When love draws near, it's like snow

Chapter 33

"Although the Shen family seems well-off now, they can't afford to spend several hundred taels of silver to redeem a complete stranger," Brother Yan retorted confidently. "Besides, before Shen Yunxian came to their family, they were just an ordinary farming family. They were struggling to make ends meet; how could they possibly have the resources to care about someone else's life or death?!"

"So what else did you find out? Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me everything." I said blankly—who told him to bother investigating all this? Now he's extremely frustrated, what did he get out of it?!

“The house in the Shen family's house was bought by Miss Yunxian just two and a half months ago—only two days before you arrived in Jiangning. Don't you think that's too much of a coincidence?”

"How could she know I would settle in Jiangning?" I retorted with a sneer. "Back then, I was wandering around, homeless. I didn't even know where I was going to settle down. Don't tell me she could read my mind?"

"Before Jiangning, you've been to Wuhu, Tongling, Jiujiang, Ezhou... and other places, haven't you? It's not hard to see that you traveled down the Yangtze River." Yan Zongwang's confident smile was glaringly obvious—how did he know my whereabouts so clearly? Let him find out where I came from! Pshaw!

The displeasure on my face finally made Yan Zongwang drop his confident smile. He sighed softly, "Think about it carefully. When you first met Miss Xiaofeng, wasn't she the one who approached you first? Now that I've said so much, do you still think it was just a coincidence? Don't rush to deny me; I just don't want you to get hurt!"

"So you can hurt me first?" After a moment of silence, I replied calmly—even though everything he said was damnably true in a tiny way. But I didn't want to hear his bunch of excuses—did all those in positions of power really enjoy the feeling of being in control? Huaiyuan was like that, and Zongwang was no exception. This feeling of being spied on was extremely unpleasant!

"Third brother, listen to your elder brother's explanation first." Second brother Yue looked back and forth between the two of us awkwardly. "I feel that your elder brother didn't want to hurt you. Maybe he was just too concerned about you and was afraid that you were too naive and easily deceived."

"Even if what you said is true, what exactly is her purpose in going to such lengths to get close to me?" I looked at Brother Yan with a bitter expression. "Having spent so much time with their family, I haven't suffered any direct loss."

“I was also very puzzled about this before today.” Brother Yan looked back at me calmly. “You have neither money nor power. Although it is true that your background is somewhat mysterious, this reason should not be enough to attract attention. It makes no sense for someone to go to such lengths to get close to you.”

I remained silent, only to feel a sudden, intense pain in my knees, which had just been scraped—perhaps the pain wasn't in my body, but in my heart?

"Then why did you suddenly understand today? Did you find out something, or did you meet someone?" Yue Erge asked with concern. "What exactly are they plotting against Third Brother?"

"When I saw Jiang Mohui at your house this morning, it suddenly dawned on me. That person's target might never have been you, but the Heartless Sword hidden behind you!" Brother Yan's tone was thoughtful. "Jiang Mohui, the Heartless Sword, mysteriously disappeared six years ago. Whether he's dead or alive, no one knows. Over the years, the Number One Manor under Heaven has sent countless people, practically turning the world upside down, but to no avail. Yet you, at such a sensitive time, in such a sensitive place, along with the Heartless Token, mysteriously appeared without warning—just like Manor Lord Jiang's disappearance six years ago. How could this not attract the attention of those with ulterior motives?!"

"These are all just your speculations," I murmured, my expression darkening as I silently drank glass after glass of wine—why was this wine so bitter and hard to swallow?

"Actually, although Ma Juncai is a bad person, he created a good opportunity for us." Brother Yan glanced at Brother Yue and sighed slightly. "I originally arranged for Zhe Man to follow them to see if we could take advantage of the situation and find out who was behind her. Because this matter came so suddenly, it would definitely catch her off guard. Unfortunately..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had made arrangements beforehand. It seems I've interfered and ruined your plans." Second Brother Yue looked at his elder brother with a slightly embarrassed expression and an apologetic look.

"That's not necessarily true. As long as she does have ulterior motives, I will investigate this matter thoroughly sooner or later and will never let her harm a single hair on my third brother's head!" Brother Yan's expression was full of arrogance and conceit.

"So you just stood there, silently watching me being bullied and powerless to fight back; watching me fall into despair and helplessness, with no way out; watching me cry my heart out, with nowhere to go?! Well, those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles." I pointed out the facts calmly, with an indifferent expression, as if it were someone else's business, completely unrelated to me.

"Actually, you're just like them, curious about where I met Jiang Mohui and how I got involved with him, right?" I took another sip of wine and pointed out the facts calmly—the wine was so bitter that I couldn't swallow it and had to spit it out. "However, you did it more cleverly than them, you were more cunning than them, and you were closer to me than them."

"That's not how it is," Brother Yan, whose handsome face had been composed and smug all along, suddenly looked as if he had been punched hard, and became disheveled. "Third brother, I..."

"That's not how it is?!" I sneered at him, my expression pale. "Don't you want to know what the relationship between Jiang Mohui and me really is? Can you swear to God that you have absolutely no improper thoughts about me? That it's one hundred percent from the bottom of your heart?!"

Silence, an unbearably awkward silence, enveloped us. Yue Erge rubbed his hands helplessly, his gaze shifting back and forth between me and Yan Dage, looking somewhat lost.

It felt like thousands of years had passed before Yan Zongwang gazed into my eyes and said slowly and earnestly, “Third brother, I cannot deny that I did have ulterior motives towards you. However, things are not as you imagine. I can only say that I have absolutely no ill will towards you. Everything I have done is for your own good. You must believe me on this point.”

“Yes, although I don’t know you all very well, I believe there must be some misunderstanding.” Second Brother Yue said to me firmly, “I also absolutely believe that eldest brother is a man of integrity and upright character.”

I remained stubbornly silent—though I had to admit to myself that what I had just said was indeed a bit much. Although I didn't know who he was, I knew at least that someone like me wasn't worth his time or effort to deal with—even Jiang Mohui might not be qualified!

At this moment, I am like an injured kitten, bristling with fur to fend off anyone who tries to get close to me—regardless of whether that person is well-intentioned or malicious.

"It's getting late, elder brother. Tell the boat to dock. I need to leave Jiangning immediately and get to Taiyuan." Yue Erge took my hand and smiled slightly. "Third brother, now that we've become sworn brothers, whatever I did to you in the past is forgotten. From now on, we'll still be good brothers. Since I'm not by your side, you must listen to me, understand? After all, you're still too inexperienced and naive."

I couldn't help but chuckle and rolled my eyes at him. "Aren't you the one who looks a bit dim-witted? How are you any smarter than me? You're the one who needs to be more careful!"

"My lord! There's an emergency, uh, an urgent letter from home!" Zheman hurriedly lifted the curtain and rushed in almost like a gust of wind.

"What happened?!" Seeing Brother Yan's expression suddenly turn serious, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I subconsciously moved closer to him, completely forgetting my dissatisfaction with him just now, and leaned forward to try to see the letter in his hand.

"It's nothing, just a sudden and major change at home. I'm sorry, it seems I'll have to leave Jiangning as well." Brother Yan casually slipped the letter into his pocket. "Third brother, I no longer have time to help you investigate who's behind Shen Yunxian. Be careful in your actions, and don't let her realize you've already become suspicious of her. Trust me, your brother has absolutely no intention of harming you!"

"Yes." I nodded gently. Thinking that we had just become sworn brothers and would soon be parting again, I felt a pang of sadness and my eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.

Brother Yan nodded slightly to Zhe Man, who immediately took something out of his pocket and casually tossed it into the sky. With a "whoosh," a red flame shot straight into the sky, breaking the tranquility of the pre-dawn sky.

“Second brother, I’m also heading north. We brothers can travel together all the way to Daming. We can part ways there.” He said to me as he hurried away, “Third brother, should I send someone to take you home?”

"No need, I'd like to see my two brothers off." I looked at him and gently shook my head. "Just to the city gate."

"Alright then." Brother Yan didn't say much more, leaping onto a tall, pure white steed. "Second brother, is there anything else you need to do?"

"The official documents are on me, and I only have a few clothes in my luggage. I can just go around and get them later," Yue Erge said with a hearty laugh.

"No need, someone will take care of these things. Let's go first." Brother Yan suddenly stretched out his long arms, bent down and lifted me onto his horse's back. He pulled on the saddle rope and galloped towards the north gate.

The wind whistled past my ears, and the willow branches swaying wildly along the Qinhuai River brushed against my shoulders, stinging me. "What happened? Why did they leave in such a hurry?" I shouted into the wind—God, how many people did he bring with him? More and more people seemed to emerge from the ground to join us. Soon, a long line of forty or fifty riders had formed. This group raced through the streets before dawn, their momentum undeniably impressive.

Brother Yan didn't speak, but silently wrapped his arms tightly around my waist from behind, as if trying to meld me into his body. From his rapidly beating heart, I seemed to hear his excruciating pain—why? Was his journey fraught with danger? Or would he never return?

Lost in thought, we arrived at the north gate. My elder brother reined in his horse, jumped off, and lifted me down. He didn't say a word, just gave me a deep look before mounting himself.

"Wait a minute, big brother." My heart skipped a beat, my eyes reddened, and I spread my arms to block his way. "When will you come again?"

"I don't know." Brother Yan's expression stiffened, his voice rough and hoarse. "Perhaps, he'll never come again..."

This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Website. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume Two: Farewell Chapter Fourteen - A Leisurely Magnolia Boat]

"Why?" I felt inexplicably panicked and couldn't help but shed tears—I was horrified: I'm usually a cold-hearted person, when did I develop such deep feelings for him? How could I be crying and at a loss because of his departure?!

"My lord, time is of the essence, please depart immediately." That shaman, with his sarcastic and unpleasant manner, has disliked me from the very beginning. And I, too, dislike his personality, so I've always ignored him. Now he's finally found a legitimate reason to take revenge on me.

"Third brother, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you can take this to Zhao's Antique Shop on Xuanhua Street in Kaifeng Prefecture and find Manager Zhao. He will definitely do everything he can to help you." Brother Yan plucked a jade-studded ring from his right thumb and tossed it into my hand. He laughed heartily, his star-like eyes shining brightly: "Don't worry, even if it's just for your tears, I will definitely not let anything happen to myself and will do everything in my power to get back to your side as quickly as possible."

My cheeks flushed instantly, I was filled with shame, and I spat at him, "Who's worried about you? With so many people protecting you, what could possibly happen? People are worried about Second Brother."

Yan Zongwang didn't argue with me, he just looked at me and laughed so happily.