Chapter 26
Every time Chu Yingyu said he would wait for me, he would never go back on his word and would always wait as long as he said.
He said that this time it would only take ten days to deal with the traitor in Yae Palace because Li Yi had already found the other party's whereabouts.
However, ten days passed and I still didn't see Chu Yingyu.
Even fifteen days have passed, and while I am anxious, I also remind myself not to panic and just wait for him patiently.
However, I understand the principle but find it difficult to put it into practice. I am so sleepless that I can only relax for a moment when I walk the dog every day. The rest of the time I spend counting the days on my fingers.
Since he is the number one killer, there is no way he can lose to the number two, right?
I was in a very passive position. When Chu Yingyu was out of contact, I couldn't find any way to contact him.
I don’t have a cell phone, and I don’t know where to send the letter, unless I catch a gangster on the street and ask him where Yae-miya is.
But that's not realistic.
If only I could contact Li Yi, she's an information dealer after all. Looking at the dim Phoenix Crystal Ring, I wish it could shine right now.
When it was more than ten days, I started to feel uneasy. Gradually, as the agreed time was delayed longer and longer, I calmed down and started to learn to live a good life alone.
There's no point in waiting for him anxiously, so it's better to keep a positive attitude and take care of the vegetable garden in the backyard and the three hens.
On market day, I took Lai Fu with me. He had grown up enough to carry a basket for me, which was filled with vegetables and meat.
A few days ago, a peddler came from outside and I bought two pieces of very good cloth. After choosing for a long time, I finally picked out these two pieces of crimson cloth and sent them to a tailor shop to make custom wedding clothes. I estimate that I can pick up the clothes in two market days.
Back in the yard, I took the bamboo basket to the kitchen. The radishes, peppers, and garlic sprouts in the backyard were all grown, but the cabbage would have to wait a little longer.
I took the bamboo basket and went to collect some vegetables. I planned to send some to Ye Zi.
"Woof!"
Seeing that I was about to go out again, Lai Fu chased me, leaving an afterimage with his tail wagging.
"Be good, look after the house. I'll be back soon."
I placed a bowl of cooked meat for Lai Fu, and I carried the bamboo basket on my back to look for Ye Zi. She had told me where her home was, a little out of the way, close to the mountains.
I walked around a few times, asked people nearby, and finally found Ye Zi's house. After climbing a few dozen meters up the smooth stone-paved slope, I saw a courtyard.
A house built of a mixture of stone and wood stands in the center, with black tiles, white walls, and dense fences, giving it a particularly high sense of security.
I shouted a few times at the door, and the neighbor said that he hadn't seen Ye Zi go out in the past few days, so he should be at home.
After walking half a circle around the yard, I saw that the back door of the house was open. Peeking in from the outside, I could see a small part of the scene inside.
The chairs were overturned and some scattered items were scattered on the ground. The surroundings were quiet and there was something unusual everywhere.
After thinking about it, I went down the hill and asked my neighbor’s uncle and aunt to come up and take a look.
The enthusiastic uncle climbed over the wall and opened the door for us. The three of us walked into the house together. The front door was locked, but the back door was open.
Entering the house from the back door, I found that the house was tidy, only the room was a little messy. The wardrobe and dressing table were open, and there was no sign that anything else had been turned over.
The uncle looked everywhere but couldn't find the person. He said indifferently, "Maybe he moved away."
I was surprised and asked, "Moved away? Logically, if she was leaving, she would have passed by your house along the path, but uncle and auntie didn't see her leave the house."
The uncle pointed out the window and said, "Ye Zi's family lives next to a mountain. It's very quick to cross the mountain and leave the village from here."
My aunt nodded quickly, "That's right, I suspect her husband also comes in from the mountains every time he comes."
"But why did she move out suddenly? I met her a while ago and she said we wanted to have dinner together." The more she thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. Considering the scene, it seemed like she packed up some valuables and left in a hurry.
The uncle, who didn't take it seriously, comforted me: "It's nothing. It's normal for a young girl to get married and follow her husband to make a living outside. Taohua Village is a bit remote after all."
My aunt said that she knew Ye Zi got married last year and found a man outside, but she had never seen him. The man rarely came to Taohua Village. Sometimes when she saw him from afar, she only saw the back of a tall young man.
I guess Ye Zi’s husband is very handsome.
Whether she's pretty or not isn't the point anymore, Auntie! I was a little worried that something might have happened to Ye Zi, but there were no signs of a struggle in the house. It looked like she'd just packed up and left, not been held hostage.
The overturned chair might have been caused by accidental tripping. Ye Zi left in a hurry and had no time to pick it up.
There are no more clues. We only know that Ye Zi took the valuables away, and everything else is normal.
Because Ye Zi has difficulty walking, she doesn't grow vegetables in the yard. However, she has a lot of needles and thread at home, which she uses to sew handkerchiefs and sachets to sell. It can be seen that she has good craftsmanship.
I gave the dishes that I originally intended to give to Ye Zi to the uncle and aunt, and they gave me a pickled carp in return.
When I returned home at night, I sat in the room holding Lai Fu. The bracelet was still dim, which meant that Chu Yingyu was not nearby.
He wasn't coming back today, and Ye Zi moved in a hurry.
It is spring when everything comes back to life, but I have a sense of autumn's bleak farewell.
I slept with Lai Fu in my arms at night. In the middle of the night, it suddenly jumped off the bed and barked a few times at the door, waking me up.
In the darkness, the bracelet on the bedside emitted a bright light. I was delighted and immediately got up, opened the door and ran out of the yard.
The waning moon was like a hook, the shadows of the trees were swaying, and I saw a little light approaching in the hazy night.
That was another bracelet on Chu Yingyu's body. I didn't feel cold at all even though I was walking barefoot on the cold ground covered with night dew. I just ran to the young man with joy in my heart.
"You finally..."
When I saw him clearly in the bleak moonlight, I was frightened by the blood all over his body and the smell of blood that hit my nose, and I was speechless for a moment.
The always clean-cut young man had lost his usual composure. His eyes were hollow, his long, messy hair draped over his face, and he looked disheveled and weary. In his right hand, he held a broken sword, its blade covered in scratches and blood.
His body swayed, and I immediately supported half of his body and held his cold hand. "Chu Yingyu, are you okay?"
“…”
In my worried call, his empty and deep eyes finally showed a glimmer of light. He stared at me dully with his eyes lowered, and his mouth trembled slightly.
"Xiao-E?"
"It's me! Are you being hunted?"
"I... I'm fine." He frowned in confusion, looked at his right hand holding the sword, and responded hesitantly.
"Shall we go home first? Let me check you out."
"go home?"
"Yes, right in front. I even added two more lanterns to the yard!"
"good."
I wanted to support him, but Chu Yingyu lifted him up and held him sideways. He still had the strength to hold me? Was he not injured?
"You're not wearing shoes."
Chu Yingyu said this and carried me all the way home. Lai Fu, who caught up with him on the way, called out to him, as if he sensed some danger.
I made a soothing gesture to Lai Fu, "Be good, go play somewhere else. Your master is back, don't you recognize him?"
Maybe the strong smell of blood irritated Lai Fu, and he was now barking at Chu Yingyu anxiously.
However, after being looked at by Chu Yingyu, Lai Fu whimpered and went to the doghouse with his tail between his legs, and never dared to come out again.
He placed me gently on the stool, stepped back, placed the sword on the table, and said, "I'm a little dirty."
I quickly stood up and put on my shoes, saying, "I'll boil some water for you, so you can take a shower and change your clothes. Are you hurt anywhere?"
Chu Yingyu seemed much slower than usual. He opened his shirt, revealing a scratch on his chest. It was a fresh wound, but it healed quickly thanks to his young body.
In addition, there was a hidden weapon wound on the right calf, and a knife wound on the chest, which cut diagonally from the left chest to the right ribs. It did not injure the internal organs and bones, but it was still terrifying enough.
"Don't ask me."
As soon as I opened my mouth, Chu Yingyu turned his eyes away. He didn't dare to look at me, but just said this.
"Okay, let's take a bath, I'll apply medicine on you, and then you can have a good sleep, okay?"
"Um."
They boiled water in the bathroom and asked Chu Yingyu to take off all his clothes and sit on a chair. After all, he was injured and couldn't soak in the water directly. He sat there obediently and autistically, not saying a word.
I wiped his back with a towel and washed and combed his tangled and frizzy long hair, washing it diligently as if I were bathing a lost big dog.
He was really in a bad mood. When I wiped him from such a close distance, especially since he was naked, he didn't react at all.
In the past, when we got close, his body reactions were very direct and honest. But because I wanted to do what we should do after we got married, he never climbed into bed.
Maybe he wouldn't listen to anything I said now, so I had to suppress my curiosity and silently cleaned him up and applied medicine to the wound.
Although he was in autistic mode, Chu Yingyu still emptied the water in the bucket himself and didn't let me do any heavy work, although I didn't think it was very heavy.
After sending the person to the room, I was about to go back to my room when Chu Yingyu suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"I want to sleep with you."
"Huh?" I was startled. This was a muffled sound, but it was a powerful move. "No, that's not good. You're still injured and can't do any exercise."
Chu Yingyu: "Just sleep, no sex."
I:"……"
I don’t know why, but I feel a little lost again, cough cough.
I was excited but appeared calm as I crawled into Chu Yingyu's bed. I wanted to hug him, but I pressed on his wound, so I could only restrain myself and keep a distance.
Although it was not the first time I slept on the same bed with him, it was the first time we slept on the same bed after we confirmed our relationship.
So nervous.
Compared to my fluttering heart and confusion, Chu Yingyu ignored the pain of his wound, turned sideways and hugged me. I snuggled into his arms and asked in a low voice.
"Are you feeling better?"
"have."
"So, will it hurt if you get close to me?"
"pain."
"...You can sleep like this, eh? Have you asked the Palace Master, or Li Yi, or the doctor outside, what's going on?"
"No question. It doesn't matter if I can't sleep."
"No, you look so tired. You must get enough rest. I'll sing you a lullaby."
"Okay, you sing."
Has anyone ever sung a lullaby and instead of putting the person listening to sleep to sleep, they put themselves to sleep? That's what happened to me. When I woke up, it was already daybreak outside, but the person holding me was still there.
Chu Yingyu actually didn't get up early. He was still sleeping, but he didn't seem very restful, and his eyelashes were trembling.
I carefully looked at the bandage on his chest to make sure there was no blood seeping out, then I slipped out from under the quilt quietly.
Throw away his dirty, torn clothes and clean his sword, but why is his sword so tattered? Shouldn't it be sent to a blacksmith's shop for repair?
It was rare for Chu Yingyu to sleep a little longer, so I had breakfast myself and kept his portion warm in the pot, waiting for him to wake up and eat it.
“Whoosh—”
While cooking in the backyard, something brushed my ear sharply and then got stuck in the wall behind me. After a few seconds of identification, I realized it was a caltrop.
This feeling is very familiar, just like when Chu Yingyu threw a hidden weapon at me.
A shadow suddenly came over my heart, and I turned around and looked. There was a person standing on the fence. The bamboo fence could not support the weight of an adult, but the person stood very steadily.
The man's face was pale, his handsome face had a bit of hostility and coldness, and the bruises under his eyes were still so obvious.
I thought about it for a while and finally remembered the other person's name.
"Double image."
The man landed silently and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his side. I took a few steps back and began to ask, "How did you find this place? Did Chu Yingyu tell you? What do you want to see him for?"
This colleague had helped me and Chu Yingyu at that time, so why does he look like he is here to take our lives now?
I was so nervous that my breathing became rapid. I didn't dare to turn my back on him and run away. As I retreated, I bumped into a warm "wall".
Turning around, Chu Yingyu appeared with his upper body naked. He stared at the other person coldly, with murderous intent obvious in his eyes.
He asked, "Is everything alright?"
I shook my head. "No, he threw a hidden weapon at me, but missed."
"It's not that he missed, he missed on purpose, but he could have killed you just now."
The young man clenched his back teeth and spoke in a low voice, with the ending tone trembling. I found that Chu Yingyu was already angry, and there seemed to be flames burning in his dark eyes.
He put his arm around my shoulders and hid me behind him, staring at the colleague opposite without blinking. His murderous aura didn't seem like a sparring match, as if he wanted to pierce the other person with his sword right now.
Chu Yingyu seemed nervous too. Was it because of his injury? Or because I nearly died? He hadn't been so wary of double vision before. What had happened?
"Go get the sword." said the shadow.
There were no extra greetings and no explanation of the purpose of the visit.
Chu Yingyu gave me a look, and I immediately ran to the room to get him the sword. I whispered, "But your sword has many nicks and is damaged."
"fine."
Rubbing my head, the boy took the sword and I immediately stepped back to a safe distance.
I don't understand the current situation at all, but the atmosphere is already very tense. There is a chill in the air, and any disturbance could become an opportunity for them to draw their swords.
It was as if I had forgotten to breathe. I looked at the two men with prayer. No matter what the reason was, if a fight broke out, I hoped Chu Yingyu would knock the other guy down!
My future husband will definitely be the strongest!
I could hear the sound of mud being crushed under my feet, and the oppressive space seemed to be extended infinitely. The two figures in front of me suddenly disappeared.
Just a glance, a blink of an eye.
Amidst the sparks, there was a crisp sound of a sword breaking, and half of the iron sheet flipped in the air and pierced straight into the cabbage field.
I hurriedly looked at the two people who fell to the ground separately after the fight. The sword full of cracks in Chu Yingyu's hand was still intact, but the sharp sword in Chongying's hand was broken.
Chu Yingyu won!
Just as he was about to run over happily, the shadow smiled sinisterly. The laughter squeezed out of his throat seemed extremely happy, but it made people feel uncomfortable.
“Hehehe…”
Chu Yingyu looked at the sword in his hand, and there was a hint of hesitation in his cold eyes.
"Your sword was too slow. You should have cut my neck off along with the sword."
“…”
"But you didn't do it, hehe."
After Chongying said this, he seemed to feel much better all over. He turned his sinister gaze to me, which was very playful.
When I thought Chu Yingyu won, Chongying said that his sword was slower. Does this mean that he is not as good as before?
When I realized the connection between them, I felt a chill all over my body. Was it me who made Chu Yingyu so dull?
"A good sword rusts, and it's not far from death. You are no longer the best in the Eight Palaces."
After saying this, Chongying threw away the broken sword and disappeared in the yard like the wind, leaving behind Chu Yingyu kneeling on the ground dejectedly and me with a look of shock and confusion on my face.
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