Blutbefleckter Tod

Kapitel 36

This at least indicates that she doesn't reject him, isn't wary of him, and even has some inexplicable fondness for him.

He saw her searching for the source of the sound in the bustling city that day, and her dejected look down in the teahouse today.

He let go of her hand, but he couldn't let go of the softness he wanted to hold in his palm forever.

Hanxiao walked beside her, patiently explaining the key points of horseback riding to her, but her gaze was fixed on a dense forest in the distance.

Lu Ziqi, what are you thinking and what decision are you making at this moment?

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Sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, casting dappled patterns across the forest and blurring the expression on Lu Ziqi's face into an elusive interplay of light and shadow.

Yelü Ping tilted his head to look at him, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, and he twirled a small and exquisite bow in his hand.

The vast forest seemed shrouded in an unusual atmosphere, and apart from the occasional bird call, it was completely silent.

"Have you seen enough? Are we still going hunting?" The silence was finally broken by a hoarse and seductive voice, yet filled with sarcasm and mockery.

"Princess, you specifically invited me here today, surely not for hunting?" He remained as gentle and calm as ever, as if narrating something completely unrelated to himself.

"Whether it is or not, what does it matter? In short, everything you have seen from beginning to end has not involved any coercion whatsoever."

"So what?"

"What? I really didn't know when men in the Song Dynasty became so magnanimous! They can actually be so indifferent even if they're cuckolded!"

“Princess, please have some self-respect! My wife was merely catching up with an old friend. If you continue to insult her, please don’t blame me for taking my leave!”

The forest fell silent once more.

Yelü Ping looked at Lu Ziqi, who showed him no courtesy whatsoever, and a surge of anger welled up within him: "Are you and her truly so deeply in love as husband and wife?!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly drew a sharp arrow from the quiver behind him, nocked it, and pulled back the string: "I'd like to see how you can raise a warning at this distance! Let's have a contest between your voice and my arrow, and see who gets to the ears of the man on horseback first!"

The color had completely drained from his face, and even his lips were pale. Blood was flowing rapidly from the wounds on his palms where his fingernails had pierced them, and then slowly fell onto the fallen leaves at his feet.

However, his voice and expression remained calm: "The hatred for killing my wife is irreconcilable!"

The eight characters, faintly carrying the sound of clashing swords, each one carrying immense weight, bent the bow that seemed capable of piercing anything, and shattered Yelü Ping's carefully feigned composure.

"You're willing to become my enemy for her, for such a woman, to avenge her, to kill me?!"

"This woman is my wife."

"Wife?" He slammed the object in his hand down, laughed bitterly, startling countless birds into flight: "I thought you would only ever acknowledge one person as your wife in this lifetime, someone who is already dead!"

His body trembled almost imperceptibly, and he took a deep breath: "So, the princess has been investigating me these past few days."

"That's right! Lu Ziqi, Lu Ziqi, I never imagined you had such a background. Guess what would happen if I directly asked your emperor to let me marry you? There isn't really any insurmountable difference in our social status. If we were to get married, it would be very beneficial to both countries!"

"Whether His Majesty approves or not depends on the will of your country's ruler. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that an agreement can be reached."

"What do you mean?"

"The princess is investigating me, and coincidentally, I have also obtained some information about the princess. In my humble opinion, the force that your country wants to unite with is not my Great Song."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Yelü Ping said "Good" three times in succession, then lowered his head to tidy his slightly disheveled braid. When he raised his head again, he had regained his usual arrogant expression: "You truly are the man I've chosen. You're shrewd and capable! Actually, I already knew the outcome, but I'm truly unwilling to accept it. I want to be willful just this once, to live for myself, even if it's just this once in my life. I like you, and I want to be with you, forever. From the moment you let out your long howl to warn Diao'er, I fell in love with you. No reason, no logic, I just like you."

She stepped forward slowly, her jade pendants tinkling softly, and gently touched the face that haunted her dreams every night. Her voice was devoid of mockery, arrogance, and sarcasm, leaving only a deep sense of bewilderment and a touch of heartbreak: "Why don't you like me? If I were your deceased wife, would you abandon everything for me? If I were your current wife, would you defy the world for me?"

Lu Ziqi did not dodge, letting the hand, as hot as the man himself, trace his face, but he remained silent.

With a bitter smile, Yelü Ping lowered her hand: "This question doesn't need an answer, and I would never want to become one of them. I am who I am, Princess Xingping of the Great Liao." She sighed, a hint of self-mockery in her smile: "Alright, my willfulness is over. However, it's not that I've lost, it's not that I'm giving up, it's just that I can't bear it, I can't bear to ruin you, although, I really do want to."

His pupils contracted, he paused, and when he laughed again, it was full of carefree pride: "Now tell me honestly, have you really forgotten your ex-wife?"

Standing with his hands behind his back, he slowly shook his head: "I, Lu, will never forget this."

"Then why do you repeatedly confront me for the sake of your current partner? I can see that you also have feelings for her. Can your heart truly hold two women at the same time?"

Lu Ziqi gazed at the figure bathed in sunlight in the distance, and couldn't help but smile slightly: "My deceased wife was the love of my life, and every time I think of her, my heart aches. As for her, she is the woman who will accompany me for life. When I'm with her, although there are no vows of eternal love or promises of life and death, there is a sense of peace and contentment. Even the most ordinary little things bring me simple joy. One is like fireworks in a grand era, the other is like a babbling brook. My heart is neither too big nor too small; it can just hold both of them, and it can only hold both of them."

Yelü Ping sneered: "The last sentence is too redundant!"

Lu Ziqi bowed and said, "I have been long-winded. I hope the princess will forgive me."

"It seems that I'll have to wait until the next life to hear you call me Ping'er."

"If there truly is an afterlife, I hope the princess will no longer be burdened by worldly affairs and can truly live a life for herself."

"I thought you would promise me your next life."

"I'm afraid the princess doesn't want to see me again."

"Why wouldn't I want to? You're the man I've chosen, and you'll never escape my grasp, for all eternity! I'll spare you for now, but from the next life onward, you'll forever be my man!"

"...Such kindness, I am truly..."

"You don't need to feel too burdened. How about this, consider it as you owing me a favor. If I ever come to collect the debt, you can't deny it."

"As long as it does not violate loyalty, filial piety, integrity and righteousness, I will go through fire and water whenever I am called upon."

"It's a deal!"

The matter has subsided, and the knot in my heart has been untied. However, I've inexplicably incurred a favor, and I hope it won't be too difficult for them...

Lu Ziqi smiled wryly, his gaze involuntarily drifting back to the two people who had gradually faded from sight.

Could it be that Yuan Hao is connected with Princess Xingping?

Who exactly is this person, and what is he to Yao Yao...?

The bitterness that had been suppressed before resurfaced, like the slightly stuffy air in the forest, making my chest feel a bit tight.

He secretly sneered at himself, wondering what was wrong with him, that he could be so narrow-minded.

Their every move was observed clearly and plainly, so what was there to care about? Hadn't I witnessed that scene in the teahouse before, yet why didn't I feel the same way then?

In any case, once we got back, I started teaching her to ride a horse. Because only he could hold her hand.

Author's Note: For those who want points, simply mention "JF" in the comments. First come, first served, while supplies last!

P.S.: Just a quick, albeit weak, comment, please at least have some substance, consider it a little comfort to this monster of a soul...

Chapter Forty Holding Hands

Song Xiaohua met Lu Ziqi at a pavilion not far from her home.

The setting sun cast a long shadow over him, gilding him with a faint golden edge. He stood alone in the middle of the courtyard, a gentle smile on his slightly pale face.

"What are you doing here? Why are you back so early today?"

Watching the person rushing towards him, his gentle expression involuntarily carried a mix of joy, tenderness, and lingering fear.

Earlier in the forest, the arrow aimed at her, though not fired, seemed to have traveled through his veins countless times.

That kind of excruciating pain is fear. Fear of losing her, just like when I lost Tong'er…

His encounter with Princess Xingping had left him mentally and physically exhausted, but all of that vanished the moment he saw her.

She's alright, that's good. She can't be alright, because he wouldn't allow it.

A pale purple hue rushed towards me, and before I could react, I had already opened my arms and embraced it tightly.

Immediately, he froze, then felt embarrassed. This was, in broad daylight, in front of everyone…

I quickly glanced around. Thankfully, the busy farming season was over, and the fields were deserted, with only a few farmers taking a midday rest in the distance. Otherwise, it would have been quite awkward.

"distant……"

Noticing his stiffness, Song Xiaohua hugged him even tighter: "What are you afraid of? We're a legally married couple, everything we do is perfectly legitimate!"

His embrace was warm and strong, carrying a faint scent of soapberry that made one yearn to stay close to him forever. His waist was supple, with a subtle curve, and even through layers of clothing, one could feel the slenderness of his tall figure.

Pressing her ear against his chest, listening to the strong yet slightly unsteady rhythm, something seemed to well up inside Song Xiaohua: "Holly...Holly..."

The person in his arms was slender and delicate. A gentle breeze carried her sweet fragrance, which filled his nostrils and flowed into his heart. Her soft murmurs reached his ears, and he felt a slight intoxication, as if he had just tasted fine wine: "Hmm? What is it?"

"Nothing..." He raised his face, wrinkled his nose, and chuckled, "I just wanted to say that you're too thin. You'd feel better if you were a little plumper!"

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