Chapter 335: 335. The beauty who flew over

Translator: 549690339

Their eyes met in the dim light, shadows casting an ominous veil over Qiao Cong’s aged face. No light was lit in the room, and the expression on Gu Ling’s face was devoid of warmth.

The atmosphere was tense for a moment, and Qiao Cong’s hand twitched slightly.

The next moment, Gu Ling’s lips parted slightly, “I have something to take care of.”

Qiao Cong’s eyes narrowed, anger in his voice, “Are you actually not going?”

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Ling had taken the letter and walked out of the room, avoiding Qiao Cong’s hand that tried to grab his shoulder, “Wait a moment for me.”

Qiao Cong watched as Gu Ling disappeared from his line of sight, snorted coldly, “Just one moment. If you’re late, I’ll head back and let Su Liang leave you behind!”

…

Nighttime fell, and the small courtyard became quiet and serene.

Qiao Cong sat in the courtyard with his package, long sword, and straw hat by his side, ready to leave at any moment.

Just as Qiao Cong felt that the agreed moment had arrived and he didn’t want to wait any longer, Gu Ling returned.

Qiao Cong didn’t know where he had been and didn’t want to ask, so he just picked up the package on the table to teach Gu Ling a lesson.

Gu Ling offered no explanation, went back to his room, came back out soon after with another package, and closed the door.

Seeing this, Qiao Cong turned and left. Gu Ling followed him from a distance.

Neither of them showed any intention of communicating with each other, but for the sake of Su Liang, they had temporarily achieved a silent tacit understanding.

As they were leaving Xiangyue City, Gu Ling finally asked, “How many days?”

Qiao Cong replied, “Seven or eight.”

Then they lapsed back into silence.

As for matters like eating and drinking, Gu Ling was in charge without any communication. Qiao Cong had wondered if his share of food would be left out, and if so, they would each handle things separately. But it turned out he was overthinking.

…

On the nameless island.

At dusk, when the heat subsided and a cool breeze blew, Su Liang, as usual, strolled through the bamboo forest with Cen Man’s arm in hers.

They had chosen a path they hadn’t taken before, and suddenly the way ahead seemed brighter. Su Liang was puzzled since the seashore was still a long way off.

After walking a little further, Su Liang exclaimed with delight, “Master, there’s actually a lake here! I never knew about it before!”

Surrounded by lush bamboo, a lake as clear as a mirror reflected the orderly green bamboo from its edge. In its center, the sunset cast a gentle red hue upon the lake, creating an exquisite harmony of colors, like a scene from a fairyland.

Su Liang described the view to Cen Man, who smiled, “From your words, it feels like I can see it.”

“Master, if Old Master Qiao brings my husband over, I want to set aside a piece of land by this lake, and build a small courtyard for the two of us to live!”, Su Liang happily said.

As it stood, Su Liang and Gu Ling had always enjoyed their private space and cherished their own little world, where they could relax and protect each other’s secrets. To be precise, there were now three of them, including the child in her belly. Especially when it came to Gu Ling, he would probably not get along well with Qiao Cong.

Secondly, once Qiao Cong returned, the original small courtyard would not be big enough for them all unless Cen Man left immediately.

Thirdly, considering what had happened earlier, Nangong Qian had lost her memory and her temperament had softened considerably, but that didn’t rule out the possibility of her taking a liking to Gu Ling again upon seeing him. It would be inconvenient to live under the same roof, and maintaining a degree of distance was best.

Su Liang thought that if she brought up this third point, Qiao Cong would likely agree to let Su Liang and Gu Ling live on their own for Nangong Qian’s sake.

Cen Man, who knew what had happened before, thought it was a good idea. In this way, she could also stay.

Walking around the lake, Su Liang grew increasingly fond of the place. While she didn’t intend to live in seclusion with Gu Ling, it was better to live as happily and comfortably as possible under the circumstances.

That night, before going to bed, Su Liang sketched her imagined bamboo house under the lamp light, planning to refine the drawing the next day and show it to Gu Ling after his arrival. He would surely be able to bring her vision to life.

“Little one, your father might be arriving soon. We’ll build a new house when he comes.” Su Liang gently stroked her stomach, looking forward to Gu Ling’s arrival.

Yao City.

Yesterday, Situ Xie had arranged for two groups of people: one went to Qian Country to tell Duanmu Yi about Gu Ling and Su Liang’s deception, and the other headed for Yin Country to discuss an alliance.

After Situ Yao was rescued last night, Situ Xie had spent the whole night sleepless, pondering if Gu Ling had not come to Yao City, and Su Liang’s people already knew she was not in Liang Country, might it have been Gu Ling who had saved her?

If this were the case, not only would Situ Jing’s eyes be beyond saving, but the upcoming situation would be extremely disadvantageous to Situ Xie and Liang Country! As long as Su Liang and Gu Ling were in Qian Country, under certain circumstances, their husband and wife could defeat thousands of troops! Moreover, Duanmu Yi might not necessarily believe the message that Situ Xie sent over. Even if he believed it, he might not really choose to confront Su Liang and Gu Ling at this time.

Because Situ Xie knew very well what kind of people Su Liang and Gu Ling were. If Duanmu Yi saw their true nature, the smartest move would actually be to make use of them to achieve his goal.

Daylight arrived.

Situ Xie changed clothes, intending to enter the palace and inform Situ Han of last night’s situation face-to-face.

Not long after the carriage left King Yue’s Mansion, it suddenly shook. Situ Xie’s face sank as he gripped the wall of the carriage. He listened to the sound of horses neighing and guards shouting outside, “Assassins! Protect the prince!”

Situ Xie’s strength was far greater than that of the guards, but he did not immediately go out. Instead, through the swaying gap of the carriage curtain, he coldly watched as four masked assassins engaged the guards.

The assassins were powerful and swiftly dealt with the guards and coachmen, surrounding the carriage in the process.

Situ Xie watched the assassins’ figures, making sure that neither Gu Ling nor the old man, Mu, were among them. He suspected that this might be the work of the Qian royal family.

Just as the four assassins approached the carriage, the secret guards appeared and blocked their path.

“Leave a survivor,” Situ Xie ordered, still seated in the carriage without making a move. His trusted secret guards were all highly skilled masters recruited with high rewards over the years. In terms of strength, they were not inferior to the four assassins.

The battle reached a stalemate, with both sides suffering casualties.

Seeing that the assassins had no reinforcements, Situ Xie decided to take matters into his own hands. But before he could exit the carriage, the four assassins heard a whistle in the distance and fled with a feint!

Following Situ Xie’s instructions, the secret guards did not give chase to avoid falling for a trap.

“Master, those men appeared to be killers,” said one of the secret guards.

Situ Xie realized this too. The moves of the assassins were vicious and aimed at taking lives no matter the cost. The ruthlessness of all four was evenly matched.

But that was what puzzled him. Since they were assassins, even without an obvious disadvantage and with accomplices nearby, they hadn’t even seen him yet, so why did they retreat?

“Master, perhaps they are from Yanyun Building,” suggested another secret guard.

Immediately, someone countered, “If someone hired Yanyun Building to kill the master, disregarding the fact that Yanyun Building wouldn’t normally accept this kind of job, the one to make the move should be the owner, Yan Shiba, rather than those people just now.”

Yanyun Building had rules against interfering with royal family disputes and generally didn’t accept assassination jobs targeting main members of the royal family.

Firstly, the risks were too high, and secondly, it would easily attract the scrutiny of the royal family.

If there was an employer capable of making Yanyun Building willing to assassinate Situ Xie, it would either be due to a special relationship or they were offering an astronomical hiring fee.

No matter the case, it would be more logical for Yan Shiba to take the job personally.

Situ Xie was aware of all this, and he also knew that Su Liang and Gu Ling had control over vast financial resources. If those assassins just now were from Yanyun Building and were hired by someone related to Su Liang, there wouldn’t be much to worry about if they were paid for the job.

However, Situ Xie thought of another possibility: Yanyun Building might not be doing this for money, but for Su Liang’s sake… because he had heard some rumors about the internal turbulence at Yanyun Building over the past few years. He couldn’t help but suspect that some mysterious people were helping Yan Shiba behind the scenes. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have escaped danger so many times.

Could it be that the mysterious person secretly helping Yan Shiba was Su Liang?

With the death of the horse, Situ Xie returned to his mansion under the escort of the secret guards. On his way back, he felt that he might be overthinking it. Lately, his thoughts were occupied by matters and people related to Su Liang. Any incident that occured, he would subconsciously link it to her, without necessarily knowing that there were so many coincidences…

But Situ Xie was right on the mark this time.

Yan Shiba arrived in Yao City early this morning with her subordinates. She did not take action personally because she was still recovering from a severe injury. After learning that Su Liang had been captured, she hurried over here without much rest. Her physical condition was far from her peak.

Another reason was that Gu Ling had told her not to go all out.

The retreat whistle was blown by Yan Shiba. She had learned from Gu Ling that Situ Xie was extremely powerful, so if he took personal action, it would be difficult for the four assassins to escape.

This was not a killing job undertaken by Yanyun Building, but a small act of revenge by Yan Shiba for Su Liang. Today was just a minor probe to gauge the strength of the guards around Situ Xie.

…

Upon returning to the mansion, Situ Xie wrote a letter and secretly sent it to the Imperial Palace to be delivered to Situ Han. He then went to see Situ Yao.

There was no harm to Situ Yao’s body, but her spirit had been somewhat shaken after this ordeal. Aside from Elder Mu, she hadn’t seen anyone else. She could only describe the room she had been kept in and had no knowledge of the exterior conditions or specific locations, so she couldn’t provide any useful information.

Situ Xie specifically introduced Ying Ying to Situ Yao, hoping that they could become good friends.

His goal was to use Ying Ying to protect Situ Yao if they became friends, just like Su Liang, who had drawn many helpers through her emotions…

Ying Ying gladly agreed, and Situ Yao, always obedient, naturally welcomed the idea.

Since Situ Jing’s poisoning, Situ Xie had changed the servants and had Madam Yue supervise all food entering the mansion, making the situation even more cautious than before.

“I heard that the Princess was originally going to marry into Qian Country this year.” Ying Ying sat by Situ Yao’s bedside, curiously asking, “Have you met the Crown Prince of Qian Country?”

Situ Yao nodded, “I have met him.”

“May I ask, do you really want to marry him, or is it just following your family’s arrangement?” Ying Ying asked with a smile.

Situ Yao’s expression was melancholy, and she sighed, “I don’t know.”

Ying Ying: …Hypocritical, neither admitting nor denying, so as not to say the wrong thing.

However, Ying Ying didn’t dislike Situ Yao, she was just indifferent to her. After all, when they met, Ying Ying was already a friend of Su Liang and Gu Ling, and the recent events made her automatically put herself on the opposite side of the Situ family. And she didn’t know what her moody grandmother really wanted to do.

When Ying Ying returned to the guesthouse from Situ Yao’s place, she saw Situ Xie talking to her mother-in-law.

Ying Ying was about to avoid them, but her mother-in-law saw her and beckoned her to come over.

“Let Aying handle this matter!” Her mother-in-law decided without consulting Ying Ying, and Ying Ying didn’t even know what she was supposed to do.

Situ Xie nodded, “Then, thank you, mother-in-law and Miss Ying.”

After he left, her mother-in-law began to explain in a commanding tone, “You go back to Qian Country, go to Xuanbei City, poison Xing Ji, and let him exchange the antidote for King Yue’s eldest grandson! No matter how you do it, you must save King Yue’s eldest grandson! King Yue will arrange two people to assist you!”

Ying Ying lowered her eyes, “Grandmother, why do we need to get involved in these matters?”

Her mother-in-law’s face suddenly turned dark, and she raised her hand to slap Ying Ying hard, “Do I need to explain what I do to you? Do you think your wings have hardened, and you don’t want to listen anymore?”

Ying Ying, like so many times before, knelt down with her head down, “I dare not, grandmother, please calm your anger.”

Her mother-in-law snorted coldly, “It’s me who raised you and your brother, gave you food, and taught you your skills! If it weren’t for me, you would have died long ago! If you dare to defy me again, I’ll make sure you never see Ying Ye again in your life!”

“I was wrong, please calm down, grandmother.” Ying Ying said solemnly.

Her mother-in-law looked at Ying Ying coldly, “Are you hiding something from me about Ying Ye’s recovery? Where did the Snow Lotus come from?”

Ying Ying’s heart sank, suspecting that her mother-in-law had inquired about the Snow Lotus from Situ Xie, so she braced herself and said, “Gu Ling gave it.”

Last year in Yao City, the fact that Gu Ling and Su Liang faked their marriage only to get the Snow Lotus for another woman was no secret.

Her mother-in-law kicked Ying Ying in the chest, “How did you meet Gu Ling? Do you also know that Su Liang? Speak!”

Ying Ying shook her head, “I only know Gu Ling. I met him when I took refuge in his house when it was in trouble. I saw him so handsome and fell in love with him. I deliberately approached him, but was rejected. However, he knew about my poison techniques and my previous whereabouts. Once he found me for an antidote, he owed me a favor, last year he repaid it with the Snow Lotus. There’s nothing else, I don’t know Su Liang!”

“Why didn’t you say it earlier?” her mother-in-law asked sharply.

Ying Ying said solemnly, “I originally wanted to tell grandmother, but after coming here, I heard that the Situ family had a feud with Su Liang and Gu Ling, so I didn’t dare to mention it…”

Her mother-in-law’s eyes were fierce, “Raise your head!”

Ying Ying raised her head and looked at her mother-in-law, her eyes returning to calm.

Her mother-in-law suddenly changed her expression, bent down to help her up, and sighed, “Don’t blame grandmother, I just fear that you’ll be deceived outside. The task I’m giving you this time is very important, King Yue promised that if you can save his eldest grandson, you can marry one of his grandsons and enjoy endless wealth and glory in the future! Grandmother is doing all this for your good, do you understand?”

Ying Ying nodded, “Yes, I understand. Thank you, grandmother.”

“Well, prepare yourself, and set off today.” Her mother-in-law patted Ying Ying’s shoulder lightly.

Ying Ying turned and walked out, her face immediately turning cold. After packing her belongings in the next room, she met Situ Xie again, along with the two helpers he had arranged.

Situ Xie said some words of gratitude to Ying Ying, saying that there would be great rewards after the event, and Ying Ying left the King Yue Mansion with the two of them, heading south.

From then on, whenever the Masters of the Yue Wang Mansion went out, they would encounter assassination attempts, and there were clearly two groups of assassins.

In just three short days, Situ Xie and his sons and grandsons had experienced six assassination attempts.

Situ Xie suffered only a slight external injury, but was nearly killed by the poison smeared on the assassin’s weapon. Fortunately, his mother-in-law promptly detoxified him. Yet his mother-in-law once again said that the poison was from the hand of her senior brother.

As for Situ Xie’s two grandsons, Situ Zhang and Situ Min, they survived their only time out, but both were seriously injured. Situ Min’s leg was cut off and could not possibly be restored, so he was destined to be crippled.

Situ Xie’s anger was constantly rising, but the assassins were extremely cunning, seemingly omnipresent and not using their full strength or willing to fight to the death. As soon as things went wrong, they immediately dispersed and fled, leaving everyone in the Yue Wang Mansion uneasy and unable to sleep.

Situ Xie finally realized that his original thought was correct, and it must have something to do with Su Liang. These assassins were here to take revenge on him for Su Liang! It was obviously a personal grudge!

From beginning to end, Su Liang wasn’t captured by Situ Xie, and he didn’t even know where Su Liang was. It was all thanks to his well-cultivated grandson, Situ Jing.

But who could say that Situ Jing’s actions were unrelated to Situ Xie? Situ Jing was a person created by Situ Xie himself. At first, when Situ Xie found out that he had captured Su Liang, he was genuinely happy and even made many plans.

However, he was as happy as he was back then, but now he was just as eager to vomit blood.

When he was talking about the bigger picture and thought that offending Qian Country wouldn’t have serious consequences, he didn’t realize that the real trouble would come from offending Su Liang.

His judgments were all driven by self-interest, which had failed him this time.

What he saw and thought was all about war, national affairs, and the big picture. He regarded Su Liang as a servant who Duanmu Yi didn’t fully trust, but he ignored the fact that she was the core of a certain circle. And Situ Xie had no idea where the boundaries of that circle were…

…

While Su Liang’s master and friends in Yao City were avenging her, she was living a peaceful life on a distant island, counting the days until Gu Ling arrived.

Cen Man couldn’t help but subtly remind Su Liang that if Gu Ling wasn’t in Xiangyue City, it might be Qiao Cong who came back alone. She didn’t want to dampen Su Liang’s spirits but was afraid that the greater her expectations, the greater her disappointment.

Su Liang was calm about this. She had considered that situation, but she still chose to trust her intuition.

Before going to bed that night, Su Liang talked to the unborn child in her belly again, “Little god, if everything goes smoothly, your father will arrive tomorrow. What do you think he will say when he sees you?”

Daybreak came.

Cen Man knew that today was a special day. After breakfast, when she heard Su Liang wanted to go for a walk by the sea, she said she would accompany her.

Nangong Qian sat in the courtyard on a lounge chair, watching Su Liang and Cen Man enviously as they walked out of the courtyard. Qiao Cong had been away for half a month, and her emotions had calmed down. Under Su Liang’s treatment, her complexion had noticeably improved.

“Is my grandfather coming back today?” Nangong Qian asked Qiuyue.

Qiuyue shook her head, “I don’t know, maybe.” She knew that Su Liang had gone to the sea to wait for someone but didn’t want to discuss the topic with Nangong Qian, fearing it would remind her of Gu Ling.

“What about my brother? When is he coming back?” Nangong Qian asked.

Qiuyue shook her head again, “I don’t know that either, my lady. Just take good care of yourself, and you’ll see him eventually.”

One being a pregnant woman and the other blind, Su Liang and Cen Man didn’t walk fast. When they reached the seaside, the sun had already risen high into the sky.

Su Liang looked into the distance, and the sea was vast and boundless, with no visible boats or people.

Since the sunlight was so intense, the two of them found some shade beside a large rock close to where Qiao Cong usually docked his boat and chatted idly.

By noon, there was still no one in sight, so Su Liang decided to help Cen Man up and prepare to leave.

“Are we coming back this afternoon?” Cen Man asked.

Su Liang nodded, “We will wait until it’s cooler in the afternoon.”

“That kid is really lucky,” Cen Man sighed. Although she had never met Gu Ling, she had heard a lot about him from Su Liang. Although in Su Liang’s stories, Gu Ling was like an omnipotent god whom she worshipped, Cen Man still thought marrying Su Liang was Gu Ling’s biggest fortune.

Su Liang smiled, “So am I.”

Just as she was about to turn around, helping Cen Man up, she glanced at the sea again and froze.

“What’s wrong?” Cen Man asked.

Su Liang let go of her and shielded her forehead with her hand, squinting at the distance again. This time, she could see more clearly that there was a small moving black dot on the ocean’s surface.

“Have they returned?” Cen Man’s face showed a hint of joy.

“It seems so.” The distance was too far for Su Liang to be sure yet.

“If it’s not, hide further away,” Cen Man said. Her purpose in coming here was to protect Su Liang while Qiao Cong was away and prevent outsiders from coming onto the island.

Time didn’t pass much, but Su Liang felt that it had somehow slowed down. The black dot in her field of vision gradually enlarged and became clearer: a boat, two people, and a familiar straw hat…

“It’s Master returning!” Su Liang looked excited.

Cen Man sighed in relief, “And Gu Ling?”

Su Liang watched the figure leaping from the boat into the air and broke into a big smile, “Little god, look quickly! That graceful figure flying over is your father!”