Chapter 83
"Miss Liu, do you think Lord Xie would choose you?"
Chapter 83
She suddenly remembered the time she returned to the Liu family mansion after getting married.
Madam Ying sent someone to repair the courtyard where her mother's memorial tablet was kept, but when she returned, she found nothing amiss. Suspicious, she didn't eat at the Liu residence's restaurant, and then inexplicably fell into a deep sleep in her room. When she awoke, she was in a carriage, held in Xie Lang's arms.
Later, Xie Lang vaguely said that she had been drugged, but refused to say what drug it was.
She remembered his Adam's apple bobbing as he tried to control himself, and how he would push her hand away after he made extra rounds twice a month.
Is that so?
How did he see her back then, before she knew it?
But I feel she's... utterly dissolute?
In an instant, it felt as if I had returned to the past, filled with fear and unease.
Seeing her expression change, Madam Ying was overjoyed. She grabbed her chin, forcing her to look outside, "Look, look at this Lord Xie, isn't he absolutely in love with you?"
Every word was like the devil's whisper, full of sharp sarcasm: "Liu Qingqing, oh Liu Qingqing, how pathetic you are. In this life, the only thing you could win against Qingying was Xie Lang, by a tiny bit? Look, now you're even losing that tiny bit."
It felt like I was back on that cold, rainy day.
He said softly in his study, "Qingqing is gentle and refined, but inferior to Qingying."
Return to every moment of childhood when you were ignored or disliked.
Liu Qingqing suddenly began to tremble all over, and she bit her tongue but couldn't stop it at all.
In the courtyard, Liu Qingying and Xie Lang walked closer and closer until they were face to face.
Through the hazy white veil, in a moment of daze, I seemed to see their figures overlapping.
What one thinks and what one sees are two different things. Suddenly feeling nauseous, Liu Qingqing gagged twice.
As Xiao Ying watched, she became even happier, her eyes shining like the golden sun in the sky.
"If you hand over one item, I'll let you go and won't let you see it. Is that alright?"
Xiao Ying tilted her head, a wicked smile playing on her lips, "Do you want to watch your husband and someone else put on a live sex show right in front of you?"
Liu Qingqing looked distressed and opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of teeth clashing came first. In Xiao Ying's eyes, her gaze deepened.
"What do you want?" she asked in a trembling voice.
Xiao Ying chuckled softly in her ear, "Among the belongings your mother left you were medical books and prescriptions; you must have found them, right?"
Little Ying's eyes were glued to her. "If you hand them over to me, I won't let you look at them anymore."
After saying that, he grabbed her chin and pulled her forward, saying, "Look, they're getting closer and closer."
Like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, it said, "If you refuse, I can call people in. If the two of you are seen together like this by others, there will be no turning back."
“That’s your daughter!” Liu Qingqing said angrily.
Madam Ying, however, remained fearless: "So what if she's my daughter? In life, you have to give up something to gain something. If others see this, maybe Lord Xie will marry Qingying just to save face. You and your daughter, and us and our daughter, will have a wonderful story."
Liu Qingqing felt a chill run down her spine and felt extremely disgusted. She had no idea that Xiao Ying had gone so insane!
But then a thought struck them: they really had come for the prescription.
In these times when even a cold could be fatal, that prescription was practically a miracle cure. There were still many things in the medical book she didn't understand, and she absolutely couldn't give them to Xiao Ying.
Although we don't know who is behind Xiao Yingshi and Fu Xiuzhu, it's definitely not a good thing!
After thinking it through, Liu Qingqing lowered her eyes and pretended to be confused, saying, "I don't know anything about medical books."
Madam Ying was incredulous. She hadn't expected Liu Qingqing to be so stubborn! She had even abandoned Qingying, yet she still couldn't get to her weak point!
"How could you open a clinic without medical books? Stop lying to people," Little Ying probed.
No matter what Xiao Ying said, Liu Qingqing insisted that she knew nothing. Frustrated, Xiao Ying raised her hand, and a wisp of white smoke drifted into the courtyard. Suddenly, a gust of wind came and completely dispersed the white smoke within the small courtyard.
Xiao Ying pinched Liu Qingqing's chin hard, making it turn red.
Xiao Ying said fiercely, "Since you won't listen to reason, then I'll make you hit a brick wall and give up!"
Sure enough, as soon as Xiao Ying finished speaking, Liu Qingying's steps became unsteady, and after swaying twice, she fell towards Xie Lang.
"You'll see... this medicine of mine is very potent."
They actually drugged him!
Liu Qingqing's heart tightened suddenly. At this moment, she couldn't describe what she was feeling. A sour feeling rose from the bottom of her heart and rushed to the top of her head, making her eyelids swell.
When I finally see that he no longer belongs to me...
She felt incredibly sad, and tears streamed down her face. Thankfully, the tears blocked her view.
But will she hear the sound in a little while?
Just thinking about it makes my heart feel like it's going to break.
She also realized that even though they were no longer on the same path, Xie Lang was still different in her heart.
Even though it was early summer, her hands and feet were incredibly cold.
He started shaking even more violently.
She closed her eyes, deceiving herself.
Suddenly, a muffled thud.
Xiao Ying let out a cry and stood up, releasing Liu Qingying's chin in the process. Only then did Liu Qingqing realize that Liu Qingying was lying on the ground. Xie Lang pointed his long sword at Liu Qingying without any politeness, "Get out of here."
Liu Qingying squinted, struggled to her feet, and pounced on Xie Lang like a beast smelling its prey.
Then Xie Lang showed no mercy and kicked the man away.
Liu Qingying couldn't withstand that force. Her head lolled to the side, and she fainted.
Xie Lang staggered back two steps and leaned against a red pillar, using his sword for support. He shook his head, seemingly extremely dizzy. The next instant, he decisively raised his sword and slashed his arm hard, drawing blood. He finally regained some clarity.
Xie Lang squinted, shook his head, and looked around.
As she looked over, Madam Ying saw Liu Qingqing's stunned expression and then saw her beloved daughter lying on the ground in a disheveled state.
Xie Lang showed no mercy to a woman like this! Madam Ying gritted her teeth in hatred and knocked the man unconscious with a single chop to the neck!
Before Xie Lang could notice, they dragged and pulled the person away.
-
In the courtyard, Xie Lang regained some consciousness after cutting his flesh with his sword.
He sensed something was wrong; Qingqing seemed to be nearby. He took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket, tilted his head back, poured the contents into his mouth, and swallowed the pills. After a while, he regained consciousness.
He gripped his longsword and walked toward the place he had a premonition about.
There was a small room under the opposite corridor. He pushed open the wooden door. He couldn't open it on the first try, so he kicked it open. A white gauze screen blocked his way. Xie Lang walked around it and looked at it carefully. He noticed water stains on the ground. He squatted down, dabbed a little with his fingertip, and brought it to his nose.
The worms inside his body were churning, causing him unbearable pain in his chest.
It was her tears.
She was here before.
She cried?
Why did you cry?
Xie Lang squatted down in front of the white gauze screen and looked ahead to see the woman lying on the ground.
I almost choked on my breath.
She saw it all?
Fear surged up like a wave, gripping him and making it hard for him to breathe.
Blood dripped from the wound on his arm, staining the puddles on the ground red.
He glanced at the dense scars on the inside of his forearm and suddenly remembered the male prostitute at Qingfeng Pavilion.
The male prostitute's body was clean and scar-free, like a perfect piece of jade, unlike him... who was covered in tangled scars, looking quite unsightly.
He hadn't cared about the scars left on the battlefield before; they were medals of bravery for soldiers! But now... he felt uneasy.
Is that why Liu Qingqing thinks highly of him, even taking him along when she goes to hide in the countryside?
Did she find him disgusting because of this?
All sorts of speculations made him feel unbearably bitter, and his eyes involuntarily reddened.
Xie Lang took a light breath, then swallowed hard.
Even so, he would search high and low to find the person and bring them back! He would keep them by his side until death!
She dreams of living happily ever after with someone else!
She's dreaming!
His surging anger nearly overwhelmed him.
The most important thing now is to find her.
Xie Lang managed to calm down a bit.
Suddenly, a heavy rain began to fall.
He could no longer smell her scent. Xie Lang gripped his sword tightly and tensed his jaw.
Xie Lang waved his hand, and the hidden guards, who were concealed in the shadows, all flew down from various places to stand behind Xie Lang.
"Go and search!"
"Yes, sir!"
They searched the entire house but couldn't find any trace of Liu Qingqing. She seemed to have vanished as easily as a wisp of smoke.
In the end, Xie Lang could hardly tell whether what he was experiencing was reality or a nightmare.
Xie Lang trembled as he tore open the wound on his arm, watching the blood mix with raindrops and drip from his fingertips.
It hurt, but it wasn't a nightmare.
Xie Lang stood in the rain, sword in hand, exuding an aura of power. His scarlet eyes made him appear even more cold and ruthless.
He needs to find her as soon as possible.
They turned the house upside down!
But I never expected these rats in the gutter to run so fast.
Xie Lang seemed a bit off. Seeing this, Xie Liu quickly stepped forward and solemnly assured him, "My lord, please calm down. We will definitely find the lady."
"If you fall, how will we find your wife? You must not fall."
"Never fall..."
Xie Lang's vision was blurred by blood, and he leaned against the wooden door, muttering to himself, "Qingqing is timid, I have to find her as soon as possible... what if she misunderstands me?"
When has the adult ever been so flustered and at a loss?
Xie Liu turned his face away and exchanged a knowing glance with Xie Wu.
"Did you keep up with the tail?" Xie Lang asked in a low voice.
Xie Wu quickly replied, "I'm keeping up!"
"Then go and meet them. Remember, always put the lady first."
"grown ups……"
Xie Lang spoke in a low voice, the veins on the side of his neck bulging. He suddenly coughed up blood, which he wiped away without a care.
"My wife is the priority! I exist only because of her!"
These words carried immense weight. Xie Wu and Xie Liu were both deeply shaken upon hearing them and immediately accepted the order, "Yes!"
With a splitting headache, Xie Lang's Adam's apple bobbed. "At this point, the Northern Demons must be close. Have the soldiers lying in ambush at the city gates prepared, as well as those in the mountains outside the city. Make sure they are not allowed to return!"
"yes!!"
-
It turns out that this courtyard is not far from the original village.
When Liu Qingqing woke up again, her eyes moved twice, but she didn't dare to open them.
A reprimanding voice came from afar, and she listened carefully.
The voice that sounded like Fu Xiuzhu's clear and gentle tone was now fierce and cold.
"This is the brilliant plan you were talking about? Xie Lang is going to turn that hidden mansion upside down!"
They were chased by Xie Lang like rats in a sewer. If they hadn't prepared a secret passage in advance, they would have had no chance of escaping Xie Lang's pursuit.
Xie Lang's imposing presence is truly intimidating!
Little Ying is innocent! She never expected Xie Lang to do this!
Mingming had boasted to her when Liu Xu returned to the manor that Xie Lang had praised Qingying as better than Liu Qingqing.
What woman wouldn't fall for a man's advances? She even drugged him!
"Why don't you give me another chance..."
Little Ying rushed forward and knelt at Fu Xiuzhu's feet, hugging his legs and pleading, "Second Prince, please give me another chance!"
Fu Xiuzhu glared at her darkly, then kicked her away without hesitation, glancing at the deep scar on her face with disgust before turning away. "I think you'll never see your beloved again in this lifetime. Oh, by the way, your beloved is seriously ill, and I'm afraid he won't live to see you return."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ying trembled all over and collapsed to the ground in shock.
Inside, there was a strong, musty smell of wood.
With her eyes covered and her hands and feet bound, she had no idea where she was.
After hearing these few sentences, which contained a great deal of information, Liu Qingqing managed to keep her breathing steady, fearing that someone with high martial arts skills nearby might be listening to her breath.
Xiao Ying called Fu Xiuzhu the second prince.
The second son of the Northern Qiang was a princess born to the queen, while the Northern Rong had two princes.
Liu Qingqing's heart clenched suddenly; she never imagined that the second prince of the Northern Rong had been by her side for so long under the alias Fu Xiuzhu.
Liu Qingqing isn't stupid. Was that rescue intentional?
She swallowed hard, never expecting to get involved in such a conflict.
My heart felt like it was being pulled down by a heavy weight.
If it were a matter of love and affection, she believed Xie Lang would save her.
But if she were placed alongside tens of thousands of ordinary people in Yingcheng, why would Xie Lang choose her?
Liu Qingqing's heart pounded, and her mind raced with various thoughts. She had to find a way to save herself.
He couldn't help but comfort himself, knowing that he had escaped Xie Lang's clutches after such a perilous situation, he thought things would go smoothly today as well.
Suddenly, with a creak, the door was pushed open.
The wind carried the scent of blood, and Liu Qingqing shuddered once more.
“Miss Liu, give me the prescription, and I will set you free.”
Fu Xiuzhu squatted down beside her, looked around, and said, "When did Miss Liu fall to the point of working in the woodshed? It's all Lord Xie's fault."
He gently persuaded her, "Isn't freedom what you want most? How about I send you somewhere Xie Lang can't find you? If I help you, he'll never find you again. See? This time, didn't I get you out right under his nose?"
Seeing that she still had no reaction, Fu Xiuzhu's lips curled into a smile. "I know you're awake."
Liu Qingqing had no choice but to open her eyes. "I don't know what the prescription you mentioned is."
"Is that so?"
Fu Xiuzhu hesitated for a moment, then reached out and lifted her face, which was now covered in dust and looked somewhat disheveled.
After all that fuss, her hair was now disheveled, a far cry from her usual calm and composed demeanor, making her all the more pitiful.
Fu Xiuzhu's eyes flickered. "Give me the prescription, and then come with me. Miss Liu, you're always playing dumb. I know you heard everything. If you don't come with me, I won't hand you back to Lord Xie."
Fu Xiuzhu simply sat down next to her, clearly intending to have a long chat with her.
"How about we take a gamble? If Lord Xie is willing to save you, I will spare your life in consideration of the fact that you saved my life. Whether we can capture you again depends on our own abilities."
It was still the same face, but Fu Xiuzhu seemed like a completely different person. Gone was his gentle demeanor; his eyes were now filled with wickedness. "If I catch you, you should listen to me, right?"
"I also led a search of the clinic, but we didn't find anything. Miss Liu is quite something; she really knows how to hide things."
Fu Xiuzhu patted her face and looked outside. "Alright, get some rest. There's a big show waiting for us tomorrow."
After speaking, he stood up and waved to the outside. A maidservant brought in the food and carefully placed it in front of Liu Qingqing.
Liu Qingqing glanced down and saw that the dish looked and smelled delicious, with a fragrant bowl of braised meat in the center.
For a moment, I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
Just as he looked up, Fu Xiuzhu looked away, and their eyes met.
Liu Qingqing's hands were tied and she couldn't move, but the little maid was very patient and fed her piece by piece.
She hadn't eaten for almost a day and a night, and her stomach was growling with hunger. Liu Qingqing swallowed hard and turned her face away. Who knew if there was anything in there? How could she dare to eat?
"Does Miss Liu want me to feed her myself?"
Fu Xiuzhu's flippant voice came from above, "If you want me to feed you, then I'll just use my hands."
He said meaningfully.
That gaze remained fixed on her, and Liu Qingqing straightened her back, forced to open her mouth and swallow the rice and meat.
Upon closer tasting, she indeed detected a strange flavor. Her eyes flickered. "Now that the drug has been administered, sir, could you please untie the knots on your hands? They're too tight and hurt a lot. If you're still worried, you can chain them to your front as well."
Whether it was Xiao Ying who tied her up or not, she was so wary of her that she had her arms tied behind her back and her wrists bound.
After several struggles, the skin on that spot had already been rubbed raw by the thick rope, with faint bloodstains.
Fu Xiuzhu glanced at it, gently tapped the thick rope, and pondered for a moment, "Wait until you finish your meal."
After the meal, Liu Qingqing will faint, and it will be fine to tie her up to the front then.
Liu Qingqing nodded upon hearing this, "Understood."
"Why are you so good-natured? Why don't you ask? Don't you regret saving my life for nothing?"
Although Liu Qingqing had been confined to the Liu family mansion and had limited experience, she had fortunately read many storybooks. Although they were mostly about love and romance, some were exceptionally well-written, from which she gleaned a great deal about human relationships and the ways of the world.
She learned everything her parents hadn't taught her from there.
"I am a weak woman who has fallen into your hands. If I confront you head-on, I will only get hurt. Why should I insist on hitting a brick wall?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiuzhu's expression changed again, and he gave her a deep look with considerable appreciation, saying, "You do know how to be pragmatic."
After saying that, he raised his chin to the little maid and said, "After Miss Liu finishes eating and goes to sleep, untie the knot and re-tie it in front of her head."
Seeing Liu Qingqing eating so obediently, Fu Xiuzhu was very satisfied and turned to arrange important matters for tomorrow.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Liu Qingqing's eyelashes fluttered, and after taking a couple more bites, she shook her head at the maid, "I can't eat anymore."
"Yes, ma'am."
They hurriedly found a dilapidated house. The neighboring houses didn't even have windows.
The maidservant had no choice but to tidy up the woodshed, spread out a "bed" for Liu Qingqing with dry grass, and help her lie down.
Seeing Liu Qingqing looking over, the little maid gestured, putting her hands together beside her face and pointing to her hands, meaning that the ropes could only be untied after she "fell asleep".
Since the little maid was unable to speak, Liu Qingqing had no choice but to suppress her impatience and awkwardly lie on her side on the "straw stack".
The effects of the medicine kicked in quickly.
Perhaps because of the Gu worms inside her, she was drowsy but didn't completely faint. This was better than the medicine that Xiao Ying had given her before.
Now that his mind was clear, he suddenly remembered Xie Lang saying that there was a powder in the ring that could cure ordinary poisons.
Liu Qingqing gently bit the tip of her tongue to keep herself awake.
In a daze, I felt the ropes being untied and my arms being moved in front of me, but then they were replaced with cold iron chains.
A layer of goosebumps rose up near the broken skin on her wrist.
After a while, she heard Fu Xiuzhu's question again. He came in and checked her breathing. Seeing that her breathing was slow and steady, he looked her over carefully for a while and, seeing that there was nothing wrong, left the woodshed.
As the moon shone brightly and the stars faded, and everyone in the courtyard fell asleep, Liu Qingqing slowly opened her eyes.
-
Today, a fierce-looking, red-faced northern demon suddenly appeared outside the city, pressing down on the city with overwhelming force!
Although there were only a few thousand of them, their reputation for eating human flesh and blood had long terrified the people of Yingcheng, who were hiding in the city in panic, fearing that if they went out they would be captured and eaten alive by the Northern Ghosts!
Wearing a mask, Fu Xiuzhu gave an order, and after the soldiers guarding the city were knocked unconscious, he swaggered over and tied Liu Qingqing up to the city wall.
Along the way, Liu Qingqing felt as if she were immersed in water, and the surroundings were hazy and unreal.
Once they reached the top of the city wall, Fu Xiuzhu put a pill into Liu Qingqing's mouth. She opened her eyes and gradually became clear-headed.
Seeing that she had regained consciousness, Fu Xiuzhu waved his hand.
Then several sharp gong sounds echoed through the nearby streets, startling the people on the street who looked up.
“We will wait here for Lord Xie to come. If Lord Xie does not save you, what is the point of this man? You may come with me.”
Fu Xiuzhu whispered in her ear, his eyes fixed on her face, "I think you're very interesting, and you're suited to spread your wings and fly over the grasslands."
They are flexible, resilient, and not blinded by wealth. They are not easily bought off and are suitable to be entrusted with important tasks to build a great enterprise together!
In a short while, a fine horse galloped away, and the man on the horse was dashing and spirited. Even though they were far apart, it seemed as if you could see the man's angry eyes burning with rage!
Fu Xiuzhu suddenly felt extremely pleased. Even the brave and mighty Lord Xie, whom his father praised so highly, was nothing special.
Fu Xiuzhu chuckled twice, leaning closer to her earlobe. "Miss Liu, do you think Lord Xie would choose you over the people of Yingcheng? Who will win this bet today?"
[Author's Note]
Next chapter preview:
Xie Lang stared intently, his red eyes like those of a man-eating demon.
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