La pluie écarlate submerge la ville

Chapitre 57

He froze, stopping beneath the pale, warm wintersweet tree. Silver snowflakes fluttered down from the branches, landing on his shoulder. I whispered in his ear, "I still have some use in dealing with Yan Shu. How about an equal exchange? I only want the child. Name your price."

He stood there, his voice faint and distant, his brows furrowed, "Su Su, you don't believe me?"

"Believe what?" I took a half step back, raising an eyebrow at him. "Can you kill Ye Baizhi for me?"

He fell silent for a long time before finally saying, "Su Su, now that I'm keeping her around, I still have..."

"I know." I patted the snowflakes off his shoulder and smiled. "We have to think about the bigger picture. There are always sacrifices and trade-offs. I understand."

How could I not understand? Personal preferences are worthless compared to the bigger picture, aren't they?

He stood under the plain-colored winter plum tree, looking at me with his brows furrowed. I lowered my eyes and smiled, "I think Young Master should consider my suggestion." I turned and walked around the corridor towards Shen Qing's courtyard.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I heard the sound of a baby crying. The sound, overshadowed by Shen Qing's dejected voice, gripped my heart. Just as I was about to take a few quick steps inside, my wrist was suddenly grabbed and pulled back. Before I could react, I stumbled and crashed into someone's chest. I looked up and bumped into his chin, stunned. "Yan Shu..."

He looked travel-worn, with a gloomy face. Without saying a word, he grabbed me and turned to leave. He was strong and ruthless, dragging me so hard that I staggered and my wrist felt like it was going to break.

Ruan Lianhua blocked Yan Shu's path under the wintersweet tree, saying, "Let go of Su Su."

"Get out of the way." Yan Shu didn't even look up.

I struggled to free my wrist and said to him, "Yan Shu, let go of me. I have something to do, so let go of me first, and I'll come find you later."

"Shut up!" Yan Shu suddenly yelled at me, turned around and slapped me across the face. I lost my balance and stumbled to the ground, my face burning with pain.

"Su Su!" Ruan Lianhua rushed over to help me, but Yan Shu just stood there staring at his own hand without stopping her.

I pushed Ruan Lianhua aside, spat out a mouthful of blood, wiped my mouth with my hand, and laughed while rubbing the blood between my fingertips. "Satisfied?"

Yan Shu stood there, his face deathly pale. I stood up, dusted myself off, and said, "I have something to do." I turned to go into the courtyard.

"Su Xie!" Yan Shu suddenly shouted at me, his voice low and hoarse, "Come back with me."

He rushed over and grabbed my hand. I pulled my hand away and dodged. He pulled and pressed my fingers on my shoulder, making me wince in pain. The wound that had just been bandaged reopened, and a little blood seeped out.

I turned around, and he froze, "Su Xie, your shoulder..."

"Priest, could you please allow me to stop the bleeding?" I asked him, and he froze on the spot without saying a word.

===============================================================================

I entered the courtyard and saw Shen Qing carrying an infant, pacing around the house anxiously, saying, "Ancestor, please stop crying! If you cry again, I'll poison your muteness!"

He looked up and saw me, his face showing a look of utter despair. He wailed, "Su Xie, hurry up..." But he stopped when he saw Yan Shu coming in behind me. He said sarcastically, "Oh, is this Yan Shu? I almost didn't recognize him after just a few days. He looks so much older."

I walked over a few steps, looked at the thin, small child in his arms, and asked, "This... is Leng Baichun's child?"

"Nonsense." Shen Qing rolled her eyes at me. "If it's not hers, is it mine?"

In just a few days, she seemed to have grown a bit. Her previously furrowed brows and eyes had opened up, and she was crying with her mouth wide open, her eyelashes covered with tiny teardrops. I wanted to reach out but didn't dare, so I clung to Shen Qing's arm and asked, "Why is she crying so much? Is she feeling unwell? She was poisoned before, did you cure her?"

"How am I supposed to know why she's been crying like that!" Shen Qing shook her from side to side, trying to soothe her no matter what she did. "The poison was cured a long time ago, and I just fed her, but she just won't stop crying..."

This was the first time I'd ever handled a child this young. Looking at that soft, squishy little thing, I really didn't know where to begin. Suddenly, Yan Shu came over and scooped her up in his arms.

"Hey!" Shen Qing exclaimed first, "You're supporting her! You can't carry her like that!"

I hadn't expected Yan Shu to come so suddenly. My heart clenched with tension, and I hurriedly grabbed Yan Shu's arm, saying, "Don't touch her! Let go! Let go!"

"What's there to be nervous about?" Yan Shu held the child in her hands, looking down at my hands. "Do you think I'd break her neck?"

I let go of her and looked at how awkwardly the child was in his arms. I was really worried. "You don't know how to hold a child... don't scare her."

"Heh." Yan Shu sneered, picked up the child and shook him. The child actually stopped crying, blinked his wet eyelashes in Yan Shu's arms, looked at him, and grinned.

"Damn it..." Shen Qing stared wide-eyed in shock at Yan Shu, "She actually likes such a strange old man... Her taste is just as unique as her mother's!"

"She really hasn't cried anymore..." I leaned closer to look. Her small face was thinner and paler. Her only feature was her beautiful, watery eyes, which were sparkling as she smiled at Yan Shu. I couldn't help but say, "Shen Qing, it seems she likes perverts but not you."

"Bullshit!" Shen Qing said with great dissatisfaction, "I saved her! If it weren't for me, she would have been..." He swallowed the word "dead" and glared at Yan Shu, "What are you doing here?"

"Su Xie," Yan Shu called out to me, "Didn't you come to stop the bleeding?"

"What's wrong?" Shen Qing came over to look at me. "Are you injured again? Let me take a look."

I disliked the word "again," so I sat down in the chair. He glanced at the wound on my shoulder and quickly re-bandaged it.

Yan Shu then said, "Take her pulse and see if the poison has been neutralized."

I raised an eyebrow, then subtly lowered it again, without reaching out.

Just as Shen Qing was about to urge me on, she suddenly heard a commotion of footsteps in the courtyard. She frowned and shouted, "Who is it?"

Author's Note: Daily updates~ It's obviously much easier now, isn't it! As long as I don't kill the kids, anything is possible! Oops~ I think I accidentally said something~

P.S.: Recently, ** has come up with a new trick: blank reviews... Ugh! They can actually draw blank reviews now! I can't see what you guys are complaining about... I'm so anxious...

Sixty-eight

There were hurried footsteps outside the door. I looked up and saw a gray shadow flash by on the window. As soon as Shen Qing got up and opened the door, Ruan Lianhua walked in from outside.

I didn't notice when he left, but looking outside now, it seems he brought people with him.

There were four guards standing at the gate, and it seemed there were more in the courtyard.

Shen Qing glanced around and chuckled, "What does the young master mean by this? Are you guarding against thieves or against me?"

Ruan Lianhua glanced longingly at Yan Shu from the threshold. Yan Shu, quite self-aware, said, "It's just to keep an eye on me." He held the child and played with him for a while. "People become despicable and boring once they have something they can't have. The young master used to be such a lovable child, but now he's really disappointing."

Ruan Lianhua didn't come in, but stood at the door with a very faint smile. "It's because I never knew that there were so many good things in this world. Everything I saw was carefully chosen for me. Now I suddenly realize that some things you will lose if you don't fight for them. You only suffer losses because you are not strong enough. I am also grateful to the priest for letting me experience all of this."

He paused and then said, "Lotus is extremely grateful to the priest. Without you, I might still be in that garden today, unaware of how wonderful this power is."

This is a blatant confrontation. I roughly know who Ruan Lianhua brought people to surround this garden to keep out, and I can't take the child away.

Seeing Yan Shu's inscrutable smile as he held the child, I quickly got up, took the child back, and handed him to Shen Qing, saying, "I've seen everything today, it's time to eat, so I'll take my leave now."

He cupped his hands in greeting to Ruan Lianhua, then thought for a moment and turned to Yan Shu, saying, "Su Xie is waiting for the priest outside."

I bypassed Ruan Lianhua and went straight out of the house. When I got to the garden, I found that Ruan Lianhua had brought a lot of people with her, and they surrounded me. It was really impossible for me to escape.

===============================================================================

The sky was bright, but despite the sun being out, it was still gloomy and cold.

I figured Yan Shu and Ruan Lianhua would definitely exchange some sarcastic remarks, so I left the garden and waited under the winter plum tree outside.

I was staring blankly at a half-open wintersweet branch, feeling utterly bored, when I suddenly heard someone call my name from not far away, "Su Xie."

I turned around and saw Ye Baizhi standing not far away. I didn't know when she had arrived. She got close to my side and stared straight at me, which made me feel a little uneasy.

She asked, "You haven't been cured of the poison yet, have you?"

I blinked, waiting for her to continue. Sure enough, she took out a small medicine bottle from her bosom and said, "This is medicine that can suppress the effects of Gu poison, do you remember?"

Of course I remember, wasn't this the very thing I gave Ruan Bicheng?

"I'll be frank," she said impatiently, clutching the small medicine bottle. "If you do me a favor, I'll give you all these medicines. They won't cure the poison, but they'll be enough to help you find the legendary healer. How about it?"

Was I bitten by a centipede and that's what made me convulse? Or was she driven to desperation and convulsed? Or have I really become an extremely useful pawn now? Useful to everyone, after all.

This value makes me feel somewhat flattered.

Seeing that I remained silent, she said anxiously, "It's not a difficult matter. I know that Ruan Bicheng still feels guilty towards you and still cherishes old feelings. You hate him too, don't you? If you help me lure him out, I can help you kill him to vent your anger, and you can also get these antidotes. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

Huh? How come she makes it sound like I've gotten the biggest advantage? I've gotten my revenge, and I also need the antidote—it's all beneficial and harmless.

Thinking about it carefully, she really had a tough time. She went through so much trouble to gain Ruan Lianhua's favor and was about to get the position of protector, but I, a worthless wretch, ruined everything. Now I have to kill Ruan Bicheng for no reason. But Ruan Bicheng is an alliance leader when she returns to the Central Plains. Is she so easy to kill?

She was filled with sorrow and confusion, and finally, in a great deal of agonizing, she decided to come find me, this wretched woman. If it were me, I would never have had the brains or the courage to do so. I'm already struggling to keep my face from twitching.

“Su Xie, you know the young master likes you, right?” She tried to persuade me from another angle. “The position of the sect leader’s wife will be yours in the future, so why are you competing with me for this small position of protector?” She paused, lowered her long, curled eyelashes, and laughed self-deprecatingly. “I’m not like you. I can only rely on the young master. The priest will not let me go. Only by becoming a protector can I protect myself. Su Xie, although we have a grudge, everything before was done at the priest’s behest! I had no choice!”

She grabbed my hand and said earnestly, "From now on, we will both be working for the young master. Can you please forgive me for what happened in the past? I will treat you like my own sister from now on!"

I couldn't help but blurt it out. Thinking about it carefully, she probably didn't know that Yan Shu had already returned.

Then he smiled calmly, looked at her holding my hand, and leaned closer to say, "I wasn't originally planning to take the antidote, but after hearing what you said, I felt that it would be unfair to you if I didn't take it..."

She blinked at me, puzzled. I glanced at the garden, then suddenly raised my hand and slapped her across the face. The force, the brutality, and the wickedness of the slap made my palm go numb. Ye Baizhi staggered, taking a half-step back and grabbing a tree branch to steady herself. She glared at me, shocked and angry, her pale face swollen.

"Thank you, Su Xie..."

I reached out and snatched the small medicine bottle from her hand before she could react, saying, "Give me back my medicine!" Then I whispered quickly in her ear, "You'd better not fight back."

Before she could react, she grabbed my wrist in shock and anger, shouting, "Su Xie, what do you mean by this!"

I didn't answer or struggle, just smiled at her and casually exclaimed, "Oh my god!"

The next instant, a sharp crack was heard, and Ye Baizhi screamed in agony. She jerked her hand away from mine, looked up at Yan Shu who had rushed to her side, and stumbled back several steps as if she had seen a ghost. She fell to her knees, her face deathly pale, and clutched her broken wrist, stammering in shock, "Priest... Your Excellency..."

Yan Shu twirled his fingers, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "You dare to come back? Are you afraid I won't be able to find you?"

"Bai Zhi wouldn't dare!" Ye Bai Zhi hurriedly lowered her head, her face covered in sweat, and secretly glanced into the garden, probably hoping that Ruan Lianhua would come out.

I stepped forward, reached out my hand, and asked, "Aren't you going to give me the antidote yet?"

She looked up at me, her eyes filled with hatred as if she wanted to devour me alive, and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Su Xie, you are so despicable!"

"No way," I chuckled softly. "I've always been incredibly kind, otherwise you wouldn't have come to me for 'help,' would you?" I bent down to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead, speaking softly to her, "You only came to me because you thought I'd 'forgive and forget,' right? I'm so kind, aren't you all just taking advantage of me?" I couldn't help but click my tongue. "Why bother? I told you not to fight back, are you going to give me the antidote? Or will Yan Shu have to ask you for it?"

She trembled with rage, grinding her teeth, and said to me with utter contempt, "Su Xie, you are even more despicable than me. At least I don't need to sell my body and charm to please a man and get his protection! What about you? You've followed the young master and now you've hooked up with Yan Shu. I've never understood why the old sect leader favored you so much, but now I understand completely!"

I smiled at her with narrowed eyes, "Thank you for the compliment, how could I let you down?" I raised my hand and slapped her across the face again, saying, "Give me the medicine."

I knew Yan Shu would come over and stand behind me, otherwise why would Ye Baizhi look at me with such fear? She must have wanted to tear me apart. After a long while, she handed me the small medicine bottle, her fingers clenched tightly. I tried to pull it away for a long time, but Yan Shu still managed to snatch it from me.

She reacted quickly, flipping over and scrambling to her feet behind him, exclaiming with delight, "Young Master!"

I got up and saw Ruan Lianhua also coming out of the courtyard. She looked at Ye Baizhi and then at me. I bowed slightly and said, "Farewell, young master."

===============================================================================

I hadn't gone far when Yan Shu caught up with me in a few strides, grabbed my wrist, and started walking quickly and urgently towards his residence. I stumbled and fell all the way, my arm almost breaking from the strain.

Upon entering his garden, a group of beautiful women surrounded him. He shouted, "Get out!" and immediately fell silent.

I didn't dare to say a word. He kicked open the door, shoved me inside, slammed the door shut, and turned to glare at me.

I gripped the table, watching his face hidden in the shadows. His eyes were especially frightening. He walked towards me step by step, and I stood still. He approached, grabbed my chin, and asked, "What kind of medicine is this?"

He shook the small medicine bottle in his hand, and I took a breath and said, "Strengthening and health-preserving pills."

With a sharp crack, the table shattered beside me. Yan Shu asked me again, "Do you really have to provoke me? Do you want me to kill you with my own hands before you're satisfied?"

I looked up at him; his brows were furrowed, there was a dark brown scar on his forehead and a little stubble on his chin, and his fingers were icy cold.

"Su Xie, this is the most I can tolerate you. I'm tired. If you still want to escape, I'll have to sever your tendons and make you unable to move an inch." He clattered the small medicine bottle to the ground, his fingers touched my wrist, and with a sudden force, I heard a cracking sound from my wrist. I shuddered in pain. He wrapped his arms around my waist and asked, "Does it hurt?"