Chapter 454: Defiance Beneath the Dan Liang Royal City

Chapter 454: Defiance Beneath the Dan Liang Royal City

"Yun... Mu... Jing... How could you..."

How dare you play him like this?

Each word struggled to force out from his throat, yet Su Er suddenly found himself struck dumb.

The innocent infatuation of his youth, the shame and fury upon learning Yun Mujing was a man, the white-hot rage upon discovering he had planted spies around his own younger brother—and now, the cruelest deception of all.

It was suffocating.

These emotions surged forth, threatening to burst his heart. Yet amidst them, an overwhelming, unwilling joy—the revelation that Yun Mujing was, in truth, a woman. Rage and elation intertwined, the fury so intense it rendered Su Er speechless.

Those always-calm eyes, which had never truly flared with anger no matter how Yun Mujing provoked him, now blazed crimson. Yun Mujing dared not meet his eyes.

Grabbing her robe, Yun Mujing hurried to dress, but a rush of air whipped past her ear.

Su Er lunged, slamming her against the desk behind her.

"Su Yumo, what are you doing?"

Yun Mujing’s voice was guttural and strained. Her wrists were locked in a bone-crushing grip far stronger than when he had learned Su Rao’s disfigurement was her doing—strong enough to crush her bones.

To cripple her.

Yet Su Er said nothing more. Or rather, he couldn’t. His throat felt scorched raw, as if burned to ash.

Only those blood-red eyes remained fixed on Yun Mujing’s own furious face. That face—crafted with bone and skin, a poison he knew yet indulged in time and again. Had she reveled in this deception?

A rough exhale escaped his nose. Blood seeped from Su Er’s mouth, unstoppable, his throat too ravaged to contain it.

A spatter of blood, yet none touched Yun Mujing.

Su Er turned his head just in time, letting it splatter onto the floor.

Yun Mujing’s brows knitted tightly. She tried to move, but her hands remained trapped, immobile.

A strangled noise—his tongue locked. Su Er truly couldn’t speak. Releasing her, he staggered back a step, fingers pressing to his throat. After a moment, he shook his head lightly, a twisted smile curling his lips.

Was it laughter born of fury pushed to its limit? Or mockery at his own inability to endure, to the point of vomiting blood and losing his voice?

That smile sent Yun Mujing’s pulse racing—a sensation she had never known, like drowning.

Her hands shook violently, whether from Su Er’s earlier force or her own breathlessness.

Seeing this, Su Er’s smile faded. His eyes shut briefly before reopening, red fading from his eyes. Perhaps fury, pushed to its extreme, could no longer rise—yet neither could it fade.

Wiping the blood from his lips, he seized Yun Mujing’s right wrist, dragging her nose-to-nose, their breaths mingling. Su Er inhaled sharply, gritting out hoarsely after several tries:

"You wanted me, Su Yumo, to be your Great General-King? Fine. I accept. Not just Yun Lang’s Great General-King—I will be Yun Lang’s master. I will make you, Yun Mujing, mine for life. Whether you are man or woman, you will never get away. Never."

The last word shredded his throat.

Before Yun Mujing could react, Su Er’s vision blacked out. A swift chop to her neck—she couldn’t dodge in time—and she collapsed into his arms, unconscious.

Su Er lowered his gaze, looking at the unconscious person in his arms, startled even in unconsciousness—was he insane?

After a moment, he raised his hand and gently brushed a stray lock of hair behind Yun Mujing’s ear.

Staring intently for a while, a shimmering tear unexpectedly spilled from the corner of Su Er’s eye.

*You shouldn’t have provoked me, much less lured me in with a woman’s guise only to reveal you were a man. I gave you my genuine feelings—even if you couldn’t return them, you shouldn’t have weaponized my feelings to make me your blade.*

Sweeping Yun Mujing into his arms, Su Er strode out of the room.

The icy detachment around him made the room’s air stifling.

Just as he stepped outside, a blade barred his way.

A golden-clad secret guard stood in his path.

"Second Lord Su, please release His Majesty."

This golden-clad secret guard was different from the others—he had been Yun Mujing’s unwavering protector even before his ascension to the throne.

He had just been knocked unconscious by Su Er.

Su Er glanced at him, then set Yun Mujing down—but not into the guard’s arms. Instead, he pulled out a jet-black cloth from his sleeve.

Then, biting his finger, he scrawled a message in blood:

*"Jì Yuè entrusted you to guard Yun Mujing, to obey only his orders henceforth. But Yun Mujing is Jì Yuè’s brother, the one he swore to protect. Jì Yuè owes me, Su Yumo, a life. He took my life, yet I merely buried him. If you wish to keep Yun Mujing, tell him to come and take him from me himself."*

Tossing the cloth to the guard, Su Er wrapped an arm around Yun Mujing’s waist and released a burst of qi.

The golden-clad secret guard was forced back a step—and in that instant, Su Er vanished.

The guard moved to pursue, but Su Wu, who’d been lurking in the shadows, hastily intercepted him.

"Brother, brother—we can’t risk a real clash here. If His Majesty’s whereabouts are exposed, it’ll be even worse."

His words were frantic, his face still pale with lingering fear.

*Elder Brother is terrifying—but the consequences of crossing him are even worse.*

*Yun Mujing… you truly were a woman.*

"Fifth Brother…"

Su Rao and Su Han arrived, having missed the earlier confrontation.

Taking in the scene, Su Rao said nothing more. At her call, Su Wu whirled around and quickly relayed the situation in a breathless summary.

*We have to chase after Elder Brother—if he harms Yun Mujing in his rage, with her being the Emperor of Yunlang…*

In just a few urgent sentences, Su Wu conveyed the crux of the matter. Upon learning that Su Er now knew Yun Mujing’s true gender, Su Rao frowned, her face hardening—yet she didn’t immediately give chase.

"Fifth Brother, Yun Mujing dug her own grave. Why should we save her? If she targeted Elder Brother and used him, she should face the consequences now that he knows."

Compared to Yun Mujing, Su Rao naturally sided with her own brother.

Motioning Su Han to go after them, she insisted that as long as Elder Brother was unharmed, Yun Mujing’s fate lay in his hands.

Su Han gave a swift nod and swiftly pursued in the direction Su Wu indicated, the golden-clad guard hot on his heels.

Su Rao did not stop him.

Her actions, however, instantly dispelled Su Wu's anxiety. He smacked his forehead.

Right, even if Yun Mujing is now Emperor Yun Lang, the Su family had long withdrawn from the court. What's there to be afraid of?

"Little sister, I’ve missed you like crazy! I thought I'd never see you again. Grandfather and the others—are they all fine?"

With his worries gone, Su Wu lunged at Su Rao, hugging her tightly as he sobbed.

His body trembled slightly as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. In front of Second Brother, he had to be a strong man and couldn't cry like this. But in front of his little sister, he could let it all out. Grandfather was safe, his parents, uncles, and aunts were fine, his little sister was unharmed—everyone was safe, and he was still alive too.

Su Rao’s eyes welled up, but she remained quiet, letting Su Wu cry in her arms. He had been suppressed for too long. Now that he knew his family was safe, he needed this release.

*Hic...*

Only after crying his fill did Su Wu let go of Su Rao, wiping his face without a hint of shame for weeping in front of his younger sister. Instead, he grinned broadly.

Now that the siblings had reunited and the master and servants had met, there was no need to continue hiding in Celestial No. 5 Pavilion. Su Rao instructed Yiying and Yisu to erase all evidence of their stay before following her back.