Семь снежных ночей

Глава 29

After disembarking, Luo Qingcheng was led around the island for a long time by the herbalist. Finally, he asked somewhat nervously, "What exactly do you want to do?" The herbalist looked up, a strange smile on his face, "To help you fulfill your own wish."

"What is your wish?"

"To become the son-in-law of Langjingzhuang."

"..." Luo Qingcheng looked at him suspiciously, but the next moment she understood the meaning behind his words.

They had arrived at the door of a small wooden cabin on the island. The child opened the door, and a woman screamed, "Let me go! Let me go home!" Luo Qingcheng was surprised to find that it was Yuan Peixin's voice!

Sure enough, the herbalist shoved Luo Qingcheng into the room, where he saw the long-lost Miss Yuan. Under the dim oil lamp, the young lady was relatively clean, but her beautiful eyes revealed a look of extreme fear, and her face looked rather haggard.

"You kidnapped her! Why?" Luo Qingcheng, who was usually calm and collected, could no longer hide his surprise.

The herbalist gave a cold smile: "If Miss Yuan hadn't disappeared, would you still have a place to stand?"

Luo Qingcheng was utterly shocked! Indeed, if Miss Yuan hadn't disappeared, Yuan Ruxuan, though he had never liked the Martial Alliance, would never have offended them for the sake of a few strangers; he might even have taken advantage of their misfortune for some other purpose. Attacked from both sides, even if his group hadn't been completely wiped out, they would likely be exhausted and on the run…

"You... have been helping us all along?" He was extremely surprised.

The herbalist rolled his eyes and glared at him fiercely: "Of course I want to help you... Don't you want to marry the beautiful Yuan? This island is just the two of you now, you can do whatever you want to her..."

Luo Qingcheng froze, then blurted out, "I can't stay here... Xiaoxiao and the others are in danger! I have to go back to protect them!"

The herbalist smirked, "You're a jinx! As long as you're not around, they'll be fine! You should stay here and wait until things calm down in the martial world. Then I'll notify Master Yuan to come and take his daughter and son-in-law home... By then, it'll be too late, and maybe the baby will be born... He won't be able to deny it..."

"No……"

However, the pharmacist seemed unable to understand his feelings, turned around, closed the door, and left with the boy.

Luo Qingcheng endured the excruciating pain, took a deep breath, and took a few difficult steps forward. Just then, Yuan Peixin screamed, "Don't come any closer! You big pervert! I will never let your conspiracy succeed! If you take another step, I will bite my tongue and kill myself!" He gave a bitter smile, took a few quick steps, picked up the oil lamp amidst Yuan Peixin's loud screams, and staggered out the door.

The east was already tinged with a faint, fish-belly white, with a few stars still twinkling weakly on the horizon. Enduring the excruciating pain that felt like his entire body was falling apart, he stumbled to the water's edge. The boat that had brought him there was gone; in the distance, a pale gray expanse obscured everything. Only the tide, like soft little hands, gently lapped against the shore. Each lap struck Luo Qingcheng's burning heart, unleashing a tearing, agonizing pain.

Are we really stuck on this deserted island? He shook his head firmly. No… there are still so many things to do… especially Xiaoxiao… Her smile, so warm and comforting, came to mind now… How he longed to return to her side immediately…

By the time dawn broke, he had finally completed a preliminary survey of the island's terrain. It was a small, isolated island, uninhabited except for the makeshift wooden hut. The western side of the island was densely wooded, attracting countless birds to breed and roost there. The morning sun shone on the treetops, and many brightly colored birds soared through the sky, creating a vibrant and peaceful scene. Compared to the tense and turbulent Langjing Village, it was nothing short of paradise.

Unfortunately, Luo Qingcheng didn't feel like he was in paradise at all. He felt empty inside, as if a voice in the distance was constantly calling to him. Seeing the tall, dense trees calmed him down a bit, and he quickly turned back to the wooden house.

After daybreak, Yuan Peixin became a little bolder and no longer had the hysteria she had at night. She just leaned against the door from a distance, watching Luo Qingcheng warily.

"Is there anything to eat?" Luo Qingcheng asked casually. Yuan Peixin ignored him and turned her head away angrily.

"Don't worry, I won't touch you," Luo Qingcheng whispered, eager to gain her trust and even her help.

"Can you believe what a man says? Pigs can fly!"

Luo Qingcheng looked at her, thought for a moment, and said, "Don't worry. I will definitely make it a done deal according to plan."

"..." Yuan Da Mei was speechless with anger.

Luo Qingcheng didn't waste any more precious time. He limped into the house and quickly inspected the contents. The doctor was clearly very considerate, leaving the two of them with quite a lot of things. Firewood, rice, oil, salt, pickled fish, cured meat, wind-dried chicken, wind-dried goose... all the daily necessities were provided. It seemed he really intended for him and this young lady to stay here in peace and have a baby.

With a wry smile, he quickly fetched water, rinsed the rice, and cooked it into a meal as fast as he could. After eating, he sat cross-legged and meditated for a while. Once the pain and fatigue in his body had subsided somewhat, he picked up his axe and went out.

Yuan Peixin watched him busily working without moving, only peeking out after he left. Luo Qingcheng, axe in hand, rushed into the woods and quickly began chopping wood.

Yuan Pei frowned. Did he really intend to live here with her? And now he was starting a massive construction project, expanding the house? Thinking about it, her legs went weak, and she slumped down, tears streaming down her face. Was she really destined to spend her life with this ugly man? Was she trapped in a fate she couldn't escape? She refused to accept it… but remembering Luo Qingcheng's astonishing martial arts skills, she couldn't think of any reason to escape.

Luo Qingcheng was busy until evening before returning to the cabin, drenched in sweat under the setting sun. Yuan Peixin leaned against the door, watching him approach, feeling almost breathless at the thought of spending the night together.

"Your face is all wrinkled! Like you've been stepped on dog poop!" Yuan Peixin said in the most vicious tone possible, hoping to disgust Luo Qingcheng as much as possible and thus escape the calamity that night.

Luo Qingcheng didn't speak, but touched his face. He had sweated too much, and the mask was partially soaked and had come unglued. He reached down, pulled off the mask, and touched his face a couple of times.

Yuan Peixin's mouth dropped open in surprise. The handsome young man in the sunlight turned his head, like a piece of jade with a faint halo, or a bright pearl with dazzling light, like the bright moon in the clouds, or the dazzling sun in the sky.

Luo Qingcheng walked past the wooden-chicken-like Yuan Da Meiren, entered the house, sat down in the kitchen, and began to light a fire to cook rice.

“I’ll come…” Yuan Peixin had arrived at the kitchen at some point.

Luo Qingcheng didn't look up: "Wash the rice and vegetables."

"You... cut down so many trees to... build a big house? Is there anything I can do to help?" Yuan Peixin gently swished the rice in her bowl, watching Luo Qingcheng wolf down his food.

Luo Qingcheng was slightly taken aback: "Build a house? I want to build a raft and get back to Langjing Village as soon as possible."

Yuan Pei was stunned, feeling a slight disappointment. Seeing him eating with relish, she finally mustered her courage again: "...Do you like the dishes I cook?"

Luo Qingcheng hummed in agreement, then looked up, his gaze suddenly shifting: "It tastes much better than Xiaoxiao's..."

Yuan Peixin finally breathed a sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"How exactly did you get here?" Luo Qingcheng asked.

“That day… by the lake, I suddenly noticed someone behind me. I turned around and saw a very handsome man with captivating eyes. As soon as I saw his eyes, I lost consciousness. When I came to my senses, I was here…” Yuan Peixin said in a low voice.

"The Heart-Seizing Sect has a rare and exceptionally handsome man." Luo Qingcheng's voice suddenly became cold and hoarse, as if a sharp object was scraping against a stone slab.

Yuan Peixin slowly raised her head, revealing a charming smile that instantly brightened her haggard face: "I can't compare to you..."

Luo Qingcheng remained silent, his face devoid of any smugness. What was the use? Xiaoxiao had never seen her true face before… and suddenly, she felt an overwhelming longing to return home…

In Dongting Garden, autumn was deepening, and the colors in the courtyard were becoming increasingly desolate. Xiao Xun leaped over the wall like a large bird, silently. "How was it? How was it?" Three women of different ages quickly surrounded him.

Xiao Xun felt a little smug, but then he felt a little frustrated when he thought that their enthusiasm was for another man: "There's no news at all. I heard that the Martial Alliance has laid a net inside and outside Langjing Manor to find their Young Master Huang, but they've found nothing."

Ye Xiao froze for a moment, then felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart. Where on earth was his second brother? The entire Langjing Manor was so small, and even the powerful Martial Alliance couldn't find him… Could it be…?

Almost afraid to think any further, Ye Xiao hurriedly ran back to the house. Shuai Ge was still fiddling with the Azure Flower, but he had already started using honey-refining pills, so it was clearly nearing completion. He looked up at Ye Xiao's face: "Did someone bully Miss Ye?"

Ye Xiao felt a pang of sorrow, forcing herself to suppress her grief: "It's all Qingcheng's fault! I had already thought of a way to clear his name... but he still overestimated himself and broke into the Martial Alliance at night, trying to be a hero! Now look what's happened, we don't even know if he's dead or alive..."

Shuai Ge smiled dismissively: "You've come up with a plan? It's to use trickery to expose Chun Shun in public first, and then use Chun Shun as bait to lure the people behind her out to kill her and silence her?"

Ye Xiao nodded: "We've already seen initial results, haven't we?"

Shuai Ge sighed, "Miss Ye is still young and inexperienced. This kind of trick will definitely work, and the other party is very likely to fall for it. However, you haven't grasped the bigger picture. Who is behind Chun Shun? Have you thought about that?"

Ye Xiao looked at him with annoyance: "Who?"

Shuai Ge sighed again: "I think Luo Qingcheng is very clear about this. Your enemy is most likely the Martial Alliance. Regardless of whether the Martial Alliance falls into your trap, even if they do, and the truth comes out, Luo Qingcheng can escape responsibility. But what then? Your enemy, the Martial Alliance, will still be just as powerful. Stripped of their disguise, they will only become more unscrupulous. At that point, their targets for silencing witnesses won't just be Chun Shun..."

Ye Xiao was stunned: "You mean..."

Shuai Ge scoffed, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. The Martial Alliance can crush a few nameless nobody like you as easily as crushing ants. For them, the only choice is whether to ruin your reputation first and then crush you, or crush you first and then ruin your reputation... This is also why Luo Qingcheng wanted to take Huang Tingfeng hostage... He's trying to gamble on this... I've also heard rumors that Langjing Manor captured Huang Tingfeng because they thought the Martial Alliance had captured Miss Yuan, thus forcing the Martial Alliance to hand her over... I think this is also Luo Qingcheng's divisive tactic... to force Langjing Manor to turn against the Martial Alliance, so you'll have a backup plan. That kid Luo Qingcheng is indeed cunning... It's a pity his strength is too weak..."

Ye Xiao lowered his head and remained silent, only to hear the handsome man continue, "You're all just greenhorns, you don't know how to bide your time. With your current strength, jumping out to go against the Martial Alliance is like an ant trying to shake a tree... I'm afraid that in the end... you'll lose yourselves first."

Ye Xiao lowered her head even further. Shuai Ge stood up, picked up the pills on the table, and went out: "The Truth Pill is ready. I have my own business to attend to... Miss Ye, think carefully about what I said. A wise person knows when to yield..."

Ye Xiao slowly walked to the sycamore tree in the courtyard. A withered leaf slowly drifted down in front of her, and the scenery in the courtyard looked desolate.

A voice sounded softly from behind: "Boss... what are you thinking about?"

Ye Xiao lowered his head: "I'm wondering if I was wrong... Shouldn't we have gone against the Martial Alliance? Shouldn't we have angered the Martial Alliance... causing Qingcheng to become the target of everyone's condemnation, and now his life or death is unknown..."

Xiao Xun reached out and gently placed his hand on Ye Xiao's shoulder: "I heard what Shuai Ge said just now. In this world, justice always needs to be upheld, and dreams are always worth sacrificing for. We are like ants trying to shake a tree now, but there is also a saying that a thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole. I am willing to be one of thousands of ants, just to shake down the long dike of injustice, even if it means death."

Ye Xiao turned his head and saw Xiao Xun's face, resolute yet peaceful. He couldn't help but smile wryly: "Since we're brothers, of course we should share joys and sorrows. I can be an ant with you... but... I don't want any ant to be crushed to death..."

Xiao Xun chuckled: "Still worried about Qingcheng?... The second brother's martial arts have reached a state of perfection, he'll be fine. Langjing Manor is now completely surrounded by iron nets, there's nowhere to hide, he must have escaped outside the manor..."

Ye Xiao raised her head, and her dim eyes slowly brightened.

Suddenly, they heard Butler Tu's voice ringing out from afar: "Miss Ye! Miss Ye!" With the sound of the voice, two people moved swiftly and approached.

Ye Xiao looked closely and saw Butler Tu following Yuan Ruxuan, whose face was grim, into the courtyard. Yuan Ruxuan's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his voice was as gloomy as rain clouds in the sky, as if it could shatter at any moment: "Where's Luo Qingcheng? Where did that kid go?"

Ye Xiao lowered his head and remained silent. Yuan Ruxuan's voice grew even more sinister: "That brat! Wasn't it him who broke into the Martial Alliance's headquarters that night and kidnapped Huang Tingfeng? He actually dared to provoke a conflict between Langjing Manor and the Martial Alliance! I think he has a death wish! Where did he go?"

Ye Xiao remained silent. Yuan Ruxuan sneered, "Hiding? You can run away, but you can't hide... Steward Tu! Tie up Miss Ye and the others! Firstly, to show the Martial Alliance that Langjing Manor and Luo Qingcheng are not in cahoots, and secondly, to force him to show himself... so we can continue to follow the clues and find Pei'er's whereabouts..."

Butler Tu hesitated for a moment, then finally waved his hand and shouted, "Guards!" Several burly men responded and leaped out from several corners of Dongting Garden, walking towards Ye Xiao.

A lazy voice said, "Master Yuan, Chun Shun and that infatuated man have already spoken. Don't you want to see the Truth Pill of the Mind-Controlling Sect?"

The Devil is One Step Taller (Part 2)

Everyone turned around at the sound and were suddenly stunned. A handsome man had appeared at the doorway at some unknown time. His light blue robe fluttered in the wind, his sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards, and his beautiful eyes were as captivating as a painting.

Ye Xiao was stunned for a moment, then was the first to react: "You are...Shuai Ge? What happened to you?"

The handsome man said calmly, "I change my clothes for different tasks. What you saw last time was my attire as a night watchman. This is my attire when I use mind control. Please come in."

The long-awaited, exceptionally handsome man was indeed a handsome man, but unfortunately, times had changed, and Ye Xiao no longer felt any joy or excitement.

Chun Shun was already seated at the table, his eyes glazed over, seemingly lost in a state of blissful oblivion. After all the young masters' families had arrived, Shuai Ge gestured to Yuan Ruxuan that he could begin questioning him.

"Chunshun. You've been at Langjing Manor for five years now, haven't you?"

“It’s been less than five years, it’s winter now.” Chun Shun answered mechanically, his mind elsewhere.

"Did you really assassinate those people?"

"...Yes, I lured them to a secluded spot, caught them off guard, and then slit their throats with a single sword strike..."

"Why?"

"It's... the superiors' orders. When they heard my report that the master might choose Luo Qingcheng as his son-in-law, they ordered me to find a way to sabotage it. I instigated Miss to drug him, ruining his reputation. But the superiors said, 'If you're going to do something wrong, go all the way and frame Luo Qingcheng, turning him into a hated killer, and then take his life when the opportunity arises. That way, we can achieve our goal and cover our tracks...'"

"Shameless scoundrel!" Xiao Xun finally couldn't help but curse.

Shuai Ge glared at him sharply and whispered, "Shut up! I went to great lengths to get her into this state, don't wake her up!"

Xiao Xun gritted his teeth and remained silent, when he heard Yuan Ruxuan ask in a low voice, "Chunshun, who is your superior? Is it the Martial Alliance?"

"No... We belong to an organization called Secret. People in the organization are called Secret People. They are all trained from childhood and are directly responsible to Mr. Hua. He also coordinates their operations. Internally, we only have single-line communication. Once an informant is exposed, the line is immediately cut off."

"Who is Mr. Hua? Is he a member of the Martial Alliance?" Yuan Ruxuan asked, somewhat puzzled. Ye Xiao also frowned, seemingly having never heard of such a person in the Martial Alliance.

"Few people have seen Mr. Hua's true face, and I don't know what his relationship with the Martial Arts Alliance is. I was assigned to infiltrate Langjing Manor when I was very young. Mr. Hua has always had people contact me and direct my activities."

"Chunshun...you became a spy at such a young age? What is your purpose in coming here?"

"I was just following orders. My superiors instructed me to pay close attention to the secret formula of Yuan's Bewitching Pills..."

"Chunshun, where exactly is Miss?"

"I don't know... I was unaware of Miss's disappearance... Perhaps there are other secret agents at Langjing Manor..."

Chun Shun was taken away, and then the infatuated man who had been under the spell was brought up. Shuai Ge gestured for Ye Xiao to ask questions.

Who are you?