La pluie écarlate submerge la ville

Chapitre 23

He tilted his head and smiled at me, saying, "The Left Protector will come to save me."

I am truly heartbroken for the evil cult, and for the old cult leader. Was Ruan Lianhua really his biological daughter? Or was she born from the cult leader's wife's affair?

I turned my face away, not wanting to say another word to him.

He squatted beside me for a long time without saying a word. I had just closed my eyes to rest for a while when my cheek suddenly felt icy cold, which startled me. I opened my eyes and saw Ruan Lianhua blinking at me, her fingers carefully touching my face.

"What are you doing?" I touched my face, which was swollen from the Queen's slap; it was wet and cool. "What the hell?"

Ruan Lianhua showed me the small medicine bottle in his hand. "This is medicine for healing wounds. It was given to me by Pharmacist Shen when I left the sect." He reached out and tucked my stray hairs behind my ear, and said softly, "Your face is very swollen. Applying some medicine will make you feel better."

I felt a little awkward and reached out my hand, saying, "I can do it myself."

He pursed his lips, blinked at me, and whispered, "Susu, can't I help you? I'll be gentler..." His dimples deepened as he looked at me pitifully.

My heart melted... After thinking for a moment, I said, "Then take it easy."

"Mmm!" He nodded with great pleasure, knelt beside me, dipped his pinky finger in the ointment, and reached over through the iron bars to apply it while carefully blowing on it. It felt cool, refreshing, and tingly.

I heard him ask me in a very gentle voice in my ear, "Does it hurt?"

I had never been treated so carefully and gently in my life. At that moment, my nose tingled, and all the grievances suddenly welled up. "Try being slapped and see if it hurts..."

He sighed and asked me again, "Where else?"

I offered him my arm, feeling both pathetic and aggrieved, and said, "My wrist...and my knee, and my back..."

He rolled up my sleeves for me, looked at the bruises around my wrist, and said with a pursed lip, "How did you get all these injuries? Why didn't you fight back? Su Su is very skilled in martial arts and rarely gets hurt..."

"Do you think I don't want to?" I was utterly aggrieved, and his words only fueled my anger. I pulled my hand back and said, "I'm not Su Xie, I'm Lu Ning. I'm just useless, only knowing some rudimentary skills. If I were a martial arts master, would my father still dislike me...?"

I swallowed back all the words I wanted to say. It was my own fault for being so useless. I had taken over Su Xie's body, but I couldn't even learn one-thousandth of what she was like.

Serves them right.

All I know is that if I can't beat someone, I should just endure the blows rather than fight them head-on and risk my life. In the Licheng Palace, no matter how capable I am, I can't outmaneuver the Queen. If I dare to fight back, she might just draw her knife and execute me on the spot.

It's just a few hits, I'll endure it.

Ruan Lianhua suddenly stopped talking and quietly squatted down beside me. After a long while, she took my hand and said softly, "I didn't mean that."

He didn't look at me, but just massaged my wrist gently, his tone light and gentle, "Su Su has her good points, and you have yours too."

I sat against the wall, looking at the sliver of moonlight streaming in through the skylight, and said with a wry smile, "Really? What's so good about someone like me?"

He gave a soft "hmm," his voice like light floating in mid-air, quiet and serene. "You have a pure and clear heart, more steadfast and hardworking than anyone else." He held my hand, looking at me with eyes as clear as spring water. "You've never complained about anything, have you?"

I almost burst into tears at that moment. I've lived to be this old and never knew I had such excellent qualities, and no one has ever said such kind words to me.

I leaned against the green wall, turned my head to look at him, tears welling up in my eyes, and smiled, "Are you sure you're talking about me?"

"Yes." He nodded seriously, then suddenly lowered his head and kissed my wrist. "Does it still hurt?"

His sudden action startled me. I heard him smile and say, "That's what my mother taught me: a kiss will make the pain go away."

His dimples were so shallow that my heart melted instantly, and I laughed until tears and snot streamed down my face. I pinched his cheek and said, "Who is your mother? She's made you so adorable!"

He squinted as he massaged me, and said with a slight smile, "My mother is very beautiful, and her surname is also Ruan."

"Also surnamed Ruan?" I was quite surprised. "You took her surname?"

He nodded. "My father loved my mother very much, so he always did what she wanted, and he even took her surname."

The old cult leader is so devoted! It's unbelievable to me. I couldn't help but ask, "Then how did you end up locked up in the forbidden area? Could it be... that you killed your mother?!" My mind raced as I imagined the melodramatic scene of the beautiful cult leader's wife being indirectly killed by her own son, the old cult leader imprisoning his son in grief, and never wanting to see him again.

Seeing my strange expression, Ruan Lianhua laughed and said, "Don't overthink it. I was locked up in the forbidden area because my father said there are too many bad people outside and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on me. Also, ever since my mother passed away, he would...shed tears every time he saw me."

A person of strong emotions...

I asked, guessingly, "You look a lot like your mother?"

He nodded.

"No wonder..." I sighed. "So the old cult leader doted on you so much that he wouldn't let anyone get close to you... I never imagined the old cult leader was such a person with such a torturous and affectionate love!"

"And what about you?" he suddenly asked me. "Your name is Lu Ning? What kind of people are your parents?"

I scratched my head and mumbled, "My parents... are very ordinary people, there's nothing much to say about them."

"And what about Brother Ruan?" He went straight to the point, making my heart skip a beat. He stared intently at me and said, "I've heard Brother Ruan mention that his fiancée's name is Lu Ning..."

"A coincidence!" I categorically denied. "Pure coincidence! There are countless people in the world with a name as ordinary as Lu Ning..."

He smiled broadly, "I was just asking casually, Su Su, you don't need to be so nervous."

I just casually asked your mother! Don't you understand that the past is too painful to recall?

My mind suddenly raced and I remembered that he was the one who sold me out. I grabbed his neck and said, "I remember now! What did you say about me to Ruan Bicheng that made him misunderstand me so much?"

He didn't dare grab my wrist, but just shrank back, smiling with dimples as he said, "Don't be angry, I didn't say anything."

"Nonsense! Confess!"

He blinked innocently, "I just told him that you seem to like him."

Good heavens... that's all! No wonder he misunderstood that I had ulterior motives towards him!

I said, heartbroken, "Which eye of yours saw that I liked him?"

He blinked and asked me, "You saved him, don't you like him?"

What innocent thoughts...

I breathed a sigh of relief and grinned, "I saved him because I couldn't resist, okay? I have absolutely nothing to do with him, and I don't like him at all."

Ruan Lianhua asked me with a smile, "You really don't like him?"

"I don't like it!" I answered decisively and firmly.

Suddenly, Ruan Lianhua turned her head and smiled at the outside of the cell, "Brother Ruan, did you hear that? Su Su doesn't like you."

My fingers froze, and a sudden realization struck me. I turned my head blankly and saw the Alliance Leader standing outside the prison, looking at me with a furrowed brow.

"I understand." He looked at me coldly, then turned to Ruan Lianhua and asked, "Do you two know where Priest Yan Shu is?"

That's fine too. I sat back down in the corner and looked at him calmly.

Ruan Lianhua shook her head and asked me again, "Su Su, do you know?"

I said very honestly, "I knew before, but I really don't know now."

"Miss Su." The alliance leader spoke through the prison door, his expression unreadable, but his words were distant. "You know the Queen only wants to see Yan Shu, but you really don't know where he is?"

Before I could speak, he added, "Miss Su, there's no need to worry. I just want to repay the life-saving grace. After repaying the grace, we'll be even."

very good.

I smiled at him, "Thank you, Alliance Leader, but I really don't know where the priest is. Of course, believe it or not."

He looked at me intently for a long time, then sighed and said, "I have a way to rescue Miss Su and Young Master Ruan, but I need Miss Su..."

"No need," I said, smiling at him. "I had no choice but to save the Alliance Leader. He doesn't owe me anything, so there's no need for him to bother saving me. We're even anyway."

His brow furrowed, and he just stared at me. "You...do you really hate me that much? You won't even let me save you?"

"How could that be?" I replied with a smile. "You two were just strangers who met by chance, so why would you say you dislike me?"

He didn't speak again, stared for a long, long time, then turned and left.

The moment the cell door closed, I let out a breath and slumped against the wall.

“Su Su…” Ruan Lianhua looked at my face and asked, “Why did you reject him?”

I shrugged and laughed, "I'd love to."

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At that time, I thought that the farther away from him the better, and it would be best to never have any connection with him, even if it meant spending my whole life in this dungeon, it would be better than being by his side.

I'll always feel so inferior around him that I can't even lift my head. You know, one wrong move is enough. I can't keep being a burden to him in my past life and still not repent in this one.

But to everyone's surprise, he still managed to rescue me that night...

Twenty-seven

I met Ye Baizhi late that night. I'm a light sleeper, and I was startled awake when the cell door opened with a loud crash. I squinted and saw a graceful figure carrying a lamp as she entered.

The jailer demanded to know who it was.

The man handed over the token and said, "I am summoning Su Xie by order of the Queen."

I recognized the voice, but I was still somewhat surprised when she stopped in front of the prison door. "Ye Baizhi? When did you become the Queen's woman? You're quite the charmer."

She just smiled at me with her eyes lowered, making my spine tingle.

The cell door opened, and she stood outside with a lamp, smiling at me, "Should I call the jailer to escort you out?"

I glanced at the imposing, muscular man outside the cell, and wisely got up and walked out.

“Su Su…” Ruan Lianhua quickened her pace, leaning on the iron railing and looking at me with concern, “Be careful.”

"Good boy," I reached out and patted his head, grinning at him.

Ye Baizhi coldly mocked me from the front, "You're not going to die, there's no need for this life-or-death separation."

Jealousy, she's just plain jealous, I can understand that.

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She led me out of the dungeon with a lantern, but strangely, she came alone, without any guards or maids, and confidently led me into a small path.

Under the dim moonlight, she suddenly turned around. The light was so bright that my eyes were momentarily blinded, and I quickly took a step back.

She chuckled and said, "What are you afraid of, sister? I'm not going to eat you."

I couldn't figure her out. A smile hiding a knife is more terrifying than anything else. I couldn't help but laugh and said, "That's hard to say. On such a dark and windy night, you falsely claimed to be acting on the Queen's orders and brought me to such a secluded place... I really can't think of any reason that would make me feel more at ease."

"Sister, you've misunderstood me like this!" she said, feigning grievance, almost stamping her foot. "It makes me so sad."

I felt a chill run down my spine and shivered. I quickly said, "Just say what you have to say. I really can't handle your tenderness."

She shrugged, bent down and blew out the lantern, saying coldly, "I'm here to save you."

Oh dear? Am I still dreaming today? Or is the wind so strong that I'm hard of hearing? My little sister Lotus, who always wishes I were dead, actually said she'd come to save me?

I couldn't help but laugh. "What merit do Su Xie have to deserve such trouble from Sister Bai Zhi?"

"You think I wanted to?" she sneered softly in the dark night. "Someone asked me to come and save you with good intentions."