to be in high spirits. “Think whatever you like.”

I pursed my lips. “Then that is exactly what I’ll think.”

Xiao Xing laughed heartily, his hand tightening around my waist. “As long as it makes you happy!”

I couldn’t help but smile slightly, though I kept a nervous eye on the road. The night was pitch black, and I feared a single misstep would send both man and horse tumbling into a ditch.

He, however, was perfectly at ease. Both he and the horse remained steady and composed throughout the high-speed gallop.

“Hold on for another hour, then we can stop to rest,” he said, sensing my tension and offering comfort. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

“I’m not afraid,” I said.

“Is that so?” He leaned his head over, his breath brushing against my ear. “Pity my hand; it’s nearly been crushed by your grip.”

I hurriedly let go, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.