Zhao Yeqing nodded and strode into the inn. As soon as he entered, the door was closed by the waiter… Li Wei led the way, bringing Zhao Yeqing to a room on the second floor. “Young Master, it’s here.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yeqing kicked the door open. A man and a woman were sitting inside. Hearing the loud noise, they both stood up.
Seeing Zhao Yeqing, the man resolutely protected the guilt-ridden woman behind him…
Zhao Yeqing’s tiger-like eyes widened, and he roared: “Lu Wushuang, how dare you! If you didn’t want to marry me, why did you agree to the marriage in the first place? And why did you elope with him on the day before our wedding? Do you know you’ve completely disgraced the Mingjiang Mountain Villa?”
The woman hiding behind the man stepped forward and knelt before Zhao Yeqing. “Young Master, I’m sorry. The marriage wasn’t my choice, it was my father who…” She couldn’t finish before crying helplessly…
Zhao Yeqing sat in a chair, frowning impatiently. “Crying now is too early. You can cry when I execute him.” He looked viciously at the man opposite, noticing from his eyes that he had no internal martial arts and was clearly an ordinary person.
Lu Wushuang immediately stood up, blocking the man. “Young Master, this is all my fault. It has nothing to do with Shan Bin. Please let him go. I’ll bear all the blame.”
The man called Shan Bin again stood in front of Lu Wushuang. Firmly, he said: “This has nothing to do with Wushuang. It was my idea. I persuaded Wushuang to leave with me. You can kill or punish me as you wish.”
Lu Wushuang held Shan Bin’s hand. “Shan Bin, how can you say that? If you die, I won’t live either.”
Shan Bin held her hand without caring about others. “Fool, what’s the point of living in this world without you?”
Suddenly, they both knelt before Zhao Yeqing.
Shan Bin said: “Young Master, we know we’ve wronged you and have no face to ask for forgiveness. We only ask that after our deaths, you bury us together. We couldn’t be together in life, but we hope to be together every day after death. We hope you can grant us this.” They kowtowed to Zhao Yeqing.
To know that Zhao Yeqing and Lu Wushuang were betrothed was originally just a remark by Zhao Yeqing’s father, Zhao Renshan. Half a month ago, Lu Wushuang’s father, Lu Zhannian, suddenly came to the Famous Sword Manor, demanding that Zhao Renshan fulfill his previous promise. Zhao Renshan sent a matchmaker to the Lu family, sent betrothal gifts, and set a wedding date. The Famous Sword Manor began preparing for the wedding. Initially reluctant, Zhao Yeqing only grudgingly agreed to the marriage after seeing the educated and reasonable Lu Wushuang. Unexpectedly, she eloped with someone else on the eve of the wedding.
Zhao Yeqing watched their loyalty and willingness to sacrifice for each other. If he said he wasn’t moved, that would be false. He wanted to be magnanimous, but what about the reputation of the Famous Sword Manor? Zhao Yeqing casually drew the sword from his waist and threw it in front of them. Expressionlessly, he said: “Did you think I would agree?”
After you die, I’ll throw one of you on the mountain and one into the sea, ensuring you can never meet again. Now, the sword is before you. Make your choice. Only one can live. Hurry, before I change my mind, one of you can still walk out alive. Once I change my mind, you’ll both lose your lives.”
The two people kneeling on the ground simultaneously reached for the sword. “Wushuang, I’ll go first. You must live well.” “No! Shanbin, I’ll go first. Don’t worry about me, you must live.” “No, I’ll die!” “No, I should die first.” The two knelt on the ground, arguing…
Zhao Yeqing watched them and felt a sense of compassion. He hadn’t seen such selfless devotion in a long time. Forget it, no need to argue with them. With them dead, he’d gain nothing… Zhao Yeqing suddenly said: “Stop! Stop arguing!”
The two, now crying, looked up at Zhao Yeqing…
“Lu Wushuang, do you know about the ruby bracelet in the betrothal gifts?”
Lu Wushuang nodded through her tears, taking out a delicate small box. “Young Master, I accidentally liked it, but I’m not greedy. Except for this, I haven’t touched any of your betrothal gifts.”
Zhao Yeqing signaled to Li Wei, who took the box from Lu Wushuang and handed it to Zhao Yeqing. Opening the box, he saw the family heirloom ruby bracelet. Spherical in shape, with uniform color and distinct angles, the ruby displayed intense colors in the sunlight…
Legend said it contained mysterious power… Zhao Yeqing closed the box and set it aside.
“Alright, you don’t need to run or die. Return the betrothal gifts to the Famous Sword Manor when you go back. Consider this marriage never happened.” He looked at the two, still shocked, picked up the box, stood up, and strode out of the inn…
Zhao Yeqing’s previous frustration and anger disappeared. Suddenly, he felt in a great mood, and the sunlight seemed brighter than before…
Dan Xiaoya quickly put her finger to her lips, making a gesture to be quiet. “Shh! Keep your voice down. Don’t let anyone else know.” She then peeked outside the door, confirmed no one was around, and closed the door. She said to the girl, “Bad people are chasing me. I had no choice but to dress like this. Do you understand?”
The girl nodded in understanding, covering her mouth with her hand, afraid that making a sound might bring disaster to the person before her. “Well, if you don’t mind and really want to wear my clothes, I’ll give you a set.”
“Really?”
“My clothes aren’t worth much. Come with me.” She then led Dan Xiaoya into the house…
With the girl’s help, Dan Xiaoya changed into a washed-out gray coarse cloth outfit.
The girl wrapped her short hair in a blue square scarf, completely hiding whether her hair was long or short. The coarse cloth clothes couldn’t hide her heroic spirit and beautiful face. However, dressed like this, no one would associate her with the handsome young gentleman.
The girl looked at Dan Xiaoya in women’s clothing and couldn’t help but say, “Sister, you’re so beautiful.”
Dan Xiaoya said nonchalantly, “What’s the use of being beautiful? I’m still bullied. Only strength matters. By the way, where are your parents? I only see you alone.”
Before the girl could answer, the door was suddenly slammed open. Several men with brutish faces entered – clearly not good people. Leading them was an old man in his 50s. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he shouted, “Fan Yue’er, come out!”
Hearing his call, the girl visibly trembled, her face turning pale. She nervously said to Dan Xiaoya, “Sister, quickly hide inside. My creditor has come. Don’t let them see you.”
Dan Xiaoya asked, confused, “Creditor? What are you afraid of? Can they eat you?”
“Sister, it’s worse than eating me. Please hide!” She pushed Dan Xiaoya inside. Although Dan Xiaoya didn’t understand what was happening, seeing the girl’s nervousness, she knew it wasn’t good and obediently went into the inner room…
Fan Yue was just coming out of the room when the old man in his 50s slapped her, sending her reeling. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you for so long. Are you trying to escape?”
“
Fan Yue covered her swollen face, trembling. “Yue’er wouldn’t dare.”
The man snorted. “Hmph! You owe me money, and today is the final deadline. If you can’t pay, don’t blame me for sending you to Yihong House to work off the debt.”
Fan Yue quickly knelt before him. “Master Qian, I really can’t come up with that much silver. Please give me a few more days. I’ll definitely find a way to gather the money.”
Master Qian sneered. “A few more days? Even if I give you a year, I don’t believe you’ll gather the silver. Fifty taels of silver – where will you get that much? Stop lying. Take her away!”
