Chapter 1202: Chapter 1202: He’s So Strong, He Must Still Be Alive!

Zi Su spat out a long mouthful of fresh blood and could no longer get up.

Xia Ruqing watched with her own eyes as Zi Su fell right in front of her.

Her chest felt as if someone was pounding it heavily with a sledgehammer.

Her heart ached, aching so much she couldn’t even straighten her waist.

"Ah!" She cried out desperately.

"Zi Su!"

"Fool!"

"Get up, get up!"

Her voice was shrill, her cries leaving her throat hoarse, crying so much she was dizzy and her vision blurred.

Suddenly, Zi Su opened her eyes, slightly lifting her head.

"Mis... Mistress!"

"Zi... Zi Su! Ugh..."

"I... I can no longer... serve you!"

"Zi Su... is leaving!"

Xia Ruqing cried till her liver and intestines were ruptured.

"No!"

"No way!"

"Emperor, please save her!"

"Please save her..."

Zi Su shook her head desperately.

"No!"

"Mistress, you must go quickly!"

"Quickly... go! Ugh..."

Zi Su spat out two more mouthfuls of blood, her voice growing weaker, and soon she was only inhaling and not exhaling.

Zhao Junyao looked back at her with a pained expression.

Knowing she was beyond saving, he forcefully pushed Xia Ruqing outward.

"Hurry, run! Our people are all outside!"

"If you escape, you’ll be saved!"

As soon as he finished speaking.

Xia Ruqing fell heavily out of the cave entrance.

She didn’t care to rub her sore knees and desperately climbed up, looking into the cave.

"Emperor, come out quickly!"

"I’ll catch you!"

"Emperor, hurry up!"

Before she could finish speaking, a few boulders fell.

Two hit Zhao Junyao, while a few missed and landed at the cave entrance.

Sealing the only small opening shut.

"No..."

Xia Ruqing was completely stunned.

"No! No way!"

"This can’t be happening!"

"Someone! Anyone!"

"Who can save the Emperor?"

"Quickly, someone save the Emperor!"

Xia Ruqing cried out loudly.

But alas...

Gunpowder had been placed here early, and the nearby gunpowder was still exploding.

The surrounding Hidden Guards were either dead or injured.

Despite her shouting for a long time, no one responded.

Looking around, she finally realized.

There was no one left, only corpses everywhere.

And the few alive were missing limbs and couldn’t move.

Xia Ruqing was completely bewildered.

"Gunpowder?"

"How could there be gunpowder with such power in this era?"

"Not to mention the Great Chu Dynasty, none of the surrounding nations had it either!"

"Could it have come from across the sea?"

"Isn’t the gunpowder of this era invented by the Great Chu Dynasty?"

Xia Ruqing looked around in despair at the pitch darkness.

She couldn’t comprehend anything that had happened tonight.

"What on earth is going on?"

"Not to say the Emperor couldn’t imagine it, even I couldn’t!"

"How could there be gunpowder!"

Another loud bang struck, and flames rose to the sky not far away.

The ground shook, and Xia Ruqing fell to the ground.

She looked at the cave entrance behind, already blocked by rubble, thinking of Zhao Junyao still inside.

She immediately crawled up and rushed over, calling through the crevices of the stones.

"Emperor!"

"Emperor, wait, I’ll come save you right away!"

"Emperor!"

"Emperor, you must hold on!"

Xia Ruqing cried with heart-wrenching sobs, desperately digging with her hands at the sharp stones.

As the stones had exploded, their edges were sharp.

Her hands quickly became blood-soaked.

"Emperor!"

"Don’t scare me, don’t be silent, say something!"

"Zhao Junyao, you bastard!"

"You cannot die!"

"You’re the Emperor, you cannot die! If someone must die, it should be me!"

"Zhao Junyao!"

"Did you hear me?"

"..."

No one knew how much time had passed.

Xia Ruqing’s hands had lost sensation, her voice was hoarse, and she was nearly exhausted.

On top of losing too much blood, her body collapsed.

Simultaneously, another thunderous sound resonated.

The cave collapsed with a roar.

"No!"

She cried out one last heart-wrenching scream.

Then a pain struck her heart, her body convulsed, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, slipping into unconsciousness.

...

Xia Ruqing awoke three days later.

Upon waking, she found herself lying in a strange but ancient and elegant room.

The bed curtain of deep purple soft smokey gauze was embroidered with clusters of blooming purple lilacs.

The rosewood canopy bed was intricately carved with exquisite and complex patterns.

Beside the bed was a beauty couch made from sandalwood. The small tea table was of huali wood, with a jade incense burner set atop.

Fresh and serene incense rose gently through the perforated holes, filling the room with a lingering fragrance.

Beside the incense burner was a freshly blooming jade dewdrop lily, adding a touch of vitality to the elegantly understated room.

The room was luxurious yet did not lose its refinement, grand yet gracefully restrained!

The decorations were quite tasteful.

Yet Xia Ruqing felt an inexplicable panic because she didn’t recognize the place.

She slowly lifted her head, trying to get up and see where she was.

However, upon hearing movement, several maids rushed in from outside.

"Miss, you’re finally awake!"

"Quickly, go inform the master!"

The maids’ faces were full of joy.

Some stayed to attend to her, while others hurried out.

Xia Ruyi was even more puzzled.

"Miss? The master?"

What on earth? Could I have time-traveled again? Impossible!

Oh heavens, with this one soul, how many times do you want me to travel?

She hurriedly and instinctively reached to touch her face.

"Ouch!"

Her hand throbbed with piercing pain, prompting her to let it fall back down immediately.

"Miss, don’t move!"

"Your hands are injured. The master has summoned the best doctor in the city to bandage them for you!"

Xia Ruqing: "..."

The master?

Who is this master?! Utterly confused!

Is it Zhao Junyao? It shouldn’t be.

Xia Ruqing remembered Zhao Junyao still being in the collapsed cave; even if he wasn’t crushed to death, he might have already...

Her nose tingled, and she burst into tears.

’Emperor!’

Her heart ached and convulsed.

He was the Emperor, how could he die?

If he died, what would happen to the kingdom?

Xia Ruqing’s head suddenly throbbed intensely, her heart felt like ten thousand knives were twisting inside, causing her so much pain she couldn’t straighten up or breathe.

"Ugh..." The back of her throat was filled with a metallic taste; she spat another mouthful of blood.

A few maids screamed involuntarily in fright.

"Miss!"

"Miss, what’s wrong with you?!"

"Quick, call the doctor?!"

Xia Ruqing messily wiped the blood from her lips with her sleeve, her expression blank as she collapsed onto the bed.

’Ha... call a doctor?’

’What’s the point?’

’If you’re dead, what reason do I have to live!’

During her stupor.

A maid called out from outside.

"The master is here!"

The room instantly quieted down, only the sound of footsteps approaching could be heard.

Xia Ruqing was curious, unable to resist turning her head.

Tear-filled eyes made it hard to see clearly, but she saw a man’s silhouette emerging from behind the bead curtain.

He wore purple-gold black boots.

Xia Ruqing’s heart leapt with joy; Zhao Junyao favored this color. Is it him?

Looking further up, the outer robe was dark, trimmed with gold, and embroidered with complex cloud patterns.

Her heart leapt again; it was also a color he often wore.

It must be him!

He’s so formidable; he must still be alive!