The secret passage exit was outside the city. Qin Wuxia had been hiding on the side to ambush Liao Tingyan, and they hadn't noticed another group hiding in the nearby woods. Even more unexpectedly, as soon as they met, an archer from the woods suddenly shot an arrow, hitting Qin Wuxia squarely.

Qin Wuxia fell very suddenly, and almost no one reacted in time. But the group emerging from the woods reacted very quickly. As Qin Wuxia was hit by the arrow and fell from the carriage, several dozen gray-clothed guards swiftly rushed towards Liao Tingyan and the others, all holding gleaming blades.

These people all had solemn and cold expressions, moving in unison with military precision, arriving in the blink of an eye.

"Protect the princess!" Qin Wuxia's servants and attendants cried out in alarm as they came to their senses.

Qin Wuxia also had several dozen people with her, but half of them were unarmed servants, because the pampered Qin Wuxia had insisted on bringing so many attendants.

Now, few of them could remain calm, trembling as they went to help the fallen Qin Wuxia who was crying out in pain. They found that the arrow had pierced through her arm, and when she fell from the carriage, the arrow was knocked askew, tearing a large wound that gushed blood.

Liao Tingyan's side only had a few people, sent by Chen Yun to keep her from running off. Now faced with enemies of unknown identity, they also fell into chaos.

Everyone facing those fiercely charging gray-clothed men was very flustered, except for Liao Tingyan. Her eyes shining brightly, she stared at the carriage that now only had a few gray-clothed guards protecting it.

The archer who had been standing on the carriage shaft jumped down and stood to the side. Then the carriage curtain was lifted by a pair of pale hands, revealing a face familiar to Liao Tingyan.

Seeing that person appear, Liao Tingyan unconsciously smiled, not even realizing it herself, and then felt her eyes grow hot, wanting to cry a little—it was like the feeling of relief seeing your father suddenly appear after being bullied outside.

You bastard, you really came! Does a muddleheaded emperor really never follow the script?

Sima Jiao lifted the curtain and walked out, looking at Liao Tingyan across the crowd. Liao Tingyan clearly saw his gaze pause on her chest for a moment, then pause on her waist, furrowing his brows slightly.

Hmph, men. This man didn't care at all about her life and death, only caring if there was still meat on her waist. Obviously when he first saw her, his eyes had gone straight, but now, having seen too much, he was tired of looking.

Liao Tingyan touched her slender waist, feeling half the emotion in her heart dissipate.

"Who are you people!" Qin Wuxia's guards looked at the gray-clothed men surrounding them with vigilance.

The gray-clothed guards didn't waste words at all, their blades flashing cold, clearly intending to kill everyone to silence them. Qin Wuxia's guards also weren't easy to deal with, fighting while retreating, shouting for people to quickly help the princess into the carriage to escape first.

If they had obediently fled right away, they might have had a chance to live.

Unfortunately, at this time Qin Wuxia still hadn't forgotten Liao Tingyan, gritting her teeth and enduring the intense pain as she shouted, "First kill Liao Tingyan for me, we absolutely can't let her go today!"

Both sides of the battle paused for a moment. Qin Wuxia's guards knew the princess had always been spoiled, willful and inconsiderate of the bigger picture, but they hadn't thought that even at a time like this, the princess would still continue her willfulness.

They were already having a hard enough time just trying to protect Qin Wuxia's escape, and now they still had to split people off to deal with the three people beside Liao Tingyan. Most unluckily, those three were Chen Yun's people. To not forget infighting even at this life-and-death juncture was really infuriating.

But what could they do? They were the elite guards trained by the Lord of Southern Qin, meant to die for their master. Wasn't it just whatever the master said?

On the other side, the gray-clothed men with cold expressions heard Qin Wuxia's shout and felt chills down their spines, their scalps tingling. Wasn't this just seeking death? His Majesty had already worked so many people to death over matters with the Noble Consort, and now she was right there. To shout about killing the Noble Consort right in front of His Majesty, they were afraid they would die in a puddle of blood.

Liao Tingyan suddenly became the center of the battle. Qin Wuxia's people resisted the gray-clothed guards on one side while splitting off a few people to kill Liao Tingyan.

The gray-clothed guards, seeing this, felt that if His Majesty watched the Noble Consort get injured right before his eyes, the brothers would probably all be in trouble. The will to live that burst forth in an instant made their attacks even more vicious. Very quickly, half of them broke through the defensive line of Qin Wuxia's guards, plunging into the frightened servants. The guards simply had no time to deal with these people, directly leaping over them to pounce towards Liao Tingyan.

The situation changed too quickly, catching people off guard. How could the three people guarding Liao Tingyan have imagined something like this happening? There were only three of them, unable to deal with either side.

One side was clearly allied but now had vicious expressions and was coming to kill, while the other side looked to be enemies but similarly had vicious expressions and seemed to be coming to grab someone. How were they supposed to handle this?

In the end, Qin Wuxia's people were closer and arrived faster. In just a few moves, relying on superior numbers, they hacked two of them to death. The last one pulled Liao Tingyan and ran. This brother was really dedicated, still struggling on the verge of death in this situation.

Qin Wuxia's guards were about to continue pursuit, but the gray-clothed men had already caught up, turning to hack them down. In this moment, the man dragging Liao Tingyan had already forcefully pulled her along in a run for several steps.

At this time, two arrows flew over one after another. One embedded in the arm of the man pulling Liao Tingyan, the other in his heart.

As the man fell forward, his hand loosened and Liao Tingyan also stumbled and fell to the ground.

Two gray-clothed guards ran over at this time, holding dripping blades, surrounding her to prevent further danger. But none of them dared to reach out a hand to help her up. One of them just silently lifted a foot to kick the corpse of the man beside her a bit further away.

Liao Tingyan's face was deathly pale. She had lost too much blood and hadn't recuperated properly, and her arm wound hadn't healed. After the recent disturbance, the wound seemed to have torn open again.

She raised her head to look, discovering that the situation had already become one-sided. Qin Wuxia and the servants were subdued, with only a few guards left struggling on the verge of death as the gray-clothed guards carried out the final reaping.

Sima Jiao walked towards her. He stepped over the bloody ground and the still-warm corpses blocking the path, ignoring the ongoing slaughter. The gray-clothed men, seeing their master approach, quickly made way for him and dragged the bodies out of his way, clearing a wide path.

Liao Tingyan had to admit, the scene was truly awe-inspiring. She hadn't seen it in a long time and felt a bit unaccustomed.

Sima Jiao walked up to her and extended a hand. "Come."

His hand was still that cool temperature. As Liao Tingyan was pulled up by him, tears suddenly streamed down her face. She raised her hand to hug him, wailing loudly.

Even when her arm was pierced earlier, causing excruciating pain, she didn't cry. No matter how much it hurt later, she gritted her teeth and endured it.

When facing danger, she forced herself to stay calm with sarcastic remarks. But at this moment, when the dust was about to settle, upon seeing Sima Jiao, this dog emperor, she couldn't hold back her tears no matter what.

"My arm hurts so much!" Liao Tingyan said between sobs.

Sima Jiao hated when people made a racket. Hearing the wailing cries next to his ear, his head ached. Not only his head, but other parts of his body seemed to hurt all at once, making him irritable and wanting to kill someone.

He pulled Liao Tingyan away and saw that her sleeve was stained a dark color from blood. Looking at her face, her usually rosy lips had lost their color, and her cheeks were even more devoid of any flush. Her eyes were red and still glistening with tears, looking extremely pitiful.

"Will you slack off again next time?"

Liao Tingyan, who was caught slacking off: "...I won't."

Sima Jiao caressed the side of her neck. "Wrong. Next time, keep slacking off. I'll dig a fish pond for you in the bedchamber to let you slack."

Liao Tingyan thought: After not seeing him for a while, his actions have gotten even more outrageous. Digging a fish pond in the bedchamber, don't you think it will stink?

She glanced at Sima Jiao and drooped her shoulders. "Actually, I did think about running away, but I didn't succeed."

Sima Jiao: "You're just an ordinary person. I didn't expect you to accomplish anything alone. As long as you're still alive, that's enough."

Although his tone was calm, Liao Tingyan felt like crying again upon hearing it.

Ordinary people can't accomplish anything - this is too true. But sometimes, this mediocrity is a sin, and being weak is a sin. Seeing this man again, there were some other worries in her heart. But before she could voice them, Sima Jiao said, as long as you're still alive, that's enough.

There were many people watching around them. As reason returned, Liao Tingyan held back her tears.

As for the surrounding gray-clothed guards, they kept their faces stern while sneaking glances at His Majesty and the Noble Consort.

So the rumors that His Majesty is very accommodating in front of the Noble Consort are true! Absolutely true! It's hard to believe this is their fearsome emperor!

The carriage driver quickly brought the carriage over. Sima Jiao lifted Liao Tingyan into the carriage with one motion and followed her in. The gray-clothed guards swiftly dealt with all of Qin Wuxia's guards and came to inquire about how to handle Qin Wuxia.

After all, she was the only daughter of the Lord of Southern Qin and might still be useful.

Through the curtain that had not been lowered yet, Liao Tingyan saw Qin Wuxia being supported by attendants. She couldn't even stand steady and stared at Sima Jiao with a horrified expression, likely recognizing his identity.

"Impossible, how could he appear here!" Qin Wuxia muttered to herself, only heard by the two attendants supporting her.

Sima Jiao didn't even spare a glance at Qin Wuxia and waved his hand.

Everyone understood his gesture. The gray-clothed guards received their orders and left.

Only then did Qin Wuxia realize she was about to be killed. Completely forgetting how arrogant she was earlier when shouting to kill others, she cried out in terror, "No, how can you kill me? I am the only daughter of the Lord of Southern Qin. If you dare touch me, my father will..."

The carriage curtain was lowered, and the scene outside could no longer be seen. Qin Wuxia's voice abruptly stopped, and the attendants let out screams of shock. As the carriage slowly drove away, it left that bloody scene behind.

Liao Tingyan sat on the soft cushion, her entire body relaxing against Sima Jiao's chest. Sima Jiao raised his hand to pull open her collar and examine the wound on her arm. As expected, the freshly scabbed wound had torn open again, with blood still oozing out. Without the obstruction of clothing, the bright red blood trickled down Liao Tingyan's snow-white skin.

Liao Tingyan was like a dead fish. Even when Sima Jiao tugged at her clothes, she didn't think to cover her chest. She figured there was no point in covering up since Sima Jiao had no sexual interest anyway, so there was no need for such futile actions. Besides, she was really exhausted after relaxing.

Sima Jiao glanced at her, seeing that she was about to slide down. With one hand around her waist to prop her up, he used the other hand to approach her wound. He extended two fingers and dipped them in the flowing blood.

As if to see if the blood flowing from her was any different from others, Sima Jiao looked at the blood on his two fingers for a moment. Then, he lifted Liao Tingyan's arm and pressed his lips against it.

This time, Liao Tingyan couldn't slump down. Like a fish that had just been scooped out of the water and tossed onto the shore, her entire body twitched.

No, why are you licking the wound out of nowhere? After being together for so long, she never discovered that he actually drinks blood! Liao Tingyan stared at Sima Jiao's head in shock and tried to retract her arm. Well, even if he used his tongue, to be honest, it still hurt a lot.

Sima Jiao let her pull her arm away and raised his head to press her head down and kiss her.

After being released, Liao Tingyan looked at his lips, stained red with blood, and figured she probably had a similar appearance. The taste of blood in her mouth was a bit hard to bear.

Liao Tingyan: Ptooey, ptooey.

"This is your own blood." Sima Jiao turned her face and carefully examined her complexion, gazing at her crimson lips as he spoke leisurely.

I don't want to drink my own blood either. What's wrong with this guy? Did he secretly turn into a pervert during the time we were apart? Liao Tingyan turned to look for tea in the carriage.

Sima Jiao took out a teapot, drank some water to rinse his mouth, and only then said, "I also think the taste is not good."

Liao Tingyan: The taste is not good, so you mess with me? This guy is still so annoying.

Her clothes were disheveled, her hair was a bit messy, and there were still bloodstains on her face and shoulders. Coupled with her expression, she looked even more pitiful.

Sima Jiao held the teapot and tilted his head to look at her. Suddenly, he smiled faintly. "Why do you look so pitiful? You really suffered."

Liao Tingyan: Thank you for your understanding. Please pass me the teapot.

Sima Jiao handed the teapot to her.

Liao Tingyan: I don't think I said it out loud. Has Sima Jiao's skill in reading eyes leveled up again?

She rinsed her mouth and handed the empty teapot back. Sima Jiao pulled her into his arms along with the teapot, just like before, habitually stroking her messy hair. His tone carried an unprecedented gentleness and comfort, "You've shed so much blood. I've made those who bullied you pay back several times over."