Chapter 132 Meeting Him Once

A quarter of an hour later, Weishao Qianyu emerged from the room. Her eyebrows had been painted thicker, the bridge of her nose made higher, her face appeared more emaciated, and her skin looked darker than usual. Her shoes were padded with inner lifts, and she had changed into a dark red martial arts attire that she had never worn before, unmistakably transforming into a youth of thirteen or fourteen years old...

"Does this still look like me?" Weishao Qianyu asked Dongnuan and Banqiu.

Dongnuan and Banqiu cast simultaneous glances at Weishao Qianyu's distinct, dark-and-white eyes, yet they still shook their heads...

Meanwhile, inside the City Lord's Mansion in Qudu, the wedding banquet had already begun. A city lord's grand wedding was a joyous occasion celebrated throughout the entire city, and the mansion was exceptionally bustling. Little did anyone expect that the outskirts of the city had already been surrounded by the Prince of War. Feng Jinye had originally intended to attend the wedding banquet...

At this moment, Feng Jinye was outside the city of Qudu. Although everything had been thoroughly planned for today, profound unease gripped his heart.

The Prince of War appeared utterly detached and desolate. To anyone unaware of the inside story, there was not the slightest inkling that Feng Jinye had fallen victim to a love Gu poison, let alone that the poison had already penetrated deep into his marrow...

Yet had Weishao Qianyu been present, she would have instantly perceived that the previous warmth in Feng Jinye's eyes was completely gone, replaced instead by a faint, elusive ruthlessness...

A quarter of an hour earlier, Weishao Qianyu had covertly slipped out of the city with Huangfu Chen, blending alongside Banqiu and Dongnuan into a covert unit brought in by Huangfu Chen...

Weishao Qianyu had been lingering hesitatingly. She desperately longed to steal a glance at Feng Jinye, yet she knew all too well that if she truly went to look, it would be impossible to evade his notice!

Therefore, Weishao Qianyu had disguised herself, telling herself that merely catching a glimpse from afar would be enough—just one glance would suffice...

Yet once she had merged into the army, hesitation seized her once more...

Standing in a daze for a full half-hour, Weishao Qianyu suddenly stirred and took a step forward...

Dongnuan thought her mistress had finally decided to go and see the Prince, only to watch Weishao Qianyu halt her steps. Then, Dongnuan heard her mistress's dejected voice: "Let's go back to Guanlin City."

Dongnuan was extremely surprised, but the next moment she heard Weishao Qianyu change her mind again: "We're going to find Huangfu Chen!"

Weishao Qianyu knew very well that the most sensible thing to do right now was to maintain a distance from Feng Jinye—to stay far, far away from him!

Yet even while knowing she ought to keep her distance, she still harbored the extravagant hope of seeing him just once, the yearning to draw a little closer to him...

In the end, Weishao Qianyu did not go to see Feng Jinye; instead, she went to find Huangfu Chen.

Accompanied by Dongnuan and Banqiu, Weishao Qianyu returned to the encampment mentioned by Huangfu Chen...

As dusk approached, Feng Jinye would soon begin his assault on the city and would definitely not return to the camp, so there was no need to worry about being discovered by him. In retrospect, those around Feng Jinye must have kept the news of her arrival at the border and in Qudu hidden from him...

"I knew you would come back."

Huangfu Chen had long anticipated that Weishao Qianyu would not go to see Feng Jinye...

Weishao Qianyu wanted to ask Huangfu Chen whether Feng Jinye's Gu poison could be cured after all, but cowardice held her back.

She dared not ask, terrified that Huangfu Chen would give her a negative answer...

Seeing Weishao Qianyu staring at him blankly, Huangfu Chen could not help letting out another sigh...

"There is something I need you to do!" Huangfu Chen said, patting Weishao Qianyu's shoulder.

Before Weishao Qianyu could react, she heard Huangfu Chen say lazily: "See him once."

"See him once." Weishao Qianyu doubted her own ears, yet seeing that Huangfu Chen did not look like he was joking in the least—that he genuinely intended for her to meet Feng Jinye—she felt a wave of terror.

Time seemed to freeze...

Weishao Qianyu felt somewhat suffocated, a dull ache throbbing in her heart. Not knowing how long had passed, she slowly raised her head and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Even if the chance was slim, there had to be a glimmer of hope...

Though Weishao Qianyu always appeared strong, she was not unbreakable.

Huangfu Chen recalled every single relapse Feng Jinye had suffered over the past few months...

Upon returning to the military camp from Yuedu, the moment Huangfu Chen laid eyes on Feng Jinye, he recognized that the man was afflicted with the Heart-Devouring Gu, which was manifestly entirely different from the Infatuation Gu within his body...

He had originally thought that by keeping away from Weishao Qianyu, Feng Jinye's Gu poison could be kept under control for a period of time. Yet Feng Jinye still relapsed with alarming frequency, the poison flaring up the moment he quieted down...

As things stood now, in Feng Jinye's tent, Weishao Qianyu's letters, the garments she had chosen for him, and the hair ribbon she once used to tie up his hair had all vanished...

Weishao Qianyu did not know that Feng Jinye had a habit when marching: whenever he needed quiet contemplation, he was accustomed to carving jade stones with his hands...

Along the campaign trail to Xiyan, Feng Jinye had carved quite a few jade hairpins, and Huangfu Chen knew they were all prepared for Weishao Qianyu.

Yet now, Huangfu Chen had ordered these items to be collected away time and time again, but the hairpins kept appearing as though Feng Jinye were risking his own life, letting the Gu poison rage while continuously producing new ones...

A hairpin sculpted from jade—who knew how many days it took to complete a single piece, nor how Feng Jinye managed to carve so many along the journey?

Huangfu Chen had people gather up everything related to Weishao Qianyu, yet the hairpins were the one thing he could not clear away...

Whenever Feng Jinye could no longer endure the agony, he would throw himself into frantic work day and night, seemingly keeping the Gu poison relapses in check. But Huangfu Chen knew this treated the symptoms rather than the root cause...

In the span of mere moments, amidst Huangfu Chen's silence, Weishao Qianyu's mind raced through countless guesses...

Did Huangfu Chen want her to go and make a clean break with Feng Jinye? To sever ties with him, but how could such ties be severed?

Or did he want her to put on an act? To tell Feng Jinye that her relationship with Lin Yichu was real, and make Feng Jinye forget her!

Yet that was impossible. She was unsuited to appear before Feng Jinye; whether in injury or in love, she had no business showing up, did she?

Weishao Qianyu could not fathom any viable possibility, yet under the present circumstances, Huangfu Chen wanted her to go and see Feng Jinye...

Sensing Weishao Qianyu's panic and unease, Huangfu Chen explained, "There is a method that can temporarily suppress the Gu poison..."

"To call it suppressing the Gu poison is less accurate than calling it suppressing that madman, Feng Jinye!"

Weishao Qianyu could sense the solemnity in Huangfu Chen's tone, a tone that even carried a trace of unbearable pity...

"Qianyu, it will be very difficult..." Huangfu Chen said with difficulty, turning to pour Weishao Qianyu a cup of hot tea before standing up to say: "We must make him forget you temporarily...."

Weishao Qianyu stared at Huangfu Chen in disbelief, knowing in her heart that even if it was said to be temporary, who could guarantee it wouldn't become permanent?

In the span of just half a day, Weishao Qianyu had considered thousands of possibilities. In truth, she had not entirely failed to think of methods similar to what Huangfu Chen described, but she had never dared to dwell on them.

Yet as long as Feng Jinye's Gu poison remained uncured, for the rest of her life, catching a glimpse of him would probably mean stealing a distant, furtive look—and pulling off such a "glimpse" without Feng Jinye noticing was nearly impossible!

Without a cure for the Gu poison, there was no possibility whatsoever between her and Feng Jinye.

Weishao Qianyu trembled uncontrollably, gazing blankly in the direction of Qudu as she heard that Feng Jinye had triumphed in battle...

She knew Feng Jinye would inevitably triumph; he ought to be high-spirited and full of vigor, the very embodiment of the "peerless youth, the yearning of my heart" residing in her mind.

Weishao Qianyu could not bear for Feng Jinye's memories of her to be reduced solely to pain and torment, like an endless, inescapable nightmare...

Yet the thought of making Feng Jinye forget her left her mind a complete blank, her heart aching with a hollow, wrenching agony...

At that moment, having concluded a battle, Feng Jinye was returning on horseback. His expression appeared calm and aloof, but ever since leaving the Prince of War's Manor, he had been utterly bewildered, gradually losing his sense of direction...

He constantly felt as though he were about to lose her, and this thought filled him with terror. He could only keep himself busy, driven by ceaseless exhaustion and travel, conquering cities and territories...

Even so, Feng Jinye still felt Weishao Qianyu slowly slipping away from his life. He no longer received news of her, no longer heard anyone mention her name, and eventually heard no more mention of Yuedu, the Prince of War's Manor, or the Princess of War...

Upon careful reflection, these things were not all that terrifying; his Qianqian had always remained in his heart, yet it seemed he would never have the chance to see her again...

On the day of their betrothal, in the long corridor of General Weishao's Manor, her words—"A peerless youth, the yearning of my heart"—still echoed vividly in his ears...

A sudden surge of emotion shook Feng Jinye in the saddle, and he coughed violently, spraying another mouthful of dark blood onto the ground...

A wave of intense agony instantly assaulted his entire body. Enduring the blinding pain, Feng Jinye forced himself to dismount. Sensing something was amiss, Night Eleven appeared instantly, barely managing to catch and support him...

Shaking his head, Feng Jinye knew full well that he ought not to dwell on her thoughts, yet he had no idea how to stop...

Propelled by Night Eleven, he managed to stagger back to his tent, where Feng Jinye finally lost his footing and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud...

Weishao Qianyu was in the midst of talking with Huangfu Chen when Night Eleven rushed breathlessly into Huangfu Chen's tent, gasping in panic as he reported: "Lord Huangfu, the Prince's poison has flared up and he has collapsed unconscious!"

Before he could finish his report, a dark red figure brushed past Night Eleven and charged directly toward the commander's tent...

As Night Eleven looked on in astonishment, Huangfu Chen lowered his gaze and said quietly, "It's Qianyu..."

When Weishao Qianyu reached Feng Jinye's tent, she was unsurprisingly intercepted by the secret guards. Recognizing that the visitor bore a striking resemblance to the prospective princess consort, they still dared not grant her entry into the tent...

Huangfu Chen and Night Eleven arrived shortly after, and Huangfu Chen called out, "Qianyu, it is not yet time."

"I will leave before he wakes up!" Weishao Qianyu declared in a resolute, raised voice.

"Qianyu, you..." Huangfu Chen could not finish his sentence, instead saying, "Come inside with me..."

Night Eleven lifted the tent flap. Ignoring Weishao Qianyu, Huangfu Chen stepped inside...

Yet Weishao Qianyu hesitated. She knew that entering now would serve no purpose; if Feng Jinye woke up and saw her, it would likely trigger yet another relapse...

She truly was unsuited to see him. Had Feng Jinye not been entirely unconscious, he might already have overheard her words, adding insult to injury and plunging him into yet another agonizing relapse...

To see him just once—it genuinely served no purpose at all!

Weishao Qianyu's cheeks flushed red, her eye sockets burning with acid as silent tears streamed down her face. In an instant, she lost all courage and strength to cross the threshold into the tent...

Such were the arrangements of fate, endlessly filling one with helplessness.