bullyxtreme Chapter 108 Xu Longxiang completely broke down! His sister did it willingly??
Chapter 108 Xu Longxiang completely broke down! His sister did it willingly??
At the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, in the Zhenyue Hall, at 3:45 PM.
The candlelight illuminated the room as brightly as day.
The tallow candles burned brightly on the bronze candlesticks, illuminating every inch of the hall with exquisite detail.
The ground, as black as jade, gleamed so brightly it reflected the flickering flames and an armored figure.
Xu Longxiang stood in the center of the hall.
He was still wearing the black armor he had just returned from the battlefield.
The nail plate was covered with dust and dark brown bloodstains that had not been wiped off.
It wasn't his blood, it was the blood of the Northern Barbarians.
There was a deep scratch on his shoulder armor, a mark left by Tuoba Lie's deputy general in a desperate attack, just three inches from his throat.
The stench of blood, rust, and the harsh smell of the northern desert sands mingled together, surrounding him.
He had just finished a bloody battle that lasted seven days.
Thirty thousand northern cavalry, relying on Yanmen Pass, managed to hold off the repeated attacks of Tuoba Lie's two hundred thousand-strong army.
Corpses littered the ground beneath the city walls, and the moat was stained a dark red.
In the end, Tuoba Lie abandoned 50,000 corpses and hastily retreated fifty miles.
The North has been defended.
The price was that eight thousand northern soldiers lay forever on the land they had protected with their lives.
Every scratch and every bloodstain on Xu Longxiang's armor silently tells the story of those seven days of hellish battles.
His eyes were sharper and more weary than before he went to war.
Deep within those dark brown eyes lay a cold, hardened quality unique to the battlefield, a quality born from witnessing life and death.
But he hadn't had time to remove his armor yet.
They didn't even have time to drink a sip of hot tea.
As soon as I stepped into Zhenyue Hall, I saw Sikong Xuan standing in the hall with a solemn expression, holding a letter in both hands.
"Your Highness," Sikong Xuan's voice was lower than usual, "an urgent message from Jiangnan arrived by carrier pigeon, sealed with three layers of sealing wax."
Three layers of sealing wax.
That was a top-level, urgent, confidential message.
Xu Longxiang's heart sank slightly.
He took the letter.
The envelope was made of ordinary hemp paper, but the three deep red sealing wax seals at the closure were particularly glaring in the candlelight.
He recognized the patterns on the seal.
It is Xu Fenghua's unique "Phoenix Holding Jade" seal.
My sister's letter.
Xu Longxiang's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
My sister rarely used carrier pigeons to deliver messages, and even less often did she use three layers of sealing wax.
The last time I received a letter like this was six years ago, on the eve of her wedding.
"You may all leave," Xu Longxiang waved his hand.
The guards and servants in the hall bowed and withdrew, leaving only Sikong Xuan behind.
Xu Longxiang walked to the candlestick and, by the bright light, carefully pried open the sealing wax with his armor-covered fingers.
The letter paper was very thin, only one page.
But Xu Longxiang recognized the handwriting at a glance.
It's my sister's handwriting.
Her calligraphy is powerful and vigorous, each character carrying her unique and unwavering determination.
Xu Longxiang began reading.
Then--
His pupils contracted sharply the moment the first word came into view!
The fingers gripping the letter tightened suddenly!
The gloves, forged from black iron, made a soft "creaking" sound, and the edges of the letter were pinched into deep creases.
Xu Longxiang's breathing stopped.
Those hands, which had just slain countless enemies on the battlefield and remained as steady as mountains, began to tremble slightly.
The flickering candlelight illuminated his suddenly pale face, outlining a stiff, stone-carved contour.
He stared intently at the words on the letter.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
I recognize every single word and understand the meaning of every sentence, but when put together, they are as absurd as the most vicious nightmare!
"No...it's impossible..."
Xu Longxiang's voice was squeezed out from deep in his throat, hoarse as if sand was grinding against each other.
He abruptly raised his head to look at Sikong Xuan, his eyes surging with extreme shock, astonishment, and a hint of fear that even he himself was unaware of:
"This letter...did my sister really send it?!"
Sikong Xuan had never seen Xu Longxiang so out of control.
Even when surrounded by enemy forces on the battlefield, and even when he learned that his father Xu Xiao was critically ill, Xu Longxiang never showed such an expression.
That was more than just shock.
That was... a sense of bewilderment as if faith had collapsed.
"The messenger was a grey falcon."
Sikong Xuan said in a deep voice, his tone also solemn, "She is one of the shadow guards that Miss brought from the Northern Border to Jiangnan six years ago. She is absolutely reliable. The code on the carrier pigeon's leg ring has also been verified and is indeed from Miss."
Xu Longxiang opened his mouth, but found that he could not make a sound.
He lowered his head again, staring intently at the letter in his hand.
That thin sheet of paper felt incredibly heavy at that moment, almost crushing him.
The letter was short, containing only a few words, yet every word was like a knife:
"My brother Longxiang:"
The war in the north is perilous, and I, your sister, am constantly worried about you in Jiangnan. I am somewhat relieved to hear that you have repelled the Northern Barbarians.
However, Qingxue entered the palace alone, and she could not stand alone. Qin Mu was a man of deep thoughts and not easily dealt with. After much deliberation, she decided to enter the game herself and go to the capital to become a concubine.
In this way, we both have eyes and ears in the palace, one in the light and one in the dark, supporting each other from the sidelines. If anything happens to Qingxue, I can provide support; if you make any moves in the northern border, I can also provide inside assistance.
As for the matter in Jiangnan, my sister has already made proper arrangements. The Zhao family, the business routes, and the connections have all been taken over, so there's no need to worry.
Do not think of me, do not search for me, do not reply to my letter.
This was a decision made after careful consideration by my sister, for the Xu family, for the Northern Border, and also for... Qingxue.
Sister, Fenghua, handwritten.
Every word was like a red-hot branding iron, burning fiercely into Xu Longxiang's heart!
To get involved personally?
To go to the capital to become a concubine?!
My sister... is going to the palace?!
To become Qin Mu's concubine?!
That tyrant who stole Qingxue, humiliated him, and trampled the dignity of the Xu family underfoot?!
"boom--!!!"
Xu Longxiang felt as if his brain had been hit hard by a heavy hammer, and it was buzzing!
I even experienced a brief blackout.
He staggered back a step, his boots making a dull thud as they hit the black jade bricks.
The plates of the black armor collided with each other, making a soft "clattering" sound that was particularly jarring in the deathly silent hall.
"Your Highness!" Sikong Xuan quickly stepped forward, wanting to help him up.
Xu Longxiang suddenly raised his hand to stop him.
He clenched his teeth so tightly that his gums emitted a metallic, sweet taste.
The veins on his forehead bulged out, each one like a twisted earthworm, clearly visible in the candlelight.
Those deep brown eyes were now filled with bloodshot veins, and a turbulent undercurrent surged within them.
Shock, anger, confusion, humiliation, pain...
A mix of emotions threatened to tear him apart!
Why...?
Xu Longxiang's voice was so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable; every word seemed to be forcibly ripped from his heart and lungs.
"Sister...why...did you do this...?"
He abruptly looked up at Sikong Xuan, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins and a frantic question:
"Mr. Sikong! Tell me! Why...why did my sister do this?! She knew...she knew exactly what kind of person Qin Mu was! She knew exactly what entering the palace meant! Why...why did she sacrifice herself?!"
Looking at Xu Longxiang's almost broken state, Sikong Xuan felt a deep sorrow welling up in his heart.
He followed the Xu family for thirty years, watching Xu Longxiang grow from an infant in swaddling clothes into the "Little King of the Northern Border" who was famous throughout the northern border, watching him experience countless life-and-death battles, and watching him plan his earth-shattering undertaking...
But I've never seen him lose his composure like this before.
Even when he learned that Jiang Qingxue had been taken away by Qin Mu, Xu Longxiang's anger was cold and restrained, carrying a murderous intent to destroy everything.
But now...
His anger contained more pain, disbelief, and a despair akin to being "betrayed" by his closest loved ones.
"Your Highness," Sikong Xuan's voice was heavy, "Miss... perhaps she has her reasons."
"Considerations?!"
Xu Longxiang slammed the letter in his hand to the ground!
The thin piece of yellow hemp paper slid several feet across the surface of the black jade brick, its edges crumpled from being squeezed too hard.
"What considerations?! That she needs to sacrifice herself to become that scoundrel emperor's concubine?!"
His voice suddenly rose, like the howl of a wounded beast, echoing in the empty hall:
"She is Xu Fenghua! The eldest daughter of the Xu family! My sister! She should stand in a higher place, seeing a wider view! Instead... instead of being locked in that filthy palace, trying to please that tyrannical emperor!!"
Xu Longxiang suddenly turned around and slammed his fist hard into the sandalwood pillar next to him!
"boom--!!!"
The pillar, as thick as a person's embrace, trembled violently!
The dragon pattern carved on the pillar instantly split open like a spider web, centered on his fist!
Wood chips fell in a flurry, mingling with the undried bloodstains on his gauntlets, scattering across the ground.
He didn't use his inner energy for this punch; it was purely physical strength.
However, the physical strength of a Celestial Realm expert is enough to split stone tablets and shatter rocks!
"Your Highness! Calm down!" Sikong Xuan said urgently.
Xu Longxiang, however, seemed not to hear.
He punched the pillar again and again!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The dull, thunderous roar, like a war drum, echoed throughout Zhenyue Hall.
Every punch was imbued with all his anger, pain, and resentment.
The cracks on the pillar became denser and deeper.
Splinters of wood flew everywhere, cutting the skin on the back of his hand. Blood seeped out, staining the black iron gauntlet red, and dripped onto the black jade brick, spreading a small dark red stain.
But he was completely unaware.
pain?
The pain in my heart is a thousand times, ten thousand times, more intense than this!
Qingxue was taken away; he was angry and in pain, but he could still endure it.
Because he knew that Qingxue had sacrificed herself for the greater cause.
That was the necessary price to pay.
But sister...
Why did my sister do that?!
She could have continued to manage trade routes in Jiangnan, supplying him with goods and planning for the future.
She could have stayed away from that vortex and lived a peaceful life as the young mistress of the Zhao family.
Why did she... willingly jump in?!
"ah--!!!"
Xu Longxiang finally lost control completely, letting out a roar like a trapped beast on the verge of death!
He stopped smashing the pillar and instead turned around abruptly, kicking over the heavy rosewood table next to him!