“Do you take me for a three-year-old?” Jun Ye’an pursed his lips slightly, “What if you decide to kill us to silence us?”
“Alas, Jun Ye’an, you’ve always been adept at controlling the situation, but this time, you have no choice.” Su Feng Hua gave a cold laugh, “If you kill me now, that’s your choice, but in three days, when the poison takes effect, you’ll have to figure out the antidote yourself.”
At this moment, Jun Ye’an finally looked at Chu Xia; her acupoint for speech was sealed, her face as pale as snow, her eyes filled with sorrow. Their eyes met briefly before he looked away. Without further ado, he handed over the silver box, his voice cold: “In half a month, if you do not release her, I, Jun Ye’an, will ensure that not a single person or dog from the Huan Sha Sect remains.”
Su Feng Hua chuckled, though his smile carried a hint of irony. He waved his hand, gesturing, “Please, Young Master Jun, lead us to the dock.”
Jun Ye’an silently stepped forward to Chu Xia’s side and said calmly, “Since you fear nothing, you shouldn’t mind if I take her with me, right?”
Scholar Su made a gesture, still lazily saying, “Please go ahead. I didn’t expect Young Master Jun to be so sentimental.” The young master seemed oblivious, directly taking Chuxia’s hand and walking ahead. Her hand was unexpectedly hot, almost as if she had a fever. Startled, the young master examined her face under the moonlight, only to see her slightly shaking her head, indicating she was fine. “Chuxia…” His voice was hoarse, his brows tightly furrowed, no longer displaying his usual composure, “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Chuxia gripped his hand even tighter, nearly digging her nails into his flesh. She pressed her lips together, her long eyelashes fluttering as if tears might fall at any moment. The young master sighed silently, oriented himself towards the west in the valley, and started walking. They passed through a tea plantation and soon could see the waters of Dongting Lake and the small dock. Chuxia clutched his hand even more tightly, unwilling to let go. The young master stopped, turned around, and looked calmly at Su Feng Hua: “Take her away. If anything happens to her, your fate and that of the Huan Sha Gate will be like this tree.” With a flick of his sleeve, he struck a palm against a nearby tree with a trunk as thick as a bowl, splitting it in two, sending dust and debris into the air, forcing Su Feng Hua to step back several paces. The young master spoke indifferently, “I don’t care about the grudges between Huan Sha Gate and the Jun family; you’d better believe I have the means.” Su Feng Hua’s face grew solemn, a fleeting hint of fear crossed his features before he regained his composure. He silently lit a torch, waved it a few times in the air, and a small boat quickly approached. He leaped aboard first and then addressed Chuxia, “Miss Chuxia, please.” The young master reached out, gently caressing her cheek, enunciating each word, “Don’t cry.” He paused, then repeated his earlier promise, “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Her eyes, black and white, were misty, with a few teardrops clinging to her long lashes. Chuxia tried to look up, her gaze full of longing and softness, trembling as she let go of his hand. The young master bent down, giving a light kiss on her forehead, steeling his heart to let her go, when suddenly a woman’s frantic shout came from the distant lake: “Don’t let her go! She killed Qinglong!” The young master’s expression slightly changed, but Chuxia just stared at him, her tears now contained, only boundless melancholy like the lake waters remained. “She’s not poisoned! Young Master, don’t let her go!” The boat was rapidly approaching, Bai Xue’s voice growing louder. The woman on Su Feng Hua’s boat threw a handful of flying needles. Bai Xue dodged, and before the boat reached the shore, she had already leaped onto land, sending a fierce palm strike towards Chuxia. The young master silently blocked the attack, and in that moment, the woman on the boat swung out a long whip, aiming to drag Chuxia away. A flash of blue light from the young master’s hand, and his Yu Yang sword cut the whip. Chuxia stumbled and fell to the ground. Bai Xue advanced step by step, her beautiful face now twisted, her voice hoarse: “Why… why did you kill Qinglong too? He loved you so much…” Then, a flash of silver, and a silver hairpin fell onto Chuxia’s knee. She was overcome with anger: “Your hairpin… he kept it close to his heart until his death… and you? What about you?” Chuxia did not pick it up; she slowly stood up, letting the hairpin roll to the ground. Under the moonlight, her small face was as white as jade, her expression unreadable as she faced Bai Xue, “You managed to break the Stone Ler Fragrance… as expected of the Zhu Que Envoy.” Bai Xue gave a bitter smile: “I should thank you. After you killed Qinglong, that man was about to kill me, but your words ‘Keep her, she might still be useful’ saved me.” “How did you escape from there?” Chuxia’s voice was still devoid of emotion. “Naturally, someone saved her.” Another man’s voice came from the lake, and several small boats with lit torches approached, lighting up the rippling water towards the island. Chuxia pondered for a moment: “So, the chief steward, Cang, is the White Tiger.” The black-clad man leaped onto the island, his expression grave, and bowed to the young master, “Young Master, they cannot escape now.” “Why?” The young master’s handsome features were softened by the starlight, showing no trace of killing intent, only a subtle, restrained sadness as he gazed deeply at her. At this moment, he was just a young man, filled with indignation and pain due to the deception, betrayal, and the death of his loyal subordinate. Chapter Thirty-Four (Part Two) “You’ve already guessed, haven’t you?” Chuxia looked back at him, giving a wry smile. “I have guessed, but I still don’t want to believe it—I need you to tell me yourself.” The young master spoke slowly, still staring intently into her eyes. Chuxia’s cheeks were devoid of color, and behind her, a small boat was violently overturned. The woman grabbed Su Xiucai, pulling him ashore to stand beside Chuxia, confronting the surrounding crowd. “Anyway, we’re all doomed. A’ni, just tell him, so we can die with understanding.” Su Feng Hua squinted, a hint of malice flashing in his eyes. Chuxia gave a faint smile, turned to look at Su Feng Hua, and with difficulty, managed a laugh: “What’s there to say? At this point, what more can be said?” “Let’s start with the Wuren Escort Agency…” Su Feng Hua scratched his head, “Oh no, let’s start with Lady Wang Yun.” Chuxia’s hands hung at her sides, hearing the young master’s voice, devoid of any fluctuation: “Coming to Cangzhou to find relatives… was your pretext. There’s no father, no fiancé, just your Huan Sha Gate, right?” Chuxia suddenly looked up, her gaze still clear, her lips moved slightly as if to say something, but ultimately, she just shook her head, struggling to say, “No… it’s not what you think.” “Lady Wang Yun didn’t have an illicit affair; you left that plum blossom on purpose and added infertility drugs to her food to divert my attention… What did she discover that you had to silence her?” The young master pursed his lips, his gaze gradually returning to cold sobriety, yet he smiled in self-mockery, “You kept hinting at an insider in the Jun household, a clever move… seeking victory through peril.” At this moment, Chuxia seemed to have made up her mind, remaining silent no matter what the young master said. “The three gifts from the Wuren Escort Agency were truly a double-edged sword. I assume your Huan Sha Gate has a deep-seated grudge with Tian Gang as well; one, to use my hand to eliminate them, and two, to find the location of the Shan Shui Yao for you.” “Heh, indeed, well played, Young Master.”
