Chapter 172 Flaw: Little Horse is also a defector
“You…” Pei Yuan pointed at Lou Cangyu, “What are you doing?”
Lou Cangyu didn't pull out the dagger from his chest. Clutching his wound with one hand and supporting himself with the other, he swayed and struggled to straighten. "Master... I have repaid with my blood... Please... do not make things difficult for my mother and elder brother. Cangyu hereby swears that even if I enter the inner guild, I will never do anything to betray Xingguo Guild or anyone else in this lifetime... If I break this oath..."
Lou Cangyu grabbed the sword at his feet, the blade flashing as it came out of its sheath. With a roar, he unleashed his inner strength and cleaved the sword in two with a palm strike like a horizontal blade. "Just like this sword!"
"Lou Cangyu...why did you do this?" Pei Bi sighed, unable to bear watching any longer. "Why did it have to come to this? It shouldn't have been like this."
Lou Cangyu's face was as pale as paper. He pressed his still bleeding chest, bit his lip, and struggled to stand up. His body was covered in blood, and he staggered a few steps, almost falling. He was like a lone goose with a broken wing, adrift in the vast sky, not knowing where to go.
Ji Fang tried to help him up, but Feng Shisan stopped him with his arm outstretched, shaking his head fiercely at Ji Fang. Ji Fang lowered his eyes, unable to bear to look any longer.
"Good, at least... this matter is finally settled. Although there was still bloodshed, it's a mutual benefit." Cui Jin clapped his hands heavily, his single eye full of praise. "Lou Cangyu, you have great courage. No wonder the inner court specifically requested you. The inner court has discerning eyes. It's you, and only you! Lou Cangyu, I, the Imperial Preceptor, will remember you."
Lou Cangyu turned around, his body covered in blood, which frightened everyone into making way for him. Lou Cangyu scanned the familiar faces, nodding to each one in greeting, and finally his gaze settled on the face covered in blemishes.
"I know how you see me." Lou Cangyu brushed past Guan Ye's side. Guan Ye looked down at the bloodstains on her clothes and remained silent. "So what? From now on, no one can do anything to me."
"Cangyu..." Ji Fang's wound, which had just dried, burst open and bled again. "Cangyu..." His voice was as low as dust, and no one would hear it anymore.
As Lou Cangyu stepped out of Xingguo Ward, the sky, which had been overcast all day, suddenly began to rain. The rain grew heavier and heavier, like a heavy curtain separating Lou Cangyu from Xingguo Ward. Apart from his life, Lou Cangyu took nothing with him from Xingguo Ward.
After closing the gate of Xingguo Ward, Pei Bi suddenly remembered something, "Where's Xiao Ma Ren? I didn't see him in the ancestral hall either."
"Shh." Ji Fang hurriedly tried to cover Pei Bi's mouth, bowing and pleading, "Please, Steward, please don't mention it again. The shop owner has forgotten about Xiao Ma. If he remembers this, aren't you afraid that Lou Cangyu will be stabbed again?"
Pei Bi sighed, "At least he survived. From now on, he'll have to make his own way."
"Thank you very much, Steward Pei, for helping Lou Cangyu." Feng Shisan bowed deeply to Pei Bi with clasped hands. "If it weren't for your good start, he wouldn't have survived."
Pei Bi seemed to be thinking about something, and after a moment of silence, he said, "I was an old acquaintance of his father, and we lived in the same neighborhood for many years. I watched him grow up, so how could I want him to die... But... who knows whether this departure is a blessing or a curse?"
Pei Bi started to leave, but after thinking for a moment, he turned back. "Speaking of which, it's already dark. Where did Xiao Ma go? The shop owner is still too lenient with you. After what happened with Lou Cangyu, you'll be in for a world of trouble."
"Yes, where's Xiao Ma?" Ji Fang peeked through the crack in the door. "Do you think Xiao Ma will be terrified when he comes back and finds out what happened today?"
“Do you think everyone is like you? Always threatening to die at the drop of a hat.” Feng Shisan tapped his shoulder lightly with the hilt of his sword. “I’m more curious about what Xiao Ma would have done to Lou Cangyu if he had been there. Don’t forget, many of the scars on his body are thanks to Cangyu.”
Xiao Ma… Guan Ye and A Jiu exchanged a glance. They knew that Xiao Ma was the first traitor to break the blood oath, but Xiao Ma had already gone far away… and would never come back here.
Outside the inner gate, the guards were terrified when they saw the person coming in the rain. The person had disheveled hair, wore tattered black clothes, and had a dagger stuck in his chest, from which bright red blood was still seeping out, mixing with the murky rainwater, making him stand at the entrance of the inner gate like a blood-soaked figure.
“It’s…” The bolder guard leaned closer to take a look and recognized the person. “It’s you.”
Lou Cangyu looked up at the plaque hanging high in the inner ward, his mind a blur. "I, Lou Cangyu, wish to become a member of the inner ward..."
"What did you say?" The rain was so loud that the guard scratched his ear.
"I am Lou Cangyu, I want to see... Wushuang." Lou Cangyu called out Wushuang's name, and as if a mountain had collapsed, he fainted heavily in a pool of blood.
When Lou Cangyu opened his eyes, he thought he was dead, or perhaps he was trapped in a dream he couldn't even imagine. How could someone as lowly as him be qualified to wake up on the warm bed in the Jingwu Pavilion? The lights before him flickered ambiguously, and the air was filled with the alluring scent of incense. In his vision, a figure in a green robe was washing something. He picked up a towel, which was stained with blood... Lou Cangyu touched his chest. The hilt of his sword was gone, and the wound was wrapped in a thick white cloth. Lou Cangyu sat up in shock, his wound throbbing with pain, and he saw stars. He almost fainted again.
"Don't move," Wushuang scolded him. "You're badly injured. If it were half an inch deeper, you would be dead."
Lou Cangyu sighed with relief. It was Wushuang's voice. He was not dead, nor was he in a dream. Wushuang was right in front of him. Lou Cangyu, you finally did it.
"I won't die." Lou Cangyu laughed. "Wushuang... I did it."
"Is it worth it?" Wushuang's fingers loosened, and the handkerchief fell to the ground. Her gaze was unreadable, neither joy nor sorrow. "What if I die..."
Lou Cangyu reached out his hand to Wushuang, "That's what I did willingly. I'm willing to risk my life for you, I'm willing to do anything."
Wushuang looked down at the blood spreading in the copper basin, "Kill Song Mian, break the Blood Alliance, and you still got stabbed... Lou Cangyu, you're really stupid, you're the stupidest person in the world."
"Song Mian is definitely going to die."
Lou Cangyu recalled that night when he secretly followed Song Mian. This wasn't the first time he had done this. Last time, Song Mian met Guan Ye and Ajiu at Fulai Tavern. He didn't know what Ajiu said to Song Mian, but Song Mian's anger gradually subsided. He got so drunk that the two of them carried him out of the tavern.
That night, Song Mian wandered around West Street like a lost soul, his brows furrowed and his eyes filled with confusion, as if he were trapped in an unsolvable mystery. Whether it was a pre-arranged meeting or a chance encounter, Song Mian suddenly stopped at his usual window seat in Fu Lai Tavern. It was Guan Ye and A Jiu.
Lou Cangyu also assumed the man was Ajiu. He had already decided to go in shortly after, knowing he could keep an eye on Song Mian. If Song Mian dared to spout nonsense, he would draw his sword and cut out his tongue. This man was a menace to Xingguo Ward; he deserved to die. However, Song Mian went in, drank a cup of wine, and hurriedly came out less than half a quarter of an hour later, barely uttering a few words. Lou Cangyu didn't have time to think and followed him. If not today, then tomorrow. Without eliminating Song Mian, Wushuang wouldn't be at peace. For Wushuang's sake, Lou Cangyu was willing to do anything.
The hour of Xu (7-9 PM) had passed, and midnight was approaching. The three alleys of the East Market were silent, with only a few scattered lights illuminating the dark night. Song Mian must have been preoccupied with something today. He walked along the road, stopping frequently. The distance that should have taken two incense sticks to burn took more than half an hour. When he reached the alley entrance, he paused for a long time, looked at the sky with his thin face, and seemed to sigh softly.
Lou Cangyu followed him at a distance of about half a zhang. Several times he was about to make a move, but seeing a figure in the flickering lights, Lou Cangyu held back his sword to ensure that he would not make a mistake. Song Mian was weak and could be killed easily. Tonight, he was doomed.
Turning into the deep alley, the lights suddenly dimmed, and apart from Song Mian's sparse footsteps, there was nothing else. Lou Cangyu gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, held his breath, and suddenly drew it out. The crisp sound of the blade shattered the silence of the night and startled Song Mian. Song Mian turned his weak body abruptly, and a cold light was already approaching his wide-open pupils. Before he could blink, blood was already splattered on the spot.
"—It…it was you…" Song Mian didn't even have time to see the sword slash past; he only felt a slight numbness in his neck, and some liquid gushed out. Song Mian subconsciously reached up to touch it, his palm covered in blood. "You…why…why…"
Song Mian stared in surprise at the approaching figure, pointing directly at the face he recognized. In the darkness, the cold light reflected off the white face, making it look like an evil god.
Lou Cangyu remained silent, coldly watching Song Mian, who was already unsteady on his feet. With a flick of his wrist, he sheathed his sword. Song Mian's clothes were already soaked in blood, but he still managed to stay upright. He clutched his bleeding wound, staggering as he searched for something, hissing and growling as if calling out someone's name.
Even so, he still wouldn't accept his fate? Lou Cangyu cautiously reached for the hilt of his sword again. When Guan Ye talked about Song Mian, she was also full of disbelief. This man could jump into the deep sea without hesitation and sneak back to Rongdu at all costs. He would not give up as long as there was a glimmer of hope. He still had to wait until he breathed his last before he would give up. Then... he would be given another sword.
Just as Lou Cangyu was about to draw his sword, a muffled thud was heard, and Song Mian collapsed heavily to the ground, clutching his neck. He twitched and struggled a few times before finally becoming still. Lou Cangyu dared not be careless. He approached the fallen Song Mian and was about to bend down to check for his breath when he suddenly heard voices coming from the alley entrance. He had no choice but to dart around the corner of the alley. He wanted to leave, but he was also curious whether the person coming would discover Song Mian. Most importantly, he was afraid that Song Mian was not quite dead yet.
Lou Cangyu never expected that the person who arrived would be Guan Ye... and A Jiu... He assumed that the man beside Guan Ye must be A Jiu, until the man drew his sword. With just one glance, Lou Cangyu recognized that it was not the sword of the Xingguo Fang swordsman, not A Jiu... it was Prince Chen Bi...
Why would Guan Ye be with Mu Chenbi so late at night? Lou Cangyu's thoughts raced. An old woman heard a noise and pushed open the door. A dim lantern peeked out from the old house. Lou Cangyu dared not linger any longer and leaped to leave. But Mu Chenbi relentlessly pursued her, reeking of alcohol. His attacks showed no sign of slowing down. Suddenly, Wan Qixi appeared out of nowhere. For a moment, Lou Cangyu thought she was doomed. But then Mu Chenbi was entangled by Wan Qixi, and Lou Cangyu seized an opportunity to shake off his pursuers. The night was deep, and Rongdu was vast and uncertain. She was completely lost and didn't know where to go. Should she go back to Xingguo Ward? This thought flashed through Lou Cangyu's mind before being dismissed. If she were chased to Xingguo Ward, to protect the Pei family's cause, the ward master would surely betray her without hesitation and hand her over...
Wushuang…only Wushuang… Lou Cangyu felt a pang of sorrow. Would Wushuang be able to protect her? So be it…Lou Cangyu, dying at her hands is better than being a discarded pawn of Xingguo Ward. Lou Cangyu steeled her heart, gritted her teeth, and turned to run towards the inner ward.
"Aren't you afraid... I'll hand you over that night?"
"But you didn't." Lou Cangyu stepped forward and grabbed Wushuang's hand.
Lou Cangyu leaped into the inner chamber and knocked on the door of Jingwu Pavilion almost without hesitation. When the door opened, Wushuang saw his panicked appearance clearly. Wushuang pulled him into the room, stared at his blood-stained clothes, and didn't ask any more questions.
After removing the brocade robes from Xingguo Ward, Lou Cangyu revealed his strong physique. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Wushuang's fingertips gently rubbing his shoulder blade. Lou Cangyu remembered that when he was scaling walls and leaping across rooftops, something seemed to have hit that spot. At first, he hadn't felt anything, but now it was a bit swollen and painful.
"It's nothing," Lou Cangyu said casually. "It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about."
“This is not an injury.” Wushuang’s fingertips traced over Lou Cangyu’s bare back.
Lou Cangyu taut his bulging muscles as Wushuang's fingertips caressed his skin. Wherever she touched, he felt a tingling, unbearable sensation. He tried his best to suppress his inner desires, afraid that Wushuang would see through them. But the more he feared something, the more intense it became. Her fingertips slowly slid down his spine, across his narrow waist, and embraced him.
“It’s not an injury…” Lou Cangyu’s throat was dry, and he almost groaned, “What is it?”
“Yes…” Wushuang’s red lips touched his shoulder blade, a light touch like a dragonfly skimming the water, “It is a flaw.”
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