Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight - Chapter 153.2

Yaoying gazed at Jin Bo, who was sitting in the hall with women in his arms, and silently shook her head.

No wonder Haidu Aling had been able to win against overwhelming odds and eliminate all his rivals in one stroke. Jin Bo and his brothers had already made an attempt on Haidu Aling’s life once, yet despite knowing full well that he was biding his time, pretending to wallow in debauchery, they still behaved with such recklessness, as if they couldn’t wait for the whole world to know they were here in Gaochang.

The other princes had probably scattered to other places to seek external allies. If they, like Jin Bo, were so lacking in caution, Haidu Aling had likely already seen through their schemes.

At the root of it all, they were arrogant beyond measure. They looked down on Haidu Aling, believing him to be nothing more than a parentless orphan, unworthy of inheriting the Khan’s position, not even fit to be mentioned in the same breath as themselves.

Little did they know that the Northern Rong warriors’ loyalty to Wakhan Khan did not necessarily extend to his sons.

As the lively strains of pipa drifted through the air from the hall below, Yaoying withdrew her gaze and turned to head back to her room.

Xie Qing followed behind her and whispered, “Let me accompany the Princess to the royal temple.”

Yaoying shook her head. “The city is under curfew. Too many people together will only be less safe. Yuanjue knows the streets well, he’ll escort me. I’ll be fine. You stay here and keep watch.”

They were meeting Yuchi Damo in secret and had to avoid drawing attention. The fewer people, the better.

Xie Qing frowned but, seeing Yaoying’s firm resolve, answered in a low voice, “Yes, Princess.”

When the agreed-upon time arrived, Yaoying gathered her belongings, covered her face with a veil, leaving only her eyes exposed, and followed Yuanjue out through the second-floor window of the inn.

Yaoying knew no martial arts, and when she slid down the earthen platform, her foot slipped. Yuanjue gave a startled gasp and reached to steady her, but he was too late. Under the silvery moonlight, a figure darted forward, long arms stretched out, catching her and swiftly leaping down the steep platform with her in his embrace.

It was Sultan Gu.

The wind howled past her ears as Yaoying leaned against Sultan Gu’s firm chest, using the cold moonlight to study the sharp outline of his jaw beneath the mask.

She had noticed something over these past few days: the first time she’d accidentally come close to him, he’d stiffened slightly, not with embarrassment or discomfort, but purely as if he was unaccustomed to such proximity, as if he’d never so much as touched a woman before. Later, when she nearly fell during the journey and he reached out to catch her, his movements had become far more natural.

Perhaps, in his eyes, she was no different from any of his soldiers.

A faint medicinal scent clung to him.

Yaoying couldn’t help but take a small sniff, but couldn’t identify the specific herbs.

While she was still lost in thought, her feet landed firmly in the snow with a soft crunch. Sultan Gu set her down and immediately turned to fetch the horses, his movements swift and efficient.

With a guilty conscience, Yaoying wobbled slightly, nearly falling headfirst into the snow.

Sultan Gu glanced back at her. In the darkness, his turquoise eyes looked like two pools of clear water in the night, the weight of their gaze on her face seeming almost tangible.

Yao Ying’s heart raced, a flush creeping up her cheeks as guilt overwhelmed her.

Yuan Jue, standing by the courtyard wall, looked from Su Dan Gu to Yao Ying, his expression bewildered.

Under Sultan Gu’s intense stare, Yaoying’s scalp tingled. She quickly steadied herself, putting on an air of calm indifference, and strode over to the horse, mounting in one swift movement. But, she had moved too fast, and a wave of dizziness hit her. She hurriedly tightened her grip on the reins.

A few moments later, she could sense that Sultan Gu’s gaze had finally shifted away.

The three of them rode out of the long street under the cover of darkness, then dismounted and proceeded on foot. Yaoying didn’t know the way, so she followed closely behind Yuanjue, twisting and turning through the city for what felt like ages. The ground seemed to slope lower and lower until, after half an hour, they arrived before a narrow, deep alley. Yuanjue knocked on a door. Someone answered, and after exchanging a few quiet words in Sanskrit to confirm the code, and the door creaked open from within.

Yuanjue led Yaoying inside. When she glanced back, she realised Sultan Gu had vanished again.

That man was always appearing and disappearing like a ghost.

Suppressing her curiosity, Yao Ying followed Yuan Jue into the temple.

The royal temple’s halls were vast, paved with blue stone. Candlelight cast eerie shadows, and in the darkness, the murals on the walls appeared twisted and menacing.

Yaoying noticed that the temple’s layout was quite similar to those in the Central Plains.

Guided by an attendant, the two of them passed through long corridors and several empty courtyards until they reached a secluded meditation chamber. The attendant bowed and gestured politely for them to enter, whispering to Yuanjue, “The Lord says that any guest of Buddha’s Son is a guest of his own. Please wait a moment, the Lord will be here shortly.”

Yuanjue and Yaoying stepped forward. Just as they reached the stone steps, Yuanjue’s ears twitched slightly. He abruptly halted and grabbed Yaoying’s arm.

In the next instant, a sharp, urgent scream suddenly rang out, shattering the serene night like cold water splashed into hot oil.

For a heartbeat, the air seemed to freeze.

Then the entire temple came alive. Night birds took flight in a flurry of wings. Cries erupted from every direction. Footsteps pounded the ground as guards and warrior monks burst from their rooms, rushing towards the source of the scream. Countless torches formed blazing rivers of fire, quickly encircling the courtyard.

Yuanjue’s face darkened. He seized the attendant by the throat and demanded, “An ambush?”

The guide snapped out of his daze and hastily denied it in panic. “My Lord has always held the Buddha’s Son in the highest regard. How could he stoop to such treachery against the envoys of Buddha’s Son? My Lord was overjoyed at your arrival, how could he do such a despicable thing?! The temple is under curfew tonight. I have no idea what’s happened!”

Yuan Jue, unconvinced, dragged the guide as they retreated swiftly from the courtyard.

As they hurried away, faint footsteps approached ahead. A shadow flew towards them, and judging by the sound, it was a martial expert. Seeing the figure draw closer and closer, Yuanjue broke out in cold sweat, placing himself between Yaoying and the threat. He was going use the guide as a hostage when the figure leapt down from the corridor. Moonlight illuminated the face behind the fierce Yaksha mask.

Yuanjue exhaled in relief, his nerves finally settling. He whispered a few words in Sanskrit.

Sultan Gu replied tersely and immediately reached for Yaoying’s hand.

Realising how urgent the situation was, Yaoying silently followed him.

Yuanjue acknowledged with a nod, dragging the guide along and asking, “General, what about him?”

The guide trembled violently, pleading, “I swear upon the Buddha! My  king would never set such a trap! You are envoys of the Buddha’s Son. How could my King dare harm you? Please, spare my life! The Buddha’s Son is compassionate. If you kill an innocent man, he will surely hold you accountable when he finds out in the future!”

Footsteps echoed from behind and someone shouted, “There’s someone over there!” The glint of blades flickered in the torchlight.

Sultan Gu picked up Yaoying and said flatly, “Take him with us.”

Yuanjue nodded, dragging the guide along as he vaulted onto the courtyard wall. In the blink of an eye, the three of them vanished into the night.

Elsewhere, Sultan Gu, still carrying Yaoying, leapt across rows of rooftops, easily outpacing the pursuers. When the shouting had faded into the distance, he landed in a quiet narrow alleyway. A saddled horse was tethered by a well. Sultan Gu helped Yaoying onto the horse, mounted behind her, and the two of them shared a single steed, galloping through the dark lanes until they stopped at a street corner.

Not far away, voices roared and flames lit up the sky.

Following Sultan Gu’s gaze, Yaoying’s hands and feet turned icy cold. Those flames were coming from the direction of the inn!