Fu Shen glumly waved his hand, “No need to trouble you. Brother Yi, please return first. I’ll retrace my steps and look for it. I’ll return once I find it.”
Yi Siming knew the item’s significance to him and would not give up until found, so he did not insist and rode away. Fu Shen turned his horse back towards the county city.
Chapter 22: Falling Out | You and I, Such Jade
Perhaps by some predetermined fate, Fu Shen’s jade pendant was left in the small courtyard in the county city. Unpredictable destiny, like a giant hand, stirred the winds and clouds, turning everything upside down, and severed this young friendship that had not yet fully warmed.
Fu Shen still did not want to recall the exact circumstances of that day. He had encountered many obstacles in his life, matters of life and death, each heavier and bloodier than this. He was not a weak person who would indulge in memories. However, perhaps the first injury always hurts most exceptionally, and this incident was an exception because it brutally announced the end of his youth.
Returning to the county city would take only half a time-unit. However, from the moment Fu Shen entered the city, he felt an unprecedented subtle atmosphere. The city seemed less populated, the streets nearly empty, with every household’s doors tightly closed.
The closer he got to Cai Yue’s courtyard, the more unnaturally silent it became.
As Fu Shen led his horse into the alley, the small courtyard’s door was pushed open from inside.
Two people who should not have been there unexpectedly met.
He stood rooted to the spot, as if struck by a sudden blow, his gaze dispersing, his lips moving but only producing breath sounds—
“Yan, Xiao, Han.”
Fu Shen felt like he had fallen into an ice cave, having to bite his teeth and clench his fists to control his trembling. His subconscious had understood everything the moment he saw that person, but his mind seemed unable to process, hazy and unclear. He could only call out Yan Xiaohan’s name, unable to say anything more.
Why are you here? What are you doing? Why did you deceive me?
Yan Xiaohan was much calmer than Fu Shen, with a look of surprise flashing across his face before being suppressed by his deep, heavy gaze.