Chapter 55: Seeing Blood "Are you worthy of calling her by her given name?"...
Zhuoshui's cultivation level is low, and his teleportation technique is not truly instantaneous.
If it was a demon or god that transformed into a human through self-cultivation, it would have definitely reached the designated place the next moment after making a hand gesture. However, it took Zhuoshui a full cup of tea to do so.
Things in this world are hard to go as you wish, and life as a monster is difficult.
Although she had used her magic to find Zhu Qi in a wild boar trap in Xigao and had extracted a lot of information from him, and it was indeed Zhu Hao who was kidnapped, but...
Zhuoshui beat Zhu Qi to the ground, stepped on his fingers, and crushed him repeatedly. The man under his feet foamed at the corners of his mouth and screamed repeatedly, "Lady, spare me! Lady, spare me! She escaped! Zhu Hao ran away with that girl! Don't talk about you, Lady, I... I'm looking for her too!"
Zhuoshui shook her head and sighed. She tied the man to a crooked tree and, in the time it took to drink a cup of tea, scurried over to Song Xieqing, who was halfway up the mountain. She told him the truth about Zhu Hao's escape. When she had finished, Zhuoshui looked up at Song Xieqing's furrowed brow, then set her sights on the bundle at his arm. "What should we do with Zhu Qi? In my opinion, he's a completely evil man. This time, Madam Zhu escaped on her own, and it was a close call, but what if he has other plans? Who knows if he'll do it again?"
She touched her neck and said, "If you ask me, should I kill him? You're a god and can't kill mortals, but a little demon like me shouldn't have any rules or restrictions?" Zhuoshui spat, "Then again, killing him shouldn't be considered wanton killing. It should be called eliminating harm for the people."
Song Xieqing said coldly, "You don't need to do anything. Just tell me where Zhu Qi is. Also, check on Miao Li's whereabouts. Didn't he say so? Pian Pian took Miao Li with him. Although you can't check on Pian Pian, you can check on Miao Li."
His brows were sharp, and beneath the silence a storm was brewing. "Finally, I'll look for Chi Xing."
Most of the gods who are worshipped by mortals cannot decide the life and death of mortals, but Zhuo Shui was certain that half of Zhu Qi's body had already sunk into the earth.
Hey, who else could you pick on?
…
In summer, Xigao is covered with green shade everywhere. The meadows on the ground absorb nutrients from the black loam soil and grow green. Kingfishers sing in the woods, and the rushing streams hit the rocks like galloping horses. However, deep in the lush forests, there is another secret place that blocks out all the noise of the mountains.
When Song Xieqing found Zhu Hao, the sun had already sunk into the mountains, with only a small corner of the sun visible. Xigao seemed to be resting under a warm yellow gauze.
She took Miaoli and hid in an ancient tomb covered by vines.
After hundreds of years of exposure to wind and sun, as well as being destroyed and excavated by people when it was first built, the ancient tomb has collapsed into a cave today, a hundred years later.
He never imagined that the tomb where he temporarily lived a hundred years ago could temporarily shelter his wife from the wind and rain a hundred years later.
It was dark in the cave, so Song Xieqing picked up some dry branches of bitter vine and started a fire. The bright yellow flames illuminated the two people who were sleeping in each other's arms.
The two of them had gray faces, Miaoli's was an abnormally dark purple, and Zhu Hao's brows were furrowed in his sleep.
Song Xieqing wiped his hands clean, squatted in front of Zhu Hao, and gently smoothed her frown with his fingertips.
Their breathing was slow, but how could they possibly sleep soundly in such a dangerous situation? Even if his movements had been gentle, it would have woken her, so it was hard not to think of something else going on.
Song Xieqing had some basic knowledge of pulse diagnosis. He separated the two people gently. After arranging Miao Li, Song Xieqing held Zhu Hao in his arms. He took her pulse and found nothing dangerous. His nerves, which had been tense for a long time, finally relaxed for a moment.
The woman in his arms had a messy bun with lots of grass debris stuck on it, and the pearl hairpin she had worn before leaving the house had fallen off completely. Her long, tender apricot-colored dress was stained with mud and torn. Song Xieqing rolled up Zhu Hao's sleeves, revealing tiny red marks on her forearm. It seemed that she was scratched by thorns while running away. In contrast, Zhu Hao's other arm was covered in blood.
He took out the bandages and wound medicine he had prepared in advance from his bag and wiped away the blood. Song Xieqing stared at the hole-sized wound on her arm with a gloomy expression. He gently applied the ointment to the wound and bandaged it, not sparing even the tiny red mark. Then, he checked Zhu Hao's body for other wounds.
When Song Xieqing's palm touched the back of Zhu Hao's head, his hand suddenly stopped.
With the help of the light in front of him, Song Xieqing pushed aside the black hair on the back of Zhu Hao's head, revealing a small bump and a purple scalp.
When Song Xieqing touched the small bump on the back of Zhu Hao's head and the wound on his arm again, his fingers trembled uncontrollably.
She was clearly by his side, but he put her in trouble again and again.
Song Xieqing's arms locked Zhu Hao tightly in his embrace, and he kept tightening them, not allowing any gap between them. The fire crackled and sparks scattered. In his eyes, besides reflecting the warm flames, there were also the cold glint of swords and spears.
He made a couch out of withered grass and fallen leaves, took out a cloak and a blanket from his bag, and settled Zhu Hao and Miao Li down respectively.
Song Xieqing stepped out of the cave, the blood-red setting sun paving the way for him.
From the moment they started, cries for help were heard frequently from not far away, and the place where the sounds came from was exactly where Zhuoshui was tying up Zhu Qi.
Song Xieqing followed the setting sun, stepping on the dead branches and rotten leaves on the mountain path, and walked forward leisurely.
Zhu Qi was tied to a tree like a cat or dog. He was beaten so badly by Zhuo Shui that his face was bruised and swollen, and there were even purple shoe prints on the backs of his hands. He saw someone walking towards him. Zhu Qi's long binding had made his eyes blurry for a moment, and he couldn't see the person's appearance clearly. But how could he care if it was a human or a ghost? A woman or a man? Zhu Qi, clinging to a last straw, screamed in a bloody hoarse voice, "Help! My lord! Help!"
Unexpectedly, the man ignored him and walked down the stream on the side with his robe rolled up. His back was facing Zhu Qi, and even though Zhu Qi was now aware, he could not see the man's face clearly.
In the blink of an eye, a fat black fish was already impaled on the wooden stick that the man picked up.
Zhu Qi could no longer endure it and shouted, "I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?! Can you hear me calling for help? Listen..."
The sound stopped abruptly.
When Song Xieqing turned his head, Zhu Qi accidentally bit the root of his tongue. The fishy smell filled his tongue and blood slowly flowed from the corner of his mouth.
He trembled uncontrollably all over, telling himself over and over in his heart, yes, Song Xieqing is Zhu Hao's husband, yes, Song Xieqing is Zhu Hao's life-saving straw, not his, yes, Song Xieqing would feel unfair for Zhu Hao, so he treated him as nothing from beginning to end, but Song Xieqing is just an ordinary person, there is nothing he can do to him, right?
Song Xieqing set up a wooden frame in the open space and started a fire as if nothing had happened. He pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and repeatedly sharpened the blade on the stone surface. The dagger was sharp and the cold light was dazzling. Zhu Qi saw that the man raised his knife and chopped the fish head and bones on the ground. He gently cut the fish belly open from both sides with his backhand. He took out the internal organs and removed the scales with the back of the knife. He was obviously killing the fish, but Song Xieqing's every move was elegant and graceful.
He started to grill the fish. The cleaned black fish gradually turned golden in color under the scorching flames. The fragrance immediately penetrated Zhu Qi's nose, making his stomach growl. Until the sky was only the last ray of sunset shining through the gaps between the peaks, Song Xieqing inserted the wooden stick with the grilled fish into the side of the fire and walked towards Zhu Qi.
As he approached, Zhu Qi saw through Song Xieqing's peaceful expression and saw the countless terrifying waves lurking in the depths. The anger in his eyes was far more intense than the blazing flames.
Song Xieqing stopped two steps away from him. "Tell me, how did you tie her up? What did you do to her? Tell me word for word, without leaving out a single detail."
At this moment, Song Xieqing looked like a ghost that wanted to take his life to Zhu Qi, which made him scared. Zhu Qi subconsciously glanced at the golden and crispy grilled fish, and the way Song Xieqing killed the fish just now kept replaying in his mind. He intuitively felt that his fate would be the same. Song Xieqing would cut open his chest and take out his organs with the calmest expression.
Song Xieqing was just standing in front of him, but he was almost suffocated by the pressure he felt from within.
Zhu Qi had no choice but to tell the whole story.
It was indeed he who asked someone to deliver the paper ball to Zhu Hao, and it was indeed he who kidnapped Zhu Hao. Ever since Zhu Lanxiang was imprisoned, he had been holding a grudge against Zhu Hao and had tried every possible means to teach her a lesson. For this reason, he had robbed her brocade a year ago and hindered her from starting a career. He had also threatened Zhu Hao's life with a maid, ordering her to tamper with Zhu Hao's medicine, causing Zhu Hao to be bedridden for the rest of her life, unable to speak or walk, and completely becoming a disabled person.
Unexpectedly, this girl would rather die than be used by him. She even dug up the fire case of Zhu's house last year and went to the government office to identify him as the mastermind. She begged the government office to conduct a secret investigation. If he had not had an acquaintance in the government office who let the cat out of the bag and accidentally let him escape, he would have been killed in Huaicheng for the several cases he was involved in.
Zhu Qi knew clearly that Miaoli claimed to be returning home, but actually planned to die on the way. With the deep affection between master and servant, how could he let go of such a good hostage easily?
He took a risk and kidnapped Miaoli on the path out of the city, and used her to lead Zhuhao to a side street and a broken courtyard, where he knocked them both unconscious.
However, his intention was not to hurt her. He had no place to stand in Huaicheng. If he wanted to escape, he would naturally need a lot of money. After thinking about it, he decided that the money must come from a good source.
He had clearly written it down, plainly enough! Bring the silver note to redeem the person! But when they searched Zhu Hao's bag, they didn't find a single penny.
To prevent the messenger boy and the coachman riding in Zhu Qi from revealing the secrets of the side street and the dilapidated courtyard, Zhu Qi had no choice but to tie the two of them up and take them to his old nest, Xigao. The government had already searched the place, and the goods originally hidden in the cave had also been emptied by the government.
As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest place. No one expected him to retreat here with courage. He only needed to wait for Zhu to recover and wake up, force her to give him money, and then send her to the west. Then he could leave Huaicheng!
Oh, he had no intention of killing his cousin Pianpian. He had just caused trouble and let the authorities know. If anyone was to blame, it was her who tricked him! He didn't even have a penny on him!
The drug he gave Zhu Hao was a strong one. When she woke up, she was still dizzy and her legs were weak. Unexpectedly, this woman had no mercy on her. She pulled out her hairpin and hit her arm with it to wake her up.
The man was much more sober now, and even tricked him into a loop. Zhu Hao used his familiarity with Xigao to lure him into the trap set by the hunter.
Then……
A woman who looked like a fairy saved him from danger, not for any other reason but to tie him under a tree and humiliate and beat him without any explanation. Then, he met Song Xieqing.
Zhu Qi said in panic, "Look, I really didn't do anything to her! The only wound on her body was caused by her pulling out the hairpin herself!"
"The only injury?" Song Xieqing's voice was cold. "What's the reason for the bump on the back of her head? Zhu Qi, don't tell me, she hurt herself."
Zhu Qi repeatedly cried out for injustice, "...She was the one who refused to give in and insisted on escaping! She rolled down the slope for this, it's none of my fault!"
Song Xieqing retorted, "If you hadn't been chasing her, how could Pianpian have fallen down the slope? If you hadn't drugged her, why would Pianpian have hurt herself?"
Zhu Qi suddenly realized that no matter what he said, it was useless. As long as Zhu was good, he was right, and he, Zhu Qi, was wrong no matter what.
He had no choice but to plead guilty. "Mr. Song! You, you are my brother-in-law! I beg you, please let me go! I promise to retire! Isn't Pianpian fine? Apart from those two wounds, isn't everything fine? Brother-in-law! I really know I was wrong. I just want to be a good person now! Brother-in-law, can you give me this chance? I promise I won't do it again..."
"Pianpian? Are you okay?" Song Xieqing interrupted coldly. He raised his hand and pinched Zhu Qi's jaw, tightening it. Zhu Qi vaguely heard the creaking sound of the dislocated jaw.
"How can you call her by her maiden name? She was injured in two places, and you told me she was fine? If Pianpian loses even one hair on your body, she can't be considered healthy. Do you understand?"
The severe pain in his jaw and the panic in his heart made his back sweat. Zhu Qi's lips and teeth trembled and he was extremely frightened.
"Miao Li was hit by Qianji Powder, it was you who put it in."
Zhu Qi endured the pain and continued: "There is an antidote! There is an antidote! As long as you let me go..."
"Do you think... you're qualified to negotiate with me right now?" Song Xieqing said indifferently, "After all, it wasn't Pian Pian who was poisoned, and I don't necessarily need to save a maid, but... what you just said is no different from threatening me."
After hearing this, how could Zhu Qi dare to be negligent? He was right. His life was in Song Xieqing's hands. How could he negotiate with him? Zhu Qi's eyes flashed, and he took out a small piece of oil paper from his leather belt.
Song Xieqing took it, opened it, and took a peek. In the middle of the oil-paper was a brown pill. He pinched it between his fingers, crushed it into powder, and it disappeared in the wind. "The antidote to Qianji Powder should be crimson purple, but the temporary suppressant is brown. Zhu Qi, what do you think I'm asking of you?"
Zhu Qi unexpectedly met Song Xieqing's deep eyes. He tremblingly took out a porcelain bottle the size of his little finger from his collar and handed it to the person in front of him.
Song Xieqing accepted it without saying a word, and then untied the hemp rope tied around Zhu Qi's neck.
Zhu Qi had not eaten or drunk anything, but after he was relieved, his body went limp and he fell to his knees, kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.
When he raised his head, a dagger suddenly appeared in front of him. Zhu Qi's forehead sweat dripped onto the sharp blade, reflecting his pale face.
"Open two blades on the arm." Song Xieqing added: "You need to see the bone."
He looked down at the figure kneeling before him and sneered, "Of course, you don't have to do what I say. I have plenty of ways to torture you anyway. Zhu Qi, do you want to hear other methods and draw lots from them, or do you want to choose the one I'm talking about now?"
Zhu Qi took the dagger with trembling fingers, "Afterwards, can you... let me go?"
"You can leave."
"But you just got the medicine, and you didn't let me go!"
"When did I promise to give you the antidote and set you free?"
Zhu Qi: “…”
It seems not.
Zhu Qi stood up and swallowed hard. How could any normal person bear to attack him? Moreover, this villain had demanded a bone-deep wound. What if he died from excessive blood loss? Or if he encountered soldiers along the way?
A strange look flashed in his eyes. The dagger was in his hand, and he was no longer unarmed like before. In this case, he had to fight for himself.
In a flash of thought, Zhu Qi's dagger, which seemed to be slashing towards his arm, turned and rushed straight towards Song Xieqing.
Song Xieqing remained calm, easily neutralizing Zhu Qi's clumsy move. He kicked Zhu Qi in the knee, forcing him to kneel again. "I've always been patient with her. Before you do anything, I hope you'll think twice."
On the verge of despair, with no other way out, Zhu Qi tightly grasped the dagger and had to grit his teeth and swing it at his arm.
One was clean and sharp, exposing the bone, while the other had the skin and flesh curled up. It was obvious at a glance that he had been cut several times. This was Zhu Qi's first wound, so he was not very experienced and did not dare to use too much force. However, under the silent coercion of Song Xiqing, he could only cut one after another until the bone was exposed.
The birds in the forest flew into the sky because of his ghostly howl. Half of Zhu Qi's clothes were soaked with blood. His pale face was tense and his body was shivering. His lower body was incontinent and yellow liquid was leaking out of his light-colored clothes. Zhu Qi held on to his breath and was about to ask Song Xieqing if he could leave when he saw a figure walking slowly towards him from the corner of his eye.
Zhu Qi couldn't help but wonder, where could he possibly go with this injury? Would Song Xieqing really let him go? If that little bitch continued to exaggerate things in front of her husband, how could he possibly survive?
He was facing Song Xieqing just now, so there was no room for him to exploit.
if……
He raised his head, a trace of cruelty flashed across his eyes, and he looked into the distance and called out: "Cousin Pianpian——"
The man really turned around and looked at his wife with her back to him. Zhu Qi raised the blade in his hand with a ferocious look on his face.
I hope the scenery you see is a redder than the setting sun.
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The author has something to say: Whose male protagonist cried in the chapter before, washed the sheets in the chapter before, and killed fish in this chapter [Namaste]
I wish you all a happy New Year in advance [milk tea]
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