Chapter Thirty-Six: The Bloody Wedding 7
The sky began to lighten, appearing hazy and indistinct.
A light mist surrounded the garden, and dew dampened the flowers and plants.
Lu Cen felt disgusted when he heard what Master Su said, and when he thought of Su Lie being just like his father, he felt extremely repulsed.
His expression betrayed him, and Su Lie saw right through him. He said irritably, "Being chosen by me is a blessing you've accumulated over eight lifetimes. How dare you look down on me?"
Lu Cen: "..."
This kind of good fortune is for whoever wants it.
The light outside was getting brighter, and Lu Cen was getting anxious: "Are you coming or not? If you don't leave soon, your older brother will get up. Do you want to be caught red-handed by him?"
Su Lie remained calm: "I knew it, you were the one who sent me."
Lu Cen never expected him to be so shameless, spouting lies so easily.
"Creakâ" The maid who served Lu Cen woke up and, judging from the footsteps, seemed to be coming this way.
The maid walked to the door and, hearing no sound from inside, knew that Lu Cen was still asleep. She turned around and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. As her footsteps gradually faded away, Lu Cen did not linger with Su Lie. He got out of bed and went straight out of the room.
After walking a few steps, Lu Cen stopped.
A man entered through the gate. He had striking features, with bold, angular lines, and a broad build. The force of his footsteps shook the floor. He wore a black brocade robe and brown knee-high boots, with a long sword hanging at his waist that swayed slightly with his movements. A faint smell of blood could be detected.
Lu Cen's heart trembled involuntarily, and his palms sweated.
The other person also noticed Lu Cen's figure. His pupils suddenly contracted, and he took a few steps forward and grabbed Lu Cen's wrist. His eyes were filled with pain, yet also with the feeling of something lost and then regained.
Lu Cen felt as if her wrist was about to break.
This person was far too strong. Lu Cen gasped in pain, tried to shake him off but failed, and looked distressed.
Loud footsteps came from behind, and without any attempt to hide it, Lu Cen watched as Su Lie walked out without any attempt to conceal his identity.
The scene fell into a deathly silence.
Su Lie stared at Lu Cen's hand, glanced upwards, paused, and then called out, "Second Brother."
Lu Cen: "???"
Su Lie pursed his lips, his eyes as deep as a cold pool.
Early in the morning, before it was fully light, the two came out of a room. Their relationship was obvious. Seeing that the other person was about to break his hand, Lu Cen whispered, "Could you let go of me first? My hand hurts so much."
Su Lie woke up with a start and subconsciously let go.
Her originally fair hands were now completely red, with several fingerprints on them.
What are you doing in my house?
Lu Cen rubbed her wrist and asked curiously, "Do we know each other?"
He had wanted to ask that a few minutes earlier.
This person's attitude and actions suggest that they mistook him for someone else.
Su Lie was taken aback. He swayed a few times and said with difficulty, "You don't recognize me?"
Lu Cen asked cautiously, "Should I know you?"
At this moment, the maid brought over breakfast, just in time to break the strange atmosphere between the three of them. She paused and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Second Master, Third Master."
The next second, the maid realized what was happening and looked up at Su Lie cautiously, saying, "Third Master, shouldn't you be in your own room?"
"I drank too much last night and went to the wrong place." Su Lie walked out casually: "No need to tell my brother about such a small thing."
Lu Cen followed the maid back into the room to wash up. Su Lie stood quietly outside the door for a while, then walked wearily towards Su Lian's room.
At noon, Lu Cen went out with his maid, saying he was just taking a stroll. Lu Cen actually explored Rongshui Town from one end to the other. Although it was called a town, there was a main street with many alleys extending outwards.
The elderly, who need little sleep, gather under the tree to chat about everyday matters.
There were some children nearby, jumping and playing games.
However, Lu Cen noticed a strange phenomenon: among the children present, there were only boys and no girls, and the elderly were mostly men.
Are there many children in your town?
"Yes, there are many. Some families have two or three, and some have seven or eight," the maid said with a smile.
"Then where is the girl?"
"Most of the women in the town give birth to boys, and very few girls. Even if they have girls, they don't go out often because their families say they are too young and they are afraid of them catching a cold."
"Aren't boys afraid of catching a cold?"
"Who knows? It's the local custom, and everyone's used to it."
He walked along the road from Su Li's house back to where he had been yesterday, wanting to see the baby in the jar. When he arrived at his destination, the corner was empty, with only some circular marks left on the bottom of the jar.
Why are all these tanks gone?
I was here just yesterday.
Lu Cen was puzzled, but he turned around and went back to find Su Lian. Although the two lived in the same courtyard, there was a long corridor between them. After passing through the openwork wall, Lu Cen saw Su Lian sitting on the gray stone bench in the courtyard. She was sitting upright, holding a wolf hair brush in her hand, with an inkstone and white paper under her.
With the brush held upright, its tip dripping fine ink, Su Lian flicked her wrist, and with flowing strokes, elegant characters leaped onto the paper.
When Lu Cen came over, he cast a shadow on the paper and stone table. Su Lian paused her writing and asked in a pleasant voice, "Are you not used to living there?"
"It's fine." Lu Cen pretended to be puzzled: "I went for a walk outside today, and when I got to the spot from yesterday, I found that all those jars were gone. It felt so strange. The more I thought about it after I came back yesterday, the more scared I got. I also found it strange that there were so many baby corpses in those jars?"
Su Lian possessed a gentle and refined demeanor, exuding a scholarly air. He put down his brush, gestured for Lu Cen to sit down, and soon someone came to collect the items, along with two cups of tea and a plate of pastries: "This is Poria cocos cake. Try it and see if you like it."
Lu Cen had been walking for a while and was indeed a little hungry. He reached out and took a piece, eating it slowly.
He was about to ask again when he saw the person opposite him cover his mouth and cough heavily, sounding as if he was about to cough his lungs out.
Su Lian's face drained of all color.
The maid came up and patted his back to help him catch his breath. Once he had calmed down a bit, she handed him some tea to soothe his throat.
Lu Cen frowned upon seeing this: "He's not in good health and shouldn't drink tea. He should only drink plain water on weekdays, or boil pears and drink some pear syrup."
The maid was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Su Lian.
Lu Cen: "Why are you looking at him? How can he even speak like that?"
The maidservant jumped in surprise and ran off with the tea.
A short while later, plain water was served.
Su Lian's fingers were slender and white. The steaming water slid down her throat and indeed suppressed a lot of the itching.
Su Lian smiled forlornly: "Some people have said before that my health is too poor and that I shouldn't drink tea. They said I should be more careful. I've been in poor health since birth, and getting caught in the rain only worsened my symptoms."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
