The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 265: Khan 265, what’s wrong today? (Second Watch)

Chapter 265: Khan 265, what’s wrong today? (Second Watch)

Looking at the deserted official road, Li Xianyun felt a sense of loss.

She led her people back to the mansion.

Zhuo Ma and Youlan asked her to eat, but she had no appetite; Yelu Yan had left on an empty stomach, he must be hungry by now.

Li Xianyun looked out the window, where the darkness was as black as ink, with the occasional small insect flitting around the lanterns.

She barely touched her food before returning to the inner room, sorting things out with Youlan and Zhuo Ma.

What didn’t seem like much on arrival turned out to be half as much again when they started packing.

Most of these items were gifts for Yaduo, Yelu Xuan, Yuchi Qian, and the Palace Attendants.

It took about an hour and a half to pack everything away neatly.

After bathing, Li Xianyun sat in front of the copper mirror to dry her hair.

Ordinarily, Yelu Yan would be the one to dry her hair, comb it, and playfully cuddle her; now, she was left all alone in the vast inner room.

She couldn’t help but reflect again on how terrifying habits can be, once formed they become so hard to change.

Li Xianyun combed her hair, her waterfall-long hair becoming even more elegant, wafting a faint fragrance.

At such times, Yelu Yan would embrace her, kiss her, tease her, whispering reckless words in her ear, making her little face blush profusely, and once she showed signs of being moved, he would roughly hoist her onto his shoulder and bring her to the bed for their absurd escapades.

The bed curtains shook violently, sighs and moans filled the air, and everything inside the room was irresistibly charming, with nowhere to hide.

While Li Xianyun was alone in her room, thinking of Yelu Yan, he was also thinking of her.

Longing for her charm, her allure, her pitiable sweetness.

The more he missed her, the faster he lashed his whip; he would not let off those dogs and flies in Shangjing easily.

Just then, Yelu Yan noticed something amiss and called out in a cold voice, "Be wary, an ambush!!"

As he spoke, he drew his flexible sword from his waist and slashed viciously downward, severing the rope stretched across the path and eliciting muffled groans from men hidden in the bushes on either side.

Immediately after, several assassins leaped out, surging towards the dozen or so people including Yelu Yan.

Yelu Yan had left the over one hundred men, including several dozen Hidden Guards, with Li Xianyun, and had taken only a dozen men with him.

The assassins clearly didn’t expect Yelu Yan to have so few men with him, and this realization sent their blood boiling.

This was an opportunity of a lifetime to kill Yelu Yan.

They were many, and he was one; could they not overwhelm him? If nothing else, they would squash him with sheer numbers.

The reality, however, was that not only did they fail to beat one with a dozen, but they couldn’t even beat one with several dozen.

Yelu Yan was highly skilled in martial arts and had been tempered on the battlefield for years; how could those who followed him be ordinary?

As the assassins attacked, the disguised Guard Captain commanded in a stern voice, "Protect the Khan!"

The dozen guards attempted to encircle Yelu Yan in their midst, but Yelu Yan had other plans and was the first to charge into the midst of the black-clothed men.

He swung his flexible sword, each strike fatal, swift, accurate, and ruthless, quickly felling a swath of black-clad assailants.

Having left his woman behind, Yelu Yan was already seething with rage and these blind assassins provided a perfect outlet for his fury.

The guards were stunned, remaining dumbfounded on their horses, rooted to the spot.

They rarely saw their Khan display his martial skills, but today they witnessed his prowess to be unparalleled, and his methods brutally efficient—both awe-inspiring and terror-inducing.

To Yelu Yan, these black-clothed men were as insignificant as something stuck in his teeth; they were truly overestimating themselves.

Seeing their Khan behaving so out of character, one guard whispered to another, "What’s gotten into the Khan today?"

"What else could it be, Khan suddenly left the empress and felt unhappy. He just took it out on those assassins."

Their voices were kept very low, but they were still overheard by the Guard Captain, "Two grown men gossiping like housewives. Do you dare to chew on Khan’s tongue and not want your heads anymore?"

The two guards hurriedly said, "We don’t dare."

Within less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Yelu Yan had killed all the men in black. The two who tried to escape were also killed by Yelu Yan with his throwing darts.

Yelu Yan sat on his horse, the cool moonlight shining on him, making his extraordinary presence even more apparent, with a nobility that was reserved.

He reached out his hand, and immediately a guard handed over a white soft cloth with great respect.

Yelu Yan used the bright white cloth to wipe the blood off his soft sword.

Although he had instantaneously taken dozens of lives, his manner of wiping the sword remained so calm and composed.

Yelu Yan stood in the cool moonlight, like a deity reigning over all creatures, or like Yama casually deciding life and death—whoever he resembled, he struck fear and awe in people.

After Yelu Yan had cleaned the bloodstains, he carelessly threw the white cloth on the ground, sheathed his soft sword at his waist, picked up the riding whip, and lashed the horse’s back hard, speeding away.

The strong sound of horse hooves cut through the darkness like a blade.

Li Xianyun tossed and turned on the wide bed, unable to sleep without Yelu Yan by her side. She simply couldn’t settle down.

Seeing that she really couldn’t fall asleep, Li Xianyun didn’t want to waste any more time in bed. She got up, put on an outer garment, and sat at the writing desk to write down the recipe for walnut crisp cookies.

Having promised Yelu Yan that she would return to the capital tomorrow, she couldn’t afford any mishaps that might alarm him.

After writing down the recipe for walnut crisps, Li Xianyun also wrote down the means of marketing them, hoping it would be of help to the people of the Northern Region.

After finishing these tasks, Li Xianyun bent over the desk to write a letter.

Without Yelu Yan by her side, Li Xianyun simply could not sleep. She might as well finish everything she wanted to do and catch up on sleep in the carriage tomorrow.

The letter Li Xianyun was writing was to the people of Tianshui County in the Northern Region.

After the new homes were built, suddenly asking the people to move would definitely pose many problems.

Most people felt good about living in newly built houses, but with diverse opinions, there would also be some people reluctant to move.

With such a vast area in the Northern Region, it would be a real pity if it were left idle and wasted because of a few people’s unwillingness to move.

There’s a saying: ’You don’t look at the monk’s face, you look at the Buddha’s.’ Li Xianyun got along quite well with the people of the Northern Region, and maybe in the future, if a relocation problem really arose, perhaps her letter would have a persuasive effect.

Having finished the letter, Li Xianyun felt as if she were stepping on cotton, her whole body was weak and limp.

She lifted her fair little hand to rub her face and looked out the window.

Outside, it was already a hazy blue, punctuated by the crisp calls of birds from time to time.

Yelu Yan got up early every day to practice swordplay, and it should be at this time, accompanied by the blue haze and the pleasant chirping of birds. That feeling must be very nice.

Li Xianyun lay on the bed, ready to sleep.

She just lay on Yelu Yan’s pillow, where his scent lingered.

Li Xianyun gently pursed her lips. That was it, she was deeply infatuated, beginning to long for a man.

What a female flirt she was.

Li Xianyun lay there and fell asleep.

Because her mind was preoccupied with matters, despite having dark circles under her eyes, she woke up nonetheless.

The morning was the busiest time: dressing up after washing up, having a meal, giving instructions for the affairs of Tianshui County in the Northern Region, and checking the items in the carriage once more.

Once everything was in order, Li Xianyun got on the carriage with Youlan and Zhuo Ma.