Chapter 30
Before she could finish speaking, Xi Xiao's chest heaved violently, as if an invisible giant hand was choking her breath. What else did she not understand? In this world, besides Pei Yun, who else knew the secrets of the Witch Clan and was likely to reveal them?
She abruptly interrupted Hesong, her voice trembling with extreme anger, yet carrying an eerie sharpness, "The only one who knows about the Witch Clan's affairs is Pei Yun. What is his intention in deliberately spreading such vicious rumors?!" Her gaze seemed to pierce through Hesong, burning the emperor far away in the deep palace, "Tell him that even if I, Xi Xiao, were to commit suicide right here and now, letting my blood flow to feed the wild dogs, I would never let him succeed in the slightest!"
Unlike Xi Xiao's anger, Xi Yu's face drained of all color upon hearing the words "immortality," turning deathly pale. A chill ran down his spine, instantly spreading throughout his body. In the biting winter, fine, cold beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his body swayed almost imperceptibly, as if struck by an invisible hammer, teetering on the verge of collapse.
He forced himself to stay calm, his voice barely audible as he pressed Hesong for an answer: "How long has this news been circulating?"
He Song lowered his eyes, not daring to look at Xi Yu's pale face any longer, and could only steel himself to tell the truth: "At the New Year's Day palace banquet, envoys from various countries gathered at the table..." His throat tightened, as if every word he uttered carried a sin, "Young Master Qin seemed to have drunk a few too many cups and 'unintentionally' uttered this 'joke'..."
After he finished speaking, there was a deathly silence.
Then, a few short, sharp laughs, filled with endless irony and absurdity, suddenly rolled out of Xi Xiao's throat. The laughter echoed at the end of the empty and desolate market, among the bare branches, icy and chilling, as if she had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
*
Deep within the Valley of Medicine, a warm pavilion exudes fragrance. Xi Xiao rests her chin on one hand, her eyelids drooping heavily, the thick medical book spread out before her seemingly serving as the best hypnotic.
Since Xi Yu stopped stepping out of the Medicine Valley, he began to teach her everything he knew, instructing her to identify herbs and understand their properties. At first, his approach was gentle and mild, but in the past few days, he suddenly became anxious, spending his days by her desk with piercing eyes, urging her to study diligently without stopping.
"Drowsing again?" Xi Yu curled his long fingers and tapped them lightly twice on the table, making a crisp sound. His tone was deliberately stern, but the doting affection overflowing in his clear eyes was obvious to everyone. "I just allowed you to take a short nap, and you've only read two pages, and you're already trying to find ways to slack off again?"
Startled awake by the tapping on the table, Xi Xiao shook her head sleepily, then, like a lazy cat, nestled herself into Xi Yu's warm embrace. She wrapped her arms tightly around his lean waist, rubbing her cheek against the soft fabric of his clothes, her voice still drowsy as she mumbled and complained, "Why learn all this... Anyway, with my senior brother here, and I'm not going down the mountain to practice medicine, the herbs I know now are enough for me to use until I'm old in this valley..."
Xi Yu gently placed his warm palm on the top of her head, stroking it with a soothing force. He let out a barely audible sigh, but did not reply. Instead, a deep and unyielding sorrow flashed across his eyes, which were gazing at the distant mountains outside the window. It was as if a thousand-pound burden was pressing on his heart, making it difficult for him to even breathe.
After waiting for a while without a response, Xi Xiao's heart tightened inexplicably. Anxiously, she raised her head and snuggled out of his embrace. She cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to turn his gaze back, and looked straight into his eyes with her clear eyes. She asked, word by word, with cautious anticipation, "Senior brother, do you think... when spring comes next year, the vegetables we planted ourselves will be especially sweet?"
"Yes, it will." This time, Xi Yu answered very quickly, as if to dispel all the gloom. He even put on a bright smile and repeated, "It will definitely be fresh and delicious!"
Xi Xiao's smile returned, like a camellia suddenly blooming. She threw herself into his arms again, hugging him tightly, resting her chin on his shoulder, and whispered with excited anticipation, "Then... after the New Year, let's get married, shall we? It doesn't need to be too grand, just a small table..."
"Trying to shirk your responsibilities again, aren't you?" Xi Yu chuckled, interrupting her sweet rambling, but her fingertips carried a hint of punishment as she unexpectedly probed the most ticklish spot on her waist. "Finish this 'Medicinal Properties Compendium' first, then we can talk about marriage..."
"Ouch—!" Xi Xiao cried out like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and jumped up instantly. Not to be outdone, she also stretched out her fingers to tickle Xi Yu.
But Xi Yu was prepared. With a swift movement of his long arm, he pulled her into his embrace and easily pinned her mischievous hands behind her back. He leisurely freed his other hand, pretending to reach for her sensitive area at the waist, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
"Senior brother, spare me! I was wrong, I was wrong! I'll never slack off again!" Xi Xiao was firmly restrained by him and couldn't move. She was also extremely ticklish, so she could only twist her body and beg for mercy repeatedly. Her voice was filled with a tearful laughter. "Senior brother, spare me this time. I will definitely finish reading this book today, without missing a single word!"
The two laughed and joked, their bodies pressed tightly together, playfully wrestling in the warm pavilion. When this sticky and sweet "punishment" came to an end, outside the window, the sky over Medicine Valley had been completely soaked by the inky darkness of night. The warm yellow candlelight cast long shadows of the two embracing figures on the bluestone floor, creating a cozy atmosphere, yet also quietly concealing the silent, spreading, and deep sorrow.
*
The faint, monotonous creaking of wheels on the rugged mountain road reached her ears. Xi Xiao felt her eyelids weighing a ton, her consciousness teetering on the edge of drowsiness. Yet, she felt a cold, sticky gaze piercing through the fog, clinging tightly to her, sending a chill down her spine.
The tender moments she had spent with her senior brother in the Medicine Valley these past few days flowed through her heart like honey. They were so intimate, whispering sweet nothings to each other... She subconsciously snuggled closer to the warm embrace beside her, a sweet smile curving her lips. She pretended that her senior brother was by her side and then fell into a deep sleep again.
After an unknown amount of time, a strange aroma of food, carrying the scent of imperial incense, wafted into her nostrils. Xi Xiao frowned, her consciousness gradually returning. However, as she slowly lifted her heavy eyelids—
A familiar face, pale and handsome yet with a chilling allure, suddenly appeared before my eyes!
Pei Yun sat on the brocade cushion beside her, gazing at her for an unknown amount of time.
Xi Xiaoru felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her blood freezing instantly. She sat up abruptly, looking around in panic. The carved carriage window, the swaying tassels, and the luxurious yet cold brocade cushions beneath her... This was Pei Yun's imperial carriage, and outside the window, the shadow of a crane riding a horse.
A piercing scream shattered the silence of the carriage. Xi Xiao, like a cornered cub, unleashed a terrifying force, lunging at Pei Yun without hesitation. Her icy fingers gripped his fragile neck like iron pincers, her nails digging deep into his flesh. Her eyes blazing with fury, she roared, "Where is my senior brother?! Where have you taken me?! Take me back! Take me back to Medicine Valley! Do you hear me?! Turn around immediately!!"
Pei Yun's face turned from white to purple as she choked him, veins bulging on his forehead, and he made choking, hissing sounds. However, his narrow phoenix eyes showed no pain whatsoever; instead, they churned with an almost morbid, chilling excitement and enjoyment!
He forced a smile, a twisted and crazed grin spreading across his face. His voice was hoarse and broken from lack of oxygen: "You... Senior Brother? Heh... He... doesn't want you anymore... Don't you understand? You... are just... a burden... Only I... only I can... protect you..."
"Smack—!!"
A slap delivered with all its might, filled with thunderous rage and despair, landed hard on Pei Yun's crazed face. The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the closed carriage, causing He Ying, who was riding a horse outside the curtain, to tremble violently.
Xi Xiao grabbed Pei Yun's disheveled collar and slammed him against the car wall. Looking down at him, her voice was extremely low, each word seemingly ground out from between her teeth: "My senior brother will never abandon me!" Her eyes burned with a flame that could consume everything. "As for your 'protection'? Stop with your disgusting pretense. People like you only drag others into hell!"
Pei Yun turned his head to the side after being hit, his tongue licking the blood from the corner of his lips. He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips gently rubbing his rapidly swollen cheek, which burned with pain, yet strangely ignited a deeper darkness in his eyes.
He let out a low, ambiguous sigh, as if it were a mixture of satisfaction and a growing, deeper obsession. "Heh..." He turned back, the warmth in his eyes completely gone, leaving only a cold possessiveness. "I will not let you go, and your senior brother... will never find you again."
Those last words, like the sharpest icicle, pierced Xi Xiao's heart. Hot tears welled up unexpectedly, instantly blurring her vision. Overwhelming grief and icy despair washed over her like a tidal wave. She bit her lower lip hard, tasting the strong, metallic flavor of rust.
She took a deep breath, using all her strength to suppress the sob in her throat. Her eyes turned resolute and cold in an instant. Without looking at Pei Yun again, she turned around abruptly and yanked open the heavy carriage curtain.
A biting wind, mixed with dust, rushed in. Without hesitation, Xi Xiao leaped over the edge of the speeding carriage!
"Xi Xiao!" Pei Yun's pupils contracted sharply, his madness instantly replaced by horror. He roared hoarsely, "Stop the car!!"
The carriage came to a sudden stop as He Ying frantically pulled on the reins. The immense inertia caused the carriage to shake violently, and Pei Yun, like an arrow released from a bow, jumped off the carriage and ran wildly toward the stumbling figure behind him.
Not far ahead, Xi Xiao stumbled and fell on the rocky mountain path. A sharp pain shot through her left leg, and the fabric around her knee was torn, oozing blood. Gritting her teeth, she braced herself with her hands and struggled to get up, limping stubbornly in the direction she had come from.
The worry that had surged in Pei Yun's heart and almost devoured him suddenly turned into a raging fire when he saw this scene!
He lunged forward in a few strides, his body radiating a violent rage. With a swift, powerful arm, he scooped Xi Xiao up without a word, the dust and blood clinging to her body stimulating his senses. He roughly flipped her over, treating her like an out-of-control trophy, and shoved her onto his strong shoulders, the cold blades digging painfully into her abdomen!
"Let me go! You madman! You devil! Let me go!" Xi Xiao kicked and struggled frantically on his shoulders, pounding his back with her hands, her nails tearing at his expensive clothes with a piercing sound. Seeing that he remained unmoved like a rock, she lowered her head in despair and bit down hard on the flesh of his neck, using all her strength, the sweet and metallic taste of blood instantly filling her mouth.
Pei Yun groaned, a sharp pain shooting through his neck, but he didn't stop carrying her. Instead, he strode more heavily and resolutely toward the magnificent carriage that symbolized a prison.
Behind him, Xi Xiao's hysterical cries, filled with the most vicious curses, echoed mournfully through the empty valley.
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