72 Chapter Seventy-Two

◎More like...the person she loved before her dream was shattered, than the Xie Lang of today.

Chapter Seventy-Two

"The whole of Yingcheng is buzzing right now, everyone's saying that Miss Lin has high standards. Does my brother know why? If he does, I can correct my ways and not follow the same path."

Xie Lang finally looked at the man properly after hearing this.

He considered himself to be fair and impartial, and he disliked this person.

His eyes are slick and unreliable, his smile is cold but his eyes are cold; he's just like he always was, only wearing a mask of hypocrisy.

Qingqing would never like this person.

Otherwise... he wouldn't have abandoned her.

Thinking of this, Xie Lang suppressed the pain welling up in his heart and smiled naturally: "She used to have someone she loved and who promised to spend their lives with her."

Recalling everything, he lowered his eyes to hide the growing dull pain in his heart. "The two of them grew up together and have a deep affection for each other, but there are some misunderstandings. Young master, you should not break up their marriage."

Fu Xiuzhu was surprised, and then fell silent.

Xie Lang then looked him up and down, seemingly glancing casually at his waist: "You are not as strong as the one she loves. You often smile at other women, unlike her who is so virtuous. She never speaks kindly to other women. She is very particular about cleanliness and doesn't even like to have any mixed perfumes on her body. You are absolutely not suitable."

Xie Lang spoke with absolute certainty.

Fu Xiuzhu: "..."

I was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to respond!

After Liu Qingqing calmed the family down, she returned to find the two standing side by side, facing opposite directions and ignoring each other.

He glanced at it suspiciously, then turned and went home.

As soon as Liu Qingqing took a step, Fu Xiuzhu followed in perfect unison.

"Your horsemanship has improved so much lately, young lady. I think that in a while, you'll be able to return to the capital on your own without any problem!" Fu Xiuzhu praised.

“Mr. Fu has made a great contribution, and I never expected riding a horse to be so enjoyable. The wind blowing across my cheeks is so refreshing!” she replied cheerfully.

The two men's voices drifted in and out of sight, Xie Lang trailing behind with a somber expression.

Reaching the tree where the horse was tethered, Liu Qingqing untied the reins, turned back and smiled at Xie Lang, "Brother, you still have things to do, don't worry. I'll go back to the clinic with Mr. Fu first."

With a terrible headache, ringing in his ears, and barely able to see, Xie Lang stood there with difficulty.

The wound on his waist and abdomen was numb and painful. The worm inside his abdominal cavity sensed the host's turbulent emotions and was tearing through his flesh and moving around happily.

The clatter of hooves faded into the distance, and her scent drifted away with them.

Liu Qingqing, who once only had eyes for him, actually left with someone else right in front of him!

Liu Qingqing was uneasy the whole way, wondering if Fu Xiuzhu had noticed. She secretly glanced at him and saw that Fu Xiuzhu seemed to be deep in thought.

She only hoped not to cause Xie Lang any trouble and to let him finish his business and return to the capital as soon as possible.

After their first encounter in the cave, he reverted to his former self, reverting to his dignified and gentlemanly demeanor, as if his cold and mad side was merely a dream. Liu Qingqing dared not provoke him, only thinking that he had lost interest, and quickly tried to appease him and send him away.

With the wind and birds by his side, he soon returned to the clinic.

As soon as the horse came to a stop, someone urgently called for Doctor Fu, so Fu Xiuzhu had no choice but to swallow back what he was about to say.

Liu Qingqing pretended not to understand and returned to the backyard, wanting to rest for a while.

Unexpectedly, when she pushed open the door, she saw Xie Lang sitting upright at the table. Hearing the noise, she immediately looked up, and his sharp, hawk-like gaze shot towards her. Liu Qingqing took a step back.

Coming to his senses, he curtsied and said, "I have some things to do and cannot keep you company. Please rest here, sir."

After saying that, she gently closed the door again.

It's closed?

Xie Lang was taken aback.

She just casually tossed him here again!

You can't hit her, you can't scold her, and if you push her too hard, you're afraid she'll run away again.

Xie Lang, who wielded immense influence in the court and among the people, was powerless against her.

I was afraid she would be angry, afraid she would resent me.

Xie Lang could no longer deceive himself—she must really no longer love him.

He didn't think love was that important or that he cared about it back then, so why does his heart ache so much now?

The pain made him bend his proud frame, and tears welled up in his eyes.

She wouldn't listen to his heartfelt words, and she ignored his affection.

The misunderstanding has been cleared up, so why does she still treat him like this?

She was completely unresponsive to him and treated him with utter indifference!

Extremely perfunctory!

At first, he lied to himself, saying he just wanted to find her and see if she was alright. Now, even the pain could no longer conceal the love he wanted to hide and despise.

He ended up with a fate he looked down upon—no, he was even worse off!

She didn't believe what he said, and she pretended not to see what he did. Or she would just watch indifferently, just as he had always done.

Only when the paddle struck him did he realize how painful it was. He confessed everything, even the tunnel and the human skin mask, without hiding it from her, but she didn't understand.

She no longer loves him; she can't understand anything he does.

Xie Lang had never felt so lost and defeated in his life.

What could he possibly do to get her to look at him like she used to?

How did they... end up like this?

Was she... just as heartbroken and sad back then?

Xie Lang sat waiting for her until night fell and the gong sounded outside, but she still didn't appear.

She's not coming back?

He leaped over the courtyard wall, and after a few bird calls, Xie Wu suddenly appeared.

"Where did Madam go?"

Xie Wu knelt down on one knee with a thud, his Adam's apple bobbing back and forth, but he kept a straight face and refused to make a sound.

Xie Lang frowned. "Have you lost your voice?"

Xie Wu felt his tongue go numb and his scalp crease furrow at the thought of what he had just witnessed. He was at a loss for words and could only lower his head heavily, beads of sweat instantly forming on his forehead and sliding down his cheeks.

Xie Lang didn't make things difficult for Xie Wu: "It's hard to say, just lead the way."

Xie Wu: "..."

He touched the tranquilizer in his pocket, thought it over and over, and then said to the man dryly, "Sir, please don't be in a hurry."

-

Liu Qingqing, however, had her own plans.

She felt that Xie Lang had always been rational and cautious, and knew how to act in a more advantageous way. Now, she had only startled him when she left, and he couldn't understand it. Once he came to terms with it and accepted that they were divorced, everything would be fine.

Since Xie Lang had no intention of leaving, Liu Qingqing planned to find another place to stay in the next few days.

She met a new friend in Yingcheng named Liang Li.

The Liang family has been in business for generations. Liang Li is younger than her, but she is very quick-witted and has learned a lot from that girl.

Liang Li recently opened a new restaurant and invited her to go. However, she had caught a cold earlier, and Liang Li was in poor health, so she was afraid of catching it from her and didn't go.

I'll go take a look today.

She greeted Lin Mei and then rode alone towards Qingfeng Pavilion.

Qingfeng Pavilion and the medical clinic are not far apart; it only takes a short ride on horseback.

Deep in the alley, an old woman draped in a dirty burlap sack emerged from the chaotic shadows.

The old woman chuckled, startling the beggar boy beside her, who shrank back into the distance.

The old woman was sometimes delirious and sometimes insane, and the deep scar across her face made her look quite terrifying.

This person was none other than the previously missing Ying family member. After Liu Qingqing's fate became unknown, Xie Lang lost his patience and showed no mercy to the Liu family, causing Liu Xu to lose his official position.

Internal strife broke out in the Liu household. Liu Xu and Xiao Yingshi began tearing each other apart. After his beloved concubine suffered a miscarriage, Liu Xu became impatient with Xiao Yingshi, and after losing his official position, he vented his resentment on her, blaming her for mistreating Qingqing and causing the Liu household to fall into such a state!

Xiao Ying refused to admit it and immediately started accusing him. All her scheming had come to nothing, and she had even been scolded by Liu Xu! She couldn't swallow this insult!

The two began to bite each other, and in a fit of rage, Xiao Ying cut off his root. Liu Xu trembled in pain, grabbed the knife, and slashed Xiao Ying's most cherished face!

They started out as accomplices, but in the end, no one benefited.

This beggar was rented from an ordinary farmer and was posing as a grandmother and grandson. Little Ying fled to Yingcheng, partly because of arrangements made by her superiors, and partly because she never expected to encounter Liu Qingqing there!

Thank God!

Xiao Ying smiled wickedly, actually blaming Liu Qingqing for Liu Xu's mistake.

Once she helps the powerful achieve their great ambitions, what will the Ying family be? What will Liu Qingqing be? Even the Marquis of Zhongwu's mansion be? They'll all be nothing but corpses beneath her feet!

She wants to repay all the suffering and pain she has endured in the past!

The Yanluo Pill could bring the dead back to life, but it wasn't what the higher-ups wanted most.

What the Northern Rong and Northern Qiang wanted most was that pain-relieving pill; after taking it, they would...

Xiao Ying reached into her chest; the medicine packet was still there. She gave a wicked smile.

If only I could kill two birds with one stone, get my hands on the formula for the pain-free pills, and then force Liu Qingqing to her death!

Then she'll poison the entire city, forcing Liu Qingqing to give the prescription, and then falsely accuse Liu Qingqing's blood of being the medicinal ingredient! Just taking the medicine won't work; you need a medicinal ingredient to make it effective!

People of the city! We must not let Liu Qingqing's blood run dry!

Even if she had three heads and six arms, could she possibly hold off the entire city? She could bite each person in one bite and leave not even bone fragments!

-

Liu Qingqing was dumbfounded!

I never imagined that Liang Li's restaurant would be so shocking!

Qingfeng Pavilion, however, is a place where stunningly handsome men are secretly hidden.

Behind a sheer, almost transparent white veil, the lamplight illuminated the bodies of several strong men, their beautiful muscles faintly visible. They were dancing to music.

Unlike the graceful and moving dance of women, this dance is extremely powerful and exhilarating!

Liu Qingqing touched her nose and felt her blood boiling; she felt like her nose was about to bleed!

Liang Li covered her mouth and laughed as she took Liu Qingqing's arm, mocking her for being ignorant and timid.

"What's the big deal? It's still covered up, isn't it?"

"You might as well not cover it up!"

As she danced, the strip of cloth covering her waist moved with the wind, sometimes revealing and sometimes concealing what lay beneath.

Liu Qingqing felt extremely thirsty, so she picked up a small cup and drank it all in one gulp. It turned out to be alcohol, and the spiciness made her grimace.

She had been away from Xie Lang for a long time since they parted ways.

It's impossible for her not to want to; she was someone who read storybooks even before she was married!

Not to mention, for some reason, after getting married, he became even more... ignorant about that matter.

Xie Lang was always gentle, but when he got a little impatient a few times, she actually felt more comfortable.

Liu Qingqing looked away, swallowed hard, and patted her flushed face.

Liang Li giggled beside her, teasing, "Which one do you like? Should I call them over to keep you company? Or do you like them both?"

Seeing Liu Qingqing's blank expression, Liang Li added, "Don't worry, the men in our establishment are for looking but not for eating; they're perfectly clean. Playing with you will only involve drinking and giving you a shoulder and leg massage."

Liu Qingqing glanced at her, truly wondering how this round-faced, almond-eyed, sweet-smiling girl could resemble a snake demon.

Can……

Perhaps the wine is so intoxicating that a chat would be pleasant?

This also cut off Xie Lang's escape route.

Given his temperament, if he knew about this, he would never bother her again.

Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Liang Li laughed heartily, "Sister, wait for me, I'll find you the best!"

Liu Qingqing indeed obeyed and waited quietly.

This small building was originally a restaurant, and the rooms are not very big.

The room, decorated by Liang Li, was quite romantic. The dimly lit room, the ambiguous lighting, and the gauze curtains swaying in the wind all subtly stirred one's emotions.

Her chair was pressed against the window behind her, and she rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window. In the distance, the rosy clouds collided with the darkening sky, turning into a pink river of clouds.

A short while later, there was a knock on the door. She got up to open it, wondering why Liang Li hadn't just come in when she returned.

With a creak, the door opened, revealing a tall man wearing a mask standing in the doorway.

She subconsciously took a step back, only to see the man remove his mask, revealing a face that resembled Xie Lang's from before.

It's not that they look alike, but rather that they have a similar aura.

That upright and gentlemanly demeanor, with a gentle and restrained handsome face.

"Miss, may I come in?"

Even the deep, husky voice sounded so similar that Liu Qingqing was momentarily stunned. Her legs went weak, and she almost fell, but someone grabbed her arm tightly.

"Be careful, young lady."

Liu Qingqing steadied herself and stared blankly at him.

Strangely enough, even though they didn't look alike, this person resembled more the grown-up version of Xie Lang that she had secretly longed for and imagined when she was young.

More like... the way she loved before her dream was shattered than the Xie Lang of today.

[Author's Note]

Next chapter preview:

"Qingqing, do you no longer have me in your heart?"

She used to love him so much.