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墨書 Inktalez
The line was simply shocking, and I was left speechless at that moment.
If I heard correctly, he said—"my woman"?!
I looked around, finally convinced that there were no other women in sight.
So, this "my woman" refers to... me?!
I stared in astonishment at Nie Qiuyuan, who stood quietly at the treetop, still as calm and reserved as ever, warm like jade. It was hard to imagine those words coming from his mouth.
"Huh?"
It turned out I wasn't the only one surprised. Ren Pingsheng paused for a moment before breaking into a light laugh, which gradually morphed into a maniacal laughter.
"Xuanwu, what happened to you!"
Nie Qiuyuan remained silent, merely gazing coldly at him. After a while, Ren Pingsheng suddenly stopped laughing and said seriously, "Are you confident you can protect her from me?"
Before his words had even faded, I noticed a bright light flashing above me. It was as if Ren Pingsheng had teleported right in front of me, wielding a curved blade that came crashing down without mercy.
Damn it! In my heart, I could only manage to greet him with a single relative term; I simply didn't have the time to curse his ancestors. In terms of martial arts, Ren Pingsheng was an unparalleled master; there was no way I could dodge that strike! How could I be so unlucky?
But just as I felt dizzy and my vision blurred, the curved blade did not cleave me in two as I had imagined. When I regained my composure, I found myself about three meters away from Ren Pingsheng. Upon focusing again, I was astonished to realize that I was already in Nie Qiuyuan's embrace.
Nie Qiuyuan held a long sword in his right hand while tightly wrapping his left arm around my waist, pulling me against his chest. He didn’t lower his head to speak to me but instead stared directly at Ren Pingsheng and answered his question: "No confidence."
"Oh? Aren't you afraid this girl might be in danger?" The perverted Ren Pingsheng looked utterly astonished.
Nie Qiuyuan held me tightly, so tightly that it caused me some pain. He looked at Ren Pingsheng and spoke each word deliberately:
"I will never let her go again. She is mine in life and mine in death!"
Once again, Ren Pingsheng and I were left dumbfounded. This reasoning seemed to challenge the normal views of a rational person! Yet, for some reason, his words stirred something deep within my heart.
A normal, kind person would likely choose to let go out of love in such a situation, just like the true mother in Solomon's judgment who would relinquish her claim to save her child's life. But is this confident choice made for the other person's sake truly what they desire?
If I deeply love someone, do I wish for them to abandon their love for my safety, or would I rather die in their embrace?
Now, Nie Qiuyuan was willing to bear the cross of guilt and sin, preferring to watch me fall into danger and torment rather than let go. This could only mean one thing: his fervor had completely surpassed reason, and he was certain that I would resonate with him. It was that feeling of love that persists even beyond death.
Did he feel this intensely about me? How had I not noticed it before?
Ren Pingsheng stared for a moment before suddenly chuckling softly, uttering two words: "Selfish."
Nie Qiuyuan lowered his head, gazing at me in his arms, his eyes softening with tenderness. He leaned in slightly as if Ren Pingsheng didn't exist and spoke solely to me:
"I'm sorry; I'm very selfish, but I won't let you go again. It may put you in danger, but I will do my best to protect you. If you are to die, I will die before you. The only way for anyone who wishes to harm you is over my dead body."
My hand gripping his clothing suddenly trembled.
Was this a confession?
If this wasn't a confession, then what was? This was not only a declaration of love; it was even a pact of life and death! Wasn't this exactly what I wanted? My wish—wasn't it fulfilled at this very moment?
"Are you happy?" Hmm, yes, I am happy, extremely happy! And I feel very, very touched, filled with a sense of happiness. But why is there a slight chaos in my heart?
It feels like something inside me is off, as if a hole has opened somewhere in my heart, leaving a void that makes me feel somewhat at a loss.
Ren Pingsheng's smile suddenly grew wider as he called out to me, "Ah Ying?"
Please, bad guy, don’t disturb me at a time like this!
"I wasn't really interested at first, but now that I think about it, Ah Ying is indeed quite special. So now I want her too. Xuanwu, I will make Ah Ying mine."
"Ren Pingsheng, shut up!" I blurted out in anger. It was one thing to toy with me before; why stir up trouble now? Isn’t it just because he wants to go against Nie Qiuyuan?
"Ah Ying, I've already learned about the Jade Balance Bureau. Do you think I need to visit your county office?" Ren Pingsheng asked me with a smile.
"Who knows what your intentions are!" I shrank closer to Nie Qiuyuan, and his arm tightened around me.
"Maybe I just want to see what that interesting girl is up to."
After a long silence, Nie Qiuyuan finally spoke up, "If you want something, come at me. What does it mean to target a woman?"
"Targeting a woman is naturally meaningless, but stealing your woman is quite interesting," Ren Pingsheng chuckled. "But you seem to be too careless; you didn’t notice anything wrong with Ah Ying’s condition? If it weren't for me encountering her, she would have been in danger practicing the Mind Method you taught her."
Nie Qiuyuan's expression darkened slightly as he gently trembled while holding my arm.
Ren Pingsheng ignored him and smiled at me. "Ah Ying, how does it feel to be coveted by two madmen?"
I felt utterly speechless.
"Ah Ying, there's something I need to tell you," Ren Pingsheng said, pursing his lips as he shifted the topic. "Don't be too scared; actually, as long as you don't practice internal martial arts, your symptoms aren't severe. On the way to Wanzi Mountain, when you went to dig up someone's grave, it was actually because I slipped you a little something."
What?!
Suddenly, I remembered that this man before me was perhaps the best poison maker of this era. Ever since he arrived, every move I made had been under his control. No wonder he could see through the jade vial containing the poison at a glance, and no wonder he could determine that the Dissolution Powder inside was made from twenty-seven ingredients just by smelling it. No wonder he was so capable!
"So, how should we wrap up today's events?" Ren Pingsheng asked with a smile as he gazed at the swirling purple butterflies around us.
But his smile lasted only a moment before it froze on his face and turned into surprise.
Ren Pingsheng slowly raised his left hand, which wasn't holding a weapon, and suddenly that hand was covered in black at an astonishing speed.
From the back of his left hand, like a ghost crawling out of a swamp, two nearly transparent wings slowly unfolded, revealing the shadow of a butterfly.
It was an almost invisible invisible butterfly. Beneath the butterfly, Ren Pingsheng's skin instantly turned to ink.
Ren Pingsheng paused for a moment before shaking his left hand violently; the transparent butterfly shattered into nothingness. He moved like lightning, tapping several acupoints on his left arm and shoulder before pulling out a pill from his pocket and popping it into his mouth.
After seemingly regulating his breath for a moment, he managed a forced smile and said, "I thought those purple butterflies were for something else; turns out they were just a distraction to keep me from noticing this. Xuanwu, you've really improved over the years; you managed to deceive me. However, using poison against me is still not a wise choice; no matter how potent it is, it can't harm me."
Ren Pingsheng glanced at me and said, "Ah Ying, let's leave it at that for today. Remember my words: do not practice that kind of martial arts again."
With that, his figure swayed lightly and vanished like a ghost under the Light Transformation Day.
I had already grown accustomed to the eerie disappearances in this flat land, but my heart still raced with anxiety.
"Brother, aren't you going to chase after him?"
Nie Qiuyuan shook his head. "Cornering him will only put you in danger."
He continued to look at me with that infuriatingly gentle gaze, leaving my heart in turmoil. With his right hand, he turned his sword upside down and smoothly sheathed it. His freed hand then rested on my back, wrapping me securely in his embrace.
"From now on, don't call me brother anymore." The male deity demanded in a tone I had never heard before, utterly domineering.
I felt incredulous; this was not the Nie Qiuyuan I knew but someone entirely different. It seemed even more unreal than Ren Pingsheng calling himself Guilin.
Unable to contain myself, I reached out and pinched his cheek, then rubbed my fingers against his neck, surprised to find that it was undeniably the skin of a living person—no disguise or mask involved.
"I... I... What should I call you then?" I panicked. This was the real deal, not a fake! It was too outrageous! Stammering, I tried to cover up my earlier indiscreet actions.
But he paid no mind. He continued to look at me earnestly and said in a serious tone, "I don't want to be your brother anymore. Call me Qiu Yuan or just Autumn; is that alright?"
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