Chapter 396 Farewell, My Brother (Part 2)

Chapter 396 Farewell, My Brother (Part 2)

"Heh… hehe…"

In the snow-covered nature, only the radiant smiles of children could melt its inherent tranquility, giving it the most vivid joy and an unceasing breath of life, radiating warmth amidst the cold.

Su Rao never imagined that one day she would play in the snow, let alone laugh out loud during such a harsh winter, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"Pretty sister, pretty sister, Little Fatty is the naughtiest, always ambushing us. Let's hit him…"

Her cold, lifeless hand was grasped by an equally chilly little hand, pulling her to chase after the Little Fatty he mentioned, the child who had sneakily hit Su Rao with a snowball. The kid indeed lived up to his name, chubby and round, just like his name suggests, yet slippery as a fish during snowball fights, needing some cleverness to hit him.

"Little Brother, you can't keep holding onto Big Sister. If you two stay together, you'll just become Little Fatty's easy targets. You need to split up and flank him from both sides."

Xiao Shan didn't participate in the snowball fight, instead watching from the side. Seeing Su Rao get hit several snowballs because Little Brother kept pulling her along, Xiao Shan couldn't help but intervene, amused by his silly brother's behavior of clinging to Su Rao the moment he saw her.

After Xiao Shan reminded him, Little Brother finally let go of Su Rao, imitating his older brother by giving Su Rao instructions like a little grown-up, telling her how to move and from which side to flank Little Fatty.

Su Rao found it funny but followed Little Brother's directions, throwing snowball after snowball, the snowballs whizzing through the air.

With the two of them teaming up against Little Fatty, and Xiao Shan's reminders, Little Fatty's face turned red with anger, puffing up like a balloon. But he didn't give up, dodging Su Rao's throws and targeting Little Brother instead, making him puff up in anger too. The three-way play soon turned into a two-way battle.

Su Rao held another snowball in her hand but didn't throw it, her lips curved in a smile as she quietly watched Little Brother and Little Fatty grow red-faced, determined to win.

"Sister, are you going to the Capital Region again in Zhu Xian kingdom?"

Xiao Shan walked over to Su Rao and asked the question he hadn't been able to earlier due to Little Brother's interruption. His gaze rested on Su Rao, carrying the calm demeanor of a little adult.

Su Rao turned her head, glanced at him, and then did something unexpected—she threw the snowball in her hand at Xiao Shan, a bright smile spreading across her face.

"Kids should act like kids. Being a little adult all the time isn't cute at all."

Then, with her icy fingers tinged slightly red from the cold, she pinched Xiao Shan's cheek.

"This is the kind of cuteness a kid like you should have."

Her lips pulled into a smile, but Xiao Shan was stunned. This version of his sister felt unfamiliar, yet somehow more endearing than before. A warm, comforting feeling spread through him, and his face no longer felt frozen.

Su Rao's smile grew even brighter at his reaction.

Her royal brother would grow up carefree here, with loving parents and a cute, honest younger brother. He would never need to know…

"Alright, it's getting late. I should go. Keep an eye on Little Brother and the others, don't let them wander too far."

With those final words, Su Rao glanced at Little Brother and the others, who were already running off in their playful chase, then mounted her horse. She didn't tell Xiao Shan why she had come, and he didn't need to know.

The sound of hooves echoed as snow flew up, and in an instant, she was gone.

Xiao Shan watched from afar, his gaze lingering until the red figure disappeared. Then he asked softly, "Sister, will you come back to see me and Little Brother?"

No one answered, and after a moment, Xiao Shan ran over to Little Brother and the others, keeping an eye on them to ensure they didn't get hurt by wild animals or anything else, as had happened before.

The playful moment lasted only half an hour, but it brought Su Rao immense joy—so much so that she couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so freely.

The wind blew her veil aside, revealing a corner of her face. The smile on Su Rao's lips remained until she reached Guanyang Peak. But as she stepped onto the official road leading to the peak, at the edge of the maple forest, she encountered someone who instantly wiped the smile from her face and extinguished the joy in her heart.

The snowstorm and the warm sun of the following day, after a snowstorm, the warm sun reappeared, the golden and snow-white interweaving, cloaking the world in a stunning veil, a breathtaking marvel bestowed by nature.

At this moment, within the Zhu Xian palace, the figure in the black robe also left the palace, mounted on a spirited horse, he alone left Capital Region, heading towards Su Rao.

He kept his horse’s pace somewhat controlled within Capital Region, but once he left, the speed was so fast that in a blink of an eye, he had already leaped onto the mountain official road.

The snowy mountain roads blurred past in a flash.

The cold wind blew his cloak, swaying and scraping.

Su Rao had been on her way to Capital Region for ten days, and finally, Xianyi Chishaou received the news, the news that Su Rao was coming to Capital Region of Zhu Xian.

It was General Yan Lie who relayed the message.

Because just seven days ago, there was another incident within Yunlang, General Yan Lie received the news the day before yesterday, the matter was of great importance, and the military’s standard carrier pigeons were too slow, so General Yan Lie went to Gobi Pass.

Within Gobi Pass, there was a black owl used by the shadow guards to communicate messages, it was as swift as a mature eagle.

When General Yan Lie arrived at Gobi Pass, he discovered Su Rao had departed Gobi Pass eight days prior, heading to Capital Region, so in the message he sent to Xianyi Chishaou, besides informing Xianyi Chishaou about the incident within Yunlang, he also shared Su Rao’s location, and mentioned that Su Rao might be able to save our emperor.

Previously, when Xianyi Chishaou returned to Capital Region, he did not mention to Su Rao what he had noticed about her medical skills, since Su Rao could save the half-dead Xiao Mubai, could she also assist him with the Dan poison that his brother was suffering from.

Only because Su Wu was severely injured, the injury to his ankle tendons was not to be taken lightly, Su Rao would never leave Su Wu alone, and come with Xianyi Chishaou to save Emperor Wei.

Xianyi Chishaou knew this clearly, so he did not speak at that time, but now that he learned that Su Rao was rushing to Capital Region, specifically for the Dan poison in his brother's body, Xianyi Chishaou received the news and immediately left Emperor Wei's bedroom, personally going to pick up Su Rao.

His coming in person was for his brother’s sake, but also for his own inner concern, he wanted to see Su Rao, his princess, the woman he was in love with.

Xianyi Chishaou came to pick up Su Rao, but he did not know that Su Rao was currently being stopped by someone in the maple forest.