Chapter 39 He could only let her go if he died. ...
As the rain stopped, Xu Congjing opened his eyes and saw an oil-paper umbrella blocking the dark sky.
"Wanwan..." he murmured, sitting up, his eyes bloodshot. He couldn't tell if it was tears or rain that slid into his lips, bitter and salty. He looked at her quietly and pathetically, hoping to elicit even a shred of pity from her.
Lou Yanxu remained expressionless, her dark, inky eyes drawing him in. "I know you're panicked right now, but instead of wallowing in despair, why don't you go and find out who the real culprit is?"
She was almost certain that the person who intended to seduce her sister Rou and the person who murdered her brother were either the same person or at least deeply connected. Xu Congjing held a high position and had connections with the nobles of Chang'an, so investigating him would naturally be much easier for him than for her.
Her thoughts were misunderstood by him. He stared blankly, a glimmer of hope appearing on his desolate face. "Are you...concerned about me?"
Upon hearing this, Lou Yanxu slowly raised her eyelids and glanced at the rain, then suddenly sneered.
The lanterns in front of the door were broken and shattered by the wind and rain. She stared at them for a long time, then suddenly blurted out, "Do you remember what you said before?"
"You said it was just a joke, but I was ridiculous for taking it so seriously."
Every word struck Xu Congjing's heart, and also became an indelible wound for Lou Yanxu. She had loved him so passionately, only to be told in return that it was "just a joke." The torment and pain she had endured were like being roasted on a fire every day, with scabs being torn off layer by layer, peeling away her skin and bones. Now he was telling her it was all a misunderstanding, and that he wanted her forgiveness.
wishful thinking.
She crouched down to look him in the eye, pretending not to see the self-consolation and pleading in Xu Congjing's eyes. A tear slid from the corner of her eye, which she angrily wiped away, and her voice was low, hoarse, and sorrowful.
"You want me to be as afraid as Sister Rou was back then."
"You said you wanted me to suffer all kinds of pain, and to be entangled with me until death."
She wasn't the type to hold on to things easily. That night, her heart was shattered to pieces along with the double fish pendant; the fragments were gone, let alone being pieced back together.
The person in front of her suddenly stiffened, tensing up completely. Lou Yanxu bit her lip, stood up, and looked down at him.
"You think you can just forget these words?"
"But I can't forget."
Xu Congjing's face was deathly pale, his soaked clothes chilling him to the bone. His past actions felt like an invisible hand gripping his throat, making it impossible for him to breathe or defend himself. He didn't blink, and then he saw her lips part slightly...
“You say you want to atone for your sins, that you want to erase the evil in your heart, but it troubles me. Every time I see you, I am reminded of the pain of the past. I don’t want to play this game with you.”
"I have people who love me and people I love now, and I am content. I only want to never see you again. So, let's turn our past into fireworks, at least for a moment they were brilliant."
But he understood that after the fireworks' brilliance faded, they vanished like fleeting smoke. Their childhood sweetheart relationship, filled with love and hate, was something he could only let go of by dying.
He didn't look at her expression, his head lowered, and after a long while he finally managed to utter a sentence, "You've fallen for him?"
Lou Yanxu did not answer whether it was yes or no. "Who I like or dislike has nothing to do with you. I will never like you again." He no longer had the right or position to ask who she liked or disliked.
"Go find out the truth, don't waste any more time on me." The only thing that binds them together is the death of their brother and sister Rou. Once the real culprit is found, they can go their separate ways and no one should get in their way.
Having made up her mind, Lou Yanxu removed the umbrella and walked away.
The sudden rain pounded painfully against his skin. Xu Congjing watched her retreating figure, not chasing after her, but instead punching the cobblestone path, his knuckles bleeding and mingling with the rain. Who had deceived him with a false letter? Who had deliberately sabotaged their relationship? He would investigate thoroughly and show no mercy!
Lou Yanxu stepped into the inn, half of her shoulder was wet with sweat. Yun Bing strode over, looking anxious, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Sister, how are you? Where did he take you? Did he do anything to you?"
After a few words of greeting, she waited patiently for him to finish speaking, then patted his shoulder with a pale face to comfort him, "Don't worry, I'm fine."
“But…” But she looked so listless, it didn’t seem like she was alright. He was worried about something and wanted to ask her.
"Yunbing." Lou Yanxu knew what he was thinking, so she suddenly interrupted him and squeezed his increasingly muscular shoulder. "Go back to your room first. I want to be alone."
Lou Yunbing had doubts, but seeing his elder sister's insistence, he didn't say anything more. "If anything happens, be sure to tell me."
She nodded, dragging her heavy steps back to her room. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see were the hardships of the past, and all she could hear was her sister Rou's wailing, which tormented her and made it difficult for her to sleep.
The next morning, she went to a temple outside the city to transcribe scriptures for her sister Rou to help her overcome her tribulation. The carriage moved at a steady pace, occasionally bumping against a pebble and swaying from side to side, until it reached the temple after passing through the dense forest.
Inside the carriage, Qingrui would occasionally glance up at her, her eyes darting around, but the words she was about to say were swallowed back down. Lou Yanxu couldn't bear to watch any longer and asked directly, "What do you want to say?"
Qingrui hadn't expected herself to be so obvious, so she scratched her head and chuckled awkwardly, "Xu Situ stood in front of the inn all night last night, and you didn't sleep a wink either, so you must be..." She hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.
"Do you still love him?" Lou Yanxu had already guessed and added to her question.
Qingrui nodded, her eyes wide and fixed on the scene.
Lou Yanxu lifted the curtain and looked at the fallen leaves fluttering in the woods. She propped her face up with her hand and said in a muffled voice, "Whether it's love or not, I can't figure it out, but I know very well that I don't want to get back together with him." She could no longer tell which of Xu Congjing's words were true and which were false. She was once angry that he didn't believe her, and now she was also suspicious of him.
Lost in thought, she heard the carriage hit another stone, tilting to one side. The two barely managed to regain their balance when the sturdy horse neighed, reared up, and galloped forward. The wind whistled past their ears, and the coachman lost control, falling from the carriage. Qingrui, terrified, tried to grab the reins, but a sudden stop and turn threw her off!
"Qingrui!" Lou Yanxu shouted from the car window. She wanted to jump out, but a patch of sand and gravel suddenly appeared on the road. If she accidentally hit her head, she would be in grave danger.
"Second Mistress!" Qingrui ignored the bleeding gash on her elbow, propped herself up and chased after the horse, but how could a person catch up with a runaway horse? Before long, she was panting heavily and almost suffocating.
Fortunately, a luxurious carriage passed by at that moment. She bravely tried to stop it, but the horse's front hooves landed steadily in front of her feet, startling her so much that she leaned back and collapsed to the ground.
As the distinguished person emerged from the carriage, Qingrui's eyes widened in surprise, and she exclaimed, "Minister Xu!"
"What happened?" Seeing that it was Qingrui, Xu Congjing's impatience disappeared. He saw that the person in front of him was so anxious that he almost stammered, pointing forward, "It's alarming! The horse is alarmed! Second Madam is still in the carriage!"
Before she could finish speaking, he had already spurred his horse and galloped away.
The horse galloped wildly from side to side, and Lou Yanxu, who had not yet regained her balance, fell to the other side. At this moment, it was even more difficult for her to jump off the carriage and escape.
Her body ached from the impact, her head was buzzing, and she vaguely heard someone calling her urgently.
"Wanwan!"
Xu Congjing flashed past the car window, his deep voice ringing in her ears, "Wanwan, don't panic!"
Lou Yan's heart pounded. Why was Xu Congjing here?
The wind howled, hurting his ears. He didn't wait any longer. Seizing the opportunity, he leaped onto the cart and pulled the reins back smoothly.
Lou Yanxu finally managed to steady herself and watched him ride the horse with trepidation. However, the frightened horse seemed to have lost its soul, and with all its might, it ran straight toward the cliff in front of it.
Are you out of your mind?!
The car bounced and swayed, and just as it was about to hit the bottom, Xu Congjing lifted the curtain and went inside, grabbing Lou Yanxu's waist. "We have to jump out of the car."
His sharp eyes quickly searched for an opportunity.
Five zhang, four zhang, two zhang, getting closer and closer, the suffocating feeling of being crushed to pieces came over me.
Xu Congjing gritted his teeth and hissed, "Wanwan, hold me tight!"
Lou Yanxu wrapped her arms tightly around his strong waist. He tightened his arms, placed his large hands against the back of her head, and with a powerful kick, lunged into the grass.
The two rolled around once, and Xu Congjing landed on his toes to absorb the force, leaving a long mark before finally stopping on the hillside.
"Wanwan!" His hand trembled as he anxiously patted her handsome face.
"I'm fine." She coughed lightly twice and slowly opened her eyes, which put his mind at ease.
Both were injured, but they couldn't care less at the moment; they had to crawl to flat ground to be safe.
However, after struggling to climb up, as soon as her feet touched the ground, a gust of wind blew by. Fortunately, Lou Yanxu was quick-witted and dodged to the side, thus avoiding a splatter of blood.
A dozen men in black suddenly appeared, giving the two no time to think, and attacked with knives and swords. Xu Congjing shielded her behind him, snatching swords from both of them, and unleashed a flurry of fierce blows with both swords.
The attackers, however, had no intention of engaging him in a prolonged fight, and instead thrust their swords at his back. Lou Yanxu realized this was a trap, and that these people were after her.
Xu Congjing clearly saw this too, and fought his way out, pulling her away quickly. The assassins were in hot pursuit, and four or five more people blocked the road ahead, forcing the two to stop.
Xu Congjing stared intently, then slit the throats of the two men in black who were right next to him. Lou Yanxu hid behind him, trying to dodge, but accidentally tumbled down a dark slope and crashed into a boulder, her internal organs throbbing with pain.
Taking advantage of the moment, Xu Congjing nimbly turned around to defend against the attack, and shouted at her, "Wanwan, you go first!" After saying that, he leaped to block the assassin's path.
Lou Yanxu stomped her feet, glanced around, and without hesitation, grabbed her coat and ran away.
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