He Thought She Was Gripping a Dagger, But She Was Pressing on the Bracelet

Luo Wanqing said nothing. She only gripped her knife tensely, staring at the unfathomable person before her, trying to discern his thoughts.

She knew she had no chance of winning against him in battle and could only delay until Xie Heng arrived. So she pondered how to respond in a way that would buy more time.

However, Li Guiyu seemed to see through her in that moment, his expression growing cooler: “He won’t come.”

Luo Wanqing’s gaze sharpened abruptly: “What did you do?”

“Why are you angry?”

Li Guiyu didn’t answer, only stared into her eyes: “Are you worried or afraid?”

“What business is it of yours?” Luo Wanqing gripped her knife handle, shouting lowly: “What exactly did you do?!”

Hearing Luo Wanqing’s words, Li Guiyu made no sound. After a long while, he suppressed his emotions, turned his head away, and only said: “I don’t want to argue with you. Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

Luo Wanqing watched him warily but still followed his steps.

Li Guiyu was ultimately here for the Orchid Token. He should now be heading to the entrance of Liufeng Island. If Xie Heng could save himself, he would wait for her at the door to Liufeng Island.

She followed behind Li Guiyu. Sensing her following steps, Li Guiyu’s expression unconsciously softened as he walked ahead and spoke: “Inspector Liu has been in Jiangnan for some time now. Have you visited any old places?”

“What’s the story with this cave?” Luo Wanqing didn’t want to reminisce with him and spoke directly.

Li Guiyu slowed his pace, holding the flower lantern at just the right distance—neither too far nor too close—to illuminate the ground beneath her feet.

He wasn’t annoyed by her lack of response. Instead, he patiently explained: “Xie Minsheng is extremely skilled with mechanisms and formations. This is his Nine-Curve Corridor Array. We’re at the array’s eye, and I control everything. When the time comes, we’ll leave.”

“What time?”

Luo Wanqing was puzzled. Li Guiyu’s voice was flat: “The door to Liufeng Island has a special opening time. The gate will only reveal a groove that can accommodate the Orchid Token after another quarter-hour. Only then, when the Orchid Token is inserted, will the gate open.”

A quarter-hour…

Luo Wanqing glanced at Lianqing. The little ball of fluff seemed to understand her thoughts and fluttered its wings slightly when Li Guiyu said, “Does this bird want to live?”

Lianqing immediately folded its wings. Li Guiyu looked at the person and bird behind him, as if seeing through their thoughts, and said coldly: “Xie Heng can’t come.”

“What do you want to do?”

Luo Wanqing observed her surroundings. Li Guiyu answered calmly: “This is my business.”

“How do you know about this array’s eye?”

Luo Wanqing knew she couldn’t get anything out of him, so she had Lianqing record the route while observing the patterns.

She had studied mechanisms and formations at the Supervision Department, but only superficially. At this moment, she could only make out the general idea, but couldn’t guess the way out at all.

Li Guiyu heard her words and slowly explained: “When I was in Jiangnan years ago, I already knew Liufeng Island was here. I had explored this place long ago and found the array’s eye.”

“His Highness’s time in Jiangnan wasn’t wasted after all.”

Luo Wanqing spoke mockingly. Li Guiyu fell silent. After a moment, he said calmly, “Inspector Liu probably doesn’t remember that I stayed in Yangzhou for many years. Back then, I was just a guard.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing looked up to see the flower lantern swaying gently in the darkness, becoming the only guiding light in this blackness.

The voice of the lantern-bearer merged into the darkness, as if swallowed by it. His tone was gentle, tinged with nostalgia: “My young miss’s surname was Luo. She was my fiancée.”

“Your Highness should be careful with your words.” Hearing this, Luo Wanqing immediately spoke coldly: “Your Highness’s fiancée is Miss Zheng. Even if she has passed away, you shouldn’t forget her so readily.”

Li Guiyu paid no attention, correcting calmly: “It was Luo Wanqing.”

“Your Highness, these words…”

“Don’t speak.”

Li Guiyu suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.

His eyes were as dead and cold as usual, but looking carefully, one could vaguely detect what seemed to be a trace of pleading.

“Let me say this once.”

In that instant, Luo Wanqing saw the shadow of Jiang Shaoyan in him.

The sarcastic words suddenly couldn’t leave her mouth.

She suddenly realized that Li Guiyu and Jiang Shaoyan were different after all.

She couldn’t bring herself to say overly harsh words to Jiang Shaoyan.

This realization disgusted her, and her self-hatred suddenly far exceeded her hatred for the person before her.

Seeing her concession, Li Guiyu lowered his eyelids, suppressing that bit of joy he shouldn’t have felt.

He turned his head and continued walking forward, saying calmly, “Six years ago, she rescued me from the Eastern Capital. I remember that initially, I had a terrible temper. Back then, I didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to see people, didn’t want to live, but also didn’t want to die. I was just acting on instinct, trying hard to cope with them. I thought I was acting very well, but one day, my young miss suddenly came to me holding a pipa. She told me she wanted to play music for me.”

As he spoke, Li Guiyu smiled: “I said the pipa was too difficult to learn and asked why she wanted to learn it. She told me it was because she wanted to make me happy. She said she had seen how much I enjoyed listening to ‘The King of Yue’s Sword,’ so she wanted to learn it. But she didn’t understand—I didn’t like ‘The King of Yue’s Sword.’ I just understood the meaning of my existence.”

“But she didn’t understand.” Li Guiyu’s tone became gentler, “She had never seen the darkness of this world. She was as pure as a fool, truly learning that song for me day after day. She did many things for me. During those five years in Jiangnan, it looked like I was coaxing her, but in reality, she was always accommodating me. She loved me.”

Li Guiyu spoke with certainty, leading Luo Wanqing to a spacious hall filled with many candles. Li Guiyu took the light from the flower lantern and began lighting the candles one by one.

Luo Wanqing sensed something was wrong. Watching Li Guiyu light the candles, she frowned: “So what?”

“My young miss—she loved me and also hated me. I killed her father, ruined her entire family, deceived her, coaxed her, and betrayed her. I should rightfully be the person she loved most and hated most in this life. If she didn’t die, if she came back, she would come to find me and kill me.”

As he spoke, Li Guiyu finished lighting the row of candles on the left side. Half of the area was now bright.

He turned to the right side and continued lighting candles.

Intense fighting sounds came from above, clearly involving masters, like an earthquake, making the floor above tremble continuously.

However, Li Guiyu remained unmoved. He continued lighting candles, his voice gentle but with barely contained calm: “But you went to the Supervision Department. I gave you the chance to kill me, but you didn’t come. I asked if you were Luo Wanqing, and you said no. I asked again and again, and you denied it again and again. But if you won’t acknowledge it…”

He lit all the candles, holding the last one, and walked step by step to Luo Wanqing. He stared at her, seeming to struggle to control his emotions, only asking: “Where is my young miss?”

Luo Wanqing didn’t answer, gripping her knife in silence.

She saw the door.

The black iron door carved with orchid patterns was ahead, but she couldn’t see anywhere to use the Orchid Token.

Was this the gate to Liufeng Island? If not, where was the real entrance?

Luo Wanqing pondered, not daring to pay attention to Li Guiyu.

Seeing that she wasn’t listening to him at all, Li Guiyu chuckled softly, raised the candle higher, turned aside to make way, and reminded her: “Inspector Liu, look up.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing looked up in that direction, and her pupils contracted sharply in an instant.

Dozens of skeletons hung high in the air around them, each one looking down at them.

Li Guiyu unconsciously turned halfway to shield her, staring at every change in her facial expression: “These are what I dug up from where they said you met your demise.”

Luo Wanqing’s pupils contracted sharply as she looked at the white bones on the wall in disbelief. Li Guiyu watched her expression and said calmly, “I had people dig up the small mountain that had accumulated after the landslide, collect these bodies, and send them to the Eastern Capital. I handled every single one of these remains, but I couldn’t find my young miss. Inspector Liu,” he placed his hand on her shoulder, moving behind her, leaning down slightly beside her face to be at the same height as her, looking up together at the wall full of remains, speaking gently, “help me look—where is she?”

Luo Wanqing said nothing. She stared blankly at the bones on the wall, unable to imagine.

He had hollowed out an entire mountain!

To prove her lie, he had had people completely excavate the collapsed mountain, sending all the bodies to the Eastern Capital, then bringing them back to Jiangnan.

She thought she had been very clear, thought he would let go.

She thought that once he verified it, he wouldn’t be obsessed anymore, that they were just enemies who wouldn’t dwell on the past.

But he still obsessively dragged her back to Jiangnan, back to that prison, making her see that wall full of names, this wall full of bones, reminding her and telling her of the past’s existence, of Jiang Shaoyan’s existence.

Her heart began to tremble bit by bit. Li Guiyu felt the tense muscles under his hand, quietly looking at the bones on the wall, murmuring: “Can’t find her, can you?”

The warmth under his palm was like a winter charcoal fire, making even the bone-deep cold from his time at Prince Guang’an’s mansion feel soothed. He unconsciously reached forward, wanting to embrace her entire person.

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t control himself, like the Five Stone Powder he absorbed night after night—the person before him was thousands of times more irresistibly attractive than Five Stone Powder.

His breathing involuntarily grew heavy. In despair and self-blame, he tremblingly extended his hand bit by bit, wanting to wrap her in his embrace.

Luo Wanqing sensed the familiar warmth approaching from behind. All her attention was on the breath at her nose tip. In an instant, she suddenly discovered that the base fragrance he used was still the one she had blended for him back in Jiangnan.

Even though he had added some ambergris to mix and suppress that scent, when she sniffed carefully, it was still Jiang Shaoyan’s scent.

Her mind went blank for half a moment. Li Guiyu tremblingly embraced her, holding her loosely around her body.

Like embracing a lost and recovered treasure, embracing a god fallen from the altar, his forehead pressed against the vertebrae of her neck, trembling as he spoke: “Young miss…”

As he spoke, he tentatively tightened his arms. The moment his fingertips touched her clothing, Luo Wanqing suddenly awakened. Her knife edge immediately stood upright before her, unsheathed, slashing directly toward his palm.

Li Guiyu’s expression grew slightly cold, but he neither dodged nor avoided, gripping the blade and pressing her into his embrace!

Lianqing cried out and flew away. Li Guiyu gripped the blade, watching blood flow down the knife edge. Pain and pleasure came simultaneously, and his expression involuntarily softened.

Luo Wanqing struggled with force, spinning the blade to force him to let go, then thrust the knife from under her arm backward, directly threatening Li Guiyu’s front.

The knife came too fast. Li Guiyu was finally forced to spin away. Luo Wanqing immediately withdrew her knife and pursued with a slash. Seeing the blade coming toward him, Li Guiyu flicked his bloody hand, and Luo Wanqing felt a tremendous force pressing on her blade.

However, she didn’t care and bit down, cleaving upward. Li Guiyu was finally forced to draw his sword, and with a “ding,” it collided with her knife.

A strange gleam flashed in Li Guiyu’s eyes. Noticing the position she had been protecting all along, he couldn’t help but tremble: “What are you doing? Do you think I want to steal the Orchid Token?”

“Don’t you?”

Luo Wanqing looked up calmly. Li Guiyu’s breathing stopped. Just as he was about to say something, he heard the sound of mechanisms operating nearby, as if someone had opened a door.

Li Guiyu’s expression became stern. He immediately grew serious, his sword qi thundering down. This sword strike was too powerful. Luo Wanqing was shocked and retreated rapidly. But just as she stepped back, Li Guiyu grabbed her knife-wielding wrist and said coldly: “Since you think so, then give it to me!”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing turned her knife handle downward, catching it with her other hand and instantly bringing it across his throat, saying calmly: “How dare I abandon my young master’s possession while I still live?”

Li Guiyu’s breathing became erratic, his face suddenly cold. His sword tip stabbed directly at Luo Wanqing’s face like a viper’s tongue, both urgent and fast.

Knives were much clumsier than swords. Luo Wanqing struggled to dodge his thrusts with her knife, retreating repeatedly.

At this time, the rumbling sounds from above drew closer. Luo Wanqing sensed this might be Xie Heng and turned to rush toward the source of the sound.

Seeing this, Li Guiyu followed closely behind, listening to Luo Wanqing frantically shouting upward as she ran: “Young Master! I’m here, Young Master!”

This voice cut into Li Guiyu’s heart.

What did she take him for?

Did she think he wanted to kill her, or what did she think he wanted to do?

But he also understood—she was doing the right thing. He should kill her. After all he had done, it was natural for her to fear him.

But why was she calling for someone else?

What was she calling Xie Heng for?

Could Xie Heng protect her? Could Xie Heng save her?

Rather than calling for Xie Heng, it would be better to… better to…

Just as that thought arose, a white-robed figure carrying Lianqing swept rapidly from a distance.

Luo Wanqing’s eyes widened, joy appearing on her face: “Young Master!”

The young man didn’t respond. Just as her words fell, he swept past her side, his bloodied long sword sweeping up to strike Li Guiyu’s sword heavily.

The moment the two grandmaster-level sword forces collided, the surroundings instantly felt wind-sharp and breathless. Luo Wanqing raised her hand to catch the shocked Lianqing, her horizontal knife slashing across the throat of someone pursuing Xie Heng.

Xie Heng forced Li Guiyu to retreat to a distance, saying calmly: “Go open the door.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing kicked away someone beside her who was slashing at her and rushed straight toward the door.

However, before she was halfway there, she heard a howl from behind: “Everyone stop!”

Luo Wanqing instinctively turned back to see Zhou Chun emerge from the shadows.

Li Guiyu and Xie Heng leaped apart, reaching safe positions, each staring at the man who had emerged.

Everyone stopped moving, watching Zhou Chun stand out, trembling.

He had strapped explosives to his body and held a fire starter in his hand. The fire starter was not far from the fuse, and his entire body was shaking.

Both Li Guiyu and Xie Heng frowned. Luo Wanqing’s heart also jumped.

She could see that the amount of explosives on Zhou Chun’s body could destroy this place in an instant.

“Don’t move, nobody move.” Zhou Chun’s voice was trembling. He stared at Luo Wanqing, trembling as he said: “Give me the Orchid Token.”

“Zhou Chun?” Li Guiyu stared at him: “Who sent you here to die?”

“I only want the Orchid Token.”

Zhou Chun kept his eyes on Luo Wanqing, extending one hand: “Give it to me, and everyone can live!”

“The Liufeng Island gate opens in less than half a quarter-hour.”

Xie Heng spoke as a reminder. Luo Wanqing knew he was speaking to her.

Less than half a quarter-hour—once the gate opened, they could leave.

Xie Heng wanted her to stall for time.

Understanding Xie Heng’s meaning, Luo Wanqing looked at Zhou Chun and frowned: “Master Zhou, you’re just an ordinary civil official. Why come here to die?”

Zhou Chun was both crying and laughing: “Isn’t it all because of you! You weren’t content to stay in the Eastern Capital—why did you have to come? Especially you, Liu Xiniang! What’s your relationship with Luo Wanqing that you have to meddle in her affairs?!”

“Even if I meddled in her affairs,” Luo Wanqing glanced at Li Guiyu, who was silently moving step by step, continuing to distract Zhou Chun, “Master Zhou, your crimes don’t warrant death. All these matters can be written off.”

“I don’t believe it!” Zhou Chun gritted his teeth: “I don’t believe a single word from you, Supervision Department people!”

“Then you believe the person who strapped these explosives on you?”

Luo Wanqing laughed: “Zheng Pingsheng deceived you once, and you still believe him?”

“Does it matter whether I believe or not?” Zhou Chun smiled bitterly. He looked at Luo Wanqing, his eyes pleading: “Inspector Liu, I have old and young at home. Spare me and spare yourself, too—give me the Orchid Token.”

“Zhou Chun, His Highness the Third Prince is also here,” Luo Wanqing tried to persuade him, “If you light the explosives, do you think the Wang and Zheng families will spare you? When that time comes, your nine generations won’t be enough to kill.”

“The Wang family?”

Hearing this, Zhou Chun laughed: “Do you think they care about the Third Prince?”

This made Luo Wanqing pause. Zhou Chun seemed to take malicious pleasure in it, unable to stop laughing: “We’re all the same—the Wang family doesn’t have just one prince. What princes, what directors—we’re all just fish and meat for others to slaughter! Inspector Liu, stop struggling. Do you think you can intimidate me with the Third Prince? Nobody cares about him—the Wang family wishes he were dead! Miss Wang is waiting at the entrance with explosives. One quarter-hour—if I don’t come out with the Orchid Token,” Zhou Chun’s eyes reddened, “we all have to die. Give me the Orchid Token—”

Though Zhou Chun hadn’t spoken very clearly, everyone present understood: Wang Yunzhi had come.

She was waiting at the entrance with explosives for Zhou Chun to bring out the Orchid Token.

But once Zhou Chun brought it out, would she let the people inside leave?

The Wang family didn’t have just Li Guiyu as a prince. They didn’t care about Li Guiyu. Since Wang Yunzhi dared to let Zhou Chun know, she was probably prepared to let Li Guiyu die here.

Zhou Chun completely failed to realize what he had revealed, only extending his hand, anxiously warning: “I’ll count to three.”

“Then answer me one question!”

Luo Wanqing spoke urgently, not letting Zhou Chun count.

Zhou Chun paused slightly, hesitating: “What question?”

“How did Luo Qushu die?”

Luo Wanqing asked casually, continuing to delay Zhou Chun: “Was it suicide? Who harmed the Luo family?”

Hearing this question, Zhou Chun glanced at Li Guiyu.

Li Guiyu stood motionless. Zhou Chun shifted his gaze to Luo Wanqing, saying incredulously: “You and Luo Wanqing just shared a prison cell together—is your friendship really that deep?”

“Who was it?”

Luo Wanqing stared at him.

Zhou Chun laughed, his face showing some mockery: “It was suicide—he cut his own throat with a pottery shard.”

“Why…”

“Because the Third Prince told him,” before Luo Wanqing could finish, Zhou Chun understood her meaning and revealed a smile, “that as long as he died, he would spare the rest of the Luo family.”

“Shut up.”

Li Guiyu finally spoke, seeming not to expect Zhou Chun to know these things.

But Zhou Chun was extremely pleased, laughing somewhat maniacally: “Your Highness doesn’t want people to know? Too bad—I happened to be at the door then, and I happened to hear it. You said—’Luo Qushu,'” Zhou Chun imitated Li Guiyu’s words, “‘our grievances end with your death. I won’t pursue further and will let the other Luo family members live.”

“You deserve to die.”

Li Guiyu looked up at Zhou Chun. Zhou Chun became happy: “I deserve to die? You’re the one who should die! You said you’d spare the Luo family—did you spare them? The Luo family is all dead now, isn’t it? While you were living it up with Zheng Biyue in the Eastern Capital, Luo Wanqing’s family’s bones were buried in Lingnan. I heard you even had people dig them up? What for? If she knew from the underworld, she should know it was you who deliberately told Zheng Biyue that her presence made it difficult for you to marry Zheng Biyue as your legitimate wife. It was you who had people leak information about her family having private salt. It was you who had people carry bags of salt into her family’s warehouse…”

“Shut up!”

Li Guiyu shouted sternly. Zhou Chun’s voice stopped, and at that moment, the sound of mechanisms operating came from the distance.

Everyone turned back to see gears turning on the iron door, then a groove in the shape of the Orchid Token appeared.

Zhou Chun immediately realized what he was here for and said urgently: “Give me the Orchid Token!”

“Fine.”

Xie Heng spoke, stepping toward Luo Wanqing, saying calmly: “I’ll take it over to Master Zhou.”

“No!”

Zhou Chun immediately refused, staring at Luo Wanqing: “Throw it over.”

Luo Wanqing looked at Xie Heng without speaking, waiting for Xie Heng’s decision. Xie Heng hesitated for a moment, then said quietly, “Stay close to Li Guiyu. I’ll come find you.”

Luo Wanqing looked up at him. Xie Heng raised his voice: “Give the item to Master Zhou.”

Luo Wanqing pressed her lips together, raised her hand to take the Orchid Token from her bosom, and walked forward, seemingly looking for an appropriate distance to throw it.

Seeing the Orchid Token in Luo Wanqing’s hand, Zhou Chun’s eyes lit up, staring at the Orchid Token the entire time. Xie Heng silently approached.

Just as Luo Wanqing neared Li Guiyu, Li Guiyu suddenly pulled her back. Xie Heng simultaneously struck the brick wall.

The moment he struck, the surrounding walls instantly changed. Everything spun around them. Zhou Chun panicked and lit the fuse. Xie Heng and Li Guiyu rushed forward one after the other. Luo Wanqing was dragged by Li Guiyu as they leaped into the wall behind them. Just as the wall separated them, Xie Heng simultaneously slashed toward Zhou Chun!

“Young Master!”

“Go!”

Li Guiyu grabbed Luo Wanqing and rushed toward the main gate.

The expected explosion didn’t sound. The surrounding paths changed. Luo Wanqing’s heart raced, but she could only follow Xie Heng’s arrangement.

Stay close to Li Guiyu—Xie Heng would come to find her.

Xie Heng wouldn’t die now.

Luo Wanqing comforted herself. The explosion hadn’t sounded just now—Xie Heng must have successfully cut the fuse. He wouldn’t be in danger.

Luo Wanqing followed Li Guiyu in a mad dash, but just as this thought arose, an explosion suddenly thundered from above!

The iron gate was within reach. Li Guiyu snatched the Orchid Token and flung it toward the groove.

The iron gate opened instantly. Li Guiyu almost instinctively embraced Luo Wanqing. Rubble and the heat wave from the explosives crashed onto Li Guiyu’s back, violently pushing them both out through the iron gate.

Beyond the iron gate was a cliff dozens of zhang high. Li Guiyu held Luo Wanqing, who was somewhat dazed from the explosive blast. He instinctively positioned himself below them as they fell, embracing Luo Wanqing and slamming hard into tree trunks before crashing heavily to the ground.

The expected pain of broken bones came. Luo Wanqing rolled over and immediately drew her dagger, pressing it to his throat.

At the same time, Luo Wanqing also felt a cold dagger pressed against her abdomen.

This was the closest she had ever come to killing Li Guiyu.

Her dagger could sever his throat with one cut, but his dagger pressed against her abdomen might not kill with one strike.

The two stared coldly at each other, breathing heavily.

After a long while, Luo Wanqing finally spoke: “Is what Zhou Chun said true?”

Hearing this, Li Guiyu laughed: “You acknowledge it?”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing became furious. She grabbed his collar tightly, her blade cutting into his throat, shouting hoarsely: “I’m asking you if it’s true?!”

Li Guiyu didn’t answer her, only reminding her: “Young miss, I just saved you. Also, there’s a formation in the forest. If you kill me, you won’t be able to get out.”

“I’m asking if you used me to force my father to his death?” Luo Wanqing shouted.

Li Guiyu finally couldn’t escape, falling silent and using his silence to acknowledge everything.

Luo Wanqing’s breathing became involuntary. Her hand gripping the dagger trembled slightly.

She should kill him—she should kill him immediately!

It was he who forced her father to his death, he who forced her onto this path.

All her pain was his gift, all her despair arose because of him.

But she couldn’t do it.

She looked at the blood flowing on the ground, remembering the moment he had embraced her as they fell. Her knife couldn’t advance another inch.

And he knew she couldn’t do it. He was now quietly gazing at her, his eyes even showing some pity. He looked at her churning emotions, raised his hand, and calmly wiped her eyes.

“Don’t be sad,” he comforted her gently, “Just hate me—there’s nothing to be sad about.”

“You think I won’t kill you?”

Luo Wanqing saw his recklessness, anger rolling in her chest. She felt something pressing on her heart, painful and swollen.

Li Guiyu looked at her, withdrew the dagger pressed against her abdomen, and leaned toward her. He looked into her eyes as if reading her heart: “You want to get Cui Qingping’s things.”

Luo Wanqing’s eyes moved slightly. Li Guiyu continued: “You want to know what your father did, you want to know the truth, you want to repay those who were kind to you, you can’t strike at someone who just saved you. My young miss,” Li Guiyu smiled gently, that smile seeming like mockery, “you can’t kill someone like me.”

As his words fell, Luo Wanqing’s dagger suddenly pressed down!

Li Guiyu’s pupils contracted sharply, his backhand striking toward Luo Wanqing’s chest.

That palm strike was full of internal power, enough to kill instantly. Luo Wanqing retreated rapidly. Li Guiyu’s hand moved like lightning, snatching the dagger from her hand while pressing a pill into her mouth, pushing her straight into the mud, gripping her throat and straddling her, the blade simultaneously pressed to her throat.

The situation changed instantly. Rain fell like pearls.

The two breathed heavily in the rain. Li Guiyu gripped her slender neck, his eyes full of coldness: “You’re more ruthless than I thought.”

Luo Wanqing stared at him, her lips trembling slightly, but only said one sentence: “I can kill.”

Li Guiyu said nothing. He looked into her eyes, watching raindrops fall on her lips, mixing with blood and sliding down, across her slender white neck. He gripped her throat, his breathing involuntarily growing heavier.

He didn’t know why—it was expected, but when she truly drew her blade, he still felt pain.

He gripped tightly the dagger he had given her, involuntarily tensing his body. Luo Wanqing sensed his emotional change, her hand resting on the knife, ready to strike at any moment.

If he dared do anything, she would draw her blade.

Seeing her attitude of mutual destruction, he couldn’t help but laugh mockingly, but this time the mockery seemed not directed at her, but at himself.

The two remained in a stalemate for a long time. Li Guiyu seemed to finally calm his emotions, saying coldly: “What I fed you is a mother-child poison. When the mother poison is activated, you’ll be in unbearable pain. If I die, you die.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing’s pupils contracted instantly.

“Be obedient. Once we’re out of Liufeng Island, I’ll give you the mother poison.”

Seeing she understood his meaning, he released his grip, pulled her hand over, slapped the dagger into her palm, and supported himself to stand: “I didn’t strike when I was protecting you—don’t come looking for death now.”

Finishing, Li Guiyu turned around, actually exposing his entire back to her, saying indifferently: “Let’s go. This place isn’t safe. Wang Yunzhi could catch up at any time.”

Luo Wanqing stood in place, staring at his back, gripping the dagger in her hand.

This dagger was like a humiliation, humiliating her incompetence and stupidity.

She suddenly thought of Cui Heng.

She didn’t know why she thought of him.

She tremblingly raised her hand, gently covering the jade bracelet Cui Heng had given her.

When she touched the warm, smooth texture of the jade bracelet, it was as if that gentle yet proud young master stood behind her, softly calling out: “Xiniang.”

Her heart gradually calmed. She pressed her lips together and spoke hoarsely: “Li Guiyu.”

Li Guiyu turned back coldly. Luo Wanqing’s lips trembled: “One day I will defeat you.”

Li Guiyu said nothing. After a long while, he laughed softly: “Very well.”

As he spoke, he raised his eyes.

“Young miss,” his gaze held some weariness, “I’m very glad you still kept that dagger.”

Luo Wanqing stared coldly without speaking.

Li Guiyu turned around, limping as he said: “Let’s go.”

Good people couldn’t kill him.

Only such a good young miss could kill him.

To die under that dagger would be the best ending he could imagine for this life.

But what he hadn’t expected was that he thought in that moment, she was gripping a dagger in her hand.

But in reality, in that moment, what she was pressing beneath her hand was that gentle bracelet.

Author’s Note:

[Mini Theater]

Luo Wanqing: “Lianqing, quickly go find Young Master to tip him off!”

Li Guiyu: “Does this bird want to live?”

Lianqing: “Chirp chirp, Lianqing is wronged, Lianqing wants to live.”

Finding an opportunity—

Lianqing: “Li Guiyu, watch me Lianqing soar ninety thousand li at the crucial moment to find my master to beat you to death, you big fool!!! I’m super vindictive, you just wait to die, big fool!!!”