Chapter 219: Relentless

The blade flashed, but it was clearly too late. Startled, Li Ce barely had time to lower his head to protect his throat, narrowly evading the vicious jaws that snapped at him. The dark creature, however, struck him with its body, sending him tumbling backward. His head struck the ground, and a loud ringing filled his ears, disorienting him as he attempted to rise. Pain surged through him, making it feel as though his body had been shattered. Thankfully, Lin Jing and Qingfeng had already drawn their swords. Qingfeng positioned himself in front of Li Ce, while Lin Jing ignored all else and charged forward with his blade. Under the threat of the flames and steel, the beast let out a shrill cry and retreated several steps. However, it dug its claws into the earth, refusing to yield, standing its ground not far away. Only now did they finally see the creature clearly: it was a wolf. The torch wavered in the wind, casting fleeting shadows, and faintly revealed a figure lying not far behind the wolf.

Li Ce's heart sank like a stone. "Ye! Brother Ye!" he called out, struggling to crawl forward. The wolf snarled, leaping forward then retreating, guarding the path as though protecting its prey. Without hesitation, Lin Jing bound the torch to the hilt of his sword and advanced with a few forceful steps, pushing the wolf back. The beast, however, did not retreat; instead, its fur bristled, its fangs bared, and it growled menacingly, arched in a battle stance.

Amidst the wolf's howls, Lin Jing, who was at the front, suddenly called out: "Doctor Ye?"

"Jiu... Jiu Lang..." A faint voice came from behind the wolf, almost imperceptible but unmistakable: it was Ye Changgeng. The black wolf abruptly turned its head, howling as it backed up to Ye Changgeng's side. Ye Changgeng, using the only hand he could still move, gently stroked the wolf's head and said, "Move aside, they... are family."

The wolf, reluctantly but watchfully, retreated a few steps, allowing Li Ce to crawl beside Ye Changgeng. He seized Ye Changgeng's hand and, with great effort, managed to sit up, asking, "How are you?"

"You've come," Ye Changgeng murmured, his eyes closing as a faint smile tugged at his lips. Then, his expression shifted, and he spoke urgently, "Jiu Lang, I must tell you, that Gesang Mei Duo is untrustworthy... She's in cahoots with Zhou Ci. She—"

He gripped Li Ce's hand with all his remaining strength to speak those words, but was interrupted by a violent fit of coughing, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Lin Jing rushed over, kicking aside dead fish, chickens, and rabbits, kneeling beside Ye Changgeng to examine his injuries.

"The King of Chu knows. Let me take a look at you—" Lin Jing's fingers froze as he examined Ye Changgeng's body. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "His left arm is broken, and..." His hands moved with great care, inching over Ye Changgeng's body, his brow furrowed with concern. "I can tell the internal injuries are severe. We must hurry and get him back to see a doctor."

"Alright." Ye Changgeng released his hand and tried to rub his itchy eyes, but Li Ce stopped him.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" he asked, his face turning pale as realization struck. "You've been poisoned!"

It was the same poison that had killed prisoners in Jinzhou, a toxin that blurred vision to the point of blindness. Li Ce, now struggling to sit upright, ignored his own pain and began to check Ye Changgeng's pulse. Though he was no healer, he could tell that Ye Changgeng's pulse was weak and erratic, a sign of grave danger. Ye Changgeng nodded with resignation.

"I won't be able to see your wedding," he said weakly, then coughed violently. "But I can still, cough cough, carry Jiao Jiao to the door." According to marriage customs, the older brother was meant to carry his sister to the wedding sedan.

Li Ce, undeterred, replied calmly, "Don't worry. Where there is poison, there is an antidote. We'll go back to the capital and have you treated."

The wolf had already retreated to a distance. It howled, its voice calling forth a chorus of wolves from the mountains. It was both a farewell and a warning.

Ye Jiao rode swiftly to the Yellow River crossing, and as the horses crossed to the eastern bank at dawn, she was exhausted and yearning for rest. However, when she saw a group of people standing by the river, her unease grew. About twenty of them, mostly on horseback, with a lone cart parked by the roadside. The people appeared to be warriors, their thick saddlebags hiding something. Though they tried to appear casual, they were clearly on guard. Upon seeing Ye Jiao disembark, some exchanged glances with subtle meaning.

Someone stepped forward, asking the boatman for the route. The boatman said they would head east, but the man suggested going west instead and offered extra payment. Ye Jiao's heart pounded. Who were these people? There had been unrest in Jinzhou, her brother was missing, and she had been searching for him. If they were headed west, they were likely returning to the capital. Who was in the cart? Men usually preferred to ride horses, so the person inside was trying to conceal their identity.

Suspicion flooded Ye Jiao's mind, and almost instinctively, she spurred her horse forward. The horse bolted toward the cart, startling the pulling horses, which reared up and charged toward the Yellow River. Ye Jiao seized the reins of the other horse and shouted, "Be careful!" The cart's curtain flew up, and she glimpsed inside. This was a trick often used by the Wuhou Pavilion. Previously, when encountering high-ranking officials who didn't want their carts inspected, they would provoke a confrontation. Later, when Ye Jiao took office, she realized that such confrontations were futile and devised this trick. It worked well, but what she didn't expect was that the face she saw inside was so familiar—Princess Gesang Mei Duo.

"Your Highness?" she exclaimed, steadied her horse, and asked in disbelief, "What are you doing here?"

Gesang Mei Duo grabbed the swaying cart, stabilizing herself with the help of her maid. Her expression flickered, a mix of surprise, coldness, regret, and cunning flashing across her face before she regained her composure. Upon seeing Ye Jiao, her initial surprise and concern faded, and she quickly assessed that Ye Jiao seemed unaware of Ye Changgeng's situation, even showing some concern for her. After a brief moment of calculation, she devised a plan.

"I heard that General Ye... encountered danger in Jinzhou and couldn't resist coming to see," she said with a demure smile, stepping out of the cart and taking Ye Jiao's hand. "But as soon as I arrived, I heard that the forces who captured General Ye may be from Puzhou, so I thought I should cross the river to Puzhou."

Puzhou lay at the bend of the Yellow River; past it, the river no longer flowed north, but east. Ye Jiao, having boarded a boat at the Puzhou crossing, was headed for Jinzhou's dock. Upon hearing that her brother might be in Puzhou, she turned to the river and stamped her foot in frustration. "Had I known, I wouldn't have wasted the whole night."

Although her face showed concern and regret, Ye Jiao's mind was troubled by two questions. First, despite rumors that Princess Gesang Mei Duo had an interest in her brother, were Tibetans really this free-spirited? Second, though she had only learned of her brother's plight in the palace and set out immediately, how had Gesang Mei Duo's information reached her so much faster?

Seeing Ye Jiao lost in thought as she stared at the river, Gesang Mei Duo sighed in relief. Her plan had not gone as expected. Ye Changgeng was missing after falling from a cliff, and Li Ce had stabilized the situation in Jinzhou. When Gesang Mei Duo attempted to leave, she was startled to see General Bai Fanxi of the Imperial Guards had arrived. If there had been unrest in the capital, the Imperial Guards would never have left. Even if they had, they would have received orders to return to protect the emperor. This indicated that Li Chen had lost badly in the capital.

Gesang Mei Duo had spent the night avoiding detection and had only found a path with no Imperial Guards stationed. To prevent the Tang court from discovering her collusion with Li Chen, she needed to leave Tang territory as soon as possible. She planned to sail westward, then north to the Turkic lands, before turning back toward Tibet. She never expected to encounter Ye Jiao here.

She knew Ye Jiao too well—daughter of the Duke of An, beloved of Li Ce, coveted by Crown Prince Li Zhang. If she could control Ye Jiao, the Tang dynasty might fall further into chaos. With this in mind, Gesang Mei Duo stepped forward and said, "Miss Ye, don't be in such a hurry. I'm headed to Puzhou as well. Why don't we travel together?"

Ye Jiao hesitated for a moment.

Could it be true? Could she join forces with Gesang Mei Duo to find her brother?

Or was this all part of some bigger plan?