Chapter 98: Mutual Suspicion

The sun moved from east to west, and night fell. I furrowed my brows and continuously pressed a cold, water‑soaked towel onto Bu Sha's forehead. A palace maid beside me tried to help, but I refused.

An hour later, Bu Sha's body cooled from scorching heat to a shivering chill. White frost formed on his eyebrows. I startled, hurriedly felt his pulse, and found his blood vessels seemed frozen, his life force growing ever weaker.

Panic rose in me; the fear of the person before me dying intensified uncontrollably, and I turned, shouting loudly, "Blanket! Go fetch a blanket! And light the furnace, quickly!"

The room became chaotic, yet the furnace flame rose immediately. I draped the blankets that were handed over onto Bu Sha one by one, but the frost between his hair strands refused to melt and instead recongealed.

"Bu Sha, don't scare me!" I choked, placing my hand on his forehead, feeling the icy temperature seemingly siphoning his life force bit by bit, while I was powerless.

In my mind I recalled the Qiguo Imperial Palace, where Bu Sha, to harmonize my vital breath, ignored his worsening internal injuries and transferred his true qi to me. And I…

I was stunned—internal force! The same‑rooted internal force!

I flipped back the blankets covering him, helped him sit cross‑legged, and pressed my hands against his broad back. The icy cold on his body made me clench my fists; gritting my teeth, I summoned my internal breath, and a steady stream of true qi instantly flowed through his Shen Tang and Xin Yu acupoints into his body.

I couldn't tell how long had passed; my internal breath grew increasingly thin, and my strength felt drained. Fortunately, Bu Sha's body gradually warmed, and the qi pulsing in his meridians beneath my palm became more evident.

I slowly gathered the little remaining true qi, just as I was about to have someone help me up, when noisy fighting erupted outside the door.

Startled, I had no time to react before the door flung open. A violet‑cloaked figure, bloodied and raging, charged at me, followed by a group of terrified guards.

A flash of cold steel caught my eye as I tried to dodge the incoming spear. Yet at that moment, the partially gathered vital breath rebounded violently. My face turned pale; I fell backward, barely evading the blade, and my qi and blood surged so wildly I could not rise.

Bu Sha, unsupported by strength, also felt the backlash and slowly fell backward onto me, blood spattering from his mouth.

Panic surged; I seized the thrusting dagger with bare hands, blood dripping down my wrist. I snapped it away, pushing the attacker several steps back, without looking at who had tried to kill me, and hurried to feel Bu Sha's pulse.

Fortunately! I let out a long sigh, finally feeling the searing pain in my palm and a whole‑body weakness. I grabbed a scrap of gauze to wrap it, preventing further bleeding, and looked up at the assassin already pinned down by the guards, startled.

"Zi Xuan?!" I carefully covered Bu Sha with the blanket, furrowing my brows as I met Zi Xuan's resentful gaze, "Why did you kill me?"

Zi Xuan gave a cold smile and shouted to the surrounding guards, "No matter how I put it, I'm the young master's personal maid; you have no right to touch me!"

The guards hesitated, their faces showing unease as they looked at me. I gave a slight nod, gripping the Jue on my right wrist with my left hand. Once freed, Zi Xuan hurried to my side; the guards, flustered, quickly followed, shielding me.

"You ask why I killed you?" Zi Xuan sneered again, raising her left hand, her smile tinged with desolation and sorrow: "Because I must… take revenge!"

I was taken aback, then realized she was holding a wooden plaque that resembled an ancient spirit tablet.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Zi Xuan suddenly burst into a manic laugh, hoisting the plaque high before me, hissing, "You'd better look closely—whose tablet is this!!"

I stared, shocked, and blurted, "Lan Yan?! Is Lan Yan dead? How did she die?"

"As I thought, you didn't know Sister Lan is dead." Zi Xuan slowly lowered her hand, gazing at the tablet; a melancholy hue appeared in her beautiful eyes, and large tear drops fell, "Young master, how cruel your heart is!"

I stared at her in shock, voice hoarse, "She… she was killed by Qi Ran? Why would Qi Ran kill her?" A vague answer formed in my mind, causing my fear to surge uncontrollably.

Zi Xuan looked up at my increasingly pallid face and burst into a hysterically triumphant, yet deeply sorrowful laugh: "Hahaha… you fool, Sister Lan loved the young master so dearly, loyal to him—why would the young master kill her?" She suddenly stepped close, then sobbed, clutching my collar and shrieking, "If it weren't for you, if Sister Lan hadn't told you something she shouldn't have, how could the young master have killed her?!"

My body froze to the extreme, and all I could hear was Zi Xuan's wailing, like a stampede of ten thousand horses thundering past my ears.

Sister Lan already told you how terrifying the young master has become! Yet you are so self‑righteous; did you ever care about her safety? You knew the young master heard your conversation, yet you begged nothing, even snapped at him, provoking him to order that Sister Lan's meridians be sealed into a water prison. No matter how we pleaded, no matter how we tried to stop it, the young master would not grant even a hint of forgiveness. Alone in the cold water prison, Sister Lan fell into despair and regret, eventually dying of illness. Until her last breath she kept praying for the young master to see her once and forgive her, but where was the young master then? Where were you?!

Zi Xuan's voice gradually softened, overtaken by a sobbing grief. She crouched, pressing her head against the tablet, crystalline tears falling drop by drop.

"I'm sorry." I crouched, silently watching Zi Xuan's disheveled long hair, and after a moment managed to utter the words.

"You cold‑blooded bastard!" Zi Xuan snatched the spirit tablet and slammed it onto me. I winced, reached out and seized the tablet, feeling its heavy weight in my hand.

Zi Xuan stood, shouting at me, "You and the young master are the same kind of people. Apart from those you care about, everyone else's life or death is irrelevant. You can't even say 'sorry' without a hint of sorrow. You… you, the young master, and this assassin—you shouldn't exist in this world; you're cold‑blooded monsters!!"

I let out a long sigh, wiped the tears from the tablet, and said calmly, "You're right; I feel guilt, yet I truly can't feel sorrow. Zi Xuan, do you know where Qi Ran is now?"

Zi Xuan wiped the tears from her face, her beautiful eyes briefly meeting mine, and after a moment said coldly, "I don't know."

I stared into her eyes, a little dazed. Back then they were so proud, arrogant yet clear; now they are shrouded in a thin gray mist, no longer sparkling.

The events of that year harmed not only the three of us, but many more—the people I don't care about.

I truly don't want Qi Ran to become such a cold‑blooded person, colder than me.

"He is in the envoy hall of the Cangxue Nation's southwest." A lazy, husky voice sounded from outside the door, and Bai Shengyi, dressed in snow‑white robes, walked slowly into my room, a smile on his face that made me shiver.

I glanced at the flickering candles, the oversized night‑glowing pearl, then at the sky outside turning pale. My complexion steadied as I fixed my gaze on the man who had always terrified me, and said, "Bai Shengyi, please take Bu Sha to find your master Xie Yan Ke; we must leave now."

Bai Shengyi's eyebrows twitched slightly, a flash of surprise in his eyes, then he sneered, "Why would you think I'd help you?"

I forced a thin smile, turned, peeled the shell off a pill Qi Ran had left, and slipped it into Bu Sha's mouth, then said calmly, "Do you think, if anyone could help, I'd beg you? It's Qi Ran who instructed me."

I looked up at him, my smile turning bitter, "I don't understand why Qi Ran trusts you so much. He knows you hate Bu Sha yet still lets you take him for treatment. He believes you, but I don't. If it weren't this desperate moment, I wouldn't be begging you. I must go find Qi Ran."

Bai Shengyi's body shivered slightly, his face turning pale, and he suddenly spat a mouthful of blood.

Startled, I thought, "If you die, who can save Bu Sha?" I rushed forward, grabbed his wrists, took his pulse for a moment, then, slightly startled, asked, "What kind of gu is on you, so strange?"

Bai Shengyi frowned, brushed me aside, and coldly said, "It's none of your business. If you want to find Qi Ran, hurry and leave!"

I was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "So you've agreed? Thanks!"

Seeing his angry expression, I couldn't help but smile, turned to Zi Xuan, and said softly yet calmly, "May I borrow this spirit tablet for now? I want to take it to Qi Ran."

Zi Xuan's eyes flashed with a strange hue; she stared at me silently, clearly questioning why.

I gave a faint smile, a bitter, resolute grin, "Because whether it's me or him, we no longer want to be cold‑blooded and selfish. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire. Guard only those close to you, give warmth only to those you care about—that circle is far too narrow. Our hearts can never truly soar freely, and we will never be happy."

Bai Shengyi's eyes showed a mocking smile; he glanced at me and said coldly, "You'd better, when you meet Qi Ran later, remember the words you just said."

I was startled, a vague unease rising in my heart.

Clad in thin clothing, braving the cold morning dew, I crossed the empty street to the southwest mansion where Yiguo receives foreign envoys. A guard at the gate stopped me.

The guard who had been shadowing me stepped forward, brandishing a jade‑inlaid gold badge before the gate guard. The guard's eyes narrowed, and his attitude toward me became instantly utmost respectful.

I ignored their expressions, asked for Qi Ran's whereabouts, and rushed into the hall. In my mind flashed the hesitant, anxious faces of those guards, and my unease grew.

I charged to the splendid side chamber, giving myself no moment of hesitation; one hand cradling the tablet, the other forcefully flinging the door open.

A strong scent of spring greeted me, mingling a woman's pure fragrance with a familiar valley aroma.

I stared dumbfounded at the two naked bodies on the bed, locked in an embrace and kiss; my mind buzzed as if a long‑tensioned string had suddenly snapped, and the tablet fell to the floor unnoticed. Those two were none other than Qi Ran and Yin Tianxue.

The two in the room finally sensed something amiss and turned simultaneously. Their sky‑blue eyes held a faint warmth as they fell on me; their complexion was pale, expression indifferent, as if they barely cared that I had seen them.

Yin Tianxue gave me a slight smile, a flash of proud resentment in her eyes, then turned to press against Qi Ran's bare chest, softly saying, "Husband, the one you love has come to find you."

Qi Ran's long fingers brushed Yin Tianxue's silk‑smooth hair; his blue eyes lazily landed on me as he sneered, "What 'loved one'? Snow, stop joking; she was just someone I once coveted because I couldn't have her, and thus became obsessed."

"Now…" Qi Ran's pale, translucent face bore a cold, cruel smile, "She followed me devotedly, and I grew weary of her."

I took a deep breath, stared steadily at the scene before me, my fingernail embedded deep in my palm. I wanted to speak, "Qi Ran, I have already sent Bai Shengyi's troops to hunt down your master; if you find the blood medicine, you can intercept them halfway." I wanted to say, "Qi Ran, do you know about Lan Yan's death? From now on, stop hurting others for me." I wanted to say, "I intend to first rendezvous with Wen Ruobin, Xin Hui and the others, rescue Qi State, and also ask Xin Hui where Xin Luo, whom I have always ignored, has actually gone." I wanted to say…

But when I opened my mouth, and opened it again, those words just wouldn't come out. A sharp pain surged in my chest, even the true Qi that had been circulating to ease the pressure vanished, I tilted my head and spat out a mouthful of blood. It fell to the ground, onto Lan Yan's memorial tablet.

Then I never glanced again at that spring‑filled, enchanting house, turned and fled furiously from the luxurious mansion.

"What, not going after them?" Yin Tianshu rose, slowly slipping on a silk‑woven brocade robe, a complex cold smile on his face, "Aren't you afraid she'll, in a fit of anger, leave you?"

Qi Ran's complexion grew even paler, she bent and spat out a gush of fresh blood. Ignoring her frantic expression, she stared into the inner chamber and coldly said, "Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng, you've seen enough, haven't you!"

Footsteps sounded lightly inside the house; Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's eyes flickered with gold and silver before returning to pure black, a smug grin spreading across his mouth.

He held a bowl in his right hand, placed it gently on the table, then with a flash of his left‑hand blade he sliced his own wrist artery; fresh blood flowed slowly into the bowl, and after a moment the bowl was full.

"This bowl of blood is enough to save Bu Sha," Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng said with a cold smile, meeting Qi Ran's icy blue eyes, "Remember what you said. Do not explain a single word to her."

Qi Ran's fierce gaze swept over him; she straightened up, tossed on her outer coat, reached for a bottle and poured all the blood into it. Suddenly, her eyes froze, her whole body trembled, and she almost knocked the precious bottle of blood over.

She set the bottle down, took a few steps forward, and grabbed the blood‑stained memorial tablet from the floor. When she saw the characters "Lan Yan" on it, panic finally flashed in her normally placid blue eyes, and she turned to run out.

Her figure froze abruptly; Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng was already blocking her path, a wicked smile curled on his lips: "I don't know why you're so startled by that tablet, but you must be scared—has Bing Yi left you?"

Qi Ran said nothing, drew the cold blood from her waist, and a surge of killing aura erupted throughout her body.

A flash of the seal's brilliance passed, Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's eyes showed contempt as he coldly said, "Don't tell me you were injured while trying to save Bu Sha. Even at the height of your power, you might not be able to defeat my gold‑silver demon eyes. The blood that could save Bu Sha's life—are you refusing it?"

Qi Ran's whole body shivered, she turned to look at the porcelain bottle that Yin Tianshu held as if to smash it. Her blue eyes roiled, and after a while she finally withdrew the sword from her hand.

"That's right!" Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng simultaneously retracted the seal and sat down on the chair at the table, a childlike smile on his face, "The three of you are truly an odd combination. Though it's said that you and Bing Yi love each other, when life‑or‑death hangs in the balance, would you rescue each other first, or save Bu Sha? Even you probably can't answer that."

Qi Ran remained silent, wiped the blood off the tablet, and thinking of the pale face that had just spat blood, her expression grew gloomy.

"Xiao Qi Ran, do you really believe Bu Sha won't love Bing Yi?"

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng shook the teacup in his hand, his smile becoming clearer yet still wicked: "I have protected that woman before. If even I, who has only ever sought revenge, can feel possessive, let alone Bu Sha who cherishes her like a treasure—why not go back and ask Bu Sha what he actually dreamed of in that otherworldly nightmare that day?"

Qi Ran slowly lifted her head to look at him, a slice of icy blue in her gaze, and sat before him, sneering, "You really spare no effort in trying to sow discord among the three of us? It seems there's nothing to gain for you!"

"Gain?" Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng laughed, but his laughter was tinged with unwilling hatred, "When we were in the valley, watching the three of you play zither and dance with swords, I suddenly despised that world where no one could intervene or destroy."

"Perhaps… it's more than that?" Qi Ran poured a cup of tea, her complexion unchanged. Yet inside her heart swarmed like countless insects gnawing and crawling.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng smiled, "Indeed it's more than that. As for what I truly aim for, I won't trouble the young master any further. Just remember, you must not utter a single word to Bing Yi about the promise you made."

"Boom—" A rumble of distant thunder rolled across the sky, Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng's face showed surprise as he turned toward the window, "Strange, the weather doesn't look like it's about to rain thunder. Could something be amiss?"

As if to confirm his words, the distant thunder grew louder and more frequent. The sky darkened, only sharp bolts of lightning slicing through the increasingly oppressive heavens.

Night fell, lightning flashed, thunder roared, yet the rain never came.

Qi Ran stared blankly at the sky outside, its colors shifting, panic slowly blooming in her eyes.

"Boom!" A clap of thunder struck before the window, lightning arcing across Qi Ran's snow‑white face; every expression on her face drained away, leaving only terror… pure terror.

Her heart throbbed with a sudden pain; Qi Ran clutched her chest, desperately telling herself, "This isn't real, this can't be real." Yet…

"Boom————!" An even more violent thunder cracked the ground; the sky was now so black there was not a speck of light. Outside, gale‑filled leaves swirled, mingling with people's panicked screams, a mournful sound.

Fine rain drifts, the gentle breeze sways, leaning on a love as foolish as lingering affection.

Vast snow falls into the turbid Yellow River, letting his heart be wounded by ruthless indifference.

……

At last, the mournful yet unsettling song that had haunted his ears in the dream‑realm began to fade, the very song he had only vaguely heard there.

"Bing Yi!!" Qi Ran let out an almost desperate scream, caring for nothing else, sprang up, overturned the round table, and charged wildly outward.

Thus Character: Thus Character: Luofeng, startled, dispelled the true Qi that Qi Ran had forced into his body, shocked by the pure yet fiercely killing aura within her. He looked toward the black‑churning waves outside the window, and the image of a pair of amber‑glinting, lively eyes involuntarily flashed in his mind, stirring a restless irritation deep in his heart.

Vaguely, he felt that everything he had compelled Xiao Qi Ran to do today would produce a terrifying outcome no one could foresee. Still, he smiled, his warm face breaking into a grin, for that was how he would exact his revenge.

(End of Chapter)