23 Elope

"Hey! It's me. Don't attack." Yun Shu jumped in as she said, clearing the dusts off of her body.

Bai Yunxian gaped at the sudden appearance of the lord whom he was cursing endlessly just now, so he calmed his mind as he said, "What brings you here, Lord Yun?"

"Did you come here to mock me because I'm a useless guy who doesn't know how to protect himself? Or did you come to take care of me tonight?" Bai Yunxian said with a calm voice, but the sneering and disgust in his eyes wasn't hidden even an inch.

Yun Shu felt a little annoyed and hurt by the guy and his behavior, but she decided to let it go as the priority was now to save him and take him out of the Palace first.

"You can say whatever you want, but right now, I came here to take you away from the Palace."

"Come with me, now." Yun Shu said in a firm voice as she grasped Bai Yunxian's hand and pulled him up, preparing to make a run without anyone knowing.

"Lord Yun, are you showing me pity, now? After all this time, after all this happened?" Bai Yunxian took his hand away from Yun Shu's grip which caused her to look back at him in awe.

"You, you just want to make fun of me by giving me hope to live again, don't you? I already know it, so please don't try to make my life more miserable."

"I don't know why, but Lord Yun always helped me to get out of bad situations and always looked over for me. I don't want to get a bad impression from you, so please go back." Bai Yunxian said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

I don't know why… but, it seems that somehow I can't come to hate him. I wonder why that is…

"You are talking too much, I said that there is no time to waste, Let's go." Yun Shu didn't bother to say anything back as she gripped on his wrist tightly and pulled him close to herself in one move.

This… was he for real?

He really wanted to help me leave this damn place?

Bai Yunxian stared at Yun Shu blankly as he lost his sanity to get a hold of the surrounding environment.

But by the time he came back to his senses, they were already in an unknown place.

What?

I… Did I just get carried by Lord Yun?

But he didn't have enough time to care about the awkwardness as Yun Shu came back with a horse in no time.

"Hop on, quick. We need to leave before the Imperial Guards catch on." Yun Shu urged him to get on to the horse as if Yun Si were to notice things would go in the wrong direction.

'My mission comes first above everything!'

"But… Lord Yun, I—" before he could finish, Yun Shu interrupted him once again.

"Do you want to leave this place, or not?" Yun Shu closed the distance between them as she pinned him against the tree.

"I-I want to." Bai Yunxian felt like his breath was suddenly taken away when Yun Shu got this closer. He looked away from Yun Shu as he answered vaguely.

"Then get on! What are you waiting for?"

With that, Yun Shu carried Bai Yunxian up again as she put him on the horseback and hopped over it herself.

'Lord Yun's eyes are… beautiful.' Bai Yunxian held his face with both hands as he thought looking towards the sky.

***

Two days later,

"Come down, it's safe here, Yun Si won't be able to get here soon. We need to make a run before that!"

Yun Shu urged Bai Yunxian to get down from the horse as she held his wrist and started to drag the guy away swiftly.

Bai Yunxian was surprised to see how swift his positioning was when he walked around the forest with ease, as if he had known this forest for a long time.

After walking for more than an hour, Yun Shu finally seemed to have spotted the entrance of the forest as she beamed with joy.

"Finally it's over. Here, take this with you in case you need it."

Yun Shu handed over a pouch in Bai Yunxian's hand as she smiled, but for some reason, Bai Yunxian was feeling anxious.

'What is this? Why does he sound like… bidding farewell?'

"Ok then, everything has been settled. Soon a boy will come to fetch you, I already settled your mother over there. After crossing the border, you are free from your identity as the daughter of Bai Mansion."

Everything has been settled, now, it was about time Yun Shu went back. She already guessed that Yun Si will realize by now that she is missing.

"Wait!"

But a moist hand grabbed her wrist which took her in surprise as Yun Shu turned her head back.

"Aren't you… Aren't you coming along with me?"

Bai Yunxian's eyes were very clear, just like the vast sea water. Perhaps because he hadn't blackened yet in this timeline, but Yun Shu found his eyes very attractive.

Those innocent eyes were full of confusion and uncertainty, but there was also a strong determination within.

"Haha, well. My job till here was to protect you from my cousin. Now that you have become the citizen of this kingdom, you don't have anything to worry about anymore. My family is still waiting for me, I have to say farewell now for real. Wish you a happy and brand new life, Miss Bai."

The bitter sweet smile on Yun Shu's face bothered Bai Yunxian. But he didn't know what to say as he hesitated before turning around and started walking towards the boy at the border.

'What he did for me, was that worth it?'

Bai Yunxian turned his head back for the last time, hoping to see the familiar face once more.