In Donglin Town.
The crescent moon was like a hook. All was silent. The carriage slowly came to a halt.
After getting off the horse, Su Xiaoliu looked up at the spacious and bustling doorway eaves. Her mouth fell open in surprise.
Situ Qianyue walked over. Su Xiaoliu turned to look at him and said, "Your family's mansion is so big. Why did you move to the old temple?"
Situ Qianyue glanced at her, lowered his eyes, and said with a gentle smile, "There were so many debt - collectors that we had to go into hiding."
Su Xiaoliu didn't say a word. She walked to the door, reached out and fiddled with the small lock, then turned back and asked, "How do we open this door?"
Situ Qianyue chuckled. He walked to the door, pulled out the silver hairpin from his head, and gently turned it in the keyhole. With a "click", the lock opened.
Su Xiaoliu stared blankly. She secretly thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't let him pawn this silver hairpin before, or they wouldn't have been able to get into their own home.
No one had been to this mansion for a long time. When they pushed open the heavy vermilion gate, a puff of dust billowed towards them. The cold moonlight bathed the courtyard. Situ Qianyue turned around to close the door and walked inside with Su Xiaoliu.
The once - grand courtyard was now extremely desolate. The lotus pond under the rockery had turned into a murky pool. The ground was covered with fallen leaves, and the former prosperity was nowhere to be seen.
They pushed open the door of the main hall. Su Xiaoliu slowly walked to the table, took out a fire starter from her bosom, and struck it several times against the long - standing candle lamp. Finally, on the last try, the candle was lit. She picked up the candlestick, and the dark room was instantly illuminated by the dim candlelight.
There was nothing valuable in the main hall. All that could be seen were a few tables and chairs. But for Su Xiaoliu, having tables and chairs was already beyond her expectations.
"This chair is quite good. Let's take a few back. And this table, the wood is of good quality and won't rot easily. Let's take it back too..."
After a while of bustling around, Su Xiaoliu dragged a wooden bed to the center of the yard.
She turned to look at Situ Qianyue, who was fully loaded with things. She put down the wooden bed, patted the dust off her body, and said, "That's all we'll carry. We'll save the money for buying these things."
Situ Qianyue looked at the wooden bed in the middle of the yard, then looked up at Su Xiaoliu, who was fanning herself with her hand. He couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "Wife, we can't carry that much."
Su Xiaoliu was taken aback. She looked down at the wooden bed, feeling reluctant and hesitant.
"Then we'll come back to carry the rest next time. This time, we'll just take a few tables and chairs." After a while, she said resolutely and turned towards the door.
Situ Qianyue curved his lips, dragging the tables and chairs on his body, and followed her closely.
The moment they stepped out of the gate, Su Xiaoliu suddenly widened her almond - shaped eyes...
"Where's the coachman?"
All that was in front of them was an empty space. There was not only no carriage but also not a single soul in sight.
Situ Qianyue, who had caught up, took a look at the empty space outside the gate and frowned slightly.
The coachman must have been still in fear. While they were inside, he had turned the carriage around and run away...
The oil lamp flickered dimly, and the shadows swayed.
Su Xiaoliu and Situ Qianyue were sitting side by side against the wall. Su Xiaoliu was staring blankly at the lampstand in front of her.
"If only you had some money," Su Xiaoliu sighed. She hugged her knees with both hands and lowered her long eyelashes.
Situ Qianyue turned his head to look at her. He was slightly taken aback when he heard her words, then said with a faint smile, "I don't know how to make money."
Su Xiaoliu turned to look at him and said, "You know martial arts. You can do things for others and earn some silver."
"Someone wants to hire me as a killer," Situ Qianyue said with a smile.
"Forget it then," Su Xiaoliu twitched the corner of her mouth. She turned back and looked up at the sky. "I've been divorced three times before, but each of my ex - husbands was more capable than you. At least they were more intelligent."
"I'm stupid," Situ Qianyue said with a smile in his black eyes as he looked at her.
Su Xiaoliu frowned and corrected him, "You're not stupid." He was not only not stupid but also very smart. She sighed and said again, "You're just lazy."
"It's the same," Situ Qianyue curved his lips and said playfully.
"It's not the same," Su Xiaoliu said.
They stared at each other for a few seconds. After a moment, Su Xiaoliu leaned against the wall helplessly. It was still a bit cold at night in the early spring. She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes.
"Let's sleep first. I still have some copper coins hidden in my clothes. We'll figure out how to stop a carriage and take these things back tomorrow."
There was a rustling sound. Suddenly, her body was encircled by a pair of strong arms.
Su Xiaoliu opened her eyes. What greeted her were a pair of charming black eyes with a smile.
"You won't be cold like this," Situ Qianyue said with a gentle smile.
Su Xiaoliu wanted to struggle at first, but in an instant, she felt really warm. Weariness washed over her, and she was too lazy to say anything. She simply closed her eyes.
Situ Qianyue stared quietly at her peaceful face. A hint of sobriety suddenly flashed in his smiling eyes.
One person slept soundly through the night without dreams, while the other stayed awake all night.
It was deep into the night, and the flame of the lamp swayed gently.
The vermilion gate was gently pushed open, and then a handsome young man in white clothes and a high hat walked in.
"Sir Qiongxue, is it really okay to show the Golden Jade Tree to the world?" the handsome young man stepped forward and said respectfully.
Behind the brocade curtain, there was a man reclining. A gorgeous purple robe embroidered with patterns trailed on the ground. A face so beautiful it was almost transparent looked extremely pale in the candlelight. His eyes slowly opened, and his long black hair, casually scattered, slid down to his chest.
He moved his lips slightly and said softly, "It's okay. Let the Alliance Leader do as he wishes."
The handsome young man hesitated to speak. After a while, he raised his hand and said, "But Sir Qiongxue, once the Golden Jade Tree is revealed, our family will surely be involved in many things. Where there's a precious treasure, there's bound to be greed. What if..."
"One precious item is always shown at each Jianghu Peace - Stabilizing Conference. Even if it's not our turn this time, it will be hard to avoid next time. Since it's our turn this time, others will have less trouble."
The moonbeams were beautiful, and that peerless face seemed as if it would disappear at any moment.
The handsome young man shook his head and sighed softly, "Sir Qiongxue, you're just too kind - hearted. In the Jianghu, kind - hearted people are always the victims. The Alliance Leader must have taken advantage of this and found our family..."
Hearing this, Gu Rongxue frowned slightly and scolded softly, "Wentong."
The handsome young man immediately stopped his continuous complaints, but his eyes still showed indignation.
Gu Rongxue ran his fingers through his hair. A cold sensation came from his forehead. He gently closed his eyes.
"Our family is just a pawn in the Jianghu. Whoever can move it will do so..."
Su Xiaoliu stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the renovated old temple with a beaming face.
She turned to look at Situ Qianyue and said proudly, "It looks much better now, doesn't it?" When she first came here, it was even shabbier than a beggar's dwelling. Now, there were complete sets of tables and chairs, and the messy grass on the ground had been cleared away. Every corner was cleaned up by her with great effort.
Suddenly, her hand was grabbed. Su Xiaoliu looked over blankly.
"Wife, does it hurt?" Situ Qianyue looked down at her dusty hand. His black eyes were shining with a moving luster as he said softly.
Su Xiaoliu pursed her lips and pulled back her hand. She stammered, "It's okay."
She had never done such rough work when she was in the Su family. Her fingers had always been delicate. Since she married the poorest man, she had experienced many things and was gradually learning to adapt to this kind of life that she used to think was hard and tiring.
"If only you had money. Then we wouldn't have to work so hard," Su Xiaoliu sighed.
Situ Qianyue stared at her and said with a smile, "Do you think it's tiring to be with me, wife?"
Su Xiaoliu answered without hesitation, "Yes, it is."
Situ Qianyue fell silent. After a while, he pursed his lips and said softly, "I will protect you."