Chapter 167 An old friend came
Xiao Wu's passing reminder immediately made Zhong Min and Zi Yan alert. Zi Yan subconsciously wanted to look back, but was stopped by Zhong Min.
"Don't look back. Just pretend you know nothing and keep following me." Zhong Min said calmly, without changing his pace.
There was a tail, which meant someone was following them, and the message was also very clear: there was only one person. But who was this sudden stalker, and what was his purpose?
She didn't know anything yet. They had just arrived in the capital, and all their movements were kept secret. How could they be targeted so quickly? However, when they entered the Muzi Teahouse earlier, there was no one following them at all, which meant that the person following them probably didn't know their true purpose. Now all she had to do was calmly find this person.
If it were simply to shake off the tail, it wouldn't be difficult. There were so many people here, and with Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu secretly helping, it wouldn't be difficult. However, in this case, it would be difficult to figure out the origins and motives of the person following him. After all, he had just arrived in Beijing and encountered such a thing. If he didn't figure it out, he would probably not be able to stay where he was.
Whether it is a human or a ghost, good or bad, we will naturally know in a while. Since they have come to my door, I can't avoid them. Fortunately, there is only one person. I think with Xiaowu, Xiaoliu, Ziyan and myself, we can't suffer any harm no matter what.
She gradually led Zi Yan to a less crowded street, but she never showed any sign of having noticed anything. Soon, they entered a quiet alley and walked slowly inside. When they were almost at the end, they stopped when they saw that there was no one around.
"You've followed me all the way. Aren't you tired? Come out and take a rest!" Zhong Min suddenly turned around and said calmly.
Just as she finished speaking, a figure that surprised her suddenly appeared from nowhere and slowly walked towards her.
"It's you!"
Zhong Min was astonished, then suddenly realized something. He hurriedly shouted to Xiaowu and Xiaoliu, who had followed the figure who had appeared out of nowhere and attacked from behind with swords in hand, "Stop! He means no harm!"
Hearing this, Xiaowu and Xiaoliu stopped immediately and hesitated for a moment. Then, seeing Zhong Min nodded at them again, they took a few steps back and then moved away to protect him again.
"I didn't expect it would be you." Zhong Min smiled at the man in front of her, her expression instantly relaxed a lot, and at the same time, a hint of joy flashed through her heart involuntarily.
The man was none other than Qin Ke, who had sacrificed his arm to get the antidote for her and then left and was never seen again.
However, when her eyes fell on the empty sleeve of his left arm, the smile on her face froze and then disappeared silently.
"Your hand..." She was suddenly speechless, not knowing how to express the guilt in her heart. If it weren't for her, Qin Ke would never have become like this: "I'm sorry, it's all because of me, otherwise your hand wouldn't have been..."
But before he could finish his words of guilt, he saw Qin Ke, who had been silent the whole time, smiled and comforted him in an unusually calm tone: "There's nothing to be sorry about. Am I not standing in front of you now? As long as you're okay, everything is worth it."
Hearing this, Zhong Min felt an inexplicable pang of discomfort. It was an inexplicable feeling, like she was heartbroken, but not entirely. She wasn't the real Li Jin'er, so it was impossible for her to have that kind of special love for Qin Ke. But just now, her heart truly ached. Although it was only for a moment, it made her feel so uncomfortable.
She suddenly remembered the time when Qin Ke was about to strangle her to death in the palace, and she couldn't help but blurt out "Brother Ke", whom she had no way of knowing. Thinking of the inexplicable heartache just now, perhaps the only explanation was that the body she was currently occupying still had such a profound reaction to the man in front of her.
She didn't know what kind of relationship existed between Li Jin'er and Qin Ke, but one thing she could imagine was that the relationship must be extremely strong. Otherwise, how could her body now react in a way that was beyond Zhong Min's own will and feelings?
"How did you find me?" Zhong Min took a deep breath and quickly gathered his consciousness that had been accidentally scattered just now, and let his consciousness control his emotions again.
At this moment, she was really curious. Why did Qin Ke appear here? Was it a coincidence or was there something else going on? Regardless of the reason, she subconsciously felt that Qin Ke would not lie to her, so she asked the question in her heart so directly.
Hearing Zhong Min's question, Qin Ke didn't rush to explain. Instead, he looked around casually and said, "This isn't the place to talk. If you believe me, how about we talk somewhere else?"
Zhong Min naturally did not hesitate and nodded in agreement. How could she be worried about Qin Ke?
Seeing this, Qin Ke didn't say anything else. He turned around and walked out. Zhong Min gestured to Zi Yan and quickly followed.
She walked side by side with him, but was not in a hurry to ask anything. Zi Yan followed him tactfully, three steps away. Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu still did not show up, protecting each other secretly.
She knew that because of her last incident, Qin Ke had already left the secret organization and become a traitor in their eyes. Although his martial arts were superb and not a match for ordinary people, he was now missing an arm. Moreover, the secret organization of the court was extraordinary. If they discovered his whereabouts, his fate would be the same as hers, and he would be hunted down by them. Those people never showed any mercy to traitors.
But now he is still here. Has he never left at all? Has he not worried about his situation at all?
She had too many doubts in her mind at the moment, but she believed that Qin Ke would be able to resolve these doubts one by one in a while.
They soon arrived in front of a secluded, simple, ordinary house. Qin Ke did not hesitate and led Zhong Min in. The small courtyard looked a bit desolate, probably because no one had lived there for a long time.
After closing the gate, Qin Ke moved a few stools out from the inner room and placed them under the shade of the tree in the yard. He then said, "Let's sit here for a while. No one has lived here for a long time and there's no time to clean it. It doesn't smell good."
"Is this where you used to live?" Zhong Min asked curiously as he sat down. If so, then Qin Ke was incredibly brave to actually come back here.
"Yes, but don't worry, no one else here knows." Qin Ke also sat down, as if he had something to say, but he looked at Zi Yan who was following behind Zhong Min.
Seeing this, Zhong Min naturally understood his concerns, so he turned around and said to Zi Yan, "Go and help clean up, and then go to the kitchen to boil some water. I'm a little thirsty."
Zi Yan naturally knew what Zhong Min meant. She was a little worried about leaving Zhong Min alone to face this sudden stranger, but she didn't dare to disobey. She glanced at Qin Ke with a little vigilance, and then retreated as she was told.
After Zi Yan left, Qin Ke finally said, "I heard from Prince Mu that you volunteered to come to the capital to help him rebuild his intelligence network. Is that true?"
Qin Ke's words made Zhong Min stunned for a moment. It turned out that he had been to Muzhou before and had met Xiao Mingzheng.
"Yes, he didn't lie to you." She nodded and asked with a puzzled look on her face, "But why did you go to Muzhou?"
"We'll talk about this later. I just want to ask you, why do you help him like this? Don't you know how dangerous it is for you to go to Beijing?" Qin Ke seemed a little worried, and his slightly frowned brows made his already tough facial features look even more stiff.
Seeing this, Zhong Min didn't know how to answer for a moment. Qin Ke's question obviously went beyond the concern between ordinary friends. If she was the real Li Jin'er, then everything would be fine, but the problem was that she was not Li Jin'er.
Seeing that Zhong Min didn't say anything but had a complicated expression, Qin Ke hesitated for a moment, and finally asked: "Jin'er, are you in love with him?"
As soon as he asked the question, Qin Ke felt his heart suddenly tighten. He clearly remembered the tenderness that involuntarily shone from Xiao Mingzheng's face when the cold and resolute man mentioned Zhong Min when they met again. He knew exactly what that expression meant. If he remembered correctly, a few months ago in the capital, when Zhong Min was poisoned and dying, although Xiao Mingzheng was also extremely anxious and worried, he definitely did not show such strong emotions.
He was terrified to hear Zhong Min's answer, because her actions and expression had already given it away. He knew the answer would definitely be yes, but he was still conflicted and couldn't help but want to hear her say it herself, even if it was so despair that it broke his heart.
The Jin'er now is no longer the Jin'er who only had him in her heart, no longer the Jin'er who called him Brother Ke and was willing to do anything for him. She has long forgotten everything they once had in common and has long regarded him as a stranger.
He did not blame her, and he knew that it was not her fault in the first place. However, no matter what, he still could not let go of this treasure that had already taken root in his heart and would never fade away in his lifetime.
"Qin Ke..." Zhong Min opened her lips with some difficulty. After thinking for a long time, she didn't know how to address the man in front of her. Finally, she had to call him by his full name.
She felt extremely guilty towards this man in her heart. She really couldn't bear to hurt such a devoted man, but she was not Li Jin'er after all, so it was impossible for her to go against her own heart and lie to him.
"Qin Ke, there's one thing you have to understand. I'm no longer the Li Jin'er I used to be."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
