Chapter 5
Xi Yimin, who was waiting in the forest, stared blankly in the direction Leng Xueran had left, as if she had lost her soul. Just a moment ago, she, Xi Yimin, had actually been unable to bear to harm the daughter of her enemy. Looking at her lifeless face, she felt a sense of suffocation. She, Xi Yimin, was not a sentimental person, so why did she feel such heart-wrenching pain? What should she do? A bitter smile appeared on her lips.
An hour later, Leng Xue Ran still hadn't returned. Xi Yimin suddenly sensed something was wrong and quickly spurred his horse towards Uncle Li's house. Outside the fence, under the tree where the white horse should have been tethered, there was nothing. He realized with a start that Leng Xue Ran had left. He hurriedly spurred his horse towards Fengcheng, anxiously saying, "Xue Ran, didn't you want to kill me? Why did you leave me alone? Didn't you want to find your mother? How will you recognize the real Guan Haoshan without me? Or do you think you're no match for me, that you can't kill me? Why don't you take a desperate gamble and try? Perhaps you really can kill me. No matter what, Xue Ran, don't think about escaping. At least don't leave my side when I can't bear to part with you." Thinking this, Xi Yimin spurred his horse on. Is this what they mean by: Upon seeing her, one's soul is out of control?
Inside Fengcheng, Leng Xueran returned to the inn where she had stayed before. Surprisingly, the Third Prince was still there. Seeing that Leng Xueran had returned to Fengcheng so quickly, he was very excited and hurriedly came downstairs, saying happily, "Xueran, I've been waiting for you for so long. I knew you wouldn't leave me." Leng Xueran's face was ashen. He angrily said, "Third Prince, stop talking nonsense! I returned this time because I heard that Guan Haoshan is in Fengcheng. Does the Third Prince know more about Guan Haoshan?" The Third Prince hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, I know. For Xue Ran's sake, I have been keeping an eye on that thief's whereabouts. Guan Haoshan is currently encamped ten miles west of Fengcheng, commanding ten thousand soldiers. That's all I know. I haven't seen Guan Haoshan's true face, and I don't know what he looks like. However, my scouts reported that Guan Haoshan always wears a mask. I have already informed my father about this." It's true that Guan Haoshan also wore a mask when he fought alongside Leng Shouqing on the frontier. It was only later, when Leng Shouqing adopted Guan Haoshan as his godson, that he saw his true face. After seeing his true face, Leng Shouqing praised his appearance as astonishing and even considered making him his son-in-law, but Guan Haoshan politely declined. It is likely that very few people in this world have seen her true face but know her real name. They either only know her name or only see her but not her name. Otherwise, why would Leng Xue Ran have searched so hard but failed to find her?
That night, Leng Xueran quietly infiltrated Guan Haoshan's military camp. Of the dozens of tents, the largest was located on the northern side, not in the center. Was something amiss? Leng Xueran wondered. Her eyes darkened, but she still quietly approached the largest tent. Inside, it was pitch black, with only the bed vaguely visible. She drew her sword and thrust it towards the bed, but found nothing. Suddenly, dozens of men rushed in from outside the tent and attacked her. Although Leng Xueran was skilled in martial arts, she feared such relentless attacks. She realized she had fallen into a trap, with no way to escape. Gritting her teeth, she used all her strength to fight desperately. Gradually, her strength waned. At that moment, a sword was thrust towards Leng Xueran's veiled face. Attacked from both sides, this time there seemed to be no way to dodge. Her heart sank, and she used her full power... With a light-footed leap, she used the tent pole as leverage to land on the empty bed, narrowly dodging a sword aimed at her face. However, her right arm was stabbed, and her sword-wielding hand trembled with pain, blood staining her entire arm. Another attack came immediately. Leng Xue Ran gritted her teeth and fought desperately. In her despair, the tent roof suddenly burst open, and a man leaped in. He brandished his sword, and all those attacking Leng Xue Ran fell backward, spitting blood. Then, the man carried the wounded Leng Xue Ran and flew away through the broken tent roof. It was so fast that those who hadn't attacked from outside the tent had no idea what was happening inside!
Inside the cave, Leng Xue Ran, having been acupunctured by the person who had saved her earlier, sat on a pile of grass. Her eyes were coldly fixed on the person bandaging her wounds, and she sneered, "You're like a persistent ghost. Seeing you makes me want to kill you. Don't think that just because you saved me, I'll forget what you did!" The man frowned and said, "Xue Ran, please don't do this. You can't kill Guan Hao Shan like this. Besides, do you really think the place you went to today is Guan Hao Shan's camp? Xue Ran, tell me, why do you have to kill Guan Hao Shan? What grudge does he hold against you?" Leng Xue Ran coldly replied, "What does it have to do with you?" Seeing that Leng Xue Ran was unwilling to speak, Xi Yimin carefully finished bandaging her wounds, released her acupuncture points, and gently pulled her into his arms. Leng Xue Ran struggled fiercely in his arms, and Xi Yimin suddenly grinned wickedly, "Xue Ran, don't move, or else I..." Looking at Xi Yimin like this, Leng Xue Ran angrily said, "You dare! If you do that again, I'll kill you!" Yi Min laughed, "I wouldn't dare. Xue Ran, be good, and I won't do anything. Look, you've started bleeding again from your struggle. Don't move, I'll re-bandage you." As if she was genuinely afraid that Yi Min would do something reckless, Leng Xue Ran didn't struggle anymore in his arms. Gradually, drowsiness crept in, and she finally couldn't resist the urge to sleep, falling asleep in his arms. Yi Min looked at the sleeping girl in his arms and smiled gently, thinking, "For you, what does it matter if I give up this hatred? I, Yi Min, am just like these heroes of the martial world, unable to resist the charms of a beautiful woman. But when you know my true identity, what will your attitude be? Whether it's my identity as Guan Haoshan or my identity as a woman, either way, I'm afraid you will hate me to the bone! Besides, you already hate me to the bone right now, don't you? What is the deepest kind of hatred? Is it turning a blind eye, or loving without caring..." The night was deep. With a sigh, Yi Min leaned against the cave wall, holding the girl in his arms, and also fell asleep, a slight smile on his lips. Perhaps he had gotten what he wanted in his dream.
The next morning, Leng Xueran woke up to find herself still sitting on the haystack, her back against the cave wall. A man's long robe covered her, clearly Xi Yimin's, which she casually tore off and tossed far away. Her eyes darted away, her cheeks slightly flushed. This scene was unmistakably witnessed by Xi Yimin, who had just returned. Xi Yimin smiled warmly, like the morning sun, and said, "Xueran, are you shy?" Leng Xueran hurriedly looked up and retorted, "Nonsense," before ignoring him. Xi Yimin smiled and offered her some yellow wild berries he had just picked from the mountain, saying, "Xueran must be hungry; that's why your face is so red. Why don't you try these wild berries? They might fill your stomach." Leng Xueran seemed to genuinely believe him. She snatched the fruit from Xi Yimin with her left hand, took a big bite, and began to eat. Her eyes lit up; it seemed very sweet. The woman before him, every move she made, was deeply felt, stirring up a thousand waves of emotion within him. Without looking away, she smiled and ate the wild fruit, but found it quite bitter. Why did Xue Ran eat it so sweetly? Without thinking about it, she was happy even if it was bitter.
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