164 Chapter 164
◎ "Xie Qi is already dead. You can't wait for him anymore."◎
The rain is getting heavier.
Even though he was wearing a straw raincoat and a hat, Xie Qi still couldn't see the road ahead clearly in the continuous rain.
The increasing weight of the rain covered the mountains and forests with mist, making the muddy ground even more slippery and difficult to walk on.
I don’t know how Qinghe is doing now.
His heart tightened, he clenched the hilt of the sword in his hand, and quickened his pace to follow the puppy that was running wildly in front of him.
When they came to a fork in the road, the puppy raised its nose slightly, identified for a moment, and immediately ran in the direction where Xu Qinghe's scent remained.
After walking along the rugged path for about a quarter of an hour, Xie Qi finally saw the courtyard of a remote family in a flat area.
Above the courtyard is the damaged dam of Caoqu Township.
The puppy shook its fur in the rain, first glanced at Xie Qi, and then kept barking towards the courtyard.
“Woof woof! Woof woof woof!”
It means that Xu Qinghe is here.
Xie Qi's heart tightened, knowing that the water behind the dam was surging and would soon pour down, and the courtyard right below the dam would be submerged in the blink of an eye.
He didn't dare to hesitate and ran away.
The puppy raised its head and sniffed in another direction for a moment, paused, and chose to go with its owner.
However, the moment he pushed open the door, there was no one in the room.
On the wet ground, there was only a moon-white outer garment.
It was exactly the one Xu Qinghe was wearing today.
**
In the dim house, Xu Qinghe came back to his senses from his shock.
She looked at the man in front of her who was feeling very proud, and tried her best to pretend that she was just curious.
"Seeds of plague? What are seeds of plague?"
There was a hint of admiration in those eyes.
Since they met, she had always been aloof and indifferent, and had never looked at him with such reverence.
Yang Ye raised his lips and smiled, feeling very relieved.
"Didn't you just say that you knew everything about Xie Qi, but knew nothing about me? Well, I'll take this opportunity today to tell you everything about my past."
"When I was born, I knew I had no father, but my mother was the head of the sect and was well-versed in the use of the strange poisons in the pavilion. I followed her since I was young, so naturally I was influenced by her and became proficient in this method."
"Later, my mother passed away and finally told me the truth about my life. It turned out that my father was not a man of the Jianghu, but the emperor of the faraway Nanyi Kingdom."
"I followed my mother's wishes and went to Nanyi Kingdom to find my father. How could I have known that the royal family was so entangled in intrigue? Only three days after I was reinstated as a prince, someone was already eager to attack me."
"Without any other choice, I had to flee Nanyi and head to Daying. It was at that time, Qinghe, that I met you."
He looked at the girl in front of him with a gentle expression, "Qinghe, I was seriously injured by someone I didn't know who was my so-called brother. It was you who saved me and, since then, ordered people to take good care of me. Apart from my mother, no one has ever treated me this way. It was you who showed me the rare beauty in this world."
“…”
If Xu Qinghe knew his identity at that time, he would never help him.
However, no matter what he said now, it was too late. Xie Qi still hadn't arrived. The only thing Xu Qinghe could do now was to delay.
And, try to get as much useful information from him as possible.
"So, the so-called seeds of plague were made by you yourself?"
Yang Ye smiled and said, "That's right. Even though I only added a tiny amount of powder after destroying the dam, once that tiny amount of powder was mixed into the river water, it would immediately turn every drop of water in the river into the source of the epidemic."
"If even a single drop touches their lips, they will immediately contract the disease and die within ten days. However, Xie Qi seems to have noticed what I've done. He's already moved the villagers to the back mountains, away from the dam and the river."
"But what good would that do? If even one person in Caoqu Township were to contract the disease, and the water from the dam were to mix with other rivers, the disease would spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. The people of Lanzhou, Yingzhou, and even the entire southern border would all be killed. At that point, what would the Southern Border Army, and the Daying Dynasty, fear?"
His eyebrows raised slightly, and there seemed to be a gleam of light in his eyes.
"Once I have personally conquered the border defenses of Daying, the throne of Nanyi will be within my grasp. I will then be the ruler and you will be the empress. How about that?"
“…”
From his sparkling eyes, Xu Qinghe seemed to have seen the future of the Da Ling army and civilians caught in the epidemic and the people living in dire straits.
"But the Southern Territory and the Nanyi Kingdom are neighbors. If the people of the Southern Territory are plagued, how can you, the people of Nanyi, be spared?"
She shook her head slowly, a look of sadness on her face. "Even if I go to Nanyi with you, I will eventually die. What's the point of being the Queen of Nanyi for just a few days?"
Yang Ye was pleased by her fragility and excitedly took out a thumb-sized porcelain bottle from his arms.
"It's okay. Since I created the poison, there must be an antidote. As long as I have this, you and I will be safe."
Xu Qinghe lowered her head and pursed her lips, as if she was still hesitating.
"You...you let me think about it."
Yang Ye smiled and didn't urge him.
Wow——
The rain outside the window was getting heavier, hitting the roof, pouring down from the eaves, and making a rustling sound when it fell to the ground.
Amidst the sounds, Xu Qinghe estimated the time. Nearly half an hour had passed since she woke up.
But Xie Qi still didn't show up.
She began to panic uncontrollably, both because of the plague poison that had now dissolved in the river water at the dam, and because there was no news from him for a long time.
However, the man in front of her had limited patience. She didn't dare remain silent for too long. She sighed again and spoke mournfully, "But I've been married before and had children. You can say all you want to say now, saying you don't care. But when you ascend the throne and have countless beauties at your disposal, how could you be willing to take me as your empress? Even if you were willing, the civil and military officials would have objections. Besides, I'm the princess of Da Ling."
Yang Ye didn't care about it at all. She was worried because she had really started to consider going to Nanyi with him, which made him happy.
So he repeatedly assured himself that he would remain faithful to his post and put pressure on all the other ministers.
Xu Qinghe was still hesitating.
She pursed her lips and glanced out the window casually.
"Oh."
The person in front of him suddenly sneered.
A rough chief gripped her chin and forced her head up.
Yang Ye came into view with a sarcastic smile. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Xu Qinghe, do you think I don't know that all you did before was just to stall for time?"
Xu Qinghe felt a chill in his heart.
Yang Ye said, "I'm willing to let you delay because I've never seen you so submissive. But that doesn't mean I'm a fool who can't see through other people's hypocrisy. You're waiting for him to come, right?"
“…”
"Give up on this idea as soon as possible. He won't come today." He sneered.
"…Why?"
The girl who had just been flirting with him with ease suddenly turned pale and panicked in front of him.
But it was for another man.
Yang Ye's face turned cold, and he increased the strength of his hands, saying to her word by word: "Because at this moment, he has already been swallowed up by the flood that broke through the dam. Xu Qinghe, he is already dead, you can't wait for him to come back."
Xu Qinghe's pupils suddenly shrank, his heart pounded, and at the same time, he felt cold all over.
During the years she grew up freely in the South, she had seen the desperate scenes of people being powerless to save the country when faced with floods.
The pouring flood was like an unreasonable beast, falling from the sky and unstoppable.
Anyone in front of it is small, powerless and hopeless.
No one can fight against the flood, and no one can survive under the raging water.
Is he included among these people?
But this morning before leaving, when the man realized the uneasiness in his heart, he opened his arms and hugged her.
In his broad chest, she also heard him tell her to believe him.
"Qinghe, don't be afraid. Believe me, I will find you and I won't let anything happen to you."
Yes, he told her, let him believe him.
She should have believed him.
What's more, what Yang Ye said may not be true.
After calming himself down, Xu Qinghe raised his eyes again.
There was a sense of calmness in those dark and watery eyes.
"He's not such a reckless person, so why would he go to a place where the flood must pass? Yang Ye, before you punish him, you need to have concrete evidence first."
“…”
Yang Ye looked at this pair of beautiful yet equally infuriating eyes. He saw how calm she was at this moment and suddenly smiled.
At first he just smiled with his lips pulled back, then he laughed out loud.
In the end, there was even a belly laugh.
Amidst her almost insane laughter, Xu Qinghe's face slowly darkened, and his heart, which had just calmed down, suddenly became heavy again.
When Yang Ye had finished laughing, he suddenly looked at her and said, "Isn't it time to thank you, Madam?"
“…”
She subconsciously clenched her knuckles, her voice trembling: "What do you mean?"
Yang Ye smiled and said, "Under normal circumstances, the battle-hardened General Xie wouldn't be so reckless. But now, don't we have you? You used yourself as bait and fell into my hands. Do you think he would be reckless for you?"
He stepped forward, grasped her shoulders as she tried to retreat, and pinched the collar of her shirt. He smiled coolly and said, "Look, I was in such a hurry to take you away just now that I left my clothes somewhere else. Your scent is on that shirt. Do you think he and the dog will follow the scent and find the courtyard under the embankment?"
"Even if he knew the dam would be destroyed in a blink of an eye, would he risk going to find out if you were there?"
"As soon as we see him enter, my men will immediately ignite the explosives buried in the embankment. In an instant, with a 'bang', the flood will pour down. Do you think he can escape the clutches of the flood with his life?"
"Qinghe, Madam."
"Did he like to call you that in the past? It's a pity that from now on, he will never come back. I am the only one in this world who can call you that again."
"Yang Ye, you are despicable!"
Xu Qinghe looked at the disgusting face in front of her, and felt a nameless anger burst out from the soles of her feet, completely enveloping her in an instant.
"You used me as bait to harm his life, so how can you be so proud of yourself? You can never compare to someone like him!"
She knew that she should stay rational now.
She should continue to flatter him and act humble in order to get the antidote from him.
But at this moment, Xie Qi was already dead.
Because of her arrogance, her negligence, and her self-righteousness, he has lost his life again!
If she had been more cautious, if she had been more vigilant towards Yang Ye.
If she had not sent someone to send a letter to the southern border army, if she had treated Xie Qi more indifferently, would he not have insisted on staying by her side to protect her, would he not have fallen into Yang Ye's trap and lost his life?
She had lost him once when she was young. That time, he was able to escape from the fire, but what about this time?
“…”
Xu Qinghe closed his eyes in despair, two lines of tears falling from the corners of his eyes.
How many times can a person escape death in his life?
At this moment, all the hatred from the past and the resentment over the years are no longer important.
Xu Qinghe just wanted him to be alive.
She just wanted Xie Qi to be alive.
A fingertip gently stroked my cheek, but it was no longer the touch and warmth of that person.
Yang Ye's expression was gloomy and unclear. He curled his lips and smiled, "Such beautiful tears. It's a pity that they are not shed for me."
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