She slowly pulled her slender hand out of his tightly clenched palm, and this time, he forgot to stop her.
She hid her hand, which had been saved with great difficulty, in her bosom, and gently rubbed it with her other hand, a serene smile on her face.
"I've heard that the second young lady of the Yuwen family is deeply in love with the young man in blue, and the eldest young lady of the Yuwen family is also secretly in love with him, even refusing to marry him in court. She even managed to answer the question correctly. You could choose either of these two young ladies, or marry both of them, and devote your whole life to cherishing and protecting them. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"You know perfectly well..."
“Young Master Qingyi and Wuxiao are not acquainted,” Yin Wuxiao said calmly. “Even if we have met a few times before today, we are not close friends. If Young Master Qingyi wants to take care of Wuxiao because of a sense of responsibility, Wuxiao appreciates it.”
Her palms were clenched so tightly they were sweaty. She knew her heart was hard.
If one's heart is not hardened, how can one face Cen Lu, how can one face Man Si, and how can one say such inhumane things to the young master in blue?
"If...if it weren't for a sense of responsibility, then Wu Xiao truly wouldn't know how the young master in blue could have developed such a caring heart towards her. There are countless women in this world with tragic pasts; does the young master in blue intend to take care of them all?" She forced herself to say, "In my opinion, the young master in blue's...cough cough...concern for me is no different from the concern he shows for others. Young master in blue, you're a stubborn person; once you've held onto a thought for too long, you might mistake it for some other kind of affection..."
Baili Qingyi stared at her. She was clearly implying to him not to mistake responsibility for affection; implying to him that his obsession with her was nothing more than a failure to see his own heart.
Was his feelings for her truly just a sense of responsibility? Did he simply feel obligated to be with her, without any romantic feelings in his heart?
That might make sense, but he was still very unwilling to accept it. He felt that his feelings for Yin Wuxiao were always different; he wanted to protect her from any harm, and that protective instinct wasn't based on a sense of justice or responsibility.
Baili Qingyi had little experience in matters of the heart, and he never thought that being lacking in this area was a bad thing. But today he felt somewhat at a loss, because when dealing with Yin Wuxiao, he was not as relaxed and at ease as when dealing with others; all that surfaced were unfamiliar emotions.
He observed her intently, as if trying to see through her delicate face, into her heart, and to see if her thoughts were no different from what she said.
To investigate the massacre at the Yin family mansion, it's not necessarily necessary to start with her, but...
However, a faint bitterness lingered in his heart.
Even if Baili Qingyi didn't understand emotions, she knew how cruel this woman's words were, and she also knew that the bitterness in her heart was a sign of some minor injury.
"You have to give me a reason, a reason why you must leave my side." After a long while, he said calmly, his face no longer showing any emotion, only a calm and indifferent expression.
Yin Wuxiao forced a smile, but couldn't quite manage it. She could tell that Baili Qingyi wasn't entirely sure about her own feelings for him either.
Baili Qingyi is really too difficult to deal with; with just a few words, she can leave people with nowhere to hide.
Fortunately, he was a good person.
Chapter Twelve: Sharing a Pillow, Listening to the Autumn Rain in a Single Boat (Part Five)
After much deliberation, Yin Wuxiao finally managed to find a way out for himself.
She chose her words carefully and slowly said, "Young Master in Green, you and I... are simply not on the same path."
"Oh, how can we not be fellow travelers?"
"If you are the sky above my head, I am the mud beneath my feet; if you are the peak of a high mountain, I am the ditch at the bottom of the valley."
"The most talented woman in the world, how can she rate herself so low?"
Yin Wuxiao chuckled: "The title of the most talented woman in the world is from many years ago. You can probably tell that I am no longer the Yin Wuxiao I was three years ago. Now I am lazy, negative, speak frivolously, and have low tastes. How could I possibly catch the eye of you, Young Master in Blue?"
“You’re right. The most talented woman in the world is just an empty shell.” He nodded. “But the inner you is still you, and I believe that has never changed.”
Yin Wuxiao glanced at him: "Have you ever truly seen my inner self?"
Baili Qingyi felt a pang of bitterness in her heart: "Isn't this what we're watching right now?" This woman was truly sharp-tongued, making one want to stab her to death and see if she would feel any pain.
Yin Wuxiao sighed: "You were originally someone who stood outside the mortal world, observing it with detachment, but I am different. Like me, like Yin Bitong, we are all people who are in the mortal world, unable to control our own destiny."
Baili Qingyi felt a lump in her throat: "So, Yin Bitong is your fellow traveler?"
Yin Wuxiao smiled somewhat sadly: "He may not be as handsome as you, and his martial arts skills may not be as good as yours, but being entangled with someone like Yin Bitong in this world is my fate, my destiny."
Baili Qingyi was speechless for a moment.
"Young Master in Green, you are the guardian and savior of the martial world, and you have never truly stepped into any muddy waters. Why should you wade in now?" Yin Wuxiao earnestly advised, but halfway through his words, his nose began to sting slightly.
She sniffed, suppressing the sour feeling, and realized that she was being extremely kind and sincere.
In the future... if Baili Qingyi meets a woman he truly loves and spends his life with her, he will surely be grateful for her earnest guidance at this moment, right?
Upon hearing her words, Baili Qingyi suddenly raised her head and gazed at the bright moon.
Yin Wuxiao then followed his gaze to look at the moon.
Suddenly, Baili Qingyi said softly, "I'm really curious. Yin Wuxiao, where exactly is your true heart?"
Yin Wuxiao's heart tightened.
Back in her room at the inn, Yin Wuxiao decisively closed the door behind her. With her back against the doorframe, she felt neither sad nor wanted to cry, and there was no struggle whatsoever.
She greatly admired herself for nipping the young man in blue's budding romantic feelings in the bud.
He praised her beyond measure.
She patted her chest and groped her way towards the bed in the darkness. Halfway there, a flash of light suddenly illuminated the room.
She squinted in the dim light, taking a while to adjust to the brightness. When she could see clearly, she saw Yin Bitong lying leisurely on her bed, a corner of the blanket draped over her stomach, which was the blanket she had covered herself with all night.
"Have you had enough fun, Xiao Yin?" Yin Bitong stroked the satin quilt and said with a smile.
Yin Wuxiao shivered for no reason.
"You, you, how did you get into my room?"
Yin Bitong sighed, "Xiao Yin, why can't you ever get to the point? The point is, what were you doing just now? And who were you with?"
Yin Wuxiao bit her lip and remained silent.
Yin Bitong sighed again.
He pulled Yin Wuxiao to sit down beside him and gently stroked her hair with his hands, just like a loving older brother.
“Little Yin, I know even if you don’t say it. You must have gone out with Baili Qingyi, and you must have gone to listen to some old, stale stories.”
Yin Wuxiao asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
"I know, because I followed them all the way."
Yin Wuxiao was both amused and exasperated.
Yin Bitong said seriously, "Little Yin, I know that Baili Qingyi has been lusting after your beauty for a long time. You must not let your guard down and let him take advantage of you."
Yin Wuxiao sighed and rubbed her forehead. She began to think that Yin Bitong might have been influenced by her to say such nonsense. If that were the case, then she had shot herself in the foot.
"How...how did you realize that Baili Qingyi was lusting after my...beauty?"
Yin Bitong covered her lips, as if she were a mouse caught stealing oil: "Little Yin, no matter what, you must not be deceived by that Baili Qingyi. If you betray me one day, I cannot guarantee what will happen to you."
"Are you going to poke a bloody hole between my eyebrows with your toenail fungus?" Yin Wuxiao said irritably.
Yin Bitong waved her hand: "Of course I have to treat you differently from others."
How are they different?
“I will peel the skin off your hands, feet, and forehead, and sew it into a human skin pouch. Then, I will pull out your tendons to make a rope and hang it around your beautiful neck. Next, I will gouge out your eyeballs and put them in the pouch. Finally, I will use your heart's blood to draw a flower on the pouch.” He paused. “Little Yin, I heard you like lotus flowers?”
His expression was one of utter ecstasy.
Yin Wuxiao felt a chill run through her body, as if a cold sea serpent was swimming all over her body and licking her skin with its forked tongue.
"You're not human."
Yin Bitong touched her face with satisfaction. "Good to know."
Yin Wuxiao forced himself to calm down: "You must have heard what I said to Baili Qingyi. Why are you trying to scare me like this?"
Yin Bitong stared at her for a moment, then asked, "Xiao Yin, have you really fallen in love with me?"
Yin Wuxiao nearly coughed up blood: "Just a moment ago you wanted to turn me into a human skin purse, and now you want me to fall in love with you?"
Yin Bitong actually looked like she was seriously reflecting. "What you said makes sense."
He rested his chin on his hand, pondering for a long time: "Then what was your intention in saying those things to Baili Qingyi?"
Yin Wuxiao smiled and said, "I was lying to him."
Yin Bitong raised an eyebrow: "Good lie. Damn, I've wanted to lie to him for a long time." He then gave a seductive smile: "But when you said I'm not as handsome as him, and not as skilled in martial arts, were you really being sincere?"
Yin Wuxiao nodded: "You don't mind, do you?"
Yin Bitong chuckled: "What's there to mind?"
"That's good."
Silence fell over the room.
The two exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads in silence, each harboring their own secrets.
After a long while, Yin Wuxiao said:
"Actually, you really want to poke me to death with your finger right now, don't you?"
Yin Bitong remained silent for a while.
"That's right."
Those who enter the Valley of a Hundred Questions seeking medical help must ask themselves a hundred questions.
The path to Hundred Questions Valley is the most intricate and complex in the world, a path even gods and ghosts cannot traverse. Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, the 179th generation descendant of Guiguzi set up an array here, trapping 3,000 elite soldiers of Yuwen Huaji at the end of the Sui Dynasty, none of whom survived. Later, as time passed, the array crumbled and transformed into this valley.
Early in the morning, the guests of Longqian Inn all headed towards Baiwen Valley, as today was the opening day of Baiwen Valley. Although Yin Wuxiao and Yin Bitong were a little slower, they also followed the crowd to Baiwen Valley. However, they did not expect that the valley had a peculiar terrain, lush trees, and varied paths. After walking for half a day, they did not see a single person.
Ordinary people could easily lose their way in this valley. But legends are just legends; judging by the phases of the sun and moon, and the density of the forest's miasma, finding the right path wouldn't be difficult for Yin Wuxiao. It's just that Yin Bitong...
Yin Wuxiao sighed: "Yin Bitong, are you really an assassin?"
Who has ever seen an assassin who doesn't know the way?
Yin Bitong chuckled twice and then fell silent.
Yin Wuxiao shook his head. This person, with such an eccentric personality and dull mind, was actually a ruthless madman who killed without hesitation?
"Yin Bitong, why did you become an assassin?"
Why did you choose to become a talented woman?
Yin Wuxiao coughed repeatedly as he was choked by him.
"Do you think being a talented woman is a promising career? Being a talented woman is nothing more than gossip that idle people talk about."
"I became an assassin simply because I didn't want to be controlled by others."