That feeling was like dying once.
Was he arrested by the imperial court? Or did he regret giving up revenge for her sake and leave?
She stood there blankly by the forest, feeling her heart sinking little by little, the sinking so slow that it was enough for her to remember many things, and those things piled up, making her heart even heavier.
No, she didn't believe it! She couldn't believe Yin Sang would abandon her like that! Didn't they agree that even death couldn't separate them?
So she kept running, panting and running wildly through the mountains and forests, without any goal but with unwavering determination. Finally, she found him by a stream, where he was completely submerged in the water, covered in wounds.
"What happened to you? Did someone attack you?"
He opened his blurry eyes, saw it was her, and gave a weak smile.
"I'm fine, don't worry."
He hugged her, stopping her from asking any more questions. And so she really stopped asking.
Then came the second and third times, and similar situations became more and more frequent. Each time she found him in a different place, his injuries became more and more severe. Until one time, she went down the mountain to buy salt but forgot to bring money. When she returned halfway, she heard Yin Sang's painful screams coming from behind the house, each scream more shrill than the last.
She rushed over and saw him wildly hacking around with his sword, leaving the bamboo planted behind the house in a mess.
"Yin Sang, what's wrong?"
She tried to approach, but he suddenly stopped, forcing out a sentence from his throat: "Don't come any closer!"
"But--"
"Get away from me! I'll hurt you! Hurry!" he shouted, his whole body going crazy again. She saw the murderous intent in his eyes and turned to dodge, but it was too late. The sword pierced her from behind. She felt a chill in her chest, then everything went black, and she fainted.
She was so badly injured that time that she thought she wouldn't survive several times. She heard him murmuring some indistinct words by her bedside and struggled to wake up. When she opened her eyes, she saw that his face was covered in tears.
"A man sheds blood, not tears," she told him.
"Yin Sang, don't worry, I won't die." She said softly, but with unwavering determination, "I won't die."
Because she knew that if she died, he would be finished too.
He stabbed her, and if it resulted in her death, this extreme and cruel man would likely cut off his own limbs as a sacrifice. Therefore, she cannot die.
With that kind of willpower and Yin Sang's superb medical skills, she finally recovered little by little. But little did she know that this was not a turning point; even greater hardships awaited her, him, and them.
The door opened silently, and a person lit the lamp on the table. Then, holding the lamp, they walked to Qian Cuiyu's bedside. The lamplight illuminated the person's face, and their calm expression turned into one of utter surprise the moment they saw her.
The man loosened his grip, and the oil lamp fell, about to hit Qian Cuiyu's face. But with a flick of his wrist, he caught it again with an extremely skillful technique, so fast that not a single drop of oil spilled.
"Impressive skills!" Applause rang out from outside the door as Gu Yucheng walked in with Ye Mufeng.
When Ye Mufeng saw the person's face clearly, he exclaimed with delight, "I was wondering which fearless person would dare to trespass into Emerald Manor, but it turns out to be the ruthless Bao girl!"
It turned out that the scholar in the blue robe was none other than Qian Bao'er, who liked to dress up as a man.
Qian Bao'er said with a smile, "But I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly?"
"Your whereabouts are always elusive, whether fast or slow is not surprising, but—why haven't I seen Brother Jia?"
“He went to find my master. I was worried about my second sister, so I came to check on her first.” Qian Bao’er turned around to take Qian Cuiyu’s pulse, her brows gradually furrowing.
Seeing this, Gu Yucheng asked, "How is it? Is there any hope?"
Qian Bao'er placed the oil lamp on the low table by the bedside, then sat down on the edge of the bed and took Qian Cuiyu's hand to examine it closely. This was no longer the hand of her second sister as she remembered it, and the face before her was no longer the face of her second sister as she remembered it.
Back then, she was the most noble person in the world, living in luxury and surrounded by maids. Those hands were used to hold a pen, to play the zither, and to do all sorts of romantic things. But now, those hands are thin and bony, covered with calluses... Yin Sang, you bastard, you didn't even take good care of her!
Qian Bao'er gritted her teeth and stood up abruptly. "Where's Yin Sang?"
Gu Yucheng and Ye Mufeng exchanged a glance. Ye Mufeng said, "I might not have explained things clearly in the letter. Here's what happened..." He then recounted all the strange events, which only increased Qian Bao'er's astonishment. Finally, she raised an eyebrow and said, "My sister has taken a liking to Young Master Wushuang?"
Both Gu and Ye looked embarrassed.
Qian Bao'er paced a few steps by the bedside, pondering, "To injure her heart meridian like this, and still not fully healed after so many years of recuperation, what kind of sword strike must it have been? The martial arts of the person who stabbed her are probably far superior to mine. What exactly happened? Why did it turn out like this...? All these years I've been searching for Cuiyu's whereabouts, no wonder I couldn't find her anywhere, it turns out she was living in seclusion on Meishan Mountain..." Suddenly her expression changed, "Is Young Master asleep? Could you take me to see him?"
Seeing that the two hesitated, he added, "I have a few questions I'd like to ask him."
Ye Mufeng looked at Gu Yucheng and said, "When I came, I saw that the light was still on in your room, so you must not be asleep. It would be good to see you."
Gu Yucheng was also eager to know why Qian Cuiyu favored the young master so much, so he immediately nodded, "Okay."
The three of them went outside together. The wind and rain were still bleak. Qian Bao'er patted her half-dry clothes and vaguely remembered that it seemed that the day her second sister ran away from home was also a rainy day like this.
She knelt and begged her grandmother for three days and three nights, but her grandmother still refused. On the third night, when it was raining heavily, Lin Yuan and Xian Yu rushed over to report that the second young lady had disappeared.
I was talking to my grandmother when I heard the news, and her face turned terrifying. I immediately grabbed a fast horse and chased after her, braving the wind and rain all night, but I couldn't catch up. When I returned the next day, I heard that my grandmother had already removed my second sister's name from the family genealogy!
Even the eldest sister was shocked and returned home to comfort her grandmother, but her grandmother remained cold and unmoved. And just like that, this second sister, known as the most talented woman in the world, faded from her life and was never heard from again.
Looking back, a hundred years have passed.
Second sister, second sister, Yin Sang has wronged you, I will never forgive him, I will never forgive him no matter what!
Qian Bao'er bit her lower lip, vowing to find that guy and teach him a lesson for daring to treat her sister like that... Just then, they arrived at the young master's room. Gu Yucheng knocked on the door, and Liu Ye opened it, slightly surprised to see everyone.
A woman's voice came from inside the door: "Take another sip."
The young master said softly, his voice slightly tinged with cough, "No need. It's getting late, you should go back and rest."
"Drink all your medicine, or I won't leave."
Just as they were speaking gently, Gu Yucheng and the others lifted the curtain and entered. They saw Gu Mingyan feeding the young master medicine. Although they felt it was late and it was not appropriate for a young lady to linger in a man's residence, the two were engaged, so it was understandable.
Only Qian Bao'er, upon seeing the young master for the first time, was jolted as if struck by lightning. She was following behind Gu Ye and the other man, so they didn't see her outburst. Gu Mingyan, however, noticed it first and immediately became suspicious.
"Brother, what brings you here so late to see the young master? And who is this gentleman?"
Before Gu Yucheng could answer, Qian Bao'er leaped to the bedside and grabbed the young master's wrist with a "snap." Gu Mingyan had just exclaimed in surprise when she changed her grip to a pulse and began to take the young master's pulse.
The room fell silent instantly; no one dared to utter a sound. But Qian Bao'er's expression grew increasingly grim. Finally, she released her hand and forced a high-pitched voice, asking, "Have you offended Elder Xuanyuan?"
Everyone was shocked. Gu Mingyan said, "How is that possible?"
Qian Bao'er sneered, "If I'm not mistaken, has Elder Xuanyuan already lost all his internal energy?"
The young master's gaze flickered, and he looked at Qian Bao'er with undisguised astonishment—this was Qingyantai's biggest secret, how did this person know it?
The others were even more stunned.
"Although I don't know why he did this, he transferred all his life's internal energy to you, not for your own good, but to suppress your original internal energy. In this way, you would appear to have lost all your internal energy and be unable to fight..."
"But!" Gu Mingyan exclaimed, "Elder Xuanyuan is Young Master's master! Why would he do that?"
Qian Bao'er's expression changed instantly. She stared straight at the young master for a long time before saying, "So you are Shui Wuhen... The peerless gentleman described as 'a gentleman as jade' is you..."
Gu Yucheng was completely confused by her words, and said in bewilderment, "Didn't you want to see the young master? I brought you here, so of course he is the young master."
Qian Bao'er remained silent, only staring at the young master, her expression shifting between light and shadow, extremely complex. After a long while, she spoke again: "You—don't you recognize me?"
The young master shook his head.
"Think again, have you really never seen me before?" She stood up so that he could see her more clearly. However, the young master's eyes still showed confusion and unfamiliarity when he looked at her.
Qian Bao'er bit her lip, her eyes darted around, and with a "snap," a fan appeared in her hand. She unfolded it in the wind and slapped it down at the young master's face!
Everyone was shocked. Liu Ye was about to step forward to stop him when the young master, who was half-reclining on the couch, suddenly moved. In a flash of white, he was standing on the ground. This sudden change surprised not only Liu Ye, but also Ye Mufeng and Gu Yucheng—it was already incredible that the young master knew martial arts, but his flash just now was as fast as lightning, his movements ethereal like a fairy, without any flaws—what kind of martial arts was this?!
Qian Bao'er's eyes lit up as she said, "Yes, that's it! Again!" She changed her folding fan technique from a slapping motion to a tapping motion, aiming directly at his Tanzhong acupoint. She was using the same move she had used on him seven years ago when they first met, only now her acupoints were more accurate and her speed faster. Even so, she couldn't even touch the hem of his robe. For a moment, the room was filled with the figures of the young master and her, leaving the other three dazzled. Finally, the young master flicked her wrist lightly with two fingers, and Qian Bao'er's folding fan fell to the ground. But at that moment, the young master suddenly trembled, collapsed to the ground with a "thud," and curled up into a ball.
Qian Bao'er quickly stepped forward to check his pulse and said, "The two internal energies in your body are struggling against each other. I'm afraid you're going to suffer a lot."
The young master gritted his teeth, his face ashen, sweating profusely from the pain. Gu Mingyan watched, her heart aching, wanting to comfort him, but Qian Bao'er had already taken her place. She could only weep anxiously.
Qian Bao'er took out a small bottle from her bosom and poured out a pill. "This is 'Bewitching Elixir,' similar to an anesthetic. Although it will make you dizzy, it can slightly reduce the pain."
Liu Ye quickly poured water over, held the young master's head, and helped him drink it. The medicine was indeed miraculous; the young master calmed down in no time, his eyes slightly open, his gaze hazy.
Qian Bao'er said softly, "You really don't remember? Seven years ago, when we first met, you defeated me with the same move you just used."
The young master felt dizzy and couldn't see the people and things in front of him clearly. But even in that hazy state, several images flashed vividly before him—that corner of the red building, that girl in white standing on the stairs, those eyes as black as ink, and those three large characters that read "Damn Poem"...
He clutched his head, but the world kept spinning, making him drowsy. With his last ounce of strength, he struggled to ask, "Why? Why is this happening? If I'm not me, then who am I? You…please tell me…"
Qian Bao'er looked at him with a pitying gaze, but said coldly, "You have to find back what you've forgotten yourself. Otherwise, even if I tell you, if you can't remember, you're just listening to someone else's story."
The young master could no longer hold on and finally fell into a deep sleep.
Qian Bao'er sighed softly, straightened up, and noticed that the Gu siblings were looking at her with strange eyes. She shrugged and said, "I'd better go back and take care of my second sister. The young master has taken his medicine and won't wake up until dawn. I suggest you go and rest too, and come back early tomorrow morning."
She had just taken a step when Gu Mingyan suddenly stopped her and said, "I don't care who you are or what your purpose is in coming here, but there's one thing I need to remind you of."
Qian Bao'er narrowed her eyes with amusement.
Gu Mingyan said, "If you disturb or harm the young master, I will not let you off. Do you understand? I will not allow anyone to do anything to harm the young master, absolutely not!"
Qian Bao'er chuckled and said, "I'm afraid you're not worried about the young master, but about yourself, aren't you?"
Gu Mingyan's expression changed. "What do you mean?"
"If this young master weren't the young master, you, as his so-called fiancée, probably wouldn't be able to remain one." Qian Bao'er laughed as she retreated, completely disregarding the young lady of Emerald Manor. However, as soon as she stepped outside, her smile vanished, replaced by an indescribable sorrow—
Second sister, I understand... I understand your suffering...
Yin Sang... he forgot about you...
He has forgotten you.
"But do you know who I am?" In the underwater chamber, the man stared at her, his voice icy.
"Have you ever heard of the 'Golden Eye' organization? It instigated rebellions in three cities and has been constantly at odds with the imperial court. The emperor has offered a reward of titles and gold to capture its ringleader."
He paused, stared intently into her eyes, and said, word by word, "I am him."
His face suddenly blurred, then instantly transformed into another face—a face weathered by time, dignified and shrewd. "Do you know who he is?"
The jade dragon-headed staff slammed heavily in the man's hand, followed by a furious shout: "He's a traitor, a rebel! The Qian family's century-old legacy must not be ruined in his hands, so give up!"
She stood silently for a long while, then suddenly knelt down on the hard, wet ground. It was the first time in her life she had knelt before someone. When she looked up, she saw only the other person's disappointed expression.
"Please grant my request," she said.
However, that person ultimately did not grant his wish.
She had known it would turn out this way. Family ties were too weak, insignificant compared to the entire Qian family. Begging her was merely clinging to a sliver of hope. By the third night, even that last hope had vanished.
Suddenly, a fierce determination formed in her heart. If she disagreed, she would disagree. Heaven had mercy on her, allowing her to meet such a person. Even if it meant giving up everything, she couldn't let him slip away like that!
So she rushed out without even taking an umbrella. When she reached Yin Sang's place and knocked on his door, her clothes were soaked and she was panting heavily. Before she could even utter a single word, she fainted.