Past four
The bluestone slabs gradually turned into damp mud. Pei Qinzhou followed half a step behind Wen Zhibai, the hem of his dark blue robe sweeping across the wild grass growing by the roadside.
"Is the daughter of an official here to give alms again?"
Several women in tattered clothes blocked the road, the one in the lead holding up a broken pottery jar.
Wen Zhibai didn't want to pay any attention to him, so he grabbed Pei Qinzhou's sleeve and prepared to leave.
The next second, the pottery jar exploded at her feet.
Pei Qinzhou pulled her behind him, and the second jar came hurtling towards them.
Wen Zhibai saw his fingertips twitch slightly, and the pottery jar suddenly and strangely turned, smashing against the wall and bursting out with blue smoke.
"Sorcery!" the woman screamed, backing away. "The Wen family's young lady really keeps a monster!"
The talismans flew like raindrops, hitting Pei Qinzhou hard on the shoulder, instantly staining his blue robe with blood.
"You..." She touched her hands and found them wet and sticky.
"Don't look." His voice was tense as he used his wide sleeves to block her view.
In the darkness, Wen Zhibai heard several muffled thuds and short screams.
When she pulled down his sleeve, she saw that the women were lying on the ground, unconscious.
"Let me see." Without saying a word, Wen Zhibai pressed down on his shoulder, tore open the clothes that were stuck together with blood, and next to a hideous wound, a small patch of white jade-like scales was faintly visible under the skin!
It was remarkably similar to what she had seen in her dream.
Pei Qinzhou suddenly grabbed her wrist: "Miss Wen, I..."
"Stop the bleeding first." She tore off the hem of her undergarment, deliberately ignoring the receding bleeding, but her fingers trembled uncontrollably.
She forced herself not to look at the faint white scale pattern, but it lingered in her mind like a brand.
"You..." Her voice was hoarse, almost forced out between clenched teeth, "What is it?"
Pei Qinzhou didn't answer immediately. He groaned and grabbed her hand, pressing it against his chest.
“You guessed it long ago, didn’t you?” he whispered. “From the first time you dreamed of me.”
His breathing was very light, as if afraid of disturbing something, but his eyes remained fixed on her, as if trying to see through her soul.
Those dreams, those strange sensations, those coincidences he could never explain.
Suspicion is one thing, but seeing it with your own eyes is another.
Her throat tightened, and she instinctively wanted to back away, but Pei Qinzhou suddenly grabbed her wrist.
His strength wasn't great, but it immobilized her: "Want to escape?"
She should have run, she should have screamed, she should have stayed away from the monster like any normal person—but her feet seemed to be rooted to the spot, firmly planted in place.
"You said you were a fugitive after being abused, so you were lying to me?" She swallowed hard. "Why did you approach me?"
Pei Qinzhou slowly raised his other hand, his fingertips gently brushing her cheek: "Because you have something I want in you."
Wen Zhibai's pupils suddenly contracted, and she staggered back two steps, but Pei Qinzhou suddenly leaned forward, grabbed her waist, and pulled her closer.
“But it’s not what you think.” His breath brushed against her ear. “What I want is you.”
Her body seemed to be bound by some invisible force: "So the people of the Spirit Binding Division came because of you?"
“…I don’t know.” Pei Qinzhou didn’t know how to answer her; he had never harmed innocent people.
"Let me go..." her voice trembled.
His gaze lingered on her face, as if scrutinizing her fear, or perhaps awaiting the final answer: "Are you afraid of me?"
She couldn't avoid that gaze. Although she had expected it, she still found it hard to accept: "Let me go!"
"I won't let go!" His eyes reddened, and he choked up several times, pleading, "You clearly said you wouldn't abandon me, Zhibai... This is not my home, I will only follow you, you are all I have."
"Pei Qinzhou, I'm so tired. I can barely take care of myself now, and I don't want to be a burden to anyone else!"
She almost screamed it out, tears streaming down her face.
Did his presence cause her pain?
The word "burden" was like a knife, abruptly severing all sound, and the light in Pei Qinzhou's pupils shattered little by little.
He tightened his grip on her fingers, one by one, and slowly loosened them: "Okay."
He took a step back, immersing himself completely in the shadows, his voice eerily calm: "...As you wish."
"Why, why would even you lie to me? You are a demon, so, sooner or later, will you kill me too?"
"I won't, I would never hurt you."
Her eyes filled with tears: "Liar."
"Will I ever see you again?" He lowered his head, tears sliding down his chin.
“Pei Qinzhou, from now on, whether you live or die is none of my business…” She turned away cruelly, pausing to say each word clearly, “If you still have any gratitude for me, then please stay away from me.”
The boy in the shadows watched her resolute back until it completely disappeared from sight.
"Where else can I go besides you?"
His life was like a floating duckweed, adrift and without support.
It wasn't until I met her that I realized that flesh and blood, soul and all things, had finally found their home.
But now, it too cannot escape the extinguishing of the lamp and the cold ashes.
She should have realized it sooner; from the very beginning, Pei Qinzhou's deliberate approach and Gao Zheli's sudden madness...
As she thought about it, her wrist throbbed with a burning sensation.
Wen Zhibai lay in bed, tossing and turning, recalling her experiences with Pei Qinzhou, from their first meeting to their current friendship... It didn't seem so bad; in fact, she could say she had found some happiness in it.
He is a monster.
Can……
He never harmed me.
After some deliberation, a thin mist had risen outside the window, and rain began to fall gently. The last time it rained, Pei Qinzhou held an umbrella for her.
On the dressing table, the jasmine pendant he had given her lay quietly. She opened the window, as if the boy who had kept the lamp burning all night was still sitting by the window.
Two more hours passed...
Wen Zhibai steeled his resolve, donned his cloak, and stepped into the deep night.
The streets were teeming with people from the Spirit Binding Division.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!!" came the man's shout, and then he hurriedly bumped into her shoulder.
"Senior brother, we can only confirm that it is roughly in the northwest direction."
It is Jingcheng.
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhibai prepared to take a shortcut back to Jingcheng.
Unexpectedly, the next second someone pressed down on one of his shoulders: "Stop."
“Turn around,” the man said.
Wen Zhibai tried hard to suppress her inner panic. Facing that person, she saw several purple-robed masked men standing behind him, all staring at her with suspicious eyes.
"It's so late, what brings you, a woman, out on the street alone? What is your purpose?"
"My lord, I lost a ring while I was out today. It was a treasure I bought from Xiangfeng Pavilion, and I cherish it very much, so I wanted to come and look for it as soon as possible."
"If you want to live, hurry home!" the purple-robed man snapped irritably, but his eyes still swept suspiciously over her mud-stained skirt.
Wen Zhibai immediately squatted down, pretending to grope in the mud, and murmured in a tearful voice, "My ring...where did it fall..."
Shouts came from afar: "Found it! Found it!! In Jingcheng!"
"Gather everyone, grab all the magical artifacts, and let's go!"
Only after the group of people had completely disappeared from sight did she suddenly stand up, throw away the lantern, and step into the mud without hesitation.
The group followed the compass and arrived at the entrance to the well city.
"It's nearby." The compass stopped with a very slight sway.
The leader of the Spirit Binding Division took out a golden talisman from his pocket, held it between his middle and index fingers, chanted a spell, and threw it into the dark passage of Well City. Instantly, the entire passage became bright.
"That demon is very likely hiding inside. Be careful, and follow me."
Wen Zhibai observed every move of the Spirit Binding Division. Pei Qinzhou was already injured, and if he were to have a direct confrontation with the Spirit Binding Division, he would definitely be at a disadvantage.
After the group left, Wen Zhibai entered Jingcheng through the path that the students from Jingcheng had secretly led her down last time, returning to the place where she had parted ways with Pei Qinzhou. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she searched, she could not find him.
"Pei Qinzhou?" Her voice echoed in the tunnel, but no one answered. She could only hear footsteps getting closer and closer, which made her even more anxious.
In the darkness, she could only move forward by touching the cold, damp walls: "Pei Qinzhou!"
"Please... if you can hear me..." She tripped hard on a stone, her knee hitting the hard ground, the excruciating pain rendering her unable to move for a moment.
But then the voice of the Spirit Binding Division came from behind again: "Who's there?!"
Soon, bright talismans burned around her, and the people from the Spirit Binding Bureau could see her face covered in mud and her messy hair.
"It's you again?"
She knew that saying too much would only lead to mistakes, so she simply kept quiet.
"I'm asking you a question, speak!"
She glared at the man, forced herself to get up, and despite her exhaustion and pain, replied, "I'm not a monster. What I do and where I go is none of your business, is it?"
"you--"
She ignored what the man was about to lecture her and walked away on her own.
Jingcheng wasn't very big, but it was small enough that it took her half an hour to walk around, and she still couldn't find the person she was looking for.
Was he deliberately avoiding me?
Was what she said too much? Is he angry?
The sky was just beginning to lighten, and there were only a few scattered maple leaves on the street. It had rained during the night. Pei Qinzhou had been injured yesterday and was dressed in thin clothes. Would he be cold?
Wen Zhibai was covered in dust and dirt, his clothes stained with mud.
A shout came from behind: "It's right ahead!!" The people from the Spirit Binding Division rushed past her at an extremely fast speed. She staggered a few steps, instantly regaining her senses. Just as she was about to follow, she was suddenly pulled into a side alley.
The man, wearing a mask from the Spirit Binding Division, covered her lips and made a shushing gesture with his index finger: "Shh—"
She knew his scent all too well.
"Come home with me right now!" She tugged at his sleeve, but he pulled her back and pinned her against the wall behind her.
"The Spirit Binding Division isn't after me, don't worry."
Upon hearing this, she felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders, released his sleeve, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
He wiped the dust off the girl's face, his eyes filled with heartache.
Wen Zhibai reached out, wanting to remove his mask.
He flinched slightly: "You'll hate my face."
Wen Zhibai stared silently at his bloodshot eyes without saying a word.
The person in front of her finally lowered their head obediently, waiting for her to lift the mask.
Within just a few hours, a thin, long bloodstain appeared on his face, staining most of his clothes crimson.
“That monster is harming people in the capital, and you are in the capital too.” Pei Qinzhou didn’t dare to look into her eyes, his voice low and hoarse, “I dare not gamble on whether it will harm you one day. I can only… do my best to clear away all dangers for you, even if it is in this way. Even if it makes you more afraid of me.”
Wen Zhibai rushed into his arms, bursting into tears: "I'm sorry..."
He placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her into his arms.
The two rushed back to the Wen residence and returned to Wen Zhibai's bedroom. Pei Qinzhou had also exhausted his last bit of spiritual power and collapsed weakly onto her shoulder.
"Pei Qinzhou, Pei Qinzhou!!" His lips were pale, and blood was still seeping from his wound.
"Hang in there a little longer, I'll go find a doctor for you."
He grabbed her sleeve: "It's no use."
"...What can I do to make you feel better?"
"Just hug me, just a hug will do."
She didn't think too much about it, she just opened her arms until she heard his soft laughter.
"You lied to me?" She tried to push him away in embarrassment and anger, but he held her even tighter. "I promise I won't lie to you," his voice muffled against her neck, "...just don't push me away like that again."
As he spoke, Wen Zhibai noticed that the bloodstains on his shoulder were gradually disappearing.
——
Tuoming Temple is nestled deep in the mountains. Halfway there, dark clouds loomed over the city, and a torrential downpour began.
We can't stop.
She gritted her teeth and spurred her horse forward.
Lightning tore through the sky, thunder roared, and the horse neighed as it threw her heavily off! Wen Zhibai rolled into the mud, excruciating pain shooting through her arms and ankles.
The sky darkened rapidly, thick fog blanketed the mountains, and the air was bitterly cold.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the forest—and also the dozens of dark figures that had silently surrounded her.
"Tsk tsk tsk, just as stupid as your mother."
Wen Fushi's voice cut through the crowd, mockingly pointing his sword straight at her throat.
"Where is my mother?" she asked in a hoarse voice, the sharp blade cutting a little deeper, blood seeping out.
"What cure? It's just my father giving her a dignified death! And she's still praying for you in front of the idols every day, how laughable!"
The blade went deeper, blood mingling with the rain as it flowed down: "Your mother will now rest in peace at the foot of these green hills." He kicked her in the shoulder: "On your journey to the underworld, keep her company!"
Before he could bring down his sword, Wen Zhibai suddenly lowered his head and gripped the blade tightly with his bare hands!
Rain dripped from the ends of my hair, making it impossible to tell whether it was rain or tears.
She put her blood-stained finger in her mouth and blew a sharp whistle.
"Boom!" Dozens of guards leaped out of the woods in an instant and kicked Wen Fushi to the ground.
"Kill." She left behind a single, cold word, then turned and led her men toward the temple.
Behind them, swords flashed and screams filled the air.
"Wen Zhibai! I am Father's only son! How dare you kill me?!"
“It’s not just you,” she turned around, her eyes filled with an unprecedented ruthlessness, “I also want to taste what it’s like to kill your father for your mother.”
"Are you insane?! You've smeared the sword with deadly poison! You'll be dead in ten days! When it takes effect, it'll feel like being slowly sliced to pieces! You wretched woman, what your mother suffered, you'll suffer next!"
"Then let's go to hell together." She gritted her teeth.
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