In the valley in late spring, wild cherry blossoms fall like snow.
Wang Xiuxiu gazed into the distance, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the celadon teacup.
Three days have passed since they swaggered out of the main gate of the capital.
At that time, Zhou Yun'an ordered his men to set fire to the cloth in the warehouse, and took advantage of the thick smoke to flee with the people. Their carriages were mixed in with more than ten other carriages of the same type and scattered away.
At this point, she was separated from her guards and completely isolated.
This place is quiet and secluded, with a babbling brook and distant, layered mountains shrouded in mist—truly a perfect place to escape the world.
Zhou Yun'an ordered his men to set up camp, while he and Wang Xiuxiu sat facing each other in the pavilion, brewing tea and chatting.
He seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today. He personally poured her a cup of tea and said with a smile, "How is it here? Isn't it much more comfortable than the scheming and intrigue in the capital?"
Wang Xiuxiu lowered her eyes to look at the tea leaves floating in the cup and said calmly, "No matter how beautiful the scenery is, if it is a cage, it is nothing more than a canary's cage."
Zhou Yun'an wasn't annoyed; instead, he chuckled softly, "You're still as quick-witted as ever."
"Try this." Zhou Yun'an pushed a dish of amber-colored candied fruit in front of her. "Lychee paste from Lingnan, brought here chilled in an ice chest."
Wang Xiuxiu did not touch the plate of snacks.
A mountain breeze swept through the pavilion, causing a strand of hair to flutter at her temple. Zhou Yun'an suddenly reached out, but she turned her head to avoid him just before he touched her.
The hand paused in mid-air for a moment, then simply straightened the jade hairpin that had been blown askew by the wind.
Zhou Yun'an tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup to the last drop, the white jade cup tapping crisply on the stone table.
In the distance, a waterfall cascaded down like a silver ribbon, its roar echoing through the air. Suddenly, he spoke of something completely unrelated: "That year I was sixteen, and I knelt outside his study all night long, just because I had shot his white deer during the autumn hunt—the beast had clearly run right into my arrow."
Wang Xiuxiu looked up: "Him?"
“My father.” Zhou Yun’an’s tone was calm, but a shadow crossed his eyes.
Wang Xiuxiu noticed that when he said "father," his left hand unconsciously touched his right wrist.
There was a hideous scar there, as if it had been repeatedly slashed by some sharp weapon.
"Later I realized that in his eyes I was always a mistake." Zhou Yun'an twirled his empty wine glass, sunlight filtering through the glass and casting blood-red spots between his fingers. "My mother came from a prestigious family, and he made up his mind to marry her, yet he blamed us for this disgrace."
A flock of birds suddenly took flight in the valley, their flapping wings sounding like some kind of ominous premonition.
Wang Xiuxiu saw a strange light rise in Zhou Yun'an's eyes, like the madness and joy of a trapped beast finally biting through its chains.
"It's laughable, but I always thought that only by gaining his approval and his pity could I be truly free, until you asked me that question—"
"Do you remember what you asked me in the dark dungeon?" He leaned forward, the scent of sandalwood mixed with alcohol wafting towards me. "You said, 'Whoever doesn't want you to live, you should go find them.'"
Wang Xiuxiu was startled, recalling how she had questioned Zhou Yun'an about his many evil deeds and the involvement of so many innocent people when she was kidnapped.
Zhou Yun'an chuckled: "You're right, why should I go through all that trouble?"
Wang Xiuxiu's fingertips trembled slightly as she slowly put down the teacup and said softly, "Then it is my fault."
Zhou Yun'an shook his head, staring intently at her: "No, it was you who showed me another path."
"I even delivered his beloved son and wife to him right in front of him."
Wang Xiuxiu's teacup clattered onto the stone table.
As dusk gradually descended over the valley, the torches lit by the guards flickered in the distance.
"You could have left the Zhou family," she said softly, "with your abilities..."
"And then what? Live like a rat in the gutter?" Zhou Yun'an suddenly gripped her wrist, the force so strong it made her frown. "Until I met you, I didn't know revenge could be like this..."
He released her hand and then gently massaged her reddened wrist. "That feels good."
The night breeze carried the scent of wild roses. Wang Xiuxiu gazed at his eyes, both frantic and lucid, yet felt a chill in her heart.
She suddenly realized that this was the real Zhou Yun'an.
A soul that grows twisted and twisted under the shadow of life.
He seems to have come to his senses, but now he's just sinking into depravity in a different way.
He's still that madman, only now he's more lucid in his madness.
They're also much harder to deal with now.
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