Chapter 99 Why don't you listen to me?
Like a wild beast licking her fingers, sticky and silent.
In that instant, Lu Yuanyuan seemed to return to Princess Manjushri's palace, to her ignorant self, who was feeding the monster in the golden cage with pastries. But from beginning to end, the monster's true intention was not what it seemed; it was sucking on her fingertips for the warm blood beneath that thin layer of skin.
A slight shiver, mixed with hatred and annoyance, ran through her body. Lu Yuanyuan's fingers twitched, and she quickly pulled them back, clenching them into fists, determined not to give anyone another chance.
However, in front of Duan Lansheng and Fu Xinguang, she dared not make any big movements and could only maintain the status quo, using her arms to hold the person on her knees to prevent him from moving around.
Fu Xinguang asked in bewilderment, "Feeding the fish? There don't seem to be many fish in this lake..."
Duan Lansheng's gaze swept slightly between the two people chatting, glanced at the sky, and naturally interrupted their conversation: "Yuanyuan, it's getting dark, let's go back first."
"Speak," he said, walking down the grassy slope and lightly stepping onto the lakeside rocks. He extended a hand to her, his posture as graceful as a pine tree, gesturing for her to take his hand.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yuanyuan shook her head, showing no intention of getting up: "I want to stay by myself for a while longer. The lake breeze here is very comfortable. You guys go back first."
She emphasized the words "spend some time by yourself".
Duan Lansheng's outstretched hand paused in mid-air, and Fu Xinguang behind him immediately agreed: "Alright then, we'll head back first. Don't go back to the inn too late either, we're entering the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm early tomorrow morning."
Lu Yuanyuan smiled and said, "I understand."
Once the lakeside was completely deserted, Lu Yuanyuan's smile vanished. She immediately lifted the coat over her knees, releasing a warm breath that had been suffocating for a long time. The person lying on her knees slowly straightened up. Perhaps due to the lack of air circulation, his expression was slightly strange, his narrow eyes were rippled with emotion, as if he were drunk, and his lips were also watery red.
Lu Yuanyuan spoke first, confidently throwing out her prepared explanation: "I was just thinking of you. You're disheveled, with your hair all over the place and your clothes not properly on. What if they see you? They're all men."
Yin Xiaozhu lowered his head, glanced at his clothes, raised an eyebrow, but did not refute. In fact, he seemed to be in a better mood.
After Lu Yuanyuan finished speaking, she turned her back and secretly wiped her fingers on her boots, wiping them so hard that her nails dug into her thigh flesh.
She really wanted to leave right now. But she couldn't leave earlier, and it aroused his suspicion. Now that she's come back a second time so soon, it's almost certain that the conversation will come back to the topic of "whether she's avoiding him."
A few oranges that had fallen from the tree became her lifeline. Lu Yuanyuan picked one up, squatted by the gunwale, and silently peeled it. Halfway through, she caught a glimpse of Yin Xiaozhu coming out and sitting next to her. But she pretended not to notice, as if the whole world consisted only of the orange in front of her. She peeled out a piece of the orange and put it in her mouth.
When you bite into it, the juice, which is even more sour than you expected, bursts in your mouth.
Lu Yuanyuan was thinking about something else when her face suddenly turned bitter, her eyebrows and nose furrowing tightly: "Ugh!"
Just then, something was quickly thrust in front of her mouth, urging, "Spit it out quickly."
Lu Yuanyuan felt so sour that she couldn't stand it, and her tongue was drooling uncontrollably. Upon hearing this, she subconsciously did as she was told. After spitting it out, she frowned, swallowed several mouthfuls of saliva, and wiped her lips before seeing a pale, slender hand in front of her.
With its palm facing upward, fingers slightly curled, and nails clean, one could easily imagine it playing the zither, picking flowers, holding a pen, or wielding a sword. But now, a piece of chewed fruit rests in its palm.
Lu Yuanyuan was stunned.
The fruit pulp was covered in her saliva, forming a glistening silver thread that still clung to the corner of her mouth—something she herself didn't want to touch directly. Yet this person didn't seem to mind, simply using their hand to catch what she spat out. Their expression was natural, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Yin Xiaozhu had no idea what she was thinking. He wrapped the fruit pulp in a handkerchief, put it aside, and then dipped his hand into the lake to wash it clean.
Lu Yuanyuan pursed her lips and unconsciously wiped her fingers on the hem of her skirt again.
It's just acting, is it really necessary to go to such an elaborate level?
How much of this person's heart is real and how much is fake?
She simply couldn't see through it; she never could.
At this moment, seemingly noticing her gaze, Yin Xiaozhu turned her head and looked over. Lu Yuanyuan quickly lowered her head, staring at the remaining half of the orange in her hand.
But the next second, the half orange was taken away, and she had nowhere else to look. Not only that, he suddenly pulled her over and made her sit on his lap facing him, so forcefully that she couldn't break free: "Yuanyuan, let's talk."
Lu Yuanyuan felt a slight resistance, her body stiffening slightly, but she took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to struggle, for that would be futile. Now, she had no better choice than to cooperate. She lowered her head, playing with her fingers: "What do you want to talk about?"
"Have you been feeling down lately, or have you encountered something upsetting?"
Unexpectedly, he would ask from this angle. Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback and looked up.
Seeing her looking at him anxiously, Yin Xiaozhu became even more gentle and patient, pinching her earlobe: "Do you want to tell me? You can say anything."
"...I have been having some worries these past few days."
She lowered her head again, her hands hanging at her sides.
In the past, when he hugged her, she liked to put her hands on his shoulders or take his hands in return.
When exactly did it begin that she never reached out to hug him again?
Yin Xiaozhu paused for a moment, then took her hand without giving her a chance to speak, kneaded it, and gestured for her to continue.
"Actually, there's no other reason. It's just that we're about to enter the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm. Last time I went in, I almost died inside, which left me with a very bad memory. Maybe it's because I've been thinking about it during the day, but I've been having nightmares for the past two nights, dreaming that I fell off the White Crane Boat. I haven't been sleeping well either."
She noticed that when she mentioned Bai Hezhou, Yin Xiaozhu's gaze changed for a moment, her lips straightened, but she didn't say anything.
Lu Yuanyuan pretended not to notice, sighed, and said with distress, "I'm just worried that if I see you, I'll be more likely to think about what happened in the Valley of the Floating Pagoda tonight and have nightmares again, so I don't want to see you for the time being."
As she explained her reasons, Yin Xiaozhu's hand landed on her waist, tightening around her waist by the end, and he said, "Since you're afraid, you might as well stay in Dingchan tomorrow and not go in."
Lu Yuanyuan shook her head, feigning surprise: "How can that be? I'm already here. If I back down now, it won't be right with Master."
"If you don't want to go, then don't go. Don't think about anything else."
“I want to go. It’s precisely because I’m afraid that I need to overcome it. Otherwise, the nightmare will always be a nightmare. Besides, I now realize that I was thinking the wrong thing; I should feel more at ease the more I see you.”
Yin Xiaozhu was slightly taken aback.
“Ever since I joined Mount Shu, you have been my benefactor and lucky star. Last time I came to the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm, if you hadn’t come back to save me, I would have died from the fall, even if I hadn’t been torn apart by the bat demon. And in the cave in Floating Pagoda Valley, if you hadn’t appeared in time, I would have been killed by that faceless monster.” Lu Yuanyuan blinked, her face full of sincerity: “Yuanjun, you are so good to me, I really don’t know how to repay you. Sometimes I even think that if one day you take back this kindness, I will definitely feel very uncomfortable…”
I used to foolishly try to get closer to Yin Xiaozhu and flattered him quite a bit. Now that I think about it, Yin Xiaozhu probably saw through my flattery a long time ago, so he rarely paid any attention to my sweet talk.
However, there are advantages to flattering too much. For example, right now, she can launch into a tirade without thinking, subtly navigating dangerous topics back to familiar, safe territory, landing smoothly.
Hearing her recount the "favors" he had shown her as if they were precious treasures, Yin Xiaozhu remained silent at first. But as she finished speaking, his brow twitched slightly, and he suddenly interrupted her: "No."
Lu Yuanyuan paused, recalling what she had said last, before she understood what he was replying to.
He's lying again.
A hypocritical liar.
She clenched her fingers, her chest swelling with hatred and anger, and a sentence rose uncontrollably from her throat: "What if one day I get in the way?"
Of course, as soon as she asked the question, Lu Yuanyuan immediately regretted it.
Why would she be possessed by a ghost, asking him such an idiotic question? Isn't that obvious?
Even when she was well-behaved and tried her best to please Yin Xiaozhu, he still wanted to kill her. How much more so when he found her a nuisance?
Upon hearing this, Yin Xiaozhu's expression finally changed noticeably. He slowly straightened up, staring at her inquisitively: "Why do you ask that?"
Lu Yuanyuan pursed her lips, regret causing her thoughts to be interrupted. Fortunately, it was only for a second before she innocently continued, "It's all because you advised me not to go to the Spirit Treasure Secret Realm, but I insisted on going. My spiritual power is not as strong as yours. If I hold you back tomorrow and get in your way, you'll probably be very angry."
One hand pressed down on her head, applying a bit too much pressure, and rubbed it.
"Are you just thinking about these things?" He said, "No."
Lu Yuanyuan tidied her messy hair, lowered her head, and softly hummed in agreement.
That was a very decisive answer.
Because in this person's heart, there was never any consideration that she, the stepping stone he offered himself up, might become a stumbling block.
.
The shoes sank into the lake when they fell in, and there were no spare shoes in her storage ring. The lakebed was full of silt, and after dark, there was virtually no chance of retrieving them. Lu Yuanyuan faced two choices: either fly back barefoot on her sword, or borrow a pair of shoes from Ahui, who lived nearby.
Yin Xiaozhu gave her a third option: he would carry her back, and he didn't intend for her to refuse.
Lu Yuanyuan was unwilling, but she couldn't afford to break ties with this person right now, so she silently climbed onto his back.
Yin Xiaozhu helped her stand up by supporting her knees, paused, and reminded her, "Hands."
"..."
Lu Yuanyuan slowly raised her hands and hugged his neck.
After nightfall, there were few people on the streets of Dingchan. Yin Xiaozhu was tall and had a large frame, so it was quite comfortable for her to be on his back. But he deliberately chose not to use his sword and instead carried her step by step back home.
He's mentally ill.
Looking for trouble when there's nothing to do.
Lu Yuanyuan thought.
Oh well, she's not the one who's tired anyway.
When they returned to the inn, most of the rooms were already dark. Two disciples from Danqing Peak came to greet them. Upon seeing their posture, a look of surprise flashed across their faces. They quickly stepped forward and bowed, then told Yin Xiaozhu that Xu Yuanzi had invited him to come and discuss some matters.
Seeing this, Lu Yuanyuan said, "Then you can chat slowly, Yuanjun," and took the opportunity to slide off his back and run up the stairs.
She, Fu Xinguang, and Duan Lansheng arrived early and were assigned rooms upstairs. Those who arrived later were all assigned rooms on the first floor.
This small inn was entirely made of wood and wasn't soundproof. The other two rooms on the same floor were dark, so their owners must have already gone to sleep. Lu Yuanyuan tiptoed to her room, making her footsteps as quiet as possible, when she suddenly noticed something and looked ahead.
A tall, slender figure stood in front of the wall.
He had been standing there for who knows how long, seemingly becoming one with the dim shadows of the trees. At least, he was already standing in this spot, offering a clear view of the lobby, when she entered the inn.
Lu Yuanyuan subconsciously stopped in her tracks.
Duan Lansheng looked up and slowly walked out from under the wall.
It was already this late, and he still hadn't changed his clothes or washed up; he was still dressed in the same clothes he had when he saw her by the lake.
They looked at each other, and Duan Lansheng said, "I saw you two come back together."
The moonlight was dim, and his face was exceptionally white. The two pools of clear, icy water that had been hidden beneath his thick eyelashes now seemed to have frozen into a sharp, piercing ice.
Lu Yuanyuan paused for a moment, then unconsciously reached out and touched the door frame behind her.
But her retreat was quickly stopped as her wrist was gripped. The distance between them rapidly closed, and Duan Lansheng lowered his head, his dark blue eyes swirling with complex and dark emotions: "You promised me last night that you wouldn't be alone with her again. Why didn't you listen to me?"
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