Un cœur pur dans un pot de jade

Chapitre 29

Yan Chaohong was even more surprised than I was. She looked at the jade first, then at the savage, and after looking at the savage, she looked at the jade again.

However, for me, the stolen goods and the act of heroism are not the point. The point is, why is this savage looking for trouble and trying to be a hero?!

"Who told you to play the good guy?!" I yelled, turning the savage around. "What if you hurt yourself? Who's going to pay me for the damage? Are you trying to make me live a life of widowhood?!"

The savage chuckled.

Yan Chaohong glared at me, disgusted that I was embarrassing her, and then asked the savage, "Do you know how much this jade is worth?"

The savage shook his head.

"But how did you get it?!" Yan Chaohong asked again.

“Stolen,” the savage said silently, placing the jade in Yan Chaohong’s hand.

Stolen?! My heart skipped a beat. I paused, then looked closely at the savage.

He still frowned in pain, but his expression remained remarkably calm, showing no sign of anything amiss. However, stealing is something that takes practice; not everyone has a natural talent for it, and even those with talent aren't guaranteed to succeed on their first try. The fact that this savage could steal meant he knew how to steal, that he could snatch jade from a robber's arms, and that he understood the art of feinting and diverting attention—what did this mean? It meant that petty theft was his forte.

If Yan Chaohong hadn't been there, I would have immediately turned the savage around and asked him how he could have stolen things, whether he had done this kind of thing often before, or whether he was actually a master thief or some other kind of unparalleled talent!

Actually, being a master thief isn't so bad. I can let my mind wander and think randomly, and at least I won't have to worry about food and drink anymore.

Now the wild man looks at me and takes my hand to write: I just want to help.

Then he wrote: I'm sorry...

He genuinely admitted his mistake, and he knew what I was thinking; otherwise, he wouldn't have smiled so helplessly when he lowered his eyes. The savage only wanted to help, but now he has to apologize.

Just as I was about to say something to comfort him, a cold wind suddenly swept through the bustling street. Passersby fled, shops packed up, and a savage suddenly grabbed me and shielded me behind him, as if a storm was brewing.

Bloodshed...

Whether in ancient or modern times, or in gangster movies, the struggle for territory by gangs is always characterized by a spirit of seeking common ground while reserving differences, and an almost unwavering determination to create bloodshed.

I was strolling hand-in-hand with a savage when a group of men wielding machetes suddenly appeared from one end of the street. Looking back, I saw another group of about a hundred men stepping out around the corner, carrying large Xuanhua axes.

When the two largest gangs in Chengdu agree to a fight, they don't notify innocent women and children like us beforehand.

So I could only cover my head and scurry after the savage, running from Guwolongqiao Street to Qingshiqiao Street. The bridges were everywhere, leading in all directions. I watched as innocent people, like dumplings, fell into the river with a "thump, thump, thump." The savage stayed within three steps of me, but he was unarmed and weak, no match for those strong gang henchmen who were hot-blooded and eager to kill.

Yan Chaohong picked up someone else's machete and flew to my side—"Don't be afraid!" she said, turning back to comfort me.

"What are you looking at me for!" The savage was panting heavily, clutching his chest. I quickly pushed Yan Chaohong forward. "Look at the enemy!"

Yan Chaohong immediately became solemn, and with a flick of the back of his knife, he knocked down a long string of enemies, creating a domino effect.

But in any case, the savage knew light-footed skills, Yan Chaohong knew martial arts, the other side was a lackey, and we were just passersby. If we hadn't followed the wrong crowd and gone the wrong way, we wouldn't have been driven into a dead end.

From the bridge to the street below, I gradually saw people lying on the ground, and patches of blood.

It turns out that the saying "human life is as worthless as grass" is not an exaggeration. A person flew horizontally past me, crashing into a crabapple tree in full bloom on the street. It was the peak blooming season for weeping crabapples, with branches and leaves taller than a person's head. The person hit the tree trunk and bounced up. The crabapple tree in the street, full of pink flowers, snapped with a "crack." The flowers fell, falling faster than cherry blossoms, yet more turbulently, hitting the person on the head, along with two ounces of blood. Blood spurted straight forward, splattering on the red flowers. I stood there dumbfounded, a petal landing at my feet.

"Sun Qingshan, what are you doing?!" I heard this voice, but suddenly felt something was wrong. I turned around sharply, and a masked man appeared out of nowhere. The masked man held a sword in his hand and charged at me with the sword, saying, "You scoundrel who's been causing trouble for men all over the streets, this time I'll chop you into thirty-six pieces and feed you to the dogs!"

A menace?!

You cut food this finely even when feeding it to a dog?!

I froze, not because of the accusation, but because the sword was coming right at me, but my legs went numb. I wanted to run, but it was like being hit by a car on the street. In that blinding fraction of a second of time, there was still a chance to run, but my legs just gave way.

The savage's hand suddenly shoved me. I knew it was a savage because I had a woman's intuition.

Then I turned around and saw the tip of the sword cut through the savage's face, his face was deathly pale, and blood was oozing from a horizontal sword mark.

My heart ached, but I had to run away first, because the masked man was determined to come for me. He turned his sword and aimed at me again.

I turned and ran, but the henchmen who were still fighting each other kept doing this. They would either bump into me, splattering blood all over me, or their axes would be tilted and pointed directly at me.

"Yan Chaohong!" I shouted, pushing people away, "Someone's trying to stab me!! Help me!!!"

Yan Chaohong flew towards me, stepping on people's heads. Her little face was stiff from a distance, and she was probably thinking, "Why doesn't he get the good things? Now that I'm being saved, I remember him. Why didn't you call the savage?" Little Honghong was probably cursing me in her heart again.

That's right, I'm biased. Of course, someone who takes the sword can't be called a savage. I'm unlucky, and I'd rather drag Yan Chaohong down with me than be associated with a savage in the slightest.

I know I had a bad attitude, so I was punished.

Yan Chaohong didn't make it in time, not because he was careless, nor because the masked brothers were capable, but because a henchman suddenly appeared and tripped him. He lost his grip on the large axe, and because he was strong, he didn't let the axe fall properly. So, in a situation that no one expected, a person was hit by the axe, and the axe blade went into the flesh. It was a long time before the blood fell to the ground.

The person who got hit wasn't me, but a beautiful woman who stood up for me. She reeked of alcohol and makeup. Yan Chaohong shouted from mid-air, "Xiao Chenchen!!"

So this is the admirer of the divine physician Xu Yi. Looking back, I realize she truly deserves to be called a beauty.

The beautiful woman saved me, but the crisis wasn't over. Yan Chaohong knelt down in front of the woman and used acupressure to treat me, but it didn't help. The masked man attacked again, and Xiao Honghong cried out in alarm, "Sun Qingshan, quickly pick up the knife at your feet!!"

I picked up the knife, and the next second a cold hand suddenly grabbed my hand, my waist tightened, and the person wrapped their arm around my waist. Before I could turn around, the knife had already been slashed out of my hand.

The savage's aura was firm and steady. He grabbed my hand and made his move, turning and leaping up, completely beyond my control. With a single slash, he severed the arm of a passerby's henchman. The masked man attacked, and I abruptly closed my eyes, leaning forward and bending my legs. The knife pierced the blunt object with a "whoosh." I couldn't help but open my eyes and see the masked man's eyes at close range. They were quite young eyes, clear and bright, yet uneasy and fearful, looking at the savage behind me.

"No!" I screamed. The savage suddenly exerted force, and the knife pierced straight through the masked man's chest, then was pulled out with a "plop," a mouthful of hot blood splattered all over my hands.

Then came the clearing of the area. Although the savage had no internal energy, his swordsmanship was excellent, and he showed great stamina and perseverance in critical moments. He held me tightly around the waist with one hand, while I shouted in his arms, "Don't cut anyone! Let me go!" But he ignored me.

Sometimes, I dream that I could be daring enough to break the law, kill someone, and even falsify accounts and embezzle public funds.

But even in my dreams, I still feel lingering fear when I wake up.

In any case, I am a timid and law-abiding person. Moreover, killing someone is not the same as chasing an ant. The legal provisions in my mind are deeply ingrained. There is also a saying: "Those of the same kind should not kill each other."

When the savage released my hand, the long sword fell to the ground with a thud. I looked at my hands covered in blood. Although I knew the savage was only trying to protect himself, and he hadn't hurt many people, wasn't that masked man a human? He had stabbed me so deeply. Although the "corpse" was temporarily out of sight, he was still likely to have died from lack of care or blood loss. He wanted to kill me, to chop me into thirty-six pieces and feed me to the dogs, but I didn't have the mental fortitude to disregard human life.

I was born to my parents, and my conscience is troubled and cries out.

However, the heavy object behind him fell to the ground. Turning around, he saw the savage clutching his chest and collapsing to the ground, panting heavily.

...

That day, he returned to Xu Yi's home to seek medical treatment.

At 7:25 PM (I adjusted the time to Beijing), the evening news was broadcasting international news.

The wild man's complexion improved slightly, and I helped him to the next guest room to visit my adoptive parents, Xiao Chenchen.

As they stepped out into the courtyard, Yan Chaohong and Mi Shenbu had just entered, and they also encountered Mingming and Xu Jinwan, who were already at home. The six of them looked at each other and, without prior arrangement, headed in the same direction.

However, when we arrived at Xiao Chenchen's room, in front of everyone, the savage almost turned on me.

It was only because Yan Chaohong and I each said one sentence, and the two of us said a total of four sentences.

It was me who remembered first, "Yan Chaohong, you seemed to have taken a sword for me this afternoon, was it your left or right hand? Are you alright?"

Yan Chaohong valued her reputation above all else, and waved her hand, "That little injury, I've long forgotten about it!!"

Then, feeling that wasn't enough, he added, "Sun Qingshan, you're quite something! If you ever have another crazy opportunity like this, you'll come to me again!!!"

I glared at him, knowing full well he was being sarcastic, so I deliberately replied, "Of course I'll ask you! Who else would I ask?! Next time there's a life-or-death situation, I'll definitely push you out first, to be my number one scapegoat, Sun Qingshan!"

So the savage pulled his hand away from mine. I didn't even realize it. I thought I hadn't held on properly, so I stretched out both hands to grab him back. But when I glanced to the side, I saw Mingming giving me a look, and I realized something was wrong. I turned to look at the savage.

You can't tell anything from a savage's face. To be honest, reading people isn't my strong suit. My mom used to tell me to assess the situation before I spoke, and not to be silly and say whatever comes to mind, lest I just walk into the line of fire.

But this time I really didn't realize I'd said anything wrong, so I stepped forward, pulled the wild man aside, and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?"

He lowered his eyes and shook his head. Xu Jinwan snorted coldly and was about to walk past me to push open the door when she heard Yan Chaohong mutter to the person next to her, "Can't you tell? Someone's jealous..."

Even Xu Jinwan, who usually didn't pay any attention to the group, turned around to see what was going on. I glared at Yan Chaohong, "What nonsense are you talking about! Who's jealous?! Jealous of whom?!"

Yan Chaohong glared at me too, "It's obvious, why are you still asking?!"

I turned around, feeling a bit annoyed, and saw that the savage was still standing quietly to the side. I had made my point so clear, but he still didn't react. I really should look for the problem within myself. Could it be that I said something wrong without realizing it?

So I started thinking of ways to remedy the situation.

“Wild man,” I leaned forward, craning my neck and looking down at him, “Don’t listen to Yan Chaohong’s nonsense. I was just joking with him. If you’re unhappy, I promise you, this time, next time, and from this day forward, I will never speak to Yan Chaohong again!”

Yan Chaohong pouted and made a noise.

The savage shook his head, raised his gaze to look at me in a lukewarm manner, and then took the initiative to extend his hand to me.

When I saw the hand was already out, I was incredibly smug. I happily reached out to take it, saying as I did so, "Yan Chaohong is a menace. Why bother with him? Next time there's any danger to your life, I'll be the first to run to his side and cause him death, to vent your anger. So you—"

I was taken aback for a moment.

The savage's fingertips brushed against my hand, and then our hands slid together.

His attitude changed so quickly. Before I could even finish speaking, he walked past me expressionlessly. I didn't even have time to react. I just felt my heart pound, and my hand, still raised, froze in mid-air.

The door behind me opened, and my telepathic connection told me that Yeren and Xu Jinwan opened the door at the same time. But I stood there, bewildered, watching Yan Chaohong walk towards me with infinite sympathy. She put her hand on my shoulder, patted it, sighed, and walked over.

He was right behind me, and he tried to say something to comfort me, but then he seemed helpless.

I just don't understand—I suddenly turned around, shoved Yan Chaohong aside, rushed in front of the savage, grabbed his arm, and shouted, "You can't be this angry! Can't you just say what you want to say to my face?!"

Everyone in the room was waiting for something to happen between the two of them, but the savage looked at my hand first, and then slowly raised his eyes.

He smiled, a strangely gentle smile, a bitter smile, with no hint of amusement in his eyes.

"I'm sorry..." he said silently, then pulled my hand down.

...

As a result, because I spoke loudly, Dr. Xu Yi was very disrespectful and was the first to kick me out of Xiao Chenchen's ward.

So my affair with the savage wasn't over, but a bunch of clueless people separated us.

The clock on my watch pointed to 11 p.m. I paced back and forth nervously in my room, then crept to the door and peeked out through a crack. Xiao Chenchen's room was still lit, while Xu Yi's room was still dark. So the savage and the divine doctor were still in Xiao Chenchen's room and hadn't come out.

I don't know what the savage is up to, but I'm quite certain that he won't ignore me for no reason; he's not me.

Then I started thinking of reasons: if the savage doesn't come back, I can try a different approach to bring him back.

So I went back and rummaged through my travel bag, and all I found was a bottle of sleeping pills; the pills were gone.

Since the excuse of giving the miracle doctor sleeping pills didn't hold water, I could only take a bowl, rinse a bowl of Horlics with hot water, and deliver it to the miracle doctor—it was all for helping him sleep anyway.

I cautiously opened the door a crack to see what the people inside were doing.

Behind the small gap, the light was dim. The divine doctor leaned against Xiao Chenchen's bedside, staring blankly into space, while the wild man sat at the head of the woman's bed, holding a small white handkerchief in his hand. He was bending over, gently and carefully wiping the sweat off the beautiful Xiao!

All the anger I had been suppressing suddenly flared up. I didn't care who was right or wrong, or that the savage was just acting out of a sense of duty, or that he wanted to repay Xiao Chenchen even if it was for my sake. In short, I just felt completely out of sorts. I pushed open the door and went inside. The savage turned around, saw me, and was stunned.

I strode forward, and when I got to the bedside, I ignored him and gave Xu Yi a hard push. Xu Yi looked up and said, "Drink it!" I shoved the bowl in front of the divine doctor.

The miracle doctor took the bowl, and without asking what it was, he put it to his lips and drank.

The water was still hot, and Xu Yi drank it very slowly. I stared at him without blinking, but in fact, all my attention was on the wild man in Yu Guangli's eyes.

The room was quiet, with only three people awake. Xiao Meiren was still asleep, while the savage kept staring at me. Suddenly, he stood up and said, "Finished drinking?!" I snatched the bowl from Xu Yi's hand. The liquid inside sloshed around and splashed all over my hand. I took the bowl and left. The savage was still standing there, as if he wanted to say something to me. I raised my head and didn't even glance at him. When I reached the door, I wasn't paying attention and bumped into the door frame with a "thud."