Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

54. State Yanling

Translator: Flying Lines

That Su Jie didn’t refuse. He took the seat opposite to Zhou ZaiYue.

“After you,” said Zhou ZaiYue with a smile.

Su Jie instantly devoted his mind to the chess.

He had played chess with the Guqin Master, whose style was changeable and hard to predict. Though he had tried his best, he never won.

He was never a match for the Guqin Master, and now not a match for Zhou ZaiYue either.

Knowing his chess skill shallow, he devoted wholeheartedly to it in order not to lose too much.

Xiao ShengNian watched in silence the whole time.

Su Jie’s chess style was influenced by the Guqin Master, a bit uncanny and changeable. Though he lacked the tact of the Guqin Master, he had in him the special valor, courage and the cruel determination to kill even at the cost of his own life.

Su Jie never took himself as the kind type. He always did what his heart guided him. He was proud and had too much blood on his hands after these years of being the Man of Sacrifice, which forged his ruthlessness and fierceness even to himself.

He had to complete his task, even at the cost of his own life.

He was sharp as a sword, so was his chess style.

Even with a dizzy head, he was sharp.

Zhou ZaiYue couldn’t help but knit his brows for the sharpness Su Jie’s chess displayed.

A Man of Sacrifice would never care about his own safety. Su Jie had only one belief in his mind, to live and to complete the task. So he had to be sharp and tough on himself.

As expected, Su Jie lost.

“You should learn when to give in.” Zhou ZaiYue said as he collected the chess pieces.

Su Jie nodded.

Xiao ShengNian was lost in thought as he had never expected Su Jie to be so sharp in chess. It was absolute determination and decisiveness to risk his life to the last second.

He would never give in even when his life was in danger.

Xiao ShengNian then thought of the conversation he had with Zhou ZaiYue. That day Zhou ZaiYue mentioned his worry that Su Jie might be devastated if one day he no longer cared about the boy and discarded him like waste. However, now learning the ruthlessness in Su Jie, Xiao ShengNian had a feeling that if one day he did abandon the boy, his little slave might probably stab him to death to take revenge.

“I need some fresh air,” said Su Jie as he shook his dizzy head.

“Okay,” Xiao ShengNian nodded to show his consent, his eyes turning to Zhou ZaiYue. There was something he needed to discuss with Zhou ZaiYue.

Zhou ZaiYue raised his head, exchanging a glance with Xiao ShengNian. There seemed to be a strange tacit understanding between the two people.

Su Jie didn’t notice that, or to put it more exactly, ignored that. He just walked out of the room, intending to find the highest place in City Hao.

That was when he noticed the watchtower standing not far away outside the city gate where offered a panorama of the whole city.

In normal cases, only officials and soldiers were allowed to go to the watchtower, but all the soldiers at the gate knew that the boy dressed in red was deeply loved by Prince Rui, so they all acquiesced in Su Jie’s climbing the watchtower.

Su Jie breathed a long sigh of relief. He climbed to the top of the watchtower and looked far into the direction of State Xi.

His eyes were bright like the stars in night sky, and his look solemn mixed with something complicated.

He just stared at the direction, silent for a long time.

State Xi was situated in between State Yanhui and State Yanling.

“State Yanling…” Su Jie’s gaze went beyond the mountains to the land he had never stepped on, as if to gaze beyond State Xi and far into the country he just mumbled. In his voice carried the longing and sentimental attachment for the hometown he never knew.

His mind was stirred since the moment he came to City Hao, because not far away from this city lied State Yanling.

Pity that he had no memory of State Yanling as he was too young at that time.