Free of the prince’s looming presence stalking them with malice and causing them to make their way in a cautious rush, Yan Yixuan and the others were finally able to relax. To take advantage of the lack of urgency, the group found a nearby clearing to rest, eat, and wind down unhurriedly, then prepared to set out.

Since Yan Yixuan had to strain himself yet again, the many throbs and aches in his body had gained intensity.

Before they crossed paths with the prince, the nutritious meals Ruan Shu made for Yan Yixuan and the strict care his body received ensured that the young man’s fatigue had decreased. He had been able to walk on his own again without needing to be carried.

But now that Yan Yixuan was once again plagued by increased soreness, he eyed the nearby Cang Xiyu contemplatively. Hmm, the official certainly hadn’t gained enough weight to be comfortable, but he supposed if he didn’t want to collapse partway and be scolded by his Brother Ruan, he had no choice but to make do.

Cang Xiyu sensed the young man’s gaze boring into him and stiffened. He turned and asked, “What is it?”

Yan Yixuan stared at him for a moment, then looked away. When he thought of how Cang Xiyu had defended him and seemed to have put aside his own philosophy of always being on the winning side for his sake, he couldn’t help but feel an awkward mixture of gratitude and embarrassment.

Cang Xiyu frowned, starting to feel worried. “Duke, is something wrong?”

At the side, Ruan Shu stopped what he was doing and witnessed Yan Yixuan’s seeming inability to meet Cang Xiyu’s eyes. Smiling, he folded his arms and settled in to watch their interaction with amusement.

Yan Yixuan forced calm over his features again and responded with annoyance, “Official Cang, I was just thinking what an altruistic idiot you are.”

Rather than taking offense, Cang Xiyu turned to Ruan Shu. “What does he actually mean?”

Ruan Shu chuckled silently. “He wants to thank you for selflessly standing by his side even when the odds seemed against him.”

Yan Yixuan huffed. “I said nothing of that sort!”

Raising a brow, Ruan Shu asked, “Did I mistranslate?” His grin, however, said that he had no doubt he was right.

Yan Yixuan turned away as if not wanting to dignify that with a response and tilted his chin up. “Official Cang, I require your services again.”

Cang Xiyu suppressed his merriment even as mirth gleamed in his eyes. “Yes, the Duke has worked hard, so I thought you might have strained your body. Come, I’ll carry you.”

Without much ado, Yan Yixuan climbed onto his back and buried his face in the older man’s shoulder ill-temperedly. At least now he wouldn’t have to see the smug little expression on the official’s face or the affectionate laughter in Ruan Shu’s eyes.

At the side, Li Yang watched everything with a small smile.

These days, he and the other bandits had seriously discussed Yan Yixuan’s offer of employing them in his household. They were contemplating agreeing to it and were only waiting for Li Yang to make the final decision.

Back when Yan Yixuan suggested hiring him for his household, Li Yang hadn’t known him enough to make a definitive judgment. But after seeing how the young man navigated the many difficult circumstances he was put through with unwavering loyalty towards his people, an unselfish grace, and an unclouded mind, Li Yang decided that it wouldn’t be bad to follow such a person.

With various such complex thoughts and subtle emotions, the group finally resumed their journey to the empire’s border, unimpeded.

↢∘●∘↣

Due to the collapse of the bridge, anyone in the vicinity who needed to make the trip between Sui’s capital and the empire could only use the nearest alternate route.

After the battle by the bridge, Ning Wei and his soldiers naturally took this route on their way back to the empire. Similarly, since the road the prince’s people surrounded Yan Yixuan and his group on was a direct extension of the now broken bridge, the prince also had to traverse this path on his way back to the capital. As a result, the two sides were inevitably destined to meet.

Unlike the first prince, who was complacent on his home soil, or Yan Yixuan’s group, who had learned to be cautious but were inexperienced in scouting, Ning Wei’s troops were accustomed to methodically surveying their surroundings using trained teams. So it was no surprise that Ning Wei was made aware of the prince’s guard growing closer before the other side even knew.

Ning Wei could easily guess from the direction the prince was approaching that he was heading back to the capital. But that would mean he had either given up or had accomplished his task successfully. Ning Wei frowned. He needed to quickly find which it was so he would know what happened to his beloved.

Ning Wei turned to the soldier who had brought him the information. “How did the other side’s troops look? Did they appear battle worn? And what about their idiotic prince? Did he seem victorious or defeated?”

The soldier answered, “I would definitely say defeated. He was barking at his people from inside his prissy little sedan. From the glimpses we could catch, he didn’t look tired or worn out though. In contrast, his people look like the result of city folk directly jumping into the forest without enough preparation. But there are no prominent injuries on them and they don’t have the hard look of people who had to fight to defend their lives recently, so I would say this team hasn’t been in any battles.”

Ning Wei nodded and dismissed the soldier. Understanding that Yan Yixuan had gotten away, he finally felt relieved. If the prince had managed to get the young man, then he wouldn’t look defeated or act so bad-tempered. The fact that the prince’s people didn’t show signs of having fought must mean that his lover had managed to talk his way out of the situation. The thought made Ning Wei smile with pride.

After hearing the report about the prince’s nearing troops, Jian Lan, Qiu Qingyue, and Ke Jing turned to Ning Wei. Jian Lan asked, “General, what do you want to do? Should we go around them to avoid any unnecessary confrontations?”

Qiu Qingyue’s eyes shone. “I think we should meet them head-on. Why shy away from a fight we’re sure to win?”

Ke Jing frowned. “The prince seems to have crossed paths with the duke. Honestly, I think it’s unfair that that damned prince came away unscathed.”

Ning Wei nodded in agreement. Then his lips stretched into a sudden smile, eyes glinting with a vengeful light. “You’re right, so can I depend on you to change that?”

Ke Jing was surprised, then grew enthusiastic. He rubbed his hands together gleefully. “How do you want me to do it?”

Qiu Qingyue interjected, “I think you should let me challenge him and cut off his head.”

Jian Lan sighed. “We can’t kill him outright like that. It’ll stir up a conflict between the empire and Sui.”

Qiu Qingyue looked put out.

Ning Wei shook his head amusedly, then turned back to Ke Jing. “Remember that Project Porcupine you wanted to test out years ago? Well, I’m giving you that chance now, and the prince will be your target.”

Ke Jing’s eyes shone brightly. “General, you mean it? I thought you forbade me from using it before…”

Ning Wei grinned. “I’m temporarily lifting those restrictions.”

“Yesss!” Ke Jing exclaimed happily. He quickly curbed his excitement and said, “I’ll go prepare for it now. Remember to distract him long enough, General!”

With that, Ke Jing led his horse to stop at the side and got down, then rummaged in his saddlebags for something. Once he had what he wanted, he charged someone else with leading his horse and swiftly disappeared into the foliage bordering the road.

Qiu Qingyue and Jian Lan looked at this series of actions with puzzlement. Unable to contain her curiosity, Qiu Qingyue asked, “What porcupine were you talking about? What’s that brat running off to do?”

Ning Wei chuckled. “You’ll know later.”

Jian Lan looked troubled. “General…I hope you don’t need me to remind you that while that pompous little asshole of a prince might deserve it, harming him might be detrimental to the alliance.”

Waving a hand to dispel his worries, Ning Wei assured, “It’s just a harmless little prank they can’t prove we did, so there shouldn’t be any drastic consequences.”

Jian Lan was reluctantly convinced while Qiu Qingyue grew even more interested.

After Ning Wei decided that they would continue along this path, he ordered the soldiers to slow their stride to give Ke Jing a head start. Once enough time had passed, the empire’s troops increased their speed and marched onward at their usual pace.

Before long, they came across the prince’s people.

Ning Wei raised a hand and called the soldiers to a halt, while a startled Tai Long did the same on the other side. With the obvious intention of exchanging greetings, Ning Wei leapt down from his horse and walked to stand at the center of the gap between the two sides.

Tai Long had still not recovered from the shock of hearing that a strange man in the empire’s armor was leading soldiers on this side of the border. Then one of the guards came to notify him that the opposing side’s leader was walking over alone to seemingly talk. Understanding that this could be something serious, Tai Long quickly got down from his sedan and walked over as well in the hopes of learning what was going on.

When the prince came into view, Ning Wei quickly noticed the bandage over his throat and hid a smirk.

Since this was the only wound on him while no one else in his group was hurt, and since this prince seemed like someone who would only have let the seemingly weak and non-threatening Yan Yixuan get close enough to hurt him like that, it was obvious to the general that his little fox had managed to get a swipe at his annoying assailant with his claws.

As the prince gradually neared him, Ning Wei quickly hid his smug expression.

When Tai Long reached Ning Wei, the first thing he did was to demand, “Who are you? Declare your identity, affiliation, and your purpose in entering the kingdom of Sui!”

Ning Wei raised a brow. “Tsk, tsk. For all the fuss that’s being made about an alliance between our countries, you’re not making me feel welcome here at all, First Prince. Are all people of Sui like this or is your irritable temper because you were just recently rejected by someone you were pursuing?”

The unexpected statement left Tai Long sputtering. “You―! Just who are you?! How do you know about…me pursuing someone?”

Ning Wei’s smile went sharp. “Because the person you set your eyes on is my lovely little lover who has regularly informed me in his letters sent from Sui’s palace about how some creep of a prince has been throwing himself at him left and right. When I later learned that my dear beloved was lost in these forests and that the one in charge of searching for him was the very roach who harassed him continuously, I naturally gathered my people, mounted my horse, and came here for a wonderful little vacation. Of course, if I manage to see the image of my lost lover reflected on one of my soldiers’ shiny armor or gleaming blades, which is obviously the only reason for their presence, then all the better!”

Hearing all this, Tai Long grew red in the face and looked just about to burst. “Preposterous! Do you think breaching a country’s borders is funny, General?!”

Ning Wei blinked at him innocently. “Why? Is there any law that says that someone who once served in another nation’s military or is currently serving there isn’t allowed to bring their friends over to sightsee in Sui while they’re off duty?”

The prince opened his mouth, closed it, then gritted his teeth. With difficulty, he got out. “…There’s no such rule that states it specifically, but in this context―”

“Oh, don’t worry about these silly little semantics,” Ning Wei waved away whatever he was about to say. “We’re only here to harmlessly have fun.”

The prince’s people silently looked at the empire’s ‘harmless’ soldiers. Each soldier wore an expression that said they wouldn’t be fazed even if the sky fell down, looked like they were used to tearing tigers and bears into halves with their hands and teeth alone, and seemed completely at home on their horses while weighed down by their well-used armor as their hands rested on their weapons almost wistfully.

After surveying their potential opponents, the prince’s people silently began praying to the heavens that their prince wouldn’t antagonize this group. They were only ceremonial guards who had served in the city their whole lives till now. If they had to fight against these battle-hardened warriors who also numbered more than them, they would be crushed as easily as a clay pot under an elephant’s foot.

But Tai Long didn’t heed their unspoken pleas as he snarled, “Enough! I understand that you are the empire’s Great General, but you should still know your place! You are still only a soldier with a glorified rank, while I am a prince, someone who is in line for the throne of this kingdom! I have had enough of your mocking speech! Whether you like it or not, you will show me the respect I am due!”

Ning Wei laughed in his face. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Your Extremely Royal Highness. Because if I had to ‘show you the respect you are due’, then I would have to punch you in the gut until you snort out all your organs through that nose you like pointing at the sky so much. That is the only respect I think you’re due.”

The prince grew so enraged that he trembled, unable to speak for a moment. He then exploded, “Unforgivable! Such horrible disrespect! I will have your head for this, you imperial brute! How dare you say such things to your betters!”

“How dare I?” Ning Wei sneered and leaned towards him, a threatening gleam in his eyes. “Let me ask in return: how dare you? How dare you think of touching my man? How dare you think you can get away with harassing, hurting, or kidnapping him? How dare you think you can stand here in front of me and preach about your social standing when it’s not even worth a spit outside the walls of your plush little palace? If you want to make me respect you, how about you take up a weapon and come at me instead of hiding behind your rank as a prince like some fucking spineless worm that’s used to crawling in soft shit but hasn’t experienced the hard earth.”

Tai Long’s eyes bulged from his sockets in sheer outrage. He had never been spoken to in such an insolent way! He refused to tolerate it! “Who do you think you are?! Do you think your behavior will have no consequences just because you wield authority over a few troops?! I can have your life for this! If I have the king inform your empress about your attitude towards me and how it could endanger the relationship between our countries, you will definitely suffer severe punishment!”

Ning Wei threw back his head and laughed.

Veins protruded in the prince's forehead, throbbing furiously as if they would burst at any moment. “You―!”

“First Prince, do you even understand your current situation?” Ning Wei interrupted in a mildly amused tone while wiping away tears of mirth. “Me being rude to you is nothing compared to what you were about to do to the empire’s emissary—someone who has extensive connections in the empire, is much respected in the imperial court, and is favored by the empress herself. Do you think the magnitude of your mistake in targeting my Ah-Xuan could even approach my words?” Ning Wei clapped Tai Long on the shoulder in an almost jovial manner and continued, “My dear Prince Fuckhead, you screwed yourself over in so many magnificent ways that there isn’t even a hair on your body that remains a virgin.”

Tai Long wrenched himself out of the general’s grip. His face went ashen as he suddenly realized just how badly everything he did could affect him. If he had managed to bring Yan Yixuan back, his father would have found some way to cover for him. But without anything to show for his efforts, the king would not hesitate to throw him under the carriage driven by the consequences of his own actions.

Seeing that it had finally hit the prince, Ning Wei smiled with satisfaction.

But Tai Long refused to stay down for long, especially due to the man in front of him. “If I have to face the outcome of my choices, then so be it. But mark my words that I won’t let you escape the consequences of disrespecting me repeatedly today! I demand you come with me and explain your act of invading Sui’s border unprovoked in front of the royal court!”

Ning Wei’s smile turned cold. “Oh? So you targeting my lover and planning to carry him away to the palace against his will was not enough of a provocation? And wave your tiny fists and throw a tantrum all you want, but I’m not going to meekly follow you into your territory just so you can slap whatever charges you want on me.”

Tai Long sneered, his eyes too bright. “My order for you to follow me to be tried at court was not something you have the right to object, General. I thought I already told you that I, as a prince, outrank you!”

Ning Wei rubbed his chin and chuckled. “And as I said before, you can shove your rank where you usually keep your head, that is, up your ass. If you want me to come with you, mere words aren’t going to cut it, I’m afraid.” The general grinned and placed a hand on the ivory hilt of the long knife hanging from his waist, his current favorite weapon. “You’ll have to defeat me and my people before you can drag me to your rotten palace.”

With a haughty countenance as if he was accepting an unworthy challenge, the prince growled out, “If that’s how you want it, then I don’t see any reason to object.”

“Don’t you?” Ning Wei asked while tilting his chin to point behind the prince.

Tai Long turned with a frown and saw the commander of his guard striding towards him with a grim face.

When the commander reached him, Tai Long barked, “What is it?”

The commander looked at the smiling Ning Wei uneasily, then bent to whisper to the prince, “Your Highness, please stop. The empire’s general has more people than we do, and they’re more experienced and trained than ours. If we fight, we will lose. The general knows this, which is why he’s been goading you into a fight all along.”

Tai Long’s brows scrunched. His gaze flicked towards Ning Wei, who did indeed seem to be anticipating something. The prince’s eyes darkened.

He didn’t want to back out of a battle and damage his pride, but he didn’t want to give this man what he wanted and end up losing under him either! Considering that he’d already messed up monumentally, it was better if he didn’t stack up another gaffe atop that to anger his father further. As it was, there was still a chance for him to recover from whatever punishment his father would sentence him to. It was better if he sacrificed his pride for now to safeguard his future prospects.

Clenching his jaws, Tai Long straightened and waved the commander away. He turned to Ning Wei, eyes burning with hate. “It seems that unlike the General, I don’t have much free time to spare, so I will have to forego the battle. Excuse me, I need to leave you now.”

With that, the prince turned and stomped towards his sedan.

The Ning Wei who had clearly heard the prince and his commander’s whispered communication could barely suppress his smug laughter. He surveyed the area near the sedan the prince was heading to, then nodded to himself in satisfaction and turned back to walk to his own horse before climbing up.

Having heard almost everything, Jian Lan and Qiu Qingyue were red-faced as if they had suppressed their laughter to the point of bursting. Many of the soldiers near the front who were able to listen in also looked like they were biting back grins while trying to look stoic and fearsome.

Ning Wei cast them all an amused look and asked, “Did Ke Jing return?”

Qiu Qingyue nodded and pointed subtly to the foliage lining the road. “He’s over there. It seems he’s done with whatever you wanted him to do.”

Ning Wei nodded and turned to look at the prince. Tai Long was arguing heatedly with the commander, obviously taking out his displeasure over the reality of his own guard’s weakness on him. The general turned back with a smile and told his subordinates, “Let’s leave quickly before that idiot climbs into his sedan and discovers the surprise inside.”

Jian Lan and Qiu Qingyue looked at each other, then nodded as one. Ning Wei commanded his soldiers to continue moving and they rode forward again. The prince’s guard quickly parted to make way for them, unable to hide the naked relief in their eyes at seeing them go.

The prince’s poisonous glare shot at Ning Wei, but was quickly withdrawn as he climbed into his own sedan.

Ning Wei leaned forward on his horse, eyes gleaming with laughter as he ordered, “Faster, now!”

His puzzled soldiers sped up, not understanding why it seemed like they were running away after enacting some mischief.

Suddenly, a miserable howl pierced the air, coming from the direction of the sedan. The prince’s people jolted with shock and hurried to see what happened.

Ning Wei silently laughed and spurred his people to move faster. With the hooves of more than a hundred horses churning up opaque clouds of dust, they quickly left the prince and his people far behind.

When the empire’s troops had gained enough distance, Ning Wei called everyone to a halt and they waited for Ke Jing to catch up. When he arrived, Ke Jing was grinning under the dusty green and brown cloak he had been using to blend into the forest scenery. He pulled the hood down and beamed at Ning Wei, “Project Porcupine worked beautifully, General.”

“I assumed so when I heard his shout,” Ning Wei said, eyes dancing with mirth.

Unable to contain her curiosity anymore, Qiu Qingyue asked, “What exactly happened? What did you two do to that prince?”

Jian Lan and the nearby soldiers looked at Ning Wei and Ke Jing with eyes that that also urged them to speak.

Ning Wei and Ke Jing looked at each other. Ning Wei made a go-ahead gesture and Ke Jing almost bounced at the chance to explain everything.

“Alright, I’ll tell,” Ke Jing began, eyes gleaming. “When the prince’s guard ran across our troops and stood facing you all, they naturally placed the sedan at the very back so that they could more easily protect the prince within in case of enemy attack. It meant that one side of the sedan was completely open to the forest, so I used the chance to sneak into it. The curtains on all sides were down, so I easily hid inside and got to work while the general was distracting the prince.”

“Just what did you do?” Jian Lan asked, worried that it would be something over the top.

Ke Jing smugly answered, “I coated several of my acupuncture needles with a certain toxin I developed long ago. I usually use it on people I want to annoy rather than kill. I pushed all the needles one by one into the cushion that prince plants his ass on so that they’re just deep enough to not be visible. But once someone sits down, the cushion surface gets pushed downward by their weight while the metal needles poke into the person.”

The others looked like they didn’t know whether to wince or laugh at the image.

Ke Jing went on gleefully, “Needless to say, when the prince took his seat in the sedan, every part of his body that he rested on the cushion, be it his buttocks, thighs, or the underside of his genitals, must have gotten pierced by the needles. The toxins injected into him will turn the entire area swollen and extremely uncomfortable to sit on. I wonder how he’ll make his way back home when he can’t sit now~”

Everyone burst into laughter as they thought about that pretentious prince’s condition. Some doubled over while others had to lean on their companions to stay standing. The person who kept behaving like such an ass to their general and his lover couldn’t use his own ass now! It was so satisfying to hear that he got his just desserts!

Once the laughter subsided to sporadic chuckling, Jian Lan wiped the tears from his eyes and asked, “How long will the swelling take to go down?”

Ke Jing shrugged. “It can last anywhere from a few weeks or months; I haven’t learned to calibrate the dosage accurately yet. But it definitely won’t be any more than that.”

Jian Lan nodded, satisfied.

The soldiers spent some time retelling the prince’s fate to each other and making jokes before Ning Wei finally called for them to move. He didn’t know if the prince would try to catch up to them and try to hold them accountable, but he figured he couldn’t go wrong by speeding up their journey home.

As per his orders, the empire’s soldiers obediently mounted their horses and continued towards the empire, their spirits high.

At the forefront, Ning Wei smiled, pleased that his beloved was finally avenged.

crimson_carnation

With this, both of them are finally out of Sui (৹╹ᴗ╹৹) In the next chapter, our couple will come together again~ (♡⁀ ▿ ⁀♡)