Chapter 159: In Just One Day
For several breaths, Xie Huailing remained silent.
The silence was so natural, as if they had never had anything to say to each other, and he was destined not to hear a reply. Thankfully, before his heart fell into the candle and was burned by the flame, he heard the person in his arms sigh.
So light, it would blow him away even without wind: "Why bother?"
She said, "Why do you have to bring this up? It makes things difficult for me too."
Di Feijing understood her predicament; it was unlikely that she was moved by him, and a slight rift had appeared in her expression. He knew that perhaps from the beginning, she didn't want to get involved in any emotional matters with him, and wanted to make a decision with him, rather than talk to him about it.
Without his confession, she would have achieved her goal. He was good at expressing himself, but not at expressing himself effectively. Unfortunately, before all the romantic entanglements came to an end, he still wanted to possess something, which gave him a subtle air of arrogance, and thus mostly ruined her original plan. Di Feijing buried her head even tighter, her breathing rising and falling, not just in his ear, but right there beside him.
"What do you want?" Xie Huailing asked again, her finger pointing to the spine of a book, flipping it open and then pressing it back down. "You asked me to give it to you, but what does this 'give' mean?"
She didn't mean to agree to his request, but rather spoke in a soft, coaxing tone, her voice drawn out and gentle: "An embrace, companionship, or something more, a further illusion? If it's these things, what good will it do even if I get them, Di Feijing? You can't be unaware of that."
"Once upon a time, there was a child who heard about the beauty of butterflies and longed day and night for the day he could touch one. Finally, one day, he encountered the butterfly that captivated him most, but it was a poisonous butterfly that would kill if touched. Should he touch it?"
He gently shook his head: "Shouldn't he have touched it?"
Di Fei was startled as she whispered in his ear, "At least that butterfly once existed, fluttering in his palm. Just having that one moment was enough for that child; he would have done anything for it. But if even that moment is gone, how will he go on living? What will he face in the long nights?"
Since they didn't even extend their hands, wouldn't it be better to just touch them and die?
Xie Huailing sighed again.
She could sense that Di Feijing wanted to hold her tighter, but he maintained a position that made her as comfortable as possible. She lowered her head, then raised it again: "What I originally wanted to do can no longer be done—I didn't poison you. I originally planned to try some other methods."
The "Bewitching and Dream-Inducing Technique" cannot be revealed even slightly; the risk is still too high, especially since she didn't have much left to begin with, and she used it all on the final step of the plan. But now that things have come to this, there's no need to think about it anymore. Xie Huailing said, "At this point, I can only be thankful that I still have a backup plan, but in my backup plan, you only have one way to die."
“I know,” Di Fei said in surprise. “I know.”
As fine as a spider's thread, he gently repeated the snowflakes, and they landed on Xie Huailing, becoming a single snowflake.
The snow was cool even on a summer night, as if it had settled on her eyelashes. She blinked slightly, and the coolness vanished, yet remained everywhere. Then, her expression was gently illuminated by the candlelight, caressing her already soft skin. She closed her eyes, then opened them again just before they closed completely.
"Come work for me."
Xie Huailing said, seemingly lost in thought, recalling some old stories, wondering if the ruthless man had also done something true or false: "I won't give you an answer, nor do I intend to, but can you do it if you come to work at the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion?"
.
The battle was urgent and the situation was critical. The Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower was brightly lit all night long, and they were busy until the early hours of the next day. There were still very few rooms with lights on, and the few that were dark were simply because their owners had not returned.
For example, Bai Feifei, who was stationed in the east of the city, couldn't spare a moment and had already fought with Lei Hen once; for example, Mo Xishen, who had just received Su Mengzhen's order was transferred to the west of the city; and then there's Xie Huailing.
Yang Wuxie, carrying the official documents, passed by Xie Huailing's room. Even Shaman had followed Lin Shiyin, and the maid was in her own room, which was empty except for a few guards at the door. He glanced at her quickly, then strode past, heading straight for Su Mengzhen's door.
Looking through the crack in the door, it was normal that the room was dark. Yang Wuxie had come just a quarter of an hour ago and left with the order to command Moxi. At that time, Su Mengzhen decided to rest for a while. This fierce battle would last for another six days, so he should take good care of his health so that he could play with Lei Sun until the end. Of course, resting meant turning off the lights.
However, given the urgency of the situation and the fact that it was Bai Feifei who sent the message, Yang Wuxie didn't knock and instead pushed the door open, hurriedly entering the room.
However, Su Mengzhen was not in bed.
The moon shines near the window, while Bianjing lies far beyond. Gazing out the window, the view stretches endlessly. Su Mengzhen, draped in an outer robe, stands before the glass window. His thin face, which appears exceptionally cold and aloof, stands upright in the night, as if welcoming the night, yet also coldly rejecting something. Even his innermost thoughts are faintly visible, seemingly nonexistent.
There was a stool next to him, piled with some things. He probably wasn't asleep, so he came to look at the moon to prolong his day.
Yang Wuxie knew Su Mengzhen would be like this. His illness was too painful, so it naturally invaded his dreams. He had too many things to do, and the battles were always relentless, so it was natural that they would occupy his dreams as well. With so many nightmares, Su Mengzhen couldn't sleep peacefully every night. But he would still go to sleep, just as there shouldn't be anything in this world that Su Mengzhen couldn't overcome. He needed rest, and he wasn't afraid of nightmares.
Therefore, such insomnia is very rare.
Yang Wuxie didn't say much. He came from behind the door, walked a few steps quickly, and handed over the document: "This is a letter sent back by the deputy leader. It's her arrangement for tomorrow, as well as her report on tonight. She fought with Lei Hen and figured out his background. She plans to find an opportunity to take his head tomorrow. In addition, Madam Guan has already packed all her things and is planning to set off back to the Seven Saints Alliance of Misty Heaven. I wonder if the leader would like to meet with her?"
Guan Zhaodi.
Whatever Su Mengzhen was thinking, it was interrupted by that name. Xie Huailing's plan was very detailed, and he easily remembered what to do. He said, "No need. Huailing has already told her everything, and she knows what to do. After fifteen years, her hatred for Lei Sun is far greater than for anyone else. At this critical moment, she doesn't need anyone to say anything to her."
"Lei Hen's plan is to take someone's head first, thus dampening the morale of the group by six and a half points. This is a good start. Just go ahead and do it."
"Yes." Yang Wuxie turned another page of the document and read aloud, "Lei Mei has also sent a message. In her letter, she specified her movements for tomorrow, hoping that Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou could avoid her subordinates. She also wrote down Lei Sun's condition and current contingency plans. After having two fingers severed by the Lou Master and then having his heart and lungs injured by the Deputy Lou Master, Lei Sun's condition is not optimistic, but judging from what she has seen, it is not yet life-threatening."
"In addition, there is the matter of Di Feijing's absence. There has been a dispute among the hall masters of the Six and a Half Hall over this matter, but Lei Sun has suppressed it. He does not believe that Di Feijing has any disloyal intentions, but suspects that it is a scheme by the Tower."
Su Mengzhen pondered for a moment, then said, "There's nothing I can't agree to regarding Lei Mei's matter. Just tell Moxi Shen—Bai Feifei infused cold energy into Lei Sun's body, damaging his internal organs. This injury will require a long period of recuperation to heal. And before the injury heals, every day the cold energy remains will cause significant damage to his body. He's not young anymore, and he can't withstand much pain."
"But the current situation is special. If his injury is exposed, it will disturb the morale of his subordinates. So he must hold on and seek treatment, but only after the decisive battle. Therefore, he needs to finish the battle quickly and will not be at a stalemate with the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion until the seventh day. And unless absolutely necessary, he will not directly confront me again before the last day."
"And the fact that he doesn't come is actually the best time for me to go."
Since Lei Sun couldn't deal with Su Mengzhen personally, he would inevitably have to dispatch other skilled soldiers and generals. Besides Lei Dongtian, the Six and a Half Hall had also recruited other experts, which Su Mengzhen was aware of.
His response to all of this was simply, "Nothing to fear."
Speaking of Di Feijing, we must mention Xie Huailing. After a pause, Su Mengzhen continued, "As for Di Feijing, let Lei Sun guess. Just cover for Huailing, but there's no need to do anything extra to avoid making things unnecessary. She's always the most decisive one."
Now that we've come this far, he casually asked, "Where is she now?"
Yang Wuxie was well-prepared and had everything he needed. He turned down two more pages and replied, "Miss Xie exchanged her silver notes for silver at Zhou's place at 3:15 PM this afternoon, bought some medicine, and then went to Dongtang Lane. She checked into a small inn called Tongrong Inn. She ordered a pot of hot tea, a plate of flower cakes, a basket of mutton purses, a bowl of old duck soup, and a plate of fish tofu... She gave the flower cakes, mutton purses, and steamed pork to the little girl who ran the errand. In the evening, she only ordered a bowl of white porridge and hasn't left the house since."
"No need for overly detailed reports." She'd heard similar reports many times before, but using them on Xie Huailing always felt strange and improper to Su Mengzhen. "Just keep an eye on her and be prepared for any unexpected incidents. How many rooms did she book?"
Yang Wuxie fell into an eerie silence, glanced at the document again, and said, "One room. It's a secluded guest room. The waiter said it's the only one left, and Miss Xie doesn't seem too willing to change places."
Su Mengzhen remained calm and composed, seemingly having anticipated this. After glancing at the night sky, she said, "That's just her nature. Go and clear out another room for the inn, then follow her from a distance, making sure not to expose her. Leave the rest here and give my instructions first."
Yang Wuxie immediately agreed and left the bedroom without delay.
Su Mengzhen gazed at the mountains again, and they all seemed to move, their shadows sweeping across his face. He stood in the mountain light and night, watching someone, someone watching him. But the person was not there, so he had to search his memory. And with this move, he finally saw through something, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind, like a flash of lightning. In that instant, he was speechless; some things were more confusing with words, things he couldn't unravel.
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