Glimpse into a Hundred Faces (23)
After the wedding, Yun Yanqiu grew increasingly displeased with Zhao Huai-ren. He scoffed at the term "brother-in-law" and never addressed Zhao Huai-ren that way. Zhao Huai-ren, however, didn't seem to mind. The experience of being chased and beaten that day left a shadow on his mind, and he always felt a chill run down his spine whenever he was alone with Yun Yu-xi. Their newlywed days were lived with the unease of an affair.
"Look at you, so cowardly." Yun Yuxi lay on the rattan rocking chair, sunlight filtering through the lush foliage and casting dappled shadows on her face.
Zhao Huai-ren squatted down beside him, gently pushing the rocking chair, and said with a wronged tone, "You saw his posture before, didn't you..."
"Serves you right." Yun Yuxi chuckled with her eyes closed. "Who told you to say such nonsense?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Zhao Huai-ren didn't argue much. He quietly took Yun Yu-xi's fingertips in his hand and stroked them, asking, "When did you two make up?"
"Guess," Yun Yuxi deliberately dragged out the last syllable, watching with great interest as her husband scratched his head in frustration.
After thinking for a long time, Zhao Huai-ren suddenly sighed, "No wonder he reacted so strongly that day."
Upon hearing this, Yun Yuxi's smile deepened: "Think again, is there any other reason?"
Zhao Huai Ren racked his brains for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution. His gaze inadvertently met his wife's teasing eyes, and suddenly an idea struck him. He leaned down, whispered in Yun Yu Xi's ear, and asked in a shameless voice, "Wife, can you give me another hint?"
Feeling the man's warm breath, Yun Yuxi's ears involuntarily itched. She lowered her eyes and lazily beckoned to Zhao Huai Ren with her finger. The man immediately moved closer, so close that he could kiss her lips if he wasn't careful. Zhao Huai Ren was very restrained; his Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he waited quietly for Yun Yuxi to speak, or perhaps give a clear indication of permission.
Just as he was getting distracted, Yun Yuxi's softly uttered words ignited his joy.
Zhao Huai-ren suddenly stood up, causing the rocking chair to shake violently. He excitedly grasped Yun Yu-xi's arms, repeatedly confirming with her until she got annoyed. Then he couldn't resist kissing Yun Yu-xi twice, pressing his forehead against hers and grinning foolishly.
"Alright, calm down." Yun Yuxi chuckled and slapped his hand away. "I knew you'd act like this, that's why I told you last."
"Huh?" Zhao Huai-ren realized, "They all know?"
“Otherwise, do you think my father would so easily agree to our marriage?” Yun Yuxi teased his chin with her index finger. “Anyway, you’re going to marry into the family, so you can’t run away.”
Zhao Huai-ren finally understood the deeper meaning behind Yunmu's earlier words, and he immediately declared, "Then I will stay by your side during this period and will not go anywhere else..."
"No." Yun Yuxi refused without even thinking.
"Why?" Zhao Huai-ren asked, puzzled. "Mother specifically told me..."
"Are you going to listen to her or me?" Yun Yuxi rolled her eyes at him. "Your work is just starting to get going, you can't just give up."
Zhao Huai Ren felt a warmth in his heart, but after hesitating for a moment, he said, "Anyway, nothing much has happened over there lately, so I'll just check on it periodically. Besides, you already tried to send me away when we were setting up the wedding banquet, and if you try to send me away again this time, I'll really be heartbroken."
Seeing his pitiful look, Yun Yuxi paused for two seconds, then nodded with a soft heart.
The two of them were now completely glued together, so inseparable that they seemed oblivious to everyone else. Yun Yanqiu had caught them doing this several times and got goosebumps every time.
If his parents hadn't kept him a little longer, he would have wanted to rush back to Beizhou immediately.
The thought of this gave Zhao Huai-ren a headache. Wu Shao had instructed him to stall Yun Yanqiu, and Zhao Huai-ren had naturally tried every means to keep him at home. Unfortunately, the longer Yun Yanqiu stayed, the more anxious he became, and he had used several excuses until he was almost out of options.
This matter quickly reached Yun Yuxi's ears, and she asked Yun Yanqiu directly, "Did you get into trouble in the Northern Continent?"
Yun Yanqiu was taken aback and couldn't help but frown: "Zhao Huai Ren told you?"
"Does he even need to tell me? You're always so restless, just like when you were a kid and got into trouble." Yun Yuxi lay on the rocking chair, half-lifting her eyelids. "Tell me, what did you do?"
“You don’t need to know.” Yun Yanqiu stubbornly looked away.
"What? Afraid of implicating us?" Yun Yuxi saw through his thoughts at a glance. "If you won't tell, I'll have Huai Ren tell."
"You dare!"
Zhao Huai Ren broke out in a cold sweat from his glare and looked at Yun Yu Xi with a troubled expression.
Yun Yuxi laughed incessantly, then leaned into Zhao Huai Ren's arms: "Do you think he dares?"
Zhao Huai-ren was now truly in a dilemma. He never expected that the reconciliation between the two would only bring him trouble. He couldn't say anything, nor could he remain silent; he felt like a quail roasting on a fire.
"Two blockheads." Yun Yuxi sighed helplessly upon seeing this. "You two, your thoughts are written all over your faces. Have you become stupid from cultivating immortality?" She suddenly frowned. "Hurry up and say it. What is it?"
The courtyard was so quiet you could hear the falling leaves. After a long while, Yun Yanqiu said in a hoarse voice, "I killed a demonic cultivator, and her father found out about it and has been looking for me ever since."
"Oh?" Yun Yuxi was slightly surprised. "Do they have a lot of people?"
"Anyway, there are quite a lot..."
Yun Yuxi's hand, which was rubbing her belly, tightened suddenly: "Then why are you in such a hurry to go back to Beizhou? Are you looking for death?"
"My master and mistress have been implicated because of this, I can't..."
“Your not going back is the biggest help you can give them,” Yun Yuxi interrupted mercilessly. “Besides, think about it carefully. If they really want revenge, what would be the most satisfying thing to do?” Yun Yanqiu was slightly taken aback, but then she continued, “If I were him, I would definitely make you taste the pain of losing a loved one.”
Yun Yanqiu was shocked, and even Zhao Huai Ren next to him turned pale instantly.
“But cultivators don’t…” Yun Yanqiu murmured, as if trying to explain, but his consciousness gradually became hazy.
"What do you mean, 'can't'? How can you be so sure?" Yun Yuxi stared at him, her gaze deep and cold, piercing straight into his heart.
Yun Yanqiu couldn't answer the question. He returned to his courtyard, lost in thought, and pondered for a long time. Would Lu Jiu eventually find his way here? Would he really dare to break the precepts and harm mortals? What about his master and mistress? The more Yun Yanqiu thought about it, the more uneasy he became.
For several days in a row, he buried himself in the courtyard practicing his sword, each move sharp and swift, as if he could vent all the complex emotions in his heart. He practiced from morning till night, his sword energy shattering the moonlight on the ground, startling Ye Yingying so much that she dared not approach him. It wasn't until Zhao Huai Ren came looking for him with a lantern that this frenzied practice was broken.
"There's something I must tell you," Zhao Huai-ren said seriously.
Yun Yanqiu sheathed his sword, beads of sweat rolling down his tense jaw: "Speak."
"On the day we left Xuanming Mountain..." Zhao Huai Ren's Adam's apple bobbed, "Senior Wu Shao specifically instructed that you must not go back before she finds Senior Li."
The sword tassel suddenly froze. Yun Yanqiu's pupils contracted slightly: "Why?"
“She had long anticipated that Lu Jiu would eventually seek revenge.” Zhao Huai Ren’s fists clenched until they turned white. “The people we care about most are all here; they’re the perfect targets.”
The chirping of insects in the courtyard suddenly became shrill. Yun Yanqiu turned and went into the house, the sound of her roughly lifting the wooden box startling the blue and white sparrows nearby.
"What are you doing?" Zhao Huai-ren pressed down on his hand as he was tidying up his bundle.
"Find Lu Jiuzhong."
"Now?" Zhao Huai-ren's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?!"
“He’s looking for me anyway, so I might as well die with him.” Yun Yanqiu’s voice was as cold as ice.
"You don't even know where he's hiding!" Zhao Huai Ren suddenly grabbed his wrist, his spiritual power surging through his meridians, forcibly restraining his movements.
Yun Yanqiu struggled twice but couldn't break free, so she glared angrily at Zhao Huai Ren: "If I don't go, am I supposed to just wait here for him to put a knife to my sister's neck?!"
Zhao Huai-ren was stunned by his shout, but still didn't let go. In the midst of the stalemate, he suddenly sighed: "Tomorrow, the Qi family's spies will bring news. At least wait until then..."
Yun Yanqiu paused, slowly unclenched her fist, and finally whispered, "Thank you."
The next day, Zhao Huai-ren arrived at the agreed location early with Yun Yanqiu, only to find that it was not a spy who appeared before them, but Qi Rongting himself. He hurriedly jumped off the carriage and stumbled towards them the moment their eyes met.
Before Zhao Huai Ren could speak, Qi Rong Ting hurriedly exclaimed, "Something terrible has happened!" He glanced at Yun Yan Qiu with a look of anxiety in his eyes.
Zhao Huai-ren's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in a low voice, "Tell me slowly, don't rush."
Qi Rongting avoided eye contact, hesitatingly saying, "Yanqing Sect... Senior Qin, she... she might..."
Yun Yanqiu frowned: "Explain yourself!"
"Everyone outside is saying that the only daughter of the Yanqing Sect Master is dead!" Qi Rongting blurted out in shock. These words caused Yun Yanqiu's expression to change drastically, and he froze on the spot, unable to move.
"Brother Yanqiu, don't get agitated! This is just news released unilaterally by the Puppet Sect, it can't be taken seriously!" Qi Rongting was terrified, his teeth chattering. "News from outside is always a mix of truth and falsehood, no one can say for sure what's really going on with Senior Qin, Brother Yanqiu, you absolutely can't..."
Before he could finish speaking, a cold glint flashed in Yun Yanqiu's eyes: "It's Lu Jiuzhong."
"Brother Yanqiu, where are you going?!" When Qi Rongting came to his senses, he only saw a figure at the end of the road. He shouted loudly, but knowing he couldn't stop him, he could only look to Zhao Huai Ren for help. But Zhao Huai Ren stood there with a heavy expression, seemingly lost in thought. He clenched his fists, and his fingernails dug four crescent-shaped bloody marks into his palms.
No one stopped him, and Yun Yanqiu hurried back to Xuanming Mountain. The weeds here had grown to knee-high. He stood in the center of the desolate courtyard, looked around, and finally his gaze fell on the stone table in the courtyard.
There lay a letter, a teacup pressing down on one corner, the mountain wind rustling it. Yun Yanqiu stepped forward and unfolded the letter; inside was only one line of hastily written words—"He wants to kill Lu Jiuzhong."
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