FID – Chapter 1077

Chapter 1077 — Her Man, So Jealous

Liu Yusheng hadn’t gone far.

At a corner in the path where the officers couldn’t see, she tossed her vegetable basket to the ground, immediately leapt forward, and vanished, leaving the chasing officers grasping at air.

On the way to the Xiliang River, she had stopped in a roadside village to buy a set of plain clothes, casually asked about nearby villages, and slung a basket over her arm to pass as a local resident, all in order to gather information about the river.

Running into the officers was not surprising. She also knew she couldn’t remain incognito for long.

Her accent differed from that of the locals. At first, it might not be noticed, but upon closer attention, the difference would be obvious.

So after confirming that Feng Qingbai and the others were nowhere near the Xiliang River, she immediately fled.

The officers’ ongoing search and ambush meant that Feng Qingbai and Xue Qinglian were still safe and hadn’t been caught.

This made her exhale a huge sigh of relief.

However, the surrounding situation was far from ideal. Having evaded the first group pursuing her, she now ran into the royal palace guards from Xiliang.

Although she was skilled at escaping, facing experts drastically reduced her chances of slipping away unscathed.

Because experts knew how to use hidden weapons and draw their bows.

“There! Split into three routes and intercept her. Don’t let her escape. Capture her alive!”

As she fled through the narrow path, the sounds of pursuit remained unrelenting. No matter how hard Liu Yusheng pushed herself, she couldn’t put much distance between herself and them.

Soon, the pursuers were closing in again.

Snippets of their conversation drifted faintly into her ears, causing her brow to furrow.

She was nearly exhausted. With the enemy closing in from all sides, she couldn’t keep running much longer.

If her speed faltered even slightly, they would capture her, and she would become a royal hostage.

The thought of the old Emperor’s disgusting face churned her stomach.

She had already used much of her sedative. While it could take out some of the pursuers, the enemy was spread out, so she couldn’t neutralize them all. And once any of her companions were affected, the pursuers became even more cautious, making it harder for Liu Yusheng to use her drugs to outwit them.

Pushing herself to run faster again, she could feel her strength draining. Her own breathing rang in her ears, her heartbeat weighed heavier, and black specks began to cloud her vision. She couldn’t hold on much longer.

The pursuers behind her finally lost their last shred of patience. One of them shouted, “Draw your bows, shoot for her legs! Flank her from both sides and encircle!”

Whoosh——

The sharp sound of arrows cutting through the air came from behind and both flanks. Liu Yusheng felt a sudden chill sink into her chest.

There was no way to dodge.

Just as she was about to close her eyes and brace for the pain of arrows piercing her legs, a soft ding sounded beside her, and her body fell into a familiar embrace.

Warm. Safe. Carrying the cold, subtle fragrance only he had.

Feng Qingbai!

Although the face was unfamiliar from this angle, she knew—it was him.

Reflexively, Liu Yusheng wrapped her arms tightly around his sturdy waist, pressing her entire body into his chest.

Finally, she could entrust herself to him. Her previously drifting, unsettled heart now came to rest.

With him there, she could finally relax, even glance back casually to watch the pursuers’ faces blanch with shock.

She wasn’t worried at all that the two of them would be caught.

“Tired?”

“Mm… but you arrived just in time.” She paused, then pointed toward the men still drawing their bows behind them. “They were bullying people!”

A pouch of powder was then shoved into her hand. “Made by Xue Qinglian. Just for fun.”

“Very well.”

The pursuers, hearing the conversation from ahead, were simultaneously on full alert and silently seething.

For fun? What did that even mean?

Did she think this was a game?

Even more infuriating: the moment the man appeared, the woman who had been on the verge of being trapped was suddenly far out of reach.

Far enough that they were just outside the range of their arrows and hidden weapons!

Liu Yusheng relaxed, letting the man hold her as she rummaged in the pouch, then began scattering the powder behind them.

A no-discrimination attack.

The wind was blowing backward as they leapt, carrying the powder farther and letting the scent reach the noses of the men rapidly chasing from behind.

Watching the pursuers one by one topple to the ground, writhing violently in discomfort, Liu Yusheng felt all her pent-up frustration evaporate.

“Xue Qinglian’s sedatives are even stronger than mine.” What she’d been using were just minor tricks; Xue Qinglian’s was the professional version.

“This isn’t a sedative, it’s suffocation powder.”

“……”

“Those hit by the powder can’t breathe,” Feng Qingbai said, a faint, cold smile tugging at the corner of his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Unable to breathe, struggling in extreme agony as they walked toward death.

That’s the price.

For bullying his woman.

Understanding what the man meant, Liu Yusheng looked down at the people writhing violently on the ground, unsure what expression to wear.

No wonder they were struggling so much: she had thought they were hurt from falling.

After a moment’s thought, Liu Yusheng decided to look away.

They had been shooting arrows at her not long ago.

If it weren’t for the old Emperor wanting them captured alive, she might already be dead.

With Feng Qingbai around, escaping the encirclement was easy. And the powders she had thrown made the pursuers wary. They dared not follow too closely, giving the two of them a chance to break free.

But their location had now been revealed, and the Xiliang royal guards would be even more relentless in the next pursuit.

They couldn’t linger here for long.

“Where’s Xue Qinglian? Once we meet up with him, we need to leave immediately.” Once out of the encirclement, Liu Yusheng urged.

“No rush. He’ll come this way.” The man set her down on the ground, slowly pulling a mask from his pocket and placing it over her face.

Liu Yusheng said, “…With you here, I don’t need this, right?”

“Wear it. Be good.” Feng Qingbai handled it personally, leaving no room for refusal.

Liu Yusheng didn’t resist. Her man was so petty.

So in the blink of an eye, she transformed into a little village girl who would instantly disappear in a crowd: Liu Yusheng felt no surprise at all.

Feng Qingbai had changed too, appearing as a weak-looking scholar, seemingly incapable of lifting even a chicken.

“How many masks did Xue Qinglian make, anyway?”

“Over twenty.”

“A bulk order?”

Feng Qingbai glanced at her, then pressed her against a nearby tree trunk, leaning close to block her chattering mouth.

She’d said so much, yet not a single word about missing him.

They hadn’t seen each other in seventeen full days.

Liu Yusheng was so dizzy from his kisses that she felt completely disoriented.

Every time she tried to pull back and say something, even shout for him to stop, he would immediately cling to her again, as if trying to make up for all the intimacy they had missed over the past days.

Above them, a black shadow flitted eerily across the treetops, then reversed direction.

Squatting on the branches, someone rested their chin on their hands, watching the scene.

A little face nearby was bright red—too shy to look directly—so she simply covered her eyes with her hands, peeking through her fingers.

“Come down,” the man below said coldly, holding the woman fully in his arms. His wide sleeves wrapped her entirely, not a single strand of hair exposed.

“I won’t come down. Want to show me how?”

The man under the tree looked up, his long eyes slowly narrowing.

“…” Xue Qinglian obediently climbed down.