Chapter 75: Encounter Again

I was utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically; I hadn't slept well these past two days, and with the wound on my chest and everything going on around me, my head felt like a bowl of hot starch paste, and constantly tossing and turning, my whole body felt sore and weak.

Just as I was about to push open my own room door, I paused—was someone inside the room?

As my body slowly recovered, my internal energy and spiritual sense returned a little. I sighed, pushed the door open, went into the inner chamber, and couldn't help but startle— the two words 'Lan Yan' almost slipped out of my mouth.

She looked at me and gave a gentle smile, 'You don't need to pretend anymore—I know it's you—Shui Bingyi.'

I twitched the corner of my mouth, sat down opposite her, and asked, 'What do you want with me?'

'It's fine if you don't admit it,' Lan Yan said with a smile, her expression somewhat bitter. 'Actually, your appearance and voice have changed; I wouldn't have recognized you otherwise. But no one knows better than I do that, aside from Shui Bingyi, no one could make the present Young Master…… treat him like this.'

I picked up the teacup, poured myself a cup of water, and drank it down. Seeing Lan Yan looking at me oddly, I realized I had forgotten hospitality, gave an embarrassed smile, and poured her a cup of water.

Lan Yan sighed, took the teacup, and gently sipped it with a graceful motion: 'I really…… no! We never expected that day you were pierced through the body by Mu Li Feng's blade, fell into the blood pool, and yet miraculously survived.'

Mu Li Feng? So the person who killed me that day was named Mu Li Feng? He seems to be one of the Four Great Chancellors of Ice Spirit as well?

'I came today……' Lan Yan suddenly stood up, walked to me, and actually knelt down slowly, 'I came today to ask you for a favor.'

I set down my cup in surprise and exclaimed, 'What is it?' What matter could make this outwardly gentle but inwardly strong woman kneel, causing me to forget for a moment to help her up.

'Letting you leave the Young Master was my mistake. I seriously underestimated his feelings for you, which drove him to desperation.' Lan Yan lowered her head; a tear traced her stunning face, sad yet crystal clear. 'Now I beg you, restore the Young Master to how he used to be. I……'

'Lan Yan,' I said, bracing my hands on the table edge and slowly rising, 'What exactly are you talking about? Qi Ran is Qi Ran!'

'No! You simply don't understand. After all this turmoil in the vortex, the present Young Master is terrifying— he…… before you appeared, aside from Bu Sha, he didn't value anyone's life. He kept those who could be used, discarded those who couldn't like worn-out shoes, and eliminated anyone who posed even a slight threat without mercy. At first he would struggle and hesitate, but gradually, when he killed, there was not a trace of warmth in his eyes, as if what slipped from his hands wasn't a life but a mere puppet. Miss Shui, don't think that his gentleness and care toward you mean he's returned to the kind Young Master he once was. No! He is absolutely not the Young Master I love; he…… is a devil…… he truly is a devil…… Ah! You——'

I held up my empty teacup, looked at Lan Yan's tear-streaked, disheveled face, and said coldly, 'Have you come to your senses?'

I set down my teacup, looked down at Lan Yan's shocked, twisted expression, and spoke in a calm tone that even surprised myself: 'Lan Yan, whether good or cruel, that person is Qi Ran, the one I love deeply. So please don't say such things in front of me. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude.'

'You just don't understand……' Lan Yan collapsed onto the ground, her voice choking with sobs, 'Do you think I don't love the Young Master? My love for him is no less than yours, but now he only inspires fear and dread. That once gentle and kind Young Master…… can never…… ever return…… The Young Master…… became like this because of your death; you share the blame. Please, make him return to how he was……'

'Have you said enough!' I snapped at him, 'Lady Lan, get this straight! Before he is either the gentle Young Master you imagine or the cruel devil in your heart, that person is first and foremost Qi Ran! Xiao Qi Ran! No matter how he changes, no matter what nature he hides, this will never change! I will feel sad if he becomes unhappy, grieve if he loses his former kindness, grow angry if he blinds my eyes, and wish him to be happy and no longer cruel. But I will absolutely, absolutely not deny any aspect of his existence.' 'Lan Yan, do you truly love him? Or merely…… love Xiao Qi Ran as a person?'

Your love doesn't even measure up to Bai Shengyi's obsession.

I brushed past the already dazed Lan Yan, yanked the door open forcefully. A faint valley fragrance wafted over, and as I gazed at the tall, slender figure standing outside, my mind went blank for a moment, my heart seeming to stop in that instant.

I twitched the corner of my mouth, faced with Qi Ran's peerless visage, showing no sign of joy or anger, and actually curled a cold smile.

I know this isn't a deliberate setup! Yet I still want to laugh—what is this? A cliché from romance novels? Did I just make a tear‑jerking, heart‑wrenching sincere confession?

I wiped away the cold smile, expressionlessly brushed past him, and swiftly darted outward.

My wrist tightened, my body was violently pulled back, and I fell into a warm, fragrant embrace.

Qi Ran clasped his hands tightly, breathed into my ear, 'If you love me, why do you keep pushing me away?'

'Is that all you heard?' I stopped struggling, feeling another wave of nausea choke my heart, and spoke in a cold, hard voice: 'Qi Ran, must I hear every single one of these matters from someone else's mouth?'

'Why bother with these things?' Qi Ran's grip tightened, his tone turning irritable, 'You just need to stay by my side as you used to!'

'Qi Ran, let go of me. I don't want to talk to you right now.' Lan Yan is still inside the room; I fear hearing Qi Ran's voice has already stunned her senseless.

I glanced at the hands locked around my waist, which weren't loosening but tightening, and said lightly, 'If you don't want me to use my internal energy again, then please, Young Master, release me.'

A 'gaga' sound of joint friction rang in my ear; I could feel Qi Ran's whole body stiff and furious, yet his hand slowly, inch by inch, released me.

When I reached the doorway, I paused, hand on the door handle, and spoke softly, my heart feeling only sorrow and desolation: 'Back when I first woke up, not turning back to look for you was the biggest mistake of my life. Qi Ran, I'm truly sorry. Although it's only been a year, you, Bu Sha, and I can never return to the past.'

I opened the door, stepped out step by step into the sunlight, and gently closed it behind me.

I didn't look back, so I also didn't see the sorrow, despair, and reckless madness on Qi Ran's face.

Qi Ran, that former dream of yours is already over. If you still can't comprehend this; if you still can't face who you are now; if you only want to keep me by your side to cling to the past, then we truly can only miss each other.

A few days later.

I opened the window; sunlight carrying the scent of baked bread streamed in, landing on my face and my clothes.

'The weather is wonderful.' I stretched, happily discovering that my wounds had finally healed completely, and then made a decision— to leave the palace and take a walk.

To go out for a walk, I naturally needed money—without it, I couldn't. I rummaged through chests and cabinets in the room for half a day, and finally, vexed, discovered that although Ice Spirit is the wealthiest nation under heaven, this very room didn't even have a few coins of silver.

Left with no choice, I wrapped a few pieces of gold and silver jewelry in a handkerchief, changed into a set of light male attire, and set out alone.

When I reached the Imperial Palace Gate, the guards stopped me.

'Sorry, sir. Without a warrant from the Wen Chancellor, no one may enter or leave the Imperial Palace at will.'

Left with no choice, I went back to look for Wen Ruo Bin.

He looked at me, astonished, and said, 'What, you want to run away from home?'

I wore an expression of weary annoyance and said coolly, 'So what? Are you going to give it or not?' Going back and forth like this has already made the day dark—what's the point of going out to play now?

'If Xiao Ruo asks, how could I refuse?' Wen Ruo Bin casually handed me a stamped sheet of paper, wearing a grin that begged for a punch, 'But when the Young Master is about to chop off my head, you'd better remember to plead for me!'

I glared at him fiercely, snatched the paper, and headed toward the Palace Gate. Just thinking of the vast sky and sea I hadn't seen in ages, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on my face.

Suddenly, the view ahead dimmed, a fresh valley fragrance assailed my nose, my heart tightened, and I looked up to see Qi Ran's expression shift from surprise to fury.

'You want to leave?!' Qi Ran snatched the paper from my hand, crushed it into pieces, his eyes filled with barely concealed fear and near‑uncontrollable rage, 'You want to leave me?!'

I slumped, gazing at the paper scraps that had almost turned to dust, fluttering in the air, my sense of defeat reaching its peak.

'I just want to go out and see the country you govern.' Calm, calm! I forced myself to take a deep breath—this cold war had already dragged on long enough; I didn't want to make things worse.

The violent, discordant breathing gradually faded. The air quietly flowed with a long‑missing sense of ease and peace.

Suddenly my hand felt a warm, cool moisture, then tightened as Qi Ran pulled me forward.

When we reached the Palace Gate entrance, the guards on either side bowed respectfully, faces full of admiration and excitement.

Unfortunately, Qi Ran, their Young Master, didn't even give them a glance. Seeing this made me increasingly gloomy. What is this? Preferential treatment?

'Qi Ran, where are we going?' I struggled a bit, but couldn't break free.

Qi Ran's grip tightened, yet he didn't stop walking, and said lightly, 'You wanted to go out and have a look, didn't you? I'll take you there.'

Passersby glanced at us strangely; I suddenly realized I was still in male attire, my face flushed, and I stammered, 'Qi…… Qi Ran, wouldn't it be better if I went back to change my clothes first……'

Originally I wore male clothes because it was more convenient for a solo outing. But now two 'men' walking hand‑in‑hand down the street is a sight that would test anyone's heart!

Qi Ran lifted his head and gave passersby a faint glance; his peerless looks and innate aura made it impossible to stare directly, leaving them almost frozen in place, unable to move.

He frowned, pulled me forward a few steps, 'What does it matter what they do?' Then, with a tight grip at my waist, he boldly put his arm around me and continued onward.

I was a bit dazed, but couldn't help a faint smile spreading on my face, murmuring, "I don't know if male favorites are in vogue these days..." Unfortunately, my skin still isn't thick enough; I ignored Qiran's slightly annoyed gaze, reached up and undid the man's hair bun on his head.

Even if it's covering one's ears while stealing a bell, it's... better than nothing! I certainly don't want a perfectly good date spent from start to finish being stared at, cough... well... a date?

Silent all the way, it's really that this cold war has dragged on too long, to the point that I don't even know what to say in such an intimate gesture to ease this strange atmosphere.

However, once on the street, those gloomy thoughts were thrown to the clouds by me. The reason is, this Azure Snow Country is truly too prosperous, too peaceful.

Today, it looks like a market day, the street bustling with people coming and going, very lively. Strangely, almost everyone here wears a satisfied, happy smile. Whether familiar or just nodding acquaintances, when they meet they politely greet each other and ask after each other's well-being.

The people on the street vary in hair color, skin tone, and accent, yet unlike other countries, they don't use these differences to distinguish nobility from commoners. Everyone is busy, everyone has their own duties, there is no obvious exploitation, no huge wealth gap; if it weren't for the country being too small (compared to a well-governed large nation), this would practically be the ancient ideal of a prosperous peaceful age.

When travelers and commoners from other countries pass through, they always receive warm greetings and hospitality from the locals. Observing their manner and expression, they are neither humble nor arrogant, yet warm just right. When introducing their country's situation and life, they are full of pride and joy as citizens of Yi.

Such smiles, such peace and happiness, seem able to infect everyone on the street. The brow that had been slightly furrowed unconsciously relaxed, and a feeling never before felt, an unusual joy, slowly rose from the heart.

"Qiran, this is a very good country!" I lifted my head to look at his jade-like handsome face, smiling sincerely.

Qiran lowered his head to look at me, his eyes gentle yet dim, "As long as you like it."

A slight tugging pain in my chest—is it because to build such a country he had to become cruel, even being called a devil?

I took a deep breath and slowly said: "In our world, someone once said: 'When heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it must first suffer their mind, strain their bones, starve their flesh, empty their body, and disturb their actions.' The world united for long will split, split for long will unite. Qiran, you are a true genius. Your descent, your suffering, even your changes—perhaps they are destined—to put a stop to this tumult that has raged for a thousand years."

Qiran stared at me, perhaps not expecting me to say these things, momentarily unable to recover. His deep blue eyes, from calm to gently rippling. They were not like when I first saw him, clear as an autumn pool; nor were they like when we met again, failing to reflect the world.

I thought, this is enough.

Qiran's hand tightened, a faint suspicious blush flashing across his face before disappearing; he lowered his head, his long hair covering his eyes, his chin lightly tapping my head. Suddenly, out of the blue, he blurted, "Don't leave me!"

Sigh! Nothing but sighs, "When did I ever say I wanted to leave you?"

After strolling for half a day, I got a bit hungry, was about to call Qiran to get food, when I suddenly spotted a very delicate linked-finger ring.

Xinhui's right hand, due to severed meridians, is slightly deformed; though not noticeable unless examined closely, the right wrist is nearly a millimeter smaller in radius than the left. If this were put on…

I tilted my head and looked for a while, also recalling that Qiran had promised to help her "do surgery", maybe later… or perhaps… should I ask Wen Ruobin to buy it?

Forget it. I pursed my lips, "Qiran, let's go get something to eat up ahead." Having said that, I eagerly rushed toward the nearest tavern.

This afternoon, should we try a crazy shopping spree? It's been ages since I saw Qiran and Busha both arms full of stuff, wearing helpless expressions and feigned indifference (please match the expression to the seat). Thinking about it, my face couldn't help but break into layers of nasty smiles…

"Ah—" Not long after feeling pleased, my vision suddenly went black, and I had already bumped into some "wall", "ouch……"

The street is really bustling; this isn't the first time I've bumped into someone along the way, but the previous few times Qiran was there at the crucial moment, pulling me back, whereas this time I hit squarely.

I staggered back two steps from the crowd, frowning as I rubbed my sore forehead and nose tip, apologetically lifting my head: "Sorry, I……" Stuttering, freezing…… opposite were three similarly petrified……

"Bing……yi……" The crowd still flowed before me, but his voice seemed to stop everything, quietly, faintly carrying a familiar yet unfamiliar low and magnetic tone, flowing and winding around my ears and beside me……

He stepped forward, his handsome, noble face showing a hint of tenderness and joy, his steps paused, then without hesitation he walked through the crowd toward me……

"Young sir, what would you like to buy?" the stall-keeping old lady said while arranging her goods and warmly greeting.

Qiran glanced at the girl who had already rushed forward recklessly, couldn't help but frown with a headache, and said lightly: "Wrap up this chain, quickly."

"Got it!" the old lady shouted, quickly handing the packaged chain to Qiran's hands, "Please take……"

Qiran didn't bother with the old lady who had temporarily gone dumbfounded from seeing him, merely glanced at the brocade box in his hand, his face showing a faint, pure smile like a baby's, his eyes light and sky-blue, then turned to chase after the figure ahead.

His steps abruptly stopped. Qiran stared blankly ahead, in the crowded crowd faintly visible, a girl tightly held in someone's arms, and the man holding her.

Killing intent swirled, tightly restrained around him. His sky-blue eyes gradually deepened, grew cold, reflecting the fallen, barely-formed chain on the ground, as if shrouded by heavens of ice and snow, a desolate sky—heartless…… emotionless……

(End of chapter)