Mu Lan crouched down, her emerald green cloak standing out like a lone blade of grass against the pale backdrop. She stroked the rough stone tablet and said softly, "Now all the sects and factions are eager to make their move. Xiu Xiu, have you ever regretted risking your life to bring it back to the Central Plains?"
assassin
Xue Qing walked closer to examine the zither with curiosity: "Is this zither made of jade?"
Yi Chun smiled and said, "This zither is named 'Yu Sheng' and was a gift from a guest."
It must be very expensive. That was Xue Qing's assessment of it in her mind, and it was also the best assessment she could give to an item. The fact that someone would give a zither meant that the other party was not the kind of small-town tycoon who would buy chrysanthemums with gold. Yi Chun had many friends among literati and scholars. Xue Qing's gossipy heart was about to take flight, but she dared not fly too far. She was really hit hard by Qi Fengting's unexpected turn of events.
A maid knocked on the door and said, "Miss, Young Master Shuang has arrived."
Yi Chun stood up nervously, her cheeks flushed. Xue Qing glanced at the character "Shuang" on the corner of the jade zither. This meant the wealthy patron who had gifted the zither had arrived. She, the incandescent light bulb, should wisely slip away. She got up to say goodbye to Yi Chun, who didn't try to stop her. Judging from her nervous expression, she didn't seem like a seasoned courtesan treating an ordinary customer. She wondered if this customer was worth her effort.
Xue Qing deliberately walked slowly. At the door, she saw several strong men carrying a sedan chair and placing it at the entrance. The person inside did not come out. Xue Qing walked even slower, her eyes constantly glancing back. Yi Chun came out and bowed to the person inside the sedan chair. The person inside still did not come out, but only parted the curtain a small gap, revealing two fingers that looked particularly pale against the dark blue curtain.
Xue Qing had no chance to find out whether the person in the sedan chair was the refined type like Qi Fengting or the athletic type like Sun Fang. She sighed; others were enjoying romance tonight, while she had to walk back alone. As she walked, she felt a little sway. She had drunk a few cups of wine in Yi Chun's room, initially finding the sweet wine delicious, but now, perhaps it was having a side effect. Xue Qing swayed as she walked, her steps becoming increasingly unsteady, as if she were ascending to immortality. She chuckled foolishly, not even knowing what she was enjoying, just feeling happy! Exhilarated! All her worries had vanished, leaving only joy!
Such a happy moment had to be shared with Liuying. It was strange; my mind was a jumbled mess, but I remembered Liuying's room perfectly. I groped my way there, not wanting to knock, I just banged on the door. There was no particular reason; I just felt happy doing it. My door was banging loudly, so Liuying naturally opened it. Seeing Xue Qing, Liuying was surprised: "So late… why aren't you asleep yet…"
Strangely, Xue Qing couldn't hear a word Liu Ying was saying as his little mouth opened and closed. She just found his mouth moving so much that it was dazzling. She couldn't help but kiss him to block his mouth. It wasn't a deep kiss, but she just blocked Liu Ying's mouth tightly. Liu Ying subconsciously tried to dodge, but Xue Qing felt the flesh on her lips trying to escape. She chased after it and, in desperation, bit it down, holding it in her mouth to see if it would run away.
Licking along the soft contours, tracing sweet lines, Xue Qing smiled contentedly, like Abbot Chankong eating roast chicken. Liu Ying gave up resisting, letting Xue Qing tease his lips. His eyes were wide open, able to see Xue Qing's fluttering eyelashes and her eyes, which were hazy with desire. He tasted Xue Qing's flavor in his mouth, which carried a hint of alcohol. So she had been drinking. No wonder.
"Hehehe, little cutie, let your big sister pamper you~" Xue Qing said, wrapping her arms around Liu Ying's waist.
"Uncle-Master, you've had too much to drink." Liu Ying pried Xue Qing's hand away.
"No, don't call me 'Uncle-Master'!" Xue Qing said unhappily.
"Then what do I call you?" Liu Ying listened intently, hoping that the alcohol might embolden her and she would reveal her real name.
"Call me..."
"What?"
"Call me... Queen!" Xue Qing said, tearing off Liu Ying's outer garment and then pulling down the collar of her underwear.
The flames beneath the incense burner flickered suggestively. Liu Ying was forced to retreat step by step by Xue Qing. Although Liu Ying was at a disadvantage, she had a feeling of wanting to resist but also welcoming. She did not resist particularly, and even tempted Xue Qing. Her slightly parted lips led her into a deeper quagmire. Her hands pulled her into her arms, and her legs were already touching the edge of the bed. It was unclear whether she really had nowhere to retreat or had deliberately come here.
Xue Qing, without any hesitation, pressed Liu Ying onto the bed, straddling him. Like a cheetah that had caught its prey, she looked down at the antelope waiting to be slaughtered. She could devour him immediately, or play with him and savor him slowly. This feeling of dominating everything intoxicated Xue Qing. Her hand slipped inside Liu Ying's undergarments. Having walked all the way outside, her hands were icy cold. Touching Liu Ying's warm skin, Liu Ying's body visibly stiffened. The temperature difference made him feel Xue Qing's touch even more clearly. His desire was about to burst forth, and his frenzied urge was searching for an outlet.
"Make it mine," Xue Qing whispered in Liu Ying's ear.
Liu Ying's fingers touched Xue Qing's forehead, sliding down her skin little by little. He lingered over every inch of her skin, wanting to hold her and cherish her until she fell asleep, yet also wanting to succumb to the urge to be awakened. But he was also unwilling to do so. He didn't want to take advantage of her when she was in a daze; he wanted her to willingly give him everything when she was sober.
Liu Ying moved her hand to Xue Qing's shoulder, concentrated her inner strength, and pressed down to press on her acupoints.
"I'll take you back to your room." Liu Ying carried Xue Qing in her arms, her voice a little hoarse, her whole body was parched and she was unbearably thirsty.
Liu Ying carried Xue Qing back to her room, placed her on the bed, and covered her with a blanket. Xue Qing looked at him with teary eyes, as if she had been wronged. Liu Ying looked away. The more precious something is, the more he wants to protect it with the utmost courtesy, even though deep down he also very much wanted to.
As Liu Ying left, she blew out the lamp and gently closed the door. Xue Qing lay motionless on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling. The excessive drinking at Yi Chun's place had left her head hazy, but she wasn't actually that drunk; a portion of her mind remained clear. She'd probably been exposed to aphrodisiac incense somewhere, and the alcohol had emboldened her, causing her to act impulsively. She hadn't gotten what she wanted! The tragic thing was that the thought of her impulsive actions made her want to die. If it had just been drunken recklessness, she wouldn't have remembered anything shameful after a good night's sleep. But tomorrow, she would definitely remember everything clearly. How could she face Liu Ying again? She had almost become a rape suspect!
Cocoon Butterfly carried Dongchou's coffin back to Mount Goulou. Before leaving Mount Goulou for the Qilin Pavilion, Dongchou had already dug a large pit for himself to bury the coffin; otherwise, by the time Cocoon Butterfly dug the pit herself, Dongchou's body would have rotted and stinked. The coffin remained beside the pit, untouched, too reluctant to be placed inside. When her father died, she was still young; when her mother died, she knew her father was waiting for her mother down there, that her mother wouldn't be lonely. But no one was waiting for her second uncle down there; he would be all alone.
"Second Uncle, since no one is waiting for you, you can wait for me down here!" the cocoon butterfly said to the coffin.
The small thatched hut on Mount Goulou was covered in dust again, just like when Dongchou lived there. Several large wine jars were placed next to the stove, and dirty, tattered clothes were piled up on the kang (a heated brick bed). None of this affected Dongchou's image in people's hearts. He was a hero who helped establish the Martial Alliance, and no one would forget that he was a hero.
"Second Uncle, you're happy now, you've gotten everything you wanted."
The coffin, of course, wouldn't answer her. The desolate mountaintop was so desolate that it wouldn't even echo, only making one feel more desolate. Sure enough, she was buried anyway.
When she woke up in the morning, Qingpingyue had just had a fresh snowfall, white and pristine. There's a certain compulsion in people who feel an urge to step on the spotless snow. Xue Qing was one of those people. It wasn't that she wanted to leave footprints; she wanted to write on it. She broke off a long twig and wrote in the snow: "Hoeing the fields at noon, hematopoietic stem cells, compound herbal coral, Qingming Scroll."
"Young Master Xue, are you composing a poem?" Qi Fengting helped Mu Lan over.
"No, no, I just wrote whatever came to mind." Xue Qing silently stretched out her foot and erased the line of text.
"I've already brewed the wine. I'll have Old Qi bring you a jar later," Mu Lan said.
"Thank you." Xue Qing bowed.
"No need to thank me, it's mainly because of Young Master Liuying's influence."
"...You don't actually have feelings for him?" Xue Qing asked curiously.
"You have a problem with that?"
"No, no, let alone you taking a fancy to my nephew, I wouldn't mind even if you took a fancy to my white horse," Xue Qing quickly said. She was very strong-willed. What did ** matter, what did beast matter? Right now, even if someone suddenly fell in love with the chair he sat in every day, she could accept it.
"It's rare to meet someone as open-minded as you." Mu Lan seemed quite pleased after hearing Xue Qing's words.
Just then, a maid ran up to Xue Qing: "Miss Xue, Young Master Liuying is looking for you."
"What does he want from me?" Xue Qing asked nervously, wondering if he wanted to accuse her of attempted rape last night while she was drunk.
"I don't know, it seems to be very urgent, go and see," the maid replied.
Although she was very uneasy, she still had to go and see if there was anything urgent. After saying goodbye to Mu Lan and Qi Fengting, Xue Qing followed the little maid and walked back through the snow.
Mu Lan stood there, staring at the snow that Xue Qing had trampled into a mess.
"What, are you thinking about Madam Xiu again?" Judging from Mu Lan's expression, Qi Fengting guessed what he was thinking.
“Well, do you know what Xiuxiu said to me before? She said, ‘You’re so pretty, you must like men, right?’” Mu Lan said.
Qi Fengting laughed and said, "Ha, that's exactly the kind of thing she would say."