“Fengguang must have listened to too many plays,” Xian Mo said calmly. “If she dares to bathe out in the open, then she should be prepared to be seen. If she still expects someone to take responsibility afterward, that’s wishful thinking.”
Hearing this, Fengguang couldn’t come up with a proper rebuttal—because what he said… actually made sense.
Instead of dealing with Xiao Qi himself, he handed her over to Jiang Yue. It was a tactful move; after all, Xiao Qi belonged to Jiang Yue’s unit. If Xian Mo had punished her directly, it would have been like slapping Jiang Yue in the face.
Fengguang didn’t know what kind of punishment Xiao Qi would receive, but with Xian Mo heading to the battlefield the next day, she had no energy to worry about someone else. Anxious and on edge, she endured the night until morning—the day Xian Mo would truly enter battle.
She had always hated seeing death, but to keep an eye on Xian Mo the whole time, she forced herself to watch bodies being beheaded, limbs severed, and flesh torn apart by blades. The only comfort she had was that, although Xian Mo still lacked battlefield experience, with Lan Zhao subtly looking out for him and years of hard training behind him, he suffered nothing worse than the occasional minor cut and sheer exhaustion.
“Fengguang…” After cutting down another enemy, Xian Mo drove his sword into the ground and caught his breath. “Fengguang… you can go back to the camp and wait for me.”
He suddenly felt a cool touch on his bloodstained face.
“I’ll wait and go back with you,” she said softly.
“Alright… we’ll go back together.” Xian Mo lifted his sword again. Facing the oncoming enemies, he gave a gentle smile—then his strikes grew faster and more ruthless.
He knew she disliked bloodshed, so he wanted to end things as quickly as possible.
Fengguang stayed close by his side. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed someone approaching. When she realized it was Xiao Qi, curiosity drew her attention.
By all rights, Xiao Qi shouldn’t even be in the army anymore.
Even more surprising, Xiao Qi only had rudimentary skills—she shouldn’t have been able to survive on this battlefield. Yet someone was desperately protecting her: Jiang Yue.
As Xiao Qi and Jiang Yue fought their way closer, Fengguang felt a sudden sense of unease. After glancing back to confirm Xian Mo wasn’t in immediate danger, she drifted closer to them, trying to hear what they were saying.
“Princess, you should abandon this plan and go back,” Jiang Yue said.
“We’ve come this far—how can I give up now?” Xiao Qi replied coldly, her authority unmistakable. “Jiang Yue, think about your future and your fortunes. If you’re too afraid to go on, that’s fine. But when Long’er ascends the throne one day… you’d better think carefully.”
Jiang Yue gritted his teeth. “This subject… will protect the princess with my life.”
From just those few lines, Fengguang understood everything. This Xiao Qi was no substitute soldier—she was the daughter of Consort Yun, the empire’s eldest princess.
At that moment, Jiang Yue had already approached Xian Mo. “Your Highness, I’ll protect you.”
As Xian Mo turned toward him, Xiao Qi suddenly pulled out a dagger. Fengguang cried out anxiously, “A-Mo, be careful!”
It was too late.
The dagger in Xiao Qi’s hand suddenly stopped just short of Xian Mo’s chest. Shock flashed across her face, followed by a surge of ruthless determination as she tried to push it forward again.
But it remained a fraction away, unable to advance any further. Blood began to drip inexplicably in midair.
All of this happened in an instant.
Suddenly, blood sprayed—Xiao Qi’s arm, still holding the dagger, fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Jiang Yue immediately raised his blade and charged at Xian Mo—but with a single flash of swordlight, he was beheaded.
Xian Mo’s sword was stained with blood, yet he didn’t rush forward to finish Xiao Qi off. Looking at the pool of blood spreading across the ground, he seemed momentarily lost.
Then, softly, he called out, “Fengguang…”
No one answered him.
GhostCloudd On WBICDPH Chapter 93