Chapter 12 The Falling Lamp Flowers Are Only You
As soon as he finished speaking, Cui Yiluo felt the ground beneath her feet tremble slightly.
How could this be? She clearly...
The figures of men in black riding horses suddenly appeared not far away. They were all masked, but their exposed eyes were fixed on Cui Yiluo.
Yuan Ling gestured for Cui Yiluo to take a few steps back, then deftly drew his sword and went to meet her.
He instantly engaged the men in black. There were about ten men in black who came. Yuan Ling was skilled in martial arts and managed to defend against all those who wanted to attack Cui Yiluo without leaving any gaps.
Before anyone noticed, she tied her horse a mile away to avoid being seen, and Yuan Ling did the same, so she can't escape on horseback now.
A whooshing sound came from beside her ear, and the sunlight reflected off the silver arrowhead stung her eyes. Cui Yiluo instinctively tried to dodge, but a figure suddenly appeared in front of her and swung his sword to cut the arrow in two.
The man was tall and wiry, his sleek silver-white riding clothes with bamboo embroidery clearly outlining his figure. His wrist guards were tightly fastened, revealing a string of black jade beads that he usually kept hidden in his sleeves and never showed to anyone.
Cui Yiluo paused for a moment, "Cousin."
Jiang Yunjin arrived so quickly. Although he sent people to protect him secretly, it was still too fast.
She reached out slightly and grabbed the belt around his waist.
As if by unspoken agreement, he accepted her touch much more readily this time, unlike before when he was stiff. He didn't know if it was because he was used to it or if he had anticipated that she would take the opportunity to touch him inappropriately.
The men Jiang Yunjin brought also joined the battle, but they were clearly not as skilled as Yuan Ling and struggled to parry.
The leader of the men in black broke through Yuan Ling's defenses, charged out of the encirclement, and headed straight for Cui Yiluo.
Jiang Yunjin shielded Cui Yiluo behind him with his unhandled sword, while using his other hand to twirl the sword and block the killing blow.
With a flash of silver light, the rope snapped, and the smooth, rounded pieces of black jade, as if freed from their restraints, tumbled to the ground.
Cui Yilu instinctively grabbed one of them.
The man before him seemed to pause for a moment, but in the next instant, he swung his sword without restraint. In a flash, he pressed the sword against the enemy's throat, making a fluid stroke as if wielding an ink brush, and blood spurted out.
Cui Yiluo was shielded behind him, but a few drops of blood still inevitably splattered onto her cheeks.
It's hot and humid.
Cui Yiluo tightened her grip on the beads in her hand.
She had never seen Jiang Yunjin so ruthless. Last time, he defended himself alone, but today he disregarded everything and launched a deadly attack.
A gentleman who was always calm and respectful of etiquette committed murder.
A loud bang exploded in the sky, and the golden auspicious cloud pattern almost blended into the twilight.
It was a signal for the Yunyi Guard to be summoned.
The men in black who were blocked by Jiang Yunjin and Yuan Ling were also injured. When Yuan Ling gave the signal, they quickly grabbed their horses and fled.
Only a few corpses remained on the ground, along with a pool of blood.
The surroundings fell silent. Jiang Yunjin remained motionless, his breathing heavy, his face slightly lowered, it was unclear whether he was looking at the ground or at the scattered bracelets.
Cui Yilu walked up to him.
His silver robes were stained with a lot of blood, even the hem was stained with a few drops of blood, and his face, which was as handsome as snow on a high mountain, was also stained with splattered blood, like white jade stained with filth.
But his face remained ashen, as if he were completely oblivious. His sword-like eyebrows were heavily lowered, making his dark eyes appear even more unfathomable and cold. A surge of impulse was suppressed within them as he stared intently at Cui Yiluo.
Cui Yiluo carefully put away the bead she had instinctively caught, then took out an embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve and gently pressed it against his cheek.
A corner of the white brocade was embroidered with pale yellow forsythia, which was instantly stained with bright red.
The man's long, drooping eyelashes trembled slightly, but surprisingly he did not look away.
Cui Yiluo wiped the bloodstains carefully, making sure they were completely removed, revealing her originally flawless white face.
Throughout the entire process, Jiang Yunjin simply lowered his eyelashes and stared at her, neither scolding her nor reaching out to stop her, silently watching her wipe his face clean little by little with her embroidered handkerchief.
It wasn't until Cui Yiluo reached down to wipe his neck that he raised his hand and grabbed her wrist.
His wrist, which had been adorned with a string of black jade beads, was now bare. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his thin lips parted slightly: "Stop rubbing."
Cui Yiluo looked up and met his gaze, preparing to pull her wrist away.
His long, slender fingers tightened around her wrist.
"cousin?"
He released his grip again and took the handkerchief away.
The moment the handkerchief touched Cui Yiluo's cheek, she froze, staring in surprise as the man lowered his eyes and gently wiped her cheek clean, just as she had just done.
The amount of blood splattered on Cui Yiluo's face was very small, almost negligible, and was wiped away in just a couple of strokes.
She instinctively reached for the handkerchief, but saw him turn his wrist.
"It's dirty, I'll wash it and return it to you."
His voice became hoarse as he tucked the blood-stained handkerchief into his hidden pocket.
Cui Yiluo paused.
"Miss Cui." Yuan Ling's voice suddenly came from beside her.
Yuan Ling picked up the sandalwood box that had been scattered during the fight, as well as his black outer robe that had fallen on the sandy ground, casually put them back into the box, and closed the lid.
"My outer robe is dirty again, could you please wash it for me again?"
He took a few steps closer and handed her the sandalwood box. As Cui Yiluo reached out to take it, she heard him lower his voice.
"Give me your things along with this."
Cui Yilu gave him a look, indicating that she understood.
Yuan Ling suddenly smiled, his dark eyes shining, and turned to look at Jiang Yunjin.
"Lord Jiang, this assassin's arrival is suspicious and may endanger His Majesty's safety. Please excuse me."
The Yunyi Guards also arrived at this time.
Jiang Yunjin's expression was inscrutable, and he only said, "Commander Yuan is too polite."
A hint of amusement flashed across Yuan Ling's face. After agreeing, he led the Yunyi Guards, who had just arrived, to investigate the area.
The crowd dispersed, and Jiang Yunjin turned to Cui Yiluo, "I'll see you off."
"etc."
Jiang Yunjin paused.
Suddenly, Cui Yiluo squatted down and picked up the scattered black jade beads. The dark black jade gathered in her palm, making her skin look even more like solidified cream.
Before Jiang Yunjin could react, two hands suddenly reached out in front of her, each hand holding a round, dark jade bead. Her sleeves were slightly raised, revealing a section of her fair wrist.
She held the beads in her hands, her beautiful eyes even brighter than the black jade in them. "Cousin, your bracelet."
Jiang Yunjin stared at the scattered beads, listening to Cui Yiluo continue, "This is important to you, isn't it? I've picked it up for you, so don't be upset."
Black jade is warm and gentle, like the luster of a gentleman. When he was eight years old, his father obtained a fine piece of jade and personally crafted it for him. This was to instill in him the virtues of a gentleman and the principles of propriety. Greed, anger, and delusion are all delusions. Whether he succeeded was the most important thing in his parents' eyes. Even his grandmother never asked him if he was happy.
Seeing his silence, Cui Yiluo held the beads forward with both hands.
Jiang Yunjin raised his eyes. Cui Yilu couldn't understand his expression. The thick fog that had gathered in his eyes had dissipated at some point, and the fading sunlight shone back into his dark eyes.
He raised his hand, which was hanging by his side, to take the bead.
Cui Yiluo suddenly tightened her grip.
She raised her lips, revealing her pearly white teeth, and a hint of lightness flashed in her bright eyes. "My cousin's bracelet broke because of me. How could he possibly string it back together himself? It's only proper that I string it back together for him. I was just careless."
Jiang Yunjin pursed his lips and remained silent, letting her put the loose beads into her purse.
Cui Yiluo continued, "Cousin, my horse is about a mile away, shall we go there?"
"Um."
Jiang Yunjin whispered a few instructions to his subordinates, who then left to carry out their orders before he stepped outside.
As dusk settled, the forest grew even darker. After walking for a mile, the two finally reached the place where Cui Yiluo had tied up her horse.
Cui Yiluo untied the reins from the tree and mounted her horse. Jiang Yunjin had come on horseback, but since there was only one horse available, he had led it on foot. Now, he also mounted his horse with ease.
Cui Yiluo walked ahead, while he rode his horse a step behind.
Neither of them spoke.
Cui Yiluo was not unaware of Jiang Yunjin's silence. Although he was usually not talkative, and when he did speak, he was very sparing with his words, he was different now than usual.
She recalled his ruthless killing move and the suppressed expression on his face after he killed the man.
A bolt of lightning suddenly cleaved the dark blue sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The forest was instantly illuminated as if it were daytime, and then large raindrops began to fall.
In an instant, water droplets appeared on Cui Yiluo's light blue riding outfit, blooming brilliantly.
"Cousin, it's raining, let's hurry back..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yunjin suddenly said, "There's a cave ahead. Let's take shelter there for a while."
It's at least a quarter of an hour's walk from here to the camp. If we rush back in the rain, we'll definitely get soaked. It's better to take shelter in the cave than to rush back in the rain.
Led by Jiang Yunjin, Cui Yiluo soon found the cave he had mentioned.
When they entered the cave, their clothes were already half wet.
Several large stones were placed in the cave, and in the center there was a pile of dry branches with traces of fire. A flint was also lying nearby, indicating that the palace servants who were guarding and working on Yue Mountain had also taken shelter from the rain here.
Jiang Yunjin quickly started a fire with a flint.
Cui Yiluo gripped the dagger at her waist and walked deeper into the cave.
The cave was quite large, and it wasn't impossible for someone to be hiding in the gaps within it. She couldn't feel at ease until she found out the truth.
The cave was winding and had many hidden crevices. Cui Yiluo explored them one by one. The innermost crevice was deep and secluded, and it took her a lot of effort to find it.
When she returned, Jiang Yunjin had already started the fire.
He sat on a large rock, the firelight casting flickering shadows on his handsome face. The pristine green bamboo on his silver riding attire was stained with splattered blood, more glaring than the fire. He was always meticulous about cleanliness, yet he didn't even bother with a cursory treatment, simply staring at the burning flames, lost in thought.
Cui Yiluo sat down on the large rock opposite him, resting her chin on her hand on her knee as she looked at him, and asked with a bright smile, "Cousin, have you been here before?"
"It was found during a previous hunt."
Cui Yiluo drew out an "Oh," then suddenly changed the subject, asking, "So, cousin, did you also take shelter from the rain in the cave with other young ladies before?"
"No."
Cui Yilu smiled, her eyes crinkling slightly: "So, my cousin only ever sheltered from the rain with me?"
A gust of wind carrying rain blew into the cave, and the fire burning from the pile of branches flickered. Jiang Yunjin raised his eyes, the flames in them reflected in Cui Yiluo's eyes through his long, dark eyelashes.
Yes, only you.
A note from the author:
Let's not be too ambiguous. [shrug]
Don't forget to bookmark these adorable babies! [heart emoji]
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