Chapter 44: The Obsessive, Desire-Driven Hostage Prince vs. The Pampered, Arrogant Princess (44)

Beside the stables, Zhaoyang quietly stole a枣-red stallion.

Her horsemanship was excellent, but Shu Yao did not know how to ride, so they had no choice but to share a single horse.

As the steed beneath them charged forward against the rushing wind, Zhaoyang wrapped her arms around Shu Yao, her body radiating a scorching heat.

Shu Yao felt so violently shaken that she wanted to vomit. Her pale hands weakly clutched the reins, and her little face was drained of all color.

Zhaoyang carried a passage token of the Great Liao, and they left the palace without encountering any obstruction.

Shen Jingmu had not cared whether she stayed or left, which was precisely the root of today's trouble.

Shu Yao felt as though her lower body was about to shatter into pieces, and just as she could no longer suppress the urge to vomit, the winding city walls appeared in her field of vision.

The Yanmen Pass. Once they passed through this checkpoint, it would not be so easy for Shen Jingmu to track her down.

The city guards were strictly inspecting the travel permits of the commoners, and the two women dismounted.

Shu Yao said weakly, "You can stop here, Imperial Elder Sister."

Once she left, the plot would return to its proper track: Shen Jingmu and Zhaoyang would become devoted lovers, and she would also be able to scrape by alive until the end of the story.

In the short term, Shen Jingmu would not dare to kill her. He was cruel in his methods and knew many ways to inflict torment.

If he forced her to kill Chu Yuan yesterday, he would force her to kill someone else tomorrow, and sooner or later, she would be driven completely mad.

"I am coming with you."

Shu Yao doubted her own ears. "What?"

Zhaoyang smiled gently and grasped her hand with unwavering determination.

"Wherever you go from now on, Imperial Elder Sister will accompany you."

"No, no, no. That won't do."

Shu Yao frantically waved her hands, supporting her forehead as she became utterly bewildered.

Could someone please tell her what on earth was happening?!

It was one thing for the male lead to go mad, but had the female lead lost her mind too?

According to the plot, the city gates would be breached, Shen Jingmu would occupy Chang'an, and this should be the exact moment when the romance between the two leads reached its boiling point.

It should have been a tale of a passionate chase through a sea of hatred and deep affection, yet now she was being told that the female lead wanted to elope and soar far away with the wicked second female lead?

No wonder Shen Jingmu detested her so much; it turned out she had snatched away his female lead.

Fearing that Shen Jingmu might devise even more perverted methods to exact revenge on her, Shu Yao hurriedly persuaded, "No, you cannot come with me."

A pang of anxiety struck Zhaoyang's heart, and her grip unconsciously tightened, almost pinching her painfully.

"Why?"

Shu Yao said cautiously, "Do you no longer want Shen Jingmu?"

At the mention of his name, the anger on Zhaoyang's face nearly solidified into substance.

"That wretch acts perversely and breaks his promises. Given the chance, I will surely kill him!"

"Princess Zhaoyang is truly full of spirit."

A man's low, chilling voice drifted over from not far away.

Shu Yao's heart tightened violently, and she glanced sideways.

The man had already dismounted. His muscular arms drew a long bow, and the sharp arrowhead was aimed directly at her head.

Shu Yao felt as though she had plunged into an icy abyss, though she quickly recovered her composure.

If she could die at Shen Jingmu's hand right now, it would at least count as completing her mission.

"Hide behind me."

Though Zhaoyang's voice carried unmistakable fear, she unhesitatingly spread her arms to shield Shu Yao.

For the very first time, Shu Yao experienced the sensation of being protected by an elder sister, even though the person before her was not truly her sister.

Yet at this moment, the warmth falling upon her was genuine and real.

"Why hide behind her? Your Highness, aren't you usually the boldest of all?"

Although Shen Jingmu was smiling, the intense fury rising in the depths of his eyes remained terrifying.

Just as the atmosphere reached a deadlocked tension, Shu Yao suddenly drew the dagger from her waist and took Zhaoyang hostage.

This was something none of them had anticipated.

"Jianing..."

Zhaoyang was forced to tilt her head back, the cold blade pressing against the blood vessels beneath her skin.

Shen Jingmu watched the scene with amused interest.

Sisters turning against each other—how fascinating.

His Highness, even at the crucial moment, had still selfishly chosen to save herself.

He was very satisfied.

The wind scattered Shu Yao's stray hairs, and her delicate, slender shoulders trembled violently.

Her waist was so slender that a single large hand could span it, as if a stray gust of wind might snap it in two at any moment.

Yet this same frail creature was wicked enough to press a dagger against her own imperial sister in exchange for a chance at survival.

"Let me go, or I will kill her!"

Shu Yao's face was chillingly cold, and she pressed the dagger deeper into the flesh without hesitation.

Zhaoyang closed her eyes and offered no resistance.

If this life could trade for Jianing's safe departure, then so be it.

Shen Jingmu lowered his bow, tilted his head, and smiled. "Your Highness, do not let your hand shake. Hold it steady."

Shu Yao knew she was not as fast as Shen Jingmu; before she could even slice through Zhaoyang's windpipe, his arrow would mercilessly pierce her skull.

She had never intended to harm Zhaoyang; she only wanted to push Shen Jingmu into such a rage that he would kill her.

Yet Shen Jingmu's indifferent attitude left her feeling deeply unsettled.

Would he really care whether Zhaoyang lived or died?

Shu Yao did not dare to gamble.

She gently released the dagger, leaned close to Zhaoyang's ear, and whispered softly, "Farewell, Imperial Elder Sister."

This time, the title of imperial elder sister carried no contempt or sarcasm; it was entirely sincere.

Even she had been conquered by the charm of the original female lead.

Zhaoyang finally realized what she intended to do, and her terrified eyes widened in horror.

Shu Yao shoved her away and turned to run.

"No—"

Before the cry could fully fade, Shen Jingmu had already vaulted back onto his horse and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

The expected piercing pain of a fatal strike never came; instead, the deafening sound of thundering hooves closed in from behind.

Shu Yao glanced back to see the man's gaze dark, vicious, and ruthless, as if he intended to ride her down and trample her to death.

The sound of hooves grew closer and closer. The next moment, her waist and abdomen tightened, and she lost her balance.

A large, sinewy hand scooped up her waist and hauled her directly across the horse's back.

The man was breathing heavily, his grim, menacing eyes seeped with chill.

"Your Highness, you run far too slowly."

"Go away! Let me go, you beast!"

"Get away, get away!"

Shu Yao struggled in a breakdown of panic, violently beating against the arm the man used to hold the reins.

Yet the jolting back of the horse made it impossible for her to utter another complete sentence.

Shen Jingmu breathed heavily, clearly enraged to the absolute limit, the knuckles gripping the reins stark, glaring white.

Shu Yao even caught sight of faint traces of blood, though with the violent shaking before her eyes, she could not tell if it was merely her imagination.

The fugitive had been recaptured, and the Liao soldiers cheered in jubilation.

The deputy general hauled up Zhaoyang, who had been struck unconscious by a blow, and asked coldly, "Lord, how should she be dealt with?"

"Lock her in the death row."

-

"Let me go, you wretched hound!"

"I'll kill you! Let me go!"

Shu Yao screamed all the way as Shen Jingmu slung her over his shoulder. The Liao soldiers exchanged glances and tactfully averted their gazes.

With a heavy thud, Shen Jingmu forcefully flung Shu Yao onto the couch with such immense force that stars danced before her eyes.

Before she could even recover, the man's tall frame loomed over her, grabbing her collar and tearing away the fabric across her chest without hesitation.

"Ah!"

Shu Yao raised her hands to block him, struggling frantically.

"How dare you! Shen Jingmu, how dare you!"

*Rip!*

Her outer robe was torn asunder, revealing the pale pink undergarment beneath.

Shen Jingmu curved his lips into a smile, his pupils overflowing with fury.

"Why would I not dare?"

"I'll kill you! I will definitely kill you!"

Terrified to the point of tears, Shu Yao lost all color in her petite, palm-sized face.

Even though she was frightened to the extreme, she still stubbornly bit down on her lower lip, refusing to yield, and emboldened herself to hurl threats at him.

Shen Jingmu wiped away the tears at the corner of her eye, pressed down against her, and spoke in a husky voice.

"This slave is eagerly looking forward to it."

He tore open her undergarment and reached out to strip away his own clothes, speaking each word slowly and deliberately.

"However, Your Highness had better pray that you do not die beneath this slave's body today."