each other

The two walked together in silence until the carriage saw them off downstairs.

The room Xiao Yingzhu had someone prepare for her was on the same floor, and the distance between them was not very far.

She felt uncomfortable and irritated with the way they were getting along now, and there was no way they could go back to the way they had been at the beginning.

Jiang Nian had been to the temporary room twice and was familiar with the route, so she didn't need anyone to lead her. However, because they lived close to each other, Xiao Yingzhu had no choice but to go back to the same floor with her.

The two of them had different thoughts along the way, and they seemed to be on good terms with each other. Xiao Yingzhu, contrary to his usual behavior, did not speak to her. After getting off the bus, he waited for her for a while in front of the carriage, then turned around and walked forward without saying a word to her.

The gap between the two sides is very large. In the eyes of outsiders, they are like strangers who just happened to appear in this place together and live on the same floor.

Jiang Nian followed him slowly, always keeping a safe distance from him. She was afraid that if she got close to him, something terrifying would happen. She was also afraid that if she was too far away, she would feel insecure and find herself in an empty, quiet and unknown place, where she could be pulled in and swallowed by the darkness at any time.

The elegant, retro corridor narrowed and lengthened before her eyes. The eternal lanterns hanging from the eaves swayed in the wind, making clinking sounds. Only a few pinpricks of light remained outside the tall building.

Jiang Nian deliberately avoided everything she could see related to Xiao Yingzhu, and turned her head to look at the side of the corridor. Her eyes were suddenly caught by the huge mountains, and her body subconsciously trembled and froze for a moment.

The shadows of the mountains beside the river from Chimen to Cangjun were dimly enlarged under the cover of night, like a strange giant that suddenly appeared there, as if it would slowly fall down in the next second and press the city firmly into the hard crust with its majestic body.

The cold wind blew through his clothes, and Jiang Nian suddenly felt his hands and feet were cold from the inside out. Without looking at that place again, he turned around and took a few quick steps forward.

The hair beside her ears blocked her view in the wind. She raised her hand to lift the hair that was in the way. The familiar coolness suddenly came into her nose. The white in front of her eyes came into view. Jiang Nian's quick steps suddenly stopped. She took a step back impatiently and distanced herself from him.

Xiao Yingzhu looked at her calmly with his eyes downcast, pausing for a moment to observe her slightly emotional expression before asking, "What are you hiding from?"

Who would ask others such a question directly in public?

Jiang Nian's brows were frosty and misty, and her usual gentleness and tranquility were gone. She showed a calmness that did not belong to her age. Her tone was neither salty nor bland: "Duke Xiao, although the corridor is long, it is not an uninhabited place. Please be careful when you talk so that others will not hear."

The depressed mood was still there, and not only would it disappear because of his proactive question, but the question was also really strange. With his smart head, he should know everything, so why did he ask specifically?

She politely bowed to Xiao Yingzhu, turned indifferently and walked to the other side of the corridor. Her cold attitude did not show any sign of wanting to hear him speak again. She then quickened her pace, unwilling to wait for Xiao Yingzhu to catch up, and walked forward against the wind, leaving only her calm and quiet figure in his wake.

The cold air rushed up from behind. The clothes were not meant for winter wear. In the early autumn, the weather here at night was extremely cold, perhaps because there were mountains all around. The coldness even penetrated the back of the neck.

Jiang Nian ignored everything and endured his increasingly unhappy mood as he walked out of his room and opened the door. He used the door to block Xiao Yingzhu's sight, and only then did his tense nerves relax.

Judging from the current situation, it seemed like she was the only one who cared about what happened last night. Xiao Yingzhu looked calm and nonchalant, as if nothing had happened and it had nothing to do with him.

His reaction was like a fishbone stuck in her throat, impossible to swallow. Jiang Nian didn't want to mind it, as it would make her look awkward and petty. But people's moods weren't fixed by their own will, and they couldn't be forced to change them. She could only use other words to convince herself, to let go of the worry from another perspective, to ease her mind a little.

Jiang Nian took out his spare clothes from his luggage and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Warm water flowed down the shower head, white mist and steam rose from the bathtub, there was nothing unnecessary in the room, and she was the only one in the small world.

With ripples in her eyes, Jiang Nian hugged herself in the water, letting herself float and sink. Everything around her was soft and warm, as if she had returned to the embryonic stage, when her mother's amniotic fluid nurtured her, calming all her vigilance. She floated in the boundless ocean, emptying her mind and leaving behind the things after her death.

She gazed into the distance in a trance, until she reached the other side of the water, and finally buried her face half in it.

She didn't want to think about anything else. At this moment, she just wanted to be Jiang Nian, the original Jiang Nian, not a merchant girl, nor a doctor girl.

Jiang Nian who belongs only to her.

—

"So, you had a conflict with her?"

The wind in the corridor was blowing violently, coming from nowhere, carrying with it cold and damp moisture.

I'm afraid the weather tonight won't be very good, and yesterday's heavy rain will continue after midnight.

Xiao Yingzhu stood in the wind and did not stop Jiang Nian who was passing by her. Instead, she watched her go indifferently until she stood at the door of the room, and finally used the slight sound of the mahogany door to block her last sight.

The sound of the swaying lantern brought him back to his senses, and Qin Lan's previous question seemed to still linger in his ears.

Xiao Yingzhu raised his eyes, his indifferent and aloof expression making his face look particularly cold. The long wind blew up the ends of his tied hair. In the light and dark, his three-dimensional facial features outlined distinct black and white shadows, making him look even more unpredictable, cold and unapproachable.

Scattered in the air, he was like a heartless god who had strayed into the mortal world.

—

The candlelight flickered in the night, and the memories of that place continued to play in my ears.

"contradiction?"

Xiao Yingzhu's tone was light, and his expression was not very clear in the dark night.

"That doesn't seem like it. What happened between you two last night? I feel like there's something weird going on between you two."

Qin Lan turned his head and glanced at the Zhuyu Pavilion on the high ground. The entrance of the Zhuyu Pavilion was empty and the person walking behind him had not come down yet.

Xiao Yingzhu paused slightly, but replied calmly without any noticeable emotion, "This is not something you should be concerned about."

"Really?" Qin Lan chuckled nonchalantly, "What you said doesn't sound right."

"Normally, you would ignore this kind of thing. But now you're bothering to talk to me about it. Isn't there something wrong?"

"When something happens to a friend, how can I, as your best friend, not care?"

The night was dark and the number of people around gradually decreased.

Xiao Yingzhu remained silent, and Shao Yan's eyes were cold.

In the shadows, his white clothes and apparent coldness made passersby give him a wide berth, but there were always curious people who were attracted by his beautiful profile and wanted to take another look. After leaning forward to look around, they were discouraged by his undisguised cruelty and had to shrink their heads and continue on their way.

Qin Lan seemed not to notice Xiao Yingzhu's change. He looked towards the door for a while, but did not see Jiang Nian. He smiled and walked forward a few steps, looking at him with a suicidal look.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

"It's not like you to be unable to hide your feelings like this, Xiao Yingzhu?"

"What happened? Did you touch her? Or did you just lose control and—"

The moonlight shone on Xiao Yingzhu's beautiful and clear facial features, which looked as white as a ghost.

He stared at Qin Lan expressionlessly, his eyes and eyebrows as cold as water, like a reflection in a deep pool, the meaning of silence was self-evident.

"......ha."

Frightened by Xiao Yingzhu's strange and creepy appearance, Qin Lan stopped teasing in a weak voice before he could finish his words, with a hint of teasing chuckle remaining at the end of his words.

"Hey, it's just talk, don't take it seriously."

Qin Lan caught a glimpse of the figure appearing at Zhuyu Pavilion and hurriedly threw this hot potato to Jiang Nian. He turned around and was about to point at the person standing at the gate who was hesitating whether to come down, but his eyes suddenly lit up. He hurriedly took out the gossip he had just put away and smiled as he asked Xiao Yingzhu to look back.

"Look who's here?"

The clouds and fog blocked the last ray of light below, and the light dimmed instantly.

On the stairs, Meng Zheng's unbridled smile flashed before the two of them, as if he was showing it specially to Xiao Yingzhu. He looked at Xiao Yingzhu intently, then blocked Jiang Nian's sight with his tall figure, waved his hand in front of her, said something, and the two began to chat.

Qin Lan had a bad feeling when he saw Meng Zheng's provocative attitude. He felt a chill suddenly rising from the bottom of his neck. He involuntarily took a step to the side and quietly turned his head to look at Xiao Yingzhu's expression beside him.

“…”

Xiao Yingzhu raised her head and looked at the two people on the steps expressionlessly. Jiang Nian seemed to have heard some questions. After thinking about it, she said something to Meng Zheng with her usual gentle smile. Then, the two of them looked at each other for a long and meaningful moment.

“…”

Qin Lan secretly moved his gaze downwards, from Xiao Yingzhu's unclear expression in the dark night to her snow-white brocade clothes, and then to the hilt of the sword at her waist.

In the darkness, the white and slender hands are particularly eye-catching, forming a clear contrast with the black sword lightly placed under the hands. The fingertips are clasping the scabbard, as if the blade is about to be drawn out at the next moment.

Qin Lan hesitated to speak, wanting to say something to comfort her, but after thinking for a moment, he felt that there was nothing to say.

Although Meng Zheng and Xiao Yingzhu did not have a very good relationship, the fact that Meng Zheng was talking to Jiang Nian in front of Xiao Yingzhu at this time was definitely not a love matter, but was most likely related to the sect.

After all, they don't trust each other, and the sect's position here is very sensitive. The topics discussed previously alone cannot completely dispel Meng Zheng's suspicion of the sect, so Jiang Nian is naturally the target he is most likely to inquire about.

Xiao Yingzhu could probably come up with something like this.

But why do I always feel that he is vaguely unhappy?

No way, it shouldn't be that bad. Meng Zheng's provocation is obvious. It shouldn't be arousing to any extent. This is unacceptable.

Under normal circumstances, Xiao Yingzhu's reaction at this moment should be to glance up casually and then look away. After all, he has never been interested in such deliberate bad behavior and is indifferent.

But now.

Qin Lan blinked, took another step back, and began to look at Xiao Yingzhu's profile again in the light of the eternal lamp - watching the fire from the other side of the river, Qin Lan naturally had no taboos.

In the endless darkness, he had a cold expression and no emotion on his face, as if what he saw before him was completely unaffected and emotionless, and he just stood there watching indifferently.

But his right hand resting on the scabbard betrayed his emotions at the moment.

The shadows cast by the steps of Zhuyu Pavilion and the ground lengthened, and the buildings on both sides began to extend infinitely to both sides.

Under the light and shadow of the eternal lamp, Qin Lan seemed to see an invisible and transparent soul walking out of Xiao Yingzhu's body, walking up the stairs slowly, his expression still cold and ruthless.

Like a person from other world, passing by others only to enter the Jade Pavilion, he walked upwards without any extra purpose.

Then, the soul walked calmly behind Meng Zheng, and drew the sword neatly without any murderous intent. The arc of white light swept across Qin Lan's eyes.

He killed Meng Zheng.

Not out of provocation, not out of disgust, and not for power.

Meng Zheng could even continue to be his current companion. Their identities had not changed at all. It was simply because he blocked Jiang Nian's sight and prevented him from contacting Jiang Nian. It was that simple.

Xiao Yingzhu's face was in the shadow, and her gaze passed over Meng Zheng's side exactly, staring at Jiang Nian coldly.

The position where he was standing was exactly the same as before.

What I just saw was just Qin Lan's illusion, it never happened.

It's just Qin Lan's image.

Is it really an image?

The light was too strong, and Qin Lan squinted his eyes, just missing the faint emotion that flashed across Xiao Yingzhu's eyes.

Like a passing cloud, it disappeared in an instant.

The web is as dense and interwoven as a spider web, suffocating no one to escape. It is hidden only in the damp and dark places, and is exclusive to those who catch its gaze.

Only she can feel that everyone else is just an outsider.

Outsiders who violate the world's rules and interfere with it should naturally be eliminated according to the rules.

There is absolutely no problem with this.