Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C348. Laid Bare.

Chapter 348: Laid Bare

As dawn cracked its first light, the city gates creaked open, welcoming the early flurry of eager souls. But like whispers fading into the wind, the bustle had died down, leaving the gates eerily still—a liminal space where tension could bloom unnoticed.

From a distance, Wu Yong spotted a group ambling forward, their forms hazy but unmistakable. Without hesitation, he spurred his horse forward, leaving the rest of the world behind. His intent was sharp, pointed like a blade, and entirely unapologetic.

Shao Yao, having shared more than just fleeting moments of camaraderie with him in the sands of past encounters, raised an eyebrow as he closed the distance with an almost reckless fervor. Her voice, cool but tinged with a knowing edge, broke the quiet:
"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you off," Wu Yong replied without a trace of pretense. No coyness, no veiled intentions—his boldness hung in the air like smoke, daring anyone to take notice. He wasn’t shy about the brazenness of his motives, nor did he flinch at the thought of Shizi, the one he should perhaps have feared, finding out. If anything, it seemed as though the idea amused him.

“A true friend indeed.” Shao Yao tilted her head and lifted her veil, revealing a smile so radiant it was practically audacious. “When you reach the capital, I’ll be sure to take excellent care of you,” she promised, her voice dripping with warmth that felt a shade too practiced.

“It’s a promise, then.” Wu Yong studied her face, the one that had once struck him as imposing, and wondered if he’d misplaced his instincts entirely. She was charming, disarmingly so, and that unsettling shift gnawed at his better judgment. Deep down, he knew she wasn’t someone he could simply keep—not with the storm brewing around them. But leaving her behind? That felt like its own brand of defeat. Survival was the only game now, and if he lived through it, he swore—shamelessly, selfishly—that he’d find a way to make her his.

For now, though, all he had to offer was a parting wave. “Take care of yourself.”

“You too,” Shao Yao replied, her tone breezy yet tinged with something warmer. She was, after all, absurdly generous with those she deemed worthy. Knowing he was a border commander destined for blood-soaked fields, she fussed over him in that maddeningly maternal way, rummaging through his belongings, slipping him vials of medicine, and explaining their uses as if he were some bumbling recruit.

Leaning lazily against the man at her side, Hua Zhi murmured, her voice low and teasing, “Well, look at that. Someone’s got aspirations.”

“I see it,” came the reply, clipped and dry.

Hua Zhi smirked, catching the faint sourness in his tone. She let out a laugh that lingered too long. “Admit it—it takes real nerve to set his sights on grass that grows in your garden.”

With a light nudge to the horse’s flank, Gu Yanxi broke the awkward tension with a subtle but deliberate interruption. His voice, smooth yet pointed, sliced through the conversation like a finely honed blade. "Gu Chengde’s gone, I take it?"

Wu Yong, ever the man caught juggling his modest standing and his not-so-subtle aspirations toward someone else’s sister, could only offer a sheepish rub of his nose. "Yeah," he muttered, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. "Left about half an hour ago. Took the officials' token and bolted out of the city like the wind was at his back."

Instead of irritation, an unexpected wave of relief washed over Gu Yanxi, though he kept it well-masked behind an impassive nod. "Well then," he remarked, his tone faintly tinged with dry amusement, "farewell."

Shao Yao, never one for subtlety, swept her hand in an exaggerated, almost theatrical wave at Wu Yong—dismissive and final. Without so much as a backward glance, she spurred her horse and galloped off to catch up with the others.