Chapter 17 Poisoning
elder brother……
This name had been lingering in Su Yunyu's mind, so much so that after he inexplicably agreed to Xiao Shuying's name, he was still somewhat taken aback.
It's not that the title is particularly meaningful to him.
Just by looking at Xiao Shuying in her dusty clothes and obediently calling him "brother," it seemed as if they were just an ordinary pair of brothers.
There are no loves, hates, or grudges, nor are there entanglements spanning ninety-nine lifetimes.
It's as if we've suddenly returned to our most authentic selves.
Therefore, Su Yunyu agreed to Xiao Shuying's idea of going into the city with this group.
As dusk fell, Su Yunyu, who was sitting to one side with a fire burning, used a stick to tend the flames and asked Xiao Shuying:
Why be with them?
Xiao Shuying was holding the bag given to her by the group of people, pretending to roast it over the fire. Upon hearing this, she merely feigned shyness.
"Because these people are from the Xiao family."
The person who came to ask the questions first was wearing clothes that were unique to the Xiao family, with hibiscus patterns tattooed on the collar.
Although the hibiscus blooms and falls in the morning, its vitality continues uninterrupted.
Cycles repeat endlessly, eternally unchanging.
This is the Xiao family's motto.
Xiao Shuying inwardly scoffed, "If eternity is to be eternal, then let it be severed in his hands."
"The Xiao family..." Su Yunyu hesitated, still puzzled. Could it be that Long Aotian still had feelings for the Xiao family, which was why he couldn't resist walking with them today?
That's not right either. The Xiao family was extremely ruthless towards Xiao Shuying. If the Tianxuan Sect was the peak of Long Aotian's suffering, then the Xiao family was the beginning of his misery.
Su Yunyu poked at the sparks and asked again:
"Do you perhaps still have feelings for the Xiao family?"
“Yes…” Xiao Shuying lowered her head, her expression indistinct in the dim night.
Only the flickering firelight danced in the depths of his cold, sinister eyes.
Before the naan was even cooked, the Xiao family urged someone to come and set off.
It was the same person who led the charge just now:
"Our master has important business to attend to, so it is inconvenient for him to linger on the road. Please turn off the engine and go to the last carriage."
Although his words were well-intentioned, his attitude was not exactly peaceful.
This is the family tradition of the Xiao family: they are willing to do small acts of kindness, but also great evils.
Su Yunyu naturally didn't say much. She covered the fire with soil and went to the last carriage with Xiao Shuying.
This merchant guild was quite impressive, with no fewer than ten carriages, not to mention the guards standing beside them.
However, the last carriage, which was originally used to transport goods, now has two more passengers.
When Su Yunyu got into the carriage, she saw that there wasn't much cargo piled up in the middle, and there was only enough space to sit down.
However, this was his first time riding in a carriage. He had just fallen off the sword and his bones were almost broken, so he needed to rest and recuperate.
Due to limited space, Xiao Shuying had to sit next to Su Yunyu. The carriage traveled along the bumpy forest road at night, bumping and jostling from time to time.
The carriage wasn't very sturdy; every time it hit uneven ground, the carriage would start to sway from side to side or up and down.
The creaking and groaning made one wonder if the carriage was about to fall apart, but Su Yunyu remained unmoved by her internal energy, sitting calmly and peacefully, while Xiao Shuying...
As the carriage swayed countless times due to the uneven road surface, Xiao Shuying was caught off guard and fell towards Su Yunyu—
Damn it, I lost my composure.
After his initial mishap, he quickly sat up straight again, pretending nothing had happened. Looking at Su Yunyu's closed eyes, he assumed that Su Yunyu was distracted, and he felt less awkward.
Fortunately, Su Yunyu didn't know.
However, due to the continuous inertia, Xiao Shuying was about to sit up when he inevitably lost his balance and fell over. This time, Su Yunyu reached out and caught him.
Su Yunyu initially thought he was just a person whose mind was elsewhere, but now he opened his eyes and looked at her with a faint smile. Su Yunyu thought that even if he was wearing a mask, his smile would not be noticeable, but Xiao Shuying saw the emotion in his eyes at a glance.
Especially when she looked down and saw that Su Yunyu's hand was still linked with hers, Xiao Shuying's face darkened considerably in the night. And then Su Yunyu said:
"If you're unsteady on your feet, you can sit on my lap."
On one hand, he spoke smugly to the system:
"I think you gave me the wrong master-disciple texts."
System 111: [What do you mean by that?]
"What you gave me were all from your apprentices, but I don't think that's actually the case."
[...]
The system, understanding the meaning, fell silent. Su Yunyu didn't mind, but Xiao Shuying pushed his hand away and said, word by word:
"Thank you for your kindness, Master. I'll go down and find someone to change the carriage."
The carriage was dimly lit, with only moonlight streaming in through the small window. No one could see the dark look in Xiao Shuying's eyes or the fleeting murderous intent that crossed her gaze as she looked ahead.
The carriage at the very front, if I'm not mistaken...
"Eh..." Su Yunyu was about to say something when Xiao Shuying had already gotten off the carriage, so she had to withdraw her hand and continue talking to the system about the master and disciple relationship.
As the discussion was in full swing, Xiao Shuying, standing outside the carriage, had already reached the front carriage and informed the guard beside it:
"I wonder if Elder Situ of the Xiao family is inside the carriage?"
The man wielding a long sword and clad in protective armor looked quite surprised upon hearing this, scrutinizing Xiao Shuying:
"Who are you"
It was as if Xiao Shuying could kill him if she said the wrong thing at any moment.
With Su Yunyu not here, Xiao Shuying no longer needed to maintain any persona. She lowered her eyes and said, neither humble nor arrogant:
"I am Xiao Xiaobai from the Xiao family."
This name is not made up. Xiao Xiaobai is the very person who accused him of stealing and assaulting him on the day he was reborn.
The guard pondered for a moment upon hearing this, realizing that the person inside the carriage must have heard everything, so he clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, asking for instructions:
"Elder, I don't understand your meaning."
A short while later, a hoarse voice came from inside the carriage:
"Xiao Xiaobai"
“Indeed,” Xiao Shuying replied. The person inside lifted the carriage curtain, and no one spoke again; the air fell silent.
Xiao Shuying knew that Situ Kou must be looking him up and down with those unfocused eyes right now.
Even without looking at it, the feeling of discomfort was strong enough. After a while, the person spoke:
"Since you are from the Xiao family, please come into the carriage and tell me what you have to say."
The guards then relaxed their vigilance, and Xiao Shuying smoothly entered Situ Kou's carriage. Unlike the last carriage, which was only used to stuff goods, Situ Kou, an elder of a branch of the family, had a magnificent and luxurious carriage, signifying great wealth and status.
For example, the place where people sit or lie down is covered with the finest white fox fur, and on the mahogany square table are golden cups of fine wine and fresh perch.
Situ Kou was drinking alone when he saw Xiao Shuying enter. He carefully examined her in the bright candlelight inside the carriage.
Your name is Xiao Xiaobai.
"yes."
The young woman before him was like a newly sprouted, graceful willow tree, neither ostentatious nor dull. Her features were well-proportioned, and she carried an air of inexplicable restraint. Her eyes were lowered, yet they revealed a chilling sharpness hidden beneath the surface.
Although Situ Kou felt the name didn't quite match the appearance, he still stared at it, stroking the golden cup as he asked:
"What do you want with me?"
Seeing that the conversation had finally gotten to the point, Xiao Shuying's thin lips curled into a slight smile. She raised her head slightly, looked directly at Situ Kou, and spoke in a veiled tone:
"I heard that Elder Situ has taken in many advisors, so I have come here to recommend myself."
In fact, this advisor wasn't a proper advisor. Situ Kou was a womanizer, never refusing a beautiful woman, and especially attracted to handsome young men. So when he heard Xiao Shuying say that, a meaningful glint appeared in his sinister eyes:
"Oh, do you know what kind of advisors I've taken in?"
“Of course I know,” Xiao Shuying stepped forward, feigning closeness, but secretly slipped a colorless and odorless poison into the wine pot with her sleeve, then remained impassive.
“I am not valued in the Xiao family, but seeing the elders in such a grand procession, I naturally feel the urge to follow them.”
When Xiao Shuying said this, his expression was unreadable; he simply lowered his eyes, which made Situ Kou think he was shy. So Situ Kou stroked his chin and laughed.
"Okay, but I heard you have an older brother this time."
"..." Xiao Shuying's feigned composure abruptly stopped, and she quickly responded:
“My brother is ugly and doesn’t understand human affairs. I’ve wanted to get rid of him for a long time.”
He then increased the dosage of the poison.
He asked Su Yunyu for this thing a while ago when he was bored, saying it was for self-defense and needed to be effective quickly and without anyone noticing.
Such a cunning and top-grade poison could only be found for Su Yunyu, given his ample space.
See, it's coming in handy now.
"I see..." Upon hearing this, Situ Kou immediately imagined Xiao Shuying as a nobody in the Xiao family, neglected and forced to make a living with her ugly brother. He instantly felt a sense of superiority, as if he were being depended upon.
“I once met someone who looked like you at the Xiao residence, but that person was not as sensible as you.”
"Oh," Xiao Shuying vaguely guessed the main character in the conversation, but pretended not to know:
"I wonder who the elder is referring to?"
"He's just a jinx who caused his mother's death, let's not even mention him."
Xiao Shuying clenched her fists tightly, her heart filled with hatred. She knew this person all too well, because it was herself.
He was probably only ten years old at the time. When Situ Kou came to the Xiao residence to report, he saw him and mistook him for a servant's child, and immediately had evil intentions.
However, it was just a malicious thought. After all, before Situ Kou could do anything, Xiao Shuying picked up a rock and threw it at him before running away.
It was quite a coincidence that I ran into this person again today. It's a matter of fate, really. After all these years, Situ Kou still can't shake his lecherous ways, which gave him an opportunity to take advantage of me.
Xiao Shuying suppressed the anger in her heart and smiled on the surface:
"A jinx? Indeed, it's unlucky. With a golden goblet and fine wine in hand, there's no need for you to recall it."
These words reminded Situ Kou that he had been caressing the golden cup for a long time, so he poured himself some more wine and drank it all in one gulp.
Xiao Shuying watched him drink the poisoned wine, her smile deepening. Just as he was about to take effect and was about to escape, Su Yunyu's voice came from outside the carriage:
Have you seen my younger brother?
"..." Xiao Shuying's heart tightened at first, then she reacted quickly:
"It seems my brother has come to see me. It's inconvenient tonight, I'll come back tomorrow night."
Having said that, he didn't even glance at Situ Kou before quickly jumping off the carriage, smoothly pulling over Su Yunyu, who was anxiously searching for him, and calling out:
"Brother, you're so annoying. I'm just going out for a little while."
"..." Su Yunyu was still confused when Xiao Shuying had already pulled him quickly to the last carriage. Seeing that Situ Kou hadn't called him back, she breathed a sigh of relief, looked up at Su Yunyu, and smiled, saying:
"Master, let's go."
Su Yunyu blinked, sensing that something was off about Long Aotian:
Aren't you going to explain what just happened?
"Just now..." Xiao Shuying, calculating the time it would take for the poison to take effect, explained calmly:
“I went over to say hello, but I overheard them saying that they were actually using us as a shield, and that they would throw us out if they encountered danger. That’s why I was in a hurry to take my master away.”
"Is that so?" Su Yunyu's eyes still held some doubt, but looking at Xiao Shuying, she found his words very convincing, so she nodded.
"Then let's go."
Thinking about it, I remembered that Xiao Shuying had recently said she still had feelings for the Xiao family. This fact must be a blow to him.
So Su Yunyu thought for a moment and then comforted her:
"No matter what you've been through in the past, I'll still be here for you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shuying, who was hurrying away, suddenly stopped, glanced at Su Yunyu, and nodded with a smile, as if she had thought of something.
"good."
Does he even have a future?
Isn't it a bit ridiculous that Su Yunyu, the person who wanted to kill him, talked to him afterward?
As for the past...
Three—two—one.
Situ Kou, you should be dead by now.
As for the Xiao residence, as Xiao Shuying was leaving, she glanced back at the vast and imposing Xiao family business empire, and smiled—this time, her smile was genuine.
You can just wait to go to hell.
A note from the author:
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It has a Breaking Bad vibe, cough cough cough [noob dog emoji]
Thank you for the nutrient solution! I'm so happy, thank you everyone! [crescent moon emoji] [sprinkling flowers]
Tomorrow is the author's birthday, so I'll update again the day after tomorrow. Updates for this book are usually around 8 or 9 PM. Love you all! [kissing emoji]
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