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Глава 12

"Sigh, let alone a girl like you, even a decent man wouldn't dare to be so arrogant."

"Xiao'er is not arrogant because of her talent. Xiao'er is just a little greedy. Many women would rather die than have it, but Xiao'er insists on having it to show the world."

A gentle breeze swept away countless grand pronouncements, shattering them into pieces.

Shui Wu'er flinched, and looking up, she saw a paulownia petal swirling down from the treetop, drifting and drifting, until it landed right between her eyebrows.

She was momentarily stunned, and a tightness rose in her chest. She coughed a few times, but nothing of color came out. Excellent.

Life is full of suffering, but it can be clearly summarized into seven things: being with those you hate, being separated from those you love, and not getting what you want.

Hmph, if you ask her, it's really the same thing, she just can't have it.

"Water Maiden?"

A soft, gentle voice drifted over from behind.

She paused for a moment, then turned around and saw a face that was half covered.

While it's said that half of her face was covered, the exposed half was barely enough to avoid startling passersby; her original facial features were completely unrecognizable. It's easy to imagine that the other half, which was covered, was definitely beyond her acceptable range.

Therefore, she wouldn't mention it; she wasn't curious. Even if it weren't Yuwen Cuiyu, who already had someone she loved, any other ordinary woman probably wouldn't have accepted such a husband, would she?

However, this man with a ferocious face had a pair of gentle eyes.

"Master Qin." Remembering Uncle Jiao's instructions, she curtsied.

Qin Qiyun smiled kindly: "I heard that Qingyi left a girl in the manor, who was one of the little beggars from that day. I've been curious and wanted to come and see her for a long time, but after seeing you, I don't find it surprising at all."

"What Master Qin says is true. Wu'er is just an ordinary beggar."

Qin Qiyun was taken aback for a moment, then quickly explained, "Miss Shui has misunderstood. What I meant was that it's not surprising that Qingyi kept such an extraordinary person like you. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to bear seeing you suffer either."

Shui Wu'er smiled upon hearing this. This person's nature was truly straightforward and endearingly gentle, giving off a familiar and warm feeling.

"Everyone says that Master Qin and the young man in blue are like brothers. After meeting them today, I can see that Master Qin is indeed a gentle and kind gentleman."

"Miss Shui, you flatter me." Qin Qiyun smiled wryly. "Miss Shui witnessed what happened at the wedding banquet that day, and I am extremely ashamed. But if I were to say who I truly feel guilty towards, it would only be Miss Shui and Brother Shui."

"us?"

"Indeed, if it weren't for me, Brother Shui wouldn't have suffered such serious injuries."

"What does this have to do with you?"

“If I had discovered earlier that Cuiyu had no interest in me, there would have been no forced marriage by Old Madam Yuwen, and the unexpected events of that day would not have happened.”

"..."

“Master Qin, it’s Yuwen’s loss that she abandoned you.” Shui Wu’er lowered her eyes, concealing her deep thoughts.

"……ah?"

"Does Master Qin truly harbor no hatred whatsoever for the young man in blue?"

Qin Qiyun's expression changed as she said, "The man in green is the one who saved my life and my heart. What right do I have to hate him?"

"So that means, deep down, Master Qin still harbors some resentment towards him?" She gave a slight smirk.

Qin Qiyun frowned: "This matter is not Qingyi's fault either; he was also powerless to do it."

Shui Wu'er carefully observed his expression and suddenly sighed deeply: "What virtue or ability does Baili Qingyi possess to deserve such treatment from you?"

"Qingyi is an honest and generous man. When I was seriously injured, my face was disfigured, and I lost all my memories, if it weren't for his painstaking rescue, how could I have the magnanimous Qin Qiyun I am today!"

"You... haven't recovered even a single memory yet?"

Qin Qiyun shook her head: "It's a pity that my appearance is ruined, otherwise people who knew me before might come to recognize me."

"It is indeed a pity." Her gaze drifted elsewhere.

“However, if it weren’t for amnesia, perhaps I wouldn’t have such a simple and easy life today.” He gazed into the distance. “Perhaps I was a villain in the martial arts world, someone everyone wanted to get rid of.”

Shui Wu'er smiled brightly: "Master Qin is truly a master." She stood up from the lakeside, patted her skirt, and turned to leave.

"Where is the Water Maiden going?"

“I just lied to Uncle Jiao, saying I was going to bring my son out to bask in the sun, but actually I was just sitting here daydreaming. Now I’m only telling you the truth: I’m leaving Baili Prefecture.”

"You're leaving?" Qin Qiyun was stunned.

She smiled and nodded.

"...Why did you only tell the truth to me?"

"Because you are a virtuous and gentlemanly person, you will definitely not find a reason to stop me."

“But…” He showed a hint of fear. The woman in front of him had hit the nail on the head, but he had no idea what she would do next.

“Master Qin,” she said, her back to him, her voice seemingly coming from a very distant place, “everyone has their own destiny. Although you, Master Qin, have suffered a great calamity, you will have good fortune in the future. But the fate of having no children is like a broken stem or a floating duckweed; you can’t ask for more, and you can’t ask for more.”

"Water Maiden..." he called softly.

Was it an illusion? She swayed as if she were standing unsteadily.

"I have to go, I have to go, I have to go..." Shui Wu'er muttered to herself as she quickly passed through Baili Mansion. The servants in the mansion did not find anything amiss and did not stop her.

Suddenly a crisp voice called out to her: "Water Maiden!"

She was a maid from the Baili family, and her name seemed to be Dongrui.

"Is...is something the matter?" Shui Wu'er reluctantly turned her head to the side.

“That’s right,” the girl, who was about ten years old, said in a sweet and soft voice, “when the young master went out this morning, he asked the kitchen to brew a bowl of medicine to sober you up and calm your nerves, and he also told me to make sure you drank it.”

Herbal medicine? She must have been really drunk last night, that he would worry about her so much…

“Your young master is a good person.” Her voice was low and hollow.

"Of course, our young master is the best person in the world." Dongrui smiled sweetly and walked around to face Shui Wu'er, her expression somewhat ingratiating. Everyone said that this young lady was actually just a beggar, but she didn't think so. This person who spoke so softly and gently was more like a noble lady, yet she was very approachable.

"Ah!" Dongrui cried out abruptly. She stared in horror at Shui Wu'er's face, which was completely drained of color and pale as if she were not alive.

"Young lady, you..."

"Would you like to bring the medicine over?" Shui Wu'er said softly, her voice barely audible.

Dongrui nodded hurriedly and turned to leave.

Oh, the medicinal soup! I long to drink a sip of it, even if it's bitter, so very bitter...

She suddenly clenched her fists and pressed them to her chest, feeling an indescribable panic—not panicked by anything in particular, but by an uncontrollable palpitation and weakness.

So she kept her head down and walked quickly, when she unexpectedly bumped into a broad and warm embrace.

The blue fabric fluttered before her eyes.

"Are you leaving?" The voice was still gentle and warm, but she could hear the anger hidden within it.

Her breath hitched, and she looked up to see Baili Qingyi holding her shoulders with a cold gaze. Beside her were two stunningly beautiful women who looked very familiar. One of them caught sight of her and a venomous glint flashed in her eyes.

However, she could no longer care about any of that.

She gently pulled away from him: "Don't stop me..."

However, he turned around and stood in front of her again: "You told Uncle Jiao that you wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow, didn't you?"

"Don't stop me..." She walked forward without looking up, her steps unsteady and difficult, her voice even pleading.

He noticed her unusual behavior, grabbed her shoulders, and looked her straight in the eye: "Tell me, what happened?"

She gently looked up at him, her gaze unfocused and scattered, her voice broken, and her face ashen and withered: "Don't stop me..." Why, why did he look at her with such concern? Not now, not...

His mind went blank; he had a gut feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"I won't stop you..." He let go of her hand, stepped aside, and followed her gaze to the gate.

Shui Wu'er stumbled two steps, then gently collapsed.

"Wu'er!" Baili Qingyi caught her frail body, which could no longer support her, but what he saw next horrified him even more.

Blood, a steady stream of fresh blood, gushed from her mouth and nose, flowing out like the gentle, distant sigh of a flowing river…

Unable to obtain

In my dream, I was unaware that I was a guest, indulging in fleeting pleasure.

If one could truly be unaware of being a guest in a dream, what would be wrong with indulging in fleeting pleasure?

She frowned and heard herself say, "Aunt Nan, I will not marry Brother Fenglang."

The wet nurse, whom she regarded as her own mother, shook her head helplessly: "Of course I know that no one can force you to do something you don't want to do, but this is your Aunt Yun's wish for many years, and also your parents' wish. Can you bear to see them disappointed?"

“Aunt Nan, this is a matter of lifelong importance!” she heard herself say stubbornly. “Besides, Aunt Yun herself has not been doing well. My parents… I have never met them.”

"Xiao'er, oh Xiao'er, you are such a spoiled child." Her wet nurse, who was like a mother to her, sighed every day for more than ten years.

Then she saw the wet nurse fly up, float up lightly, and then crash heavily into the beautifully decorated wall.

Then, the whole house flew up... or did she fly up?

There's blood, lots and lots of blood.

"Miss, you can't marry anyone, don't worry." A voice, both familiar and unfamiliar, spoke with such ruthlessness and decisiveness.

"You... how could it be you? Why? Why!" It was her shouting, or perhaps it was Aunt Nan shouting.

Life slowly faded from her body, and countless sounds rose up in chaos: the wind, thunder, screams, and cold laughter... She didn't even have time to realize that she was about to die.

She should have gradually forgotten everything, but at the moment her consciousness was about to fade, she was suddenly jolted awake.

Something was stuffed into my mouth and naturally slid down my throat.

It's sweet.

It's Aunt Nan! It's Aunt Nan, clinging to someone's legs and shouting, "Xiao'er, run! You have to live! Live!"

"Aunt Nan?" she murmured.

Suddenly, a stream of heat splashed onto her face.

Her strength returned, and she found herself running wildly, but running into the distance, further and further away from Aunt Nan.