Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 749 - 620: Accompanying you for a Lifetime_1

Chapter 749: Chapter 620: Accompanying you for a Lifetime_1

Li Xuan was unaware of the discussions between Yu Jie and the Jingtai Emperor. After leaving the imperial palace, he went to the execution ground at the vegetable market.

Today was the day of execution for Xia Guangwei’s case and the case of deceitfully obtaining salt. In total, 1,800 people would be beheaded today.

These people were really unfortunate, being involved in Prince Xiang’s rebellion.

Their charges could have been light or severe. At the lightest, they could be accused of private embezzlement and of defrauding salt; at the harshest, they would be accused of colluding with merchants and officials, leading to the depletion of the northern granaries and the great defeat at Tumu Fort.

According to the Emperor’s original intention, only two or three hundred main offenders and their family members would be executed as a deterrent. The rest would be sentenced to exile.

However, these people had unexpectedly gotten involved with Prince Xiang, intending to escape punishment and also to hide their wealth.

Thus, the Emperor was greatly angered and berated the officials from the three law Divisions who were responsible for the cases in court.

This cut off the life routes of many people. Nearly two thousand people were immediately sentenced to death.

No one in the court would speak up for them anymore. Only some officials from the Ministry of Rites argued a few words about the timing of the execution, thinking it was not the right time. But their objections were only perfunctory.

This was because these salt merchants and criminal officials had one more fatal charge to their name — being allies with Prince Xiang!

Therefore, even in the eyes of Confucian scholars like Hu YIng, Yu Jie, Shang Hong, and Wang Wen, their deaths were warranted.

Especially in the eyes of the Emperor, anything that had anything to do with Prince Xiang was absolutely intolerable.

When Li Xuan arrived at the execution ground, it was already nearing dusk, and the beheadings at the vegetable market were almost over.

At this point, there were only over a dozen main culprits left to be executed. They were all kneeling in the pool of blood under the execution platform, their faces pale and they were stunned silent.

The execution order set by the Ministry of Punishments was utterly cruel, with the family members being beheaded first, then the main instigators.

These salt merchants and officials, who once lived pompously, could only watch as their family members were beheaded and then carried away by the corpse collectors.

Li Xuan was not interested in these doomed salt merchants. He went directly to a nearby restaurant and found Luo Yan.

She had stayed here all day, saying she wanted to see the end of these enemies.

However, when Li Xuan reached the fifth floor of the restaurant, he found Luo Yan vomiting by the window railing, her face a pale white.

Seeing this, Li Xuan couldn’t help but laugh, "Yan, how about it? How do you feel?"

He had advised her not to come before, but Luo Yan was adamant.

"How can it be? Of course, it’s extremely exhilarating!" Luo Yan immediately tilted her swan-like neck in response: "I feel enlightened and relieved. I’ve never been more content in my life."

She had regretted it earlier. Luo Yan originally thought she had seen enough at the front of Nankou Pass, and the beheading of fewer than two thousand people was nothing in comparison.

But when the executions were only halfway through, Luo Yan couldn’t stand it anymore.

The execution of these many men was justifiable. The problem was those women and children who were executed for their association with the criminals, which stirred up her sympathy.

However, she had chosen this herself and was determined to see it through till the end, not wanting to show weakness in front of Li Xuan.

"Vomit~"

Luo Yan saw the corner of a corpse from the corner of her eye and began to retch again.

She couldn’t actually vomit anything out, it was just dry retching.

Li Xuan chuckled lightly again, waving a small medicine bottle in front of Luo Yan’s nose.

Luo Yan smelled a fresh scent and immediately felt refreshed, the nauseous feeling in her chest subsided.

"What is this?" Luo Yan asked curiously, looking at the porcelain bottle in his hand.

She had tried to use medicine to suppress the nausea, but to no avail.

"This is Qianjin Mint Powder made by the Jiangnan medical clinic," Li Xuan explained, tossing the porcelain bottle to Luo Yan. "It’s a miracle drug invented by Uncle Jiang, specially formulated for morning sickness.

My sister-in-law is pregnant, isn’t she? She’s said to have horrible morning sickness. I asked Uncle Jiang for advice, and he gave me this. I didn’t expect it to be useful for you too."

Unfortunately, because of its high price, this medicine could not be popularized among the general public.

Luo Yan thought, morning sickness? It felt weird, but she still sincerely put the porcelain bottle under her nose.

Afterward, she watched as the remaining dozen or so people were beheaded, and sure enough, she didn’t throw up again.

However, after the heads of these great salt merchants and criminal officials had fallen, a complex look appeared in Luo Yan’s eyes, and she was lost in thought for a moment.

Seeing this, Li Xuan looked slightly moved, "Let me guess, you feel like your life suddenly has no goal because your great hatred has been avenged?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Yan secretly smiled. Speaking of great revenge, ever since the execution of Monk Weizhen and the clearing of her father’s wrongful charges, she had already let go of this hatred.

For a while, she did feel hopeless, as if life had lost its meaning. She felt lost and unsure about her future.

However, that feeling lasted for a very short time, not even half a moment.

Because she had found that her heart had already found its attachment, and she couldn’t let it go—

Luo Yan glanced deeply at Li Xuan before scoffing dismissively, "Who said I don’t have a goal in life? I used to live for revenge, but now I live for myself. Life is a journey, and I intend to live it freely and happily."

Li Xuan found himself relieved, thinking that her mindset was correct and people should indeed live this way.

But then, he heard Luo Yan’s calm voice say, "Actually, I am contemplating whether I should leave this all behind. I want to see Snow Lake on Tian Mountain and the ends of the earth. I want to visit the frozen lands of the North Sea and the Extreme East."

Li Xuan’s heart clenched. If Luo Yan left, what would he do? Who would help him with all the matters in the Shenyi Government?

The mere thought of Luo Yan leaving him felt like his heart was being hacked into four pieces.

Why four pieces? Yu Hongchang’s recent coldness had already struck a blow to his heart.

Li Xuan suddenly realized this was what being "fickle-hearted" in the future meant.

Fortunately, after that, Luo Yan’s voice changed. She said leisurely, "But it feels kind of unfair. Li Xuan, you helped me take revenge, I ought to repay you with my life. But it’s kind of fun being a Xiaowei in the Liudao Division--"

Li Xuan grasped Luo Yan’s hand tightly, "If you don’t want to leave, don’t. As for Snow Lake on Tian Mountain and the ends of the earth, I will accompany you to see them later."

A smirk flickered on the edge of Luo Yan’s lips, so faint that it was almost unnoticeable. Then, she stared at Li Xuan, her eyes flashing with amusement, "Xuan, do you really not want me to leave?"

"Of course not." Li Xuan took a deep breath, his voice firm with conviction, "I hope that Yan, you will stay by my side forever."

"Forever? Aren’t you quite greedy!" Luo Yan chuckled, then picked up her teacup, her demeanor calm as she started sipping at her tea, "That’s impossible! But I may stay and see."

Li Xuan tensed slightly, understanding that Luo Yan meant to observe his actions.

He couldn’t help but think that Luo Yan’s wisdom was indeed profound. He was finding it increasingly difficult to deal with the girls around him. Even Yue Qianqian was adopting a hot and cold attitude, leaving him distressed. If things continued this way, it would be disastrous--

He picked up the tea that the waiter had brought, his mind wandering as he began to drink. Suddenly, Luo Yan’s voice sounded leisurely, "Did you get rejected by Yu Hongchang again today?"

At this, Li Xuan spat out the mouthful of tea he had been sipping.

※※※※

That night, Li Xuan accompanied Luo Yan. The next morning, he rose early and went to wait at the Yongding Gate in the south of Beijing.

Just as the first ray of sunlight illuminated the sky, a team of iron-clad horsemen approached from a distance. At the head of the team was a female rider in Liudao Fumo Armor, whose figure was sinuously outlined, her face concealed behind an iron mask.

But Li Xuan knew that beneath the mask was a face capable of toppling empires.

She wore the mask because her extraordinary beauty could truly bewitch all living beings.

"Li Xuan?" Jiang Hanyun looked surprised to see him.

She immediately rode forward and stopped by Li Xuan’s side. She waved her hand to signal her followers to leave.

Seeing this, the men of the Chilei Department laughed and teased her.

"Got it, got it! We’re leaving. We wouldn’t dare to disturb the two Zhonglangjiang."

"Uh-huh! So once she finds a lover, she no longer needs her subordinates."

"What are you beasts waiting for? Zhonglangjiang Jiang thinks you guys are in the way."

Jiang Hanyun flushed, but the upside of wearing the mask was that they couldn’t see her embarrassment. She glared at them and clenched her fist while the ground beneath her horse trembled.

The men of the Chilei Department scattered like rabbits running into the city after being reprimanded by the Blood Hand Shura, whose methods they had experienced before.

When they were alone, Jiang Hanyun said while twirling a lock of her hair, "Why did you come to wait for me again? I’ve already told you not to come."

Li Xuan thought silently, Every time you return to Beijing, you send a talisman to inform me. How could I not come?

Of course, for his own safety, he definitely could not say this--"

"Isn’t it because I missed you? I wanted to see you as soon as possible," he reached out and removed Jiang Hanyun’s mask, revealing her pleasant and charming face.

While Li Xuan enjoyed the sight, he asked, "I heard that you caught the ’Heartlock Hammer of Bones,’ who was 37th on the Black List?"

"I caught him!" Jiang Hanyun smiled victoriously, appearing pleased with herself, "He was quite difficult. He used human hearts as a lock for his bone hammer, trapping the souls of thousands of innocent people. He is skilled in bewildering hearts. If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have been captured."

Lei, the Six-Tailed Spirit Fox in her cleavage, let out a grumble, clearly unhappy.

If it weren’t for the fox tracking the evil cultivator’s whereabouts, Jiang Hanyun wouldn’t have caught him. Yet, it didn’t receive any credit for its efforts.

"Oh, right." At this moment, Jiang Hanyun remembered something, "Did you have something to tell me, Li Xuan?"

Li Xuan, however, shook his head and took out an object from his pocket, "That can wait. First, take a look at this. I prepared it for you as a gift."

Jiang Hanyun looked closely at it and her eyes lit up with delight.