Chase

As they gazed at each other, Xu Yuan suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, as if this moment were just like that moment before.

The ambiguous yet chilling atmosphere inside the tent resembled that of a mountain cave.

While pondering, Xu Yuan glanced at Tianyan and quickly gathered his thoughts.

The expression on her pretty face had completely darkened, and her delicate body, wrapped in palace attire, trembled slightly.

Under his Spirit Sight, a mysterious fluctuation had already enveloped Li Qingyan, who was holding him.

The outcome is decided.

Xu Yuan sighed softly to himself.

When Li Qingyan decided to go all the way, Tianyan was left with only the choice of whether to suffer a major defeat or a minor one.

What can Tianyan do now?

With his defenses breached, could he directly use the "Break" mantra to attack the injured Li Qingyan?

By doing this, the injured Li Qingyan, without activating his army, would indeed be no match for Tianyan, but then what?

Then the strong ruthlessly humiliate the weak?

That's not the case at all.

Conflicts of interest can be resolved with action, but matters of the heart are best settled with words.

If Tianyan were to do this, it would be an act of impotent rage, a low -Lower Vehicle.

As for using the "Stop" mantra to seal the injured Li Qingyan, and then repeating what she had just done... Hmm?

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed.

Thinking about it that way, it seems... cough

In short, Li Qingyan is in control of the "engaged couple" narrative, while Tianyan's actions now appear utterly incompetent and furious.

Unless Tianyan can transform into a heartless person like Lou Ji.

She directly replicated the scene from before, and then nonchalantly told Li Qingyan that her husband was amazing.

Unfortunately, based on Xu Yuan's limited understanding of Tianyan, she wasn't the type to do such a thing.

In silence,

The Inscription Lamp inside the tent began to flicker, their dim light obscuring the heroic spirit in Li Qingyan's eyes and highlighting the subtle allure in them.

And the next moment,

"Have you had enough?!"

A slightly angry voice rang out inside the tent. Xu Yuan shoved Li Qingyan aside, his eyes cold. "Li Qingyan, you two can do what you want to do your own thing. What's the point of dragging me into this?"

Li Qingyan pursed her lips, glanced at him in a flash, and although she was unhappy with his protection of her, she still obediently took a few steps back.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan glanced back at Tianyan:

"Tianyan, what are you trying to do? Assassinate the Great Yan princess in Beifeng City?! Don't you have any sense of propriety?"

Tianyan's red lips trembled slightly as she stared at him:

"I don't"

"No?"

The familiar stubbornness.

Xu Yuan took a deep breath and pointed at Li Qingyan:

"Your ' Heavenly Word Mantra' is practically plastered on Li Qingyan's face, and you still dare to say you don't?"

"."

Upon hearing Tianyan, Tianyan's golden eyes paused, and he was slightly taken aback.

Why is it that he, a mere Soul Condensation cultivator, can sense her Heavenly Word Mantra?

However, this doubt was quickly overshadowed by a bittersweet feeling of grievance rising in her heart, and her clear voice was very low:

"I didn't intend to do anything."

"Given your personality, when have you ever hesitated to take action?"

Xu Yuan stared into her eyes. "When you're emotional, do you care about these things?"

Upon hearing this, Tianyan's voice rose slightly:

"Xu Changtian, are you talking about me? Isn't all this because of her?"

Xu Yuan took a deep breath, his brows furrowing slightly:

"Because of her? What happened to her? Did you do the same thing to Ran Qingmo back then? Tell me, what happened to Li Qingyan?"

"."

Tianyan was speechless for a moment.

Li Qingyan's eyes seemed thoughtful. She lowered her arms from her chest, tugged at his arm, and whispered:

"Alright, Changtian."

"Shut up too!"

"..." Li Qingyan blinked.

Xu Yuan flung her hand away and turned to look at her. "Do you enjoy misleading others so much? Weren't you so reserved before? Why are you suddenly acting like a loving couple?"

Li Qingyan met his gaze for a moment, then looked away.

Xu Yuan glanced at Tianyan and saw that her complexion had improved slightly, which relieved him.

While it's shameful to avoid the important issues, it's useful, at least for Tianyan.

Tianyan's eyes suddenly lit up slightly, and he opened his mouth:

"Xu Yuan, you and her..."

"You've forgotten the pain again, haven't you?"

Xu Yuan interrupted Tianyan's spellcasting directly, turning around and glaring at her. "Tianyan, you too, how many times have I told you, I don't remember what happened in the illusion. If you want to reminisce, then let me remember everything!"

After he finished speaking, there was silence in the tent.

In the silent gaze,

Tianyan's breathing became rapid, his small chest heaving slightly. He sniffed, and his beautiful golden eyes gradually became misty and indistinct.

Count interest,

"Call"

Xu Yuan sighed, his tone softening slightly, and said in a low voice, "That's not what I meant."

As he spoke, Xu Yuan reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

Snap--

The hand was opened.

Tianyan stared at him for several breaths, her eyes red, her almond-shaped lips slightly parted:

"Instant."

"." Xu Yuan.

After staring at the spot where the girl had disappeared for several breaths, Xu Yuan stood in the center of the tent and let out a long sigh.

Li Qingyan's beautiful eyes flickered as if she were pondering something.

Little White Little White has already disappeared.

Luo Xiran continued to feign death.

For a moment, the tent was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, but this silence lasted only a short while.

As the soft sound of her Lotus Boots lightly touching the ground as she walked towards the main seat echoed, Li Qingyan's leisurely voice quietly drifted over:

"Actually, you didn't have to say that last sentence. You were considerate of my feelings in that situation. Changtian, you really are thoughtful."

Xu Yuan remained silent.

If looks could kill, Tianyan's last look before leaving had already killed him a thousand times over.

Li Qingyan seemed to be able to guess what he was thinking:

"I can understand you, but that little girl doesn't seem to be. Are you just going to let her get away like that?"

"Otherwise what?"

"Chase after them," she said with a laugh.

"."

Xu Yuan turned his gaze to the slender figure with her back to him.

Li Qingyan slowly sat back in the main seat, leaned back, crossed her two long, flawless legs, and laughed as she looked up:

Why are you looking at me like that?

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered for a moment, then he said helplessly:

"Tianyan is like this, and so are you. When did you become so naive?"

"Childish?"

Li Qingyan sat up slightly, a slight smile playing on her lips, "You mean it wouldn't be childish for me to let that woman ride roughshod over me?"

"This world isn't a binary opposition." Xu Yuan was completely unaffected by her words: "You should be able to see Tianyan's personality; you could try a gentler approach."

After a moment of silence, Li Qingyan lowered her beautiful eyes and whispered:

"Just now, at the last moment, I did act impulsively."

"You're joking."

Xu Yuan below the hall, his eyes clearly showing disbelief as he looked at her. "Our Qingyan, the commander-in-chief of the army, would act impulsively?"

Li Qingyan frowned slightly.

You don't believe me?

I believe it.

"."

Their eyes met for a few breaths,

I know you don't believe me.

Li Qingyan shook her head and chuckled softly, "It's not your fault. It's normal that you wouldn't believe a woman like me."

As he spoke,

She raised her eyes to look at him, her eyes crinkling as she pursed her lips. "Whether you believe it or not, Changtian, I did act impulsively just Changtian. I couldn't stand her condescending attitude towards me, and I couldn't stand her familiarity with you, so..."

"So you're jealous?" Xu Yuan laughed.

Li Qingyan raised her eyes, her gaze clear and calm, showing no sign of tension, and her voice was composed:

"You can interpret it this way: watching her and you communicating telepathically over there makes me very uncomfortable."

As she spoke, she slowly placed a hand on her chest, sensing her breath for a few moments. Her voice was soft and husky as she murmured, "I'm having trouble breathing, like a sense of crisis, or maybe something else... I'm not sure."

"."

Xu Yuan opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

A straight ball without any curves.

He felt he should be moved, after all, this was the first time she had expressed her true feelings.

But after knowing each other for so long, Xu Yuan's first reaction wasn't to be moved, but rather that this "chest-bound princess" was about to start her schemes against him again.

Her gaze swept over him, her expression calm, but her fluttering eyelashes seemed to indicate some unease about the current conversation.

Even with these subtle gestures, Xu Yuan now feels that she's acting.

There's no way around it; there are just too many examples of what's to come.

This isn't Li Qingyan's fault, nor is it his fault. If anyone should be blamed, it's the resemblance between the two.

Intelligent, rational, with a near-perfect appearance, and an air of elusive distance, as if she were both far away and yet so close.

These things, which are as fatally attractive to others as poppies, might have already ensnared someone else, but when the two collide, it seems somewhat unreal.

Because you never know if the other person is trying to trick you, or whether what they say matches what they really think.

"Call"

She let out a soft breath, looked at him who was deep in thought, sighed inwardly, and smiled again, "Pretend I didn't say what I just said."

Xu Yuan composed himself, stepped forward, and knelt before the table, bending down:

"Why? You finally managed to open up to me, and now you want me to forget?"

Looking closely at his dark eyes, as if washed clean by spring rain, Li Qingyan did not look away.

"You wouldn't believe it anyway."

"I believe you," Xu Yuan laughed. "Of course I believe you."

"Virtue."

Li Qingyan rolled her eyes and looked up, saying, "If you have this much energy, you might as well go after Tianyan."

Xu Yuan glanced back at the direction of the tent flap:

"Chase me? Can you even catch me?"

"Do I really need to teach you this?"

Li Qingyan narrowed her beautiful eyes. "As a Changtian Mortal Shedding expert, you should know very well that as long as you chase after her, she will see it. It's a matter of attitude."

Xu Yuan knew this, of course. After a slight hesitation, he asked with a smile:

"You were just jealous a moment ago, and now you want me to go after her? Qingyan, your attitude is so different."

Li Qingyan snorted coldly, and her slender index finger pressed directly into the mahogany table in front of her:

"Given that saintess's personality, would she really come back on her own?"

"." Xu Yuan.

Why did he feel like she understood Tianyan better than he did? But then again, he didn't understand it that well either.

Of course, Li Qingyan didn't ask him to go over out of kindness, nor was it out of pity for Tianyan's pitiful appearance. Rather, it was because Tianyan, making it impossible to discuss the important matters.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan said in a low voice:

"You drove everyone away, why should I?"

"If you don't go after her, do you expect me to chase after her and coax her?"

Li Qingyan raised her eyebrows, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Fine, though. Since you don't want to go, I'll just go and take a look myself."

"Cough."

Xu Yuan's eye twitched.

Li Qingyan's past? His past continued to humiliate the weak?

Clearing his throat, Xu Yuan said decisively, "I'll go."

"You have fifteen minutes."

"Ah?"

"Too much time?" Li Qingyan tilted her head.

Xu Yuan clicked his tongue:

"No, why is there a time limit? Are we in a hurry?"

Li Qingyan gently traced the groove that had been pressed into the table with her fingertips:

"Time isn't too tight, but if it takes too long, I'm not sure if you'll do anything impolite to that Holy Maiden. Ordinary women should be very vulnerable at this time, given your methods."

As she spoke, she glanced at the man before her, then suddenly seemed to remember something, frowned, and slowly stood up:

"Never mind, let me go."

"."

Xu Yuan quickly pressed down on her shoulder as she stood up. "Fifteen minutes is enough."

Li Qingyan frowned, her eyes filled with suspicion.

"Well, I meant to persuade her."

Only one person remained inside the tent; it was empty and desolate.

I stared at his departing figure for a long time, and all the emotions that welled up in my heart ultimately turned into a soft sigh.

What a bastard.

Wrapped in his coat, he ran out of the tent. The weather in Beifeng City was as cold as it had been before, just like Xu Yuan's current mood.

The princess's actions were paid for by the prince consort.

Even though he had promised a quarter of an hour, Xu Yuan had no confidence that Tianyan would pay attention to him in such a short time.

However, when a general is in the field, he may not always obey orders, and unexpected events can happen. Li Qingyan should be able to understand if he returns later.

However, the situation was somewhat different from what Xu Yuan had imagined. Almost the instant he ran out of the military camp, a familiar fluctuation of Source Qi enveloped his entire body.

Then,

A wave of dizziness washed over me, and my vision blurred. The ruins outside the military camp had transformed into the vast and desolate Beifeng City, with snowflakes blanketing the sky in white.

Is this on the city gate tower?

As Xu Yuan pondered, his gaze sweeping around to find that figure, a clear voice filled with deep resentment rang out behind him:

"Didn't you say you didn't remember? What are you doing here looking for me?"

Xu Yuan felt relieved upon hearing this and turned to look at her.

The girl, barefoot and hugging her legs, sat on the rubble of the city gate tower, but her gaze was not on him; instead, she stared wistfully out of the city.

Pitiful and helpless, but not weak.

Xu Yuan didn't speak immediately, but slowly walked over and sat down beside her, shoulder to shoulder.

There was subtle, but not intimate, physical contact through their clothing.

Seeing this familiar movement, Tianyan slightly tightened his grip on the hem of his palace dress:

"Say."

Xu Yuan carefully considered his wording:

"Hmm, what do you think I'm here for?"

Upon hearing Tianyan's eyes reddened, and he let out a soft snort.

"Given your personality, you're probably asking me why I got your maternal uncle's token."

Xu Yuan turned his head, looked at her sad profile, and said softly with a smile:

"Heh, if it weren't for that, I wouldn't be able to get out even with my cultivation level."

"You're lying again."

"How did I lie?"

"."

Tianyan turned his gaze to the side, stared at him for a few moments, and then gave a smile that seemed to be on the verge of tears:

"Xu Yuan, you forgot, but I remember, so I know."