Qi's expression changed upon hearing this, and he shoved her away the next moment. He stood up, annoyed by her absurdity, and even more annoyed by his own overreaction. Veins bulged in his temples, and his eyes nearly spit fire. Seeing Si Qiao lying on the ground, still managing a seductive pose, his overwhelming anger was immediately extinguished by rising disgust. This kind of woman wasn't worth a single bit of his affection.
"You are the most shameless, despicable, and cunning woman I have ever met!" he sneered contemptuously. "From now on, your life or death is none of my business. Don't let me see you again, unless you want to summon the Black and White Impermanence."
After speaking, he didn't look at her again and turned away decisively.
Si Qiao's body trembled almost imperceptibly. She suppressed her heartache, but her face still wore a charming smile. Only when she could no longer see his figure did she collapse to the ground, vomiting a mouthful of blood.
*** ***
"Si Qiao..." Qi roared, waking up from his dream. His chest heaved violently. After his emotions calmed down a bit, he got out of bed and went to the window to feel the cold wind.
It started raining lightly again outside, and the lanterns in the corridor flickered in the wind and rain, making his mood fluctuate with his emotions.
Just now, he dreamt again of Si Qiao being beaten by him until she spat out blood, and of her dying in his arms. Although he knew that Si Qiao was mostly faking it, the overwhelming fear he felt at that time still haunted him.
He had been away from the capital for two months. During that time, he had visited Huo Jingsha again to learn the whole story of Shu Yao's resurrection and to understand his good intentions and the fact that he was forced into this situation. Therefore, he decided not to visit Shu Yao for the time being, but to wait until he had sorted out his thoughts before appearing before her in a proper manner.
Finally, he subtly inquired about Si Qiao's situation again. Huo Jingsha said that after he left, Si Qiao also used her lightness skill to fly away. But why didn't she come looking for him?
Before leaving, he lingered at the small inn for several more days, but a mountain of matters awaited him within the organization, and he couldn't stay any longer. He had no choice but to return alone. However, he hadn't deliberately concealed his presence along the way. Based on past experience, she should have appeared three days after arriving at the manor, but two months later, she was still nowhere to be seen. This was something that would never have happened before. What had occurred? Had she encountered some obstacle on the road, or perhaps his own blow…
He clenched his fists abruptly, unable to bear thinking any further. Wouldn't it be better if she didn't come? Hadn't he always hoped she would stop bothering him and disappear completely from his life? Completely disappear—thinking of this, he felt a dull ache in his heart, and a tremendous sense of loss controlled and enveloped him like a ghost.
It's truly become a habit. They've spent so much time together that he's grown accustomed to her relentless pursuit, her constant presence by his side. The moment she disappears from his sight, he feels a sense of loss, an unease creeping over him. Perhaps… time will heal. Habits can change, just as he's grown accustomed to her presence, he can slowly grow accustomed to her absence. Yes! It definitely will!
Suppressing the raging pain in his heart, he turned and lay back down on the bed, but sleep eluded him. He had told himself he didn't want to think about her, but her every smile, her charming allure, even the way she softly hummed folk songs, appeared vividly before his eyes. He warned himself that the Shu Yao of the past was the one he truly loved, but it was no use, because he could hardly remember what she looked like anymore; instead, the image of Si Qiao became increasingly clear. In the end, Qi gave up, letting his thoughts be completely consumed by her until dawn.
Early in the morning, Qi immediately set off again for the inn in the capital that had been booked. He didn't know why he was going back, but he knew he had to go, otherwise he would be restless day and night.
He traveled along but did not find any trace of Si Qiao. It seemed that she was determined to disappear from his life completely this time.
Qi ignored the swirling thoughts in his mind and simply quickened his pace.
Five days later, they finally arrived at the inn in the capital.
The innkeeper was quite surprised to see him return, but he still respectfully offered him a cup of hot tea and asked solicitously, "Are you here to look for the girl who lives with you?"
Qi Yilin pressed urgently, "Has she come back?"
“Yes, she came back. The day after you left, I told her you were gone, but the girl said she knew, and then she went back to the room you were staying in, but…”
"Just what?" She came back as soon as he left, and said she knew. It seemed she was deliberately avoiding him. But the shopkeeper's next words made his heart jump to his throat.
"The girl looked very unwell, her face was completely pale, and she was extremely weak. I asked the waiter to bring her three meals a day, but she didn't eat a single one. I was thinking of asking a doctor to take a look at her, but when I went to knock on the door again this morning, I found that she had already left."
Qi felt like she could hardly breathe. She turned her head and rushed upstairs to the room where she had stayed with her for two months. When she pushed open the door, she found the room was indeed quiet and empty.
His eyes burned with pain. His gaze fell on the bed, where he found the bedding neatly folded, with a stack of clean clothes on top. He strode over, grabbed the topmost apricot-yellow gauze dress, and unfolded it. It still bore the splattered blood from the day he had injured her, a gruesome sight.
The patches of bright red stung his eyes, and even his hands trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, as if it took all his strength to put the clothes down. Why... why were all her clothes here? Did she not want them anymore?
"No... I can't... it can't be!" Qi murmured hoarsely, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him. He slumped onto the edge of the bed with a thud, staring blankly at the apricot-yellow figure beside him, his mind a complete blank.
Qi spent a month in the inn, each day feeling like an eternity, before finally leaving the capital, but he never saw Si Qiao again.
Everything seemed to have returned to normal. Lone Star was still Lone Star, still expressionless, neither happy nor angry, and everyone avoided him like the plague. The martial world was the same, still full of deceit and bloodshed. The only difference was... Lone Star was missing Mei Niang by his side, but the absence of the Four Qiaos was so insignificant that no one even noticed.
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