Chapter 215 Burdened by Excess, Too Big to Handle
Shang Ruyi opened her eyes wide and looked at Xiao Yuansui's handsome face, which was so close to hers, especially his eyes, which were sharp and restrained, and seemed to be smiling but also very wary. Her heart pounded.
What is he doing?!
But the next moment, the voice in her ear gave her the answer.
A series of heavy footsteps echoed in the tall, empty warehouse, followed by a furious and angry voice shouting, "What's going on? Where is he? Where is he?"
It's Lu Yong!
Shang Ruyi's eyes flickered for a moment, then she looked at Xiao Yuansui, whose eyes were slightly curved as he looked at her with a smile.
Their eyes met at such a short distance, and there was even a real feeling of touching each other—when his gaze went straight into her pupils, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and subconsciously lowered her eyelids to avoid his gaze.
Xiao Yuansui smiled silently.
Lu Yong's cursing continued: "Damn it, where did everyone go?!"
There seemed to be several people following behind him, one of whom was Hua Ziying, who said coldly, "Brother Lu, watch your mouth."
"What's wrong with me cursing him? He made such a good promise yesterday, but when we were transporting the grain back today, we couldn't even see a single person this morning. Isn't he lying to us?!"
"Brother Xiao said it would be in a couple of days, why are you in such a hurry?"
"You're not in a hurry, but I am..."
Lu Yong walked around cursing as he went, seemingly searching for Xiao Yuansui's whereabouts. The footsteps and shouts grew closer and closer, as if they were gradually approaching them.
Immediately, Shang Ruyi felt the hand covering her mouth was burning hot.
He lowered his head, seemingly scrutinizing Lu Yong's silhouette emerging from the road beside him, but then, as if sensing something, his gaze shifted, meeting Shang Ruyi's eyes, which were inches away—
It turned out that she had also subconsciously held her breath.
At this moment, a smile suddenly appeared on Xiao Yuansui's face, and the hand covering her mouth slowly loosened. As if to comfort her, he mouthed, "Breathe—out—".
Shang Ruyi's face flushed.
At this moment, Lu Yong had almost reached their side.
The two of them held their breath at the same time.
Fortunately, Lu Yong didn't go any further. He probably sensed that the warehouse was too quiet and there was probably no one else there. He stomped his foot angrily, turned around, and stormed out. Even after he had walked a long way, his furious curses could still be heard.
The two people in the warehouse breathed a sigh of relief.
Shang Ruyi immediately reached out and pushed away the body pressing down on her. Xiao Yuansui seemed to have been prepared, and although he was pushed back two steps, he did not stumble or fall, but stood very steadily.
He smiled and watched as Shang Ruyi stepped aside, patted her clothes and tidied her appearance, looking very reserved. He smiled and said, "Thank you."
Shang Ruyi's expression was not good, and she only snorted coldly.
Xiao Yuansui remained polite and said with a smile, "If the young mistress had made any noise just now, Lu Yong would have discovered us, and then things would have turned out badly."
Shang Ruyi smiled coldly and said, "Didn't Young Master Xiao say that I am a compassionate person? Just now, I was merely doing him a favor. However, I now understand why Young Master Xiao was willing to bring me here for a stroll today and said so many ambiguous things."
As she spoke, she glanced at him and said, "So, you were trying to avoid him."
"..."
"You don't want to transport grain to Wanggang Village anymore, is that right?"
Although Xiao Yuansui had been very kind to her before, and they could even be described as having nothing to hide, a shadow suddenly crossed his face when this matter was mentioned.
He chuckled softly but didn't respond.
Shang Ruyi understood a little better now.
She slowly walked up to Xiao Yuansui, looked him up and down, and then said, "Before, Young Master Xiao valued my husband so much, saying that he had the ability to stir up trouble, but in fact, he also values you very much. Especially your move to occupy Xingluo Granary this time, in his view, is an act of ambition to conquer the world."
"oh?"
Xiao Yuansui's eyes flickered.
Then, Shang Ruyi smiled faintly and said, "However, he has always been worried that the young master has some burdens and that he will become too big to handle."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuansui's expression hardened again.
But it was only for a moment. A calm smile immediately returned to his face. He said, "To be valued by Young Master Yuwen, my life has not been in vain. Alright, we have walked for so long today. Young Madam must be tired. Let's go back."
Looking into his eyes, which had become noticeably deeper, Shang Ruyi smiled faintly and said, "Okay."
So the two turned around and walked back.
As Shang Ruyi stepped out of the massive wooden gate, she glanced back at the silent granary that held the power to manipulate the hearts of countless people. At this moment, it remained as tranquil as ever, unaware of the turbulent undercurrents surging beneath its surface, unseen by anyone.
...
After leaving the storeroom, neither of them spoke again, and they walked silently until they reached the small door.
Shang Ruyi had nowhere else to go, so she naturally had to return to the courtyard she had been in before. Xiao Yuansui, on the other hand, had his own things to do and wanted to avoid Lu Yong, so he obviously had to go somewhere else. The two of them probably parted ways here.
However, when she reached that door, Shang Ruyi's steps slowed down.
Xiao Yuansui seemed to sense her hesitation throughout the journey. He turned to look at her, a gentle smile in his eyes, and said, "Does Madam have anything else to say to me?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi glanced at him, then hesitated for a moment.
Xiao Yuansui said, "Young Madam, please speak freely."
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "Actually, it's nothing. I was just thinking that when you arrived at Wanggang Village, you must have made many new friends. They must all admire you very much and be very loyal to you."
Xiao Yuansui smiled and said, "I can indeed be considered lucky."
Shang Ruyi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Young Master Xiao, do you still remember an old friend?"
"...!"
These words clearly surprised Xiao Yuansui. He looked at Shang Ruyi and asked, "Who is the young mistress referring to?"
Before Shang Ruyi could speak, he immediately added, "Green Silk?"
Shang Ruyi's eyes lit up, and she immediately looked up at him: "Young Master Xiao, do you still remember her?"
Xiao Yuansui's expression became somewhat complicated: "The young mistress has always lived in Dongdu, and I have very few old friends left in Dongdu. Besides, the young mistress is a woman, and she tends to think about women."
At this point, he chuckled softly and said, "Does the young mistress have any news about her to tell me?"
Although she brought up the topic herself, Shang Ruyi hesitated again at this moment, and after hesitating for a while, she whispered, "She, she was captured by Wang Shaoji."
Xiao Yuansui remained expressionless, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
After a long silence, he sneered, "In the end, he got what he wanted."
After saying that, he looked at Shang Ruyi again, his face now calm, and said, "However, young mistress, you don't need to worry about Lüxiao. She is a person who knows very well how to survive. There are not many people in the world like you, young mistress, who can remain dignified even when trapped in enemy territory and surrounded by wolves."
Shang Ruyi thought about it and realized that when Lüxiao came to deliver the Divine Arm Bow, it seemed to be the same thing.
She had to survive.
In order to survive, people in this world inevitably have to do many things they don't want to do, and even have to do them with a smile. But no one knows whether the smile on her face is filled with laughter or tears in her heart.
Shang Ruyi sighed softly and said, "No, I'm not telling you about her to say how terrible she is."
"oh?"
"I just feel that she is all alone, and after Young Master Xiao became an outlaw, she had no one to rely on, which is also very pitiful."
"..."
"If one day, Young Master Xiao, were to see her again—"
"how?"
Even if you don't forgive her, at least show her some mercy.
Xiao Yuansui showed a surprised expression, looked down at her for a moment, and said with a half-smile, "Young Madam seems to know her very well? Are you two acquainted?"
"No, we've only met once."
"Then why are you speaking up for her?"
"As Young Master Xiao just said, I am a woman, and I tend to think about women."
"..."
Xiao Yuansui looked at her in silence for a while, then smiled faintly and said, "I'll keep you company for a while."
After saying this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and turned to head towards the council hall.
Looking at his tall and dashing back, Shang Ruyi felt a little heavy-hearted, but she didn't know what to say, so she could only sigh and turn away.
On the way back, I felt that the people passing by all seemed to have become busier.
Some people were hurriedly forming groups, while others were running out carrying bundles of swords, bows, and arrows. As they passed by Shang Ruyi, their eyes would linger on her with hostility.
She didn't care, but when she passed by a courtyard, she heard a sharp whooshing sound coming from inside.
She recognized the voice.
This was the sound of an arrow piercing the air, but it sounded exceptionally soft and swift, quite different from the sounds she had heard in the military camp, or even when Yuwen Ye was practicing archery.
So he walked over and stood at the door. He saw that the courtyard was very spacious. On the east side of the courtyard, there was a row of archery targets, which had been shot with many arrows, and each one hit the bullseye. On the west side of the courtyard, there stood a familiar tall and upright figure, which was none other than the archer Hua Ziying.
He was only wearing a single layer of clothing. Although he was thin, there were obvious bulging muscles under the thin clothes.
At that moment, he took a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his head, and tossed it aside. He then looked back at the target opposite him, loaded a few arrows into the quiver on his back, and walked to the spot where he aimed at the first target.
Instantly, the atmosphere in the courtyard froze.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but hold her breath and stare intently at him.
He took a deep breath, then suddenly started walking straight ahead. As he took his first step, he drew an arrow with his backhand, drew the bow, nocked the arrow, and released it in one smooth motion. Instantly, another arrow appeared in the bullseye of the target!
Excellent archery!
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but cheer in her heart.
However, Hua Ziying did not stop.
After firing the first arrow, he continued walking forward at a steady pace, his bow hand as steady as a rock. Only his right hand kept drawing arrows, pulling back the bow, and firing. The sharp whooshing sound was incessant, like a tight and urgent war song!
When he stopped again, there was now an extra arrow neatly placed on the row of targets, hitting the bullseye without missing a single one!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com