Я обнял крепкого мужчину за тонкую талию

Глава 67

Shi Yanyan raised her head angrily, looking at the young man, whose unparalleled elegance remained untouched by worldly dust.

"Aren't you cold-blooded? Why don't you shed a tear?"

Yu Zhou lowered his eyes and suppressed his smile, saying, "Since it's already a done deal, why shed tears? Will Qiao Die come back to life? Can Qiao Yun get rid of his inner demons? I've already cried all my tears; if I shed any more, they'll be tears of blood."

Shi Yanyan opened her eyes wide. She was somewhat confused. They were clearly the same age and from the same era, yet she seemed to sense the boy's desolation, perhaps even a touch of coldness. A solitary figure, independent of the world.

"Thank you." Yu Zhou smiled quietly.

Shi Yanyan nodded blankly. She then went out in a daze.

"If you understand this, why are you still shedding tears?" Yu Zhou suddenly said, picking up a Chinese knot and handing it to the person outside the window. Qiao Yun stared at the Chinese knot in Yu Zhou's hand, her eyes red.

"You...it's none of your business." Qiao Yun snatched the Chinese knot from Yu Zhou's hand. She glared fiercely at Yu Zhou.

Yu Zhou put down his hand: "Are you still going to run away?" Qiao Yun, who was startled by Yu Zhou's voice, turned around and punched Yu Zhou in the left cheek.

Looking at Yu Zhou, who had fallen to the side, she gripped the Chinese knot tightly, her eyes bloodshot as she stared at him and said, "What right do you have to say these things? Have you ever experienced this feeling? The feeling of killing your own sister with your own hands. I killed her." Two hands gripped my shoulders, her legs trembled uncontrollably, and tears streamed down her face onto my hands. Her eyes were filled with despair, fear, helplessness, and terror. And yet, I held her tightly with both hands, squeezing her throat without any gap and ruthlessly snapping it.

“The person I used to spend every day with, the person I used to love, died overnight, lying right next to my bed. I killed her. I can still hear Xiaodie calling out, ‘Brother, no!’ ‘Brother, Xiaodie will be good from now on!’ ‘Xiaodie will no longer make Mom, Dad, and Brother angry!’ ‘Brother, don’t kill Xiaodie!’ Her innocent eyes looked at me, but I cut off my sister’s throat like a demon. Can you feel it?” Qiao Yun roared almost frantically, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at his hand, as if he wanted to cut it off, and slammed his hand to the ground.

"Heh, is that all?" Yu Zhou mocked, looking at Qiao Yun kneeling on the ground. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. At this moment, Qiao Yun stared at Yu Zhou as if she had gone mad.

"What are you laughing at? Don't think that just because you're a favored member of the Qiao family I won't kill you. I'll kill you without hesitation." Qiao Yun looked coldly at Yu Zhou.

"Is that so?" Yu Zhou touched the wound Qiao Yun had hit him with and smiled it off.

Qiao Yun said coldly, "I was five years old when I was stained with my sister's blood. Killing you wouldn't be difficult for me."

"Qiao Yun, are you even a man? After all these years, don't you understand the meaning of twins?" Yu Zhou grabbed Qiao Yun's collar and said.

Qiao Yun looked at Yu Zhou with a confused expression.

"What are you talking about?" Qiao Yun's anger began to rise.

Yu Zhou said slowly, without any urgency, "Qiao Yun, do you know what twins mean? It means living and dying together. You dressed up as a woman just to escape the fact that your sister is dead, pretending that you were the one who killed her. But you don't know that your sister is not dead."

"How could that be? I killed Xiaodie with my own hands." Qiao Yun looked at Yu Zhou with disbelief in her clear, autumn-like eyes.

"The psychic doesn't even know that the spirit and the psychic share the same essence? It was you who killed Xiaodie all these years because you couldn't expel your inner demons and couldn't release Xiaodie. Xiaodie's growth has only stopped at five years old," Yu Zhou said calmly. Qiao Yun, however, reacted as if she had heard a bombshell.

"Qiao Yun, do you understand?" Yu Zhou asked.

"I understand." Qiao Yun's eyes were downcast, and she looked at Yu Zhou in a daze.

After Yu Zhou finished speaking, he suddenly coughed, his cough producing blood. He coughed heavily, clutching his chest and gasping for breath. Qiao Yun frantically checked Yu Zhou's pulse.

“Your illness is getting worse. I’m going to use a needle to prick your Baihui acupoint to temporarily seal off the illness, but even I can’t cure it.” Qiao Yun said, taking out a silver needle from her hand, helping Yu Zhou onto the bed, and quickly inserting the needle. With each needle inserted, Yu Zhou’s face became more rosy.

“Neither male nor female, let me tell you, this is only a temporary suppression. Although you won't cough all the time, I can't guarantee you won't die for a while, like a final burst of energy before death. Since you're going to die anyway, then use the last bit of fuel to push your life to its limit. Have you made up your mind? Once this needle is in, there will be no turning back.” Qiao Yun looked at the silver needle and asked tremblingly. He didn't want to use such an extreme method, but it was the only way to temporarily cure Yu Zhou.

"Qiao Yun, go ahead and do it. These past few years have been something I fought against fate for, and I don't need them anymore. My cough is really bothering me." Yu Zhou smiled faintly.

"You're crazy, how can you still laugh? Normally people would be crying their eyes out by now," Qiao Yun cursed under his breath.

Yu Zhou closed his eyes and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Let's insert the needles," Yu Zhou said.

"I've given you the injection. Once this goes in, your life won't be long, and I won't have to listen to your rambling reasoning anymore," Qiao Yun said impatiently.

The silver needles quickly entered Yu Zhou's body, returning one by one. Yu Zhou's forehead was covered with fine sweat, and he was breathing heavily.

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[Dynasty Storms: The Journey Begins]

"Thank you." Yu Zhou's voice was devoid of any emotion, only a faint tinge.

Qiao Yun's sweaty palms trembled slightly as she inserted the silver needle. "No need, so fussy. And you look like that, for goodness' sake." Qiao Yun breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're even more talkative than me." Yu Zhou's voice wasn't joking, but it stirred a feeling in Qiao Yun's heart—a sense of dependence on someone other than Xiao Die. It was a feeling of wanting to hold her close and cherish her.

His eyes, black as ink, held a pain that cut to the bone, yet his expression remained resolute, refusing to be ignored. Was he really only sixteen?

Is the heart hidden beneath that peerless face also incomparably beautiful? For the first time, Qiao Yun used her soul to contemplate the seemingly calm and collected man before her.

Yu Zhou inadvertently caught a glimpse of Qiao Yun. So this is what an Onmyoji looks like? So this is what the legendary Onmyoji are like. A handsome face with a touch of childlike innocence. Those pupils, symbolizing Yin and Yang, shimmered with a silvery light. Qiao Yun.

One afternoon, the platinum sunlight shone down on Yu Zhou without fail. A long black robe hung loosely over his shoulders as he sipped his fragrant tea. Beside him, Qiao Yun wore the same women's clothing, but a different aura emanated from her – the aura of an Onmyoji, commanding all things, exuding righteousness.

Shi Yanyan followed Yu Zhou and Qiao Yun's example and picked up a cup of tea. "Pah, so bitter, so bitter..." Shi Yanyan complained. The tea was so bitter that tears streamed down her face.

"That's not how you drink tea; you have to sip it little by little." Qiao Yun's speech slowed down considerably. His transcendent aura made Shi Yanyan almost unable to believe that the person in front of her was her cousin.

"Cousin, no! Cousin, are you alright?" Shi Yanyan asked tentatively.

Qiao Yun smiled and said, "You can just call me cousin from now on."

"Ah—" Shi Yanyan was so startled that her mouth could have fit a duck egg. "People change in an instant, and your cousin is no exception," Yu Zhou said.

"I should get going," Yu Zhou said casually, glancing at the sky. Qiao Yun continued drinking her tea expressionlessly, when Shi Yanyan suddenly let out a loud bang. Ignoring her position lying on the ground, she asked, "Let's go, now?"

Yu Zhou said somewhat embarrassedly, "We'll probably meet again in the future, I guess."

"Cousin...Brother, aren't you going to try to persuade him to stay?" Shi Yanyan asked anxiously. Qiao Yun said softly, "Take care." Yu Zhou smiled contentedly. His long, black hair flowed smoothly over his shoulders.

Yu Zhou covered his face with a square scarf and left the Qiao family compound without taking anything with him. Suddenly, he heard a blue-and-white porcelain-like arc, which was considered a farewell gift.

The sky is the color of rain, and I am waiting for you.