Fated Hearts [一笑随歌]

Chapter 4

The blades in the hands of the imperial guards reflected on Fu Yixiao's face, pale as paper, as she leaned against the stone cliff. She sat quietly, eyes lowered, lightly plucking the string of her silver bow as a rhythm.

Her singing, because of its stillness and faintness, seemed all the more tragic.

"...The sun and moon alternate, fading into obscurity. The heart's sorrow is like unwashed clothes, thinking quietly, unable to soar."

She finished the last word very slowly, then struggled to stand up using the bow as a support, gazing up at the sky with her face in the wind.

Ning Fei could hardly hold back the tears in his eyes.

Yixiao, this childhood friend, this comrade-in-arms for the past three years, this friend to whom they could entrust their unguarded backs with just a look, what kind of determination had brought her to such a tragic end?

Xiao Weiran's voice carried a sense of helplessness, "Yixiao, if you bind yourself and plead for mercy, Ning Fei and I will surely plead for leniency on your behalf before His Highness. But if you persist, you will truly put us in a difficult position."

The wind whipped at Fu Yixiao's clothing as she stood there listening quietly, not answering. She simply slung the silver bow back over her shoulder, and with her uninjured hand, she painfully straightened her disheveled attire. In her deep eyes, there was nothing but boundless emptiness.

Ning Fei's eyes had already turned red with urgency. He thrust his long sword into the ground and shouted, "Get down here right now, or I'll really turn my back on you!"

"You should understand that I came here today with no intention of leaving alive," Yixiao finally spoke, her voice low and hoarse.

Ning Fei was stunned, and Xiao Weiran sighed softly, his voice turning gentle, "Come down—Ning Fei and I will find a way to mediate on your behalf. We won't let you..."

"I know," she interrupted him, her smile still warm. "But I don't want to thank you. Knowing you both has been enough for this lifetime... I have one thing to tell His Highness, and then I'll come down. Ning Fei, come here."

Without hesitation, Ning Fei walked toward her. As he approached, Yixiao's gaze remained clear as water. "Tell His Highness never to forget me—tell him to be prepared, for I will haunt him in every life!"

With that, she wobbled and then fiercely pulled out the iron arrow that pierced through her shoulder, throwing it into Ning Fei's arms. Then she turned and leaped off the cliff.

Your Highness, if you can't give me the love I desire, then let me control you so that you will never forget me, Fu Yixiao, for a lifetime.

Ning Fei was momentarily stunned. He threw the arrow aside and rushed to the edge of the cliff, screaming at her retreating figure, "Damn you, Yixiao! What are you doing?! Are you just going to leave us and die?! You damn fool!!!"

The imperial guards who were part of the encirclement were also shaken by this tragic scene.

Xiao Weiran closed his eyes and sighed deeply before ordering, "Let's go back and report—bring that arrow too."

Only then did everyone come to their senses. A guard hesitantly picked up the arrow from behind Ning Fei and followed Xiao Weiran down the mountain. Soon, only Ning Fei remained, sitting by the edge of the cliff, facing the wind.

Why did you do this? Why can't I understand you after all these years? Why can't I comprehend you like Weiran can...

"Yixiao," Ning Fei cried out to the heavens.