Su Jin suppressed the stinging in her nose, her chest rising and falling slightly, but suddenly noticed that the yellowish light in front of her had dimmed. When she looked up, she saw that Shen Qianxue was already standing in front of the bed.
"Heh..." Su Jinxia forced a smile in her panic. "Whether we get married or not is not important to me at all. Whether we do or not, it won't have much impact on my plans. I have lofty ambitions, and personal feelings are not important to me."
unimportant?
Those simple words felt like sharp knives piercing Shen Qianxue's chest. He gritted his teeth and stared intently at Su Jinxia, "Then why are you crying?"
"Where did I cry?" Su Jin chuckled and wiped her eyes, chasing away the misty tears.
Then she chuckled, as if she had encountered something amusing. "It's too cold, I caught a chill, and my eyes are sore. Please don't misunderstand, Phoenix Lord."
"Lord Liuli can be cold? Can you please stop making such a lame excuse?" Shen Qianxue's voice suddenly turned cold, even carrying anger.
Su Jinxia was speechless for a moment. Shen Qianxue had come prepared today, making it difficult for Su Jinxia to cope.
In the past, Su Jinxia was always the one who made the connections, and she held all the initiative. Today, however, she was in a different position and felt like she was being led by the nose, which was indeed unpleasant.
Suddenly, Shen Qianxue put one leg on the bed and knelt down.
The enormous figure blocked the corner of the bed, and the confined space made Su Jin momentarily forget to breathe. Only when Shen Qianxue's eyes were inches away did she frantically try to escape, only to find there was nowhere to hide. She could only press the dagger in her hand against Shen Qianxue's chest and angrily demand, "What do you want to do?"
Shen Qianxue gripped Su Jinxia's wrist tightly, preventing her from moving, and stared intently into her eyes, "Look at me!"
Su Jin was forced to meet Shen Qianxue's gaze, and she was extremely flustered.
“I want you to look me in the eye and tell me, did you ever like me? Did you ever love me? You once said you would like many people, but you would only love me. You also said it was all a ploy, a lie, and that you never cared about me. Which of those words were true? Which of those words were false?”
Su Jin turned her head away, unwilling to look into Chen Qianxue's eyes, her chest heaving as she forced herself to calm down!
Shen Qianxue grabbed Su Jin's chin with her other hand, forcing her to look at her directly. "That day at Liuli Mountain, you said so many hurtful things to me. It's okay, I can ignore them all. I can also stop asking you why, what you want to do. As long as you say that you really like me, I can believe in you again without hesitation. I will support whatever you do, and I will give you everything you want. As long as I am here, no one can hurt you. Even if the sky falls, I can hold it up for you!"
Su Jinxia's eyes glistened with tears, as if telling of her difficulties and her love.
Shen Qianxue thought that she must have her reasons, so even if she was so humble and almost begged for her love, it was worth it.
"I'm sorry, I don't love you."
Su Jin lowered her alluring, rosy lips, but uttered cold and ruthless words.
Her tears flowed even more fiercely, but she couldn't control them. Looking at Shen Qianxue with a face full of apology, she said, "I wasn't that heartless. You love me, but I used you, and I feel uneasy about that. So I don't want to lie to you anymore. I can't bear your sincerity; I don't deserve your love, so..."
"I'm sorry, let's not see each other again."
Shen Qianxue fell silent in an instant, as if the surging tide had completely receded. He released Su Jinxia's chin and wrist, and staggered as he pulled his legs back off the bed.
"Alright, no need to see each other again."
"Sorry to bother you."
Shen Qianxue turned around stiffly, walked unsteadily to the door, pushed it open and went out, quickly closing the door behind her, as if afraid that her distraught state would be noticed.
The biting wind whipped around Shen Qianxue, reminding him of the absurdity of his actions.
God knows how much he mentally prepared himself before he came.
He came here with the intention of wanting only her and even giving up everything, but he made a huge joke of himself!
ridiculous!
That's ridiculous!
Inside the room, Su Jin collapsed softly onto the bed, tears streaming silently down her face. She kept telling herself: This is good, this is good…
——
Shen Qianxue left Jicheng, taking everyone from Phoenix Pavilion with her. The operation was carried out in secret and was not publicized, thus preserving the last bit of affection between her and Zhou Ji.
Su Jin sent people to keep an eye on Nie Qingyi and Zhou Ji's movements, hoping to find out the location of the black mushroom.
That day, Su Jin was sunbathing in the courtyard when her disciple rushed in to report the good news: the location of the black mushroom had been confirmed—it was in the Prince's residence.
Zhou Ji learned from Nie Qingyi that Su Jinxia knew about the Black Mushroom, so he secretly sent someone to take Nie Qingyi to the Lin Nan Prince's Mansion to protect the Black Mushroom.
Upon hearing the news, Su Jinxia was not overjoyed; instead, she frowned warily.
Su Jin hadn't expected the black mushrooms to be placed in the Prince's residence, yet Zhou Ji was so anxious to send someone back, which seemed to suggest a cover-up.
Su Jin did not rush to set off, but instead instructed her disciples to continue the investigation.
A few days later, sure enough, there was new news.
A few months ago, Zhou Ji sent his trusted confidant Ji Feng to the Prince's residence. According to rumors, Ji Feng went there to retrieve some treasure.
Those who followed Nie Qingyi back to Lin'nan were just small fry. For something as important as the Black Mushroom, Zhou Ji should have sent his most trusted and capable people.
Therefore, taking all factors into consideration, Zhou Ji's move was a feint to the east while attacking the west.
The black mushroom should have been in the Prince's mansion, but in recent months, Shen Qianxue has been investigating Zhou Ji more and more closely. Zhou Ji felt threatened, so he sent someone to retrieve the black mushroom and keep it with him so that he could use it at any time.
Zhou Ji was afraid that Su Jinxia would think that Hei Gu was by his side, so he sent Nie Qingyi back to Lin Nan with the aim of luring Su Jinxia back.
However, it's hard to say whether the black mushroom is on Zhou Ji's person or somewhere else, and it can't be found out. Only Su Jin can find out for herself.
In the dead of night, Su Jin, dressed in black, silently slipped into the city lord's mansion in Jicheng.
The city lord's mansion was hosting a grand banquet in the front hall, while the backyard remained completely silent.
Without Shen Qianxue, Zhou Ji became even more unrestrained, indulging in pleasure all day long, as if someone who had been disciplined for too long had suddenly gained freedom and began to let himself go.
Su Jin bypassed the two or three guards and slipped into Zhou Ji's room without any trouble.
Black mushrooms are poison after all, and Su Jin guessed that Zhou Ji couldn't possibly carry them with him all the time; he must have kept them in his room. However, she searched around but couldn't find them.
Looking at the layout of the room, Su Jin came down to a wall with a painting hanging on it. She raised her hand and tapped it gently, then lifted the painting to reveal a small stone that was cut off from the wall. Su Jin reached down and pressed it, and instantly a door opened in the wall.
Meanwhile, in the room next door, the sound of a bell rang.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
