"Brother Xiao, what you said to me earlier..."
Ye Xuan'er covered her flushed, burning cheeks with one hand, as if still lost in a dream!
At this moment, her heart pounded furiously, threatening to leap from her chest!
She thought of her entire life, the countless life-and-death struggles on the battlefield, yet she had never felt such a tremor in her heartstrings!
"Oh, yes. I meant exactly what I said."
Lin Xiao shifted his gaze from the defeated Ye Chen, looking gently once more at the young queen before him. "Could it be, Xuan'er, that you don't like me?"
"Of course I do!"
Ye Xuan'er held Lin Xiao's hand with one hand, while the other joined her half of the jade pendant with Lin Xiao's broken piece. Her cheeks flushed as she added, "Brother Xiao is the warmest person Xuan'er has ever met in her life. I will never forget you, not even in my next life..."
The two looked deeply into each other's eyes, completely ignoring Ye Chen, who was standing right beside them!
Watching his beloved sister inexplicably pouring her heart out to the enemy he despised most... and they even... kissed!!!
The Princely Heir of Beichuan, standing nearby, felt as if his heart were bleeding!
Not even when he had crawled out from the sea of blood and corpses in the imperial city of Great Zhou had he suffered such a devastating internal injury!
In his plans... the one standing beside his sister at this moment, being so affectionate with her, should have been the heaven-defying Ye Wudi!
Instantly, he let out a strange howl, no longer able to suppress the turmoil within him!
"Xuan'er! Look closely! See how this bastard has hurt your elder brother! I refuse to believe you don't feel even a shred of heartache!"
Ye Chen clenched his jaw, ripped away the empty left sleeve of his robe, exposing the ghastly scar of his severed arm!
"You..."
Ye Xuan'er finally turned her attention to him, her expression changing slightly as she said, "I didn't expect it... the rumors were true. A man of your great fortune... to think you were truly dismembered."
"Yes!"
Seeing his sister's grave expression, a flicker of life returned to Ye Chen's ashen face!
She was his sister, after all... She truly did still care about him!
Ye Chen rose angrily to his feet, pointing at Lin Xiao beside him and saying furiously, "Xuan'er! I don't know what sorcery has deluded you! But it was this treacherous villain beside you who brought me to this state!"
Each word was laden with tears, his voice choked with emotion, desperately hoping to win back his beloved sister!
"Xuan'er, actually..."
Lin Xiao cleared his throat, intending to explain, but a fair, jade-like hand covered his mouth. "Brother Xiao, no need to say more. Just leave everything for Xuan'er to handle."
After speaking gently to Lin Xiao, Ye Xuan'er's expression hardened as she turned to the black-clad young man nearby. "Ye Chen, we grew up together in the Ye family. When we were children, you did indeed look after me. Furthermore, before Father passed, he entrusted me with a task: after your three years of training concluded, I was to ensure your safety for the rest of your life..."
"Very well!"
Saying this, the North Territory Queen bit her lip and said, "Ye Chen, I grant you permission to stay in the army. When I return to the North Territory, I will command the kingdom's most powerful witch doctor to help you regenerate your severed limb!"
"Xuan'er, you..."
Hearing his sister's distant tone, Ye Chen felt even more desolate and said hoarsely, "Xuan'er! Do you know? For me, your elder brother, as long as I can be with you like when we were children, what difference does it make whether I have this left hand or not?"
"Your brother, in this lifetime, has always been a law unto himself, viewing all others as insignificant! But you, Xuan'er, are the only one I would never betray, even unto death!"
"Now that Father is dead, Mother is missing, and the Ye family has been slaughtered by that Empress of Great Zhou! Only you and I, brother and sister, remain to support each other! We must face the future together, hand in hand. Do you understand?"
Ye Chen cried out hoarsely, tears streaming down his face, his expression intensely moving.
Lin Xiao watched, a hint of emotion stirring in his heart.
He had read the original novel, so he naturally knew that Ye Chen, as the ancient Long Aotian protagonist, steamrolled opponents, crushed enemies to seize their treasures, and killed ruthlessly.
But in terms of his emotional attachments, his feelings for this sister were genuine; he had poured his heart and soul into caring for her.
After all, before Ye Chen encountered the old master, he had endured endless ridicule from the noble scions in the imperial city of Great Zhou, mocked as trash. Only this exceptionally talented younger sister had shown him unwavering care.
Lin Xiao frowned. This... the more I think about it, the more something feels off.
Even if Xuan'er and I formed a bond in childhood, her feelings for Ye Chen shouldn't have soured to this extent.
Besides, while that wretched original author, to legitimize a romance between them (who were ostensibly siblings), had established that Ye Xuan'er and Ye Chen weren't biologically related, this truth was only revealed much later. It would be announced when Ye Chen's beautiful mother, the Princess Consort Beichuan, appeared. They themselves didn't know it yet!
The hand that had been resting on Ye Xuan'er's slender waist suddenly loosened.
"'Never betray, even unto death?' Ye Chen, you truly have the gall to say that."
Ye Xuan'er scoffed. "Has Prince Ye forgotten that time the Sword Cultivator assassin repeatedly failed to attack you? He then infiltrated the Royal Mansion and abducted me. You were right there and could have shouted for help, yet you were solely focused on escaping the entire time!"
"Is *that* what you meant by 'never betray me, even unto death'?!"
Hearing this, the Princely Heir of Beichuan, who had looked so aggrieved moments before, was rendered completely speechless.
He hung his head in shame.
"Xuan'er, I... I really never thought... after all these years, you still hold such a grudge about it..."
Ye Chen gritted his teeth and said, "Yes! I was wrong that time! But do you know how old I was back then! That petty Sword Cultivator, he just came up and slapped me hard across the face! It stunned me completely!"