"Why does he insist on seeing our faces?" Yu Tuan'er was puzzled. "We cover our faces precisely because we're not good-looking. He knows that, so why does he still want to look?" Liu Yan replied indifferently, "Because he enjoys making a spectacle of himself. The more ordinary people avoid doing something, the more he insists on doing it. When everyone expects him to act one way, he deliberately does the opposite. Just now, he saved those people not out of kindness, but because he saw Zhong Chunji refusing to help, so he had to step in. Do you understand?" Yu Tuan'er nodded. "He thought you didn’t believe he would keep his word and save them, so he deliberately proved you wrong by saving them." Liu Yan said coldly, "I truly don’t believe he would keep his word, and I don’t care whether he saves anyone or not. It’s not my life at stake." Yu Tuan'er countered, "But if you hadn’t said those things, he definitely wouldn’t have saved them!" Liu Yan closed his eyes and said flatly, "Think whatever you want. Now let’s leave this place—it’s not safe here." Yu Tuan'er carried him on her back and hurried deeper into the mountains. "Why did that sister in the purple skirt kill someone earlier? She and that scholar were traveling together." Liu Yan replied with the same indifference, "Her? She’s an extremely selfish woman who loves to dream. But I never expected her to resort to silencing witnesses—impressive, truly impressive. Xue Xianzi taught her well." Yu Tuan'er pressed, "Why did she silence them?" Surprisingly patient today, Liu Yan answered calmly, "Because she’s a righteous heroine of the martial world. If word got out that she stood by and did nothing today, she’d lose her standing in the jianghu." Yu Tuan'er asked again, "Why didn’t she save you?" Liu Yan said, "She committed an unforgivable crime. Few know about it, and those who do won’t talk. She’s afraid I might." Yu Tuan'er murmured, "Another silencing… How many bad things has she done?" Liu Yan laughed coldly. "Once a person does one evil deed and refuses to admit it, they’ll commit countless more to cover it up…"
As they spoke, the two had already ventured deep into the Dongting Mountains. Tea trees mingled with fruit trees in a vibrant tapestry, and the deeper they went, the more intoxicating the fragrance became, refreshing the heart and mind, lightening the body with every breath. Yu Tuan'er stopped by a mountain spring. "Does your wound still hurt?" Liu Yan didn’t answer. She gently set him down, removed his black hood, and dabbed his scarred face with the spring water. After days of her meticulous care, his wounds had begun to heal, the grotesque scars stark against the surrounding snow-white skin, making the contrast all the more jarring. Seeing his icy expression, Yu Tuan'er suddenly felt upset. "Why won’t you talk to me?" Liu Yan stared coldly at her, still silent. She hesitated. "You… back when you were handsome, lots of people must’ve liked you and cared for you, right?" After a long silence, Yu Tuan'er snapped, "Why won’t you answer me? Just because I’m ugly, my care means nothing to you?""If it were me begging for your care and concern, of course I would treasure it," Liu Yan said coldly. "But since it's you who insists on caring for me and then gets angry that I don't treasure it, why should I? Ridiculous." Yu Tuan'er was taken aback, sitting in stunned silence for a long moment before letting out a deep sigh. "Don't you even treasure your own life?" Liu Yan replied, "No, I don't." Yu Tuan'er sat silently beside him, resting her chin in her hand as she gazed at him. "I truly don’t understand. You’re an utterly wicked villain, yet you have no grand ambitions—you don’t even value your own life. So what do you care about? Why did you bring me out of the mountains?"
"There’s only one thing I care about in this life, and only one person I hate. Beyond that, nothing matters," Liu Yan said indifferently. "I brought you out of the mountains for Elixir crafting." Yu Tuan'er asked softly, "Why are you crafting an elixir for me?" For some reason, a chill ran through her heart, an inexplicable dread of what Liu Yan might say next. Liu Yan answered plainly, "Because this elixir is experimental. While it may save your life, I don’t know what other effects it might have on your body." Yu Tuan'er flared up in anger. "So you’re just using me to test your drugs! You—you—you... My mother treasured me like a jewel, but you treat me as a test subject!" Liu Yan looked at her coldly. "You were going to die anyway. Without me, you wouldn’t have lived past this time next year." Yu Tuan'er was left speechless and deflated, staring blankly at Liu Yan, unsure how to deal with him. He was rotten to the core, yet she always... always... felt... she couldn’t leave him, nor could she kill him.
"Aiya, I’m interrupting another lovely moment between beauties. Terrible timing, but here I am again." A laugh rang out from the tea grove as a young man in yellow robes fluttered into view, a red fan swaying gently in his hand. The same youth who had left earlier now reappeared behind Liu Yan and Yu Tuan'er, leading a white horse with the unconscious Lin Bu slumped over its back. "I find the two of you utterly fascinating. Ah well, I couldn’t bear to leave, so I’ve boldly returned to strike up a friendship. Considering I just saved both your lives, could you spare that rock for me to sit on?"
"Fang Pingzhai," Yu Tuan'er said, wide-eyed. "Why are you following us?" Fang Pingzhai grinned. "Because I’m bored, and you two are interesting. Also—while I did save this man’s life, I have no intention of taking care of him." Yu Tuan'er glanced over and saw that Lin Bu’s chest wound had been bandaged, the white gauze smeared with some bright yellow powder. She didn’t know what medicine Fang Pingzhai had used, but Lin Bu’s complexion had regained color, his breathing steady—his condition had stabilized. Liu Yan gave Fang Pingzhai a dispassionate look. Fang Pingzhai smiled, fanning himself with the red fan. "What’s your name?" Liu Yan replied flatly, "Why should I tell you?" Fang Pingzhai settled onto another large rock across from him. "Aiya! A name is just for addressing someone. If you won’t tell me, should I call you Ah-Cat or Ah-Dog, Xiao Hong or Xiao Lan?" Liu Yan said, "That’s your problem.""Hmm—your voice is exceptionally pleasant, the most pleasing male voice I've ever heard. The one beside you, however, has the most grating female voice I've encountered. My ears are quite sharp." Fang Pingzhai tapped his ear with the red fan. "Since you refuse to tell me your name, and you're dressed in black, I'll call you Xiao Hei. As for the one next to you, I'll call her Xiao Bai." Yu Tuan'er, still preoccupied with Lin Bu on the horse, interjected, "My name is Yu Tuan'er." Fang Pingzhai ignored her, continuing cheerfully, "Xiao Bai, take that gentleman off the horse. He's severely injured, and another jostle on horseback will finish him off." Yu Tuan'er gently lifted Lin Bu down and laid him flat on the ground. "My name is Yu Tuan'er."
"Brother Hei, may I boldly ask what heinous, unspeakable crime you committed, and who possessed such creativity and patience to reduce you to this state? Ah, my heart is burning with curiosity—so much so that I can't sleep at all!" Fang Pingzhai shook his head. "I must say, I deeply admire whoever did this to you." Liu Yan remained silent, but Yu Tuan'er responded, "It's not even dark yet. How can you be so curious that you can't sleep?" Fang Pingzhai replied, "Hmm—has anyone decreed that one must only sleep when it's dark?" Yu Tuan'er paused. "Well, that's true." Fang Pingzhai turned back to Liu Yan. "Earlier, I heard you say you've only ever cared about one thing and hated one person. If you tell me a good story to spice up my dull life, I'll kill the one you despise in return. A fair trade, don't you think?" Liu Yan replied indifferently, "Oh? Can you kill from a thousand miles away?" Fang Pingzhai flourished his red fan and laughed. "Not quite, but close enough. There are few things in this world Fang Pingzhai cannot do." Liu Yan said, "The one who did this to me is named Shen Langhun."
Fang Pingzhai blinked. "That's it?" Liu Yan replied coolly, "That's it." Fang Pingzhai pressed, "Why did he maim you like this? What kind of person were you before? A story needs a beginning and an end—half-told tales are the mark of a scoundrel." Liu Yan closed his eyes. "After you've killed him, I'll tell you the rest." Fang Pingzhai shook his head, fanning himself lightly behind the red fan. "Stubborn, cold, obsessive, resentful, selfish, distrustful—you're truly flawless." At this, Yu Tuan'er, who had initially disliked the man in yellow, suddenly burst into laughter. Fang Pingzhai chuckled. "My words are always incisive—no need to be so moved. Since Brother Hei won't talk to me, Xiao Bai, tell me why the two of you came to Lingyuan Temple on Dongting's East Mountain. If I'm in a particularly good mood, I might even help you.""We came to East Mountain to pick tea leaves and craft elixirs," Yu Tuan'er answered truthfully. "I have a strange illness, and he said he could extract a medicine from tea leaves to cure me." Fang Pingzhai let out an intrigued "Oh," his interest piqued. "Using tea leaves for elixir crafting—that's the first I've heard of it. Fascinating, truly fascinating. The two of you are quite interesting indeed. Well then, let's build a thatched hut right away so we don't catch a chill from the night wind and cold water." No sooner had he spoken than he darted into the woods. The sound of rustling branches followed as he began breaking off twigs to construct the hut. Yu Tuan'er and Liu Yan exchanged glances. Liu Yan's gaze remained indifferent, as if Fang Pingzhai's eccentricities didn't faze him in the slightest, but Yu Tuan'er was utterly baffled—how could such a person exist? Here they were trying to craft medicine, yet he was building a thatched hut with more enthusiasm than anyone else?
Dusk faded quickly, and before nightfall, Fang Pingzhai had already nimbly assembled a simple thatched hut with astonishing dexterity, as though he had built hundreds of identical huts before. Yu Tuan'er helped while questioning him, but Fang Pingzhai claimed he had never built a thatched hut in his life. Whether he had or not, by the time the stars and moon filled the sky, Liu Yan, Yu Tuan'er, Lin Bu, and Fang Pingzhai were already lying inside the hut, fast asleep. Breathing in the delicate fragrance of the tea grove and listening to the murmuring stream, the four of them closed their eyes and drifted off. Despite being in the wilderness, the night felt serene and peaceful, and they all slept soundly.
OpenNovel