Chapter 153: The Young General and the Handsome Emperor (6)

Yan Ancheng had been standing by the side the entire time. He felt physically weak, and his vision was hazy, yet for some reason, his gaze remained fixed firmly upon the youth. His vision blurred, and he stumbled. Someone nearby immediately reached out to steady him.

"Your Highness, please be careful."

He dodged the attempt with a slight shift of his body, his misty eyes turning toward the youth, filled with an indescribable sense of grievance.

After securing the First Prince, A-Si stood up and instructed several soldiers to take him away. Just as she walked past Yan Ancheng, she heard him speak.

"Young General, I have no strength left."

A-Si looked up and, seeing his pale complexion, instinctively reached out to support him. The man leaned into her embrace. Though he was a head taller than her, A-Si held him steady with ease.

"I will take care of the Fourth Prince. You all go search the tents for anyone else and bring them all in."

With that, A-Si led Yan Ancheng away.

"Your Highness, would you like me to carry you on my back?"

Yan Ancheng leaned his entire weight against her. The girl’s body did not smell pleasant; it was saturated with the scent of fresh blood. Yan Ancheng was the same, splattered with blood from head to toe. He lowered his gaze, clutching A-Si’s waist tightly, his expression dark and brooding.

"Thank you for your kindness, Young General, but I... I can walk."

As he spoke, Yan Ancheng coughed several times, his face deathly pale. In the moonlight, A-Si could clearly see the frailty and sorrow in his eyes. Indeed, after being held captive in an enemy country for eight years, he must have suffered such immense injustice. A-Si felt a sharp pang in her heart.

Greed: "Hey, A-Si, you treated the First Prince so harshly—what if he is your little black dragon?"

A-Si blinked, thinking to herself in secret: *That is certainly not Xiao Bai. If the Nunu Kingdom’s First Prince were truly Xiao Bai, I would go back and kill him right now. Hmph. My Xiao Bai would never be that wicked.*

A-Si helped Yan Ancheng onto the horse. She sat behind him, wrapping her arms around him from the back. To her frustration, although Yan Ancheng looked frail, he was quite tall; sitting in front of her, he blocked most of her view. She found it impossible to ride the horse properly.

"Is something wrong?" Yan Ancheng asked suddenly, his tone laced with panic, as if he feared he had displeased her.

"Your Highness," A-Si replied in a muffled voice, "you are too tall. I cannot see the road ahead."

She dismounted and looked up at him with a smile. "Please hold the reins, Your Highness. I will lead the horse."

The soft moonlight spilled down over the vast expanse of yellow sand. Yan Ancheng was still draped in A-Si’s cloak. Though the youth was small of stature, she was full of strength, leading the horse step by step away from the place that had been a living hell for him.

Yan Ancheng seemed bewitched, unable to tear his eyes away from her figure.

"Young General..." he called out, his voice very faint. A-Si stopped and looked back. "Would it be convenient for you to tell me your name?"

He kept his head bowed, his eyes filled with a cautious, hopeful expression. His pale face watched her with intense anticipation.

A-Si tilted her head and beamed, her round dimples standing out clearly in the moonlight.

"Cousin," she called out, her voice remarkably sweet. "I am Wei A-Si."