"Help... help...!" Duguluan Yue was being strangled by the red - clothed guard and could barely let out a hoarse scream. Her hands desperately clawed at the guard's hands, splashing a great deal of water.
At this moment, her eyes rolled back. The feeling of suffocation was unbearable. The guard's strength was as fierce as that of a tiger or a wolf, and she simply couldn't break free.
Gradually, she began to give up struggling. Two tears welled up in the corners of her eyes and slid into the scalding hot spring.
At this critical moment, someone suddenly flew over from nowhere. Without hesitation, the person jumped into the pool with a loud "splash", and huge water splashes rose in the Biqing Pool.
Huo Wei's cold and handsome face was covered with water marks. He punched the red - clothed guard on the forehead and inserted two fingers as hard as iron into the guard's eye sockets. The guard let out a shrill scream and immediately loosened his grip on Duguluan Yue's neck.
He lifted Duguluan Yue out of the water with one arm and punched the guard on the face and chest one after another. The force was so brutal that it was as bloody as butchering.
The red - clothed guard curled up, covering his stomach and screaming continuously. He even spat out a few bloody teeth from his mouth.
Huo Wei frowned and looked down at the guard condescendingly: "Tell me, who sent you in?"
The red - clothed guard's mind was not clear because he had been drugged. Taking advantage of the moment when Huo Wei wasn't hitting him, he bit at Huo Wei's calf.
Huo Wei took out a dagger from his waist. Just as he was about to stab it down, he was stopped by Duguluan Yue's shrill voice:
"There's water here. Never use the knife to make it bleed. Otherwise, if the pool turns red, it will still be discovered that someone has died here."
Huo Wei stopped his hand and stepped on the guard's back. He looked up calmly at her, who was looking a bit disheveled and teary - eyed. At this moment, she was only wearing a red bellyband.
Huo Wei said calmly, "Go and put on your gauze dress."
While Duguluan Yue was picking up her gauze dress from the water, Huo Wei kicked the guard a few times and knocked him out.
Duguluan Yue got out of the water, completely soaked. Her legs went weak and she knelt on the ground. Tears rolled down from her eyes.
Huo Wei rarely saw her looking so sad. He wondered if it was because of the harsh words he had said to her the other day that had hurt her deeply.
Duguluan Yue wasn't sad but anxious, extremely anxious about her almost - collapsing plan. Just when she was frowning with worry, she was plotted against.
A guard suddenly rushed in from nowhere, almost ruining her innocence and trying to kill her.
After struggling so hard, having drunk for a whole day and eaten nothing, her legs went weak and she dejectedly knelt on the ground.
Huo Wei slowly walked up to her, squatted down. Before he could say anything, Duguluan Yue threw herself into his arms. Under the influence of the alcohol, she didn't care who it was; she just wanted to cry in someone's arms for a while.
"I'm really a useless person..."
"I'm the most useless person in the whole world!"
Duguluan Yue was in a daze. She was really tired. She had come to Beiyan alone and planned for a long time, but had achieved nothing.
Her heart felt like it had been stabbed by a dagger and was constantly being stirred. At this moment, she only felt that blood was gushing from the depths of her heart, and the pain was extreme.
She was extremely anxious but couldn't move forward even an inch. She had been independent and strong since childhood and thought she could do whatever she wanted at the peak of the empire. But she didn't expect that since coming to Beiyan, the repeated blows had gradually shattered her confidence.
She had to deal with the harem and also play the game among men, using her beauty to serve them. This was completely different from what she had learned in the court before.
Duguluan Yue cried in Huo Wei's arms for a while and began to sob.
Huo Wei didn't push her away, but he also didn't put his arms around her.
He maintained his so - called coldness.
Shen Guilan's words still echoed in his ears. He should have drawn a clear line with Duguluan Yue.
But in the end, Huo Wei still couldn't help but glance at the sobbing person in his arms.
Duguluan Yue's hairpin had come loose, her eyes were bloodshot, and she began to choke and cough.
The wet strands of hair by her temples were sticking to her cheeks. The beautiful and pitiful look added a bit more charm, making people can't help but feel the urge to cherish her.
He stretched out his hand and gently patted Duguluan Yue on the back:
"What's there to cry about? I'll kill this guard later. After he's dead, I'll whip his body a few times and feed him to the wild dogs to avenge you."
Duguluan Yue sobbed, "I'm not sad because of this."
Huo Wei lowered his black eyes. His thick, ink - like eyelashes trembled. On his extremely unruly face, his thick and raised eyebrows lifted slightly, showing a bit of pride.
If she wasn't sad because of today's incident, then most likely it was because of his coldness to her a few days ago.
It seemed that Sheng Yunqi wasn't that important in her heart. Her sadness from his few harsh words hurt her more.
He hugged her closer to his chest and softened his voice a bit: "Do you want to eat the fresh flower cakes filled with rose petals?"
Duguluan Yue had no resistance to anything with the fragrance of roses. Without hesitation, she said, "Yes."
Huo Wei: "If you eat the rose cakes, you can't cry anymore."
Duguluan Yue wiped away her tears with her hand and began to hold back her tears: "Okay."
Huo Wei stood up holding her in his arms, turned around, and went to deal with the unconscious red - clothed guard:
"Your maid Meijiang fainted in the dressing side - hall beside the Biqing Pool. Can you handle the rest of the matters by yourself now?"
At this moment, the alcohol in Duguluan Yue's system had worn off a bit. She silently nodded. Her embarrassed look actually showed a bit of cuteness and charm.
When Huo Wei turned around, the corner of his lips curled up involuntarily.
Just as he was about to carry the guard away, there were footsteps outside the Biqing Pool, as if there was a group of people.
Huo Wei immediately became vigilant: "Someone's coming."
Duguluan Yue looked around: "Where did you come from just now? Can you still retreat safely?"
Huo Wei shook his head: "I climbed up from the cliff halfway up the mountain. I can't leave now with this unconscious guard. But he must not be found by your hot spring pool, or it will cause big trouble."
Actually, Huo Wei had already left. But halfway through, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
He noticed that besides not allowing him to go up, the Huaqing Pool also didn't allow others to go up to soak in the hot spring, as if it was being sealed off.
So Huo Wei quickly changed his route. He took a path that wasn't really a path and climbed up from the cliff behind the halfway - up mountain.
If he had fallen from that cliff, maybe even the wild dogs would have eaten him.
Duguluan Yue walked to the side of the Biqing Pool, took a look, and quickly walked back:
"Oh no, it's the Emperor and the Virtuous Concubine. They'll be here soon. Huo Wei, you go by yourself. I'll figure out a way to deal with this guard later."
Just as she finished speaking, the guard woke up and started struggling wildly. Huo Wei's well - defined jaw tightened:
"Too many people are coming. I can't leave now."
Duguluan Yue's heart was pounding. She clenched her fists. She leaned out and took another look. Murong Min was getting closer. What should she do!
There was no cover at all in this place. There was simply nowhere to hide.