Моя жена перелезает через стену

Глава 22

I can't imagine how she will face reality when she discovers the truth behind the tragedy. Whose shoulder will be there for her then?

In two days, we will reach Helan Mountain. After what happened last time, the journey has been peaceful. After entering the territory of Western Xia, the Western Xia Kingdom sent warriors from the First-Class Hall to welcome us. Xu Qingzhi sent someone to deliver a letter saying that Li Yuxuan and Li Xinyun had escaped and probably returned to the capital of Western Xia. He himself went ahead to Helan Mountain.

I disagree with his guess, because I know that the people who captured them were Khitans, and the leader was the nephew of Empress Xiao of Khitan. If he had seen through Li Yuxuan's clues, her life would have been in danger.

However, it is also very possible that they escaped within the territory of Western Xia. After all, Li Xinyun was a princess of Western Xia and was quite skilled in martial arts. Zhan Zhao said that her martial arts moves resembled those of the Tianshan Xiaoyao Sect.

With the protection of the Western Xia warriors, Suiyin should be safe from any further mishaps. I didn't want to keep overthinking and worrying like this. I told Zhan Zhao that I had decided to go ahead and ride as fast as I could to the capital of Western Xia tonight.

I need to confirm if she's there.

Fog

On the bed, in the spot where she had just slept, Li Xinyun, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, was lying there. Li Yuxuan rushed over, touched her body, patted her face, and checked her breathing before shaking her up, laughing and crying at the same time: "You rascal, you scared me so much, do you know how worried I was? I didn't sleep all night, just thinking about you, and you just came back to sleep without saying a word."

Despite her heartfelt outpouring of emotion and tears, Li Xinyun remained unresponsive, sleeping peacefully. Li Yuxuan shook her for a while, then, finding it strange, gave up. He touched her forehead, which seemed a little hot, so he found a towel, soaked it in cold water, and applied it to her forehead.

She didn't know what Li Xinyun had gone through last night.

Around noon, Li Xinyun finally woke up. Seeing Li Yuxuan sitting by the bedside, she immediately threw herself into her arms, crying and laughing at the same time. When Li Yuxuan saw that Li Xinyun was awake, she finally felt relieved and patted her back gently, saying, "It's alright, don't cry. Everything is fine now, isn't it?"

Li Xinyun grabbed the towel that had fallen from her forehead, looked up at Li Yuxuan, and said, "You brat, did I sleep here all night? Did I have a fever last night? Did I sleep here the whole time?"

Looking into her anxious eyes, Li Yuxuan knew she wanted a definite answer. Not wanting to lie to her, she shook her head: "No, you disappeared last night and only came back this morning."

"So, everything I did last night wasn't a dream?" Li Xinyun's eyes dimmed. "I don't think it was a dream either." She jumped out of bed, grabbed a glass, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. "I encountered a ghost, a lecherous ghost."

"Where did you go last night?" Li Yuxuan asked cautiously. Li Xinyun's face, flushed with anger, made her feel uneasy. "You lecher?"

Was she kidnapped by the legendary flower thief and had sex with by so-and-so?

After finishing her water, Li Xinyun snuggled into Li Yuxuan's arms again, resting her head on her shoulder: "You brat, I was really scared. Tell me what happened last night?"

Li Yuxuan felt her trembling body and knew that she must have been frightened last night to make this fearless little girl so nervous. He held her hand tightly and smiled, "You're back, and I'm here too. Let's not worry about last night, okay? I'll take you downstairs to eat. Once you're full, you'll forget everything."

Li Xinyun nodded: "Let's move to another place. I don't want to stay here anymore." Seeing the hesitation in Li Yuxuan's eyes, she immediately added: "I will definitely return your jade pendant and silver notes to you later."

Li Yuxuan patted her head: "Silly girl, you're thinking dirty thoughts again. I was just wondering where we are. So we can have a plan for the future."

Li Xinyun said in a muffled voice, "Stop investigating. This is Xingqing, the capital of the Great Xia Kingdom."

"Um?"

"Didn't you notice that I haven't said a word the whole way? I didn't want to come back, but the situation was critical, and I didn't know where to go, so I brought you here."

"Hehe." Li Yuxuan smiled and pushed her away: "As long as you can understand the language here, don't worry, I won't send you back." He turned around, took off his coat, and took out two silver notes: "Since you are familiar with it, go and exchange these two silver notes for silver. Fifty taels of silver will be enough for us to eat and drink for a while. We can wait here for Brother Zhan and the others to arrive."

"Hmm!" Li Xinyun nodded and took out the silver left over from last night from his pocket: "I exchanged ten taels of silver last night. I didn't dare to exchange more because I was afraid you would scold me. Let's go pay the rent, get your jade pendant back, and move to another place."

The two went to the street, ate a few flatbreads, and Li Xinyun bought two sets of ordinary Western Xia clothes and cotton-padded jackets for each of them: "This way we won't attract attention." Then he led her to the entrance of a secluded inn: "I stayed here once. Once, we came back late from hunting, and my brothers and I stayed here. It was very elegant and quiet inside."

Li Yuxuan nodded: "I'll leave everything to you."

Winter comes early in the north and is unbearably cold. It was only October, and when she left Bianliang she was wearing a light jacket, but now she was wearing a thick cotton-padded coat. A large fire was burning in the inn's room, with big pieces of wood burning, and she had already climbed onto the fire pit early. Li Xinyun, who had grown up here, was more resistant to the cold than her, and sat by the fire eating beef jerky with her legs crossed.

After sitting for a while, seeing that it was already dark outside, probably still haunted by the previous night's events, she climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and sat down next to Li Yuxuan. Li Yuxuan had originally wanted two rooms, but she refused, saying she was afraid. Li Yuxuan didn't want to hide the truth about her being a woman any longer, so she gave in.

Seeing her scoot over and sit down next to him, Li Yuxuan whispered, "Princess, there is something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I'm actually..." Li Yuxuan was about to start speaking when the lights in the room suddenly went out, and a chilling wind blew in from somewhere...

Everything is the same as last night.

A chill ran down her spine, and her eyes involuntarily closed. She instinctively reached for Li Xinyun beside her, but there was nothing there. She reached out again, but still nothing.

Having experienced last night, she was a little braver and knew that even if it was a ghost, it wouldn't have any interest in her. She opened her eyes and saw that the fire in the stove in the room was still burning well, and after the cold wind blew, the room was warm again.

Only Li Xinyun has disappeared again.

This is no longer an accident or a coincidence.

She clenched her fists. She only felt a chill down her spine before Li Xinyun vanished. If there were no ghosts in this world, how skilled in martial arts must this person be? Why was this person targeting only Li Xinyun? Why couldn't they escape even after moving?

Could it be Li Xinyun's enemy? But he didn't harm Li Xinyun at all. Li Xinyun called him a lecher. Good heavens, could it be that we've really run into a womanizer?

Li Yuxuan clutched her cotton-padded coat tighter. It was highly likely they only wanted women, not men. But with so many women in the world, why choose Li Xinyun? Was it someone who knew Li Xinyun inside and out and had been watching her every move? Or had they been targeted the moment they entered Xingqing City?

This answer is too difficult. If only Prince Xin and Zhan Zhao were here right now.

She lay fully clothed on the kang (a heated brick bed). She hadn't slept all night, and the warmth of the kang made her drowsy. She pried open her eyes with her hand; her back was still numb, and she was still somewhat afraid. Her mind began to wander to terrifying things like gods and ghosts, even recalling Sadako from *The Ring*. The self-scare tactic worked quite well; she was so frightened that all her sleepiness vanished. Not daring to stay in the room any longer, she put on her shoes and went outside.

This is a typical northern courtyard house. Their room was the third room on the right in the back courtyard. She went out and saw that the light was still on in the second room. She knew that she would not dare to go back to her room to sleep that night. She mustered her courage and walked to the door of the second room and knocked three times.

A slightly hoarse male voice immediately came from inside: "Who is it?"

"I'm your neighbor."

"Oh!" Hearing the clattering footsteps from inside, the door quickly opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a dark brown fox fur coat came out. He paused for a moment when he saw Li Yuxuan. "May I ask what's the matter?"

Li Yuxuan gave an awkward smile: "My room is haunted. One of my companions disappeared without a trace. I thought I'd come and sit here for a while."

"Hahaha." The man laughed loudly, "What ghosts are there in this world? Take me to see them!" After saying that, he closed the door and walked towards the door where Li Yuxuan lived: "This house? I saw you during the day."

Li Yuxuan nodded: "A gust of wind blew by just now, and my companion disappeared."

What kind of wind was that?

"Cold wind!"

The man entered the room, turned on the light, and carefully examined his surroundings. His face filled with astonishment and admiration: "This man's martial arts are incredibly high. Your companion has been kidnapped." Pointing to a spot on the windowsill, he continued, "Look, this is where he came in and went, but even with someone kidnapped, he only touched this one spot on the windowsill. This shows his martial arts are unfathomably high, and his lightness skill is truly divine!"

Li Yuxuan examined the windowsill closely and found that there was indeed a thin layer of dust on the windowsill, except for the spot he pointed to, which was completely clean.

She couldn't help but feel great admiration for this tall and imposing man. Are all martial arts practitioners this powerful? If this man knew that the one who kidnapped Li Xinyun was a martial arts master, then he must also be a martial arts practitioner.

Can she ask about what happened last night?

After looking around Li Yuxuan's room, the man saw that she was still staring at him, so he laughed and said, "If you're scared, brother, why don't you stay at my place tonight?"

Li Yuxuan, having been seen through by him, did not hide his thoughts: "Brother, you have a good eye. I do indeed have this idea."

"Hahaha." The man laughed. "Let's go!"

In his room, there were two wine jars and two wine bowls on the table. Li Yuxuan sat down at the table and said with a smile, "Brother, are you drinking alone? Why are there two wine bowls?"

The man's face darkened slightly: "The other bowl is for my deceased wife. Whenever I drink, I always think of her."

Li Yuxuan hadn't expected to inadvertently pry into someone's private matters. He immediately stood up and apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, I was presumptuous and brought up something painful for you!"

The man waved his hand and sat down at the table: "It's alright, the dead are gone. I feel better telling you this!" He then picked up the wine jar and filled a bowl with wine: "Since you're here, brother, have a couple of drinks with me!"

Li Yuxuan took the wine bowl: "My surname is Li, and my given name is Yuxuan. I am from the Central Plains. From now on, you can just call me Li Yuxuan. May I ask your surname and given name, elder brother?"

The man downed his drink in one gulp: "My surname is Xiao, and my given name is Feng. You can call me Xiao Feng!"

"So it's Brother Xiao. I'm sorry to have bothered you tonight. Let me toast you!" Li Yuxuan also drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp and then refilled the wine in both of their bowls.

This wine was so harsh on her throat; after one bowl, Li Yuxuan's throat immediately felt like it was on fire. However, wine could embolden her, and with someone talking to her, she would have drunk it, even if it was just alcohol.

So that's how it is.

After a few bowls of wine, Li Yuxuan told Xiao Feng about the strange events of the previous night and today. Xiao Feng listened and smiled, saying, "Your companion will be back tomorrow morning."

"I had the same thought, but I wasn't sure." Li Yuxuan frowned in frustration. "Do you think she might have been stolen by a notorious womanizer?"

Xiao Feng shook his head: "I've been here for several days and haven't heard of any flower thieves in Xingqing City." Seeing Li Yuxuan still looking depressed, he smiled and asked: "Brother Li, is that young lady your sweetheart?"

"No, he is my savior."

"I see—" Xiao Feng finished another bowl of wine, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and said, "I will repay your life-saving grace with all my heart. I will help you tomorrow."

Li Yuxuan was overjoyed and quickly poured him another bowl of wine: "I thank you for your righteous help, brother."

Xiao Feng took the wine and drank it: "It is the essence of a Jianghu person to help those in need. Brother Li, there is no need to thank me. It was just a small favor."

"Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be a local."

The voice hesitated slightly: "I have no fixed abode; the world is my home."

Li Yuxuan knew that people in the martial arts world usually kept many secrets, so he didn't ask any more questions. He only hoped that the man would help him find the person who kidnapped Li Xinyun the next day, so that he would no longer live in fear.

After the two finished drinking, it was already late at night. Li Yuxuan took a short nap on the table. When he woke up at dawn, he quickly got up and went to his room.

Inside the room, Li Xinyun was lying on the bed, fully dressed, breathing evenly, her cheeks flushed. Li Yuxuan was practically going crazy.

Xiao Feng followed. He realized that Li Xinyun had been put to sleep by acupressure. He patted Li Yuxuan's shoulder to calm her down, and then ran his hand across Li Xinyun's left rib to release the pressure point. Li Xinyun woke up with a cry of pain.

Li Yuxuan quickly went over and picked her up: "Xinyun, are you alright?"

Li Xinyun looked at Li Yuxuan, her face flushed, and could only shake her head and remain silent. Li Yuxuan grabbed her hand: "Don't be afraid, this is Brother Xiao, he promised to help us."

"I, I, I..." Li Xinyun suddenly burst into tears: "I don't want to live anymore, I have no face to see you."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Li Yuxuan picked her up and sat her down on the kang (a heated brick bed). He then asked Xiao Feng to sit down at the table next to him. He went out and brought in a thermos, brewing a bowl of hot tea for each of the three of them. After watching Li Xinyun drink the hot tea, he asked, "Xinyun, what exactly happened? Tell us so we can think of a way to help you."

Li Xinyun held the teacup in both hands and remained silent. After a while, she looked up at Li Yuxuan and said, "You brat, will you marry me? I don't want to live outside anymore. I want to go home."

“Me?” Li Yuxuan choked: “I already have a wife at home, and besides, I’m not from Xixia.”

"I don't care, I just want you to marry me!"

"I really can't marry you—"

"If you don't marry me, I'll kill myself!"

...Li Yuxuan glanced at Xiao Feng and found that he was also looking at him, with confusion and a hint of disdain in his eyes. He probably saw him hugging Princess Xinyun intimately and thought he was an irresponsible playboy.

That won't do; they're still hoping for his help.

Sure enough, Xiao Feng stood up and said unhappily, "Brother Li, since you have a wife at home, why are you still living in the same room with this girl? Since you're already living in the same room, why don't you marry her? You should be kind and compassionate, not so heartless and ungrateful."

"I—" What is all this about?

Li Yuxuan could only smile wryly: "Brother Xiao is unaware of the reasons behind this."

"I only know that I can't let down that girl's infatuation. If I regret it later, it will be too late." Xiao Feng sighed softly, as if these words had touched on his privacy.

Li Yuxuan remained silent, staring at Li Xinyun.