The Li family suffered misfortune.
Wen Youqing pushed off with his toes and charged forward. His movements were swift and quick. He dodged to the side, and just as the dart was about to graz his cheek, he gently tilted his head to let it pass. Finally, he stopped in his tracks. All his movements were fluid and seamless.
Seeing this, Yu Ling gently pulled the veil around her neck and put it on her face. She turned around and hid in the darkness. With light steps, she climbed the wall in three steps, reached out and supported herself on the green tiles on the wall. With a strong flip, she passed over.
Upon seeing this, Wen Youqing stopped where she was and did not chase after them, calmly continuing to walk in the dark alley.
Yu Ling pressed herself against the wall, listening intently to the footsteps. Only when she heard a slightly rhythmic thud did she pat her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
This person is indeed extraordinary.
Suddenly, the window in front of them, which had been dark except for the candlelight, lit up, and a graceful, ladylike shadow was cast upon it, slowly growing larger.
Looking around from Yuling, there were no trees nearby. A hand was pressed against the window paper, and the shadows of the slender fingers were blurred on the window.
Yu Ling slightly moved her ankle to make sure there was a pebble under her foot, then took a half step back. She then suddenly exerted force, sending the pebble flying in a near-perfect arc before it landed quickly in her hand. Aiming at the window, she flicked the pebble with her fingertips, and with a "whoosh," it broke through the window paper and flew inside. The figure no longer showed any signs of growing larger but instead shrank.
Yu Ling walked slowly and quietly forward. After glancing around and seeing that there was no major problem, he turned around and, with the speed of the wind, touched the ground and wall, and jumped over the other side of the wall.
She clutched a crumpled, letter-like object tightly in her left hand. She walked quickly, and soon reached the corner, where she threw the object into a flowerbed pit.
He then easily scaled the wall, landing with his knees slightly bent, using the wall to cushion the impact without making a sound.
She quickly went around to a garden planted with green bamboo, knocked three times lightly on the door, and with a creak, the door opened, revealing a person who looked exactly like her. The two looked at each other as if they were looking in a mirror.
Li Yin made way for them, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then gently closed the door after Yuling entered.
Following Yu Ling's custom, she brewed a cup of tea for Yu Ling and handed it to him. Strangely, this person, who usually returned during the period of changing identities only to drink tea, did not reach out to him this time, so that he could properly savor this year's finest Biluochun tea.
Yu Ling grabbed Li Yin's wrist, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Li Yin, the Li family is going to suffer a disaster."
As Li Yin listened to Yu Ling's slightly anxious words, the tea in his teacup spilled out with the slight shaking, scattering on the ground and forming a small stream that reflected the flickering candlelight.
She asked, "Sister, are you joking?" Yu Ling remained silent, her eyes filled with sorrow. Looking into Yu Ling's sorrowful eyes, Li knew that this was no joke. However, Li Chuangming was kind and charitable, and had done good deeds all her life. How could she have offended anyone? Therefore, her first reaction was disbelief.
Li Yin asked, "Do you know what the difficulty is?" Yu Ling replied, "The He family, your former fiancé, He Jing, went to the capital a few days ago, obtained an official title, and wants to avenge the humiliation you caused him."
Upon hearing this, Li Yin fell into deep thought for a moment, and then asked, "When does he plan to act, and on what charges will he convict my Li family?"
As soon as she asked the question, she heard a cry of alarm from outside the courtyard: "Miss, that's Miss's residence. You can't go there. She's engaged to the young master of the Wen family in the capital. You can't touch her."
Li Yin recognized the voice; it was Yu Su, the girl he used to play with as a child. Li Yin quickly turned around, pushed open the door, and saw a group of armored soldiers pointing swords at Yu Su. She spread her arms, using her small figure to shield the soldiers.
The soldiers pushed her to the ground. She, who usually paid attention to the cleanliness of her clothes, was now covered in dust. As she tried to move forward, a sharp sword pierced her body.
Hearing the door open, she quickly turned around and saw Li Yin. Tears welled up in her eyes. She opened her mouth, wanting to say a thousand words, but in the end, she could only say "Miss..." Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
“Yu Su,” Li Yin said, and immediately stepped forward to help her up. Yu Su smiled at Li Yin and said, “Miss, I’m not stupid. You only come back for such a short time each time… I want to take a good… look at you.”
She reached out to touch Li Yin's face, but stopped in mid-air when she saw the blood and dust on her hands.
Seeing this, the soldiers nearby drew their knives, blood spurting out. Yu Su reached out to cover her wound, blood seeping through her fingers and dripping onto the ground, mingling with the dust. The hand that had been suspended in mid-air fell limply to the ground, its eyes lifeless, and she collapsed.
Li Yin embraced the person tightly, letting the overflowing blood stain his emerald green clothes.
Her hands trembled as she touched Yu Su's face, carefully wiping away the bloodstains. A chill ran through her as a sword was pressed against her neck.
She remained unfazed, neither fearful nor making a fuss, and calmly asked, "Is your master He Jing?" The soldiers smiled contemptuously upon hearing this, but before they could speak, they felt a pain in their throats and could not utter a sound.
The two people beside him had collapsed without him noticing. His eyes widened in shock as the sword in his hand was easily snapped in two by the seemingly frail young lady before him. The sharp blade pierced his palm, drawing blood that overlapped with and deepened the bloodstain on Yu Su's hand.
Li Yin calmly got up, took the tip of his sword, and forcefully slashed at the soldier's neck. His hand was aimed at the blood vessel, but somehow it went slightly off course, only cutting the flesh without damaging the blood vessel.
A metallic taste rose in Li Yin's throat, blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, and all her joints ached, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar and been hit by thousands of stones.
Upon seeing this, the soldiers grabbed Li Yin by the neck, glaring fiercely at her as they tightened their grip. Li Yin's breathing became rapid, and her vision blurred. She involuntarily gripped the broken sword in her hand, widening the wound and making her more lucid.
He used all his strength to slash at the soldier's wrist, but it was like scraping a cup, leaving no mark. Upon seeing this, the man dropped his broken sword, raised his hand to strike Li Yin, and a metallic taste rose in his throat again, and hot blood spurted out from his face.
The soldiers were sprayed in the face, which fueled their anger even more, but Li Yin just laughed.
When the officers saw the man in front of them with a slightly swollen face and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, yet laughing freely without showing any sign of distress, a sense of panic flashed through their hearts. For a moment, they felt that this man resembled the King of Hell.
He tightened his grip, but Li Yin laughed even more wildly. He immediately added his other hand, and the suffocating feeling was like falling into a vast ocean, with waves rising one after another, each one more turbulent than the last.
Li Yin closed her eyes, but suddenly felt her neck loosen, and then she fell into someone's arms. A faint, bitter herbal scent lingered around her nose. It smelled slightly bitter, but it was pleasant and reassuring.
When he woke up again, he was greeted by green gauze curtains. His whole body ached, and there was a herbal poultice on his neck. The smell was all too familiar to Li Yin; it was for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and it was very effective.
Her mouth tasted terribly bitter, and she wanted a glass of water. She slowly got up and was about to get out of bed when she saw a glass of water on the small stool next to the bed, steam rising from the rim. She reached out and took it; the water was just the right temperature.
She took a couple of sips, then downed the rest of her drink. She put the cup back down and stood up. Her clothes had already been changed; she was now wearing a white dress with silver cranes embroidered on the hem. Small, blood-red stones were inlaid on the cranes using a special method, making her look elegant yet not plain.
She walked out slowly. The layout of this garden was somewhat similar to hers, with a row of lush green bamboo planted in both. The bamboo was so tall that it resembled a high wall, separating the area.
Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves and fell on Li Yin. She had only taken a few steps when she encountered a maidservant who bore a resemblance to Yu Su in her features.
Upon seeing Li Yin, she beamed with joy and said, "Miss, please stay here for the next few days. Young Master has other matters to attend to and will not be back for a while. If you need anything, please feel free to call me. My name is Yu Shu."
Li Yin asked, "Is your young master's surname Wen?" Yu Shu nodded and smiled innocently, "Of course it's Wen. My young master is also Miss's fiancé."
Li Yin remained silent upon hearing this, and simply strolled around the garden. The bamboo here was planted very densely, crisscrossing and layering, blocking the view. One could not see in from the outside, nor could one see out from the inside. The inside and outside were connected, yet they were also far apart.
After Yu Shu finished speaking, he left the garden. The garden was quiet and still, without wind, the bamboo leaves did not sway, and birds sang softly.
After walking around the garden several times, Li Yin had become very familiar with its layout. Taking advantage of Yu Shu's inattention, she quietly slipped out.
Once you leave the garden, you'll see a completely different scene: winding corridors, a long pavilion by the lake, and lotus flowers blooming in the water, their beauty exquisite and their fragrance refreshing.
Li Yin walked on by instinct, and after a few steps he encountered an acquaintance, "Young Master Wen" Zhu Nanren. Li Yin stopped, and Zhu Nanren stopped as well.
Li Yin said, "Thank you for your help these past few days." Zhu Nanren said, "Being engaged to her means you are family, so why be so distant?"
He suddenly remembered something and continued, "The world is not peaceful these days, so it would be best if you, young lady, did not go out. You might easily encounter a sudden disaster."
Li Yin said, "Young master, you've gone to so much trouble, traveling back and forth between two places while you're so busy." Zhu Nanren smiled awkwardly and said, "Not at all, not at all. Although I've been busy lately, I still have to come back to my family from time to time, so that the old lady won't nag me."
Despite saying that, he was secretly amazed at how clever this girl was, directly trying to get information out of him. He was truly impressed by Wen Youqing; how come the person she liked was just as cunning as Wen Youqing?
Li Yin nodded slightly and smiled gently, saying, "Young master, you are indeed a dutiful and filial son and grandson."
Zhu Nanren smiled faintly and said, "Miss Li's assessment is reasonable."
Li Yin said, "I wish to go out today. May I ask if you could give me directions, sir?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com