Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 187. Taking You Home (Part 2)

187. Taking You Home (Part II)

"Ah-Li, I’ve come to take you home."

"Xiuyao..." Inside the carriage, Ye Li looked, stunned, at the man outside. He was dressed in green robes and smiled as he extended his hand towards her. The faint evening sun filtered through the canopy of the forest, casting a soft halo around him. Through that gentle glow, Ye Li could clearly see his face—paler and thinner than before. For some reason, a pang of sorrow struck her heart, and before she could stop them, crystalline tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. Seeing the tear fall from her eye, Mo Xiuyao’s gaze suddenly filled with panic, yet he stubbornly kept his hand outstretched towards Ye Li. "Ah-Li... Ah-Li, are you upset that Xiuyao came too late?"

Ye Li’s eyelids fluttered; only then did she realize she had shed tears. She hastily wiped them away and extended her hand to the man outside the carriage.

Mo Xiuyao carefully lifted her out of the carriage, unwilling to let go, as if the person in his arms would vanish the moment he loosened his grip. He raised his hand and gently cupped Ye Li’s disguised face. It was still gentle and beautiful, yet it differed somewhat from her usual clear and lovely features. Mo Xiuyao took a handkerchief from his robes and carefully wiped away the makeup that concealed her clear beauty, revealing her familiar and lovely true face.

"Ah-Li..." Gazing fondly at the person in his arms, Mo Xiuyao’s eyes were full of tenderness and affection. "Ah-Li... I will never let you leave my side again."

Ye Li looked up and met his eyes, which were brimming with tenderness and affection. At that moment, she felt all the caution and vigilance of the past days vanish without a trace; all she wanted was to lean against the man before her and rest quietly. She nodded gently. "Mm-hmm, we will never be separated again." Ye Li sighed softly. Mo Xiuyao’s eyes lit up, and he carefully drew her into his embrace. His handsome chin nuzzled against her slender shoulder. He smiled and said, "Good, it’s settled then. We will never be separated again..."

Tan Jizhi, who had been ignored to one side, stared with an ugly expression at the oblivious couple before him. But when his gaze fell on the guards lying unconscious not far away, the anger in his eyes was quickly suppressed. The guards who had secretly accompanied him had not yet reacted, clearly indicating they had been subdued or eliminated before they even noticed. Also, just now, Mo Xiuyao had arrived later but struck first, even effortlessly dispatching several guards who tried to stop him. This level of skill alone was enough to justify his arrogance. Tan Jizhi had never underestimated Mo Xiuyao and the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion. Otherwise, he would not have spent so many years carefully hiding behind Mo Jing, manipulating everything from the shadows. He knew that once he exposed himself, Mo Xiuyao’s fatal strike would surely await him.

Su Zuidie... that despicable woman?!

Having reached this point, he became even calmer. Whether he was willing or not, he had to admit that Su Zuidie had betrayed him. Secretly, Tan Jizhi clenched his fists tightly, his mind racing, considering how to escape.

"Your subordinates greet Your Highness and Your Highness Consort." Qin Feng and the others had dealt with the guards secretly arranged by Tan Jizhi and then waited in the shadows for a long while. Still not seeing the Prince or Princess Consort summon them, they couldn’t bear it any longer and had to show themselves. And, as they might have expected, they received a sharp, hidden glare from Mo Xiuyao.

"We pay our respects to the Prince and Princess Consort!" Many people were scattered in twos and threes throughout the forest, all bowing in salute to the pair. Their seemingly random positions completely sealed off Tan Jizhi’s escape routes. Seeing this, Tan Jizhi’s expression changed several times before finally returning to calmness. He stepped forward and said with a smile, "This one pays respects to His Highness Prince Ding." Mo Xiuyao seemed to have only just noticed there was an outsider here and spared him a tiny fraction of his attention. Glancing at Tan Jizhi, who was bowing in greeting, Mo Xiuyao asked faintly, "Lord Tan, where... were you planning to take my Princess Consort?"

Tan Jizhi’s heart sank. He was unsure whether he should take the gamble or not. If he won... perhaps he still had a chance to leave this place safely. But if he lost... No, if he didn’t take this gamble, he definitely wouldn’t be able to leave here alive today. And judging by Prince Ding’s expression towards him, it didn’t seem like he knew about that matter. Quickly, Tan Jizhi made his decision. He cupped his hands and said with a placating smile, "It is true that this one was momentarily overcome by greed and made a mistake. Now that Your Highness is here, this one congratulates Your Highness and the Princess Consort on your happy reunion. As for today’s events... please, Your Highness, forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Mo Xiuyao’s smile was very faint, yet it made those who saw it feel a chill in their hearts. He nodded lightly. "This Prince recalls that Lord Tan nearly took away this Prince’s beloved consort, which has put me in a rather foul mood. If Lord Tan accidentally suffers any harm, please, Lord Tan, you must forgive me too." After speaking, he seemed to have completely lost interest in Tan Jizhi and waved his hand. "Take him away. Kill him." Tan Jizhi’s heart tightened; he hadn’t expected Mo Xiuyao to be so resolute, ordering a kill just like that. A thought spun in his mind, and he said, "Doesn’t Prince Ding want to know His Majesty’s thoughts?"

Mo Xiuyao let out a cold sneer and faintly uttered a few words, "Qin Feng, kill him." After speaking, he bent down and carefully lifted Ye Li, turning to leave. Being carried bridal style in front of so many people, Ye Li felt quite uneasy and shifted. Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly. "Ah-Li, don’t move..." Ye Li frowned slightly, vaguely feeling that something was off about Mo Xiuyao, but for a moment, she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. But when she met his gaze, so gentle it seemed about to overflow, somehow, she couldn’t voice any of her thoughts and simply allowed him to carry her like this.

Seeing him about to leave, Tan Jizhi understood that once Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li departed, only death awaited him. Looking at Ye Li, who was being carried in Mo Xiuyao’s arms, Tan Jizhi suddenly spoke, "Princess Consort, don’t you wish to know how to cure the poison in Prince Ding?"

Ye Li was taken aback. Mo Xiuyao, however, seemed completely unconcerned by this and started walking out of the forest. Tan Jizhi shouted, "Princess Consort, do you really not want to know where the Bilo flower is? Or do you think the ice and fire lotus can cure Prince Ding’s poison?" Not many people knew that Princess Consort Ding had been secretly searching for the Bilo flower and had, for this reason, become enemies with the Third Master of the King of Hell Pavilion. Ye Li paused for a moment, then said, "Qin Feng, take him back."

Mo Xiuyao snorted lightly but did not refute Ye Li’s words, continuing out of the forest with her in his arms without looking back.

Left behind, Qin Feng and the others watched Mo Xiuyao’s retreating figure with grim faces. They hadn’t even had a chance to say a word to the Princess Consort before the Prince took her away. However, having been in an extremely delicate and dangerous atmosphere these past few days, none of them had the guts to stop Mo Xiuyao now to discuss anything, important or not. Waving his hand to have Tan Jizhi and Shu Manlin taken away, Qin Feng glanced at Mo Hua, who stood to the side with a hesitant expression, and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Mo Hua said in a low voice, "The Prince’s condition... Today is the full moon. For the past few months, the Prince’s episodes have become increasingly severe. Last month, on the day of the full moon, it started at noon. According to Shen Yang’s deduction, the Prince must be in extreme discomfort right now. But now..."

Qin Feng glanced in the direction Mo Xiuyao had left, hesitated for a moment, and said, "He should... be alright, right? When it acts up, there’s nothing else but pain. With the Prince’s willpower, there’s basically no danger to his life. Besides, no medicine is effective against it, so it doesn’t matter where the Prince is or what he’s doing right now. The most important thing is that none of them dare to disturb him at this moment." He then added, "I’ll have people ensure the Prince and Princess Consort’s safety."

Mo Hua nodded. Although this was originally the responsibility of the Shadow Guards, Mo Hua had to admit that in recent days, the Qilin were more outstanding than the Shadow Guards.

Leaning against Mo Xiuyao’s chest, Ye Li suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of peace. Although she had appeared calm and composed on the surface these past days, being several months pregnant made movement very inconvenient for her. How could she truly be relaxed and at ease in her heart? Especially when interacting with Tan Jizhi, every seemingly casual joke was the result of careful calculation and deliberation. Now that she had suddenly relaxed completely, a wave of drowsiness washed over her. She nuzzled against Mo Xiuyao’s chest and felt drowsy. "Xiuyao... where are we going?"

Mo Xiuyao looked down at her half-closed eyelids and smiled gently. "If you’re tired, go to sleep."

Ye Li shook her head, forcing her eyes open to look at the increasingly remote path ahead. One would notice if they paid attention that even Mo Xiuyao himself had no fixed destination; he was just picking secluded paths and walking straight ahead. Ye Li didn’t know where Mo Xiuyao wanted to take her, but she could sense the rare stubbornness and determination in his eyes. She sighed softly. "Xiuyao, I’m a little tired. Can we rest for a while before we continue?"

"Tired?" Mo Xiuyao looked down at her and indeed saw that her thin face showed unconcealable fatigue, with faint dark shadows under her eyes. Looking around, Mo Xiuyao tapped his foot and, carrying Ye Li, soared into the air, leaping over the treetops by the road towards the path on the opposite mountainside.

Behind them, Qin Feng, who had quietly followed, grabbed Mo Hua just as he was about to use his lightness skill to fly over. Mo Hua turned back and glared at him resentfully. Qin Feng shrugged. "Didn’t you see? The Prince keeps walking forward precisely because he wants to avoid us. If we follow again, the Prince will have to keep going further."

Mo Hua stopped silently, frowning. "The safety of the Prince and Princess Consort..."

Qin Feng rolled his eyes at the sky and chose a flat rock by the mountain path to sit on. "The Mo Family Army is at the foot of the mountain, with Shadow Guards and the Qilin in between. If assassins can still sneak in, then we might as well not live anymore. Let’s all jump off here together."

Mo Hua was silent for a moment, then silently sat down on a nearby stone. Qin Feng propped himself up on the stone, gazed at the azure sky, and sighed in good spirits, "The sky is so blue..."

Mo Xiuyao glanced back at the opposite side, then carried Ye Li around the foot of the mountain and turned into an even more secluded path. He soon found a quiet and flat place and sat down, holding Ye Li. Only then did he grin at her smugly. "Finally got rid of them."

Ye Li was speechless. She finally understood what had felt off before. She had never seen this Mo Xiuyao. The Mo Xiuyao of the past, even if he occasionally deliberately provoked or teased her, would proudly raise an eyebrow and smile at her after succeeding. But that smile was always gentle and confident; even if elegant, it still made people feel he was powerful and reassuring. But the current Mo Xiuyao, his smug smile carried a trace of willfulness and recklessness.

"Xiuyao... what’s wrong with you?" Ye Li frowned, raising her hand to lightly touch his pale face. "I’m sorry for making you worry."

Mo Xiuyao buried his face in her hair and said in a muffled voice, "Ah-Li, I want to kill them."

Ye Li was stunned. "Them? Who?"

"Everyone!" Mo Xiuyao’s voice was filled with killing intent as he held Ye Li tightly. "Kill all of them... Those who hurt Ah-Li... they all deserve to die! And those annoying people, I only want Ah-Li... everyone else can go to hell!"

Ye Li’s heart trembled. She gently pushed Mo Xiuyao away slightly, lifting his face, which had been buried in her hair, and looked at the undisguised killing intent and ferocity on Mo Xiuyao’s face. Mo Xiuyao also saw his own reflection in her eyes; the gentle and refined demeanor he had once feigned was completely gone. Actually... Mo Xiuyao had never truly been gentle, nor had he ever felt there was anything wrong with that. But the self he saw in Ye Li’s eyes was undoubtedly unsightly. With the mask on his face lightly removed by Ye Li, the somewhat menacing scar on the left side of his face, coupled with the lingering ferocious killing intent, made him look not like the gentle and aloof Prince of Ding Kingdom people usually saw, but more like a life-reaping Asura from hell.

"Are you afraid of me, Ah-Li...?" Mo Xiuyao stared intently at the woman in his arms, his tone carrying a hint of grievance and vulnerability, yet the aura on his face was even more intense. Gentle and indifferent, composed and wise—that had always been a disguise. His true self had always been one of clear-cut love and hate, willful and unrestrained. The Mo Xiuyao of the past rode his horse through the Capital City with dashing flair, his long whip striking down dandies and ruffians below, and imperial grandsons and nobles above. His treasured sword would slay gods if gods blocked his way, and kill Buddhas if Buddhas obstructed him. But the current Mo Xiuyao, stripped of that layer of disguise, was covered in scars and wounds, his heart full of resentment, killing intent, and cruelty. He was long gone from the bright, flame-like youth he once was. He didn’t know whether he should be glad that Ah-Li had never seen his former dazzling glory or resent that he could only offer her his current, imperfect self. "Ah-Li..."

"What silly talk." Ye Li sighed lightly, sitting up and gently placing a kiss on his lips. She didn’t know how the man before her had spent these past few months, but she clearly knew that his current worry, pain, and resentment were all because of her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Ye Li looked at him earnestly and said in a low voice, "Xiuyao, no matter what happens, I will not leave you. Here..." She took his hand and gently placed it on her rounded belly, saying softly, "Our baby is already here. Xiuyao... soon, we will have a complete family."

Mo Xiuyao was stunned. In fact, from the very beginning, he hadn’t noticed the child at all. And it was fortunate that his extreme caution while carrying Ye Li through this ordeal had not harmed the child. Staring blankly at the already large belly beneath his hand, feeling the occasional gentle movements, Mo Xiuyao frowned. He pulled Ye Li into his arms again and said unhappily, "I hate children! Ah-Li, I only want you..." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Ye Li blinked, looking at the man before her who was acting as petulant as a child, unable to utter a single word of rebuke. Mo Xiuyao had never disliked children; when they were deeply in love, they had also looked forward to the arrival of a child. Soon, Ye Li understood why he had such a reaction. It was precisely because her pregnancy inconvenienced her movements that their retreat had been slow. Mo Xiuyao was blaming the child for her fall from the cliff. Helplessly, she comforted the man who was rarely in such a mood. "I love him... he is our child..."

Mo Xiuyao’s body stiffened slightly. He raised his head again and stared intently at her. Confused, Ye Li looked at him and asked softly, "What’s wrong?" Mo Xiuyao pursed his lips and said nothing, just staring fixedly at her, unwilling to look away.

Ye Li sighed helplessly. The thoughts of a sulking man are hard to guess. Mo Xiuyao looked at her for a long time, then shifted his gaze to her round belly, his eyes filled with anger and jealousy. Ye Li was startled, then recalled what she had just said and couldn’t help but smile. Reaching out, she lifted Mo Xiuyao’s face to be level with hers. Ye Li smiled softly and whispered in his ear, "Xiuyao, I love the baby because... I love his father even more... Do you understand?"

In an instant, it was as if spring had returned to the earth. His previously gloomy eyes were now sprinkled with soft, starlight-like specks. Mo Xiuyao lowered his head and fiercely kissed those slightly sweet, fragrant lips. He had never felt that words could be so moving, making him want to indulge in them and never wake up. "Ah-Li... Ah-Li, I love you... Mo Xiuyao will only love Ah-Li in this lifetime..."

Ye Li raised her hands to wrap around his shoulders, responding to this long-separated kiss. "I know... me too..."

Under the evening sunset, on the quiet hillside, the reunited couple intimately exchanged their love and longing for each other. As their lips and tongues intertwined, their breaths merged into one. Mo Xiuyao tightly embedded the delicate and graceful woman before him into his embrace. "Ah-Li... Ah-Li, no one can take you from my side..."

"Xiuyao..."

An evening breeze blew gently, bringing a trace of coolness to the hot summer day. Ye Li opened her eyes and couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the man sleeping soundly while holding her, leaning against the hillside. They were both too tired; two adults had actually fallen asleep here without any precautions. If their enemies knew, who knows how they would sigh in frustration. The moment she moved, Mo Xiuyao immediately opened his eyes. "Ah-Li?"

Ye Li smiled reassuringly. "It’s nothing. If you’re tired, rest a little longer. We can go back a bit later." Since they were already so late, a little longer wouldn’t matter. Mo Xiuyao’s brow, still tightly furrowed even in his sleep, made Ye Li’s heart ache slightly.

Mo Xiuyao closed his eyes again, buried his face in Ye Li’s embrace, inhaling the familiar sweet fragrance. His tightly furrowed brow gradually smoothed out. The familiar pain gradually spread from his legs throughout his body, but he didn’t want to pay it any mind. After these few months, he had come to understand that the once-a-month pain was actually nothing much. Sometimes, he even hoped for that kind of pain to come. Because only during such intense pain could he ignore the seemingly bottomless darkness and coldness in his heart, and suppress those frenzied thoughts that threatened to destroy everything. This way... was very good...

Ye Li lowered her head and gently brushed away a leaf that had fallen on his shoulder. The afterglow of the sunset shone on his jet-black hair. Ye Li’s hand paused, her fingertips trembling slightly. She carefully touched his hair; amidst the jet-black strands, a wisp of greyish-white was revealed. She gently caressed the strands, and her fingers gradually became stained with a faint dark grey color. Instantly, her clear eyes filled with watery light, and tears like broken pearls slipped down her cheeks.

"Ah-Li..." Mo Xiuyao called softly.

"It’s fine, sleep. The wind feels very comfortable." Ye Li smiled softly, as crystal tears silently streamed down, soaking the back of her hand.

"Mmm."