"Interrogating prisoners at night? I won't tell you now, but I'll give you a surprise when the time is right."
"I don't want surprises! I want answers."
He smiled and then fell silent.
"Then... what about Senior Sister?" Xiao Yuan asked anxiously.
Yi Chunjun also fell silent. After a long while, he said, "Everyone's love is different; only they themselves truly understand what it feels like."
Chapter 69 of "The Smiling Flower": Forced into a Dead End
Yan Minyu glanced at the sky; the road was already faintly visible.
Should we say goodbye to everyone?
She decided against carrying her small bundle. She was in a hurry to get going. If she hadn't been afraid of getting lost, she would have left last night!
My desire to see him... is more urgent than anything else.
Her steps became lighter, and she smiled. Yes, she used to want too much. It was just liking him, why make it so complicated? She had always lived a simple life, but this time she overthought things, causing herself considerable distress.
In the cool morning breeze, she heard the soft rustling of clothes. She turned around, but saw nothing. Had she imagined it? Looking ahead, she was startled.
"Are you trying to scare people by pretending to be a ghost?!" she complained to the person opposite her.
"I wasn't trying to scare you," Xiao Juyuan said quietly, with a smile.
Yan Minyu got goosebumps. She hadn't seen this woman for months; how had she changed? Especially her eyes—they looked so sinister. No wonder Hang Yisu had told her to stay away; just looking at her gave her the creeps.
"Are you here to see Uncle Zhu and Brother Pei?"
Yan Minyu had no idea what had happened in the past few months. Hang Yisu was afraid that if she knew the truth, she would make a fuss about going back, so he didn't tell her the details. Of course, she didn't know what kind of woman she had met.
"Brother Pei?" Xiao Juyuan laughed loudly, her sorrowful and resentful tone sending a chill down Yan Minyu's spine. As a woman herself, she seemed to sense the bitterness in her heart.
"I waited for someone first, then I looked for someone." The light in Xiao Juyuan's eyes puzzled Yan Minyu. Was she crazy? Her words didn't make sense, what nonsense was she spouting!
Who are you waiting for?
"Waiting for someone who can threaten Li Yuan'er."
"Huh?" Yan Minyu was taken aback. "Are you trying to harm Xiaoyuan?"
Xiao Juyuan laughed loudly, "No, no, no! I don't want to harm her, I want to kill her!"
Before Yan Minyu could say anything more, Xiao Juyuan had already leaped forward and swiftly pressed his sword against her throat.
Her狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) laugh rang in Yan Minyu's ears. Yan Minyu shuddered; the laughter was so unsettling, it felt like a venomous snake crawling at her feet. "Are you crazy?" she cursed.
Xiao Juyuan laughed again, "Crazy, crazy! I've been crazy for a long time!"
She tightened her grip on her longsword, took a deep breath, and spoke in a voice that echoed throughout the bamboo forest: "Li—Yuan—er—you—come—out—!"
Xiao Juyuan looked at the group of people opposite him without changing his expression.
Good! Very good!
They're all on Li Yuan'er's side, right? They're all against her, right? She doesn't care! At this point, what does it matter if the whole world is against her? Her master, her fiancé, her uncle, her fellow disciples... they've all betrayed her, which is the same as the whole world betraying her!
"Xiao Juyuan." Xiao Yuan stepped forward; just hearing that name was already an insult to her. "Let go of your senior sister! What exactly do you want?"
Xiao Juyuan sneered, "One life for another. If you refuse to die for your senior sister, you'll feel guilty for the rest of your life."
"Pah!" Yan Minyu spat. "Xiao Yuan, don't pay any attention to her! She's crazy! What can she do to me?!"
"How is it?" Xiao Juyuan smiled. "Like this!"
With a soft thud, the tip of the dagger pierced through Yan Minyu's ribs, splattering blood onto Xiao Juyuan's clothes, but she laughed even more heartily.
Yan Minyu stared wide-eyed in disbelief, turning to look at the woman behind her. Was this really the person she used to laugh and live with? The initial shock quickly gave way to excruciating pain.
Everyone's expression changed.
"Juyuan!" Zhu Liancheng and Pei Junwu couldn't help but call out to her.
Xiao Juyuan looked at them again, her expression strange, a mixture of crying and laughing: "Master, I know you've never liked me...you think I'm stupid, and more importantly, I don't look like your junior sister! Ha, how could I look like her? I'm not her daughter at all!"
To her surprise, no one was surprised by this secret.
“Juyuan,” Zhu Liancheng sighed, “It doesn’t matter who you are, I only know… you are my disciple. Juyuan, stop making mistakes, let go, go back to your master’s side, and slowly atone for your sins.”
“Master.” Xiao Juyuan’s lips twitched, and tears finally welled up in her eyes. “Even if you’re willing to forgive me, what about others?” Her gaze swept over Xiao Yuan, Yi Chunjun, and finally settled on Pei Junwu. Pei Junwu frowned and lowered his eyes, refusing to look at her. Xiao Juyuan laughed. “I’ve ruined the Pei family; there’s no turning back! Who… will allow me to ‘slowly atone’?”
With a flick of her hand, she sprinkled some powder onto Yan Minyu's wound, causing Yan Minyu to scream in pain.
"This is my secret poison powder; only I know how to make the antidote. Hmph, I don't have any on me. If you kill me, she's doomed." She threw Yan Minyu to the ground. "Li Yuan'er, all my misfortunes started with you! Come on, you and I must settle things eventually. Master, Uncle-Master, if you interfere, I'll commit suicide immediately, and she'll be my mortal companion!" She pointed at Yan Minyu on the ground.
Before Xiao Yuan could speak, Yi Chunjun pulled her aside, saying, "I'm her husband. She's not feeling well right now, so I'll take care of you for her."
"Her husband?" Xiao Juyuan was taken aback.
“Yes, Junior Sister Xiao. If you weren’t so impulsive and malicious, as long as you keep pretending, once Xiao Yuan and I get married, Pei Junwu will naturally be yours.” Yi Chunjun sneered, poking at her sore spot.
Xiao Juyuan's expression shifted, slowly turning into a cold laugh. "If I weren't 'Xiao Juyuan,' would he still have married me?"