Before witnessing Mei Lin’s true nature, Murong Jing He had been deeply suspicious and profoundly saddened by the inexplicable attack from Muye Luo Mei the previous day, where she had pressured him into sparring with her. However, after spending time with Mei Lin, those suspicions began to fade. He started to believe that Luo Mei had lost her temper because of Mei Lin, was forced to swallow her pride, and then sought him out to vent her frustration.
The current situation, though, left him at a significant disadvantage regardless of the reason.
For the past five years, he had rarely engaged in combat. Even when he did, it was only in activities like hunting, which didn’t require the use of inner strength. The public believed that he had become dispirited after being stripped of his military power, but the truth was that an assassination attempt had nearly cost him his life. Although he managed to conceal his condition and recover to some extent, he had been left with a chronic illness, and his weakened meridians couldn’t withstand much strain.
Luo Mei’s relentless and merciless attacks left him no choice but to defend himself. Under normal circumstances, he might have cleverly found a way to defuse the situation, but given the danger he was in, he wanted to end the confrontation as quickly as possible. Thus, he fought back with ruthless intensity, hoping to force Luo Mei to give up on her own.
Unfortunately, desperation clouded his judgment. He forgot that Luo Mei had a strong will and was highly prideful. Expecting her to stop under pressure was akin to asking her to admit defeat—something she would never do. In the end, he had to grit his teeth and take a direct hit from her before their fight came to a halt. However, his attempt to show leniency was noticed by her, which only infuriated her further, causing her to storm off in anger.
Unlike in the past, he didn’t chase after her to apologize or placate her. His surging blood and his nearly torn meridians made even sitting on his horse difficult. In that moment, he knew he couldn’t return; he couldn’t let Murong Xuan Lie, who had been watching the entire time, detect any weakness. So, he seized the opportunity to put on a display of uncontrollable anger, telling Murong Xuan Lie that he would continue the hunt before spurring his horse into the dense forest. Even as he rode far away, he could still feel Murong Xuan Lie’s hawk-like eyes watching him, like a vulture waiting to feast on carrion.
He had to keep his back straight, hoping that he could recover some of his strength during the ride and mitigate the damage to his meridians. However, the bad feeling he had when he learned that Murong Xuan Lie had enthusiastically supported this hunt in the morning turned out to be correct. After darkness had fully engulfed the forest, he was ambushed.
His father had strictly forbidden him from wearing armor or participating in any military action, so the fact that he broke this rule raised his suspicions.
Fortunately, only two people had ambushed him, their attack more probing than deadly. It seemed that rumors of his chronic illness had reached the ears of those with ulterior motives, and they were eager to confirm the truth. But until they had solid proof, they were still cautious and didn’t dare to push too hard.
In this situation, he had no choice but to take a gamble. Even though he knew he was risking further damage to his meridians, he used his most powerful technique, killing the two attackers in one swift move. The recoil from the energy backlash sent him tumbling off his frightened horse, which bolted through the dark forest. When he awoke, he found himself huddled together with Mei Lin.
From their conversation, he deduced that while Mei Lin wasn’t someone to be trifled with, she had a soft heart. The young man accompanying her was even less of a threat, so he decided to feign unconsciousness and let them take him out of the mountains.
For him, this was a perfect opportunity to leave Zhao Jing. Although the price he paid was steep and the future uncertain, it was worth it.
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