Chapter 16 Without helping her up, she stepped on a small stone, and immediately...
*
The girl in the night was still wearing the same red dress she wore during the day, covered by a moon-white cloak. Her fair skin appeared even more radiant, and her features were captivating in the hazy light.
He was momentarily disoriented, but quickly came to his senses and asked, "Miss Ali, what are you doing here?"
"My second brother and I came together."
"Where is he?" He looked around but did not see Yu Jingliang.
"There were people fighting over there, and he went to help."
Upon hearing this, his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly gestured for Shen Qinglu to follow him as he walked towards Mu Hanshi.
"Ninth Uncle, this is Miss Ali from the Yu family."
He then said to Shen Qinglu, "Miss Ali, this is my Ninth Uncle."
Shen Qinglu did not bow or address anyone.
First, she was mentally challenged and shouldn't know the proper etiquette for meeting elders. Second, she didn't know how to address this person called Uncle Jiu; calling him Uncle Jiu would obviously be inappropriate.
“Ninth Uncle, that’s just how Ali is. She didn’t mean it. Please don’t blame her.” Mu Lin was afraid that Mu Han would think she was an unruly person, so he wanted to explain for her.
She kept her head down and didn't say anything.
Mu Hanshi glanced at her and said to Mu Lin, "Go and take a look over there."
Mu Lin had the same idea, but he was a little worried about her, so he instructed her, "Miss Ali, you stay here and I'm going to find your second brother."
She shouldn't go along, so she could only nod.
With Mu Lin's departure, a profound silence descended.
The moonlight was bright, shimmering with silver light, a brilliance she had never seen in her past life. The high-hanging jade disc reflected the light from the tower lanterns.
The moon shines on her tonight; I wonder if it will shine on her relatives in the afterlife? They must be saddened after her death. Perhaps at this very moment, someone is also gazing at the moon, remembering her.
She was lost in her own emotions, trying to ignore the other person present.
For someone who believes herself to be a scheming woman, she doesn't want to waste her energy trying to change other people's minds, because she knows that the final result is most likely to be futile and make her even more looked down upon.
She thought that since the other party believed she was of bad character, they wouldn't bother with her. Unexpectedly, she heard that extremely calm voice ask her, "You should have heard what we just said."
Did you hear it, or not?
After a moment's thought, she had her answer.
Once prejudice takes hold, any attempt to feign helplessness or innocence is futile and may even appear ridiculous. Moreover, at this moment, she suddenly didn't want to play the fool anymore.
She finally looked in that direction and looked at people directly.
The man in the moonlight was draped in a heavy cloak, his face pale and slightly ethereal. His white robes were more dazzling than snow, and his refined and handsome appearance was unlike that of an ordinary person. He exuded an aura of indifference to all things in the world, like the lingering snow on a high, cold mountain peak, which remained unmelted for years, standing alone in its whiteness.
This person seems to be in poor health and doesn't seem very interested in living.
She used to be like that too, seemingly indifferent to life and death, pretending to be calm and indifferent, but in reality, she wanted to live more than anyone else.
Perhaps it's a case of like repels like, because the first thought that popped into her mind was: she didn't like this person!
When their eyes met, Mu Hanshi clearly saw the dazzling brilliance reflected in those dark pupils, as well as a hint of displeasure that couldn't be concealed.
It seems they overheard what they were saying!
In a moment, he arrived before her, like snowflakes falling.
"Stop wasting your time, let's stop here."
Shen Qinglu was shocked, and her body was trembling.
Perhaps it was because this person's movements were like a ghost, she thought.
At such close range, it felt as if a heavy snowfall was pressing down on her, making it hard for her to breathe. She didn't want to explain, nor did she know how to explain, but she had to say what needed to be said. She couldn't possibly admit to something she hadn't done, when asked to her face.
"What scheming? I didn't do anything."
Her face was so stunning that once she stopped feigning ignorance, her beauty, both in its intensity and its inherent sharpness, was palpable. Even without doing anything, her looks alone made her capable of anything she sought. Especially captivating were her dark yet radiant eyes.
Mu Hanshi looked down at him and said, "Three years ago, you met Ah Lin at night and chatted with him about the stars in the sky, Sirius, Ziwei, Altair, and Vega. Putting aside the fact that a lone man and woman should avoid suspicion, how could you be someone who is born with a defect and looks like a fool?"
These words struck Shen Qinglu like a thunderclap.
When she was fifteen, she had a dream.
The moon in her dream was large and round, just like tonight. She didn't know where she was; a young man sat beside her. The young man had a familiar and appealing appearance. They watched the stars together, talking about Sirius, the Purple Star, the Cowherd, and the Weaver Girl.
When she woke up again in the hospital room, she looked at the person who had stayed by her bedside all night and wondered to herself what their relationship would be like if they really had a past life or a next life.
She remembered the familiar feeling of sitting in the courtyard with Yu Jingliang before, the house in the moonlight, the wooden dummy, the stone table and benches...
"Is that person Ah Lin?"
The intimate "Ah Lin" inexplicably made Mu Hanshi feel displeased. This feeling of emotional change caused by a particular person was so distant that it made him feel uneasy for a moment.
"Uncle Nine!"
"Ah Li!"
In the darkness of night, the three walked briskly towards us.
He lowered his eyes slightly and instantly moved several steps away from Shen Qinglu.
Shen Qinglu's eyes were only on that handsome young man in blue, whose familiar features were especially touching in this situation.
The great dream has vanished into nothingness, a dream that is both real and illusory. The intertwining of past and present lives seems to be connected to this time and space by an invisible thread of fate.
When the group arrived, Yu Jingliang first bowed to Mu Hanshi, then quickly went to find her, "Ali, are you alright?"
She shook her head, trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Ah Li, this is Commander Cheng, Lord Cheng." Yu Jingliang introduced another person to her.
“Cheng Ying,” the man said.
Cheng Ying was about seventeen or eighteen years old. Despite her extremely feminine appearance, she gave off a sharp and ruthless feeling, especially her slightly upturned phoenix eyes, which carried a hint of nobility.
Yu Jingliang addressed him as Lord Cheng because his official rank was higher than his own. He was a commander of a thousand households, while Yu Jingliang was a commander of a hundred households.
“Aying is my distant cousin,” Mu Lin added.
Shen Qinglu's gaze involuntarily fell on him.
The appearance, the voice—they even bear a striking resemblance. Could this be their past life? But even if it were, this person wouldn't be that person. So, what is she doing here?
Will they continue their sibling bond from their previous life, or...?
Suddenly, several dark figures drifted in like falling leaves, the cold glint of weapons breaking the silence. Without hesitation or thought, she lunged at Mu Lin.
Mu Lin, without hesitation, stepped forward and stood in front of Mu Hanshi as a shield.
The sword flashed, carrying a stench of blood. In the blink of an eye, it was about to pierce her when a clang was heard, and as the sword fell to the ground, the assassin also collapsed.
Before she could even see who did it, Mu Lin pulled her away from behind, pushed her back, and immediately joined the fight.
As luck would have it, she stepped on a small stone during the push, and stumbled, almost falling towards Mu Hanshi by inertia.
Mu Hanshi moved like a snowflake, instantly disappearing from her sight. Then he stood with his hands behind his back, like a snow-covered pine tree standing in the fierce wind, without the slightest sign of wavering. His graceful figure and calm expression were ethereal and stunning, yet they made Shen Qinglu grit her teeth.
Before she could grab anything, Cheng Ying had already wrapped her up in a hug around the waist.
"Ah Li!"
Yu Jingliang came over and said to Cheng Ying, "Thank you, Lord Cheng."
Cheng Ying didn't say anything. After handing Shen Qinglu over to Yu Jingliang, she quickly went to help Mu Lin.
"Ali, don't look." Yu Jingliang pretended to cover Shen Qinglu's eyes.
Shen Qinglu removed his hand. "Second brother, I'm not afraid."
Seeing that Shen Qinglu's face showed no fear, he was quite satisfied and whispered, "Ali, you're really brave. I think you're my real sister."
Shen Qinglu stared at him with her dark green eyes, without saying a word.
He spoke on a whim, without thinking, and naturally didn't give it much thought. After saying it, he put it aside. Just as he was about to go help, the fighting was over, and three corpses lay on the ground, all dead.
"Lord Cheng, Ah Lin, are these all assassins?"
Because only those who are willing to die for their cause would not even need to be left alive.
Mu Lin, holding his blood-stained sword, stared intently at Shen Qinglu, his eyes burning with passion, as if his blood were on fire, and the sky was ablaze with crimson light.
"Miss Ali..."
His appearance, his tone of voice...
For some reason, Shen Qinglu's subconscious reaction was not to respond to him, but to look for the person who seemed to have nothing to do with her.
In the vast moonlit night, the snow had vanished without a trace.
They don't help people who have fallen, but let the younger generation shield them. They run away faster than anyone else when something happens. What kind of person is that?
Pooh!
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