Chapter 1: Chapter 434: If the Nation Survives, I Survive; If the Nation Falls, I Fall

Helian Chuchu was struck with astonishment. Her eyes widened, her face drained of all color. She stared blankly at Bu Feichen, seemingly unable to grasp the meaning of his words.

"The Tianqi Kingdom is attacking the capital?!" Ye Jinxi exclaimed.

Helian Chuchu snapped back to reality. She hurriedly tried to get off the bed, but a wave of dizziness hit her, and she collapsed back onto the mattress.

"Princess!"

"Sister Chuchu!"

Ye Jinxi, Yuanbao, Deng Ling'er, and the others reacted quickly, rushing to catch her.

"You are severely injured; you aren't going anywhere today!" Ye Jinxi pressed Helian Chuchu back onto the bed, speaking sternly.

"That's right! Sister Chuchu, if you keep this up, you'll lose your life!" Deng Ling'er added, trying to persuade her.

Looking at Helian Chuchu’s state, it was clear she was desperate to rush to the palace to help the Great Qin defend the capital. But she was a frail woman—a frail woman suffering from grave injuries—what could she possibly do in the midst of a war between two armies?

Ye Jinxi pursed her lips as she watched Helian Chuchu’s cheeks, which had shifted from pale to an unnaturally flushed red. She could feel the trembling of Helian Chuchu’s body through the hands she used to steady her. She was afraid; she was terrified that the Great Qin would fall.

The Tianqi Kingdom had taken advantage of the last six months to infiltrate the Great Qin. They hadn't entered the capital directly but had hidden in the outskirts surrounding it. To gather so many people, this plan must have been in the works for a long time!

She turned to look at Bu Feichen, only to see that his deep, dark eyes betrayed no emotion. Her heart tightened—could it be that even he didn't know?

At that moment, as if understanding her thoughts, Bu Feichen gave a slight nod. The heart that had just risen into Ye Jinxi’s throat finally settled back into her chest.

When Ye Jinxi turned back, she saw Helian Chuchu had tightly closed her eyes, her pale lips pressed together. She looked so light, as if she might drift away with the wind at any moment.

Ye Jinxi quickly turned to ask Deng Ling'er, "How is she?"

Deng Ling'er furrowed her cute little brows like a miniature adult, her expression solemn. She shook her head slightly and said earnestly, "Sister Chuchu’s condition is very poor; she needs complete rest."

The implication was clear: Helian Chuchu had to stay in bed to recover, or she would lose her life.

Having received Deng Ling'er’s assessment, Ye Jinxi sighed. She stood up slowly, looked at Helian Chuchu—who still had her eyes closed as if enduring immense pain—and said softly, "Rest well here. Feichen and I will go to the city gates to take a look."

With that, she turned and walked out.

Although she wanted to groom Helian Chuchu into the second Empress of the Great Qin, it had to be done step by step. A month ago, she was just a girl who knew nothing of the world's sorrows. Now, she was forced to shoulder such a heavy burden. If she wasn't given a chance to breathe, she might be crushed by the sheer weight of the pressure...

After all, she was a delicate princess, not a man...

Ye Jinxi took a deep breath. The "Empress Cultivation Plan" would have to be a slow process.

But she knew that time was likely running out.

"Wait!"

Ye Jinxi had already stepped one foot out the door when a woman’s voice came from behind. Though weak, it carried the spirit of someone facing life and death.

Ye Jinxi froze. She looked back, doubting that the steady, noble voice she had just heard could have come from Helian Chuchu’s throat.

Bu Feichen, who had been standing motionless in the room, allowed the corners of his cold, hard mouth to curl upward slightly. This tiny expression was enough to show that he was extremely pleased.

Inside the room, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Helian Chuchu on the bed!

Helian Chuchu’s face remained pale, and her posture hadn't changed in the slightest, yet she now exuded a strange, chilling aura.

She slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of dark, bright pupils. As everyone looked into those cold, piercing eyes, their hearts trembled!

They had all seen many powerful people, but they were still intimidated by the unconscious air of superiority radiating from Helian Chuchu.

In Ye Jinxi’s eyes, it was no longer Helian Chuchu standing before her, but Helian Jian!

"I'm going too." Helian Chuchu didn't beg Ye Jinxi; there wasn't a single word of softness. Just those three words revealed her determination.

Ye Jinxi felt a lump in her throat; she could no longer find the words to persuade her to stay.

But could her small body withstand it?

As if understanding Ye Jinxi’s concern, Helian Chuchu lifted her head slightly. Those dark, shining eyes, now filled with a profound depth, met Ye Jinxi’s gaze. "If the Great Qin ceases to exist, how could I live on alone?"

Hearing this, Ye Jinxi felt her heart lighten. Looking at Helian Chuchu, who was now imbued with the aura of royalty, she realized she had underestimated her. She was actually capable of bearing this immense pressure and had undergone an instant transformation. This was undoubtedly the most favorable outcome for her, and for the Great Qin.

She was truly the future Empress she had chosen!

Ye Jinxi felt a surge of pride. Helian Jian, you probably didn't expect this!

She smiled slightly. "We go together."

...

The Great Qin capital.

The streets were filled with citizens hiding and fleeing. Some even took the opportunity to loot property, and incidents of people fighting over goods were countless.

Pingcheng was in total chaos.

Helian Chuchu sat on her white horse, her expression icy. Her calm, unruffled eyes swept across the street, yet there was no trace of anger in them.

Ye Jinxi and Deng Ling'er rode one horse, while Bu Feichen carried Yuanbao while flying on his sword.

Seeing the chaos before her, Ye Jinxi frowned slightly. But when she turned to look at Helian Chuchu’s demeanor, she felt a sense of relief—Helian Chuchu’s current bearing truly had the potential of an Empress.

The two horses appearing on the street instantly drew the eyes of the citizens.

"Mommy!"

Yuanbao’s crisp voice came from the side. Ye Jinxi turned to see Bu Feichen standing beside her horse, holding Yuanbao in his arms.

"Mommy, I think you look much better than that horse!" Yuanbao said, looking at Ye Jinxi with his bright, watery eyes, trying to comfort her.

Ye Jinxi’s furrowed brow smoothed out. She beamed at Yuanbao, finding his fair, tender little face so adorable she wanted to lean over and kiss him!

She turned back to look at the citizens who had stopped their looting and were standing there blankly. She pouted slightly—a bunch of people with no taste! Her son had said she looked better than the horses, yet all they had eyes for were the horses, not the people!

Bu Feichen saw everything in Ye Jinxi’s expression. Hearing Yuanbao’s words, he instantly understood: this woman had been angry because these people were only looking at the horses and ignoring her?!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile.

Indeed, it was the horses that attracted the citizens, not the people on them!

Helian Chuchu’s injuries hadn't healed. Ye Jinxi had wanted her to take a carriage, but she had stubbornly insisted on riding a horse. If not for the medicinal dew from Deng Ling'er and Ye Jinxi suppressing her wounds, she probably wouldn't even have been able to mount the horse!

The citizens on the street paused, looking around cautiously. They stood still, but their tense limbs showed they were preparing, like runners waiting for the starting gun.

Ye Jinxi felt something was strange, but before she could think it through, she saw one person among them lose their patience and run toward them!

And once that person moved, it was like the starting gun had fired!

The crowd rushed toward them instantly!

Watching the way those dozens of desperate people looked at the horses beneath them, Ye Jinxi shivered. Why did it feel like they were looking at a water source in the middle of a desert?!

The horse beneath Ye Jinxi became restless and took a step back.

Beside her, Ye Jinxi was astonished to find that the white horse Helian Chuchu was riding was staring fixedly at the crowd, motionless, as if it had been... scared silly?!

Ye Jinxi instantly understood. In these chaotic times, especially with the Tianqi army mysteriously appearing at the city gates, the citizens were already panicked. They wanted to use this opportunity to escape!

Looking around, there wasn't a single horse on the street—not even a donkey!

They wanted to seize her and Helian Chuchu’s horses to make their escape!

Ye Jinxi was shocked. Even though she possessed cultivation, how could she bring herself to strike out at dozens of civilians who knew no martial arts and were terrified out of their wits by the approaching enemy army?

She could fly away on her sword, but the entire Great Qin knew that apart from the Pavilion Master of the Immortal Pavilion, the senior brothers, and Ye Yi, only Bu Feichen had ever been seen flying on a sword in Pingcheng!

If people saw her flying on a sword in Pingcheng, wouldn't that tell everyone that the formation of the Great Qin’s Pingcheng Immortal Pavilion was nothing but a decoration?!

Ye Jinxi’s heart sank. No, she couldn't let anyone know!

The citizens rushed forward regardless, their eyes burning with desire for the two steeds.

Just then!

*Clop! Clop! Clop!*

The heavy sound of horse hooves approached slowly, accompanied by the clanking of armor. The sound was grand and imposing, making the very ground beneath their feet tremble!

"Look! It's Daddy’s Iron Cavalry!" Yuanbao exclaimed.

Ye Jinxi turned to look and saw three hundred armored cavalrymen approaching from behind. Their pace was steady, neither fast nor slow, but their presence was terrifying!

The citizens who had been rushing forward blindly stopped in their tracks. Their faces turned deathly pale. The street fell into absolute silence, save for the sound of hooves.

It was the Prince of Chang'an!

When the people recognized the three hundred cavalrymen, many of the elderly and weak collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down their faces. It was as if they had seen a light in the darkness; they wept with excitement.

"It’s the Prince of Chang'an! The Prince of Chang'an has returned!"

"It really is the Prince of Chang'an..."

"The Prince of Chang'an is back! We are saved! The Great Qin is saved!"

"..."

In an instant, everyone threw away the items they had struggled to loot and knelt on the ground, bowing deeply toward Bu Feichen!

The three hundred cavalrymen slowly came to a halt, their cold armor reflecting a daunting light under the sun.

Helian Chuchu’s pale face regained its flush, whether due to the kneeling of the dozens of citizens or the effects of Deng Ling'er’s medicine. She kept a cold expression, her clear, piercing eyes sweeping over the kneeling crowd as she spoke slowly

"I am Helian Chuchu, Princess of the Great Qin. As long as the nation survives, I live; if the nation falls, I die with it!"