97 The Truth (Part 7)
◎I can't even sit still even when taking medicine◎
“I, I…”
Li Jintang didn't want to answer the question. Her body trembled imperceptibly as she stared intently at the dazzling white sword light before her, refusing to retreat an inch. "Brother Qu, he just saved me and Sister Qiuyan. I guarantee with my life that he's definitely not a bad person. Could you please not hurt him?"
Qu Lingfei also refused to stop, his eyes filled with resentment. "Atang, you were bewitched by him, so it's normal for your mind to be confused for a while. Don't worry, I will kill him..."
"I wasn't bewitched by him." Her voice was as calm as water. She suddenly raised her head, moonlight flickering in her eyes. "Brother Qu, he didn't bewitch me. Everything I just said was my own thinking."
The words fell lightly, and the boy's pupils dilated slightly. He lowered his eyes and silently stared at the petite figure blocking his way, with the corners of his lips curled up.
Qu Lingfei and the other two were startled, their grip on their swords nearly unsteady. Qi He whipped out his whip with two swishes, angrily barking, "What on earth have you done to my junior sister? She grew up with me, don't I know her? How could she possibly be in league with you?"
"Really?" Xie Changyan gently pulled her back, then leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead. He raised his gaze and glanced at them, a hint of provocation on his lips. "Then you'll have to watch carefully to see how she's become accomplices with me."
This was a bit unexpected. Li Jintang pushed him away, with surprise in his eyes: "Xie An, you...what are you doing?"
Qi He's pupils trembled. He had not expected this person to be so presumptuous. His hands trembled with anger. "How dare you be disrespectful to my junior sister? I will send you to death!"
Li Jintang was protected behind him, and anxiously stretched out his hand to push him away, "You are still injured, you can't fight with them, you will suffer."
"Don't do anything—"
Seeing that several people were about to fight, Qiu Yan stepped in between and was about to catch the whip with strong wind with her bare hands, but the opponent withdrew his hand in time at the last moment.
Seeing that she was also blocking the way, Qu Lingfei didn't dare to act rashly and said anxiously, "Junior sister, stop messing around and come here quickly."
"I'm not messing around," she took a step back, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Brother, if it weren't for him and Atang, I would be buried here today. I must remember this favor. Besides, he's seriously injured now. Even if you kill him for revenge, it wouldn't be fair at all. Is this what Master always teaches us?"
"Junior Sister, what you said is not true." Seeing Qu Lingfei's slight tremor, evidently shaken in his resolve, he sneered, "Young Master Qu, you should think carefully about this. Were the methods he used to injure you truly justifiable? If you don't kill him now, you might not have the chance to do so again in the future. Besides, don't you still want to eliminate chaos in the Three Realms?"
Qu Lingfei hesitated for a moment, the white light on the sword's edge wavering. As he was hesitating, he suddenly saw the young man in front of him sneer faintly.
"Fellow Daoist Qu, why aren't you taking action yet?" Xie Changyan's lips curled slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes. "He's right. If you don't take action now, you'll just have to wait for me to kill you later."
"Xie An, are you crazy? Why are you still fighting when things are like this?" Li Jintang pushed the man behind him with all his strength, and saw that he was staggering and even his breathing was a little disordered. He was afraid that what he said just now was just a show of strength.
He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes covering up the murderous intent in his eyes, "Do you care about me then?"
"Shut up," Li Jintang didn't want to pay attention to such inappropriate words. She brushed the dust off his sleeves, turned around to protect him, and stared at the person in front of her. "Brother Qu, I'm not asking you to let him go, but there are some things I think you should know. That day, I went alone to look for you and Sister Qiuyan. When you were unconscious, it was your master who sent you all away. If he hadn't arrived in time, I, I'm afraid I would have been..."
"Shut up, what nonsense are you talking about?! You are not influenced by him, but you still stand on his side. How can I believe you? Besides, why would my master fight with you?" Qu Lingfei has always respected his master. When he heard her put this crime on his master, he shouted angrily without thinking. Then he saw the young man behind her raised his eyes coldly. The look seemed to want to dig out his heart, which made him inexplicably chilled.
"Brother, calm down. How could Atang intentionally deceive us?" Qiu Yan turned back and pressed his arm, forcing him to put down his sword. "Atang, my brother didn't mean it. Don't let him scare you."
After she said that, she didn't dare to look at Qu Lingfei - she originally respected her master, but for some reason, now that Atang brought up the matter again, she didn't have a trace of suspicion.
"I, I know," Li Jintang tightened his grip around the Book of Fate. "Now I don't know how to prove it. It's up to you whether you believe it or not. But what Master Qi said just now is wrong. Xie An won't disrupt the Three Realms, and you... don't have to kill him like this."
Qi He swayed when he heard this, as if he had suffered a great shock: "Junior sister..."
Qiu Yan snatched the sword from his hand while he was stunned, turned around and gave Li Jintang a look.
Her mind was in a mess now, but no matter what, she couldn't let her senior brother attack them before finding out the truth.
Li Jintang turned to help the person behind him. When he carefully took his arm, he saw his body sway visibly. His face turned pale as if he was about to vomit blood. He immediately let go of him and dared not touch him. "What happened to you? Can you still walk?"
Before she could get a reply, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist. She was stunned for a moment, and when she turned around, she met Qi He's gaze. "Junior Sister, Young Master Qu has agreed to let him go. I don't think he's seriously injured. Why don't we just let him go on his own? You just follow me..."
Suddenly, there were a few light coughs beside him. Li Jintang didn't listen to him finish his words and turned to look at the person leaning on his shoulder: "Are you still okay?"
The young man smiled slightly, his eyes fell on the two tightly clasped hands, and he said with a weak breath: "If Atang wants to leave me alone, I'm afraid it won't work."
"Thank you, sir. It's not necessary." Li Jintang broke free from his hand and staggered out of their sight while supporting him.
Noticing his increasingly unsteady pace, she slowed down and tried to carry him on her back: "Hold on a little longer, I'll take you... home."
Suddenly, she felt her body lighten, and then she was lifted into the air by his embrace. The suddenness of this move left her somewhat bewildered. Li Jintang hugged his waist tightly, lowering her head, not daring to look down, her voice trembling, "How can you, how can you fly so high? Be careful not to tear your wound..."
"Are you okay?" After finally landing on the ground, Li Jintang looked up at him and reached out to touch his sleeve. "You weren't really pretending just now, were you?"
Xie Changyan didn't answer immediately. The blood from the wound quickly stained his clothes red. He raised his tired eyes and forced a smile, a trace of blood slowly trickling down from the corner of his mouth. "If I don't do this, will you still be willing to come back with me?"
“…”
She carefully helped him into the house, placed him on the bed, and turned to leave. "I'll go get you something to eat."
"Don't go."
His wrist was suddenly grabbed by someone. He raised his eyes, his gaze lingering on her face, which looked a little pitiful.
Li Jintang couldn't break free, so she had to be led to sit aside. The bright red bloodstain on her white collar stabbed her heart like a knife.
"Where are you looking?"
It was clearly he who asked her to stay, but now that he noticed her gaze, he straightened his open collar and turned his face away awkwardly.
After a long silence, the door was knocked open. The guard came in with the medicine and left immediately.
Li Jintang stretched out his hand and hovered in front of him, wanting to touch but not daring to, "Does it hurt here?"
"Where do you mean?"
She paused, unsure if it would hurt him, and moved her hand forward: "It's... here where the bleeding is."
"Of course it hurts."
Li Jintang was a little anxious when he heard this: "Then what should I do?"
He chuckled softly, his obsidian eyes reflecting the candlelight, as if there were thousands of stars in his eyes, "Come closer, I'll tell you."
She hesitated and moved closer to him.
"Come a little closer."
Almost sticking to him, Li Jintang wondered if this person was deliberately teasing him: "It's close enough, hurry up and tell me..."
Her chin was gently lifted without warning, and a cold kiss fell on her lips. The remaining words seemed to be burned along with the swaying flames.
Li Jintang was stunned and blinked woodenly, not reacting to what had just happened.
"It won't hurt this way." A light voice fell into her ears.
He smiled, picked up the medicine on the table and drank it all in one gulp.
“…”
She stood up awkwardly, her cheeks slightly flushed: "W-why..."
"This medicine is too bitter," Xie Changyan put down the bowl and looked at her innocently as if nothing had happened. "Do you have any sugar?"
"I won't give it to you even if I have it." She muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing." She took out two candied fruits from her purse, put them in her palm and handed them over. "I'll give them all to you."
He leaned over and pretended to bite the candied fruit directly from her fingertips, but she withdrew her hand, leaving him empty-handed.
Li Jintang put the candied fruit on the table, looking unhappy: "I knew it, take it yourself."
"……good."
He didn't want much at first, but because he was afraid that she would really be angry, he had to take the two candied fruits and put them in his mouth.
After a moment, she stood by the bed, looked down at him, and asked, "Can you speak now?"
"Um?"
"Answer me a few questions if you can," Li Jintang looked him in the eyes, afraid he would lie to her again. "These past few days, I've been thinking about some inexplicable things. Even I'm not sure if I've actually experienced them, but I think you should know some of them."
Xie Changyan's fingers trembled, and he suddenly guessed what she would ask.
"What are those paintings in your secret room...about?"
After she asked the question, she waited quietly for his answer.
He looked away for a while, then covered his mouth and coughed a few times: "Atang, can we talk about this later? I really..."
Li Jintang didn't buy it and rejected him bluntly: "You haven't hurt your mouth, why can't you tell me?"
"Atang, I..."
Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, his heart skipped a beat and he tried to use the same trick again to win her sympathy.
Noticing his movements, Li Jintang pressed his shoulders and asked him to sit down again: "Just like that, don't stand up."
"…Why?"
She looked down at the boy's confused eyes and smiled slightly: "Because I am taller than you."
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