Chapter 380 So He Felt This Way About Her!

Chapter 380: He Actually Had Such Thoughts About Her!

The Beiling soldiers were well-trained and quickly formed an encirclement, shielding the carriage in the center, completely cutting off any possibility of Ling Feng and Ling Wu getting close.

A Qi also seized the opportunity to quickly catch up to the carriage.

Inside the carriage, the light was dim. Little Yejun was still asleep, his small body curled up in her arms, breathing evenly.

But Jiang Shuning's entire body was trembling, not from cold, but from anger and fear.

Her eyes were red, and she glared fiercely at Xiao Huaijin, her gaze full of accusation.

"A Qi didn't mean to!" Xiao Huaijin explained urgently. "He just wanted to stop Miss Ling; he didn't intend to harm her!"

"Of course he didn't mean to!" Jiang Shuning's voice was hoarse, each word as if squeezed through clenched teeth. "He's just a guard, what right does he have to make decisions? He was merely following orders!"

Her gaze was like two knives forged in ice, piercing straight at Xiao Huaijin.

"You suspect me?" Xiao Huaijin's face instantly darkened, his eyes full of disbelief. "In your eyes, am I the kind of person who would harm the innocent to achieve his goals?"

"I don't know." Jiang Shuning's eyes were misty with a thin layer of tears, blurring her vision of him as if separated by an unseen abyss. "Your Highness, I really don't know... I realize I never truly knew you. You've changed, become someone who frightens me."

Her words were like a basin of ice water, dousing the fire in his eyes, leaving only ashes of complexity and gloom.

Xiao Huaijin's expression was extremely complicated—pain, paranoia, and a trace of hidden vulnerability flickering across his face.

He reached out, ignoring Jiang Shuning's instinctive flinch, and pulled both her and Little Yejun into his embrace.

"I'm sorry, Shuning, I scared you." His voice was very low, as if afraid to startle her. "These past days, there have been too many upheavals. Deep down, I always have this fear that no matter how hard I try, I might still lose you. I know I've been too overbearing lately, making it hard for you to adapt... But all of this, in the end, is because I'm too afraid of losing you. Once we reach Beiling and settle down, I will, as before, cherish your feelings and respect your choices, okay?"

There was a tremor in his voice, sounding sincere, as if baring all his insecurities and deep affection.

But Jiang Shuning just remained stiff and motionless.

Her heart, however, in this hypocritical warmth, sank, little by little, into a cold, deep abyss.

Respect her choices?

If he truly respected her choices, he wouldn't have used this near-kidnapping method to forcibly take her and her son to Beiling.

Leaving her in a completely unfamiliar country, with no relatives in sight, eventually forcing her to depend entirely on him.

This version of him, using tenderness as a weapon and deep affection as chains, was even more chilling than the unpredictable and ruthless Xiao Lingchuan.

...

The carriage caravan gradually moved away and finally disappeared into the snowy, wind-blown mountain pass.

Ling Feng quickly helped Ling Wu, who was lying in the snow, to her feet.

"The prince told you to use the self-injury trick, and you actually did it!" He checked her wound while complaining grumpily. "Even if you had to use it, I should have been the one to get stabbed! You're a young lady, why are you so eager to be the hero? Don't you feel pain?"

"You don't understand." Ling Wu, her lips white with pain, held her bleeding wound. "The princess consort cares about me; seeing me hurt will affect her more than seeing you hurt, and it will only make her loathe that Prince Ning even more. Besides, it's just a flesh wound. I won't die. I'll put some ointment on when I get back."

If I can help the prince sow discord between Prince Ning and his consort—then this injury is worth it!

Ling Feng looked at her pale but stubborn face, his expression was extremely complicated, a nameless irritation rising in his chest: "Don't be so reckless in the future. After all, you're a girl, it wouldn't be good for a girl to have scars like that!"

"What's wrong with that?" Ling Wu retorted, thinking he was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"What if you get married someday and your future husband minds it?"

"Then I'll simply marry someone who doesn't mind!" She rolled her eyes at him.

Ling Feng was speechless at her retort, unable to speak for a long time, the nameless fire in his chest burned even hotter.

He glared at her, almost blurting out, "Fine then, I wouldn't mind anyway!"

As the words fell, the air around them instantly froze.

The wind and snow still howled, stinging their faces like knife cuts.

Ling Wu stared at Ling Feng, stunned and disbelieving.

He... what did he just say?

Ling Feng himself was also stunned, clearly not expecting to blurt out his true feelings so bluntly.

His face reddened visibly, and his eyes began to dart away, not daring to look at her anymore, wishing he could just bury his head in a snowdrift.

Ling Wu: "..."

So this guy actually had thoughts like that about her!

—

Inside the Night Shadow Pavilion, candle flames flickered, stretching human shadows into long, eerie shapes.

A woman in a cloak stood in the hall, her voice cold, with a hint of impatient questioning.

"Han Ying, didn't you say Tianze was with you? Where is he?"

Han Ying, clad in black, bowed respectfully: "Nanyue Poison Master, I've long heard of your reputation! Actually, it wasn't me who invited you here today, but Lady Wei!"

Lady Wei?

Third Madam Jiang frowned, puzzled. At that moment, the bead curtains rustled as someone pushed them aside and stepped out.

The newcomer was Jiang Yaozhen.

A perfectly measured smile hung on her face as she greeted familiarly: "Third Aunt, long time no see."

Under her cloak, Third Madam Jiang's gaze was sharp as a knife as she looked her up and down, her tone distant: "So it's Second Miss. You need something from me?"

"I'd like to ask you to help me develop a... medicine," Jiang Yaozhen got straight to the point. "One that can help restore a person's consciousness."

As she spoke, she motioned for Third Madam Jiang to follow her into the inner chamber.

In the dim inner chamber, a pungent smell of medicine assaulted their noses.

A man lay on the bed, his complexion sallow, eyes shut tight, his breathing faint, clearly unconscious.

The second she recognized the man's face, Third Madam Jiang blurted out, "Chief Grand Secretary?"

"You know him?" Jiang Yaozhen was a bit surprised, then pressed further, "Have you been to Nanyue recently?"

"More than that." Third Madam Jiang turned around, a sarcastic smile curling under her cloak. "I was once the Nanyue Imperial Consort for a time. My son, Jiang Tianze, is the Nanyue Crown Prince."

"What?"

Jiang Yaozhen and Han Ying cried out almost simultaneously, the shock on their faces was identical.

Seeing their expressions, Third Madam Jiang's sneer deepened, and her voice turned cold: "It seems you have no idea where my son is, and you merely used this method to lure me here."

"No, Poison Master Nanyue." Han Ying immediately stepped forward, interrupting her speculation. "If your son is truly the Crown Prince of Nanyue, then I indeed know his whereabouts."

He spoke rapidly, laying out the whole matter: "That night when we infiltrated Prince Jing's mansion dungeon and found the Chief Grand Secretary, he (your son) was also there. I heard him claim to be the Crown Prince of Nanyue, so I released him. Later, he said he was going to Beiling and left alone."

"Prince Jing's mansion dungeon?" Those words instantly ignited Third Madam Jiang's fury.

Her expression turned extremely grim, her voice brimming with barely suppressed hatred: "Xiao Lingchuan has already made us, mother and son, homeless, yet he still hounds us so relentlessly—this is just too much!"

"Third Aunt!" Jiang Yaozhen seized the moment, stepping forward with an earnest and urgent voice: "Xiao Lingchuan is venomous; he shows no mercy to our clan. We can't just sit around waiting to die; we must join forces to overthrow him! Otherwise, who knows how he will persecute us in the future!"

Third Madam Jiang suddenly lifted her head, her eyes, beneath the cloak, shot out a terrifying cold light.

"Fine, I'll do as you say!"