Wen Ruo, you started something and then abandoned it.
"She is heartless towards you."
Nothing in the world could be colder than this. Qi Guanlan opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. He was powerless to refute it.
He stood frozen in place, feeling as if his heart was encased in a thick layer of ice, about to shatter into pieces. His chest felt so tight he could hardly breathe, and his lips grew increasingly pale.
The next moment, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Guanlan has fainted!"
Before Wen Ruo had even left the garden, His Highness the Crown Prince appeared before her like a ghost, looking extremely anxious. His slightly curled hair was floating in the air, showing how fast he had come.
"Go and take a look at him quickly."
Wen Ruo instinctively flinched, her gaze wavering for only a moment before her face hardened again, and she calmly said, "Go find Mr. Yi, I have something to discuss."
Qi Mingshuo brushed the stray hairs from his forehead, took a slight breath, and cautiously probed, "Guanlan has fallen for you for the first time. Do you really have no feelings for him at all? Or is it because you're not a good match?"
“My aunt is having trouble coming to terms with things now, but that doesn’t mean she won’t in the future. If you are…”
"Your Highness."
The mist enveloped her, separating the two into two worlds, making her appear even colder and more aloof. Even her voice was tinged with coldness. Wen Ruo interrupted his mutterings, "I've made myself very clear."
You're so heartless, Guanlan. Your brother did his best.
Qi Mingshuo sighed deeply.
"Is there anything else, Your Highness?"
She's made herself so clear, why are you still stopping her?
Wen Ruo looked at him raising his hands, puzzled, and smiled slightly.
Qi Mingshuo suddenly bent down, and Wen Ruo was so startled that she immediately took a step back. What did she do to deserve that His Highness the Crown Prince would rush to bow to her? Wasn't this going a bit too far for Qi Guanlan?
She squinted and looked him up and down, noticing his hesitant expression and the way he seemed to want to say something but couldn't. Suddenly, a thought struck her: "Looking for my master?"
Qi Mingshuo's eyes lit up instantly. "Could you introduce me?"
Wen Ru shook her head.
Qi Mingshuo immediately became anxious, "If we become fellow disciples, would I ever mistreat you!"
"I can't do anything about it."
Why?
"Only he contacted me."
Qi Mingshuo pondered for a moment, then said with unusual certainty, "You're going to Honghu Academy."
Wen Ruo paused for a moment. She said that she was going to find Tao Yan only to make Qi Guanlan give up. Hiding at the academy for three to five years was the best option. She didn't know how much affection Qi Guanlan had for her, but she knew a little about his personality.
"The old man takes people on a whim. Do you really want to learn?"
Qi Mingshuo nodded immediately.
"I can teach you, but you'll have to give me something in return."
"What?"
"You and the princess must promise that Qi Guanlan will not go to Honghu Academy."
Whether it's wishful thinking or foresight, few can stop Qi Guanlan when he's acting crazy.
With her, Cao Xi, and the renowned Prince, Honghu Academy was in complete chaos. She longed for a few years of peace and quiet.
"Leave it to me, senior sister."
Upon hearing the word "Senior Sister," Wen Ruo's forehead vein throbbed, and goosebumps instantly rose on her back. She was wrong. How normal were Qi Guanlan's brothers? She had approached the wrong person; even approaching a princess would have been more reliable than the Crown Prince.
"I want to go to Dali Temple."
Wen Ruo's visits to the Dali Temple had become commonplace. As for the people following her, Zhu Fei had seen them so often that he was used to it. He led the way and soon they met A Chu, who was also Chu Danling.
Zhu Fei said that A Chu did not resist at all when he was arrested, but he did not regain his memory and forgot everything about Tao Yan.
The first person to see him was Fu Jingjiang, who, upon seeing Qi Mingshuo beside him, exclaimed, "You're quite lucky!"
"A little better than you, I suppose."
Wen Ruo covered his nose with a forced smile. He was still hanging on the rack, his body emitting a strong smell of blood, even stronger than the smell of the fishmonger gutting fish thirty years ago. "At least he didn't become fish meat to be slaughtered."
Fu Jingjiang chuckled softly, his voice hoarse, "It would have been better to kill you sooner."
"I don't think I've offended you."
Though her words were casual, her murderous intent remained undiminished. Wen Ruo frowned and looked over curiously, "It must feel bad not to be chosen, right?"
"You recognized me!"
"My eyesight is pretty good."
Fu Jingjiang's face was gloomy, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "It's my fault for not listening to Yu Niang."
How interesting, Yu Niang also wanted to kill her.
Wen Ruo snapped out of her thoughts, "Do you want Chu Danling to die with you?"
Fu Jingjiang suddenly looked up, a nameless fire rising in his eyes, his gaze flickering as if he had seen a glimmer of hope.
He hesitated, struggled, and remained silent for a long time, seemingly weighing how to best use her as a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Wen Ruo couldn't help but laugh when she saw this. "No matter how useful nepotism is, I won't save you. Don't waste your time."
"Will you hand over the antidote yourself to protect Chu Danling, or should I find Chu Danling?"
"Qi Guanlan is going to die." Fu Jingjiang seemed like a different person, his lips curling up in a smile, the scheming in his eyes fading away, leaving only a sense of smugness. "Haha, he actually did it all for a woman."
"Does Qi Guanlan know about your deal with Rong Jing?"
Wen Ruo suddenly remembered the loose roof tiles and said with a look of realization, "So you've been following me all this time."
Heavy chains were bound around his wrists and waist, and he could not even bend over. Even if he struggled, it was all in vain.
He struggled to lift his swollen eyelids, his eyes gleaming with mockery through the gaps. "When he's no longer useful, will you kick him aside too?"
He looked at Qi Mingshuo, "And you, you're nothing but a pawn in her game."
"It seems you're not only jealous of him, but also of me!"
Wen Ruo raised an eyebrow and curled up her lips, casually tearing open the festering sore in his heart. A sour, rotten stench emanated from his eyes, and hatred burst forth from his scarlet eyes, as if to devour Wen Ruo entirely.
"Do you know what? The way you look at me right now is the same way Sun Yueyou looks at me."
He wished he could skin her alive, tear her apart, and devour her blood.
“Sun Yueyou, Yue Li, you’ve been using me from beginning to end.”
Wen Ruo laughed. Sun Yueyou was not someone she had provoked. "If thinking like this makes you feel better, then so be it! I didn't come here to catch up with you. Did you get poisoned by the thousand-layered poison?"
"You guessed it."
Wen Ruo nodded, "Old Master He died of poisoning, I think my master should have escaped this calamity."
"Yes, Tao Qianzhang owes Elder He a life, and you owe Qi Guanlan a life. Do you think Princess Rongjing will let you go?"
Wen Ruo crossed her arms and gave a nonchalant retort, "I've bought out your life."
"Thank you for the antidote, Chu Danling, so I'm willing to shamelessly save her life."
Fu Jingjiang: "......"
Let's send her away. How could Guanlan possibly defeat her? If she's willing, that's fine, otherwise my cousin might be left with nothing. Qi Mingshuo was sweating bullets for his cousin.
Before the somewhat quiet city gate, a carriage was parked by the official road, with a tall, chestnut horse beside it snorting and casually swishing its tail. Wen Ruo glanced at the sun; it hung high in the sky, with only a few dark clouds drifting lazily in the east.
The weather was perfect. She opened the package prepared by the Crown Prince, which contained silver notes, clothing, and a travel pass.
Wen Ruo handed out a sheet, saying, "I'll leave it here."
Neither Shiliuniang nor Achu could ever go back to the way things were.
From then on, we went our separate ways, and may we all be well.
Chu Danling hadn't uttered a single word since her release from prison, though she was always a woman of few words. She gripped the reins, smoothed the horse's back, and the horse immediately nestled obediently against her side. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
"Then why did you save me?" Wen Ruo asked in return.
Chu Danling paused for a moment, then gently raised her gaze. "I just don't want to regret it."
Wen Ruo laughed, "Me too, I want to die knowing why."
Although they hadn't known each other for long, Chu Danling wasn't an irredeemable person, and before Tao Yan appeared, she was willing to give her a chance.
Consider it a New Year's gift from you.
Chu Danling shook her head, "Being too calculating can also hurt people."
After saying that, she mounted her horse, flicked her whip, and never looked back.
Wen Ruo gave a bitter smile. It was too late to say anything now; she had no one left to renege on her debts with.
She slowly withdrew her gaze and looked back. Beauty fades, and hearts change; years later, perhaps the only thing that will remain unchanged is this city gate that has stood for a thousand years.
Wen Ruo jumped onto the carriage, and the wheels slowly turned.
Qi Guanlan: "Coward!"
Wen Ruo's body stiffened, and her heart ached as if pricked by a needle. She urged the horse on, but it seemed to be deliberately defying her, circling around and refusing to move.
Qi Guanlan: "Can you swear that you haven't been attracted to me at all?"
The sound grew closer and closer, like an ever-changing ancient bell, blocking her path from all directions. Wen Ruo was like a headless fly, bumping around aimlessly, her heart burning with anger.
The moment he asked the question, she didn't bother to think and blurted out, "So what if I'm attracted to you?"
On what grounds does she swear?
If a person lives solely according to their own will, then she wouldn't have had to live so many years in such a humble manner.
Qi Guanlan suddenly laughed.
Wen Ruo suddenly snapped out of her daze. Her eyes darkened, and she jumped straight down from the carriage, looking at the other person coldly, "Are you satisfied now?"
"satisfy!"
"Very satisfied!"
He removed his veil, and the air was deathly silent.
The cold expression froze on her face. Wen Ruo felt her head buzzing, her eyes filled with disbelief. Her face, as white as paper, instantly looked like a spilled palette, extremely ugly.
"Tao Yan".
Tao Yan tapped her on the forehead, "Is it proper to address your master by his full name like that?"
After observing for a while, he commented, "Girls change a lot as they grow up, it's true, I had good judgment."
Wen Ruo's teeth clenched so tightly they started grinding. She sneered, "It's been years, and you've become even uglier and shorter."
"nonsense."
Tao Yan immediately jumped up, then touched his chin and asked uncertainly, "Really?"
Wen Ruo turned away with a disdainful look, not wanting to pay him any attention.
"Why leave when your beloved is still lying on her sickbed?"
"Chu Danling was just here, why didn't you show up? Are you afraid of her?"
Tao Yan snorted, "A good man doesn't fight with a woman. I won't stoop to her level."
"So you're a man."
Tao Yan: "No respect for elders."
Seeing him lively and energetic, Wen Ruo finally felt relieved. She hesitated for a moment, "This Gu?"
"Want to solve this?" Tao Yan took out a silver box, pulled her hand, and gently pressed it onto her index finger. With a click, the mechanism activated, a needle pierced her palm, blood pooled into a circle, and then vanished instantly before her eyes. The wound healed quickly.
She leaned closer to look and could barely see the needle eye. Wen Ruo's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked, "Tell the truth, are you from Southern Xinjiang?"
Tao laughed, "You're so surprised by such trivial skills? Now you know how good it is to have me as your master."
The box was opened, revealing a perfectly round pearl, the size of a pigeon egg. As it was first opened, a streak of red blood flashed beneath the shimmering white light; he glanced at it and then put it away.
"Since you're not getting married, keeping it won't do you any harm; it can even help replenish your vital energy."
Wen Ruo: "I'm going to Honghu Academy, where are you going?"
"I'm going to tease that little playboy who likes you."
Wen Ruo: "If you're courting death, I can't collect your corpse."
Tao Yanxiao's body trembled wildly, in an extremely exaggerated manner.
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