Chapter 76: Confrontation

The person opposite me stepped forward; his handsome, noble face showed a faint gentleness and joy, his steps paused, then without hesitation he pushed through the crowd and walked toward me.

Still, the scent of sandalwood mixed with a hint of dragon spittle, my forehead and nose pressed tightly against his warm, solid chest, the arms at my sides locked around my body, drawing me close in a soft embrace, as if afraid I would flee again.

I pressed my hand against his chest, straining to put distance between us, and frowned: "Wei Lingfeng, enough already, in public!"

A low groan escaped his throat, a faint smell of blood reached my nostrils, I blinked slightly, lifted my head to his somewhat pale face, and asked, "Are you hurt?"

Just then, his tightening grip jerked me back into a tight hold. His voice, tinged with a smile, brushed my ear from the chin resting on my hair: "Got it, don't move around."

I shoved him away hard. What does his injury have to do with me? Seeing his lips pale from pain yet his smile growing brighter, my anger flared.

Calm down! Calm down! I absolutely must not quarrel with him—every time we clash, haven't I been schemed against for nothing?

"Wu Ye!!" I gritted my teeth, shifted my focus, "You brat, didn't you think to let me know you'd escaped? You slipped back to his side without a word, just to help him collect a corpse?"

"Cough cough…hahaha…" The laughter came from Wen Ce, standing behind Wei Lingfeng, who couldn't hold it in any longer.

A flicker of smile passed through Wu Ye's eyes as he stepped forward, his muffled, resonant voice sounding from beneath his mask: "My lord."

Hearing that address of "my lord," I felt a bit stifled inside. "My lord" is just a title; I actually don't want him to call me that. But hearing it all day, even if I regard him as a friend in my heart, when I look back and see him attending others loyally… sigh—

I glanced at Wei Lingfeng and snapped angrily, "Wu Ye, don't get it wrong—that's your master."

Wei Lingfeng's lips twitched upward as he looked at me, about to speak, but his expression suddenly froze, his gaze deep and shallow, lingering emptily ahead.

My waist was yanked hard, I staggered a few steps and fell into an embrace. Breathing the faint scent of a secluded valley, for the first time my scalp tingled and two words flashed in my mind—Done for!

I'd actually forgotten Qi Ran was still behind me; after finally easing the cold war, I wanted to cry but had no tears.

"Qi Ran, long time no see." Wei Lingfeng glanced at the hand tightly clasped around my waist, then let a faint but genuine smile appear on his face.

Qi Ran's hand loosened a little—better said, softened a bit—paused for a moment, and his gentle, stream‑like voice sounded, as if echoing from a thousand years ago: "Elder brother…"

This is a private room in a restaurant, nowadays called a private booth. In the room, besides the three of us—me, Qi Ran, and Wei Lingfeng—staring at each other, only a table of fragrant food and drink remained.

I buried my head, shoving tasty food into my mouth to fill my belly as quickly as possible, which had been growling the Empty City Stratagem all along. From my ears came the oddly strange reminiscences of Qi Ran and Wei Lingfeng.

"Was it Bai Shengyi who told you that?"

Qi Ran nodded, his gaze flicking to me for an instant, "Elder brother, I never imagined he would dare to use the Heart‑Eating Technique on you…"

Wei Lingfeng's lip curled in a cold smile, "It wasn't him; he doesn't have the guts for that."

"Not him?" Qi Ran startled, "But the genuine Heart‑Eating Technique—aside from him, who else in the world…?" His voice cut off, his wide blue eyes flashing with shock and disbelief as he looked at Wei Lingfeng, whose cold smile had not faded.

Wei Lingfeng toyed with his cup, his voice cold: "Back then, the twenty‑fourth generation Guardian of Bing Ling who had not yet betrayed them—a Gold and Silver Ability User whose appearance and name were unknown, namely your eldest senior brother—didn't he also possess such ability?"

Qi Ran's face paled a fraction, his voice hoarse: "Master said the eldest senior brother had already…"

"Qi Ran." Wei Lingfeng raised an eyebrow, cutting him off: "You've been looking for me for a long time, haven't you?"

In the room, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, I held chopsticks in my mouth, cheeks full of tasty food, head bowed, not daring to chew.

"This country is well governed." Wei Lingfeng suddenly interjected out of nowhere.

Qi Ran set his hand on the table; the hand beside me trembled slightly, his voice tinged with faint desolation: "Sorry… elder brother…"

Wei Lingfeng chuckled, drew a dagger from his bosom, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Qi Ran.

My hand, which had been picking up vegetables, paused as I looked at the dagger I'd seen twice… After a moment's thought, I resumed my original motion, picking up a piece of black fish, removing the bones, and continued eating. Too bad the "red oil boiled dumplings" I craved most lay too far away for me to reach.

Qi Ran took the dagger, his face flashing a moment of blank surprise; I leaned in slightly to look—the hilt bore a carved "Ran" character, the strokes strong and forceful, somewhat familiar, though I couldn't at once recall where I'd seen it.

Wei Lingfeng lifted his cup, drained it in one gulp, his face showing the nostalgia and bitterness I'd once seen: "This was prepared as a gift for your fourteenth birthday back then. The blade is forged from mysterious iron, the hilt from thousand‑year‑old cedar, cool to the touch, able to cut gold and jade. Now…" He set the cup down, his expression returning to its usual elegance and unfathomable depth, "Or I'll just give it to you."

Qi Ran lowered his head, his crystal‑clear, slender fingers slowly and carefully stroking the blade, then sighed and slipped it into his bosom.

Sigh! I followed with a sigh in my stomach—this whole table of food, aren't you two hungry?

Suddenly a pair of red‑wood chopsticks appeared before me, and then a piece of the "red‑oil stir‑fried hand" I'd long craved was casually placed into my bowl.

How fragrant! I lifted my head, met Wei Lingfeng's smiling eyes, and happily said, "Thanks!" It would be even better if he could bring the whole plate over to me.

So, nowadays you get what you wish for! Qi Ran reached out and swapped that plate of red‑oil stir‑fried hand to in front of me, lightly saying, "Eat slowly, nobody's going to take it from you." I lifted my head and nodded happily at him—just short of wagging my tail.

"Is your wound…?" Qi Ran's voice trailed off; my heart tightened, the image of a black‑haired, black‑eyed face flashed through my mind, and I quickly pricked up my ears to listen.

"No." Wei Lingfeng answered without hesitation, "Although that's what he claims outwardly. But the one who hurt… my person, isn't him."

I stared, my heart suddenly clearing a little. I lifted my head to look at Wei Lingfeng, frowning: "Was the mission Bu Sha received assigned by you?"

A flicker of smile crossed Wei Lingfeng's eyes as he rolled up his sleeves, casually slipped a piece of "glutinous rice cake" into my bowl, the corner of his mouth turning up: "You're half‑right. Between him and me, it's not a matter of task assignment—it's cooperation."

How odd! This guy always likes to help me pick dishes whenever we eat together—could he have a fetish for that? I lowered my head, chewing the still‑tasty glutinous rice cake while I guessed Bu Sha's intent, only to grow more confused the more I thought.

Forget it! Let Qi Ran worry about this complicated mess; I just hope Bu Sha doesn't get into trouble.

Looking back at Qi Ran's expression, aside from being a bit gloomy (why am I feeling guilty?!), he showed no surprise—he already had everything figured out. Indeed, facing these two over‑smart people, all I can do is lower my head and shovel rice.

Qi Ran's hand lay still on the table from start to finish—he never picked up chopsticks, nor took a sip of wine. Sigh! Does anyone know how his stomach ailment came about?

I lowered my head, tossed a delicate pastry into his bowl, and whispered, "Watch your stomach."

Qi Ran's hand twitched, he picked up his chopsticks, then felt Wei Lingfeng's piercing gaze fixed on me.

So why am I feeling guilty? It's not like we're really husband and wife, yet I feel like I'm sneaking around with a lover outside. The problem is I can't tell who counts as the adulterous partner… cough… nonsense, nerves frayed…

"I hear that besides Bai Shengyi and Wen Ruobin and a few others, everyone around you has nothing to do with Bing Ling?" Wei Lingfeng phrased it as a question, but his tone was affirmative.

"Yes." Qi Ran's voice paused, then continued with a hint of mocking laughter, "The people arranged around me are actually quite many."

"In that case…" Wei Lingfeng's tone took on a strange depth that made me lift my head. His gaze seemed to fall on Qi Ran, his eyes flashing with sharp light, as if he held all things in his grasp, he said lightly, "Qi Ran, are our goals the same?"

Qi Ran's expression didn't change much; instead, his eyes gradually showed a trace of weariness and indifference, his gaze shifting to me, softening and gentling, then when he turned back, only icy resolve remained: "Our goals are indeed the same. So, elder brother…" He extended his crystal‑clear, slender hand across the table to Wei Lingfeng and gave a cold smile: "Pleasant cooperation."

Wei Lingfeng blinked slightly, then reached out with his equally jade‑white hand, clasped it, and smiled deep and unfathomable: "Pleasant cooperation."

How strange! Truly strange!... I stuffed a pastry into my mouth, eyes darting this way and that. It seemed… while I was still lost in a haze, a matter of life and death for the world of Heaven and Continent was settled so lightly, right here at my solitary dinner table.

"…Bing Yi."

"Huh?" I started back to awareness, biting the chopsticks in my mouth as I looked toward the source of the sound.

Wei Lingfeng's lips bore a light smile, his eyes full of gentle affection and pity; his pale, slender fingers came over, gently sweeping my tangled strands behind my ear, then he spoke softly, "Had enough fun? Shouldn't you come back with me?"

How cold…… I shivered; in ancient times there's no air conditioning, why does the room feel like it's suddenly freezing?

I sighed, gave a wry smile, "Wei Lingfeng, do you really think I'm playing? From the moment I fled the imperial palace, I never wanted to return to that golden‑silk cage."

"A golden-thread cage?" Wei Lingfeng chuckled, "That metaphor is quite apt."

"Or, I could build you a villa outside the palace; as long as you like it, I'll still let Wuye and Xinhui follow you..."

"Wei Lingfeng!! I flung down my chopsticks, glaring back at the hint of teasing in his eyes, 'Do you find teasing people fun?'"

Wei Lingfeng wiped the smile from his face, yet the teasing and mockery in his eyes leaked out completely: "Hmm? You don't like it? I thought Bingyi simply didn't want to stay in the palace, so she unilaterally broke the contract."

I stared, stunned, at the surging anger in his eyes and the hurt he was desperately trying to hide, an inexplicable tightness gripping my chest...

My hand suddenly clenched, followed by a wave of burning pain, making me involuntarily cry out softly.

"Qiran..." I glanced guiltily at his cold expression, and in the next instant he pulled me and my chair close to his side.

"Big brother, let me introduce you." Qiran's arms tightened around me, his voice calm and flat, "This is my fiancée."

"Fiancée… fiancée?!" I exclaimed, forehead lined with black lines as I looked up at his icy gaze, I… I didn't dare speak. Well, fiancée is fiancée, after all, it's a free gain.

"She is the only person I have ever loved in my life, and also the only one I wish to marry."

My heart skipped a beat, my eye sockets hot and wet as if tears would fall but didn't. Qiran, I tightly gripped his hand back, feeling the thin callus on his palm, our fingers interlaced.

"This is getting troublesome." Wei Lingfeng leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowed dangerously, "Bingyi, you never told him your identity?"

The hand around my arm tightened suddenly, as if even my bones could feel the unease seeping from his palm, then slowly loosened. I looked in astonishment as Qiran gathered all the struggle in his eyes, even something called emotion—his blue irises faint and pale, like an endless sky, yet more like an all‑devouring sea.

"Big brother, I'm no longer that former prince who could be taken advantage of at will." Qiran calmly gazed at Wei Lingfeng, still leaning back opposite him, "So don't force me to become your enemy. Because, you can't afford to lose."

"Is that so?" Wei Lingfeng wore a detached cold smile, poured himself a cup of wine, took a light sip, then drained it, "On the surface, that's true. You are the Young Master of Bingling, and you have your own country and army. Just from that, you already have strength not inferior to mine. But these are probably not the point. As you are now, aside from Bingyi and Bu Sha, you have no attachments, cold‑hearted and ruthless. Whereas I still cling to the world and power, so if we become enemies, I will surely be the one who loses. Right?"

The wind‑chime at the eaves outside tinkled in the breeze, the air seemed to darken suddenly, a restless wind swirling the cluttered air outside the window. The indoor lights flickered, shadows shifting.

Qiran's deep‑blue pupils slowly contracted then dilated, his thin lips pressed tight, and he uttered softly, "What Big Brother said is all correct."

"If," Wei Lingfeng raised his empty wine cup, swayed it before him, stood up, his long lashes fluttered, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile as light as willow fluff, "If, even so, I still insist on having the woman by your side—the one I love alone, the one I alone wish to marry, the one I will never let go. Qiran, we truly are brothers!"

I stared in shock at Wei Lingfeng's half‑smiling face—clearly an unfathomable expression, clearly a teasing tone—yet the resolve in his eyes was something I could not overlook no matter how hard I tried.

——Bingyi, are you truly slow‑witted or just pretending to be clueless? What kind of feeling and response do I want? Don't you know?

——Unfortunately, now the only thing he truly wants…… I also refuse to let go.

His every word from back then echoes clearly in my mind—am I really slow‑witted, or just pretending to be clueless?

Escape, escape, escape! Along this journey, whenever I faced an emotion I couldn't confront, aside from escaping, what else have I done?

"Wei… Lingfeng." I wrenched free of Qiran's grip, pulled off the snow jade "Purple Phoenix" hanging from my neck, spread my palm and held it out to him, "Sorry, I……"

"Ding——" a soft chime cut off my words, Wei Lingfeng set down his wine cup and looked at me; the shallow ripples in his eyes were the tenderness I had deliberately ignored, "Bingyi, I admit that when I first took you as my wife, I had other motives."

"But even earlier, when you held me in your arms, weeping, and asked who should guard this girl's heart, I had already decided—no matter what, I would bring this fool back, cherish you, protect you, for a lifetime." Wei Lingfeng grasped my icy trembling hand, gently folded it, wrapped that piece of snow jade in my palm, then enfolded my small hand in his warm big hand, and whispered, "I…… can I take it back?"

"Bang——" I shot up, the sound of a chair toppling over coming from behind me.

I clenched the snow jade still in my hand, stared blankly at the man before me—my husband in name only, whom I had never truly understood—and exclaimed, "That person isn't Wuye, is he?!"

Wei Lingfeng rose calmly with a faint smile, walked to me, lowered his head to look at me; I swayed, took a staggering step back, "Is it really you? Then, that remark……"

Fool, who in this world isn't learning strength while stumbling?

"Was that remark also something you whispered in my ear?"

Wei Lingfeng didn't answer my words; he simply pressed my head gently to his chest, rising and falling with his breath, and in a low, hoarse voice said softly, "Bingyi, I once said I didn't care for the word 'friends'—can I take that back now? Even if we're just friends, it's fine; please stay by my side."

(End of chapter)