A gentle breeze blew by, carrying the delicate fragrance of flowers.
Su Xiaoliu stared silently at Feng Yufei lying on the flowers. A field of blossoms surrounded the two of them. The sky was a clear, vibrant blue.
"Phoenix soars, phoenix soars, phoenix perches on the branch..."
The words suddenly rang in her ears. Su Xiaoliu couldn't help curling up her body. Her long hair scattered over her, and she bit her lips lightly.
On Feng Yufei's increasingly feeble face, his phoenix eyes were half - closed. His long eyelashes cast shadows on both sides of his nose. His inky hair flowed like water over the peonies. His crimson robe embroidered with golden feet was stained with blood. His slender, fair fingers gently covered his chest, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly, presenting a poignant and gorgeous beauty.
"He's been practicing the Nine - Demon Skill for over twenty years. If I hadn't locked him up, how many more would have died under his hands..." Feng Yufei closed his enchanting phoenix eyes and murmured softly.
Su Xiaoliu paused for a moment. She looked at Feng Yufei, her gaze landing on his extremely handsome and coquettish face. "Are you cold?" she asked.
Feng Yufei was taken aback. He slowly lifted his eyes to look at Su Xiaoliu. The corners of his mouth curved up. "Cold," he replied.
Su Xiaoliu stared at him silently. A twinge of guilt flashed through her heart. She lay down and gently wrapped her arms around his body, then closed her eyes.
His body was so cold. Su Xiaoliu gritted her teeth, feeling even more remorseful.
Feng Yufei was stunned. He let her hold him. Suddenly, he broke into a bright smile, reached out to hug her back, buried his head, and whispered, "So warm..."
Su Xiaoliu began to shiver. It wasn't because of the cold but deep - seated self - reproach.
Feng Yufei lowered his eyes and hugged her body tightly.
"Xiaoliu..." he murmured softly.
Su Xiaoliu slowly raised her head and looked at him.
Feng Yufei lifted his eyes, tightened his embrace, and whispered, "My heart, it's so cold..."
Su Xiaoliu was silent for a while. She thought he was referring to her previous indifference. She lowered her head and whispered, "I'm sorry." She truly meant it.
Feng Yufei curled his lips into a faint smile and didn't let go. His long eyelashes fluttered slightly. "It's really cold..." he said.
Su Xiaoliu stared at him silently. Seeing his increasingly pale face, she suddenly realized something. She quickly broke free from his arms, bent down to look at him, only to find that their clothes were already stained red with blood, and the peonies on the ground were in a complete mess.
Su Xiaoliu squatted on the ground anxiously. "What's going on?" she asked.
The wound inflicted by the old valley master showed no sign of stopping bleeding. Instead, the blood gushed out more violently. Su Xiaoliu was so anxious that her mind went blank.
"The Nine - Demon Skill is as poisonous as venom..." Feng Yufei slowly closed his eyes and murmured.
The Nine - Demon Skill? Poisonous?
Did it mean he was poisoned?
Seeing his fading breath, Su Xiaoliu quickly said, "Let's go back to the Wanku Valley. We'll find the divine doctor and the antidote!"
Feng Yufei opened his eyes. His enchanting phoenix eyes stared silently at Su Xiaoliu. He curved his lips into a faint smile. "There are two kinds of medicine on me. Take them out," he said.
Su Xiaoliu searched as he told her to, and sure enough, she found two small porcelain bottles. One was black, and the other was red. There was no label indicating what the medicine was.
Su Xiaoliu got a bit impatient. She looked up at Feng Yufei. "Which one is it?" she asked.
Feng Yufei curled his lips and stared at her silently. "I don't know either. One is the antidote, and the other is poison. Both were given to me by my father," he whispered.
Not know?
Su Xiaoliu looked down at the two small porcelain bottles, her fingertips turning white from the tight grip.
A gentle breeze blew by. The peony field dazzled people's eyes, and petals fluttered to the ground...
The incense burner emitted curling smoke that rose straight up.
A man in a dark - red robe embroidered with Chinese flowering crabapples was sitting on a long bench. He wore a black cloak, and his long inky hair hung in front of him. The half of his face that was exposed was extremely fair.
Not far away, a girl of about sixteen or seventeen was holding a red wooden clapper and singing a gentle tune in a warbling voice. Her long black hair was gently tied up with a peach - colored ribbon. Her small face was adorned with a pair of charming eyes that occasionally glanced at the man.
Footsteps sounded from afar and drew closer. The door was gently knocked.
"My lord, it's me," a voice said.
The man in the dark - red robe slowly raised his head. His pale, thin lips parted slightly. "Come in," he said.
The door creaked open. A handsome man in white brocade clothes and a tall hat walked in and stopped not far from the man.
"I've arranged new horses. Island Master Tang will arrive in the capital in three days. He'll probably reach the Tang Mansion around noon tomorrow. If we set off at 1 pm, we can arrive at the Tang Mansion around noon tomorrow," Weng Tong said in a low voice, his head bowed.
Fang Xie slowly nodded. "Good," he said in a cold voice.
Weng Tong looked up at Fang Xie and whispered, "My lord, Miss Tang just passed away recently. I'm afraid Island Master Tang won't want to receive outsiders. We..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Fang Xie interrupted him. "That's exactly the time to meet Island Master Tang," he said. After a moment, his slender fingers gently rubbed the red jade ring on his other hand. His pleasant but cold voice slowly rang out. "To revitalize our clan, we must be ruthless. I'm not Gu Rongxue. I'm not as indecisive as he is. The more merciful a person is, the sooner they'll lose their life."
Weng Tong paused for a moment. He looked up at Fang Xie, then lowered his head. "Yes," he replied.
After a while, Fang Xie asked again, "Any news from the Alliance Leader?"
Weng Tong quickly lowered his head. "The Alliance Leader took several big names in the martial arts world to the Wanku Valley. They're probably going for the Rebirth Fruit. They've probably left by now," he said.
"The Wanku Valley..." Fang Xie repeated softly. Under the black cloak, his cold - white face moved as his thin lips spoke. "Dispatch some people to the Wanku Valley."
Weng Tong was taken aback. He looked at Fang Xie in confusion. "My lord, why do you want to help the Wanku Valley?" he asked.
Fang Xie was silent for a long time. Just when Weng Tong thought he wasn't going to answer the question, he slowly said, "Help the enemy first, then subdue them." After a moment, his cold voice rang out. "The Alliance Leader, the Wanku Valley, the Heavenly Gift Sect, and the Tang and Wei families. None of them can be left out."
The charming eyes of the girl singing while beating the clapper suddenly trembled. She covered up the wrong note and continued singing in a soft voice.
Fang Xie gently waved his hand. "You may leave," he said to Weng Tong.
Weng Tong bowed respectfully, responded, and retreated, closing the door behind him.
The sound of the door closing echoed in the room, making the tune sound even clearer.
Fang Xie said unhurriedly, "You sang a wrong note just now."
The girl's hand stopped. A look of timidity flashed across her eyes quickly. She stopped beating the clapper, raised her head, and looked at Fang Xie with her charming eyes. "Lingyao has just learned this tune recently. I hope my master will forgive me," she said.
It was hard to tell if Fang Xie was even looking at her. Only his calm voice could be heard. "Then sing the first stanza again," he said.
Yu Lingyao lowered her head and replied softly, "Yes." She started beating the clapper again, and the gentle Wu dialect tune rang out in the empty room once more. "I wake from dreams with orioles singing, wasting the year's good light. I stand in the small pavilion of the deep courtyard. The incense has burned out, the embroidery thread is tossed aside. This spring's yearning is as strong as last year's..."