Empress Fu Yao [Volume 2] (Completed)✔

Defrost (Part 2)

"Fuyao, the bright moon will disappear from sight. If we see it, we must treasure it." From behind her back, Yuan Zhaoxu whispered, "I will wait for you till the day you understand that."

Unexpectedly, particles scattered from the bonfire, and a roasted fragrance of pine nuts was released. A pine nut landed on the hollow of Fuyao's palm. She reached out her hand to grasp it, and it felt as though she was holding a scorching heart.

The flame illuminated the cave and projected a silhouette of that person's back. He was not considered tall, study, or powerful, but he provided her the right amount of warmth. Meng Fuyao looked at the shadow in a daze, as she saw her own hair reach his knees.

The cave's atmosphere was quiet. None of them spoke a word; the dense air of indescribable worry and apprehension increasingly amplified the sounds of the surrounding plain. Wind swept past the entrance of the cave, creating low roars. Amid the austere sounds, a peculiar sound reached them abruptly.

That sound was the combination of an object dropping, someone gasping-for-breath, the rustling of leaves, and an accidental collision of two swords. It was inching closer every second.

Meng Fuyao sat up straight and listened with rapt attention. Yuan Zhaoxu immediately raised his hand to put out the flame before saying, "In the southwest direction, a man is being chased, and he is running toward us now."

Meng Fuyao turned to look at him and asked, "Where exactly is this place?"

Yuan Zhaoxu turned silent, and after quite a while he answered, "I've been here once before. This is the Haoyang Mountain, and it's quite close to the boundary of the Rong's large military camp."

Meng Fuyao stared at him in disbelief. She couldn't understand why Yuan Zhaoxu, a wise, farsighted and an amazing fighter, would take them to such a dangerous place. He gazed at her with no qualms, explaining, "I dashed all the way and forgot about it."

Meng Fuyao was speechless. Some time later, she rubbed her nose, aware that she was the one who started all of this. Yuan Zhaoxu wouldn't have traveled so far in the night if she hadn't angered him.

Meng Fuyao extended her head and looked out of the cave's entrance. She did not know when the torches were lit from the mountain area, but the shimmering light shone like a luminous curtain of glowing starlight. The number of men in the battle array was alarming. The incessant clashing of weapons could be heard as the men from the mountain not far away waved their torches and yelled, "Catch the spies who have barged in!"

With a soft voice, Meng Fuyao said, "So clever? This, they even knew that we're here? Aish, you are entirely to blame for making such a splash in the spring."

She, the guilty party filed the suit first. Yuan Zhaoxu did not argue with her, and his eyes were focused on the darkness. He said unhurriedly, "Beneath this cave is a steep cliff that leads into the escarpment. The vines are covering it. You will go down there later."

Meng Fuyao quickly turned her head and questioned, "What are you up to?"

"The Rong army has been alerted." Yuan Zhaoxu calmly pointed at the speckles from the torches, adding, "It seems that the problem wasn't with us but rather, someone had infiltrated their camp. There are just too many of them. You're poisoned and shouldn't move carelessly. I will send you to a safer place first."

"This won't do," Meng Fuyao refused. "Don't think of fleeing without leaving without me."

Yuan Zhaoxu looked at her, a faint smile surfacing for the first time that night. "When will you change your habit of saying things that you don't actually mean, Fuyao?"