Ch. 98 - Xiao Nong: Tiao Tiao, don't sleep

After Xiao Wenlan crawled out of the tunnel with weak hands and feet, he felt relieved when he saw that there were black-armored guards outside.

After all, from childhood to adulthood, there was nothing that his brother could not solve. Now that his brother is here, there must be no problem.

He didn't have dinner and didn't sleep. He ran from the palace to the entrance of the tunnel and then ran out of the tunnel. After tossing and turning for most of the night, Xiao Wenlan was exhausted. His back was soaked with sweat. He sat outside for a while, panting, and then he found that Xiao Nong's mount Xuanyun was also there.

Xiao Nong's longbow was hanging on Xuan Yun.

It was a specially made bow, which was harder to pull than a two-stone bow and had a much longer range.

It was usually difficult for Xiao Wenlan to see it, let alone touch it. After looking at it for a while, he felt a little greedy. He stood up and walked around Xuanyun. He was afraid of being kicked by the horse, so he didn't dare to get close to take it down to have a look.

It was not until he noticed the traces of Prince An and others and discovered Prince An's actions that Xiao Wenlan grabbed the longbow without thinking, put the arrow steadily on the string, and shot it out.

During those few moments, his mind was completely blank, his heart was pounding, and he only knew that he had to stop Prince An.

It was not until the arrow was shot that Xiao Wenlan realized that his back was wet again.

Prince An stared at Xiao Wenlan and opened his mouth as if to say something, but bright red blood kept flowing out of his mouth and he could not speak. His vision was covered with fog and gradually became blurred.

His ambitious plan for hegemony and his eternal achievements within his grasp...

Success and fame are clearly within reach.

Surprisingly, it was ruined by a piece of trash that he looked down upon.

But King An could no longer see the figure holding the longbow behind the mist. He staggered forward two steps and could no longer hold on, falling into the dust with a thud.

Prince An's personal soldiers' eyes instantly turned red: "Revenge for the prince!"

Xiao Wenlan reacted quickly and ran away with the longbow in his arms, hiding behind the black-armored guards.

The surroundings immediately fell into chaos.

The sounds of weapons being unsheathed and fighting rang out almost at the same time.

When the news reached the Yongding Gate, Zhan Rong waved his hand and shouted, "The traitor King An is dead! Why don't you accept the surrender?"

The already scattered rebels were completely out of control. The next moment, the city gate was slammed open and the black armored soldiers poured into the city like a torrent.

It was almost dawn and the mist was gradually dissipating. Zhan Rong shook off the blood on the knife, wiped the blood off his face, and looked towards the exit of the secret passage.

I wonder what the situation is like over there with Master?

After being hit again, Pei Hong groaned and felt as if several ribs were broken. Blood flowed uncontrollably from the corners of his black and blue mouth.

King Jing's men were in the aisle behind. They tried several times to come up to help, but were forced back by Xiao Nong's secret guards. They could only watch their master being beaten in front of them.

Seeing Pei Hong's embarrassed look, Zhong Yansheng felt a little relieved: "Brother, capture King Jing alive, let's go out."

Xiao Nong let out a light click of his tongue.

Hearing Zhong Yansheng's words, Pei Hong curled his lips, with a hint of the romantic smile he was familiar with before: "Xiao Sheng, I don't want to be captured alive."

If he fell into Xiao Nong's hands, it might be more terrifying than death.

Zhong Yansheng said with a wooden face: "The situation has reversed, Your Highness Prince Jing, it is no longer up to you now."

Pei Hong couldn't beat Xiao Nong, but he was not a soft persimmon that could be bullied at will. It was much more difficult to capture him alive than to kill him. Xiao Nong raised his index finger and was about to signal the secret guards to take action when he suddenly smelled a familiar scent and looked sharply into the depths of the tunnel.

At the same time, a loud “bang” suddenly came from the direction of the secret passage behind King Jing, accompanied by roars and screams: “Who is it?!”

"It's gunpowder! They're hiding gunpowder!"

"Protect the prince!"

The entire tunnel was shaken by the aftermath of the explosion. A few unfamiliar faces appeared in the tunnel with red eyes: "His Royal Highness Prince An is dead. You will be buried here with him!"

Zhong Yansheng's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Are these the assassins under Prince An? Prince An is dead?

Xiao Nong had long legs, so he decisively kicked the sword on the ground, firmly grasped the hilt, and was about to retreat back to Zhong Yansheng. However, at this moment, King An's assassins rushed forward.

The tunnel was narrow, and it was difficult for two adult men to walk side by side. If too many people were brought in, it would be congested, so Xiao Nong and Pei Hong only brought a few people in. However, Prince An's assassins didn't care about so many things, and didn't tell who was who at all. They just wanted to pull in more people to be buried with him!

Immediately afterwards, there was another loud bang, and the fuse that the assassins had ignited in advance detonated the gunpowder!

The tunnel above his head began to shake, and chaos ensued in the narrow tunnel. Torches fell to the ground, and the surroundings fell into darkness. The three parties fought in a group, and no one could escape from the narrow passage.

Zhong Yansheng was protected by several people behind him. In addition to the smell of black gunpowder and rotten eggs in the air, he smelled a strong smell of blood.

He was extremely panicked and hurriedly called out "Brother", and the next moment, he felt someone holding both of his hands at the same time.

Xiao Nong was covered in blood, and it was obvious that he had killed many people before rushing back. A deep voice came from the side: "The tunnel is about to collapse, let's go!"

The hand on the left belongs to Xiao Nong, and Zhong Yansheng is very familiar with it.

That cold hand on the right...whose is it?

In the darkness, Zhong Yansheng felt a chill on his back and was almost frightened to tears. He didn't dare to say a word, so he could only purse his lips and pull his hand away.

Xiao Nong sensed something was wrong, so he protected Zhong Yansheng and kicked him. Judging from the sound, he must have kicked him right in the middle. Then Pei Hong's voice came from the side: "Heh."

Zhong Yansheng quickly took the opportunity to pull his hand back, and hid in Xiao Nong's arms in shock, his eyes red with fear.

A fire suddenly lit up not far away. It was the secret guard who carried a fire starter with him: "Master, this way!"

The secret guards led the way, but they were also leading the way for Prince An's men. This group of assassins who secretly followed Pei Hong to explore the tunnel were like mad dogs, biting towards them following the firelight.

"Escort the master and the little prince away!"

"The tunnel is about to collapse, hurry!"

The top of his head was shaking, dust was falling, all kinds of smells and dust in the narrow road hit him in the face, Zhong Yansheng couldn't help but choking and coughing, Xiao Nong protected him in his arms, his dark blue eyes were all blood red, with strong murderous intent, the assassins who rushed forward to block the way were all killed neatly.

When they reached the fork in the road, seeing Zhong Yansheng and Xiao Nong getting closer and closer to the exit under the escort of the secret guards, the remaining assassins launched a frantic counterattack and targeted Xiao Nong and Zhong Yansheng to death.

Another "boom" sounded around, and the tunnel began to collapse from the back!

Hearing the sound, Zhong Yansheng felt a chill down his spine.

Swords and knives were chopping at him. Xiao Nong was wearing light armor and could withstand the swords and knives, but Zhong Yansheng could not. In an emergency, Xiao Nong had to push Zhong Yansheng forward and turn around to fight against these troublesome things.

Just as he had dealt with these people cleanly and neatly, a scream came from the side, and Xiao Nong looked up suddenly.

Zhong Yansheng was caught by Pei Hong.

Pei Hong had remained silent all this time, just for this moment.

The bricks and stones above were crumbling, and a dim firelight flickered. Pei Hong was covered in blood, his hands and feet were injured, and his face was also stained with blood. He couldn't tell whether it was his own blood or someone else's. The only remaining uninjured hand tightly grasped Zhong Yansheng's throat and smiled softly: "Xiaosheng, your little tricks are useless. I won't be tripped by you again this time."

Zhong Yansheng's neck was slender and thin, his skin was thin and warm, and the fragile cervical vertebra was in his hand. With just a squeeze... all the sufferings would disappear.

Zhong Yansheng's hand holding the dagger froze, and his breathing trembled like water waves: "Are you going to... kill me?"

The tunnel seemed to have suddenly fallen into silence at this moment, but bricks and stones had already begun to fall down.

Pei Hong seemed unaware of the danger. He stared at the top of Zhong Yansheng's head, thinking about something.

It was already cold in the tunnel, and the body was even colder due to excessive blood loss, as if it had returned to the dead of winter more than ten years ago.

He fell in the snow, and woke up in a warm carriage, wearing a warm fox fur coat. Zhong Yansheng was lying beside him with his face in his hand. He was a small, pale and pretty person. When he opened his eyes, her eyes sparkled and he smiled at him.

It was a full ten years later that he saw the little Bodhisattva grow up.

The person who had pulled him back then ran towards his greatest enemy without hesitation.

In other words, from the moment Zhong Yansheng's identity was discovered, they had already stood in opposing camps.

Pei Hong's hands gradually tightened, and Zhong Yansheng was unable to break free, and had difficulty breathing for a while.

Just when he thought he was going to be strangled to death, Pei Hong suddenly groaned in pain. A huge force hit his shoulder and smashed him hard against the stone wall. The person in his hand was snatched away.

Xiao Nong's voice was filled with murderous anger: "Get lost."

Pei Hong paused for a moment, closed his eyes, and this time he did not choose to grab Zhong Yansheng back. Instead, he let go and pushed him hard on the shoulder, pushing him to the left side of the fork in the road.

Zhong Yansheng didn't have time to turn his head to look before the rubble above his head suddenly collapsed. Xiao Nong almost wrapped Zhong Yansheng in his arms and rushed towards the tunnel entrance.

However, after delaying for too long, the bricks and stones that had been crumbling for a long time could no longer support themselves and fell down!

Zhong Yansheng wanted to protect Xiao Nong, but was blocked by Xiao Nong instead. Under the huge impact, he felt dizzy and passed out.

When he woke up, everything was dark before his eyes. He didn't know how much time had passed.

Zhong Yansheng felt dizzy, and felt someone lying on top of him. Something warm fell on his face. He was overwhelmed with panic, and reached out to touch the cold face and warm liquid. His heart suddenly turned cold, and his breathing was broken and his voice was trembling: "Brother?"

After a moment, Xiao Nong's low and hoarse voice came from above: "Don't be afraid."

They seemed to be buried at a corner, so they were not buried to death. Xiao Nong protected Zhong Yansheng under his body, so Zhong Yansheng did not suffer any injuries.

But the warm blood kept dripping onto his face, and he was terrified: "Brother, are you hurt somewhere?"

Xiao Nong lowered his head. In the darkness, he was still able to aim. He lowered his head and kissed him on the lips.

Because of the long journey, his lips were slightly dry. He rubbed them lightly on Zhong Yansheng's lips, and said with a smile: "How could it be, didn't Tiao Tiao hear the rumors outside? His Highness Prince Ding has iron bones and iron muscles."

People are made of flesh and blood. No one can have bones of iron or steel.

Even at this time, Xiao Nong was still joking with him, coaxing him and comforting him.

Zhong Yansheng's eyes felt sore and hot, and warm tears slid down the corners of his eyes. He tried not to cry out loud, but just raised his head and stuck out his tongue, licking Xiao Nong's dry lips like a kitten: "Well, there is nothing in the world that can stump His Royal Highness Prince Ding."

Xiao Nong smiled and said, "So good, Tiao Tiao."

Zhong Yansheng pursed his lips unhappily: "I have always been very well behaved."

He was afraid that Xiao Nong would faint and never wake up, so he pulled Xiao Nong aside to talk: "What's the situation in Mobei? When did you rush here?"

Xiao Nong replied after a while, "Leave the rest to your aunt. I received the news ten days ago. I took a detour and came back a little late. I kept you waiting for a long time."

Zhong Yansheng shook his head vigorously: "You came just in time, brother."

It was extremely cold in winter. In order to move lightly, Zhong Yansheng did not wear thick clothes when he went out. Now lying on the ground, the coldness seeped in through his clothes and penetrated into his bones.

After a while, he whispered, "Will you always like me?"

Xiao Nong seemed to smile: "Of course."

Zhong Yansheng muttered again: "We met too late, brother."

"Who said that?" Xiao Nong responded to every word he said, "I have known you since you were in your mother's womb."

Zhong Yansheng: "...Is that so? But I heard from Uncle Wang that you threw a tantrum with your father and ran away from home at that time, so you must cancel the engagement."

"Uncle Wang is getting old and confused." Xiao Nong said calmly, "Don't listen to him."

Zhong Yansheng said "Oh".

The surroundings seemed to be getting colder and colder. Zhong Yansheng couldn't help shivering. After trying to talk to Xiao Nong for a while, his mind became uncontrollably fuzzy.

Although this tunnel was not deep, it seemed that he and Xiao Nong could not hold on until the others dug them out.

Is he going to be buried here with Xiao Nong?

If he was alone, he would be very scared in such a dark and cold place, but since Xiao Nong was with him, he was not so scared.

It would be nice if I could sleep with Xiao Nong forever...

He was dazed, his breathing gradually weakened. Not long after, he suddenly felt a pain in his neck. Xiao Nong bit him lightly, his voice was hoarse, with a hint of panic that he could not suppress: "Tiao Tiao, don't sleep."

Zhong Yansheng hummed vaguely and raised his hand to touch Xiao Nong's face. He didn't find the right direction in the dark and touched Xiao Nong's neck, hooking a string.

He pulled the string unconsciously, and something warmed by Xiao Nong's body temperature fell into his hands.

It is a longevity lock prepared for him by his parents, engraved with "Long life without worries" and auspicious clouds, praying that he will be free from illness and disaster and grow up safely.

On Xiao Nong's birthday, he put the longevity lock around Xiao Nong's neck, hoping to share this blessing with Xiao Nong and wish him peace and safety.

He had never met his parents, whom he had only seen in paintings.

Zhong Yansheng regained some consciousness, tightly grasped the longevity lock, and breathed rapidly.

If...if they are still in heaven, please bless him and Xiao Nong this time.

The icy cold air kept penetrating into his bones. Zhong Yansheng's consciousness was sometimes clear and sometimes confused. Every time he was about to faint, Xiao Nong would bite and kiss him, holding his tongue tip and sucking gently. The bloody kiss forced him to wake up again and again.

Just as this was repeated, after an unknown amount of time, a voice suddenly came from above my head. It was extremely penetrating and had a crying tone: "Taxue has been sniffing here. My brother and the little prince must be down here!"

The humming sound of footsteps in the snow could also be heard faintly.

The heavy bricks and stones above were gradually removed, and fresh air rushed in. Zhong Yansheng's eyelashes were soaked with Xiao's blood. He opened his eyes in a trance and was stung by a ray of sunlight.

The long night of chaos ended without anyone noticing.

The sky brightened.

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