Forced to Love (GL) - Chapter 34

As night fell, Lingxi changed out of the casual clothes she had worn at the inn during the day. She originally intended to wear her own prepared nightwear, but Zhao Qingsui quickly stopped her and instructed Su Rui to give her another set of slightly darker clothing.

When the fabric rested in her palm, it felt unexpectedly heavy. Lingxi glanced at the person sitting nearby.

Zhao Qingsui seemed to sense her gaze, but her hand, wrapped in a cloak, did not pause as she wrote. Her strokes were steady, lifting the brush with ease. Only then did she raise her eyes to look at Lingxi.

“The night is cold and damp. Naturally, you need something heavier to keep warm.”

Lingxi nodded and put on the new clothes. Just as she was about to step out the door, she suddenly stopped.

Turning slightly, she looked back. Zhao Qingsui was gazing at her. A strand of fine hair slipped past her ear, and her dark eyes, under the dim candlelight, appeared even deeper.

The wooden windows were slightly ajar, allowing faint moonlight to seep through. Though hidden behind her, the gentle glow seemed to envelop her, making her appear like a star shining dimly in the vast night sky.

There were no words between them, yet at the moment when the breeze swayed the flickering candle flame, Lingxi seemed to catch a fleeting smile on Zhao Qingsui’s lips.

Lingxi rode swiftly down the main road, galloping through the night. At a fork in the road, she veered onto a narrow path, letting the cool night wind brush past her ears.

Estimating the distance in her mind, she gradually slowed her horse and tied it to a hidden tree before heading forward alone.

As she ventured deeper into the woods, she suddenly heard the rustling of leaves. A figure emerged in front of her the next second. His black hood concealed his face in the shadows, and he bowed slightly, placing one hand on his chest.

“Master Lu, His Highness sent us to assist you.”

Lingxi stopped. “Hmm. What’s the situation?”

“No abnormalities, but earlier, a man entered.”

“I see. Lead the way.”

“Yes.”

The moonlight grew dimmer, casting only faint patches of light through the trees. Stepping on the fallen leaves and dried branches, their footsteps occasionally made crisp sounds, reminiscent of firewood crackling in a stove.

As they moved forward, Lingxi noticed a distant glow. Soon, she began to hear rhythmic, heavy strikes.

The closer she got, the more certain she became.

—This sound was unmistakably the clanging of metal being forged into weapons.

They stopped near the corner of the woods. A half-human-high bush concealed most of their presence, while Lingxi stood slightly behind the shadow of a tree.

A tall wall blocked her way, and hanging at the entrance was a pair of banners, one black and one white. Under the flickering torchlight, she could clearly see the image of a bird soaring with outstretched wings.

Avoiding the patrolmen carrying lanterns, Lingxi used a tree trunk to climb up. Peering down, she could only see fragments of the scene. She then leaped onto the wall and, using its height, quickly climbed onto the rooftop.

Only then did she get a full view of the estate. Though officially a mansion, in reality, it concealed a small-scale weapons forge.

The towering walls enclosed the area, blocking it entirely from sight. If one were to pass by during the day, they wouldn’t suspect anything. But now, standing inside, Lingxi and her team could see the glow of the forge reflecting on their faces.

More guards patrolled this area compared to the outer perimeter.

Suddenly, a soft creak of a door opening reached Lingxi’s ears. She lowered her head, hiding under the eaves, with only her eyes visible.

The moment she saw the man, she frowned.

“The man who entered earlier—was it him?” she asked.

The shadow guard took one glance and replied in a low voice, “Yes.”

The man wore a gray robe, but the white folding fan in his hand reflected the glow of the fire, taking on a reddish hue.

He walked through the courtyard as if he knew the place well. Lingxi avoided his path and climbed back over the wall.

Outside the gate, a carriage was already waiting. Lingxi glanced at the road and asked, “Is there a shortcut to catch up with him?”

“If we circle back through the way we came, we can intercept him.”

Lingxi and her shadow guards hid in the woods, mounted their horses, and followed a small path, trailing the carriage from afar.

The carriage eventually stopped in a desolate area, where sparse trees stood among wild grass and sand.

The man stepped down, looking around cautiously. After confirming there was no one nearby, he proceeded deeper.

Lingxi rose from behind a dirt mound. The shadow guard beside her asked, “Master Lu, should we continue? Beyond this point is the mass grave outside the capital.”

Lingxi’s expression remained unchanged as she followed the man’s path. “Keep going.”

The man walked past abandoned graves and finally stopped at a dilapidated farmhouse, knocking on the door. A short, stout man answered, and after a brief exchange, they both went inside.

Lingxi waited outside for a while, but no further movement came from within. For some reason, a wave of unease settled in her heart.

“You wait here. I’m going to check.”

She moved silently toward the farmhouse, climbed over the low wall, and crouched beneath the window. Inside, she heard a man’s impatient voice.

“Why is there still no news?!”

His heavy footsteps and rough breathing suggested he was the stout man.

“Don’t be anxious.”

Lingxi carefully peeked through a crack in the window. The dim light inside revealed a waist tag on the stout man’s belt, bearing a single, raised character—”Gong” (工).

“This is an important matter. How can I not be anxious?”

The stout man glanced toward the window, and Lingxi swiftly ducked. In a low voice, he asked, “Does Lord Li know about this?”

“No. I only told him that my parents were unwell and took leave from the capital for a few days.”

With a crisp snap, the folding fan in the other man’s hand opened. He chuckled lightly but soon began tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table.

Then Lingxi heard him say with a smirk, “The assassins I sent today will stop at nothing.”

Something flickered through Lingxi’s mind, like a shooting star. Suddenly, she remembered Zhao Qingsui’s gaze before she left.

There was a connection, but she couldn’t grasp it. As she stepped back from the wall, a sharp shard from a broken tile cut her finger.

A small wound—yet the pain felt strangely deep.

At the mass grave’s entrance, Lingxi instinctively looked toward the distant burial ground. Amid the darkness, a faint glow emerged.

And in her ears, she suddenly recalled her own words from that night.

“Your Highness should not leave the city so easily. More guards should be assigned for protection…”

Her voice, firm and resolute at the time, now struck her heart like a dagger.

“Return at once!”

Lingxi jerked up, grabbed the reins from her shadow guard, and mounted her horse.

The night draped over her shoulders as she spurred her horse forward.

Before she even arrived, the clash of weapons and screams filled the air. Flames lit up the sky, engulfing the inn.

The assassins heard the approaching hooves and turned to surround them.

The reins in her hand unknowingly tightened. In her ears, she could still hear the harsh cries of crows from the mass grave.

“Does His Highness still have shadow guards with him?”

“He does, but not many.”

“How many?”

Ling Xi’s tone suddenly became serious.

“His Highness ordered us to protect My Lady. Only two of us remain by your side.”

The sound of fast-approaching hooves mixed with the shadow guard’s words. Before he even finished speaking, Ling Xi suddenly pressed her legs against the horse’s sides. The fierce horse neighed loudly and raised its front hooves into
the air.

“What happened to My Lady?” The shadow guard sensed something was wrong and grew nervous.

The clouds covered the bright crescent moon. When Ling Xi looked up, she could only see a faint glow at the edge. At that moment, she remembered her deep gaze, the fleeting smile on her lips, and even the calm tone of her voice—as if she had already been comforting her in advance.

Ling Xi furrowed her brows deeply, her heart sinking into a bottomless darkness.

Before they got close, the sound of weapons clashing and painful screams could already be heard from afar. Flames lit up the sky, as if the entire inn were about to be set on fire.

The outer guards heard the horse hooves and quickly gathered around.

“Protect His Highness first, do not get caught in battle!”

“Yes!”

Ling Xi pulled the reins and stopped the horse, then jumped down. She lowered her hand and clenched her fist. As a guard swung a sword at her, Ling Xi raised her arm to block it. A sharp sound rang out, and suddenly a jade flute appeared before her.

The jade flute was milky white and translucent, with fine carvings along its body. It looked as though streams of light flowed along the patterns.

Her fingertip, cut by a broken roof tile, started to bleed from the force she applied. The bl00d quickly soaked into the carved characters on the flute.

With a quick push, Ling Xi sent the guard flying. In the next second, she struck forward with the flute, then quickly pulled back to dodge another drawn blade. She spun in midair and stepped on the blade of her attacker’s sword.

Using the force from her foot, she flipped backward and landed firmly in front of the inn’s wooden door, which was covered with arrows.

The wooden door was tightly shut, and it was hard to see what was going on inside. Looking at the approaching guards in front of her, Ling Xi took another step forward and swung her flute fiercely.

The hooded shadow guards came from the side and stood beside Ling Xi.

“My Lady, we did not find His Highness outside the inn.”

Ling Xi narrowed her eyes slightly and said, “We also didn’t see the bodies of the guards His Highness brought. They are probably all inside the inn.”

As soon as she finished speaking, more guards charged forward. Cold swords flashed as they swung at them.

Ling Xi dodged to the side and used her jade flute to block the attacks. Then she pushed forward, facing the killing intent, aiming directly at the enemy’s throat.

The guard quickly retreated, but another guard rushed in with a knife.

Ling Xi twisted her fingers, swinging the jade flute down on the attacker’s hand. His sword fell to the ground.

She turned and struck with the flute again. The sword in her opponent’s hand trembled and was driven into his body, leaving only the hilt visible. Bl00d flowed out from behind the blade.

“Ah…”

His mouth opened slightly. Only a single syllable escaped his throat before he fell.

Suddenly, the old wooden door creaked open. As Ling Xi ducked to avoid another attack, she stepped back and used a pillar for support to leap into the air.

Looking back, through the clash of weapons and shadows, she saw a familiar figure.

At the same time, several swords gathered beneath her feet like a sword umbrella.

Ling Xi lightly tapped her foot and landed steadily on top of them. She turned and met the gaze of Zhao Qingsui, who was sitting in the inn’s main hall.

Inside the hall, all the furniture was destroyed except for the grand chair Zhao Qingsui sat on.

Guards with spears and shields surrounded her. A shadow guard with a black hood stood at both her front and back.

She sat calmly in the center of the hall, still wearing the cloak Ling Xi had draped over her before she left. Her expression was calm, and even her dark eyes showed no sign of emotion.

But when the door opened and their eyes met, the corners of her lips quickly curved up in a smile.

The sound of clashing weapons, the low growls of the guards, and the wind rushing past all seemed to disappear.

Ling Xi’s ears fell into silence.

The sword umbrella beneath her feet shifted, turning into a sword mountain.

Ling Xi leapt into the air. Before she could come down, a spear flew from afar, piercing the chest of a guard in front of her.

Warm bl00d splashed onto her robe.

Right after, the sound of battle cries rang out behind her.

Guards holding spears and shields rushed out, followed by the shadow guards.

The enemy’s momentum was broken, replaced by waves of screams.

Ling Xi turned around. In the huge, empty hall, only Zhao Qingsui remained.

Just like when she had first left earlier that night, she said nothing—only looked at her quietly.

The stars above shone with a faint, soft light, as if lighting her way home.

“I came too late.”

“You came.”

They spoke at the same time. The sound echoed through the inn, breaking the silence in Ling Xi’s ears.

“Your Highness, you shouldn’t have done this.”

Ling Xi knelt on one knee in front of her, the tip of her flute resting on the floor.

The person in front of her was silent for a few breaths, then asked,
“What do you mean, shouldn’t have?”

“You shouldn’t risk your own safety.”

“Even if you expected the attack to happen tonight, even if you had made arrangements… you shouldn’t have used
yourself as bait. If—if even one part of the plan had gone wrong…”

Ling Xi’s brows furrowed even deeper, but she couldn’t speak another word. She could only grip her flute tightly.

“If even one part of the plan had gone wrong,” the woman in front of her slowly repeated her words. After a pause, she asked,

“What would you have done?”

It was just a question based on Ling Xi’s words. But at that moment, a wave of killing intent surged up from her heart. Even the flute in her hand became hot.

Ling Xi slowly raised her head to look at her. The calm and controlled look in her eyes began to change.

She said in a low voice,

“I would have killed them all.”