He really hit the right person with that splash.
The cold water splashed on his body, and Bai Can roared, sitting up abruptly and exhaling a breath of white air.
"Awake?" Shui Wu'er placed the copper basin on the table and sat down in front of the bed.
Bai Can looked completely bewildered. He stared wide-eyed at Shui Wu'er.
"Cui Cui?"
Shui Wu'er frowned. This stubborn man still refuses to wake up.
"I am not Cui Cui."
Bai Can fell silent.
Suddenly, two tears welled up in his tiger-like eyes.
"Cui Cui, why did you do this? Why did you leave me?"
Shui Wu'er coughed and said, "I have no intention of leaving you."
Bai Can hugged her tightly: "Cuicui, I know you have feelings for me, otherwise, you wouldn't have..."
That night? Shui Wu'er gasped for breath, trying to place her hands between herself and him.
“Cui Cui, from the first moment I saw you, I… I knew you were the one. You’re the only woman I’ll ever have in my life…”
"Bullshit, you've probably slept with so many women you can't even count them all," Shui Wu'er said dismissively.
"You...you knew perfectly well!" Bai Can looked shocked, with a hint of grievance and a touch of...shyness. "You knew perfectly well that night was my first time..."
Shui Wu'er was dumbfounded.
Bai Can held the woman in his arms contentedly, whispering sweet nothings: "Cuicui, as long as you're willing, I'll retire with you from the world. We'll go to the borderlands, herd horses and sheep, and have a bunch of babies."
Shui Wu'er's lips trembled, unable to utter a word. The number one romantic rogue in the martial world was actually... a virgin.
Bai Can blushed and pouted her swollen lips as she leaned in.
Shui Wu'er forcefully avoided his wolfish kiss. "Let go of me!"
"I won't let you go, I'd rather die than let you go!"
Shui Wu'er's teeth itched with rage. She grabbed the copper basin beside her and said, "Then I'll beat you to death."
She used a copper basin to give the most notorious rogue in the martial arts world a good beating.
Poor Bai Can, after being brutally beaten twice, finally couldn't take it anymore and fainted.
Shui Wu'er, carrying the copper basin and panting, suddenly felt incredibly refreshed.
The world is peaceful now.
So she sat down and quietly pondered the events of the past few days.
She wasn't worried about Shi Mansi. The person impersonating Old Madam Yuwen and trying to kill Shi Mansi was naturally Elder Yin, but Elder Yin clearly hadn't gotten anything out of Shi Mansi. As for Shi Mansi's claim that she was going to the Yuwen residence to settle scores with Old Madam Yuwen, she probably calculated that the person who disguised himself and tried to assassinate her would definitely come along to watch the spectacle.
What she was worried about was how Baili Qingyi would investigate the case of her Yin family.
In order to uncover the truth behind the massacre at the Yin family mansion, Baili Qingyi set two traps: one was Fangyan Zui, and the other was Madam Yun.
Fang Yan Zui's trap was extremely obvious, yet Baili Qingyi was certain that Wuhen would still fall for it because Fang Yan Zui possessed something Wuhen desired. Baili Qingyi probably didn't know what that thing was either, which is why she waited for Yin Bitong to appear and retrieve it.
But why was Baili Qingyi so certain that the massacre at the Yin family mansion was related to "Wuhen"?
As for Lady Yun...
Shui Wu'er smiled bitterly. She had known all along that Madam Yun had not woken up. If Madam Yun had really woken up, why wouldn't she reveal who the murderer was? Although the murderer had disguised himself when he committed the crime, he was not entirely without any clues.
Judging from Bai Can's current state, it must be Cui Shenghan who assassinated Madam Yun. Since Cui Shenghan is the third assassin of "Wuhen," could it be that the person who killed her entire Yin family was really from "Wuhen"? Her fingers clenched tightly, and sweat beaded on her temples.
No, not necessarily. "Wuhen" is an assassination organization that operates openly; anyone in the martial arts world can have "Wuhen" kill for them, as long as they have money! That murderer doesn't even need to lift a finger!
A voice inside me demanded sharply: Don't you want revenge?
Those questions cut into her heart like knives.
Revenge? What an unfamiliar word.
No, she didn't want to.
It was all because Aunt Nan had said: Xiao'er, you must live.
Bai Can fell in love with Cui Shenghan, and wanted to go to the borderlands with her to herd horses and sheep, and have a bunch of kids. But she lost the right to "want" three years ago. Everyone thought that if she hadn't died, she must have escaped the murderer's clutches under the protection of the entire family, but they didn't know that from the very beginning, she was the murderer's only target. She couldn't dodge the Soul-Destroying Kill, the unique secret technique of the Qiong Sect, the evil cult of the northern desert.
The only reason she's still alive is because of a poison. That poison can both harm and save. It can bring anyone on the verge of death back to life, and it can also render any healthy person unable to die.
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.
In her opinion, it's really the same thing—she just can't have what she wants.
The name of that poison is "Unfulfilled Desire".
Three years have passed, and the jade has shattered, the stream has dried up, the gold has melted, and the silk has sunk. A once proud and talented young lady has been transformed into a wretched and vulgar beggar.
Chapter Seven: Snow Easily Delights the Soul (Part One)
It's time to put an end to this.
Shui Wu'er knew that the remains of all twenty-two members of the Yin family were buried by Shi Mansi and Cen Lu at Xiaohunpo on the outskirts of the city.
She stepped out of her room and overheard two innkeepers whispering to each other.
"That young master from the Pomegranate House is truly exceptionally handsome! He's like a celestial being! I've never seen anyone like him before; this is quite an eye-opener!"
"Those two girls traveling with me are also breathtakingly beautiful. I wonder which wealthy family they belong to?"
"I think that young master is more handsome. Compared to him, those two women are much less attractive."
"Oh, are you saying that you have a penchant for homosexuality?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? You haven't seen that young master yet. Once you do, you'll know I'm telling the truth."
Shui Wu'er smiled faintly. Male beauty or female beauty, they are all fleeting clouds, fleeting clouds.
She walked quickly past the pomegranate room and was about to go downstairs when someone in the room lifted the curtain and came out, and the two met face to face.
"It's you?" Yuwen Hongying stared at her in astonishment.
Shui Wu'er was also taken aback. The two shop assistants were actually talking about Baili Qingyi and the Yuwen sisters? What a small world!
Before she could react, Yuwen Hongying had already thrust a long sword at her, placing it against her neck.
Dealing with her was naturally easier for Yuwen Hongying than a cat catching a mouse. With a sword in one hand and a shove behind her with the other, she pushed her into the pomegranate room.
"Brother Qingyi!" Yuwen Hongying called out sweetly, "This woman is the one who broke into Baili Prefecture with Yin Bitong that night. I recognize her! It's like finding a needle in a haystack, and I actually bumped into her here."
Shui Wu'er turned her gaze blankly to the room, where Baili Qingyi and Baili Hanyi were sitting around a table, along with Qin Qiyun, Yuwen Cuiyu, and Cen Lu.
Cen Lu glanced at him, then lowered his eyes and sipped his tea, his inner thoughts unreadable.
Shui Wu'er smiled bitterly. Cen Lu had said he would pretend she was dead, and naturally he wouldn't go back on his word.
Everyone else stared at her with astonishment, while Baili Qingyi's eyes held even more confusion and complexity.
“Miss Hongying, please release her,” Baili Qingyi said in a deep voice.
"Brother Qingyi!" Yuwen Hongying exclaimed in shock, "She's a member of 'Wuhen,' how can we let her go? We should torture her severely to make her reveal Yin Bitong's whereabouts!"
“She’s not ‘Traceless.’ Let her go, and obey!”
"I... won't let go!" Yuwen Hongying stomped her foot indignantly, not understanding why Baili Qingyi was protecting this strange woman.
Yuwen Cuiyu suddenly said softly, "Sister, don't be rash. Since this girl is an acquaintance of the young master in blue, you must not hurt her."
These words, meant as words of comfort, took on a completely different meaning for Yuwen Hongying. She became even more impulsive, angrily shouting, "She's clearly the 'Traceless' witch! I... I'll kill her today!"
Shui Wu'er found it amusing; Yuwen Hongying was indeed still a young girl at heart. You want to please your sweetheart, yet you insist on going against him—how can that be? A woman as understanding as Yuwen Cuiyu is a better companion for the young man in blue. She glanced at the long sword at her neck; this was the second time Yuwen Hongying had placed a sword against her throat.
She closed her eyes and said, "Just kill me."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Hongying was taken aback. Why did this woman neither beg for mercy nor argue back?
In that moment of stunned silence, Baili Qingyi leaped from the table, flicked away the longsword with her finger, and shielded Shui Wu'er in her arms.
Shui Wu'er looked up at him and noticed that he was already angry.
"If you continue to indiscriminately kill innocent people, don't blame Qingyi for punishing you according to the rules of the martial world!"
Yuwen Hongying was horrified. Indiscriminate killing of innocent people, according to the Baili family's laws, would at least result in the amputation of all ten fingers, and at worst, death! "Brother Qingyi, are you going to hurt me for her sake?"
Shui Wu'er was speechless. This girl...
The young man in blue follows the rules; there's no question of doing things for anyone else.
Baili Hanyi laughed, fanning himself: "Does Miss Hongying know who she is? She's the little beggar you kidnapped at Chuxiu Manor. Today is the second time you've put a sword to her neck."
Everyone was taken aback, especially Yuwen Hongying: "That little beggar... was actually a woman?"
Baili Qingyi frowned and asked Shui Wu'er, "Are you hurt?"
Shui Wu'er coughed lightly and subtly stepped away from his embrace: "No, Young Master Qingyi, you needn't worry about it. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer..."
Baili Qingyi's expression changed slightly.
Baili Hanyi smiled and said, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave, young lady? You might as well stay and have a few drinks as an apology."
Shui Wu'er looked at Baili Qingyi and saw that he was staring at her with a solemn expression, as if he was very hurt by her departure.
He calls himself a celestial being? Does he really think he is? Does he expect every woman to swoon over him?
To be honest, she did indeed swoon over him that night... She felt a little guilty. Uh... should she continue to maintain this infatuated demeanor?
The two exchanged a glance, and suddenly their thoughts turned to the undergarment. Baili Qingyi's eyes lit up.
"Hanyi, you once met Miss Yin. In your opinion, what is Miss Yin's temperament like?" he suddenly asked.
Baili Hanyi paused for a moment before realizing what she meant, and smiled wryly: "We were separated by an entire street that day, and she was wearing a veil, so it can hardly be considered a casual encounter. However, in my opinion, Miss Yin's talent is unparalleled, that goes without saying. Her personality is a bit arrogant, but she is also a reasonable person. Moreover, what I admire most about her is that she speaks and acts very decisively, without any pedantry."
Yuwen Hongying gave a cold snort.
Baili Hanyi seemed not to hear her and continued, "I also think that what is most worthy of deep thought is her absolute attitude towards Qingyi."
"What attitude?"