Chapter 18 Don't Believe Me

The autumn rain fell along the eaves onto the bluestone slabs. Madam Xie's blood surged in her chest, and her armor dug deep into her palms.

She looked at her son kneeling on the blue bricks, his brocade robe stained with mud - this was the material she had picked out herself, originally intended to make him a coming-of-age dress.

"Young Master, you're so confused!" Nanny Chao's hands were shaking as she held the umbrella. "This Liu is clearly a vixen!"

"Madam, be careful with your words." Xie Wuqi suddenly looked up, his eyes red as if he were trapped. "Yue Li follows me innocently, and I won't tolerate anyone slandering her!"

Mrs. Xie swayed.

She remembered that on the day her son came of age, he had knelt in the ancestral hall, vowing to become a great general. But now, for the sake of an adopted daughter, he was rebelling against her.

"What a clean and innocent person." Mrs. Xie suddenly sneered, and her jade hairpin jingled in the rain.

Liu Yueli's whole body was shaking violently, and her slender fingers grasped the front of Xie Wuqi's lapel: "I will jump into the river right now."

"Yueli, no!" Xie Wuqi hurriedly hugged her and turned around to roar: "Mother, are you really going to force us to death?"

Suddenly, thunder roared through the rain. Mrs. Xie stared at her son's hand protecting Liu Yueli, remembering how he had clutched her sleeve tightly when he had a fever as a child.

She closed her eyes and suddenly grabbed Xie Wuqi's collar, the armor scratching the skin on his neck: "Son, come back with mother."

"Madam!" Liu Yueli suddenly threw herself on Xie Wuqi's back, "If you want to kill me, kill me."

Mrs. Xie's pupils suddenly contracted.

She saw her son's Adam's apple rolling, and she reached out to cover Liu Yueli's mouth: "Don't talk nonsense."

The sound of rain gradually intensified. Liu Yueli suddenly let go of Xie Wuqi's hand, tears sliding down her smiling face. "Brother Wuqi, please come back home. Perhaps Yueli's fate is too short..." She raised her hand and stroked Xie Wuqi's furrowed brow. "If there is an afterlife, I hope that you and I will not be separated by a world of difference."

The word "next life" struck Xie Wuqi like a heavy hammer in the heart. Unbeknownst to anyone, he was the one who had returned from the sea of ​​blood in his previous life.

Suddenly, his palm grasped the falling silk handkerchief, and light flashed in Xie Wuqi's eyes: "Yueli, wait for me!"

He held up the girl's pale face and said, "I'm sure I can convince my mother this time."

Liu Yueli held his wrist lightly, her teeth biting blood on her lips: "I believe you."

Xie Wuqi turned around abruptly, and the hem of his black robe swept across the dead leaves on the ground.

Madam Xie was so frightened by the bloodshot eyes that she took a step back, only to see her son kneel straight down and say, "Mother, please move to the inner room."

Mrs. Xie was shocked, thinking that she had finally seen Xie Wuqi change his mind, so she couldn't wait to say, "Wuqi, as long as you are willing to go back with me, you can speak freely about anything in your heart."

However, Xie Wuqi did not give a direct answer. His gaze turned to Nanny Chao beside him.

"Madam Chao, you must take good care of Yueli. I need to discuss some things with mother alone now. If I find out that you have caused any harm to Yueli, I will never let you go easily!" These words made Madam Chao feel cold in her heart.

As a senior maid who had served the lady for many years, she had personally raised the young master. However, today, she had suffered such a cold and ruthless warning from the young master.

Although she felt a chill in her heart, Nanny Chao still maintained her composure. Her eyes did not show any fluctuation. Instead, she slowly raised her eyelids and looked at Madam Xie.

Only after Mrs. Xie nodded slightly did Nanny Chao respectfully respond with a "OK".

......

The carved door creaked shut, and cold sweat broke out on Xie Wuqi's palms.

He stared at the bronze sword his father had given him on the antique shelf and said in a hoarse voice, "Does mother really believe in the theory of reincarnation?"

"Nonsense!" Madam Xie slammed the table and stood up. "You've been hanging out with that Luo family's adopted daughter for a few days, and you've learned to play tricks!"

"The defeat in Northern Xinjiang took place on the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month!" Xie Wuqi suddenly roared, "My father was shot in the left shoulder and fell off his horse. The enemy beheaded him and displayed his head to the public!"

The candlestick fell to the ground with a clang, and Mrs. Xie staggered and grabbed the corner of the table.

Xie Wuqi's Adam's apple rolled as he recounted the tragic story of his father's death on the battlefield during his previous life's defeat in the Northern Frontier. When he mentioned how Liu Yueli was tortured to death by the rebel army while trying to protect the women of the Xie family, his throat was already filled with the smell of blood.

"Ridiculous!" Madam Xie suddenly raised her hand, and the sound of a slap echoed throughout the inner room. "Your father is training troops at Yanmen Pass right now, and you curse him to death! Do you, as a son, have any conscience?"

"You...how could you have fallen to such a state!" Mrs. Xie's voice trembled, full of regret.

"Just to stay with Liu Yueli, you could weave such a shocking lie without hesitation!"

"Even though your father showed favoritism towards Aunt Zhang and your half-brother, and my resentment and hatred towards him surged like a tide, he was still the indomitable hero of the Western Wei Dynasty. I always pray that he can live a hundred years, be in good health, and devote himself to defending our country!"

"Xie Wuqi, ah Xie Wuqi, how could you make your mother feel so heartbroken? Are you still the pure and kind Wuqi in my heart?" Mrs. Xie's eyes were wide open, and every word was as sharp as a knife. At the same time, tears slid down her cheeks involuntarily, crystal clear, just like broken hearts.

Xie Wuqi tilted his head, feeling a burning pain on his cheek.

In his previous life, when his mother learned of his father's death, she slapped him in the same way.

"I know you don't believe me, mother." He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "But please think carefully, mother - when I suddenly rejected the marriage proposal from Luo Zhaohan half a month ago and insisted on moving to the villa with Yueli, was it really just a ghost that bewitched me?"

Mrs. Xie's hands, which were clutching the handkerchief, were shaking.

What had gone wrong? How could her son, Xie Wuqi, whom she was so proud of, end up in such a state?

Liu Yueli, it must be Liu Yueli who's pulling the strings! That vicious woman!

Mrs. Xie felt as if her heart was being cut by a sharp knife. Her whole body was trembling, and she felt cold to the bones. She questioned herself over and over again. Finally, as if she had found a ray of light in the darkness, she shifted all the blame onto Liu Yueli.

She refused to accept that her son was so inherently vulnerable. Thinking of this, she suddenly grabbed Xie Wuqi's collar and pleaded with a trembling voice, almost desperately, "Wuqi, go home with your mother, back to the General's Mansion. As long as you admit your mistakes, your father will surely forgive you."

"And Luo Zhaohan, I went to visit her in person. She was in tears and heartbroken because of your breaking off the engagement. She loves you so much that as long as you are willing to humbly say a few kind words, she is still willing to be your wife."

"Regarding Liu Yueli, Mother doesn't intend to embarrass her. She will be sent away first. After you marry Luo Zhaohan and everything is settled, you can take her back and make her your concubine. Mother won't ask about it, okay?"

Xie Wuqi raised his brows and looked at Madam Xie seriously. He listened to her words and thought that she was still focusing on Luo Zhaohan, ignoring his wishes. His heart seemed to be attacked by the cold wind of winter and was extremely cold.

He told his mother the shocking secret of his rebirth without reservation, but found that his mother scoffed at it and did not believe him at all.

In this world, apart from Yueli, even his closest relatives like his mother would find it difficult to understand his inner world!

Xie Wuqi slowly calmed down and slowly pulled his sleeve away from Madam Xie's grasp. He shook his head slightly, his voice filled with indifference and disappointment that was difficult to conceal.

"Mother, I never lied to you, but you chose not to believe me!"