The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Chapter 398: Chapter 400: Where There’s Life, There’s Hope

Arrows stuck haphazardly in the mud, their feathered tails trembling slightly.

Hua Manman was completely wrapped in a cloak, her head covered by its hood.

She had to struggle to lift her head just to see the face of the man before her.

Hua Manman felt like she was in a dream. It was all so unreal.

She blinked and couldn’t help but call out.

"Li Ji..."

It was the first time she had ever called him by his full name.

When she said it, the name sounded inexplicably soft to Li Ji’s ears.

It was like a feather brushing gently against his heart.

Li Ji held her a little tighter and answered in a low voice.

"Mm, I’m here."

In the distance, Li Hao and the others were startled by the sight.

They never imagined Prince Zhao would catch up to them so quickly!

After learning that Li Hao and Xianfei had gone to Tianwu Gate, Li Ji deduced they would likely leave Shangjing through the West City Gate. He abandoned the pursuit toward Tianwu Gate and took a shortcut to the West City Gate instead. Then, using Qinggong, he flew through the forest to catch up with Li Hao’s group at the fastest possible speed.

The arrow that had ambushed the carriage just moments ago had been fired by Li Ji.

He had pushed himself to his physical limit on the chase. Even now, his breathing was ragged, and his back was soaked with sweat.

He raised his head and looked toward Li Hao and Xianfei.

Both Li Hao and Xianfei had been injured when the carriage overturned, and the mother and son now looked quite pathetic.

Without any leverage to threaten Prince Zhao, they were deeply unsettled. Their eyes couldn’t help but betray a hint of fear as they looked at him.

Xianfei endured the sharp pain from her injuries and said in a low voice,

"Don’t waste time getting entangled with him. Let’s go."

They had superior numbers, while Prince Zhao was alone. If it came to a life-or-death struggle, they might not lose.

But it wasn’t worth it.

Besides, Prince Zhao’s reinforcements could arrive at any moment. They had to leave this place as quickly as possible.

The Yulin Guards covered Xianfei and Li Yan as they retreated.

Li Ji didn’t give chase.

He released Manman, drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed it at Li Hao.

Seeing this, the Yulin Guards hurriedly shouted a warning.

"My Prince, be careful!"

Li Hao immediately dodged to the side.

However, the moment Li Ji released his fingers, he shifted his aim ever so slightly.

Just that tiny shift sent the arrow flying in a different direction.

It shot straight toward Xianfei!

Before Li Hao or the Yulin Guards could even react, the arrow had pierced through Xianfei’s chest.

Her eyes flew open, and she slowly turned her head to look at her son.

Li Hao’s eyes widened in fury. "Mother!"

He practically scrambled over, catching Xianfei as she swayed and fell.

Li Ji methodically nocked another arrow.

This time, he aimed at Li Hao.

Xianfei lay in Li Hao’s arms, blood gushing from the wound and staining the front of her clothes red.

Her voice was as faint as a thread.

"Go... quickly..."

Li Hao refused to leave. He couldn’t abandon his mother here.

Just then, Xu Jiwu arrived menacingly with five thousand soldiers.

Li Ji’s motion of shooting paused slightly.

Xu Jiwu’s expression changed the moment he saw Xianfei collapsed in Li Hao’s arms.

He glared at Prince Zhao standing in the distance, hatred overpowering his fear, and roared.

"Archers, ready!"

The archers quickly took their positions.

Xu Jiwu gave the order, "Fire!"

A rain of arrows descended upon Li Ji and Hua Manman.

Li Ji leaped up with Hua Manman in his arms, using Qinggong to land in a nearby tree.

By now, all the color had drained from Xianfei’s face.

She was still repeating that one word.

"Go."

Shangjing must have already fallen. The Emperor would soon send men in pursuit, leaving them with very little time to escape. They couldn’t waste what precious time they had here.

Li Hao cried his heart out. "I won’t go, Mother! I’m not leaving!"

The sound of horse hooves echoed from the distance.

The sound grew closer, making the very ground tremble slightly.

It was clear that a vast number of riders were approaching.

Xu Jiwu snapped back to his senses. He looked into the distance and immediately spotted the banner of the Tiger Roar Camp.

Prince Zhao’s reinforcements had arrived!

Xu Jiwu knew that if they delayed any longer, none of them would be able to escape.

’Live to fight another day.’

’Saving our lives is the most important thing!’

Xu Jiwu struggled to suppress the hatred in his heart, his face twitching with a ferocious expression.

He gritted his teeth hard. "Retreat!"

Li Hao refused to go, so Xu Jiwu knocked him unconscious with a single blow and forcibly threw him onto a horse to be carried away.

As for Xianfei, she was left behind.

The arrow had pierced her chest. Blood spread out beneath her, mixing with the filthy mud.

But her eyes remained fixed on Li Hao’s departing figure.

That was the son she had raised with all her heart and soul. She loved him more than anything else in this world.

But now, all she could do was watch him leave.

In the end, this was as far as she could accompany him.

Life was still so long; he would have to walk the rest of the way on his own.

Xianfei’s breathing slowly faded.

Finally, her expression froze, and she moved no more.

...

Li Ji landed back on the ground, still holding Hua Manman.

Watching the rebels retreat swiftly into the distance, Hua Manman knew the crisis was over. The last ounce of tension left her body.

As her body relaxed, the exhaustion and pain she had been deliberately ignoring rushed back with a vengeance.

Her vision swam with black spots, and her legs trembled uncontrollably.

A throbbing pain shot through her abdomen, accompanied by a heavy, dragging sensation.

Li Ji noticed something was wrong and quickly held her tighter.

"What’s wrong?"

Hua Manman clutched her stomach, her face pale as a sheet. "My stomach hurts..."

At that moment, Chen Wangbei arrived with the reinforcements.

Li Ji swept Hua Manman up into his arms.

He said to Chen Wangbei, "You continue the pursuit of Prince Dongyang. I am taking the Princess Consort back to see a physician."

Chen Wangbei glanced at Xianfei’s body lying on the ground nearby and hurriedly asked,

"What should be done with Xianfei?"

"Take her back and hand her over to the Emperor."

With that, Li Ji mounted his horse with Manman in his arms and galloped toward Shangjing.

Curled in Prince Zhao’s arms, Hua Manman felt colder and colder, and the pain in her stomach grew more intense.

She couldn’t help but murmur, ’Am I going to die?’

Li Ji’s heart clenched, and his expression turned grim.

He gritted his teeth and snapped, "Don’t talk nonsense!"

He cracked his whip, pushing his horse to its maximum speed.

The wind WHOOSHED past their ears.

It was still some distance from the West City Gate to the Duke Zhen Country Mansion.

By now, the pain was unbearable for Hua Manman. She could even feel a warm trickle flowing slowly from between her thighs.

’Did I just wet myself?’

But soon, the pain was too intense for her to think about anything else.

Li Ji smelled blood. He looked down and saw a spot of red seeping through Manman’s skirt. His heart sank.

’There’s no time!’