Chapter 356 All of a Sudden
“You want evidence?” Qin Yunuan raised her tone. She was considered a fool. Qin Yunuan suddenly reached out to grab Shi Ruisheng’s collar. She was ready to see what’s inside it.
“What are you doing?” Shi Ruisheng’s face turned red. He covered his clothes with mild strength.
“What are you thinking?” Qin Yunuan stared at Shi Ruisheng. She grabbed Shi Ruisheng’s collar, revealing three moles, which had a triangle shape besides his collarbone. “Yes, I remember, the elder male cousin Su has it. You were him, this is right, but,” Qin Yunuan looked at Shi Ruisheng, and went up to drag his sleeve.
“Yunuan, what the hell are you doing?”
Shi Ruisheng was shy about Qin Yunuan’s bold behavior. Besides, he treated her well all these years.
“See,” Qin Yunuan pointed at the thin black line on Shi Ruisheng’s arm, “This is the poison I used to suffer. The origin of it was the Tamuer Village and the white poplar forest outside it, which were external to the Yeren Valley. You also have one, not because you were poisoned, but you are the person who made it. Now, satisfied?”
It was clear that she knew everything.
Shi Ruisheng glanced at Qin Yunuan. Complex emotions filled in his eyes. On the one hand, he didn’t know how to face her. As a person living in darkness, he had been surviving for more than twenty years. It was fortunate that the kind-hearted head of Tamuer Village adopted him. However, after he knew his true identity by accident, he was so excited that he ran out of the village to find his birth parents. He didn’t expect that he was stopped by Leng Changxi when he saw Prince Ning’s Mansion as a clue.
He remembered he was only five or six years old at that time. Leng Changxi was as young as he was, but his words were cold and gloomy.
“Are you sure you want to be back? Only endless calculations and tricks here. It seems that I’m in my day. In reality, I live in scary and horror every day. I don’t care about glory or wealth. I’m here because my father treats me well. I’m loath to leave him. It’s ok to come back. But you have to endure the pains that I suffered.”
At that time, Leng Changxi took off his coat. He was no more than a six-year-old child, yet several scars were on his back and some bruises on his chest. They looked scary, but Leng Changxi seemed to ignore them as usual and talked in an orderly way.
“Oh, don’t be surprised. Only four were made by the assassins. Others were injured when I was practicing martial arts. Strength was the premise to protect myself from being hurt by others. If you come back, your life will be the same as mine. Of course, you will have endless feasts. Besides that, I cannot come up with other benefits.”
“If I fail to be recognized by father, I have no place to go.”
“There is a scholar in the regions south of the River called Su Rian who is a distant relative of mine. He visited this Mansion. Thus, we had several contacts before. He is upright and talented. Plus, without the help of our Mansion, he cannot find his brother-in-law Grand Commandant Qin in the Royal City this time. Just bring my jade card to him. He will have arrangements.”
As Shi Ruisheng was saying, Qin Yunuan shook her head with bewilderment, “So Leng Changxi sold you out? You are, wait, right, who is older?”
“The village head of Tamuer said that he is older than me. Because he was the early-born one, he was taken away,” Shi Ruisheng turned his neck to south, “In fact, Leng Changxi didn’t sell me out. He was right, Su Rian was a great person. He took me in and allowed me to study and play with the master of Su Family. Later the master was badly ill and dead. To not be discovered by the old master of Su, who was on his travel along the way, Su Rian let me take his place. Therefore, I became the master of Su Family, Su Chenghai.”
“I had never met my real cousin,” Qin Yunuan came to realize that, “When I was six, it was you, right?”
“Right.” Shi Ruisheng’s expression suddenly went deep. An emotion, which was hard to describe, was hiding around his eyes. There were so many things that were hard to predict came out without being noticed. Like the story of his birth, like the first glance at that day he went back to the Royal City to visit Qin Family in the name of Su Chenghai. “Yunuan, since the day I met you, I’ve never put down my heart to you. Though a mouth was short to get along with you, I was hunted by you. Every time I saw you being bullied, I couldn’t help to fight back for you. Every time I saw your sadness, I would fantasize if I could accompany you. Later I followed Leng Changxi for a battle with East Qin. I got disfigured, and my appearance was changed. Yunuan, I didn’t expect that. I was embarrassed to come back, so I changed my identity to hide in Qing Zhou. At that time, I kept searching for your news. But Sima Ray was in charge of Qingzhou, and I had to take action in low profile. The latest news I received about you was your wedding with Leng Changxi.”
“You mean?” It is said that brothers’ feelings are connected, was it meant that Shi Ruisheng and Leng Changxi had a similar appreciation? Qin Yunuan felt it hard to breathe suddenly. Though she guessed before, such a result was difficult for her to accept within a second.
“Yunuan, I love you, even earlier than Leng Changxi did. I know the relations among us are awkward, but I have suffered from it for a long time. The reason why I accepted Leng Changxi’s arrangement to stay in Qingzhou as his agent was his commitment.”
Qin Yunuan’s corner of lips twitched, “What commitment? What did both you exchange for in the condition of me?”
“You misunderstand me,” Shi Ruisheng’s eyes were full of joy that even his lip corner could not help but rise. His tone was lighter than before, “He promised me that after everything is over, he will agree to my demand, any of it.”
Shi Ruisheng was extremely firm about that. He got his nerve from the bottom of his heart that to order Leng Changxi to give Qin Yunuan back to him was the easiest thing at his fingertips. He had given Qin Yunuan to Leng Changxi for so many years. It was time for him to take her back.
Just when Shi Ruisheng looked at Qin Yunuan with deep affection, a long and powerful voice cut through the awkward atmosphere.
“My little brother, you think it too simple.”
With a sound of rubbing leaves, Leng Changxi leaped from the forest like a snow-white snow fox. On his back was a long black iron spear. It was so steady that as if it was grown on Leng Changxi’s back.
No extra words, Leng Changxi targeted the blade of spear towards Shi Ruisheng, “You think it too easy. It took efforts to marry her. How will it be possible for handing over my wife to you? Such an idea is worse than what Sima Ray is thinking. Considering we are relatives, I won’t blame you for your words. But such idea...”
At this moment, Zhuge Qingtian, who was guarding at the side, hurriedly ran over. He pointed at the fire from far away, “General, look.”
Leng Changxi looked at the Royal City. Without distance, the city was shrouded by the fire. The Royal City was huge. The ancestors did their best to prevent fire disasters. Not only in all corners of the city preserved the fire-fighting water storage, but fire bells were set to inform every one of the fires along the city wall. Once catching fire, families can be informed to make early preparation in time.
Obviously, someone deliberately set the fire.
“What shall we do, General?”
Qin Yunuan squeezed her eyes to see the red. Even her pupil sank into bloodiness.
“Sima Ray is forcing us to fight the fire. As long as we enter the Royal City, many ambushes will be waiting for us.” Exactly this was what Qin Yunuan was thinking. Sima Ray was vicious and hard-hearted. He was taking the masses in the Royal City as his bet to blackmail Leng Changxi.
Leng Changxi frowned. If they smashed into the Royal City, they would probably be dead. If they ignored the flame, the masses in the Royal City would die.
“Convene our army to set off for the Royal City.”
Guarding outside the Royal City for such a long time, West Xia’s army finally took action. Leng Changxi turned his head and shouted at Shi Ruisheng, “As for you, stay in the military camp.”
“Me...” Shi Ruisheng wanted to say something, but Leng Changxi was out of time to hear.
On one side was the Royal City’s cerise flame; on the other was Leng Changxi’s fast-aggregated troop.
Red and black confronted each other strangely.
Sima Ray was sitting in his chair on the city walls drinking a cup of tea in his white armor. He looked such leisure regardless of the flame in the city behind him.
Leng Changxi and Qin Yunuan rode horses in front of the army. At such a distance, Qin Yunuan could hear the shouting and whines of fleeing people in the city.
Sima Ray saw everyone was here then walked to the edge of the city wall, “Finally, you come.”
Qin Yunuan glanced at the fire. Sima Ray played a trick. Though the whole Royal City seemed to be on fire, in fact, Sima Ray only set fire in fixed locations. Along with the wind, it looked like the whole city was burning up.
“I haven’t set the whole Royal City yet. Just set some torches in a few places with a large population. But if I was unsatisfied later, I will command them to set the whole city on fire. Leng Changxi, you compelled me. In a situation out-gunned and out-manned, I dare to do anything.”
Sima Ray’s eyes turned red. Leng Changxi surrounded the Royal City, neither direct attacked nor summoned them to surrender. He couldn’t find out what Leng Changxi was going to do next. The waiting drove him crazy. Today, he wanted to regain the initiative.