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墨書 Inktalez
Ren Pingsheng said coldly, "You have no right to question my affairs."
Ruo Chanjuan sneered, "Then why do you think I came here? Qinglong, have you been a bit unreliable lately? You came to White Horse Temple alone, and it seems Father doesn't trust you."
Ren Pingsheng replied, "If it weren't for your meddling, there wouldn't be any issues. Now that you've brought this woman here, how can you avoid exposing yourself?"
"Oh? Is that so! Did you see Xuanwu, or do you not know that Xuanwu has sided with the White Path? Yes, you know, but you didn't report it to Father. Qinglong, what are you really up to?"
Ren Pingsheng held my hand tightly without letting go, only snorting a couple of times before saying, "This matter is understood between us."
Ruo Chanjuan seemed to relax a bit, shooting me a cold glare before turning to leave the forest. She tossed out a few words from a distance: "In that case, I'll let her go this time. I advise you to keep an eye on this woman; your trivial tricks are probably well known to her! Qinglong, if you dare to do anything foolish, I will risk everything to eliminate her."
Ren Pingsheng remained silent, quietly watching her exit the woods. Only then did he raise his hand and deftly sheath the curved knife behind him. He looked down at me and slowly pulled down his mask.
It was still that gentle and handsome face, warm and inviting. The ice in his gaze had not melted, but the corners of his mouth held a smile.
"Ah Ying, we meet again."
"Why did you save me?" I dared not move. This person had tried to kill me last time but now had come to my rescue; I couldn't fathom his intentions. I only understood that in Ren Pingsheng's eyes, my value was likely meant for dealing with Nie Qiuyuan.
Ren Pingsheng's smile deepened as he chuckled softly. "Ah Ying, why did I save you? Because I wanted to save you at this moment. You are my prey. Only I can kill my prey; no one else is worthy of taking your life."
"Pervert!" I cursed silently in my heart but didn't dare voice it. I was worried that if he had another fit, he might decide to kill his own prey.
"Ah Ying, you noticed that I had been to White Horse Temple before, right?"
I was taken aback and quickly shook my head.
Ren Pingsheng chuckled softly, "Liar!"
He released me and turned away. A gust of cold wind swept by, causing his black cloak to billow and rustle.
"Since you're uninjured, let's go." His voice was gentle yet left no room for negotiation.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
The man's shoulder shrugged slightly, as if he had scoffed.
"Ah Ying, do you think you have the ability to pry words from my mouth, or to escape from my grasp?"
His voice was extremely gentle, with a melodious tone, yet it sent chills down my spine.
I immediately closed my mouth and obediently followed him out of the forest. I had learned from experience that this person's heart was made of stone; if I defied him now, it would be futile to plead later. Last time, I had underestimated his ruthlessness, and nearly drowned because of it.
Upon exiting the woods, a large and exquisite carriage awaited us. Ren Pingsheng had put on his mask again at some point; he stopped by the carriage and extended a hand to me, elegantly helping me into the vehicle before taking a seat himself.
The journey was silent. He had nothing to say, and I dared not speak. However, a multitude of questions swirled in my mind, making me dizzy and slightly alleviating my anxiety.
From the conversation between Ren Pingsheng and Ruo Chanjuan, it was clear that the White Horse Temple Incident was indeed orchestrated by Ren Pingsheng himself. Ruo Chanjuan had come at her "father's" command to monitor the situation's progress. This explained why she had been so intent on leading us astray.
Thus, this matter was not solely Ren Pingsheng's intention but part of a plan by Mirror Gate.
What could Mirror Gate's purpose be in all this?
Where was he taking me now? What did he intend to use me for?
What should I do?
The words Ren Pingsheng spoke when we first met echoed in my mind: "I extract a deadly poison from Bitter Almond..." Indeed, he could even refine cyanide; a master in pharmaceuticals, a professional hunter, with a meticulous mind and a cold heart. If anyone could devise such a perfect crime, the only person I could think of was him.
Therefore, Nie Qiuyuan would certainly include him among the major suspects. But Qiu couldn't reach that conclusion yet; it was merely speculation and not the only possible outcome. However, I was different; I had seen things I shouldn't have. The cluster of petals I had hidden away was too peculiar in this world—it could almost be considered irrefutable evidence.
If this method aimed to deceive others, then even if Ren Pingsheng didn't kill me, he would absolutely never let me return to Nie Qiuyuan's side.
Thinking this way calmed my emotions. With no expectations or hopes left, all I could rely on was the strength of that inner woman within me. Stay calm! I told myself. You must seize every opportunity that comes your way!
Gradually, I felt the carriage jolting more violently as if it were traversing a mountain road. After what felt like an eternity of being tossed around, the carriage finally came to a stop.
Ren Pingsheng lifted the curtain to look outside and chuckled lightly. "Get out; we've arrived."
We had reached the halfway point of a mountain, and before us loomed a large, dark cave. Surrounding it were dense trees, and the cave's entrance gaped wide as if it were ready to swallow someone whole.
The entrance was about ten meters wide, shrouded in darkness. However, after passing through a narrow and constricted section, the terrain inside became unexpectedly complex. It turned out that this cave was quite spacious, with braziers and torches set up at intervals along the walls, illuminating the interior. Yet, the pathways within branched off in many directions, intricate and maze-like.
Ren Pingsheng stopped in his tracks, suddenly turning around. He removed his black cloak and draped it over me, adjusting the hood to cover my head completely, hiding my long hair. Then he pulled something from his pocket and placed it over my face.
As he secured two straps behind my ears, I realized with surprise that it was the mask he had taken from me last time.
With his face covered by a cloth, Ren Pingsheng's eyes crinkled slightly as if revealing a hint of a smile. "You used it; now you have to return it," he said. He then took out a black scarf from his pocket and wrapped it around his own jet-black hair, resembling the followers of the Taiping Kingdom from history textbooks. Although he looked impressive even in this guise, I had no time to admire his appearance given the life-and-death situation we were in.
I followed him deeper into the cave. As we walked, I began to understand why he had concealed me so thoroughly. Along the way, we encountered many masked figures dressed in black, each moving with agility—likely Ren Pingsheng's subordinates.
After winding through the cave for some time, Ren Pingsheng led me into an isolated stone chamber. A mechanism-controlled stone door sealed us off from the outside, and inside there was simple furniture.
"Ah Ying, you can rest here for now," Ren Pingsheng said.
"Aren't you going to lock the door? I saw the mechanisms; what if I try to escape?" I asked cautiously, trying not to provoke him while keeping my tone low.
"Hmph, it's fine. If you want to leave, go ahead," Ren Pingsheng chuckled. "Don't say I didn't warn you; this cave is like a maze with traps everywhere. Ah Ying, if you're not afraid of dying, feel free to give it a try. If you end up dead on your own accord, that's just your fate—there's nothing I can do about it."
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