A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 324 Rejection of the King

It was past midnight when Si Yao and Fu Qingli returned to Taozhu Village. As soon as they entered the village, they saw A Wei rushing towards them:

"Brother Qingli, Master, you are finally back... Where is Uncle Liu? Could he have found his daughter and returned?"

"What happened that makes you so anxious?" When Uncle Liu was mentioned, Fu Qingli's eyes dimmed again. After a long sigh, he did not answer, but asked.

"Sister Siyao!"

Just as Awei was about to open her mouth, a familiar voice startled Si Yao who had been silent nearby. Xiaolu, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, was running towards her with joy.

"Xiaolu? How did you find this place?" Fortunately, Si Yao felt relieved when she saw Xiaolu alone, but she still asked in confusion.

"Master? Do you really recognize him?" Without waiting for Xiaolu to answer, Awei looked at Si Yao in amazement and asked.

"Well, Xiaolu is the medicine boy who came out of the medicine shop with me. It's just that I was abducted here by Madam Honghua and we were separated." Si Yao nodded and replied to Awei.

"Did you hear that? We are here to pick up Sister Si Yao." Xiaolu crossed his arms and smiled at Awei with a proud look on his face.

But A Wei ignored him and just looked at Si Yao reluctantly. Although he, like Brother Qingli, already knew that his master would leave Taozhu Village after the New Year, he couldn't help feeling melancholy when they really had to part.

"We? You didn't come alone?" Xiaolu's words made Si Yao's heart tighten again, but then she was relieved. Xiaolu had been following the King's men since they separated. Besides, it was impossible for a mere medicine boy like him to find the Taozhu Village, so naturally, the King's men came with him.

"Sister Si Yao, Young Master Zong is here too." Xiao Lu hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward and whispered truthfully in her ear.

Si Yao's mind went blank when she heard this, and her hands clenched into fists involuntarily. She didn't expect that she couldn't escape him even after coming to Jingsong. What surprised her even more was that the relationship between Xiyue and Jingsong was tense, and he, a prince stationed in the northern border of Xiyue, dared to take the risk to come to Jingsong at this time.

"Si Yao, what's wrong with you?" Fu Qingli, who had been standing quietly by the side, felt his heart sink when he heard the words "Young Master Zong". He couldn't help but look at Si Yao, but seeing that she looked unusual, he asked worriedly.

"Nothing." Si Yao suppressed her inner panic, and her expression quickly returned to its calm state. She shook her head lightly at Fu Qingli, turned around and followed the path to meet Yan Zong.

"Brother Qingli, the young master's carriage has already..." Ah Wei watched his master walk away, and was about to continue talking to Brother Qingli in front of him, but Fu Qingli was not willing to listen to him at this time, so he followed Si Yao with a worried look on his face before Ah Wei finished speaking.

At this time, a streamlined and spacious black carriage was parked in the snow outside the Fu family's courtyard. Yu Cheng was leading the black-clad secret guards Xiaobai and Xin Nu to guard the body of the carriage. The tall black horse in the front of the carriage was holding its head high and gently shaking its tail. The iron hooves under its feet occasionally scratched the thin snow, causing the body of the carriage to shake. Seeing this, the coachman holding the reins hurriedly touched the horse's mane at the top of its bun to soothe it.

Far above Taozhu Village, several villagers gathered together and whispered to each other while looking at the carriage. The carriage looked unusual and had been parked outside the Fu family's courtyard for a long time, so they were naturally curious about the relationship between the carriage's owner and the Fu family.

"Miss Si Yao is back. The prince...is waiting for you." When Yu Cheng saw Si Yao, his eyes immediately lit up. After reporting to Yan Zong in the car, he hurriedly stepped forward, saluted and said with a smile.

Si Yao nodded silently, handed the bag hanging on her shoulder to Xiaolu, and then followed Yu Cheng towards the carriage.

What is coming will eventually come. Since you can't avoid it, just face it.

Fu Qingli, who was following behind, couldn't help feeling lost when he saw Si Yao getting into the noble carriage. He gradually stopped and stood there.

"Brother Qingli, this young master of the clan should be very rich, right? I have never seen such a tall, black and shiny horse in An County." A Wei also came to Fu Qingli's side, looked at the carriage curiously and asked in a low voice.

He had never even been out of An County, and he was not as well-read as Fu Qingli, who could be knowledgeable even without leaving home. So when the carriage appeared two hours ago, he looked at it in surprise for a long time.

"That is a top-quality horse from the north, extremely cold-resistant." Fu Qingli didn't say much, but just replied absentmindedly.

The fine horse, the black nanmu wood and bronze inlays on the body of the carriage and the brocade curtains in front of the windows all demonstrate the noble status of its owner. In addition, he has three bodyguards around him, which shows that this young master is not just rich.

After learning from Yu Cheng that Si Yao had returned, Yan Zong, who was sitting in the car resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes with joy. The love in his heart was about to burst out, but he had to restrain his excitement. After all, they met again after a long time and he was worried that his abruptness would scare her.

Listening to the footsteps getting closer and closer, Yan Zong's joy was beyond words. His mouth was slightly raised, his chest was heaving violently, and his heart was beating like a drum. Because of thirst, he wanted to get the warm tea on the table beside him, but found that his hands could not help shaking. He couldn't help but laugh and cry. What kind of scene had he not seen as a dignified prince? When had he ever been so panicked?

After Si Yao got on the carriage, Yan Zong suppressed his excitement and sat upright as usual. However, the face that haunted him every night came into his eyes again. He was no longer as cautious as before. His cold face suddenly turned into tenderness like water, and his eyes were filled with blatant love.

"Zong..." Si Yao was still cold and calm. She was about to salute Yan Zong but was stopped by the other party.

"There's only Young Master Zong here, so there's no need to be polite." Yan Zong changed his usual majesty and smiled gently at her.

It was the first time that Yu Cheng, who was waiting outside the car, heard His Highness speak so softly and tenderly. He couldn't help but get goose bumps all over his body. He was afraid of losing his manners in front of others, so he quickly walked away.

Si Yao nodded silently and slowly sat down by the window. She inadvertently met his eyes that were as clear as a pool of spring water. She hurriedly lowered her head and her heart couldn't help but become nervous again.

After a moment of silence, Yan Zong handed Si Yao a cup of warm tea. Smelling the familiar tea fragrance, she looked up at him again and asked curiously, "Master Zong, do you also drink Xianwu Fengming?"

"You don't drink much, but I cooked it especially for you today." Looking at her clear eyes, Yan Zong said without hesitation.

But the deeper Yan Zong's love became, the heavier Si Yao's heart became.

"Why do you look a little haggard? I heard that you went out this time to help someone find their daughter? But what happened?" Seeing Si Yao lowering his head listlessly again, Yan Zong asked hurriedly with concern.

"Mr. Zong, you have come all the way here to see Si Yao. I wonder why?" Si Yao asked in a low voice without responding to him.

"Why didn't you tell Xiaolu your whereabouts when you wrote to him to let him know you were safe? Are you avoiding me?" Seeing that Si Yao was still deliberately distancing herself from him, Yan Zong felt a little disappointed. He put down the teacup in his hand and asked seriously.

"Si Yao's feelings have already been told to General Yu Cheng, and the prince should also know about it. I am just a commoner, and there is a huge gap between my status as a prince and a noble prince. I really dare not marry him. Moreover, since she started learning medicine, Si Yao has been determined to cure diseases and save lives among the people and promote medicine. The prince's mansion is magnificent, but for Si Yao, it is a golden cage that makes a woman lose her freedom. The prince has a noble status and is a master archer with outstanding military achievements. Now there is already a princess in the palace, and there will be no shortage of people around him in the future..."

"Enough." Si Yao's words were like basins of cold water poured onto Yan Zong's hot heart on a snowy day, making him feel cold and painful. So he interrupted her with a cold face before she could finish.

After all, she still didn't understand his heart.

"That's all Si Yao has to say. If Prince Zong truly loves Si Yao, I hope you can fulfill Si Yao's long-cherished wish as a doctor who saves the dying and the wounded." Seeing the resentment in Yan Zong's eyes, Si Yao felt a little soft-hearted, but she soon came to her senses, resolutely knelt down in front of Prince Zong, and pleaded.

Yan Zong was so angry that his face looked a little ugly. He pursed his thin lips and stared painfully at Si Yao who was kneeling in front of him, without saying a word.