Chapter 26: Be My Man

Murong Xuan escorted Empress Hui’s coffin back to the grasslands. There were no obstacles along the way, and to his surprise, that person seemed to have had a change of heart. He had thought the journey would not be so peaceful.

The burial site had long been chosen. Empress Yue was buried smoothly, and Murong Xuan knelt before the grave, finally fulfilling Empress Hui’s last wish. She had returned to the place that had given her life and raised her.

If only she hadn’t been so reckless when she left and met that heartless man; if only she had listened to her parents and stayed in the grasslands, her early death and the burden left on her son wouldn’t have happened. Her son had to endure the disdain of that man alone.

Now, everything was gone like smoke. Murong Xuan felt a weight lift from his heart. He ordered people to arrange for the guardians of the tomb, and prepared to move on to another hope.

In the distance, a rider galloped towards them and dismounted, saluting.

“Master, there’s a letter from the capital.”

Murong Xuan stood up. The letter from the capital must be about Zhuang Xiaoyu. What had that girl done this time to stir up such a commotion?

Opening the letter with hopeful anticipation, his expression immediately darkened when he saw the contents. His little fish had been granted a marriage decree, and to his shock, she was given to Murong Ze as a concubine. Enraged, he crumpled the letter and clenched his teeth. “Return to the capital.”

“Master, what happened?”

“The emperor has given Murong Ze a marriage decree, offering Zhuang Xiaoyu to him as a concubine. We must go back immediately and stop them.”

Murong Xuan moved quickly, almost desperate to get back to the capital.

“Master, don’t worry. If Zhuang Xiaoyu doesn’t agree, no one can force her, right?”

“That Murong Ze is troublesome.”

Before leaving, he had warned Zhuang Xiaoyu not to engage with Murong Ze. Others might not know his true character, but Murong Xuan did. Murong Ze was more shameless than even him, and if Zhuang Xiaoyu got tangled up with him, it would break his heart.

Leaving the vast grasslands, it had already grown dark by the time they reached the town’s inn. Murong Xuan ordered everyone to eat dinner and rest early, as they would set off first thing the next morning.

They were so focused on their meal, planning how many days it would take to return home, that they didn’t notice a woman in the dining hall staring at Murong Xuan.

“I want that man. I’ll make him submit to me.”

“Miss, we came out secretly. We shouldn’t cause too much of a stir.”

The maid beside her advised cautiously. That man didn’t seem ordinary; it would be difficult to make him submit.

“If he doesn’t listen, I’ll use a curse on him. He has to be mine.”

“Miss, you can’t. The master gave us strict orders not to use the curse on anyone without cause.”

“Don’t worry. As long as he agrees to be my man, I won’t harm him.”

Murong Xuan finished his meal in a hurry and was about to go to his room to rest when a young woman suddenly appeared before him.

“I’m Gu Na, the younger sister of the Miao people’s Holy Maiden. I’ve taken a liking to you. Come home with me.”

Murong Xuan frowned. “If you’re sick, go see a doctor.”

He turned and went into his room, shutting the door behind him and climbing into bed.

Gu Na watched the closed door and revealed a smile that showed she was determined to get what she wanted.

The next morning, before the sky had even lightened, Murong Xuan and his guards had left the inn without breakfast. By the time Gu Na realized, they had already gone.

“Chase them! No one can escape from my grasp.”

“Miss, we’ve been out long enough. We can’t waste any more time.”

The maid begged, but Gu Na wouldn’t listen. She had already learned Murong Xuan’s direction and mounted her horse to give chase.

Murong Xuan had gained an hour on her, but Gu Na didn’t stop for a moment. By nightfall, she had finally caught up.

They had just finished dinner, fed the horses, and were preparing to rest when suddenly, a whip came from the shadows. Murong Xuan dodged and, upon seeing the woman from the previous day, he felt his irritation flare.

“Miss thinks she’s fortunate to have caught my attention, but if she runs away again, she’ll get what she deserves.”

Before Murong Xuan could respond, Gu Na lashed out angrily.

“Crazy woman.”

Murong Xuan was almost choked with anger. How could there be such a shameless, crazy woman in the world?

He didn’t want to deal with her, but she insisted on getting closer. Drawing his sword, he threatened, “Miss, if you continue to cause trouble, I’ll be forced to act.”

“You dare threaten me? Just you?”

Gu Na stepped back and swung her whip at his guard, Jie Yi. Jie Yi raised his sword to block, expecting to cut the whip, but all he heard was the clash of metal as the whip didn’t even break.

The whip that looked ordinary had hidden strength.

“Miss thinks she’s lucky to have caught your guard’s attention. If you continue to act ungrateful, I’ll kill you all.”

“Miss, you are being rude. Just because you fancy him doesn’t mean he must follow you. What gives you the right? What is your status? Even if you were the daughter of the Jade Emperor, you can’t force him like this.”

“I will force him, and I will make him mine. He must come with me.”

I… Jian Yi was so furious that blood rushed to his head. This woman is seeking death! Without waiting for Murong Xuan’s orders, he drew his sword, intending to make the woman realize how difficult her situation was.

Gu Na showed no fear. She dodged and swung her whip to strike. The two of them fought back and forth.

Jian Yi hadn’t expected the young girl to be so skilled despite her age. After struggling for a while, they still hadn’t decided the outcome. Murong Xuan, uninterested in getting involved, waved his hand and released a strong gust of wind that sent Gu Na flying out of the inn.

Finally, peace returned. Murong Xuan ordered to rest early, as they still had a long journey ahead.

Gu Na did not appear for the next two days. Murong Xuan thought she had given up, but as they were having a meal at the inn, he suddenly shuddered, his face contorted with excruciating pain.

“Master, what’s wrong?”

Everyone was panicked, rushing around in confusion. At the door appeared two figures—Gu Na and her maid.

“This is the consequence of rejecting me, little beauty. How does it feel? This is just the first time; it will happen again in a few days and get worse. If you kneel and beg for mercy now, I will give you the antidote and take you back to my place as my man.”

“Despicable! You poisoned the lord?”

“Oh, so you’re a prince? The Great Zhou Kingdom’s prince, right? There’s only one prince in the Great Zhou royal family—Prince Xuan. So you must be Murong Xuan?”

“Now you know, give me the antidote.”

“This is my self-made blood poison. Once you become my man, the poison will naturally be cured.”

“Is there such a shameless woman in the world? No one wants you, so you’re using poison to force our lord?”

Jian Yi drew his treasured sword and pointed it at Gu Na’s throat, but she didn’t dodge. She wore a confident expression, believing Jian Yi wouldn’t dare to kill her.

“If you kill me, no one will be able to cure the poison.”

“What do you want?” Murong Xuan’s face was pale from the immense pain, sweating profusely.

“I’m the younger sister of the Miao tribal holy maiden. Being my man wouldn’t be too much of a hardship, would it?”

“I already have someone I care for, and I won’t be with you.”

“Someone you care for? Then I’ll kill her, and you’ll be mine.”

Murong Xuan suddenly reached out. Gu Na was trapped by his inner force. She tried to struggle, but it was futile. Her neck was pressed into his hand, and she heard a snap as her bones broke.

Gu Na’s eyes widened, and her hands desperately clawed at Murong Xuan’s hand. As the snap echoed, her face turned increasingly red, then purple, and finally, she stopped breathing. She never understood why, after poisoning him, he still had inner strength, or why he killed her. Didn’t he want to cure the poison? Unfortunately, she would never have the chance to ask.

“Master, the antidote…” Jian Yi had no time to stop Murong Xuan as he released his grip. Gu Na fell limply to the ground.

This sudden turn of events shocked everyone, especially the maid. She had just thought that her mistress was being too unreasonable by bullying an innocent person. In the blink of an eye, the mistress lost her life, leaving her in a state of fear and shock. She couldn’t snap out of it for a long time.

When she finally realized and tried to escape, a sword was already pressing against her neck.

“Hero, spare me. I’m just a maid. I warned my mistress, but she didn’t listen. I couldn’t do anything.”

“Can you cure this poison?”

“I… can’t.”

“Then you can die.”

Murong Xuan coldly issued the order.

“No! I don’t want to die…”

Jian Yi hesitated for a moment. Seeing that she truly couldn’t cure the poison, he swiftly ended her life with one stroke.

The inn’s patrons had long since fled, and even the innkeeper was hiding behind a cabinet, too scared to come out.

“Clean up. Don’t leave any traces. Rest early, and we leave tomorrow.”

Murong Xuan gave his orders, and Jian Yi helped him back to his room to rest.

“Master, do you think it was too rash to kill her?”

“I will not be threatened by anyone.” The emperor might have used his mother to threaten him, but that was because he still cherished that tiny bit of family affection.

“What about the poison?”

“We’ll deal with it once we return to the capital. I can endure it for now, and I’ll find a way.”

That woman was just a madwoman. Murong Xuan was worried she might cause trouble for Zhuang Xiaoyu. That girl hated trouble, so how could he add to her problems?

Jian Yi: “This is the true Lord. Decisive in killing, never wavering. Back in the capital, I thought the lord had lost his mind.”

No, wait—if his mind was fine, why did he kill the one who poisoned him? Shouldn’t he have gotten the antidote first before killing her?