Free Web NovelChapter 659: Chapter 200: Xue Ning at Death’s Door, Identity Exposed
In front of the blood-red General Temple.
Gao Kaiping wore a pitch-black helmet that gleamed faintly, his cold metal mask covering from his nose down to his neck, revealing only a pair of fierce, glaring pupils.
His pupils bulged, bloodshot, appearing even more vicious than a wild beast in the wilderness.
It is evident that this general was a brutal warrior in his lifetime.
The data beside him also confirms this point.
Li Yuan glanced at the data: 8030~139182.
This was significantly higher than Lü Xuanxian’s and higher than his own apparent data.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that this data was composed of two parts: one belonged to this general named Gao Kaiping, and the other to his horse.
The general’s individual data vaguely read "4830~97182."
While the horse’s was "3200~42000."
Without the horse, this general might rank at the bottom among loyal souls.
But with the horse, he was among the very best.
And now, this general stood silently behind Xie Wei, holding onto his horse, his blood-red spear shaft striking the ground with a thunderous sound, as if announcing that from now on... both the mistress and the Dragon Child within her would be under its protection.
Li Yuan’s mind was racing.
He had already confirmed it.
Loyal souls exist, so... could he communicate with this loyal soul and then connect with the Dragon Vein?
He was pondering this when he noticed Xie Wei beside him, her eyes wide with an irrepressible astonishment.
Time seemed to freeze...
The next moment, Xie Wei quickly closed her slightly parted lips and said, "Your Majesty, how did this loyal soul come out of the temple? That sound of the spear startled me."
Li Yuan nodded, his heart in turmoil, eager to connect with the Dragon Vein.
The tripartite world has always been about the weak uniting against the strong.
Now that the Dragon Vein has failed, he should re-establish an alliance with it.
He needed to hurry, for... he had no idea when the other side would arrive.
Thus, he followed Xie Wei’s words and said, "Empress, you were frightened, let us return quickly. I will have a few words with General Gao."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xie Wei bowed gracefully.
Then, Xie Wei gently stroked her abdomen and turned to leave.
After taking a few steps, Gao Kaiping followed her, leading his horse.
Hearing the armor and hoofbeats behind her, Xie Wei abruptly stopped.
As she stopped, Gao Kaiping did as well.
At this moment, the atmosphere turned strangely odd.
Li Yuan’s thoughts spun rapidly.
Suddenly, he grasped an out-of-place detail: this loyal soul named Gao Kaiping just called Mistress, but not Master.
Xie Wei’s earlier look of astonishment wasn’t due to being startled by Gao Kaiping but rather... by this phrase "Mistress without a Master" that alarmed her.
Then she deliberately concealed, somewhat reminiscent of "Liu Xuande explaining after being startled during his wine and hero debate with Cao Mengde."
Yet now, it was embarrassing.
Xie Wei left, and Gao Kaiping, disregarding the "Emperor," followed her.
What was this?
Undermining right on the spot?
Though only a moment passed, it felt as if several days had gone by...
Because at this instant, whatever was said or done seemed inappropriate.
Small actions had already left both parties at an impasse.
Li Yuan fully realized this; he had been too consumed with thoughts of the Dragon Vein and had too little vigilance toward Xie Wei, hence didn’t notice.
Xie Wei, though concealing her emotions, still wasn’t fully certain, and in her panic, wished to leave quickly, so... she too overlooked "what if that least possible possibility was real, what would the outcome be."
Nobody spoke, until Gao Kaiping broke the silence.
A buzzing voice came from within the cold helmet.
"Mistress, he is not the Emperor."
As the words fell, Xie Wei’s body shuddered.
Li Yuan also fell silent.
The next instant, Xie Wei suddenly turned, grabbing Li Yuan’s arm, and said firmly to Gao Kaiping, "Remember, he is the Emperor."
The fierce gaze flashed from behind the metal mask, and a deep voice responded, "If that is the Mistress’s command, then I shall accept it!"
Xie Wei felt as if she had stopped breathing.
Li Yuan felt the warmth from his arm, inwardly gnashing his teeth, continued the act, "Empress, you should return to the carriage first, take care not to disturb the fetus."
Xie Wei inwardly relaxed, released his hand, and slightly bowed, "Your Majesty, will you return to Qinglan Small Residence?"
Seeing Li Yuan’s silence, Xie Wei showed a bit of a pitiful look, then said softly, "I find myself alone and solitary, hoping to gain Your Majesty’s affection and the protection of a man."
Li Yuan said, "I will return, but it may take some time."
Xie Wei’s delicate eyes blinked; as the Master He of Hanzhou Dark Guard, her processing and analysis of information was exceptionally rapid, during a few blinks she had clarified many things.
She showed a gentle demeanor, "After big brother returned with the army, he often praised Your Majesty’s unwavering righteousness.
Your Majesty understands the separation of humans and spirits, knows the malevolent intent of spirits, so bears and endures, appearing to cooperate with evil ghosts, actually to deal a critical blow at a pivotal moment."
She suddenly grabbed Li Yuan’s hand and reiterated, "The other day Your Majesty issued the Holy Edict, publicly announcing, conferring me as the Empress... I was delighted.
That night, Your Majesty’s grace was exceptionally gentle.
Truly, I regard Your Majesty as my husband.
I wonder, could Your Majesty also truly regard me as your wife?"
Li Yuan: ...
Each of these words hit the point, and Li Yuan instantly understood that this sister-in-law before him was undoubtedly a demon.
In the previous high-level confrontation, it appeared she didn’t play much of a role, but viewed from her or the Xie Family’s perspective, it became apparent she hadn’t taken a single wrong step.
