Night fell.
Qingying tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, shivering from the cold. Two charcoal braziers were already burning in the room, but the temple blankets were too thin; even with two, she still felt it wasn't enough.
So she simply got up, moved a small stool, wrapped herself in a quilt, and sat down by the charcoal brazier.
Finally feeling warmer, she gradually became sleepy.
Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she suddenly heard a rustling sound by the window. It was a very small sound, almost drowned out by the sound of snow falling outside, but because she was in a half-awake state, her hearing was more sensitive.
She suddenly became alert, and quietly shrank back against the wall, her eyes following the sound.
The next second, the window directly opposite her was opened from the outside, and a masked person dressed entirely in black nimbly darted in with a "whoosh," landing silently.
Qingying instinctively held her breath and dared not move.
The man went straight to the bedside and didn't notice her at all.
But it's not surprising, since there was a pillar supporting the roof beam right next to where she was. She was huddled up because she was cold, and there were no lights on in the room, so she wouldn't be easily spotted if you weren't looking carefully.
Moreover, the person was clearly heading towards the bedside, so naturally he wouldn't notice her.
However, Qingying knew that the person would soon discover she wasn't at the bedside, so escaping was more important than achieving her goal.
Just as she straightened up, preparing to make her move, the man suddenly stabbed a dagger directly into the blankets on the bed.
Just looking at it made Qingying tremble with fear. She thought to herself, if she were lying in bed right now, wouldn't she have died in her sleep?
It seems that God did save her life.
This was no place to linger. Qingying, wrapped in a quilt, quietly moved out, even controlling her breathing. Unfortunately, she had only taken a few steps when the person noticed something amiss and yanked the quilt off the bed.
Qingying paused, and as she turned her head, she met the man's sharp, knife-like gaze. Her breath caught in her throat.
Oh no!
She swallowed hard. The faint light coming through the half-open window was enough to clearly see the sharp dagger in his hand, its blade gleaming coldly.
Qingying immediately regained her senses and ran outside.
She ran to the door, not even bothering with the quilt covering her, and pulled it open as fast as she could. She didn't dare call out to Yu Yue, afraid of implicating the girl.
At this moment, he couldn't help but feel grateful that he had persuaded Yu Yue to sleep in the next room before going to bed, otherwise she might have already become a dead soul by now if she had stayed to keep watch.
After running for a while, she came to another row of side rooms and began to shout at the top of her lungs, "Help! Murder! Help! Cough cough cough..."
She had barely shouted a couple of times when the cold wind, carrying snowflakes, rushed into her throat. She couldn't help but cough violently, and her movements slowed down as she trudged through the snow, finally managing to reach the porch.
The next second, a sharp blade slicing through the cold wind flew past her ear, severing a lock of her hair, and then plunged straight into a pillar two steps in front of her.
She froze on the spot, her legs went weak, and she clutched her sore throat, her face slightly flushed from tension and violent coughing.
The man was clearly skilled in martial arts, and he arrived in front of her in a few swift movements. After stopping, he stood with his hands behind his back, calmly pulled the dagger from the pillar, and gently played with it between his fingers.
"Run? Why did you stop running?" He was more than a head taller than Qingying, and his downcast eyes held a cold disdain. His voice was cold and deep.
Qingying couldn't stand any longer. Knowing she couldn't escape either, she simply sat down on the ground, looking like she was ready to be slaughtered.
"So you've just accepted your fate?" The other person seemed somewhat surprised.
"What else can I do? I can't outrun you, I can't fight you. You expect me to kneel down and beg you to let me go? Would you agree?"
How do you know I can't do it if you don't try?
Qingying snorted and turned her face away, saying, "I saw it all clearly when you stabbed me in the back. I didn't hesitate at all. If I had been any unlucky, I would have been lying in bed sleeping and would probably be on the Bridge of Helplessness by now."
"Tsk, you do have a brain." He squatted down, pinched Qingying's chin, and forced her to raise her head, but couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
It was too dark inside before, and he didn't have a chance to see Qingying's appearance. Now, with the faint light from the lanterns under the corridor, and because his eyesight is sharper than ordinary people due to his martial arts skills, he can see her clearly now that he is close by.
"She is truly a stunning beauty, even more beautiful than in the portrait. No wonder so many people are interested in her."
His words were flippant, but his tone remained cold, showing no hint of flirting.
"What do you want? Just give me a straight answer." Qingying's chin was in pain from his grip. He was so strong that she didn't dare to move, afraid that he could snap her neck with the slightest bit of force.
"I originally came with a death warrant, but now I suddenly don't want to kill you so soon." He seemed to smile, leaned down, and touched Qingying's cheek through the black veil covering her face.
Qingying trembled all over, clearly feeling the softness under the black cloth. She knew it was his lips, and felt disgusted, but dared not show it.
"Such a beauty, and you just killed her like that..."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly paused and quickly turned to the side. A long sword came flying through the air, grazing past Qingying's side. He couldn't dodge in time, and the sword pierced his right shoulder, pinning him directly to the pillar behind him.
Qingying realized what was happening and quickly got up from the ground, trying to run away again.
Unexpectedly, that person was also ruthless. After only a few seconds of hesitation, he forcefully pulled the long sword out of his shoulder, and the bloody blade was pressed directly against Qingying's throat.
She was so frightened that she didn't dare to move, standing there rooted to the spot, her voice trembling: "Big brother, let's talk this out. I didn't stab you with that sword. Go find whoever hurt you, okay..."
However, before she could finish speaking, the man looked past her and behind her, coldly saying, "If you take another step, I will kill her immediately."
Although Qingying had guessed that someone had come to rescue her, she was still unsure who it was. Besides, her life was now in someone else's hands, so she didn't dare to utter a sound.
"If you don't harm her, I might spare your life; otherwise, I will make sure you are reduced to ashes."
Qingying was all too familiar with that voice, yet she still couldn't help but pause in surprise.
"If I let her go, can you guarantee you won't hurt me in the slightest?"
"I never speak in jest."
Qingying looked at the person in front of her. His shoulder had been pierced through, which was definitely not a minor injury. She had witnessed Wei Huaixu's martial arts skills before. Even if this person was completely unharmed, she might not be able to defeat him, let alone now.
Sure enough, the man hesitated for only a moment before dropping his sword and disappearing.
Wei Huaixu indeed did not chase after her. He took a few steps to Qingying, took off his cloak, and wrapped it around her.
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