“Big brother…” Baili Hanyi frowned and followed behind. He didn’t quite know what his older brother, with his complicated and unpredictable thoughts, was thinking, but his back looked rather lonely.
The sound of victory echoes through the still leaves, and resounds through the floating clouds in the valley.
Good times are rare, but beautiful women are hard to find again.
Chapter Eighteen: Life is fleeting, all things vanish in an instant (Part One)
Heading north, the endless expanse of withered grass presents a desolate scene, barely clinging to life.
Yin Wuxiao lifted the curtain of the carriage, glanced outside, and said, "The road ahead is flat, so it won't be so bumpy."
Inside the carriage, Cui Shenghan smiled, her face pale.
Seeing her expression, Yin Wuxiao was a little worried, so he put a few more pillows under her lower back and said, "How about we stay for a few days before we leave?"
Cui Shenghan shook her head: "How can that be? It would be bad if it delayed your wedding."
"What does it matter if the wedding is delayed by a few days? Your health is the most important thing."
Cui Shenghan lowered her head gently, her delicate eyebrows and eyes filled with a melancholy.
Yin Wuxiao thought she was worried about the baby, so he comforted her, "Didn't Doctor Xuan already examine you? The fetus is perfectly normal, so there's no need to worry."
Cui Shenghan shook her head: "I'm not worried about the child."
"So what are you worried about?"
Cui Shenghan hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
“Miss Yin, I…I miss him.”
Yin Wuxiao was startled.
Of course she knew that Cui Shenghan was referring to Bai Can.
She always felt that Cui Shenghan and Bai Can's relationship was somewhat inexplicable—they fell in love inexplicably and had a child inexplicably. She wondered if Cui Shenghan was using Bai Can as a tool to leave "Wuhen," or if Cui Shenghan had approached Bai Can with malicious intent from the beginning.
But upon hearing Cui Shenghan's words, even the worst guesses had to be swallowed.
"He's been around in the underworld for so many years, nothing bad will happen to him."
“I…” Cui Shenghan gave her a strange look. “I’m not afraid that something will happen to him, I just miss him.”
"..." Yin Wuxiao had always prided herself on being an upright woman, but after hearing these words, she felt very uncomfortable.
Seeing her flustered appearance, Cui Shenghan smiled and said, "Miss Yin, have you never liked anyone before?"
Yin Wuxiao blushed instantly.
After a long silence, Yin Wuxiao cautiously asked, "Sister Cui, is it worth it for you to take such a big risk for Bai Can?"
"Who said I did it for him?"
"Well……"
Cui Shenghan stroked her lower abdomen: "I did it for myself. What isn't worth it to be with the person I love?"
Yin Wuxiao gave her a deep look, then lowered his head in melancholy.
Cui Shenghan sighed, "Actually, I know that using that Blood Jade Pendant will only bring me a moment of peace. How could someone like my master allow me to escape from him? But... but what can I do?" She looked earnestly at Yin Wuxiao, "Right now, I only want to give birth to this child safely. As for the future, even if I die at Yin Bitong's hands, I will have no regrets. Miss Yin, if... if I am no longer here in the future, could you please take care of him a little more, for the sake of this child calling you 'Auntie'?"
Yin Wuxiao's lips moved, but he didn't know what to say.
She wanted to say, "Your man stole my things, and now you're coming to me looking for a backer. That's not all, you're even blaming me for the unborn child. I must have owed your family something in my past life."
But looking at Cui Shenghan's face, which radiated maternal warmth, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Yin Wuxiao sighed, lifted the curtain, and peeked out.
"Brother Fenglang, let's find a place to stay early today. Sister Cui isn't feeling well."
Could she really be such a soft-hearted person...? She looked up at the sky and muttered to herself, "Even if I lose my teeth, I'll swallow the blood."
As evening approached, we finally arrived at a small town called Tihu. The only inn in the town was a small bamboo building. A pale red lantern hung at the entrance of the bamboo building, and as people walked upstairs, it creaked and groaned, as if the whole building was swaying in the wind.
Before the group could even rest, a junior member of the Qiao Clan came to report that the deputy leader of the Anhui branch had arrived on horseback with important news. Qiao Fenglang, who had originally intended to speak with Yin Wuxiao for a while, had no choice but to go and meet him upon hearing this.
Just as he was about to leave, Cui Shenghan said, "Miss Yin, why don't you go with Chief Qiao?"
Yin Wuxiao was taken aback: "If I leave, what will you do?"
"I'm not that delicate. Besides, you two haven't even had a chance to speak because of me the whole way. How can this be?"
Yin Wuxiao remained silent, then looked at Qiao Fenglang, who seemed to want him to go with her as well, so he got up and went out.
As soon as she stepped out of the room, Qiao Fenglang pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly with both arms.
Yin Wuxiao was pinned against the bamboo railing by him, and he felt that the railing was about to break at any moment, so he struggled frantically.
Qiao Fenglang whispered in her ear, "Don't move, let me hold you like this for a while."
Yin Wuxiao was stunned.
“You’ve been with that woman the whole way, and haven’t even had time to talk to her.”
Yin Wuxiao chuckled; Qiao Fenglang's tone was like that of a child who couldn't win his parents' favor.
"Xiao'er, I miss you," Qiao Fenglang murmured, burying his head in her neck.
In an instant, Cui Shenghan's words came to mind, and Yin Wuxiao felt a mix of emotions.
“I know you resent me and hate me for forcing you, but if I can’t have you, I won’t be content in this life. Tell me, what’s the point of life if I can’t be with the person I love?” Qiao Fenglang slightly increased the distance between them, his dark eyes fixed on Yin Wuxiao’s face.
Yin Wuxiao smiled bitterly.
Everyone naturally wants to be with the person they like, but if everyone could have their wish fulfilled, there wouldn't be so many troubles in the world.
Isn't the phenomenon of "not being able to obtain what one desires" a consequence of this?
"Xiao'er, I've thought about it carefully. I went too far the other day. It's understandable that you like Baili Qingyi."
Yin Wuxiao was surprised.
“I see quite a few girls in the martial arts world who like him, and I imagine many girls your age are somewhat infatuated with a man like him. Perhaps that infatuation will fade away after this period of time passes. After we get married, I will treat you wholeheartedly, and I will get you anything you want. What do you say?” Qiao Fenglang’s tone was urgent.
Yin Wuxiao remained silent.
She suddenly realized that it wasn't just women who liked to deceive themselves; men did too.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Qiao Fenglang gasped, "Xiao'er, you... say something." He held his head, suddenly feeling weak, "I really don't understand what's wrong. We grew up together since childhood, and our relationship was so good. How did it become so distant? Why are you so cold to me?"
Yin Wuxiao was somewhat dazed. She didn't know how she and Qiao Fenglang had become estranged. Perhaps it was the year Qiao Fenglang inherited the leadership of the Qiao Gang, or even earlier, that their relationship became somewhat strange, until later, they were practically like strangers.
In her daze, she blurted out her thoughts. Upon hearing this, a look of pain appeared on Qiao Fenglang's face.
"Brother Fenglang?" Yin Wuxiao called out softly with some concern.
"Xiao'er, if, if we hadn't become estranged back then, and were still like before, would you have willingly married me?"
Yin Wuxiao shook her head: "In my heart, I have always regarded you as my own brother. I originally thought that you only treated me like a sister, but I didn't expect..." She suddenly felt guilty. If she had discovered Qiao Fenglang's feelings earlier, would she have fallen in love with him?
Hearing her say that, Qiao Fenglang's expression softened. He squeezed her hand and gave her a gentle smile.
"No matter what happened in the past, from now on, you will be my wife, and I will cherish you for the rest of my life, never leaving you."
Wife? The word lingered in Yin Wuxiao's mouth, eliciting a slightly bitter taste.
In fact, having a husband like Qiao Fenglang is a blessing.
Yin Wuxiao returned his smile: "Let's go quickly, don't keep them waiting."
The deputy leader of the Qiao Gang's Anhui branch was a portly, fair-skinned old man surnamed Zhao. Yin Wuxiao had never seen him before, so he assumed he had been promoted in the last two years. Deputy Leader Zhao waited downstairs for a long time, still maintaining excellent manners and respectfully reporting his business.
Yin Wuxiao held a teacup, staring blankly at the tea leaves floating in it, when she suddenly heard Deputy Branch Leader Zhao say, "Madam Yun is much better." Her hand trembled, and the teacup fell to the ground with a thud.
"Aunt Yun is awake?" She stood up abruptly, overjoyed and incredulous.
Qiao Fenglang glared at Deputy Branch Leader Zhao. He quickly came over to reassure him, "I didn't tell you right away because I was afraid you'd worry."
"My own aunt has finally woken up! How could you not tell me about something so important?" Yin Wuxiao's voice changed, whether he was happy or angry.
“I’m not trying to hide it from you, it’s just… it’s just that although Mother has woken up, she’s still very weak. Besides, she’s not quite right in the head and keeps talking nonsense. I was afraid that if you knew, you would be disappointed and sad, so I planned to wait until Mother is fully recovered before telling you.”
At this moment, Deputy Branch Leader Zhao added smugly from the side, "Madam Yun's spirits have improved a lot. I heard she's been calling the gang leader's name a few days ago."
Yin Wuxiao's tears streamed down her face. It was one thing that she and Aunt Yun weren't close, but Aunt Yun was, after all, her only remaining blood relative in the world. And thinking that Aunt Yun had ended up in this state because of her, her heart ached even more.
When Qiao Fenglang saw her crying, he was at a loss for what to do. He quickly handed her a handkerchief and said some nice things. He also glared at the speechless Deputy Branch Leader Zhao a few times before he finally managed to coax her back to normal.
Yin Wuxiao wiped away her tears and said, "Brother Fenglang, if that's the case, then you should take your men and rush back to the capital tonight."
Qiao Fenglang was taken aback, and it took him a while to understand what she meant: "You're not coming with me?"
Yin Wuxiao glared at him: "Sister Cui is not feeling well and it is inconvenient for her to travel."
"Then let's go together..."
"Didn't you just hear that? Aunt Yun kept calling your name! Brother Fenglang, Aunt Yun has always treated you like her own son, don't you feel that?"
"..." Qiao Fenglang was speechless, unable to find any words to refute her.
"How can I feel at ease having two frail women traveling like this?" he said slowly after a long pause.
"With so many Qiao Clan disciples protecting us, what is there to worry about?"
At this moment, Zhao, the deputy branch leader who was oblivious to his master's mood, stepped forward with great joy and interjected, "This subordinate is willing to escort Miss Yin all the way back to the capital, and guarantees that there will be no mishaps."
Qiao Fenglang was speechless after hearing this, and had no other reason to stop talking. He prepared to leave, thinking to himself how to deal with this clueless deputy branch leader Zhao in the future.
Chapter Eighteen: Life is fleeting, all things vanish in the blink of an eye (Part Two)
From Deputy Branch Leader Zhao, Yin Wuxiao grasped the essence of an idiom:
Arrogant at first, then obsequious.
Deputy Branch Master Zhao's attitude of serving him so sincerely and appearing so frequently that Yin Wuxiao had become quite fluent in using the term "Deputy Branch Master Zhao" to address him.
When she was in business in her early years, Yin Wuxiao understood a principle: people who are single-mindedly pursuing fame and fortune are generally not very complicated. Therefore, she did not have any ill feelings towards Deputy Branch Master Zhao. On the contrary, she had a good impression of the old man.
Throughout the journey, Deputy Branch Leader Zhao rode his horse to the window of the carriage, chattering on and on about health and wellness with Yin Wuxiao. As he spoke, he used himself as an example, imparting his secrets to maintaining smooth skin in one's fifties.