Chapter 28 Jade Severes Love "Wanwan, I want you to be entangled with me for the rest of your life..."
The rich aroma of medicine filled the room. Xu Congjing wiped the medicine residue from between his fingers and gave a self-deprecating smile.
Didn't we expect this day to come?
He concealed his expression and ordered someone to bring another bowl. The two remained locked in a stalemate, one standing and one sitting. Whenever he moved, Lou Yanxu would shrink back, even if there was nowhere to retreat.
When the medicine arrived, Xu Congjing held it in his hands and urged her, "Drink the medicine first."
She stared intently, not moving an inch. When he approached, she began to wildly thrash around. He had anticipated this and moved the medicine away to avoid being affected.
Xu Congjing remained expressionless. Seeing her face flush red, he placed the bowl on the table, knelt on one knee on the bed, and forcefully bound her wrists to check her forehead temperature. Fortunately, it was just due to over-excitement, not a fever.
After this back-and-forth, he had lost his patience. Standing by the bedside with the medicine in hand, he said coldly, "You think you can escape if you don't recover?" Though he said that, how could he possibly give her another chance to escape?
Lou Yanxu looked directly at him, her eyes gleaming. She lowered her gaze and considered the situation in her mind, realizing there was some truth to it. After all, it was her own body. Wan Qing'an had gone through so much trouble to rescue her; how could she give up so easily? If she persisted, she would eventually find a way out.
She scrambled to her feet, throwing off the covers, but her sudden movement caused a wave of dizziness, and she slumped back down. Xu Congjing stepped forward to help her, stirring the medicine a couple of times before handing it to her.
It was still a little hot, and she drank it spoonful by spoonful. She drank it too quickly, and the medicine dripped from the corner of her mouth. He hurriedly picked up a handkerchief to wipe it, but she quickly dodged and resisted his touch. There was nothing he could do but let her do it herself.
As long as she doesn't leave, I'll let her have her way.
After finishing his medicine, Xu Congjing didn't leave. Instead, he sat down and began perusing the ancient book she had brought with him. This was a record of the landscape of Annam, and Lou Yanxu guessed that he couldn't understand the dense foreign characters and was just pretending.
The noise of vendors outside was deafening, and the rustling of books inside was irritating Lou Yanxu. She glanced at him and asked, "Where are Qingrui and Qing'an?"
"Wen Jie, look out the window." He didn't look over, but after responding to her, he glanced out the window for the tenth time.
Lou Yanxu pondered. He preferred to sit idly here rather than return to Chang'an, clearly indicating that he was tied up with something. As long as he was busy, there would be a chance to escape.
"I want to go for a walk," she said, her hoarse voice ringing in his ears. Xu Congjing finally stopped what he was doing, lifted his eyelids to look at her, and remained silent.
“I’m bored staying indoors. If you’re worried I’ll run away, you can come with me,” she added. Being bored was one thing, but she also wanted to familiarize herself with the environment, so that if she had the chance, she wouldn’t blindly run away.
He was suspicious, but fortunately he did not object, and instead got her a slightly thicker shawl.
The inn was situated in the wilderness, surrounded by mountains, accessible only by one road. Heading north, it would take about two hours to reach Chang'an City. Merchants from all walks of life came and went, and a caravan unloaded its goods in front of the inn. Two or three people gathered around the carts, chatting animatedly, mostly about their travels and interesting experiences.
Lou Yanxu's expression was inscrutable as she listened intently.
It was said that bandits had been appearing in the mountains recently, but the guests needed to buy more goods, so they had to stay here for a while.
The wind whistled past, and for some reason, a sense of panic flashed through her heart. Just as she was about to move closer to listen, she caught a glimpse of two men standing by the stable in the distance, one with a scarred eye and the other with protruding ears, staring at her menacingly.
To be precise, they were keeping an eye on Xu Congjing.
He clearly knew, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over, then he snapped to attention and touched the belt around his waist.
Something's not right.
However, upon closer reflection, he was overjoyed.
The saying goes, "When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits." With the two sides locked in a fierce battle, there's no reason for them not to have a chance to escape.
Lou Yanxu concealed her joy, turned around and walked back, with Xu Congjing following her back into the room.
He stayed by her side the whole time, and showed no intention of leaving when it was time to sleep. Lou Yanxu couldn't get rid of him, so she had to put the bedding in the middle to separate them, and squeezed into the small bed with him on one side and the other on the other.
She was filled with worries, fearing that Xu Congjing would repeat his madness of yesterday, so she desperately pretended not to be angry with him anymore.
In the darkness, Xu Congjing turned his back to the outside. Lou Yanxu turned over and stared at his back. Her eyes suddenly lit up, her fingertips trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but lean back again, pressing herself tightly against the wall, wide awake.
No movement was detected until late into the night.
Just as her eyelids were getting heavy and she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard a noise at the window and light footsteps. Her mind jolted and her hair stood on end.
"ah!"
With a gasp, she huddled up, clutching her bedding. In the blink of an eye, she saw Xu Congjing press down on the bed with one hand and kick it, pulling a short knife from under his pillow.
When did he hide the knife? Lou Yanxu was drenched in sweat. The figures before her eyes were intertwined, and the two men were making deadly moves, their blades clashing with a clang.
In the midst of the struggle, Yuandun was kicked to the edge of the bed with a thud, pulling Lou Yanxu back to her senses. She had almost forgotten!
While the two were fighting in front of the door, Lou Yanxu, not bothering to put on her shoes, hastily threw on a wide-sleeved quilt and fled to the window. Looking down, she saw a drop of about ten feet. Without hesitation, she climbed onto the windowsill, but the wall was slippery and dry, and it took her quite a bit of effort.
She trembled as she looked down, but she wanted to escape, she had to grit her teeth, close her eyes, and jump forward.
The expected feeling of being suspended in mid-air did not come. Instead, a strong force pulled him from behind, causing him to lean back and slam heavily onto Xu Congjing. When he turned his head, the assassin was already lying dead on the ground, his eyes wide open in anger.
Once again, he caught her and brought her back.
Lou Yanxu leaned against the window, looking into Xu Congjing's dark eyes, then helplessly slammed her fist on the floor, tears streaming down her face.
She buried her head in her knees, sobbing intermittently as she pleaded, "Please, please, let me go."
Xu Congjing helped her up, his eyes filled with tenderness, but his words chilled her to the bone: "Don't even think about it."
Lou Yanxu clenched her fists tightly, the pain numbing her senses. She lost her balance and fell again, sobbing, "Why? Why!"
He heard her crying and raised his hand to wipe away her tears, but suddenly stopped, turned away, and closed his eyes. The tragedy of three years ago flashed through his mind, love and hate surging in his chest, almost bursting out!
"Three years ago, you and Yunli plotted to take liberties with Rou'er in Qilou, leading to her death." His eyes flashed with intense resentment, and his words were sharp as blades, criticizing her from his superior position, "You killed her, and you dare ask me why?"
The events of three years ago had been weighing heavily on his heart, like a dam bursting open, and now, the pain burst forth uncontrollably. "You and Yunli were once my closest and dearest people, yet you deceived and tormented me. You were the ones who were heartless first, so don't blame me!" Filled with hatred and anger, like nails piercing his body, he squatted down, cupped her face in his hands with bulging veins, wiped away her tears with his thumbs, and spoke in a suppressed yet tender voice.
"Wanwan, I want you to taste all the bitterness, and to be entangled with me until death."
He's always like that, doing the gentlest things while saying the harshest things.
"You're talking nonsense!" Like an enraged beast baring its sharp claws, Lou Yanxu shouted at him angrily, pushing him until he staggered backward.
Why did he change so suddenly? Why did he have the heart to betray her sincerity?
We've known each other for over a decade, sharing tender feelings and making promises, but now the truth is clear, and it all seems ironic and laughable.
The room was pitch black and deathly silent. Anger choked her throat, Lou Yanxu's eyes were cold and her expression filled with hatred. "My brother is such an upright man, how could he possibly have disrespected Sister Rou? This is utter nonsense! Once I find out the truth, I will make sure you are brought to my brother's grave to beg for forgiveness!"
"It is true that I sent Sister Rou to Qilou, but I did not plot anything. I never expected that this matter would come back to haunt me." Tears streamed down her face. She leaned against the wall and stood up to wipe them away fiercely. "My brother and I are of one heart and mind. We are not people who dare to do something but not admit it. But we will never take the blame for someone else."
She tilted her head back, tears streaming down her temples. With each blink, she recalled the beautiful, harmonious days of the past, now all turned to blood and flowed away. Overwhelmed by emotion and utterly exhausted, she swayed, her hand moving to pull out the jade pendant that symbolized their love.
"Do you still remember this pair of fish pendants? We wore them together, and you swore to respect me, love me, and trust me for the rest of your life, but have you ever trusted me even a little?"
Xu Congjing suddenly felt a pang of panic. Before she could react, she had already smashed the jade pendant hard on the ground.
Sorrowful, resolute.
As the shattered jade fragments scattered around him, he subconsciously touched the other half of the double fish pendant hidden on his person, feeling a void in his heart.
But what followed was endless anger and confusion. He rushed over and gripped her shoulders tightly, his eyes almost spitting fire. "If I didn't believe you, why did I write to Suzhou to ask you three years ago?"
He forced her back against the wall, saying, "You admitted it back then, so why are you afraid to admit it now?"
A gust of wind swept through the darkness, followed by a loud "bang" from somewhere. Outside, the howling of ghosts and wolves was chilling. Lou Yanxu asked him, bewildered.
"What letter? I have never received a letter from you."
Xu Congjing's pupils contracted sharply, his heart sank upon hearing this, and he remained stunned for a long time. Before he could think any further, two fierce-looking men burst through the door. It was none other than the man with the hooked nose and protruding ears from earlier that day, who came down with a large knife and a heavy axe at the same time.
Were they bandits or something else? Lou Yanxu didn't know.
Xu Congjing shielded her behind him, kicking the round stool lying on the ground, which was cleaved in two by a single stroke. The flash of the blade and the shadow of the axe passed before Lou Yanxu's eyes, and she pulled her bedding tighter, startled.
Those two were skilled fighters. Xu Congjing could barely handle them, but she couldn't keep an eye on her. The opportunity had arrived!
In a flash, she took two deep breaths, clutched her wildly beating heart, and rushed to the window, climbing up. Xu Congjing noticed and tried to stop her, but an axe came flying at her. Before she could react, her calf was slashed, and blood quickly soaked her trouser leg.
Lou Yanxu turned around, her mind racing.
One side shouted: This is the only chance, I have to escape! I must escape!
The other side argued: "To stand by and watch someone die is to have wasted one's time studying the classics."
Finally, panting heavily, she steeled herself and jumped.
He was accompanied by dozens of soldiers on this trip, so someone would come to his rescue. Besides, what else could she do but send herself to her death?
Therefore, she had to leave!
Her palms and wrists burned from the friction, and when she fell heavily onto the grass, it felt like her bones were about to shatter, but she couldn't care less and turned to run.
As soon as she turned around, she saw a man waiting in front of her. He approached step by step, forcing her to retreat repeatedly. Behind her was a high wall, with no way to escape.
Lou Yanxu was terrified and threw two soft baskets at her, but they were only gently pushed aside. The person didn't move, just stood there quietly. She realized that Xu Congjing had a backup plan, and all her hopes were dashed.
Am I destined to be confined to one place for the rest of my life, secretly becoming his mistress?
A flicker of despair flashed in her eyes. She closed her eyes and leaned weakly against the wall, when she heard a muffled thud as the man collapsed to the ground.
As soon as he opened his eyes, Qingrui appeared, and the club in her hand fell to the ground.
"Wife, we hear that bandits are attacking! Let's escape in the chaos!"
But when they tried to move their feet, they encountered a problem.
The wilderness stretches endlessly. Northward to Chang'an, southward to Xiangzhou—where can I escape to? How can I escape?
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