Счастье совсем рядом, за следующим поворотом

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The night was too dark for me to see clearly. I only vaguely made out a pair of tender red lips that were biting my skin inch by inch, downwards and downwards. I couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, and that soft body pressed against my chest as she cried, trembling and sobbing softly in a desperate, tender embrace.

The voice sent a chill down my spine. I pushed it away abruptly and saw a face as white as snow, streaked with glistening tears. The person sobbed softly, "Please, girl, spare me...please spare me..."

Chang Huan… My pores exploded instantly. Just as I was about to struggle, someone wrapped their arms around Chang Huan’s neck from behind, burying their face in his ear and kissing him softly. The hairpin in his hair trembled wildly, and the slender white fingers traced down Chang Huan’s collarbone inch by inch, stopping at a spot on his chest and gently pinching it. Chang Huan trembled violently, his neck involuntarily arching back, his throat gurgling, and he let out a very weak moan.

The person behind him turned his face and bit his lips hard, the biting so hard that the sound of water filled the air, and bright red blood flowed from the corners of their tightly pressed lips before releasing him. Their chest pressed against Chang Huan's back, their tongue deftly licking the blood from Chang Huan's lips, while their slender white legs wrapped around Chang Huan's waist, rubbing against him in a frenzied, passionate manner. "Is it pleasurable? Is it pleasurable..."

Who is this? Who is this person? They seem familiar.

"Are you happy? Are you happy..." she asked again and again, her tongue darting like a snake across her lips and earlobe.

Who is it?

She suddenly raised her head, her pointed chin resting on Changhuan's shoulder as she looked at me. Her dark, alluring eyes and pale face, framed by a few loose hairpins, revealed a small, delicate face. She licked the red blood from the corner of her lips and smiled at me, "Happy? Happy..."

I was terrified and hurriedly backed away. That face... those eyebrows and eyes, it was so familiar. Wasn't it Su Xie? The owner of my body, Su Xie.

"Are you having fun?" She had one arm around Changhuan, and the other hand teasing his bobbing Adam's apple as she looked at me with a giggle. "Are you having fun?"

I didn't know who she was asking. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed my ankle, asking me with a smile, "You've been using my body for so long, have you been happy?"

I jerked back, but she withdrew her hand, wrapped her arms around Changhuan's neck, and giggled. Her trembling legs, with the green snake tattoo wrapped around them, seemed to come alive. She grabbed Changhuan's hair, forcing him to groan softly, and pressed her face against his, saying, "Look, isn't he incredibly beautiful? Why aren't you happy? My body is so happy, yet you don't know how to enjoy it."

She suddenly frowned slightly, tilted her head and asked me, "You like Ruan Bicheng?" Then she asked, "Do you want to eat him up?" She hugged Chang Huan with both arms, leaned forward to look at me, "How about I eat him up for you? Yan Shu and the young master, whatever you want, I'll eat it up for you, okay?"

She wrapped her arms around Changhuan's waist, grabbed his hair, and pulled him so hard that his neck was thrown back, and he was panting heavily. "Isn't it great to let them be at your mercy like this?"

Is it a dream? Whose dream is it? Mine? Or Su Xie's?

"Okay?" She scrunched up her small face pitifully, stretching out her pale arm to ask me, "Give me back my body, and I'll help you... make you strong, so strong that no one can hurt you. Everything you want, everything you hate, everything you resent, I'll settle for you." She suddenly appeared before me, lying on top of me, looking down at me, "You're so lazy and foolish. Look at those you love, and those who love you—which one is truly sincere? Ruan Bicheng betrayed you, the young master used you, and Yan Shu? He didn't love you either; he needed a feeling, a feeling he'd never had before. To him, you were like an untamed dog, full of novelty, but in the end, you were still just a dog..."

“If it were me, I would torture them to the point of wishing they were dead.” She smiled tremulously, “Unfortunately, I would never allow myself to fall to such a lowly position as you.”

Her fingers brushed across my brow as she whispered, "You're a complete failure. What's the point of living? No one loves you, no one." She sighed, "How could someone as pathetic as you deserve my body?" Suddenly, she grabbed my neck, whispering in my ear with a laugh, "Give it back to me, give my body back to me..."

The hand touched my forehead and the corner of my eye, its coldness penetrating to my bones. Suddenly, some icy liquid splashed onto my body and face, and I jolted awake.

I felt someone patting my face and anxiously calling out, "Su Xie, Su Xie, wake up quickly..."

My mind was hazy, and when I opened my eyes in a daze, I saw Shen Qing standing in front of the bed, frowning at me. "You're finally awake. Yan Shu didn't know how much medicine he gave you, and I was afraid you'd become stupid after sleeping for so many days!"

He kept rambling on and on, but I had been sleeping too long and too soundly, and my mind was sluggish. I couldn't process what he was saying, so I stared at him blankly for a while before looking around. There was no one there, no Su Xie, no Chang Huan.

I had a dream, but I don't know if it was me or Su Xie's dream.

"Hey!" He reached out and patted my face, asking nervously, "You haven't really been drugged into stupidity, have you?"

My head felt heavy. I sat up. "How did you get here?" I shook my head and then saw that he was holding a child in his arms. "A child?" I was a little stunned. I asked, "Where's Yan Shu? Does this mean... he's still alive?"

"What do you mean dead or alive?" Shen Qing poured me a cup of cold tea. "Wake up. You've been asleep for four days. The sect is in complete chaos. Those who should have died and those who shouldn't have died are almost all dead."

I took the cold tea and gulped it down, feeling a chill run through my body. I heard him sighing and muttering, "That brat Yan Shu actually betrayed the sect. Although he was ambitious before, he always remembered that the old sect leader had taken him from the mass grave and never laid a hand on him. He even swore that as long as the old sect leader was alive, he would never harm the young master, or else he would be struck down by heaven and earth. Now he actually did it, not showing even a shred of old friendship!"

"He killed the old cult leader?" I asked Shen Qing.

He held the child and swayed him from side to side, saying, "No, but they led men to attack the main hall, and the young master and the left protector are resisting."

I then asked, "So who came out on top?"

Shen Qing shook her head and frowned, saying, "I don't know either. The sect is in chaos right now. We used to be all on the same side, but now we can't tell each other apart. Yan Shu sent someone to have me bring the child to you, saying he wanted you to see the child..." She turned to me and asked, "What's his plan? Did he tell you?"

We'll face life and death together.

I don't know anything more. I pressed my forehead and said with a wry smile, "Didn't he tell you to take you away?"

Shen Qing shook her head in confusion and asked me, "Isn't it because he had a change of heart and wanted to protect me? So he'll let me out after the chaos subsides?"

"Really?" I turned to look at him and smiled.

He felt uncomfortable from laughing so much, and asked me, feeling uneasy, "What...do you mean?"

“If he becomes king, he will naturally let you out.” I paused, thought for a moment, and continued, “But what if he loses…”

Before I could finish speaking, I heard a jumble of footsteps entering the courtyard.

Shen Qing jumped up. "They're coming to kill us?" He took a few steps to the door, opened it a crack, and peeked out, muttering, "They look like Yan Shu's men. What are they saying to the guards at the door..."

I said "Oh," jumped off the bed, and squeezed through. I saw a woman in white come over and say something to the guards. The guards nodded repeatedly. Then the woman in white left, and two guards came over carrying two buckets of something.

"Why did they come over?" Shen Qing asked, puzzled. "What are they carrying?"

That must be... oil? And Yan Shu...

I hurriedly pulled Shen Qing aside and flung open the door. The two guards who had just reached the door were startled and took a half step back, looking at me in surprise. "Miss Su... how did you wake up?"

I looked at the gleaming oil in his wooden bucket and asked, "Where is Yan Shu?"

"Priest...Priest..." The two of them stammered and looked at each other, unable to answer for a long time.

My heart was eerily calm. The distant sounds of fighting echoed outside the courtyard, and the firelight pierced half the night sky. I asked, "Is he dead?"

They suddenly knelt down, not daring to raise their heads, and said, "Your subordinates are only acting on the orders of the High Priest. Miss Su, please return to your room!"

Shen Qing tugged at my sleeve and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

Looking at the firelight that illuminated half the sky, I said with a faint smile, "Didn't Yan Shu tell you that if he died, he would set this courtyard on fire and follow me to the death?"

Shen Qing suddenly tightened his grip on my arm, asking in surprise and astonishment, "Then... what about me? I don't want to die with you two perverts!" He picked up the child and started to leave.

The guard blocked his way with his sword, saying, "The High Priest didn't say you were to be let out. Pharmacist Shen, you'd better go back inside."

"Bullshit!" Shen Qing roared, raising her hand to slap him. "I don't even love him! What business is it of mine to do something as noble as dying with him! Get out of my way!"

The guard drew his sword and shouted, "Then don't blame me for being impolite!" He swung his blade to strike.

I yanked Shen Qing back to avoid the knife, and grabbed the guard's wrist, saying, "Before I die, I want to see Yan Shu one last time. Where is he?"

The guard was taken aback and hesitated before saying, "I'm afraid the High Priest can't see you now... If Miss Su still cares about the High Priest, please go back inside."

"Oh." I responded very softly, glanced up and saw a group of guards outside the courtyard, released him, turned to Shen Qing and said very quickly and in a low voice, "Run to the forbidden area."

He whirled around, grabbed the guard by the throat, and snapped, "Aren't you leaving!"

Author's note: This... this counts as meat, right? Minced meat is meat too, hmm.

**Arise! Arise! This time it's really going to be done! I'm not telling you what will happen next!**

PS: I've been having particularly bad luck lately, so updates are inconsistent, but I will definitely update daily unless I have to take a break. Just keep refreshing!

71

"Aren't you leaving yet!" I shoved him hard.

He realized what was happening, grabbed the child, and ran towards the forbidden area under the red wall. The guard was stunned for a moment, then drew his sword to give chase. I rushed forward, snatched the oil drum from the guard's hand, splashed it in front of him, took out a tinderbox from my pocket, threw it on the ground, and with a whoosh, flames flickered and burst into flames, startling the guard into hastily retreating.

"Su Xie, hurry up!" Shen Qing jumped onto the red wall, sat on it with the child in her arms, and called out to me.

The guards outside rushed over, and flames followed the oil all the way to the doorposts, producing a thick plume of smoke.

I turned and headed down the red wall, when I heard the guards chasing after me shout, "The High Priest has ordered that Su Xie be killed without mercy!"

"Su Xie, come up here!" Shen Qing reached out his hand, and I leaped forward, grabbed his hand, flipped over the red wall, and jumped down by his collar.

Carrying the child, the two stumbled and fell into the lush green grass. The child burst into tears, and the guards on the other side of the red wall shouted, "Report to the priest! The rest continue the pursuit!"

"Sweetie, sweetie...don't cry!" Shen Qing hurriedly comforted the child.

I grabbed him and ran out of the yard.

With Ruan Lianhua absent, all the guards in the courtyard have been transferred to the main hall to deal with Yan Shu. Now, the forbidden area is quiet and deserted, without a single person in sight.

I dragged him all the way out of the forbidden area, and just as we were about to decide where to escape, we heard someone shout from not far away: "There!"

Behind them, guards were closing in from the forbidden area and not far away. Panting, Shen Qing tried to comfort the child while nearly crying herself, "Yan Shu did something absolutely ruthless! Where can we escape to now!"

Chaos reigned within the cult. I saw the guards chasing after us, dragging Shen Qing towards another cult gate. I remembered that Chang Huan and the other slaves always left the cult from that gate.

He said to Shen Qing, "Take the child and escape in this direction. They are chasing me, so they probably won't care about you. After you escape, go straight to Licheng. Chang Huan might be there. Whether you meet him or Xiao Jiu, hand the child over to them."

"And what about you?" Shen Qing asked me. "Are you going to distract them?"

"Nonsense!" I looked back and said, "If I escape, I'll go to Licheng to find you."

"What if you can't escape?" Shen Qing suddenly stopped and frowned at me. "I can't leave you to die alone. I'm a man, after all."

I stopped and looked at him, thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, "Indeed, then give me the child."

He was taken aback.

I looked at him with sincerity and admiration, and continued, "You're a real man, you go and distract or stop them, I'll take the child and escape first."

"Nonsense!" Shen Qing, holding the child, decisively stepped back to avoid my outstretched hand, shamelessly saying, "In the end, this is just your love-hate relationship with that brat Yan Shu, what does it have to do with me! Why should I die with you!" Holding the child, she resolutely and righteously said, "I'm taking the child and leaving first. Be careful and take care!"

It turned and ran, as fast as a rabbit.

In the blink of an eye, I disappeared into the noisy congregation. As the guards behind me caught up, I turned and ran towards another gate of the church.

The area outside the church gate was now crowded with people, and there was a scene of flashing swords. I didn't dare to look back, but I could hear shouting and yelling behind me.

I finally sprinted to the gate, when someone behind me shouted, "Stop Su Xie!"

A knife suddenly appeared in front of me. I hurriedly sidestepped, grabbed the man's wrist, and twisted it with both hands. With a snap, the man screamed as the knife slipped from his hand. Before he could react, the knife came down again. I rolled to the ground, picked up the knife, and without looking or caring, raised my hand and slashed.

The sound of a knife piercing flesh filled the air, and warm blood splattered all over my face. I couldn't bear to look; I just gripped the knife and desperately tried to escape, surrounded by so many people...

The killing blow with a drawn sword.

Kill those who block the way.

The killing intent blocking his way...

Gradually, I became unable to distinguish faces from people. Whenever someone blocked my way, I would reflexively swing my knife. I only killed without defending myself. When the knife cut my body, I was too lazy to dodge. I just wanted to escape, to escape. My palm was damp with blood, and I even endured it.

As I stepped out of the church gate, I suddenly gathered my strength, stopped a mounted cultist, threw my sword at his chest, pulled him off his horse, and leaped back onto it. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, someone called out to me from behind: "Su Xie!"

Yan Shu... Yan Shu's voice.

I gripped the reins and turned around. Before I could even see him clearly in the crowd, an arrow pierced my chest with a soft thud, so accurate and fast that I didn't even see it.

I felt hot blood flowing from my chest. Looking down, I saw the white-feathered arrow embedded in my chest cavity, its fletching still trembling. I stared blankly, gasping for breath. Looking up, I saw Yan Shu standing there amidst the flashing swords and the clashing of people, holding an empty bow. He wasn't far away, but the noise was loud. I saw that his plain robe was covered with blood of varying shades, his dark hair was disheveled over his shoulder and back, and his right eye was also full of bright red blood. His open eye was stained red.

Rakshasa, like a demon that crawls out of hell.

He opened his mouth to say something, but blood gushed out. He coughed violently, his whole body trembling, and he staggered to his knees. He suddenly looked up at me, his eyes filled with malice, and said, word by word, "Su Xie! You won't escape... don't even think about it!"

My chest ached with pain as I breathed heavily, and I couldn't hold back any longer, spitting out a mouthful of blood. I tightened the reins around my wrists and smiled at Yan Shu, saying, "This time, you're doomed to lose!"

I raised my hand and broke the feathered arrow from my chest, then thrust it into the horse's body with a loud neigh. I was jolted so badly that I almost fell off, but the reins tightened around me, and the horse galloped away like a madman. I lay on the horse's back, gripping the reins tightly.