Chapter Fifty-Nine
Ning Fei settled Xueying into the carriage and was about to turn away when she hesitantly tugged at his sleeve. "Fei, I don’t know if I’m overthinking it, but I always feel like the way she looks at people is... strange."
Ning Fei pinched her nose gently. "Try not to get too close to her, and definitely don’t be alone with her. I’m not entirely sure about her either—Weiran mentioned she once spent nearly two hours talking with Steward Huang."
Xueying frowned in thought. "Would Steward Huang tell that bastard Feng about her situation here? I was too impulsive that day. I’m worried I might have harmed Yixiao."
"He probably wouldn’t," Ning Fei said after a brief hesitation, trying to reassure her. "Right now, she and Yixiao are practically holding each other hostage. If one suffers, the other won’t fare well either. So don’t worry too much."
Xueying nodded anxiously but couldn’t help glancing back at the resplendent Luan Carriage.
"Sister—" A soft, drawn-out voice called. Qin Yi peeked in through the door. Yixiao, who had been lost in thought by the window, turned at the sound. "Xiao Yi, it’s been a while since you last visited."
"Yeah," Qin Yi pouted, her small face scrunched in frustration. "Grandfather suddenly made me learn so many things. Even my archery lessons had to be postponed."
Yixiao chuckled. "As long as you master the essentials, whether you learn archery or not doesn’t matter." Seeing Qin Yi’s puzzled expression, she added, "Sometimes, invisible weapons are a hundred times more powerful than blades."
Qin Yi blinked in surprise. "Why does Sister say the same thing as Grandfather?" Yixiao smiled faintly. "Is that so? Xiao Yi, if you knew the road ahead would be difficult, would you still willingly follow Qin Lao’s arrangements step by step?"
"I would," Qin Yi answered cheerfully. "As long as Grandfather and Brother Feng are with me, I won’t be afraid of anything." Then, as if embarrassed, she lowered her head. "Sister, do you think I’m useless? Always relying on others for everything..."
Yixiao couldn’t help but stroke her smooth cheek. "Relying on others and relying on yourself aren’t so different. The important thing is to believe in yourself, protect yourself, and live for yourself..."
"Sister," Qin Yi clung to her arm urgently, "I really admire you. I wish I could be like you..." Yixiao gently pressed a fingertip to her lips, stopping her. Softly, she said, "I’ve been through many things, so I’ve learned to endure more than others. But growth comes at a price. If your path remains smooth, that’s the best outcome. I hope you can walk it safely to the end. Everyone is unique, Xiao Yi. You are you—don’t compare yourself to others, understand?"
Only when Qin Yi nodded did Yixiao release her. "You came to practice archery with me, didn’t you? I haven’t moved around much these past few days either. Let’s go..."
Qin Yi suddenly gasped. "I almost forgot—Grandfather asked me to invite you to see something! I don’t even know what it is. He only said it’s for you to use in the upcoming competition."
Yixiao shook her head. "I’ve already accepted such a precious bow from Qin Lao before. How can I take anything else? Please ask him to keep it for now—there may be someone more suited to it in the future.""How can this be!" Qin Yi stubbornly tugged at her, pulling her outward. "That thing has been kept in the hall all morning, and Grandpa wouldn’t let me go in to see it. If you don’t go, I’ll never know what it is—I’m itching with curiosity to death! Good sister, please just accept it!"
Yixiao was so entangled by her that she couldn’t move freely and had no choice but to let Qin Yi lead her outside by the arm.
This was Fu Yixiao’s first time stepping into the Qin family mansion, with the ever-present, mountain-like Guyu following closely behind.
Qin Yi cheerfully greeted the servants and family members they encountered along the way, pointing out the various parts of their estate. "Sister, look—over there is the Thousand Lantern Pavilion, where Grandpa stores divine weapons and sharp blades. Behind it, the red-tiled building is the Mistless Hall, used to store jewelry and jade... And ahead is the main hall. Grandpa placed your things there." She let go of Yixiao’s hand and dashed forward, calling out repeatedly as she ran, "Grandpa... Grandpa, Grandpa, Sister is here!"
"That girl, Xiao Yi," Qin Yu emerged almost immediately, chiding lightly, "always so unrestrained in her speech. How can you call her 'sister'? So impolite..." "You’re too polite, Qin Lao," Yixiao said awkwardly. "Really, you can treat Yixiao as one of your own juniors." "How could that be?" Qin Yu burst into laughter. "But I’ve never heard such words from any other noble lady before!"
Amid the laughter, Qin Yu led Yixiao into the main hall but blocked the peeking Qin Yi and Guyu from following. "Don’t disturb the Minor Imperial Concubine. Guyu, take Xiao Yi to the front and help organize the books in the Nine Paths Tower..." Guyu obediently nodded, but Qin Yi clung stubbornly to the doorframe. "Moving books is exhausting! And I still want to see... Ah!" Her words turned into a shriek before she could finish. "Let me go... Guyu! Let go right now..."
The commotion gradually faded into the distance. Under Yixiao’s puzzled gaze, Qin Yu smiled and stepped out of the hall. "Minor Imperial Concubine, take your time looking. If you need anything, just call out." With that, he slowly closed the door.
The light in the hall dimmed instantly. Yixiao blinked, scanning the room but failing to spot the object in question. She strolled toward the side chamber but stopped before reaching the door. "Come out."
Someone inside sighed. "You’re always so sharp. I wanted to surprise you, but you saw right through it." Yixiao didn’t respond, standing motionless as she watched Feng Suige step out from his hiding place. "How did you know I was in there?" he asked, perplexed. He moved in front of Yixiao and glanced back at where he had been standing, muttering to himself, "It’s not visible from here..."
Seeing Yixiao still silent, he could only surrender in defeat. "Alright, enough nonsense. Let’s go see the thing first." He pointed toward the side chamber. "I drew up the design for the armor as you described and had the Qin family’s workshop rush to make a set. Go try it on and see if it fits."
Yixiao emerged from behind the screen, dazzling in pure white. It was a white armor inlaid with golden threads, with only one difference—the embroidered emblem on the shoulder guards had been replaced with small, intricately woven golden flowers. Feng Suige pointed gently and explained, "These are June Snow flowers. In Su Sha’s folklore, they symbolize love between lovers. Unless it snows in June, the love will never fade."Yixiao seemed not to hear his words, merely staring blankly as she traced the leather strap on her shoulder armor. The quiver attached to the armor was inlaid with a golden phoenix emblem, secured firmly to her body by the suspending strap that wrapped around her shoulder—a design so stable it ensured the quiver would remain in place each time she reached back for an arrow. What astonished her even more was how perfectly the entire set of armor fit—from the bracers to the shoulder guards to the outer robe.
Back in Brocade, crafting armor required nearly an hour just for measurements, yet...
Feng Suige, seeing her silence, leaned closer anxiously to study her expression. "Yixiao? Why aren’t you speaking? If you don’t like this design, I’ll have the artisans redo it..."
After a long pause, Fu Yixiao finally spoke softly, "The moment I entered the hall, I caught the scent of your usual incense." Caught off guard, Feng Suige couldn’t immediately respond. "At first, it was so faint I barely noticed. But when I reached the door of the side chamber, the fragrance grew stronger, so I tested the waters—and there you were."
Feng Suige didn’t understand where she was going with this and could only listen dumbly. Suddenly, Yixiao turned to face him. "Feng Suige, you’ve never trusted me, and you’ve underestimated yourself too much. I’m not made of stone—how could I truly remain numb to your kindness? But I’m selfish. If you can’t give me what I want, you must let me go early. Otherwise... I fear one day, I might really kill you with my own hands."
Feng Suige smiled, exhaling in relief as he pulled her into an embrace. "If you can bear it, then kill me." This time, she didn’t resist, murmuring faintly, "I will kill you—slowly, one cut at a time..."
Her words dissolved beneath Feng Suige’s lips—not in a domineering plunder, but in a gradual, probing tenderness, soft and deliberate...
A kiss.
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