Небо над реками и озерами очень чистое - Глава 63
"I'll say it again, I only want you, and I will never let go no matter how troublesome it is."
"But I want to let go." Her voice was calm, like water, yet also like ice. "I don't want to be so tired."
A chilling and desperate feeling instantly enveloped him.
“No one will dare look down on me. Once I'm in the Xie family, I'll despise myself.” She slowly and forcefully pulled her hand away from his embrace, withdrawing without a trace of regret. “Do you want me to fall to that level?”
"I can't do it." Her clear, black and white eyes looked at him, cold and distant. "You know, I know."
My heart gradually sank into a deep ravine, then pressed down by a huge, hard rock.
"You are very good, very good, but I don't want you." Her eyes finally softened a little, filled with genuine regret and remorse.
"I'm sorry." I'm sorry you had to run into me.
He understood what she hadn't said.
"You are really proud."
His voice was hoarse and unlike his own, his heart ached as if something was tearing it away, yet he was powerless to stop it. Unable to stay any longer, he suddenly got up, put on his clothes, and left with a broken heart.
She lay quietly for a while, then returned to her curled-up position, like a baby.
Looking out the window at the dark night in a daze, I don't know how much time had passed. Just as I was about to close my eyes, it felt as if a sharp blade was cleaving my body, and the long-awaited excruciating pain struck again.
She bit her lip tightly, struggling with her willpower. The pain repeatedly exceeded her limit of endurance. Her eyes involuntarily drifted to the short sword lying by the bed, but she forced herself to look away. She had promised... but now it was so unbearable. She convulsively grabbed the sword and threw it far away to another corner of the room.
Large beads of sweat dripped down her face, the pain in her legs seemed endless, and the night felt terribly long. When the excruciating pain finally subsided, she lay on the ground, weakly waiting for her strength to return.
This time, she had to stand up on her own.
The sky was just beginning to lighten, the east was turning a pale white, the light and shadow were still dim, but dawn had arrived.
Suddenly, a very soft thud sounded in my ear; without a doubt, someone had stepped into the garden.
At this time... the footsteps didn't sound right either; she didn't even have the strength to grit her teeth.
She forced her head to turn and look at the round table not far away. Scattered medicine bottles were placed on the table, as well as a jade urn containing bones... She shuffled over with all her might, her sweat-soaked body leaving a winding mark on the ground.
His heart was pounding.
Holding my breath and clearing my mind, I approached cautiously; the dark room looked unusually calm.
He quickly climbed to the window, when suddenly a shattering sound rang out, as if some porcelain had broken into pieces. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest. Knowing that Xie Yunshu must have already left, he still couldn't help but swallow hard.
After a long silence, the innkeepers, who were up early, started washing up. Unable to delay any longer, he drew his sword to protect himself and nimbly slipped into the room like a nimble cat.
The room was dark. A person was curled up on the floor, dressed in a plain white shirt. Her petite figure told him that she was the one he was going to take away. Although the other person was a girl, lying there without any resistance, he still approached cautiously and fearfully. With a flick of his toe, he turned the limp person over.
His whole body looked like it had been pulled out of the water, extremely disheveled. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have thought he was dead. His face was terrifyingly pale.
Having confirmed that the other party was not faking it, he picked up a candle from the ground and lit it. The wick was a little damp, and it crackled a few times before settling down. The flickering flame instantly illuminated the room.
There was a pile of porcelain shards on the ground, smashed to pieces, probably from the noise just now. The tablecloth was half-fallen to the ground, probably pulled down haphazardly by her; she was limp and weak, as if she had fallen ill.
He lifted her halfway up the wall, hesitating. After all, she was just a young girl, posing no threat whatsoever. He cleared his throat, trying to appear as fierce as possible.
"Are you a member of the Demonic Sect? Tell me." The disparity in their status was obvious, and the feeling of bullying a weak woman was even stronger, so he lowered his voice a little more.
"Don't try to fool me, your seductive charms have no effect on me."
Some words seemed to have an effect, but the weak man opened his eyes. His unfocused gaze slowly sharpened and finally settled on his face. His dark, bright eyes were wide open, unblinking, making the man's heart pound with unease.
"You're a member of the Demonic Sect, you killed the King of Shanshan, didn't you?" He glared back defiantly.
Staring at a woman who might faint at any moment was unprecedented for a young man just starting out in the martial arts world. His handsome face lacked intimidation and looked more like he was just being argumentative.
The girl gradually smiled, a sorrowful smile, her dark eyes welling up with tears, so fragile she seemed easily broken.
"Yes." The voice was so soft that he could barely hear it and had to guess from the lip movements.
"You really are?"
She nodded weakly, her misty eyes dull and lifeless.
Having confirmed her identity, he no longer hesitated. He blew out the candle, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and leaped out of the room. Just as his toes touched the window frame, a sudden pain shot through his face. He immediately flung her off his shoulder, her small body slamming to the ground and rolling twice before going still.
A shallow, bleeding wound appeared on her face, scratched by her fingernails when she wasn't looking, clearly a futile resistance against being abducted. He cursed under his breath in frustration, then went over and pressed several pressure points on her, before lifting her up and carrying her away.
revenge
The sky was bright and the air felt somewhat stuffy.
Chishu approached the side gate of the palace, preparing to leave to arrange some details, but unexpectedly ran into Shalin again.
Her attendant left first, leaving only his back view. The princess of Shanshan relaxed, in a rare good mood, and glanced at him with a hint of pride.
Chishu secretly guessed that perhaps the princess had given up her impossible fantasies and accepted reality. If that were the case, it would be a fortunate thing.
"The princess is up very early."
"Your Highness Chishu is also one of them." Shalin smiled sweetly, her beauty captivating.
He nodded slightly and was about to leave when Sharon spoke again.
"I have a small matter I would like to ask Your Highness."
Chishu stopped politely.
"Does Your Highness know of any cruel tortures that can cause an extremely painful death?"
He could tell immediately that she was still fantasizing about a naive revenge game. He casually brushed it off, "That's too much to say."
"Please tell me the most terrifying one, Your Highness."
He chuckled, "The truly bloody and cruel methods would probably terrify a delicate flower raised in a greenhouse." His words were a well-intentioned but ultimately unkind suggestion: "That's not something a princess should know; it would be beneath her dignity."
“I would like to know, Your Highness, please name just one,” Sharon insisted.
Chishu thought for a moment and chose a less frightening explanation.
"As far as I know, the King of Shanshan used to frequently employ a certain kind of..."
After listening to his brief explanation, Charlene gave a mysterious smile, as if she were hiding some kind of delightful pleasure, and nodded gracefully in thanks.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
This woman is acting strange today.
He walked out of the side door, filled with doubt.
Perhaps life is too empty, and one vents through pointless fantasies?
Chishu shook his head, putting the chance encounter behind him, and rode off.
Xie Yunshu started working early in the morning, and no one could tell that he hadn't slept all night.
Only by dealing with a multitude of complicated matters can one temporarily alleviate the dull pain in one's heart.
Each time I'm wounded by cruel words, I still go to the waterside pavilion at night, like a moth drawn to a flame, unable to stop. I always want to change something, even though I know her heart is as hard as iron, and she never looks back.
Even just a little longer in his palm would be good. That was all he could think, sadly and helplessly, trying not to dwell on the bleak and hopeless future.
I love her pride, and I hate her pride.
If she had even the slightest lingering affection...
He couldn't think about it anymore.
Forcing himself to stay alert, he and Bai Fengge greeted the endless stream of guests, arranging accommodations and other matters. Those who couldn't stay at home were scattered among the inns near the Xie family's residence. Flipping through the inn's directory, he caught sight of Xia Chuyuan, and a sharp pain shot through his chest again.
Fortunately, the disciple who sent the message arrived in time.
"Uncle Li, please say it again. What exactly happened?" Xie Quheng asked, puzzled.
A light sheen of sweat appeared on Uncle Li's forehead.
"Reporting to the two young masters, at Chenshi (7-9 AM) today, the maidservant who serves Miss Ye went to Xiachu Garden as usual. She called for a long time with a basin of water for washing, but there was no response. She thought Miss Ye was still resting and did not dare to disturb her. An hour later, she went again but there was still no sound. Not wanting to be uneasy, she pushed open the door and found the room in a mess. Miss Ye was nowhere to be seen. Two of the sentries in the southeast corner had been taken down. I'm afraid something has happened."
"How could something have happened to someone with her skills? Could it be...?"
He knew what his elder brother meant and suspected that Jia Ye had left on her own.
A sudden thought caught in her throat, but she quickly dismissed the idea. If Jia Ye really wanted to leave, why would she need to take down the sentries? She wouldn't have alerted anyone.
"I'll go check out Summer Garden." He raised his eyes and commanded in a deep voice. "Silver Swan and Jade Falcon, let's go."
Still worried, Xie Quheng followed. His third brother's behavior became unusually erratic whenever the girl was mentioned, causing Xie Quheng considerable anxiety.
The room was indeed very messy, and Xie Yunshu's face turned pale after just one glance.
The jade altar on the table hung precariously over the edge, a short sword lay in the corner of the room, and the medicine bottle was smashed to pieces—a scene clearly caused by an intrusion from outsiders.
Xie Quheng was also watching, but he wasn't too worried; that girl was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
“The Lord’s sword.” Bi Jun touched it, exchanged a glance with Yin Hu, both of them with solemn expressions. The fact that Jia Ye’s inseparable sword was here meant, without needing to be said, was quite significant.
“There are signs that Biluo Powder was used; almost the entire bottle was used.” Yin Hu examined the pile of broken porcelain bottles with extreme care, then picked up a silver candle from the side for a closer look. “There’s agarwood on the wick.”
Xie Yunshu looked at the horribly messy bed, his palm tracing over the silk mattress inch by inch, then trailing an almost imperceptible drag mark to the table. The tablecloth on the table was pulled to the ground, with a very faint fingerprint on the edge, and a few drops of blood on the broken porcelain. He suddenly closed his eyes and slapped himself hard across the face.
"Third brother!" Xie Quheng exclaimed in horror, pulling his hand away. Finger marks gradually appeared on his handsome face, but he seemed completely oblivious. "Don't worry, Miss Ye's martial arts are extraordinary. Perhaps it's her own fault..."
"She's been kidnapped." The hoarse voice finally came out after a long pause, filled with deep regret and heart-wrenching pain. "Last night her old injuries flared up again, and she was completely helpless. I shouldn't have left."
The silver swan and the green falcon were hearing this for the first time, and they looked at each other in surprise and doubt, but they knew it was not the right time to ask any questions, so they listened silently.
"How do you know her old injury has relapsed?" Xie Quheng had vaguely heard his second brother mention the situation and immediately realized the seriousness of it.
"There was still sweat on the bed, only when the pain was extreme..." Xie Yunshu couldn't continue. What kind of sweat would remain wet for hours? There was no other possibility but such a severe attack.
He scouted past two sentries, both of whom were knocked down from behind without noticing who had attacked them. Once outside Xia Chu Yuan, Xie Quheng was bewildered; where should he begin to investigate this haphazard method of action?
Young Master Yu, who hadn't seen them for many days, was about to set off when he caught sight of the two of them. He smiled and greeted them from afar, showing no surprise even at their unpleasant expressions.
Uncle Li suddenly remembered.
"By the way, our spies in this area have seen Miss Ye and Young Master Yu together a few times, but they don't seem to know each other well. Could it be...?"