Chapter 109: Flowing Water Reflecting Each Other
Some things could only be discussed in the bedroom, so Xie Huailing first took Bai Feifei back to her own room. On the way, they encountered Zhu Qiqi, who had beaten the human traffickers half to death and was extremely proud of herself. Xie Huailing went along with her and praised her a few more times, praising her as a model of a modern-day female knight-errant.
As soon as the bedroom door closed, Bai Feifei, who had just been shed tears right under Zhu Qiqi's nose, wiped them away. She seemed more like the owner of the house than Xie Huailing. Before Xie Huailing could make a move, she poured herself some tea, then sat down in Xie Huailing's seat and began to survey the surroundings. Her gaze was rather critical, but she couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Finally, she simply held the lid of the cup with two fingers, slid it around the rim of the cup, and slightly raised her head: "You really have a lot of money, enough to make you live a good life anywhere."
Xie Huailing had her seat taken, so she had to drag her chair over to sit down in front of her. Then, as if her spine had been removed, she slumped her upper body onto the table and said, "Are you envious? If you are, I have a good job here. The pay is better than mine, the work is very easy, and there's only one boss. I really don't introduce her to just anyone."
"If it's so good, why don't you do it? No way." Bai Feifei knew very well that it wouldn't be a good thing.
She brought the rim of the cup to her lips. Throughout the year, unless Xie Huailing specifically requested it, there would never be any cold tea in her room, and this cup was no exception. Bai Feifei blew on it to warm it up, and the aroma of the tea flowed into her throat even before the liquid itself, so soothing and seemingly improving her mood.
But what does it matter whether it's good or bad? She'll still have to say what she wants to say, and no one can skip that.
Was it for the same person, or for the same thing? She abruptly changed the subject: "I told you, I'm going to kill someone, and that's why I live. Only after I've done this will I think about anything else."
Xie Huailing remembered, of course; she had no reason to forget. She tapped the base of the teacup with her fingertip, her own eyes reflected in the celadon: "Then we are after the same person."
Since they didn't mention their names, their conversation was already shrouded in mystery, so let's not add any more weight to it.
Bai Feifei was straightforward, as clear and pure as a mountain stream, so there was no room for pretense or evasion. She asked, "Do you want him to live, or do you want him to die?"
The eyes reflected in the light shifted elsewhere. Xie Huailing looked over gently, her eyes bright yet unseen, and replied, "Perhaps we should let him live, perhaps we should let him die."
Bai Feifei then understood and asked again, "You're still investigating. What are you investigating?"
"Investigate what he's up to," Xie Huailing replied. "He's involved in something, and whether he lives or dies depends on this decision. But what's certain is that living won't be a good life, and dying won't be a good death either."
Then she immediately asked, one sentence after another, without pausing for breath: "You want to use Zhu Qiqi."
"yes."
Bai Feifei didn't hesitate to admit it; on the contrary, she was quite excited: "Those who aren't very bright are better off being put to good use in my hands. Shen Lang, who's with her, is quite capable. Both of them are worth contributing to my plan. And you, are you with them?"
Xie Huailing exhaled, tilted her head slightly, and could prop her face up with her hand: "Isn't that obvious?"
"..." Bai Feifei wanted to say something more, but was met with silence first.
They were all silent. Silence means there's nothing to say, or there's nothing to say, nothing to say at all.
Sometimes people are like that. They know they should say something at this time, but it all becomes a jumbled mess they don't even recognize, stuck in their throats, stuck in the middle, always because of some unspeakable secret. So they can only let this feeling of blockage remain, and then they understand more clearly what will happen next. They are as firm as a foundation stone with their names engraved on it, understanding each other as if they understand themselves.
When you know what decisions you've made, you also understand better what decisions the other person has made.
Then silence, then silence.
But silence wasn't the only thing she did. She caught the aroma of the tea again, averted her gaze briefly, then looked back. Bai Feifei hesitated for a moment, then suddenly frowned, uttering some futile words: "These things keep popping up again. It's never going to end. What can you possibly understand..."
Her voice lowered, her anger directed at the culprit, as she muttered a harsh curse. Realizing the dramatic shift in the situation, Bai Feifei's frustration had clearly reached a fever pitch.
Xie Huailing remained relaxed despite her curses, saying, "Don't be in such a hurry. He's on the opposite side of me and you anyway. It's not like I have to let him live. Even if I do, I can still do a lot of things in the end."
Bai Feifei twitched the corner of her mouth, at least she didn't curse.
Things weren't exactly good, but they weren't bad either; at least she couldn't be his opponent. She stood up, and the teacup, as if in some kind of catharsis, practically slammed back onto the table as she made up her mind—or rather, collided—than knocked.
She should have sighed then, but she didn't. Bai Feifei's indifference returned to her ethereal face. She moved her feet, about to sweep towards the door like a gust of wind, when Xie Huailing's voice followed her, stopping her.
The man feigned surprise, not even turning his head, and said in a low voice, "How kind of you. You wouldn't be abandoning your plan to drag Zhu Qiqi and Shen Lang into this for my sake, would you?"
"Stop trying to glorify yourself." Xie Huailing couldn't see Bai Feifei's expression, so it sounded somber, like someone who was hesitating. "It's my fault for not preparing in advance. Including you in the calculations would have been too much trouble."
She intended to leave, but Xie Huailing remained unhurried.
"Wouldn't it be more troublesome to prepare a new plan?"
Xie Huailing leisurely dragged out his words, and said, "Anyway, whether I'm busy with one thing or two, I'm still busy. Who knows, I might be able to help you."
Bai Feifei sneered and said, "Who needs your help? This is my business, and nobody else is allowed to interfere."
Her tone was cold and harsh, almost fierce. Xie Huailing, ever the accompanies, changed her words: "Then you use me, and I use you. Can't we both benefit from it?"
Silence, a long silence.
Bai Feifei was like someone floating on a wide expanse of water, swaying and wanting to drift eastward, and knowing that she was destined to drift eastward. The oncoming waves soaked her, making her body heavier and heavier. The dampness was everywhere, sometimes pulling her down and sending her in another direction, and sometimes making her float. She clearly felt something beyond the underlying hatred.
The dampness also became a sound; even without speaking, the room was filled with Xie Huailing's voice.
Bai Feifei opened and closed her hand, as if she held something in it. Finally, her fingers rested on the doorknob and slowly pressed down.
Xie Huailing could read her, even without turning back. She was often like a book in front of him, with him on one end and the one reading her on the other, saying, "Remember to have dinner in two hours, or you'll go hungry."
Bai Feifei remained silent. She went out, not forgetting to close the door behind her.
.
When Zhu Qiqi came over, she didn't see anyone. She went back out as soon as she entered, looking around as if she was completely confused. Then she went back in and asked, "Where's that girl? Why isn't she here with you?"
Xie Huailing rolled back onto the couch, languidly and without a care in the world, and replied without even looking up, "Go out and familiarize yourself with the place. You need to remember things so you don't get kidnapped."
"That's true." Zhu Qiqi thought for a moment, then sat down next to Xie Huailing, smiling sweetly. "It's kind of you to think of that. Let's not talk about her for now. Guess who's here?"
Xie Huailing had no choice but to look at her. Seeing the blush on her face, like a delicate red veil draped over a small lamp, the warm red light shining on her face, how could he not understand: "It's also a pity for you. Your Shen Lang is here, why didn't you go with him? You came to call me first."
Zhu Qiqi wasn't shy at all. When she heard her say "your Shen Lang," she just smiled even more beautifully, as if she wanted to be different from usual and maintain a dignified appearance. But in the end, she broke down and said, "Get up quickly. What if he has something to say? He definitely has something to say. Don't be a lazybones here. If you don't get up, I'll wake you up."
After saying that, she grabbed Xie Huailing's arm, but Xie Huailing still didn't move, so she used her strength to pull Xie Huailing up from the couch. Then, she turned around and went behind Xie Huailing, put her hand on her shoulder and pushed her forward.
Xie Huailing groaned a couple of times, then let her be. The two girls strolled out of the bedroom one after the other, the setting sun shining down on them comfortably.
Beneath the dappled shadows of the tree, where the evening light was strongest, Shen Lang turned to look at the tree, then turned around when he heard their movements. He didn't have much money, and after traveling for several days, he was inevitably covered in dust. However, his extraordinary demeanor overshadowed many shortcomings, and the slight dustiness became part of his composure, clarity, and elegance, making him as handsome as ever.
The three went to the side hall, where half of the food was already prepared. They just needed to wait a little longer for the food to be ready to be enjoyed. Zhu Qiqi sat between Xie Huailing and Shen Lang. Without anyone noticing, her bright eyes would look at Shen Lang and greet him.
Xie Huailing didn't listen to these sweet nothings. Luckily, she wasn't sitting in the middle, so even if she was shining, she was only shining on the side.
Shen Lang was very tactful. Although he patiently answered Zhu Qiqi's questions, he did not forget the important matter. After a few words, he said, "Alright, I'll tell you the rest tonight. I also have something to say to Miss Xie."
Zhu Qiqi smiled and said, "Then just say it, say it directly, she and I are both listening."
Shen Lang looked at Xie Huailing again. Xie Huailing had just finished yawning when she asked, "What happened on the way here?"
He nodded, showing his shrewdness, and said, "On my way here, I passed through the outskirts of the city and heard about the mines outside the city. I suppose Miss Xie is already aware of this as well. However, I went there myself and discovered something else related to the mines. Several miles away from the mines, there is an inn. I stopped by the inn and bought a cup of tea. I overheard the innkeeper saying that recently, there have been more martial arts practitioners staying at the inn, nearly ten in total."
Shen Lang continued, "I had my doubts, so I pretended to be looking for a place to stay. I asked the waiter and learned that these martial arts people were all coming for the mine. There will probably be more and more people, maybe even dozens in the end."
Xie Huailing didn't need to think; a glance told him: "That mine sounds so eerie, with all the ghost stories. But people in the martial arts world don't believe in such things, so naturally they want to find out for themselves. But coming here is one thing, going down here is another. If they really die, it would be a huge loss. That's why more and more people are coming, but no one is going down."
“That’s exactly right.” Shen Lang thought so too, and then said, “But if there are so many people, there will eventually be someone bold enough to raise their voice and call for action. At that time, I’m afraid that the crowd will be so enthusiastic that no one will dare to disobey.”
"That's perfect." Xie Huailing didn't think like Shen Lang.
She looked over, a plan forming in her mind, thinking about the timing of the mine's appearance: "This happened so coincidentally, Qiqi was right about one thing."
Suddenly called out, Zhu Qiqi leaned closer, tilted her chin at Xie Huailing, and asked with a mixture of confusion and pride at being praised, "Which sentence?"
“‘Most likely someone is behind this,’” Xie Huailing replied. “I think this matter is related to ‘King of Joy,’ and there might be a conspiracy involved. We should investigate further. What does Young Master Shen think?”
It wouldn't be entirely true that Shen Lang hadn't considered this. He had come to discuss the matter with Xie Huailing because of the risks, and was still hesitant. But after hearing her words, he felt much more at ease: "According to Miss Xie, you want to explore the mine together with this group, right? That's not impossible, but we know nothing about what's in the mine, so we need to be well prepared."
This was quite simple; Xie Huailing didn't even need to raise his hand, he just called out, "Shaman—"
The person guarding outside lifted the curtain and entered, moving swiftly and gracefully. She had been paying attention to the movements inside and understood Xie Huailing's meaning. She said directly to Shen Lang, "Just tell me what you need, Young Master Shen. Everything will be ready within half a day."
Shen Lang felt much more at ease and said, "Then let's set it for tomorrow afternoon. I'll go to the inn. With so many martial artists gathered here, the time to go down into the cave won't be too far off."
If he was going, Zhu Qiqi naturally wanted to go too. But feeling frustrated by being controlled by Xie Huailing, she glanced at her friend before speaking. Her friend didn't try to stop her; instead, she beckoned to her.
Zhu Qiqi sidled up like a kitten, and her eyes grew brighter as she heard Xie Huailing whisper a few words.
She was much more confident now, and the smugness that had been rolling from her eyes into her mouth spread across her face as she looked at Shen Lang again and said, "I'll go with you!"
Shen Lang knew that Xie Huailing must have made another arrangement. He saw Xie Huailing nodding at him again, so he smiled and said, "Then I'll go with you tomorrow afternoon. But this trip is no small matter, so don't act impulsively or recklessly."
Zhu Qiqi didn't like hearing his words and tried to turn her head away, but she didn't. In the end, she stretched out her legs under the table, wanting to gently step on his foot.
Unsuccessful, footsteps approached, light and shuffling, growing closer, and the curtain was lifted again. Zhu Qiqi quickly withdrew her leg, pretending to be nonchalant, and went to see who it was.
Delicate as a feather, as graceful as a lamb, walking like a willow, beautiful as a fairy—who else could it be but Bai Feifei?
She seemed somewhat embarrassed; it was already night outside, and returning from the darkness made her look even more pitiful. Zhu Qiqi felt pity for her and urged them to hurry up with the food, then called for Bai Feifei to join them. Bai Feifei gratefully said that she was of lowly status and could not possibly eat at the same table as them, her evasive and shy gaze shifting past the two women before meeting Xie Huailing's.
The food was steaming hot, just the right time. Xie Huailing didn't ask any questions and said along with Zhu Qiqi, "We've saved a seat for you, come and sit down."
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