Arc 3 – Chapter 184, Vicious Princess Wants to Reverse Fate (78)

As Zhou Min passed by the carriage, Shangguan Qi was riding in, a gentle breeze blew the carriage curtain aside. For a fleeting moment, she could glimpse the ethereal elegance of the man inside, his gaze tenderly fixed on a precious sword. 

But neither of them noticed each other. Zhou Min was lost in thought, pondering on things she knew and didn't know from her past life. Shangguan Qi, on the other hand, was thinking about Zhou Min, the things that happened in the forest, and her love for him.

As they passed each other, the wind blew into the carriage, seemingly bringing something with it. The previously calm occupant of the carriage suddenly leapt out, standing on the roof with an expression of surprise and excitement. His tightly clenched fists and slight trembling betrayed his suppressed emotions.

When Shangguan Qi stood on the carriage's roof, Zhou Min had already turned a corner and entered a clothes shop.

"My Lord, is something wrong?" his bodyguard asked.

Shangguan Qi, standing on the roof of the carriage, was looked at by the people below with starry-eyed admiration. None resembled her, but the fragrance that had just entered the carriage was unmistakably hers. He couldn't be mistaken. It was the scent of his Min...

However, he couldn't find his Min amongst the crowd on the street. Not a single one!

His usually calm eyes suddenly showed a hint of anxiety and impatience. His desire for the scent of fresh blood distorted his beautiful face. When Mu Yan, his close friend, rode up from behind, he immediately noticed something was wrong with Shangguan Qi and cried out, "Zhou Min!"

He knew this trick was infallible. Even if he knew it was a lie, for Shanguan Qi, if there was a chance it was true, he would lose his composure, exposing his vulnerability.

Mu Yan, successful in his ploy, felt a sudden pang of sadness. His dear friend now had such a fatal flaw. This flaw could cost him his life!

As he carried the unconscious Shangguan Qi back into the carriage, he crossed paths with Yin Mei, who had just lifted the curtain of the carriage. Her eyes were filled with shock and disbelief, self-mockery and sadness. At this moment, Mu Yan didn't know how to console her.

Shangguan Qi seemed to be on the verge of going mad. He was indifferent to everyone else, but whenever he heard Zhou Min's name, he would pause and be stunned, providing an opportunity for them to restrain him.

//I’m pretty sure he’s lost it already huhu.

Over the past five days, his madness had become increasingly apparent. It was only Zhou Min. As long as he had something of hers with him, it would calm him down and prevent his emotions from fluctuating too much. Otherwise, he would be obsessed with the smell of fresh blood when he went mad.

This was why they no longer tried to stop Shangguan Qi from returning to Zhou country. They didn't know who else could help him. He couldn't continue to be so unstable.

Yin Mei watched as Mu Yan carried Shangguan Qi into the carriage. Her body was trembling. Had he already reached the point where he subconsciously searched whenever he heard someone call Zhou Min's name?

Could a woman's name really cause a man, who was once so rational and cold, to lose his most basic judgement?

If a woman could disturb a man's heart with just her name, what could she do to erase that woman from his heart...

The crowd slowly recovered from their brief daze as the carriage started moving again. They were surprised that such a delicate, ethereal being could exist in Wan City. However, this ethereal being seemed somewhat frail.

When he fell from the roof of the carriage, he was caught by another attractive man who helped him back into the carriage. It seemed like he heard someone call out something when he fell off...

As the crowd gradually disappeared at the end of the street, Zhou Min came out of the cloth shop. She looked at the place where the carriage had disappeared. Her expression was unreadable. Others might not have heard what Mu Yan had shouted, but how could she not? It was her name...

But at this moment, Zhou Min felt like millions of pounds weighed down her feet, and her throat choked up. She couldn't move, she couldn't shout. Not just because of the host's wish, but also because of the unclear truth between him and her...

Maybe she was the only one who didn't know the truth from the very beginning... But if the truth was as she suspected, then, for Shangguan Qi, wasn't the host's wish too cruel?

Zhou Min didn't dare to look any further, afraid that her empathy would make her heart ache even more...

On the official road to the border of Zhou a black-glossed horse was pulling a rather unassuming carriage. 

Using such a magnificent horse to pull a carriage... seemed like a waste.

There was no driver for this carriage, but the horse seemed to know the way, walking forward on its own.

Beside the carriage was another horse, a maroon one. A middle-aged man of lean and robust physique sat atop it. His stern and serious expression was always alert to the slightest movement around him.

The man gently spurred his horse, moving slightly forward to the carriage window.

"Your Majesty, are you still playing chess?" 

He asked cautiously, then listened attentively for any sound inside the carriage.

Inside the carriage sat a man, cross-legged in front of a game of Go. At the sound of the question, he slowly opened his eyes, which were as bright as stars, but their viciousness ruined his beautiful eyes. 

His long black robe was plain, without any ostentatious embroidery. His long hair, as black as ink, hung loosely behind him, tied with a piece of satin. 

His long fingers rested on his knee, rubbing the black Go piece between them. His gaze was fixed on the Go board not far away. After slowly placing a piece, he picked up a white one.