Su Xiaoying's eyes darted over her, and she asked suspiciously, "Yimei, you wouldn't...?"
Yi Mei said, "What did you say?"
Su Xiaoying asked, "Don't you feel anything yourself?"
Yi Mei asked, "What are you talking about?"
Su Xiaoying pulled her along and said, "Come on, let's go to Doctor Guo's and have him take a look at you."
"No need to see a doctor. In a few days, you'll forget about that dead person... Hey, I'll go with you. Don't pull me. What kind of behavior is this, pulling and tugging like that..."
Guo Shaotang's expression turned very serious. He stroked his beard and pondered, but did not speak. He took Yi Mei's pulse for a long time and showed no sign of withdrawing his hand.
Su Xiaoying's heart began to pound, and she asked cautiously, "Dr. Guo, is everything alright?"
Guo Shaotang raised his face and said solemnly, "How can it be nothing? This is a big deal!"
Yi Mei's face suddenly turned pale, and she forced a smile, saying, "This...this can't be...?"
Guo Shaotang said, "You are pregnant, so you need to rest well during this time."
Yi Mei jumped up and shouted, "What did you say!"
Guo Shaotang said, "Your pulse indicates pregnancy."
Yi Mei was stunned and blurted out, "How could this be!" Then she tugged at Guo Shaotang's collar and said, "You're not joking, are you? Huh?"
Guo Shaotang straightened his expression and said, "How can you joke about something like this?"
Yi Mei said decisively, "Impossible!"
Su Xiaoying rushed up to Yi Mei, looked her in the eye, and shouted, "How is it impossible? This kind of thing is perfectly normal; it would be strange if it didn't happen! Only a fool like you wouldn't understand!" Then, she cheerfully said to Guo Shaotang, "Dr. Guo, thank you for your help!"
Guo Shaotang also smiled and said, "Young Master Su, congratulations, congratulations."
Yi Mei lowered her head, lost in thought, seemingly preoccupied with something.
When they left Guo Shaotang's house, it was already a completely silent hour; the entire town of Guo was eerily quiet. They walked along the cobblestone street, their footsteps mingling, light yet rhythmic, the dim light of the lanterns casting long, intertwined shadows.
"Tell me," Yi Mei whispered, clinging tightly to Su Xiaoying, "Is I really pregnant? Doctor Guo couldn't possibly be mistaken?"
Su Xiaoying hummed in agreement and said, "There's no mistake."
Yi Mei sighed softly, and out of the blue, suddenly said, "I've always been very lucky, so lucky that you can't even imagine how I could be so lucky."
Su Xiaoying smiled and said, "Isn't good luck?"
Yi Mei shook her head and whispered, "I'm too lucky. I've almost used up all my good fortune in this life. It's true. Good fortune is like money in your pocket. You have to use it slowly and steadily so it won't run out. Unfortunately, I used up my good fortune too much. When it's all gone, I'll die."
Su Xiaoying stopped abruptly and turned to look at Yi Mei's face. Yi Mei's not particularly beautiful face appeared very soft in the dim light of the lantern. Su Xiaoying touched her hair and asked softly, "How could you have such a strange idea?"
Yi Mei sighed softly, "Do you find it strange? Not at all, I'm telling the truth."
Su Xiaoying said, "Alright, even if what you said is true. But you're not using your own good fortune right now. You can also take out the good fortune from my pocket and use it. After you've used your own, you can use mine."
Yi Mei asked, "Your good fortune is only enough for you to use. What will you do if I use it all?"
Su Xiaoying smiled and said, "You don't need to think too much. I've always had bad luck, so I still have a lot of good fortune left. Even if I use it all up one day, we'll die together. By then, we'll probably be old too. I have no interest in being an immortal old man, and you probably don't either."
Yi Mei thought about it seriously for a long time. Su Xiaoying smiled and nudged her, saying, "What are you thinking about? The candle in the lantern is almost out. Let's go."
Yi Mei stopped and said to Su Xiaoying, "Xiaoying, you're like someone who fell from the sky. Now tell me, where did you come from?"
Su Xiaoying was taken aback and asked, "Do you really want to know?"
Yi Mei nodded.
Su Xiaoying smiled slightly and said, "I'll tell you then, why are you taking it so seriously? My father was originally a minor official in Nandu, so I lived in Hecheng, Nandu, when I was a child. When I was seven, there was a coup, and the Southern Emperor was placed under house arrest. My father was a Confucian scholar who believed in loyalty to the emperor and the like, you know, all that talk about the proper relationship between ruler and subject," Su Xiaoying sighed, "so we were driven out of Nandu, and later, my family was completely wiped out. When people are scattered, naturally, even the home is gone."
Yi Mei felt a little awkward and said apologetically, "I was just asking casually."
Su Xiaoying said, "It's alright."
Yi Mei thought for a moment and added, "Everyone has their bad days, don't take it to heart." This was meant to comfort him.
Su Xiaoying looked up at her and said, "What goes around comes around, I'm pretty easygoing about it."
Yi Mei said, "That's exactly what I meant. You're quite a smart person."
Su Xiaoying said, "Thank you."
Yi Mei said, "No need."
Su Xiaoying said, "Now that I've told you, you tell me about yourself. Like that mark on your body..."
Yi Mei suddenly shouted, "There's nothing to say! I'm not telling you!"
Su Xiaoying scratched her head and said, "That's too unfair."
Yi Mei brought her eyes close to his face and said with a smile, "You're still counting on me to have your children, right? Now, whatever I say goes, that's what it is, isn't it?"
Su Xiaoying couldn't help but say, "Yimei, you're too cunning."
Yi Mei chuckled. Just then, the lights flickered ahead, and a man in his forties, dressed in coarse cloth and with a sturdy build, walked out from the side road. Seeing Su Xiaoying and Yi Mei, he greeted them, "You're going home so late too!"
Su Xiaoying recognized him as Uncle Guo from next door and said with a smile, "We've gone to see the doctor; she's pregnant."
Uncle Guo was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter and said, "Good, good, you two aren't young anymore, it's time to have a baby, it's time to have a baby!"
Yi Mei chuckled and said, "Uncle Guo, you lost money outside, didn't you? You looked so worried just now."
Uncle Guo sighed and said, "Don't even mention it. I don't know how my wife will react when I get back home. But if I tell her about what happened today, she'll definitely laugh it off, and that'll be the end of it!" He then laughed again and said, "I'm off now. You two have so much to talk about."
He had just finished speaking when he suddenly stopped and looked ahead in confusion.
In the middle of the cobblestone path, a handsome young man stood quietly. In the dim light, his face was hidden in shadow, making his expression unclear. He stood very straight, the night wind ruffling his clothes, yet he remained motionless.
Yi Mei said, "It's you?"
The young man said quietly, "It's me."
Yi Mei said, "Didn't you already leave? Do you still want to seek revenge on me?"
The young man said calmly, "There are some things that are more important than revenge right now, don't you think?"
Su Xiaoying sighed and said, "Alright, Fu Daiyue, come to my house for a while. But we don't have any good tea or wine to offer you."
Mysterious Swordsman
There was hardly any room for Yi Mei and Su Xiaoying's family to sit, so Fu Daiyue had to sit on the low cabinet. Fortunately, none of the three of them seemed to mind. Yi Mei picked out an oil lamp, poured a pot of cold water, and placed it on the table, looking like she was about to have a long talk. She found this matter increasingly interesting; just half an hour ago, they were fighting for their lives, and Su Xiaoying had almost died by Fu Daiyue's sword, but now, just half an hour later, they were like close friends, talking late into the night by candlelight.
If that beautiful maid Mingji were also there, the group would be complete. Unfortunately, such completeness may never be realized again.
Fu Daiyue's eyes were calm, as if nothing had happened.
Yi Mei didn't like to meddle, but for a moment, she felt sorry for Ming Ji. It wasn't easy for a woman like her to be so devoted to being a maid like Fu Daiyue.
After they were seated, Yi Mei casually asked, "Did Xie Wangyi take Ming Ji away?"
Fu Daiyue said, "I want to tell you something else today."
Su Xiaoying sighed and said to Fu Daiyue, "...You want to ask about Xie Yuanlan, right?"
Fu Daiyue said, "That's right."
Su Xiaoying said, "I didn't lie to you. Back then, Banshao Manor was plagued by tragedy, and I don't think Xie Yuanlan would lie to me. He said that twenty years ago, he saved Fu Wuqing from jumping off a cliff at Liangzi Mountain in Chuzhou, brought her back to Banshao Manor, and married her as his fourth wife. Unfortunately, Fu Wuqing later killed his first wife and eldest son. In his rage, Xie Yuanlan cut off her arm, but she escaped from Banshao Manor and disappeared without a trace. Didn't Fu Wuqing tell you about this?"
Fu Daiyue said, "No, she only mentioned Liu Tianyi to me."
Su Xiaoying said, "Xie Yuanlan said that the reason she jumped off the cliff at Liangzi Mountain was because her husband abandoned her."
Fu Daiyue said calmly, "A woman like her would be abandoned by any man."
Su Xiaoying looked at Fu Daiyue and suddenly felt a little sorry for him. She said, "There's something you should know: the 'Mistake Flower Painting' that caused chaos in the world twenty years ago was apparently written by your mother."
Fu Daiyue said, "That's right, I know a little about this. It seems that she wrote the Mistake Flower Picture for a man, perhaps Liu Tianyi. She once mentioned that the Mistake Flower Picture made her understand the hearts of all men in the world. I think if she hadn't died, she would have written another Mistake Flower Picture and killed all the men in the world."
Su Xiaoying said in astonishment, "So, since she's dead, we should celebrate."
Fu Daiyue said calmly, "You're right."
Su Xiaoying said, "That's all I can tell you. You should be Xie Yuanlan's son, if the rumors circulating in the martial arts world that you are only twenty years old are true."
Fu Daiyue stood up.
He stood there for a moment, lost in thought. Yi Mei stared into his eyes, but all she saw was a calm, unwavering gaze, as if he were not thinking of anything.
However, it was precisely this lack of emotion that made Yi Mei feel that Fu Daiyue was actually quite pitiful. Besides Ming Ji, who else cared about him? Yi Mei and Su Xiaoying exchanged a glance, and both of them suddenly felt inexplicably embarrassed. Yi Mei gave Su Xiaoying a wink, and Su Xiaoying lowered her head without saying a word.
Yi Mei sighed and had no choice but to step in herself, saying awkwardly, "Actually, you shouldn't take it too hard..."
Fu Daiyue said calmly, "Assassin Yi Mei, I will come to kill you again tomorrow."
Yi Mei was stunned and couldn't help but cry out, "I only said one sentence, and you're going to kill me! How could you be like this!"
Fu Daiyue said, "You wouldn't do a job that involves killing for money?"
Su Xiaoying asked, "Who paid you to kill her?"
Fu Daiyue said calmly, "Liu Xingxing."
Yi Mei was stunned. After a while, she said, "What...what grudge does she have against me?"
Fu Daiyue explained casually, "She is Liu Tianyi's daughter."
Yi Mei and Su Xiaoying exchanged a glance, and then Su Xiaoying sighed softly, "Your business is off. Because Liu Xingxing just died, and she died a terrible death. When we saw her, she only said two sentences: 'Worry-free' and 'Dissolving Pill'."
Fu Daiyue asked, "Dead?"
Yi Mei said, "Would we lie to you?"
Fu Daiyue thought silently for a while and said, "In that case, my contract with her is naturally canceled. Assassin Yi Mei, Su Xiaoying, you two have nothing to do with me now."
Su Xiaoying smiled slightly and said, "Perhaps we can still be friends or something, since you're all alone now; being friends with the First Assassin Sword won't be a loss for us. If you need any help, you can come to us. In a few months, after Yimei gives birth, you can come over for the full moon celebration."
Fu Daiyue looked slightly surprised and glanced at Yi Mei. Yi Mei chuckled.
Fu Daiyue said calmly, "I don't need friends, but I can tell you something."
Yi Mei asked, "What is it?"
Fu Daiyue said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Dissolving Pill that Liu Xingxing mentioned is used to dissolve the Misaligned Flower Diagram. My mother once mentioned it, and when she talked about it, her expression was terrifying."
Yi Mei's leisurely expression suddenly froze, her face turned pale, and she couldn't say anything.