Gu Yucheng asked curiously, "Why did you invite Elder Xuanyuan?"
The old man Xuanyuan of Qingyantai, the young master's mentor, is the most respected martial arts senior in the world. What important matter could possibly require him to be disturbed?
Sure enough, the young master quickly shook his head and said, "No need. But—" He reached out to press his leg, but it was gone. Was the feeling he had just experienced a hallucination? He had intended to call a doctor, but since he could no longer feel anything, it was better not to say anything, lest everyone make a fuss.
The young master smiled wryly and said, "Never mind, it's alright. You don't need to be so nervous."
A maidservant peeked out from behind the brocade curtain. The young master spotted her immediately and asked, "What is it?"
The maid stammered, "Um...Young Master, it seems that Mr. Mu is dying..."
The young master's eyes widened in surprise. Gu Yucheng was already stamping his foot and saying, "What do you mean she's no good? Stop cursing her! Honestly, I hope she doesn't die here..." He hurried away as he spoke.
Gongyu watched his retreating figure, and Liuye, observing his expression, said, "Want to go and take a look together?"
The young master was taken aback. "Was I being too obvious?"
Liu Ye simply sighed softly.
The young master remained silent. Ever since Mr. Mu grabbed his hand and asked him if he would fall in love with her, she had become a knot in his heart. If he didn't touch her, she was so real; but if he did, he would feel flustered and uneasy.
"Do you believe it, Willow Leaf?" the young master murmured.
"I don't know why, but whenever I'm with her, I become unlike myself. It's like there's another soul inside me, desperately wanting to jump out and talk to her... I don't like this feeling."
"The young master's mind is in turmoil."
"Is that so?" He lowered his eyes, gazing at his hands. His hands were as white as jade, as delicate as a woman's, but between his thumb and forefinger was a thin layer of calluses, clearly the mark left by years of wielding a sword. But he didn't know martial arts. "Willow Leaf, if—I mean if—I'm not me, then who am I?"
Why would you think that, young master?
Yes, why would he think that? He is who he is: Shui Wuhen, the only disciple of Elder Xuanyuan, the young master of Qingyantai, and the peerless gentleman of the martial world. If he isn't him, then who else could he be?
But why did her words echo in his ears again and again? Each word was clear—
"As the successor of Qingyantai, one of the three sacred martial arts sects, admired by all as a young master, from a distinguished family with a prestigious status, and with a beautiful and charming woman by your side, will you fall in love with me? Will you fall in love with me? Will you fall in love with me?"
He was startled and quickly closed his eyes, hoping to use the emotions Gu Mingyan had evoked in him to counteract the shock of those words. However, what surfaced in his mind wasn't Gu Mingyan's words, "If you won't treat yourself well, then let me treat you well," but another voice, another sentence—
"If you won't love yourself, then let me love you. With me loving you, there is always me loving you in this world!"
Who is it? Who is the person who said this? And why does he remember these words?
What exactly happened?
And Mr. Mu, and Qian Cuiyu, who is who?
For a moment, his breathing became disordered, and he felt restless and uneasy. It turned out that, unfortunately, Liu Ye's prediction had come true—
His heart was in turmoil.
Chapter Six
The curtain was lifted, and Gu Yucheng rushed in. The maid who was taking care of Qian Cuiyu immediately stood up to give him her seat. He saw Qian Cuiyu's face and was startled. "What happened to her?"
"Young Master, she has been crying. I have wiped her face three times, but the tears still won't stop."
Qian Cuiyu, unconscious, had tears streaming down her face, and the pillow under her head was soaked. Gu Yucheng approached her and saw that her eyelashes were wet and stuck together. She looked quite disheveled, but for some reason, he still found her beautiful.
Her beauty transcended mere physical refinement; it was a unique气质 (qi zhi, a kind of refined elegance) woven from literary talent and graceful bearing, a profound and dignified elegance forged through life's trials. Compared to her, her younger sister seemed far too worldly. No wonder the young master wavered, and even he…
Gu Yucheng suddenly stood up, a little startled by himself—could it be? Could it be that he...
Looking at Qian Cuiyu again, he felt even more that her eyebrows, her face, her long hair, every part of her was beautiful. "Oh no," he thought, "I'm doomed." No wonder he felt an ominous aura emanated from her when he first saw her; she was a complete disaster!
Just as he was lost in thought, Qian Cuiyu suddenly let out a piercing groan, her whole body trembling violently. Gu Yucheng's face turned pale, and he said repeatedly, "Quick, quick! Go and fetch Doctor Shu! Are you all dead? What are you standing there for?"
Qian Cuiyu reached out her hand as if trying to grab something. Without thinking, he gave her his hand and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, you'll be alright, you'll be fine."
"Yin Sang... Yin Sang..." He heard her calling that name vaguely, and immediately frowned, feeling displeased. Even now, she was still thinking about that person.
"Help me! Yin Sang, where are you? Help me!" She suddenly grabbed his hand tightly, so tightly that her nails dug into his flesh. Gu Yucheng winced in pain and hurriedly pulled his hand back.
"Where's Doctor Tree? Hasn't he arrived yet?"
Her head suddenly exploded, and her body, sensing danger, instinctively began to shrink back.
It was completely dark, and the alley was silent except for the beggar in front of her, who was grinning lewdly as he approached. Her first reaction was to turn and run, but she hadn't gone far when someone grabbed her waist tightly, and then a filthy hand covered her mouth, roughly dragging her into the depths of the alley.
Help! Help!
Unable to scream, she could only struggle desperately. Her resistance resulted in several hard slaps and a kick to the waist, causing her to collapse to the ground in pain. She tasted a metallic sweetness on her tongue, and blood gushed from the corner of her lips, flowing down her neck.
The man grabbed her chin and stuffed a rag into her mouth, preventing her from biting her tongue and committing suicide.
Realizing what he was about to do, she trembled all over.
The beggar grinned lewdly, tearing open her clothes... What followed was a chaotic mess, filled not only with pain but also with despair, a sense of cataclysmic destruction where nothing could stand still.
The existence of rhyme fragmentation is repeated.
Help me, Yin Sang, where are you? Help me, help me!
The man on top of her groaned with excitement, and she suddenly went limp, no longer resisting.
The beggar rubbed her face, leering, and said, "Now you know what ecstasy feels like, huh? That's a good girl. If you serve me well, maybe I won't have the heart to kill you..."
Her hand groped around and finally touched a brick in the corner of the wall, which she immediately picked up quietly.
The wind whistled softly; the long alley was deserted, devoid of even a single person or light. Only a cold crescent moon hung in the sky, watching her indifferently.
Indifference, indifference, it's always been like this. No one has ever pitied her, and today she has to suffer such inhuman humiliation. What did she do wrong? What exactly did she do wrong?
The beggar threw his head back and groaned loudly. At this moment of his greatest ecstasy, she grabbed a brick and smashed it over his head. The beggar never expected her to fight back at this moment. He used all the strength he had in his life to strike her, and suddenly everything went black before his eyes, and he fainted.
She shoved him away, dug the gag out of his mouth, and continued to smash him with bricks, ignoring her torn clothes and exposed body. Blow after blow, blood and brick fragments splattered on her face. Her frenzy was laced with unrestrained brutality; her mind was blank, her eyes red as she repeated the same action until someone rushed over and grabbed her.
She instinctively struggled, but the man held her tightly, saying, "It's me, Cuiyu, it's me!"
The familiar sound made her stop. Her fingers loosened, and the brick, now only half intact, fell to the ground with a "thud."
The newcomer's low, hoarse voice was filled with extreme pain: "Cuiyu...Cuiyu..."
His voice sounded ethereal and unreal in the quiet space.
The moonlight was so white that it made his face appear blank. After a long time, his features slowly emerged—raised eyebrows, sharp eyes, and unruly lips, revealing his sharp and edgy side.
Yin Sang, it's Yin Sang, it's him.
But it's not the way I remember it.
His deep-set eyes and slightly trembling lips, along with the slight shaking of his arms around her, made him appear frightened and pained, even more agitated than she, the victim.
It's strange. She had been begging God to let him appear, but when he actually arrived, she was completely numb and could only stare at him blankly.
His arm tightened, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Cuiyu, speak! I beg you..."
This was the first time he had spoken to her so humbly since she had known him… She smiled and suddenly asked, “Are you afraid?”
Yin Sang was shocked, and the expression on her face became even more frightened.
"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid I'll kill myself?" She looked at her blood-soaked leg, her smile growing increasingly sinister. "Yes, having lost my virginity, if I hadn't been captured and drowned in a pig cage, I would have had no choice but to die. Do you think I should have done that?"
"Cuiyu—" His voice was like the groan of a wounded beast, and strangely, it lessened her pain. It turns out that when you're in pain, the only way to stop is to make someone else suffer more than you.
Then she said, "Don't worry, I won't die. What is chastity? It's nothing compared to life. When I left the Qian family, Grandma said I would definitely regret it, but I won't! I ate the burnt fish myself; I walked the path I chose myself; I blindly elevated myself, thinking that the person who favored me would be flattered, so I deserved to be abandoned; I waited for someone here so late, so stupid that I'm beyond help, so meeting this beggar is my retribution... But, none of this will make me regret it, I won't regret it! I, Qian Cuiyu, will absolutely not regret it! Ha! Haha..." As she spoke, she laughed wildly.
Tears gradually welled up in Yin Sang's eyes.
Her smile faded under that sorrowful gaze. She stared at him blankly for a long time, then suddenly shook her head and whispered, "No... I can't..."
She raised her hand and touched Yin Sang's face, saying with infinite sorrow, "How could I hurt you? How could I hurt you by hurting myself? Why did you come? You had already left, why did you come back? I don't want you to see me like this, I don't want you to see..."
Yin Sang's tears finally fell, dripping onto her face. Their tears mingled together. Who was in more pain? Who was suffering more? Who was tormented more? Who was at fault in this ill-fated relationship that led to this?
He took off his coat and wrapped it around her scarred body, then carried her out of the alley.
The wind howled, the world was icy cold, only his body was warm, the warmth she had always longed for. Even the end of time couldn't compare, she thought again and again, it couldn't compare...
“Yin Sang…” she called softly.
“I’m here,” he replied. “I’m right here.”
Please don't leave me again, okay?
He remained silent for a while before saying, "Unless I die, I will never leave you again."
Both she and he were so careful in their questions and answers.
Then she started to cry, sobbing as she rested her head on his shoulder, murmuring, "I have no way out, I only have you left, Yin Sang, I'm not a burden..."
“You are not a burden.” He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his expression devout and sorrowful.
She asked softly, "Why is God treating us like this? Why do we have to suffer so much?"
Yin Sang answered, word by word, "Because it makes us love each other more."
They loved each other… Yes, all the hardships only made them love each other more. His previous resistance and struggle crumbled under her ordeal. Tragedy was the price for their mutual affection… Only in this way, only in this way, would he no longer reject or exclude her…
She buried her head in his chest and said nothing more.
At the end of the long, deep alley, at the exit, Yin Sang suddenly stopped.
She turned her head and saw a circle of archers outside, poised to fire. Behind them were the ever-present, persistent constables from the Six Doors. Master Yue, mounted on his horse, coldly said, "Yin Sang, this time you won't escape!"
Yin Sang's face darkened. "Don't force me."
"Force you?" Master Yue laughed arrogantly. "The leader of Golden Eye, you are rumored to be one of the three people with the highest martial arts skills in the world. In my opinion, you are nothing special. I want to see what you are capable of to dare to go against the imperial court!" As he spoke, he made a gesture, and the archers immediately drew their bows and aimed the arrows at the two of them.
Yin Sang lowered her head and looked at her gently, saying, "Close your eyes."
She hesitated for a moment, then obediently closed her eyes. Almost as soon as she closed them, the wind picked up, and in the dizzying moment, she almost lost her sense of where she was. All she could hear were shrill screams, commotion, and the neighing of horses... all blending together into one sound.
Before long, everything returned to silence. She secretly opened her eyes a crack and saw a drop of blood slide down the gleaming tip of the sword. The blade was as clear as water, without leaving a trace of blood.
Looking around, corpses lay scattered everywhere, turning the cold, windy street into a living hell, adding countless more souls to the scene.
Feeling the person in his arms shrink back, Yin Sang lowered his head, "Aren't you scared?"
She shook her head.
“I can’t give them a chance to escape. They’ve seen what I look like. If I let them go, we’ll never have peace again. If it were before,” he would have treated this chase as a pastime and a game, but now… he looked at her and said softly, “I can’t take the risk.”
Her eyes lit up, but she struggled internally, "Actually... you didn't have to do this..."
Yin Sang gazed at her and said slowly, "I don't want you to suffer anymore. Cuiyu, you will not suffer anymore."