Palace Coup 37

"Young Lady," "Lady of the Xie house..."

Xie Yuanju held on from dawn until dusk, and then from dusk until the grey light of early morning. In his hazy state, voices finally reached this corner of the world, echoing in his ears.

The young lady in his arms had not dared to sleep all night, trembling with fear that if she closed her eyes for even a moment, he might slip away. Whenever he shut his eyes, she would hurriedly find topics to talk to him about. By the middle of the night, she had nearly exhausted descriptions of every strange dog she had seen in her childhood. She was now in such a dazed state that she could have fallen into a deep sleep even while standing and leaning against something.

He licked his cracked lips, lowering his voice so as not to startle her. "Someone has come to find us."

She let out a soft sound, opening her eyes in a fog. As realization dawned on her, her face lit up with joy, and she pricked up her ears to listen. "It’s Daniu, and Lige! You’re going to be saved!"

Xie Miaoxuan was on the verge of tears. All night, she had watched Xie Yuanju’s blood seep out. With clumsy movements, she had torn pieces of her own clothing to bind the countless wounds on his back. When he grew cold, she hugged him tight like a human heater; when he grew hot, she pressed her hand against the stone wall to cool it, then held it against his forehead like an ice pack. Whenever his eyes closed, she would chatter away to keep him conscious. It was no exaggeration to say that every day felt like a year. She truly feared he would suddenly perish if she were not careful.

Hearing the voices drawing closer, she could not contain her delight. She immediately called out, shouting toward the outside, "I am here! Over here!"

The girl’s voice was hoarse, yet Lige caught it instantly. He bolted toward the source of the sound. Seeing this, Daniu also rushed over, and the scattered guards quickly gathered as well.

The group stood on the other side of the pile of rubble, calling out incessantly. "Young Lady, are you alright?" "Are you hurt?" "Is the young master inside with you?"

Xie Miaoxuan answered them one by one. "I am fine. Xie Yuanju is here with me, but he is wounded."

Daniu anxiously rushed forward to move the rocks, but Lige grabbed him by the arm. "This rubble must be cleared from the top down. You lack the lightness skills; if you move them recklessly, you could cause a collapse, which would be a disaster for them!"

Daniu sullenly cupped his fists. "I know you have the best agility here. Please, help move the stones from the top, and leave the rest to us."

Before he could even finish, Lige had already leapt to the top of the pile. He landed like a falling leaf, not even stirring a grain of dust.

Once the effects of the muscle-relaxing poison had worn off yesterday, Lige had gone looking for Xie Miaoxuan, but found nothing but severed limbs and carnage. He remembered this place; he had passed by yesterday, but both Xie Miaoxuan and Xie Yuanju had been unconscious and unable to answer him. After circling several times in vain, he had intended to return to the manor to see if she had gone back, but he encountered Daniu and his men on the road. Daniu had drawn his sword on the spot, blaming Lige for bringing disaster upon his lady, but Lige, choosing to avoid conflict, held back.

Daniu, having failed to land a blow, had no interest in brawling. Suppressing his seething fury, he threw out, "I am going to find the Young Lady! She only entered this danger to save you! If you had kept your word and stayed at the manor to heal, the young master wouldn't have been dragged into this. The Young Lady was right after all. I should have tried my best to stop her from saving you. If you have any conscience left, help me."

And so, as the light grew brighter and warm, golden sunshine poured into the cramped space, Xie Miaoxuan, greedily breathing in the fresh air, saw the aloof and cold Lige working in tandem with the disgruntled Daniu to clear the rubble.

When the stones were finally cleared and the sky opened up, Xie Miaoxuan squinted, unaccustomed to the brightness.

"Young Lady, I am late," Daniu said, his guilt plain on his face.

She managed a weak smile. Daniu was diligent, obedient, and loyal; that was enough. She did not expect everyone to be a polymath like Xie Yuanju. She gave him words of encouragement without hesitation. "I knew you would come. You arrived just in time. Do not blame yourself; you have done very well. Did you bring medicine?"

Daniu’s eyes reddened. "I did. Let me get you out first."

Xie Miaoxuan was about to say, "Save Xie Yuanju first," but before she could speak, Lige lifted her and she floated effortlessly out of the pit.

The youth had clearly not slept all night either; there were faint shadows beneath his eyes. He was still wearing the same blue robes from the previous night, now tattered and stained with blood. His expression held a tension he was not even aware of.

Xie Miaoxuan, suddenly moved, felt her stiffened bones ache and her waist go numb. The tension she had been holding onto vanished, and she nearly collapsed as she lost her footing. Lige was quick to catch her, sweeping her up into his arms.

A sudden silence fell over the area. Xie Yuanju’s expression instantly turned frigid. From the moment Lige appeared, his gaze had become dark and inscrutable.

Ignoring the burning stares of those around them, Lige prepared to carry her back to the manor, but she tugged at his collar. "Wait."

She turned to Daniu, who was staring with his mouth agape. "Hurry and save your young master. He has wounds on his back; be careful not to aggravate them."

Daniu, dazed, followed her orders. He and a few guards gingerly helped Xie Yuanju out. Daniu reached for his golden medicinal powder to treat him, but Xie Yuanju pushed him aside and stood up abruptly, walking over to Lige.

"Let her go." He reached out to take Xie Miaoxuan.

Lige held her tightly, refusing to budge. One, a man usually regarded as a refined and jade-like gentleman, had eyes like cold stars dripping with blood; the other, an enchanting and wild youth, had eyes as deep and chilling as solid ice. Killing intent began to rise in the eyes of both as they glared at one another.

Caught between the two men, Xie Miaoxuan was left bewildered. What kind of standoff was this? When was the time for this? Saving people should be the priority. This youthful arrogance was inexplicable. Feeling helpless, she began to issue orders.

"Put me down."

"Both of you are patients, stop acting tough. Daniu, come over and carry me. You, go and dress their wounds. We can have a physician examine them properly once we return to the manor."

Xie Yuanju swept a freezing gaze over Daniu, who felt his scalp crawl—that familiar, chilling sensation down his spine returned. Lige also stared at him with heavy, dark eyes, his expression suggesting he would kick Daniu away if he dared to move. Daniu avoided Xie Yuanju’s gaze, but toward Lige, he felt no fear; instead, he balled his fists and glared back, his face flushed with indignation.

Xie Miaoxuan: "..."

She had never been so speechless in her life. Were these three holding a competition? She had enough self-awareness not to think that the scene of two men fighting over one woman was because they were madly in love with her. In truth, though she shared life-and-death experiences with both, they were not exactly close. One was simply her own guard, and the other was someone she had saved twice. It could only be attributed to the hot-headedness of youth—two people with dominant personalities were simply not meant to be in the same place. Furthermore, everyone was in a state of extreme mental tension; any spark could set off a wildfire.

And she was currently that spark.

Her face pale, she looked up at the sky. "If you keep standing off like this, I’m going to die from the poison!"

Looking closely at Xie Miaoxuan’s face, a faint, dark-green hue could be seen.

Daniu, braving the murderous glares from the two men, rushed over and snatched Xie Miaoxuan away. "I’ll take the Young Lady back for treatment first."