After the Corrupt Official Was Coveted by the New Emperor - Chapter 14

The former Chancellor, rumored to have died long ago in a mass grave, suddenly appeared before them. Every single assassin froze in shock.

Dead men do not speak; these people had to die.

Qi Zhaoxuan’s expression darkened.

He seized the opportunity to strike first. A mist of blood sprayed into the air and dripped onto the ground.

Below them lay a canyon swathed in clouds and mist, looking bottomless.

Fan Qing took one look and did not dare to look again. He stared at Ji Rong with tearful eyes. “You, you, you, do not you dare let go!”

Fan Qing spent his days eating, drinking, and playing; his weight was certainly not negligible. The veins on Ji Rong’s forehead bulged, and his palms were slick with sweat. He could clearly feel his strength failing. Fan Qing’s arm was slipping, and he was about to lose his grip.

There was no telling how many killers Prince Duan had sent; the sound of clashing blades behind them never ceased.

It was too late.

Ji Rong closed his eyes for a brief second and reopened them.

He tried to keep his voice steady. “Listen to me. There is a tree down there. I am going to throw you directly toward it. You must grab onto that tree.”

Fan Qing: “?!”

Throw?!

“No, no, no! I am terrified! How am I supposed to get back up?!”

Ji Rong had a headache.

He could not pull Fan Qing up alone. If they continued this deadlock, both of them would fall.

He gauged the distance and had to change his plan.

He turned and called out, “Qi Zhaoxuan!”

“Coming!”

Without Ji Rong saying another word, Qi Zhaoxuan already understood his meaning.

Ji Rong gritted his teeth and held onto Fan Qing.

The sounds behind them grew weaker. Just as Ji Rong was truly at his limit, Qi Zhaoxuan finally broke free for a moment and pulled them both up with a powerful tug.

The ground was littered with arrows and the corpses of assassins. Li Youde lay slumped by the carriage, his fate unknown.

The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed.

A sword had stabbed into his forearm. Qi Zhaoxuan pulled it out without changing his expression, using his other hand to slit the assassin’s throat in a backhand motion.

The last assassin fell dead.

It seemed the dust had finally settled.

Ji Rong had been pulling Fan Qing and then remained on high alert. Only now did he feel the dull ache and exhaustion in his arms.

The hidden guards were methodically disposing of the bodies. Ji Rong let out a breath and was about to turn back to ask about the wound on Qi Zhaoxuan’s forearm, but he suddenly saw a look of shock on a guard’s face.

Ji Rong felt a sudden surge of unease and turned around sharply.

For some reason, Qi Zhaoxuan’s face turned deathly pale. He staggered back a few steps and, in a moment before anyone could react, fell into the abyss.

“Your Majesty!”

Cries erupted around him, but Ji Rong’s mind went blank. Instinctively, he lunged forward and grabbed the corner of Qi Zhaoxuan’s robe, falling with him into the cloud-shrouded canyon.

Sharp, needle-like pain brought Ji Rong back to consciousness. Every part of his body ached. He was soaked, as if he had just been fished out of the water, and he felt as though he was being dragged.

Ji Rong opened his eyes. He saw the dark sky and Fan Qing’s large face.

Fan Qing was clutching his shoulders, eyes squeezed shut as he hauled him backward with all his might, unaware that Ji Rong was awake.

“What are you doing?” Ji Rong asked hoarsely.

Fan Qing was startled and jumped back a great distance.

“Holy crap, you are awake?” Fan Qing realized what was happening and hurried back over. “How are you? Are you okay?”

Ji Rong asked, “Where is Qi Zhaoxuan?”

“Where is Qi Zhaoxuan,” Fan Qing repeated sarcastically. “The moment you wake up, all you care about is where Qi Zhaoxuan is.”

Ji Rong: “Cut the nonsense.”

Fan Qing pouted and gestured to the side. Ji Rong looked over and saw the still-unconscious Qi Zhaoxuan.

Ji Rong rolled over and sat up, frowning deeply as he knelt beside Qi Zhaoxuan to check his condition.

Qi Zhaoxuan’s face remained pale, devoid of any color. The wound on his arm had turned black, and after being soaked in the river, the flesh looked white and bloated.

Fan Qing watched as well and asked, “Is he poisoned?”

“Yes.” Ji Rong’s hands moved quickly, searching all over Qi Zhaoxuan.

Fan Qing watched Ji Rong in disbelief. “?”

Ji Rong finally found something in Qi Zhaoxuan’s belt, a very small bottle. He poured out a small pill and fed it to Qi Zhaoxuan.

Only then did he notice Fan Qing’s hesitant expression.

Ji Rong: “What are you thinking? I was looking for the detoxification pill.”

Fan Qing said dryly, “Oh.”

Ji Rong felt like there was water in his lungs and coughed a few times. He asked, “How did you fall down here too?”

“You really have no conscience. You have been awake this long and only now think to ask about me.”

Fan Qing rolled his eyes but explained anyway. “You jumped after the Emperor without saying a word. I did not even have time to think. I saw you jump, so I jumped too.”

“You are not afraid of death anymore?”

“You jumped! How could I have reacted? By the time I followed you, I forgot it was a cliff,” Fan Qing grumbled. “Besides, if it were not for me, you two would have drowned in the river.”

Now that Ji Rong was awake, Fan Qing’s strength left him, and he collapsed onto the ground.

“How were you never this weak before? Falling from such a height into the water, I did not even pass out, but you were unconscious. I had to drag both you and the Emperor out of the water by myself,” Fan Qing babbled. “The current was so strong. Do you know how tired I am? Hauling one, then hauling the other, it nearly killed me.”

Fan Qing panted, wiping his dripping hair. “The three of us are lucky. Fortunately, the trees cushioned our fall, and we rolled down the slope into the river. Otherwise, we would all be dead in this godforsaken place.”

Thunder rumbled in the sky. Both of them looked up.

The sky had been clear earlier, but in the blink of an eye, it was covered in dark clouds. Birds circled in the air before disappearing into the dense forest.

“After I dragged you ashore, I looked around but could not find a path,” Fan Qing asked. “It is about to rain. What should we do?”

Qi Zhaoxuan was still unconscious. The wound on his arm was deep, poisoned, and had been soaked in river water for a long time. Ji Rong was now worried that Qi Zhaoxuan would develop a fever.

They were surrounded by trees and rocky cliffs; there was no visible way out.

Perhaps due to the impact of the water, Ji Rong’s limbs still felt sore. He stretched his arms and legs, having already made a decision. “Let us find a cave first.”

There were many caves in the area. Considering the rain, they found a cave on higher ground.

After settling the still-unconscious Qi Zhaoxuan inside, Ji Rong sent Fan Qing out to gather dry firewood.

Ji Rong knelt beside Qi Zhaoxuan, monitoring his condition.

The wound was still seeping blood, and a sickly flush had appeared on his face. Ji Rong touched Qi Zhaoxuan’s forehead; a searing heat transferred to his palm.

He could not wait any longer.

Ji Rong thought to himself that they did not know how long it would take for the guards to find them. Even if the detoxification pill worked, the wound on the forearm pierced by the arrow could not be left untended.

Dry wood was everywhere, and Fan Qing returned shortly with a bundle of firewood.

Fan Qing tossed the wood on the ground and walked over to Ji Rong, crouching beside him.

Ji Rong told Fan Qing his plan. Fan Qing hesitated but eventually could not help saying, “Ji Rong, why do not you just take this chance to leave?”

Ji Rong did not understand. “Yes, I am going out now to find herbs.”

“No,” Fan Qing said urgently. “I mean leave. Leave this place for good, and leave him.”

“You know martial arts anyway. There must be a way out of this valley. Take advantage of the fact that the Emperor is out cold and just run. I will just say I do not know where you went. I am my father’s only son; my life will not be in danger.”

Ji Rong paused.

Fan Qing’s suggestion was indeed a good one. This was a perfect opportunity.

But…

Ji Rong’s gaze fell on Qi Zhaoxuan’s face. The man’s pale features were stained with a feverish red, his brows knitted as if he were enduring great pain.

Fan Qing looked at him hopefully, but Ji Rong neither agreed nor refused. He simply braced himself with one hand on his knee to stand up.

In the next moment, Ji Rong suddenly stumbled and fell forward.

He looked down in shock at the large hand clamped around his wrist.

Qi Zhaoxuan was still unconscious, yet those powerful hands were tightly gripping Ji Rong’s wrist, refusing to let him go.

Fan Qing was startled and covered his mouth, not daring to speak again, urging Ji Rong with his eyes to make a choice.

Ji Rong called out in confusion, “Qi Zhaoxuan?”

Qi Zhaoxuan did not respond, but his hand did not loosen its grip.

Ji Rong exerted force and broke free from the restraint.

The moment he stood up again, he heard Qi Zhaoxuan’s voice.

“Ji, Rong…”

It sounded like words forced out from between his teeth, difficult and weak.

Ji Rong watched Qi Zhaoxuan’s pained expression. After a long moment, he blinked slowly and signaled Fan Qing to follow him out.

“I am serious, Ji Rong. If you really want to go, this is the absolute best time,” Fan Qing urged anxiously.

Ji Rong whispered a few words to Fan Qing. Then, from a short distance away, Ji Rong looked back deeply at Qi Zhaoxuan one last time. Then, without lingering, he turned and walked away.

His slender silhouette vanished into the depths of the dense forest.

The faint sounds of conversation eventually faded. Qi Zhaoxuan’s consciousness was trapped in a dark chaos, unable to wake yet unable to fall into a peaceful sleep.

He struggled in agony. He did not know what was happening in the outside world, but he had a vague sense that his Father Chancellor was leaving him.

He felt as though he had grabbed his Father Chancellor’s wrist, only to be heartlessly abandoned.

He heard that annoying Fan Qing whispering provocations in Ji Rong’s ear, and he heard the sound of Ji Rong’s footsteps growing distant.

Ji Rong…

Father Chancellor, are you leaving again?

He could not let Ji Rong leave. Only Ji Rong was his anchor. Without Ji Rong, he would go mad.

After his Father Chancellor left, he heard that irritating Fan Qing walking toward him.

His pent-up resentment seemed to find an outlet. Qi Zhaoxuan suddenly snapped his eyes open and sat up. His powerful hand instantly gripped Fan Qing’s throat. His fingers tightened violently, locking onto Fan Qing’s neck until his knuckles turned white.

A cold, ruthless cruelty flickered in Qi Zhaoxuan’s eyes. He squeezed his palm without mercy, lifting the man into the air.

Fan Qing’s face turned bright red. He struggled to make a wheezing sound, his futile attempts to break free accomplishing nothing.

He did not doubt for a second that Qi Zhaoxuan truly intended to kill him.

The gentle Emperor from before seemed like a mere dream. The mirror had shattered, leaving only a dark, predatory man about to take his life.

“Where is Ji Rong?” Qi Zhaoxuan’s tone was thin, yet it revealed a hidden, obsessive malice.

Fan Qing’s vision began to blur as he met the swirling pupils of Qi Zhaoxuan.

His hands clawed uselessly at the back of Qi Zhaoxuan’s hand. Against such an absolute difference in strength, it was a wasted effort.

Fan Qing gradually lost all sense of air. He could not breathe; he felt he was about to die in the next second.

The hand on his neck showed no sign of loosening. Red veins bulged in Fan Qing’s eyes.

Black spots appeared in his vision, and his body began to convulse. Just at the critical moment, he heard a sound from the cave entrance.

“Qi Zhaoxuan?!”

It was Ji Rong’s voice.

In the next instant, the hand on his neck suddenly let go. He slumped to the ground, clutching his throat and coughing violently.

The moment before he lost consciousness, only one thought remained in Fan Qing’s mind:

That ruler who seemed so kind was actually a complete madman.