Her face, which had been pale, now flushed an unnatural crimson. She looked coldly at Xiao Zuo and said, "Please."
Three cups of wine are placed on the table: a red table, white porcelain cups, and clear wine. Which cup contains happiness?
Xiao Zuo reached out and ran his fingertips over the three cups in turn. Which cup would he choose?
"Anyone in this world can kill me..." he suddenly said, staring at Gong Feicui, "but not you."
Gong Feicui didn't even blink, and asked expressionlessly, "Why?"
"I died at your hands. If I am the murderer, you will be sad. If I am not the murderer, you will regret it."
Gong Feicui raised her eyebrows, as if she had heard a great joke, and smiled sweetly, "Thank you for thinking of me so much, Young Master Xiao, but—I'm not sad." The implication was that she was convinced that Xiao Zuo was the murderer of Baili Chenfeng.
After listening to her words, Xiao Zuo stood silently for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter. In his laughter, he said loudly, "What a fine Gong Feicui! The eldest daughter of the Gong family in Luoyang! Very good, very good! Three cups of wine, is that it? Since my name is Xiao Zuo, I will naturally choose the one on the left." After saying that, he picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp.
I clearly saw Gong Feicui's eyes twitch, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
However, Xiao Zuo stopped looking at her and turned to leave. The cavalry looked at me, unsure whether to stop him. I nodded slightly and said, "Let him go."
The cavalry immediately retreated, and Xiao Zuo walked out of the inn without looking back. But just as he stepped out of the door, he stopped and said, "Steward Feng, if you are truly saddened by Chen Feng's death, please continue to send the bottle to Baili City."
My heart skipped a beat. I saw his white robes fluttering in the gentle breeze of the morning light, his back ramrod straight, walking further and further away until he disappeared at the end of the long street.
Gong Fei Cui lowered her head, her serene face adorned with a poignant beauty. I sighed inwardly and whispered, "There was no poison in any of the three cups of wine. Miss, you simply can't bring yourself to do it."
Her body trembled, and when she looked up at me again, there were faint glimmers of tears in her eyes. Was she about to cry? Just as I thought that, she turned and ran upstairs, followed by a loud "bang" as the door slammed shut from upstairs.
The leader of the cavalry walked up to me and whispered a few words. I was in a state of turmoil, so I nodded casually and said, "You decide these things. Judging from the young lady's appearance, she can't leave today. Here's what we'll do: you take care of what needs to be done, and we'll set off tomorrow."
The team leader asked doubtfully, "Are we really still going to deliver the treasure bottle to Baili City?"
"Of course we'll give it to you, why wouldn't we?"
"But... with Mr. Baili dead and Young Master Xiao gone, there's no one to guide us..."
I bit my lip. How could I have forgotten this? This is a problem... "No matter what, we'll still head to Shu. I think once we enter the country, people from Baili City will come to pick us up." Actually, none of that matters. What matters is that Xiao Zuo's words before leaving really touched me.
Chen Feng is dead. The only thing I can do now is bring his ashes back to Baili City. As for Xiao Zuo…
I lowered my eyes, my hands slowly clenching at my sides. Young Miss, you're soft-hearted towards Xiao Zuo, but I am not.
—I've smeared all three cups with deadly poison. Whether you're happy or not, Xiao Zuo is going to die!
The decision was made to cremate Baili Chenfeng's remains.
After the cavalry leader finished handling everything, he knocked on my door. I went out with the Ega bottle in my hand. When I passed the door of the palace's jade room, Jin Zhaoyu Cui was standing outside. They both looked embarrassed when they saw me.
"What's wrong?"
"The young lady has locked herself in her room and won't see anyone."
At this point, she was obviously not in the mood to see anyone; it was already a miracle that I hadn't heard her throwing things or throwing a tantrum. I nodded calmly and said, "Keep a close eye on her." Then I continued downstairs with the motorcycle cavalry leader.
The cremation site was located on a deserted riverbank. When I first saw the black figure lying flat on a withered branch, my eyes welled up with tears, and I almost dropped the bottle in my hand.
A voice rose from the depths of my heart—that's not real…
Immediately another voice refuted this—no, that is true.
Baili Chenfeng is dead. He's dead. He's really dead.
"Chief Steward?" The leader's voice startled me from my daze. I stared at him blankly, closed my eyes, and forced myself to suppress all my emotions before opening them again. But why am I still so sad? Why do I feel like crying whenever my gaze falls on his corpse?
Baili Chenfeng, it turns out I truly owe you. It's only because I owe you that I must endure this intense pain and agitation. In my twenty-odd years of life, acting on emotion has been the first taboo. Did you know that?
I turned my face away and said in a hoarse voice, "Light it!"
Please, just let it end quickly. I don't want this, I don't like this, I can't let this happen!
Flames quickly shot up, leaping and filling my vision with a blood-red hue.
That was the color of blood, from the sword wound on his forehead. I could almost see the blood flowing down, drop by drop, flowing over my heart, burning like fire, and my heart was burned too, never to heal.
A long neighing sound rang out, and Chasing Wind galloped over from afar. My expression changed, and I immediately ordered, "Stop it!"
Two iron cavalrymen rushed forward and each took an arm to stop the horse, but it struggled desperately and neighed, its cries filled with grief, each one more pitiful than the last... Did you know that your master was dead, and that's why you're so sad?
I walked towards it, and as I approached, it suddenly fell silent, its large eyes clear as water, innocent like a child's. I reached out to stroke its mane, and it didn't refuse, just looked at me, kept looking at me, as if it could see into my heart.
Chasing Wind, why do you look so much like him? Why is the way you look at me now almost exactly the same as the way he looked at me that day?
"Your new master is dead," I murmured softly, my finger slightly raised. "Are you very sad? I'll send you to another world to be with him, okay?"
The cavalryman beside me understood what I meant, and was immediately startled, exclaiming, "Grand Steward—!"
I know he exclaimed in surprise because he was reluctant to part with it; such a fine steed is rare and hard to come by. But besides Baili Chenfeng, who else in this world is worthy of riding it?
I slowly pressed my hand down on it, and when I was halfway down, tears suddenly welled up in those crystal-clear, bright eyes. For some reason, my heart softened.
A familiar memory swept over me like a wave, the same sad and desperate yet unresisting gaze, the same pitying look as she looked at me, as if silently saying—Feng Qiansu, why?
Why... did you want to kill me?
I suddenly stopped and staggered back several steps.
Suddenly, Chasing Wind raised its forelegs, and Iron Cavalry, caught off guard, let go. It immediately turned and ran away. Iron Cavalry was about to give chase when I said, "No need, let it go."
My voice was weary as I softly repeated, "Let it go."