Chapter 207: So That Was It (1)

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Su Yu kept his head slightly lowered. Gu Yun couldn't see his face, only hearing him reply with somewhat slurred speech, "I'm not."

As soon as Su Yu opened his mouth, the strong smell of alcohol made Gu Yun's brows knit tightly together. He must have drunk a lot, and he kept his head down, ignoring her. Gu Yun was truly puzzled. When had she become so disliked? So she asked curiously, "Did I offend you?"

Gu Yun was just asking casually, but Su Yu was like a hedgehog, every quill bristling. His hoarse voice was almost a roar, "I said no! Can you not appear in front of me in the future?"

Su Yu's roar only piqued Gu Yun's curiosity. "Why?"

"No why, I just don't want to see you! Go away!" As he spoke, Su Yu actually pushed her. The wound on her chest had mostly healed, so being pushed a few times didn't hurt much, but Gu Yun was clearly losing patience. "What kind of drunken madness are you pulling?!" Pushing away the hand he still had on her shoulder, Gu Yun decided not to waste any more breath on a man dead drunk.

Gu Yun turned around, but suddenly felt a pain in her wrist. The force was astonishingly great; Gu Yun gasped in pain. Looking back, she saw Su Yu gripping her hand tightly, with no intention of letting go. Gu Yun cursed inwardly—did this damn brat want to crush her hand?

Just as Gu Yun was considering whether to give him a punch to sober him up, Su Yu suddenly raised his head. The face that came into view startled Gu Yun, and her hand, already balled into a fist, froze in place.

Having drunk too much, his complexion was flushed to the point of blackness. His usually clean face was covered in newly grown stubble, and his bloodshot eyes were dull and lifeless, appearing to stare at her but actually drifting wildly. A heavy breath laden with the smell of alcohol rushed toward her, and Gu Yun's expression darkened accordingly. What was Su Yu doing? He had been such a handsome and upright person—how had he become like this in just a few days?

Gu Yun wanted to pull her hand back and help him return to his courtyard to rest, but who would have thought that the man who looked completely wasted would still grip her hand so tightly? No matter how Gu Yun pulled, he wouldn't let go. Finally, Su Yu simply grabbed her hand to his chest, pressing it tightly against his heart. Gu Yun was startled, and before she could react, Su Yu threw her hand away like a madman, retreating in panic while whispering, "You are Big Brother's, you are his!"

His footing was already unstable, and after retreating a few steps, Su Yu stumbled and fell to the ground. His body hit the ground almost directly, and he muttered something unintelligible.

Gu Yun never dealt with drunks. In the past, when the team had gatherings and everyone drank, she usually wouldn't get drunk, and she would just leave when it was almost over, never staying to clean up such messes. Looking at the man sprawled on the ground, she felt helpless and prepared to call the night-patrolling soldiers to carry him back. As she walked past him, she heard Su Yu muttering something about Bing Lian... you... and so on.

She had always known there were secrets about Bing Lian, and since the old men of the Su family wouldn't say, she could start with Su Yu. Half-squatting, Gu Yun listened carefully to what he was saying.

"Why did Bing Lian choose you? Why you?! Bing Lian—"

After listening intermittently for a long time, Gu Yun still didn't quite understand. Taking advantage of his drunken stupor, Gu Yun asked in a low voice, "Does Bing Lian choosing me have any special significance?"

Su Yu closed his eyes and muttered a few words. Gu Yun couldn't hear clearly and was about to leave in disappointment when Su Yu suddenly sat up like a madman. His bloodshot eyes stared at Gu Yun, no longer dazed as before, but fixed straight on her. The complex and indecipherable light in his eyes made even Gu Yun feel a bit startled. After a long time, Su Yu finally spoke, "Bing Lian chose you, so you are Big Brother's wife. You are Big Brother's woman. I cannot, I cannot..." Like you!

Before he could finish the last three words, his collar was grabbed by Gu Yun. Gu Yun stared at him, asking impatiently, "What did you say? Whoever Bing Lian chooses is Su Ling's wife?"

Su Yu suddenly laughed, though it looked worse than crying. Gu Yun still refused to let him go, pressing him, "Speak clearly! If you don't explain today, I won't let you go!"

Su Yu's bloodshot eyes looked back at Gu Yun, laughing as he said, "For thousands of years, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Su family has been chosen by Bing Lian. Whoever it selects, no one can oppose. No matter if that woman is beautiful or ugly, smart or dull, as long as it chooses her, the descendants of the Su family must accept it. You were chosen by Bing Lian; I don't even have a chance to compete. Do you understand now!"

Seemingly to vent, Su Yu roared every sentence loudly, making it hard for Gu Yun not to hear. She didn't even have time to notice Su Yu's confession in the last sentence; the previous words hit her heart like a heavy hammer.

Beautiful or ugly, smart or dull—as long as it chooses her, the Su family descendants must accept it! Did Su Ling think the same?

Her hand gripping Su Yu's collar loosened unconsciously. Gu Yun muttered to herself, "You mean to say that who I am doesn't matter? If Bing Lian hadn't chosen me, Su Ling wouldn't have even noticed me!"

As soon as Gu Yun let go, Su Yu fell to the ground with a thud, laughing as he said, "There are plenty of talented and beautiful women around Big Brother! He doesn't lack women, he doesn't!"

Yes, she remembered the first time she saw him, how arrogant he was, even stingy with a glance at her. When she sparred with him at Lingyun Pavilion, the look in his eyes when he saw her holding Bing Lian was full of surprise and anger. So he was protesting Bing Lian's choice? Did he leave in a hurry later because he was unwilling? Everything was because of Bing Lian!

Gu Yun had always wanted to know the secret behind Bing Lian, but now that she knew, why did she feel so miserable? Her heart felt stifled, unable to breathe!

Su Ren had heard Su Yu roaring from afar. Seeing Su Yu lying down and Gu Yun half-kneeling, pulling at each other, he was shocked and roared, "Su Yu!" He rushed over in two or three steps, forcefully dragging the dead-drunk Su Yu away. Staring at Gu Yun's fluctuating expression, he hurriedly explained, "He's drunk, don't mind him!" Damn it, how much had Yu actually drunk?

Gu Yun stared straight at Su Ren, asking urgently, "The person Bing Lian chooses is the mistress of the Su family. You were so polite to me at the beginning, the elders of the Su family were so good to me later, and even Su Ling looked at me differently—it was all because Bing Lian chose me, wasn't it?"

Su Ren's heart sank. Yu had indeed said it. He pondered how to answer, "Actually—"

Seeing his hesitation, Gu Yun said word for word, "I want the truth."

Being too sharp wasn't a good thing either! With a low sigh, Su Ren replied, "At the beginning, it was indeed because of Bing Lian, but later, everyone truly liked you!"

So it was true—Gu Yun's face turned somewhat pale. She didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

"Qing Mo!" Su Yu was hanging on him, and he couldn't chase after her. Watching her slender back, which revealed a rare coldness, Su Ren's eyelid twitched uncontrollably. Helping up the dead-drunk Su Yu, Su Ren cursed, "You brat, you've caused a huge disaster this time!" If Big Brother found out, he would definitely skin him alive!

On the way back to Yitian Courtyard, Gu Yun's mind kept replaying every interaction with Su Ling—from disgust, anger, and indifference to later acceptance, concern, and even liking—it all seemed related to Bing Lian. If it weren't for Bing Lian, when suppressing the bandits, let alone accepting her opinions, he might not have listened to a word from a foreign woman; if it weren't for Bing Lian, he probably wouldn't have let a woman train the elite troops of his Su Family Army; if it weren't for Bing Lian, would he have said that "I am willing" that day?

Her heart felt stifled. Gu Yun walked into the room and saw Bing Lian hanging on the wall at a glance. She gently took it down and held it in her palm. She used to feel the cool aura was very comfortable, but tonight, for some reason, this chill seemed to seep into her heart, and her heart grew cold along with it.

Gently stroking the glistening white sword body, Gu Yun asked in a low voice, "Is everything because of you?"

Her cold voice was lost for the first time. When she asked this, her heart suddenly ached. This pain, different from a knife wound, made her unable to stand steadily. She gripped Bing Lian tightly and asked coldly, "Why did you choose me?"

Gu Yun sneered. She had thought she was special, thought he truly liked her as a person. It turned out it was just Bing Lian choosing her. In Su Ling's eyes, who she was didn't matter, did it? No wonder he could accept a ruined face, no wonder he tolerated her arrogance, no wonder everyone in the General's Mansion was so good to her!

So that was it—nothing more than that—why choose her?! She didn't need a sword to make others like her. She didn't want it! With a thud, Gu Yun threw Bing Lian back into the wooden box and turned to leave.

Bing Lian, which had been lying quietly in the wooden box, seemed to sense something. It leaped out of the box and blocked Gu Yun's path, seemingly trying to please her. The white sword body was so beautiful under the moonlight that one couldn't take their eyes off it, but Gu Yun had no mood to appreciate it. She said coldly, "I don't belong here at all. You shouldn't have chosen me!" She wanted to go back! She wanted to return to her original era! Passing Bing Lian, Gu Yun continued to walk out. Bing Lian followed persistently, but Gu Yun roared without looking back, "Don't follow me." Her mind was a mess, and she just wanted to be alone to calm down!

Bing Lian was left in the room. The moment Gu Yun stepped out of the courtyard gate, it shook violently—its master didn't want it anymore! Dazzling white light illuminated the spacious room, and cold air like white mist instantly swept through the entire Yitian Courtyard.

Gu Yun appeared at the gate of the General's Mansion in the middle of the night, startling the guarding soldiers, who asked, "Miss Qing, it's so late, are you going out?"

"Yeah, just walking around." She didn't know where she was going, perhaps just walking around. Only by leaving this mansion, which currently made her feel suffocated and heartbroken, could she perhaps think calmly. Gu Yun's complexion wasn't good, and she looked preoccupied and dazed. The guards didn't dare to help her open the gate. Gu Yun simply did it herself. The General had ordered that she could enter and leave the General's Mansion freely, so they didn't dare to stop her and could only watch as Gu Yun left the mansion gate.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 208 =====