Xuan was startled.
"Okay, okay," he said casually, then turned his back.
Yin Wuxiao knew he was trying to hide his reddening eyes, but he didn't expose him.
The autumn wind lifted her crimson cloak, and the soft fox fur at the edge of the hood gently brushed against her slightly chilly cheeks.
That person didn't come.
Was it unexpected?
No, she knew all along that Qiao Fenglang would definitely leave without telling him.
But Baili Qingyi isn't someone who's easily fooled. Hasn't he realized it yet? Or is it that he never intended to show up at all?
The affection and longing that surged in his eyes on the tree branches in the cool breeze that night now seemed unattainable to her, even unrecognizable as real.
Cui Shenghan suddenly whispered beside her, "Are you really sure about it?"
Yin Wuxiao nodded: "Sometimes, the choice we make has nothing to do with determination; it's just that we have to do it that way."
Entrusted by Zhang Baitong, Yin Wuxiao brought Cui Shenghan along. At this moment, holding Cui Shenghan's hand, she felt that the sea was far away and the sky was low.
"You suddenly said you want to go back to get married, which caught my older brother... and us all off guard... Don't you want to reconsider?" Baili Hanyi cautiously glanced at Qiao Fenglang, whose expression was unfriendly, and boldly asked.
"What difference does it make whether I'm prepared or not?" Yin Wuxiao pursed her red lips. The person was still nowhere to be seen.
“…Well, my older brother should be here soon. At least I should see him before I leave,” Baili Hanyi said awkwardly, muttering to himself, “Really, where did he go at this crucial moment…”
Yin Wuxiao paused for a moment.
Even Baili Hanyi could tell that she was waiting for him?
Qiao Fenglang had successfully plunged her into anxiety and fear. She feared his coming, yet she also feared his not coming. Now, how could she deny it?
I long to see him, even if it's just for the last time.
“I’ll go check on him; perhaps something has delayed the young master in blue,” Yuwen Cuiyu suddenly said.
"Sister!" Yuwen Hongying glared at her sister, who was bending her elbow outwards, both shocked and angry. Yuwen Cuiyu ignored her fierce objections and walked back on her own.
Yin Wuxiao smiled bitterly.
Who doesn't know how she feels right now?
No one said anything, but she felt that this situation was the most embarrassing thing she could have imagined.
Watching Yuwen Cuiyu's departing figure, her pride made her gently raise her chin.
"Brother Fenglang, let's go back." Yin Wuxiao took the initiative to place his hand in Qiao Fenglang's large palm, turned around and headed towards the carriage, his face showing no sign of reluctance.
That gentle smile, that tender touch, that cherished kiss—all of it became a burning pain in her heart at this moment. She should be grateful; Baili Qingyi had helped her so much, as selflessly and meticulously as he had helped the entire martial arts world. As for the rest, it was as unreal as a dream; she should just pretend it never happened.
Qiao Fenglang became excited, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.
"Uh...really not going to wait a little longer?" Baili Hanyi asked hesitantly, which earned him a murderous glare from Qiao Fenglang.
Yin Wuxiao paused for a moment, but did not turn around. She stepped onto the carriage.
Suddenly, a powerful force pulled her back from her forearm. Before she could react, she was already embedded in Qiao Fenglang's strong embrace, and his hard lips pressed down unexpectedly.
That kiss, fierce and heavy, unmistakably declared his ownership.
She trembled, then trembled again, feeling like a withered leaf awaiting its final shattering. The arrogant and overwhelming aura that invaded her made her want to cry, to run away. But before she could even muster the will to resist, Qiao Fenglang had already swiftly released her.
His cold, sinister eyes stared intently at her back.
Yin Wuxiao's back stiffened, and after a moment, she turned around hesitantly.
She met Baili Qingyi's unfathomable gaze.
Chapter Seventeen: Where Will We See the Bright Moon Next Year (Part Three)
Baili Qingyi glanced indifferently at Yin Wuxiao's slightly swollen lips, but deliberately avoided her bewildered eyes.
Baili Hanyi secretly broke out in a cold sweat. This situation, hmph, is truly embarrassing…
"Young master in blue... have you also come to see us off?"
A hint of mockery flashed across Qiao Fenglang's lips, but he also wrapped his arm around Yin Wuxiao's slender waist in a warning gesture.
Yin Wuxiao suddenly realized that even if Baili Qingyi really made it clear that she wanted him, Qiao Fenglang would never keep his promise and let her go.
She looked at Baili Qingyi again, her dark, deep pupils staring directly at the large hand that had appeared on her slender waist, but she remained silent.
"The Qiao family will never forget the great kindness shown by the young master in blue. We would be honored if the young master in blue could attend our wedding on the 18th of next month and have a drink at the celebration."
The small hands hidden inside the light red cloak suddenly clenched, the white jade nails digging deeply into the flesh of the palm.
Baili Qingyi remained silent.
Baili Hanyi, standing to the side, was already starting to worry for him:
"Well... how about you two stay a few more days? I don't think the weather is suitable for a long journey today..." Sigh, his eldest son is really something. He's already here, can't he even say a word to persuade her to stay? He can't just watch that girl marry someone else, can he?
Yin Wuxiao's chest tightened, and she felt a strange anger fill her heart. She hated his indifferent attitude, as if the sky were falling.
If he really didn't care, that would be fine, but instead he adopted a silent attitude. Does Yin Wuxiao really not deserve even a twitch of his eyebrows or a peep from Baili Qingyi?
For the first time ever, she couldn't control her temper. She shook off Qiao Fenglang's tightly gripping hand, turned around and quickly went to the carriage, pried open the harness, and leaped onto the saddleless horse.
Her bright red cloak billowed in the wind beside her horse, adding a touch of heroic spirit. She forcefully turned her horse's head away and sneered, "Brother Fenglang, if we wait any longer, we might reach Qiaobang and it will be too late. I'm not some pampered young lady confined to my chambers. Wouldn't it be much faster to travel by horse?" With a sharp shout, she spurred her horse forward and galloped off ahead.
No one expected her to make this move so suddenly, and Qiao Fenglang's expression changed drastically.
"Xiao'er!" Is she courting death? This nag has been beaten and is not a mount. It is also not equipped with horse tack and is very different from the horse she usually rides. On this mountain road, it is very easy for an accident to happen.
He immediately untied another dwarf horse, leaped onto it, and tried to catch up, but a figure in green was faster than him, using superb lightness skill to overtake him in a few leaps and catch up. In the blink of an eye, Baili Qingyi successfully landed on the back of the horse behind Yin Wuxiao.
Feeling a weight behind him, Yin Wuxiao turned around and looked even angrier.
"What are you doing?" Yin Wuxiao cursed angrily. Didn't this person not care about her staying or leaving? Why did he suddenly jump onto her horse's back?
"Stop!" Baili Qingyi's expression was unusually stern, his thin lips were tightly pressed together, and his usually gentle eyes now held a hint of anger.
"None of your business!" She squeezed the horse's flanks and pulled the reins again, as if that would throw him off from behind.
"Listen to me, don't be willful!" Baili Qingyi's voice became even more stern. He wrapped his arms around her from both sides and reached out to snatch the reins from her forearm.
"You!" Completely unaware of the perilous situation he was in, Yin Wuxiao was unwilling to easily let him take control of the horse, and naturally resisted with all his might. With a series of frantic pulls, the old horse could no longer bear the excessive weight on its back and the uneven obstacles on the mountain road. It changed from its normal speed to a gallop, its head raised high, trying to lighten the burden on its back.
Yin Wuxiao screamed, never expecting that the normally docile horse would suddenly become so agitated. The scenery rushed past her, and she almost slipped off the smooth horse's back. Fortunately, a steady arm firmly supported her swaying body and held her securely in a strong embrace.
Even so, the wildly galloping horse still jolted her insides so violently that she almost vomited.
"Bai... Baili Qingyi!" She was almost dizzy. The reins had already slipped from her hands. She unconsciously reached out and grabbed Baili Qingyi's arm to maintain her balance.
"You dare to ride a worn-out horse without permission, why don't you dare to bear the consequences yourself?" Baili Qingyi's voice was cold and stern, full of lecturing.
“You…” What time is it? He’s still just cursing her.
A surge of resentment welled up within her, and her proud nature wouldn't allow him to claim all the rights. With a determined heart, Yin Wuxiao forcefully broke free from his protection.
She'd rather fall to her death than listen to his lecturing!
"Xiao'er!" He finally managed to get the reins under control, but he never expected her to disregard her own safety and break free from his arms. Baili Qingyi gasped and felt her petite body sway as she slipped out of his embrace and fell off the horse.
A sharp jolt ran through him. He could no longer control the raging horse. He swiftly bent his body in the direction she had fallen and, with lightning speed, pulled her into his arms. He barely managed to catch his breath before landing, flipped over, and landed lightly on the ground.
Completely disoriented from the shock, Yin Wuxiao's eyes finally focused, and the first thing that caught his eye was Baili Qingyi's cold and stern face, devoid of any gentleness.
She was stunned for a moment. She hadn't noticed while she was on horseback with her back to him that his expression was so different from his usual calm and collected demeanor.
However, the next moment, Baili Qingyi said in a deep voice in her ear: "If you don't care about your own life, why didn't you say so earlier? Then I would have saved a lot of trouble to save your life."
Yin Wuxiao stared blankly at him.
She wasn't mistaken; he was radiating intense anger.
Was he really insulting her?
“I never begged you to save me!” she retorted in a trembling voice, her lips pale.
"Hmph, if I don't have to save her, why would I bother?" Even Baili Qingyi herself didn't realize the worry hidden in her involuntary cold words.
However, these words struck a nerve with Yin Wuxiao's already fragile heart. So, was his saving her merely a last resort, an act of responsibility towards the entire martial world?
"You acted recklessly and impulsively! Where was there even a shred of reason in your behavior just now? You were no different from a spoiled, headstrong young lady!" Baili Qingyi relentlessly accused him. Seeing her leap onto her horse without regard for her own safety, his heart nearly stopped beating. He had always thought she was calm and collected, but unexpectedly, she could still lose her temper. How could he possibly trust her?
Yin Wuxiao took a step back at his accusation. She knew how ridiculous her behavior had been. Yes, it was as if she, Yin Wuxiao, was always expected to be generous, composed, and unapproachable. Didn't she have the right to be willful? Couldn't she be sad?
No one in the world has the right to criticize her for being willful except him, because he is the one who hurt her.
She was heartbroken because of him.
She closed her slender phoenix eyes and finally had to admit that she had fallen in love with the man in front of her, the man who was said to be the most perfect man in the martial arts world.
But he was too perfect, so perfect that it seemed as if he had no heart.
She knew he had no intention of keeping her here. Since he could just watch her marry someone else, why bother seeing her one last time?
"You...you..." She lowered her head, stammering for a long time before finally uttering a sentence softly, revealing a sorrow she dared not express openly: "You let the horse run away, how am I supposed to get back?"
Baili Qingyi's handsome face changed drastically. As if trying to moisten his dry throat, he moved his lips.
Letting her go today is no easy task for him.
Just as he was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of Qiao Fenglang arriving out of the corner of his eye.
"Xiao'er!" Qiao Fenglang rushed over.
Yin Wuxiao trembled. She gently withdrew her right hand from Baili Qingyi's grasp.
"Brother Fenglang." She turned around and walked towards Qiao Fenglang, but never dared to look up.
The crimson cloak disappeared before the carriage door, and finally, he couldn't help but pause for a moment.
"Young Master in Green, please remember to come and have a drink at our wedding," Yin Wuxiao said softly, as if he were making a sacrifice.
As the carriage pulled by a single horse slowly drove away, Baili Hanyi dared to approach and tentatively call out, "Big Brother?"
Baili Qingyi did not respond, staring intently at her outstretched palm with a complicated expression. Her palm was empty, as if she had lost something she shouldn't have lost.
A moment later, he turned and left.