Zhan Ri Fei pulled a token from his robes and placed it in Huo Xiao Di’s hand. “Give this token to the Eighth Prince, along with the yellow silk. He will understand and believe you.”
The token was about an inch square, with a royal blue base, golden edges, and a bright yellow tassel. Four golden characters were engraved on its surface: “Imperial Envoy”.
Huo Xiao Di froze in shock.
Imperial yellow was reserved for the emperor’s use. This token was undoubtedly bestowed by the emperor—a token of the Forbidden Palace.
—Could Zhan Ri Fei actually be of royal blood?!
Seeing Huo Xiao Di’s expression, Zhan Ri Fei said gravely, “Brother Huo, who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is that this concerns whether the people of Song can escape calamity, whether innocent lives can be spared from suffering. At this critical moment, I hope Brother Huo will lend me his strength.”
Huo Xiao Di looked into Zhan Ri Fei’s eyes, and for the first time, saw an unmistakable urgency within them.
He clenched his teeth.
Although he still didn’t know who this black-clad young man truly was, he had made up his mind.
“Fine. No matter who you are, I trust you. I will deliver these two items to the Eighth Prince!”
Zhan Ri Fei let out a long breath. At last, he felt utterly drained of strength, as though there wasn’t a single ounce of energy left in his body.
“With Brother Huo’s light-footed skill, they won’t be able to catch you. But the road ahead will burden you heavily. I deeply regret—”
This time, it was Huo Xiao Di who interrupted him.
“Brother Zhan, despite being gravely injured, you’ve saved my life time and again. Have I ever once thanked you? Why speak as though we are strangers? Since this concerns the welfare of the people of Song, I will give it everything I have!”
Zhan Ri Fei’s eyes suddenly shone with a renewed brightness.
He said softly, “I was right about you after all.”
* * *
The old granary fell silent once again.
The exchange of lives, the exchange of trust—such a weighty moment rendered the two men, who had yet to even share their real names, unsure of how to break the silence.
This quiet felt unfamiliar, almost awkward.
Huo Xiao Di’s left leg throbbed with a sharp, searing pain. The unavoidable palm strike from the Matriarch of Han Shui had left him with lingering discomfort and complications beyond words.
Zhan Ri Fei broke the silence. “Brother Huo, your leg injury—”
Huo Xiao Di’s brows furrowed deeply from the pain, but he forced a nonchalant expression, his voice casual and dismissive. “I only need three hours of rest to recover fully. But we don’t exactly have three hours to spare right now.”
Zhan Ri Fei glanced up at the large wooden beam spanning the ceiling of the granary. A sudden idea flashed in his mind. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “Since we must part ways and you’re injured, we might as well take a gamble.”
He looked at Huo Xiao Di with a glint of mischief in his eyes. “Do you still have the strength to leap onto that beam?”
Huo Xiao Di glanced at the height of the beam and replied, “Even beams higher than that wouldn’t be a problem for me.”
Zhan Ri Fei nodded. “In that case, Brother Huo, you can hide on the beam for now. Once you’re concealed, I’ll leave immediately. If the pursuers arrive and find the granary empty, they’ll naturally move on without thoroughly searching the place.”
Huo Xiao Di hesitated. “But won’t that mean you’re drawing all the pursuers to yourself?”
Zhan Ri Fei smiled faintly. “Since they’re after me, they won’t pay much attention to you. Besides, playing hide-and-seek with these people doesn’t require exceptional light-footed skills.”
His tone was resolute and confident, as though he had already calculated every possibility and devised a foolproof plan. This assurance left Huo Xiao Di with little choice but to trust him—after all, Zhan Ri Fei was undoubtedly far more resourceful than he was.
Still, Huo Xiao Di couldn’t help but hesitate over the words he didn’t voice aloud: “Why don’t we both hide on the beam?”
—Zhan Ri Fei must have his reasons for everything he did.
With this thought, Huo Xiao Di’s body relaxed. Activating his “Glimpse of the Soaring Phoenix” technique, he gracefully leapt onto the beam above.
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