Chapter 426 Send You Off

Chapter 426: Giving You

Yun Xunyu reached out and linked his finger with Cheng Ge's. His fingertip was warm from the carriage's heat, yet still carried a faint, jade-like coolness.

He leaned forward, his voice low and intimate: "How about... I give myself to you, my dear?"

Cheng Ge's fingers curled inward, as if to pull away, but Yun Xunyu turned his hand and gently caught them. The pressure was light, yet held a persistence that couldn't be brushed aside.

"What would I even do with you? You gonna take care of me in my old age and bury me?"

Yun Xunyu was not put off by his cheeky remark. Instead, he moved even closer.

The usual careless smile in his eyes faded, giving way to an unusually focused, earnest look. Holding Cheng Ge's gaze, he spoke word by word:

"My dear will surely live a hundred years, blessed with fortune and long life. I swear it on my own life."

Cheng Ge was caught off guard by this sudden seriousness, then let out a scoff: "Fortune and long life are heaven's call. You think you can just trade your life for mine?"

Yun Xunyu's eyes crinkled with deeper amusement: "I'd give my very life to you, dear. Do you want it?"

Cheng Ge met his gaze at that moment, and his heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

Something roiling in those eyes burned too fiercely, making him instinctively feel a pang of unease. He looked away almost at once.

He quickly changed the topic, his gaze drifting to the bleak landscape rushing past the window, his voice deliberately feigning its usual nonchalance.

"I hear that in the nearby city of Jincheng, the Yue family shop's lotus blossom pastry is quite famous. Too bad we're not passing through—otherwise I'd definitely have to grab a good ten or twenty catties to try."

Yun Xunyu's gaze lingered on his profile, watching his faintly trembling lashes and the tips of his ears that had reddened with unease.

The intense emotion in his eyes slowly subsided, once again softening into a smile as gentle as spring water.

He casually released his hand, as if that breathtaking exchange had just been an offhand joke.

"We could take a detour." His tone had returned to its usual languor, even carrying a hint of indulgence. "It's only a day's travel. If my dear wants some, a little detour is no trouble at all."

Cheng Ge's eyes lit up a little at that, clearly tempted.

He hesitated, about to say "Then let's take the detour," before the words could leave his mouth—

"BANG!" The carriage lurched violently, as if something had slammed into its side!

The cabin shook violently—cups toppled, cushions tumbled, and sparks flew from the charcoal brazier!

Cheng Ge lost his balance and was thrown hard to one side!

Lin Nanshu, sitting across from him, reacted in a flash. The moment the impact hit, he was already up, catching Cheng Ge and shielding him.

The two of them slammed into the carriage wall with a dull thud.

"Cough... you okay?" Cheng Ge saw stars from the impact, his chest churning, but he forgot his own pain. He struggled a little in Lin Nanshu's arms and looked up to check on him.

Lin Nanshu was a little pale, but his expression stayed calm. He shook his head and said in a low voice, "I'm fine." He let go, his sharp gaze already fixed on the carriage curtain.

At almost the same moment, the sharp ring of metal and short, sharp shouts erupted from outside!

The clash of battle erupted at once—this was clearly no mere accident!

The three inside the carriage all tensed, their faces turning grim.

They'd kept a low profile on this trip to avoid prying eyes, and their route was secret. How could they have been... found out?

Cheng Ge's heart dropped. He yanked back a corner of the curtain—and was met with a flash of blood!

A man in official robes, a short blade buried deep in his gut, slammed against their carriage wheel.

Warm blood splattered across the carriage, leaving a shocking smear of crimson.

Before Cheng Ge could take in more, a blade flashed through the air, slashing at the carriage window!

"Watch out!" Cheng Ge felt a hand grip his waist and yank him backward with force!

Caught off guard, his back slammed into a solid chest, and the familiar cool, medicinal scent hit his nose.

At the same moment, a sharp CLANG—the long blade struck the window frame where Cheng Ge's head had just been, sending splinters flying!

"Stay put in the carriage!" Yun Xunyu's voice came from beside his ear, cold and murderous in a way Cheng Ge had never heard.

Before the words faded, he released Cheng Ge, drew the sword at his side, and in one motion, was out of the carriage.

Outside, Ling Feng and several shadow guards were already fighting a group of masked men in black!

Swords flashed, killing intent filled the air! The attackers were many, and their moves were vicious—clearly prepared and after a specific target!

Cheng Ge steadied himself, his heart hammering in his chest.

Lin Nanshu had already moved in front of Cheng Ge, a flexible sword somehow already in his hand, his calm gaze fixed on the fight outside the curtain.

"What's going on? Who are they after?" Cheng Ge asked in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the still-twitching body in official robes by the wheel, suspicion rising.

Was this guy being chased, or... was he with the attackers?

Lin Nanshu shook his head slightly, his gaze landing on the corpse's waist.

There seemed to be a special token hanging there, but it was mostly covered in blood, hard to make out.

The battle outside grew fiercer. Yun Xunyu's arrival was like a tiger among sheep—his swordplay was vicious and deadly, and within moments, two more men in black were down.

Seeing how skilled Yun Xunyu and his men were, and that they'd already lost half their number, the masked attackers knew they'd picked the wrong fight.

The leader let out a sharp whistle. The remaining two men in black faked a strike, then without a second thought, turned and bolted into the dense woods off the main road, vanishing into the withered trees and brush in moments.

Yun Xunyu and Ling Feng exchanged a glance but did not pursue.

These attackers had a clear target—they were after those "officials." They'd just been unlucky enough to get caught in the middle of an ambush. No point chasing a cornered enemy; the priority now was figuring out what was happening.

The fighting died down, leaving only the howl of the cold wind across the field and the lingering stench of blood.

With Lin Nanshu at his side, Cheng Ge lifted the curtain and stepped down. The cold wind hit his face, reeking of rust.

Frowning, he walked over to the dead man in official robes by the wheel.

The wound in the man's abdomen was vicious, blood soaking half his robe and seeping into the frozen ground beneath.

Ling Feng and his men quickly searched the other bodies of the men in black, their movements clean and practiced. Aside from standard-issue weapons and hidden darts, they found nothing that could identify who they were.

But from their discipline and coordination alone, these were no ordinary bandits or outlaws.

"Young master, here." Wufeng, after feeling around the waist of the official stabbed in the gut, unfastened a hard object wrapped in oilcloth, hidden in a secret pocket inside the lining.

Peeling back the blood-stained oilcloth, a slender copper tube was revealed, its opening sealed with wax that bore a faint, blurred imprint.

Cheng Ge took the copper tube; it was cold and heavy in his hand. His fingertips traced the wax seal, stained with blood and slightly damaged at the edges, trying to discern its markings.

Lin Nanshu leaned in for a closer look as well. Yun Xunyu sheathed his sword and approached, his gaze settling on the copper tube with a deepening glint in his eyes.

"It's from the palace," Lin Nanshu said in a low voice, his tone certain.

Though the imprint was incomplete, he recognized the distinctive pattern and material from his time in the palace.

Cheng Ge's heart tightened. A confidential edict tube reserved for the palace, appearing in this desolate wilderness, intercepted by assassins of unknown identity...

He pried the wax seal open with effort and shook out a roll of tough, fine silk from the tube.

As the silk unfurled, the handwriting was rushed, betraying the urgency with which it was written:

"The stars dim above the Purple Enclosure; clouds veil the Emperor's Gate."

"The stars dim above the Purple Enclosure; clouds veil the Emperor's Gate..." Cheng Ge repeated in a low voice, his gaze falling on the stark crimson private seal of the Crown Prince below.

The seal paste seemed not yet fully dried, leaving a slight raised imprint on the silk.

He looked up sharply at both Lin Nanshu and Yun Xunyu.

Lin Nanshu's expression was somber; he had clearly grasped the meaning behind those eight characters.

"Is this all?" Cheng Ge's voice was tight as he anxiously scanned the silk for any further writing.

He handed the silk to Lin Nanshu, then crouched to quickly search the official's cold corpse.

His fingertips met the stiff, cold fabric, and the thick stench of blood hit his nose.

Suppressing his revulsion, he carefully checked the official's clothing, boots, and even his topknot, searching for any further clues.

Aside from the blood-soaked, unreadable waist token, there was nothing else.

"He fought his way out," Lin Nanshu's voice came from above, calm but with a barely detectable gravity:

"Judging by his wounds, he was forced to break through an encirclement and collapsed against our carriage in exhaustion. Those killers were after this letter."

Cheng Ge stood, took the silk back from Lin Nanshu, and clutched it in his palm.

This route was clearly heading north toward the border—who the intended recipient was went without saying.

But now the messenger lay dead on the road, the letter undelivered...

Cheng Ge gripped the cold silk bearing the Crown Prince's private seal, his thoughts a tangled mess.

Just then, Yun Xunyu's leisurely voice broke the silence.

He had, at some point, pulled a nearly identical copper tube off one of the masked men.

With a deft flick, he cracked the wax seal and drew out another roll of silk, unfolding it.

The handwriting on this one was a far cry from the hasty scrawl of the first—neat and steady:

"Imperial edict to Prince Zhenbei, Cui Ji: The border is a critical post, and its safety rests entirely on you. You shall diligently carry out your duties, maintain strict military readiness, and defend your post to the death. Without my explicit decree, you must not abandon your post by even a step, to secure the nation's gates. By imperial command."

Below it was stamped the Emperor's jade seal! The vermilion imprint was solemn and imposing, a stark contrast to the Crown Prince's eight-character private seal.

One bore the Crown Prince's private seal, a veiled plea for help; the other bore the Emperor's jade seal, a stern order to hold the line. Both were headed in the same direction, yet their contents... were diametrically opposed.

The air seemed to vanish instantly.

Cheng Ge looked from the secret letter in his hand to the edict in Yun Xunyu's, a chill creeping up his spine to the back of his head.

Lin Nanshu's brow furrowed deeply as his gaze moved between the two documents.

But then, in the suffocating silence, Yun Xunyu let out a soft "tsk," tapping a finger on the jade seal imprint with a lazy, critical air: "This seal... is a fake."

"Fake?" Cheng Ge and Lin Nanshu both looked up at him, shock and confusion in their eyes.

Yun Xunyu looked at Cheng Ge, a faint, enigmatic smile curling at the corner of his lips as he spoke slowly:

"My dear may not know this, but in the early days of the Great Zhou, the founding Prince Zhenbei once acquired a rare ancient jade of unparalleled texture and quality—unmatched anywhere in the world.

This jade was split in two: one half was given to the founding emperor of Great Zhou and carved into the Imperial Seal;

The other half was given to the ancestors of my Nanling, also carved into a national treasure seal.

The two seals share the same origin but differ in form, yet the natural veining on their bases comes from the same source, each echoing the other."

Cheng Ge frowned slightly, still puzzled: "Even so, based on that alone, how can you be sure the seal on this edict is a forgery?"

Yun Xunyu chuckled lightly without further explanation, casually reaching into his wide sleeve as if fetching an ordinary object, and produced a square item wrapped in bright yellow silk brocade.

With a flick of his finger, the silk fell away, revealing a lustrous, gleaming jade seal with a coiled chi-dragon perched on top.

The jade's color, under the gloomy snowy light, gave off a restrained yet warm glow.

Cheng Ge: "..." He was momentarily speechless, staring at the seal, his eyelids twitching.

Right—he'd nearly forgotten that this man before him was infamous for killing his sovereign and his brother.

He just hadn't expected him to so openly carry such a symbol of national authority on his person. If those vying for power in Nanling's court knew, they'd be tearing their hair out looking for it.

"My dear, look here," Yun Xunyu said, bringing the seal closer and pointing to the base, then at the vermilion imprint on the secret letter:

"These two jades share the same origin. Though their forms differ by nation, the unique natural veining on the seal's base is like a person's palm print—impossible to counterfeit.

Notice the direction of the veining on this edict's imprint compared to mine: similar in form but not in spirit. At the crucial fine points, it's off by a hair's breadth, and that makes all the difference."

Cheng Ge instinctively took the Nanling jade seal. It was heavy in his hand, cold to the touch, yet it oddly carried a trace of warmth from Yun Xunyu's sleeve.

He carefully compared the base of the seal with the imprint on the secret letter. The light was dim, forcing him to squint.

Indeed, upon closer inspection, as Yun Xunyu had said, the nearly imperceptible natural jade veining extending from the edges of the imprint differed subtly yet unmistakably in direction from that of the genuine seal.

The genuine one had veins that flowed like water and clouds, in harmony with nature; the forged one was slightly stiff and labored, possessing only the outward form.

Confirming this, Cheng Ge's heart sank further. This meant the assassination and the forged decree pointed to something far deeper than he'd imagined.

His fingers unconsciously traced the finely carved chi-dragon head on the seal—the fierce beast coiled, baring sharp teeth, cold and imposing to the touch.

For the first time in his life, he held such a symbol of supreme authority, and he found it rather strange.

After a moment, he thrust the seal toward Yun Xunyu, saying curtly: "Keep it safe."

But Yun Xunyu didn't take it. His gaze rested on Cheng Ge's face, his smile deepening, and his tone was casual yet each word rang clear: "It's a gift for my dear."

Lin Nanshu, standing nearby: "..." He expressionlessly averted his gaze, staring at the snow dusting off the withered branches in the distance, as if suddenly developing a profound interest in the scenery.

Cheng Ge's hand froze. He almost thought he'd misheard, but looking up into Yun Xunyu's smiling eyes, he saw not a trace of jest.

His Adam's apple bobbed as his fingers tightened around the seal, the cold sensation piercing straight to his heart: "R-really?"