Chapter 209: Su Ling

From the moment Gu Yun asked that question, her heart had been hanging high, and she didn't dare to blink. Perhaps it was because of this unprecedented level of caring and nervousness that Su Ling's momentary hesitation and awkwardness appeared to Gu Yun as having nothing to say.

Her heart felt as if it had been stabbed hard—it hurt! He wouldn't say it, would he? Then she would say it for him: "Because the person Bing Lian chooses is the wife of your Su family, and I happen to be not too annoying, so it doesn't matter if you just make do with me!"

"Qing Mo!" Gu Yun's sharp words ignited Su Ling's temper, which had already been volatile from worrying all night. The hand around Gu Yun's waist almost snapped her spine. His icy eyes bore into her, and his suppressed voice was actually somewhat hoarse. "In your heart, I am such a man?" A man who compromises easily, a man who makes do with feelings! If he were willing to make do, he would have had a house full of concubines long ago; would he have waited until today to let her question and mock him like this?

Gu Yun's heart trembled, and even her hands shook slightly. She knew he was truly enraged. Clenching her hands tightly, she turned her head away coldly, refusing to look into those black eyes. Su Ling was even more annoyed. He roared in a low voice, not allowing her to escape, "Answer me."

He actually roared at her! He had never said a word to her about Bing Lian; he was deliberately hiding it. Even at this moment, he hadn't explained a single thing properly. The grievance in her heart finally made Gu Yun lose control and roar back, "From beginning to end, you never thought about letting me know what kind of man you are!"

Those eyes, which were always firm and bright, were now veiled in a thin mist. She didn't cry in a way that would make one's heart ache, but that faint mist was enough to extinguish all his anger. She wasn't suited for crying, and he wouldn't allow her to cry. His thick, large hand patted Gu Yun's back, his movements clumsy but very gentle. A deep male voice sounded in her ear, very slow but very firm. "Women have always been trouble in my eyes. If I didn't like you, let alone Bing Lian, even the Heavenly Emperor couldn't force me to marry anyone! I worry about you, protect you, and trust you—all because I like you. I like you as a person, and I want you to become my wife, not just the mistress of the General's Mansion or the eldest daughter-in-law of the Su family." After finishing, Su Ling suddenly felt relaxed.

Gu Yun was startled by Su Ling's sudden, deep confession. She froze there, unable to say what she was thinking, her mind just replaying the words he had just said over and over.

Gu Yun was rarely dazed. Su Ling found it amusing. He held her in his arms, lowered his body slightly, and whispered in her ear, "Did you hear clearly? Do you want me to say it again?"

His warm breath sprayed onto her earlobe in deep and shallow bursts. There was a boom in her mind, and she finally snapped out of it. Her face felt like it was burning. She didn't know if her face looked scary right now; she only knew her heart was pounding wildly. The clear and rapid heartbeat made her breathing unstable. Taking a deep breath, she was surrounded by his scent, and she was about to stop breathing. Gu Yun panicked and wanted to retreat from his embrace, but the hand around her waist wouldn't allow her to retreat. For a moment, she couldn't move and could only stand there stiffly, not knowing how to react.

Su Ling's deep voice sounded in her ear again, "And you?"

Gu Yun raised her head somewhat blankly, meeting Su Ling's incredibly serious eyes, and asked inexplicably, "What?"

"What do you think in your heart? Do you like me?" Su Ling's eagle eyes showed obvious anticipation and hard-to-hide nervousness.

Gu Yun looked at him blankly, instantly stunned! How could anyone be like this? Asking for an answer immediately after confessing! Under Su Ling's scorching gaze, Gu Yun's mind was in chaos. Having lived for over twenty years, this was the first time she was so at a loss.

Gu Yun's cat-like eyes stared straight at him in shock, not saying a word. The longer Su Ling waited, the darker his expression became, and his heart slowly turned cold. The hand holding her waist tightened—still very domineering, but without hurting her—and he asked in a low voice, "You don't like me?"

Looking at the obvious disappointment and heartache in Su Ling's eyes, Gu Yun didn't think much and replied immediately, "No!"

After saying it, Gu Yun's face burned again. My god, what was she saying! Denying it so urgently—did she still want her face? Gu Yun immediately lowered her head, not daring to look at Su Ling's face. But because she was held tightly in Su Ling's arms, her lowering her head turned into leaning against his shoulder. Gu Yun was only busy lamenting her loss of composure just now, completely failing to notice the ecstasy in Su Ling's eyes.

Staring in surprise at the woman who was "submissively" curled in his arms, Su Ling understood instantly. "I understand, that means you like me." Women were reserved; she must be shy.

Huh? Listening to the incredibly joyful and affirmative voice in her ear, Gu Yun raised her head somewhat blankly. Su Ling's big smile looked truly blinding. Such a smile would never appear on this cool face normally. Just because of her one "No," he could smile so joyfully. Gu Yun had wanted to say something else, but now she didn't want to break such a pure smile.

When he asked her if she didn't like him, her heart told her very quickly—no! That wasn't not liking; it must be liking, right? A sweet smile curled on her lips, and she let the arms around her waist pull her tightly into his embrace. Was this feeling of her heart being filled to the brim happiness? It turned out that just holding her tightly in his arms was enough to make him feel at ease and satisfied. But the tighter he held her, the more Su Ling's brows furrowed. Why was she so thin? Her body was almost all bones. Su Ling slowly released the person in his arms and pulled off the cloak on the horse's back to wrap her up tightly. It was already early winter, and she had come out at night wearing so little! Just a moment ago, he had been full of tenderness, but Su Ling suddenly changed his face. Gu Yun was somewhat puzzled; a man's mind was truly not easy to guess.

Holding Gu Yun's hand, Su Ling mounted the horse. "Let's go back. If you don't go back, who knows what kind of trouble Bing Lian will cause!"

"What's wrong with it?" Actually, thinking back over the past half year, Bing Lian had accompanied and protected her with all its might, and she was very grateful in her heart and truly liked it. It was just that she had been very angry tonight, and consequently, she hadn't given it a good look.

Speaking of this, Su Ling was annoyed. He snorted coldly, "It thinks you don't want it anymore, and it's throwing a tantrum."

"Throwing a tantrum?" Gu Yun didn't understand. Although Bing Lian was indeed very spiritual, how could a sword throw a tantrum?

Su Ling replied with obvious displeasure, "You'll know when you go back."

"Tell me first!" Gu Yun was truly curious.

Su Ling shook his head mysteriously. "Not telling." He didn't know what the General's Mansion looked like now, but it definitely wasn't good.

Su Ling wouldn't say, and Gu Yun was somewhat annoyed. She didn't mount the horse, but stared at him and pressed, "Tell me quickly!"

Su Ling laughed in a low voice, "Not telling!" Was she acting coquettish?

"Su Ling!" Gu Yun roared in annoyance. Su Ling remained unmoved, his brows raised slightly. Gu Yun's lips curled slightly, and she said slowly, "Tell... or... not!" Hmph, if he wouldn't say, she'd use force!

Hiss—Su Ling gasped in pain! This woman was truly heartless; her fingers were almost broken by her! Staring at Gu Yun's triumphant face, Su Ling's eagle eyes narrowed, and a dangerous aura approached. Gu Yun wanted to take a step back to get away from him, but it was too late.

"Ah—" Gu Yun screamed. He, he, he actually dragged her hand and pulled her onto the horse's back, and it was the damn face-to-face position! Sitting across Su Ling's lap, her waist held tightly by him, she could only support herself on his chest to keep a distance between them. This posture was truly embarrassing!

"Su Ling, you bastard!"

The woman's curses mixed with the man's deep, hearty laughter echoed in the quiet alley. The moonlight, which hadn't been very bright all night, suddenly brightened, stretching the shadows of the two people and one horse very, very long. The horse walked leisurely, the sound of hooves fading into the distance, and gasps and low laughter came from time to time, warming the chill of the night.

Until the figures of the two completely disappeared into the alley and the joyful laughter stopped completely, that lonely black shadow remained frozen there. The porcelain bottle in his hand was crushed into fragments, and sharp shards of tile sank into his palm. Blood dripped along his fingers, leaving a trail of heartache on the cold bluestone slab.

The black steed stopped in front of the General's Mansion again. This time, the guard who came up to meet them moved significantly slower.

Su Ling dismounted and helped Gu Yun down. The guard took Su Ling's reins with a shiver. "General—" The young soldier who had let Gu Yun go saw Su Ling bring her back and was almost moved to tears!

Gu Yun was confused. What was this situation? The guards standing outside the General's Mansion were all wearing thick cotton-padded jackets. Although they were still standing straight, their hands holding the long spears were clearly frozen red, and the breath they exhaled was white. The thick main gate of the General's Mansion was tightly closed, and the door panels were glistening and transparent, with faint white mist drifting from time to time. Gu Yun looked at Su Ling, whose face was iron-blue beside her, and asked blankly, "What's going on?"

Damn Bing Lian, it really wanted to freeze his General's Mansion! Su Ling's teeth chattered. Gu Yun's mind suddenly flashed, and she whispered, "Is it Bing Lian?!" This was too unbelievable, right?

Su Ling replied with hatred, "It's throwing a tantrum. Think of a way to make it restrain itself, otherwise it will be hard to clean up after dawn." Even the main gate was frozen like this; he didn't dare to imagine what it was like inside the mansion.

Gu Yun nodded in understanding. "Where is it?" If the ice didn't melt by dawn and people outside saw it, there would definitely be rumors everywhere.

"Yitian Courtyard." Thinking that Bing Lian might have turned the entire General's Mansion into something like Yitian Courtyard, Su Ling's teeth began to itch again. If he could, he would definitely melt it!

The two walked up the steps. The young soldier ran over and wanted to push the door open, but the ice on the door was very slippery. It was estimated that the inside of the door had been frozen, and no matter how he pushed, it wouldn't open. Seeing this, the other few people hurriedly went over to help. Seven or eight soldiers pushed together, and the heavy door was slowly pushed open. The creaking sound of the cold ice was very harsh, but it only opened a gap about a meter wide before it wouldn't move anymore.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 210 =====