Take it back

"Long time no see?"

The tasseled tent was touched by the sword. The man looked calm and composed, as if he had been waiting for a long time. He lowered his eyes and said, "It's been five years. Do you miss me?"

Feichun's heart twisted as she thought about the scene of the night's intrusion into the official residence. How could she have imagined that Liu Qingbai was not only alive, but also the one who wanted to kill her?

The moment the curtain was lifted, the person sitting on the bed had long lost the childishness of his youth, and his face looked even more sinister and gloomy.

Feichun thought she would be happy because she had recovered what she had lost, but in just a moment, the dagger in her hand was removed and placed on her neck.

Want to kill me?

Feichun stared at Liu Qingbai in disbelief, seeing the face that hadn't faded from his memory in the past five years. His deep affection now seemed laughable. Compared to five years ago, Liu Qingbai seemed to have lost not only his youthful innocence but also his former warmth and affection. He seemed paler and more gloomy, even more like Master Liu, with a touch of coldness.

"Qingbai?" Ye Feichun spoke first in the darkness. She couldn't believe that Liu Qingbai was not only not dead, but was also pointing a sword at her.

She asked as she walked towards Liu Qingbai. She didn't care where the sword was, she just wanted to get closer and see clearly whether the person in front of her was her former lover? Was he the person she had shared the joys and sorrows with in the Liu family?

Liu Qingbai took a few steps back, as if frightened by Ye Feichun's behavior. He opened his mouth to say something, but it eventually turned into thick silence.

In the dead of night, tears dripped onto the sword blade, making a crisp sound. Liu Qingbai swallowed his unspoken words of "raising an army to punish him" and said coldly:

"You go."

After sheathing the sword, Liu Qingbai turned his back to Feichun and asked her to leave, saying that he didn't want to see her.

Feichun realized it only after returning to Mingyue Village that her heart ached. It turned out that reunion after a long separation was the same as separation after death: at first, both felt numb, stunned, and confused. A myriad of emotions tangled together, no one could unravel and explain what she was feeling at that moment.

It seemed like she had long been accustomed to life and was not used to sudden and drastic changes. That moment did not give her a moment to absorb the shock, until her eyes were already red.

Looking at the pile of torn little statues.

Is that still Liu Qingbai?

Why would Liu Qingbai point a sword at him?

Yinghua prescribed some medicine to improve eyesight. Although it was not very useful in itself, Helan Zhu asked her to prescribe it with a basket of eggs, so she had no choice but to agree.

"Is the bandit suppression officer too ugly? Did he scare the Second In Command to tears?"

Only Nie Qing went with them to the night raid that night, so Yinghua could only ask Nie Qing for information.

"I don't know."

"So what did you do last night?"

"I was still in the warehouse looking for valuable treasures when Feichun dragged me away. When she left, her face was numb and covered in tears. I reminded her, and she wiped her face."

The two chatted for a few sentences without any results, and turned to look at Helan Zhu.

"I don't know even more." He was a little scared by the look on his face, so he just walked away.

Only he knew what Feichun was feeling, but what could he do? Someone who had been dead for five years suddenly stood before him, alive and well, with swords drawn against him. Who could possibly accept that? He thought Liu Qingbai should have just died five years ago. Suddenly returning from the dead and not doing anything good only added to the sadness.

After discussing for a long time without any results, they could only knock on Feichun's door. The room was empty, with only a piece of paper on the table, with a few large characters scribbled on it:

"Go down the mountain to rob."

Who to rob?

There were only a few pieces of clothing in Liu Qingbai's grave, and Feichun remembered that she had packed them herself. Now that the person was still alive, the grave had no meaning. She personally dug up the grave and unearthed the long-rotten clothes.

Since he is not dead, there is no need to add bad luck to him.

Late at night, she once again broke into the official residence. This time, she walked straight into the bedroom with ease. There was no guard in the mansion, and the door was wide open as if waiting for her.

Liu Qingbai was still awake, sitting upright on the bed. He lit Feichun's favorite incense and used apricot-scented hair oil.

It's just waiting for a bandit to fall into the trap, it's just waiting for a ruthless woman to abandon him after having fun with him, why do this?

But Liu Qingbai, who had carefully dressed up, found an excuse for himself: he was too lazy to take it back.

"You are a bandit and I am an official. What are you doing here?" He closed his eyes and asked in a profound tone.

"Come and take my sword."

"I've handed it over to the court." He replied coldly, as if it had nothing to do with him.

"You gave it to me."

"That was also turned in."

Feichun held his breath, looking at the person in front of him, feeling only strangers, and was extremely disappointed. But after thinking about it, he said, "Come back with me."

"Where are you going? To be a thief? To be a bandit? Are you going to knock me out and take me up the mountain?"

She was shocked. It was exactly as he expected. Now that she was exposed, she might as well do it.

The second in command of Mingyue Village suddenly had a new husband overnight.

Liu Qingbai knew that Feichun was a reckless person, but he didn't expect that he would become so impulsive after five years.

"You are kidnapping an imperial official." He was a little angry.

"They're going to catch me anyway, so let's just rob me."

Liu Qingbai was speechless. He could do nothing while being tied up, so he simply turned his head away and didn't look at her.

He had thought of countless possibilities of a reunion and even laid an ambush for spies, but he never expected that they would knock him out and take him up the mountain.

It's getting more and more ridiculous.

"Are you going to kill me?"

Feichun didn't say anything, but just helped him loosen his hair.

Liu Qingbai's hair was really beautiful, like inky silk. She had always loved combing his hair when she was at the Liu family, and even after five years, she still missed it.

"It still smells like apricot blossom oil," she said.

Liu Qingbai lowered his head and became more obedient.

"Your hair is so soft, so don't be so stubborn. Stay with me on the mountain, you'll always have something to eat." She smiled and hugged the prickly bones from behind.

"I'm an official, I'll keep it. The people on the mountain won't believe you."

Liu Qingbai once thought that he would hate Feichun when he saw her again, hate her for abandoning him on Shuangshe Mountain five years ago, and hate her for leaving with Helan Zhu.

But late that night, when he saw Feichun again, seeing her face thinner than before, seeing her hair without pearls and jade, seeing her agile body that he didn't know how she had trained, feeling the calluses on her hands from being used to holding swords, it seemed that hatred no longer mattered, becoming a vague feeling, replaced by the surging love he couldn't ignore for Feichun.

And that dagger was the one he gave me back then.

Liu Qingbai knew Feichun would come again, so he would wait for her every night.

Perhaps Liu Qingbai couldn't sleep because of fear late at night before she appeared, and when Feichun appeared, he thought he must be looking forward to seeing her again.

"That's all right. I'll go and tell you about the village."

"The officers and soldiers will come to arrest you. It's not worth it."

Feichun lowered her head and remained silent for a while, then she choked up and said, "Five years ago, I almost treated you as..." She paused and continued, "Five years later, no matter what, I will never let you leave me again..."

As she spoke, tears began to fall like pearls from a broken string.

Feichun walked up to Liu Qingbai, caressing his face and forcing him to lift his chin and look up at her. She looked down at his eyes, those dark, bottomless pupils as cold as when they first met.

It’s such a long-lost feeling, it feels like when I first entered the North Courtyard.

"Whether you blame me or hate me, you can't leave my sight no matter what... Even if you want to kill me, we must die together."

After that, the kiss that hadn't been there for five years began again.

Over the past five years, whenever Ye Feichun thought of that rainy night, he would regret not taking Liu Qingbai with him. Why did he have to take a shortcut up the mountain?

Whenever I think of the sorrow in my heart, it becomes a knot that cannot be untied no matter what I do.

Only when Liu Qingbai appeared again was the knot cut off with a pair of scissors.

Hate or love, just live.

She kissed the person who was lost and found again and again.

Forehead...

Eye……

tip of the nose……

Lips...

Over and over again, I confirmed that the person before me wasn't just some illusion, but a living, breathing person. Even if a sword was pointed at me, what did it matter? As long as I was alive, as long as I was alive, it was good enough.

She repeated this in her mind over and over again, feeling thankful that the wish she had made before the gods and Buddhas in the past had finally been fulfilled, and that the heavens were still blessing her.

It was still the scent of apricot blossom oil, and still a familiar person. After five years, she couldn't help but want to hug him tightly, tracing his back, feeling every vertebra, and it hurt.

"You've lost weight."

Liu Qingbai raised his eyes, a hint of warmth emerging from the icy cold pond. He could feel the pain of Feichun's ribs colliding with his own, as if the flesh and blood had withered away years ago, leaving only the collision of bones and the long-lost pain lingering.

How could Feichun have lost so much weight in five years? He remembered that even when North Courtyard was neglected, he had never seen her so thin. Most of the time, she was still plump, with the plumpness of a young girl, like a pearl.

"Girls change a lot when they grow up." She said a few perfunctorily to comfort him.

"actually……"

In fact, Liu Qingbai just wanted to ask one question: Why did she abandon him back then? Did she think that she was a burden when she was bitten by a snake?

"Actually what?"

Liu Qingbai shook his head and didn't ask any more questions. When he saw Helan Zhu outside the window, he lost the courage to ask any more questions.

He is a frail and troublesome young master. The escape route is dangerous, so it is understandable to leave him behind, as it would be a burden to Feichun.

Ye Feichun saw Liu Qingbai's dejected look and knew that he was still the same as he was five years ago. His personality hadn't changed at all.

He said bluntly, "I know what you want to ask. Five years ago, I found the doctor, but on my way back, I fell off a cliff. When I woke up, I was already in Mingyue Village. I went back to look for you, but the temple had been washed away by mud and rocks in the mountains. I only found your box."

After saying that, Feichun sat astride Liu Qingbai's legs again, hugged him tightly, and sobbed softly in his ear: "I thought you were dead... Fortunately... God has eyes..."

Liu Qingbai's heart softened, but he struggled even harder, "Let me go, I shouldn't be here."

"It's really not right to tie someone to a chair."

Feichun thought for a moment, found a few locks, and locked all the doors and windows. "Don't worry, we'll set you free after we get married. Otherwise, I'll be worried if you run around in the mountains."

Getting married? Are you kidding? This is getting even more ridiculous!

When the door opened again, it was Haitang who brought the meal. It was obvious that Haitang was startled at first, then she said, "Second Master is busy right now, you can eat the meal first."

"Let me down the mountain."

Haitang ignored him, put down her meal and left.

"Haitang, for Feichun's sake, you have to let me down the mountain. If you're any later, the soldiers will come."

Haitang hesitated for a moment, but finally locked the door. She only listened to Feichun, and she must have her reasons for doing so.