Blood sedge

Chapter 1200 My Heart Under the Bright Moon
As midnight passed, the bright stars and moon were no longer as dazzling as they were at night, as if shrouded in a gentle and hazy mist, reflecting a peaceful and serene world and quietly concealing the hustle and bustle of life.

At this moment, the vast Danfeng Garden has gradually shed the hustle and bustle of the day, and the struggles for fame and fortune have also subsided. Apart from the lanterns hanging in each courtyard and the chirping of insects hidden among the flowers and plants, the surroundings are as dark as ink and as quiet as a painting.

In the dimly lit room, Xunzhen, with her black hair loose and wearing a nightgown, had been tossing and turning on the bed for half the night. Recent events had made her feel uneasy and anxious, so much so that she was still troubled by worries and could not fall asleep even after going to bed.

Suddenly, an inexplicable surge of emotion welled up in her heart without warning, causing her to slowly open her deliberately closed eyes.

The surroundings remained pitch black and deathly silent, just as they had been when she lay down. Yet, Xunzhen seemed to be gently drawn by an invisible force, and involuntarily sat up, slowly got out of bed, and walked step by step toward the door.

Her eyes held a hint of confusion, and her steps faltered, for even she herself didn't know why she was doing this. Yet, despite her bewilderment, she couldn't help but walk to the door.

After hesitating for a moment, Xunzhen finally couldn't resist the strange, inexplicable obsession in her heart and slowly reached out to open the door.

"squeak!"

A soft sound broke the silence, and the two doors opened in response.

However, the moment the door opened, a tall, slender figure stood straight outside, appearing both upright and graceful in the moonlight.

"what……"

The sudden scene startled Xunzhen, who let out a cry of surprise and instinctively retreated in a panic, nearly stumbling and falling to the ground.

Fortunately, Liu Xunyi reacted quickly, leaping forward just as she was about to fall and catching her by the waist with lightning speed.

"careful!"

The ethereal moonlight added to the gentle atmosphere. Liu Xunyi looked down at her, her brows furrowed with concern and worry. Xunzhen, still shaken, seemed to have turned into a wooden statue, lying motionless against Liu Xunyi's chest, her eyes filled with tension and helplessness.

A gentleman is like a sword, a beauty is like jade. The two of them stood there, as if time had frozen, their eyes meeting, speechless for a long time.

After a long silence, Liu Xunyi gradually came to his senses. He gently helped the dazed Xunzhen up and asked, "How...how did you know I was coming?"

"I...I don't know." Seemingly awakened by Liu Xunyi's voice, Xunzhen quickly avoided Liu Xunyi's gaze and said in a voice that was trying to be calm but was slightly trembling, "I just...I just couldn't sleep and wanted to go out for some fresh air."

"What a coincidence, me too." Liu Xunyi had already seen through Xunzhen's panic, but couldn't bear to point it out.

"Ahem! What brings you here?" Xunzhen, completely flustered, hurriedly tidied her slightly disheveled hair and asked casually, "Is...is something the matter?"

"I……"

"You've been drinking?" Xunzhen's senses seemed to return to normal at this moment, and she couldn't help but frown when she smelled the alcohol on Liu Xunyi.

"I'm fine, but Brother Tang is completely drunk." As he spoke, Liu Xunyi spread his arms and swayed his body a few times, as if showing off his "unharmed" state to Xunzhen. At the same time, he did not forget to tease Tang Afu, "Brother Tang's swordsmanship is superb, but his drinking capacity is really not that great."

Xunzhen looked at Liu Xunyi, who was smug and clearly drunk, and teased, "If you could hold your liquor, you wouldn't be disturbing someone's sleep in the middle of the night."

"I didn't mean to disturb you, and I thought I hadn't made a sound, but I didn't expect you to find out."

Upon hearing this, Xunzhen's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes flickered. She didn't want to tell Liu Xunyi that she hadn't actually noticed him, and that it was all an unconscious, inexplicable act. But how could she explain such an unconscious, inexplicable act?
Thinking of this, Xunzhen recalled Abaolu and Wu Shuang's reminders and admonitions, and her eyes dimmed slightly. She quickly dismissed her wild thoughts and said seriously, "Vice Sect Master, what brings you here so late at night?"

"What? Didn't Brother Wu tell you about the Plum Blossom Pavilion?"

Xunzhen thought to herself, "As expected." The lingering unease in her heart dissipated considerably, and her gaze toward Liu Xunyi was no longer gentle, but instead filled with a cold indifference mixed with apprehension and wariness.

"So you're here to interrogate me." Xun Zhen took a half step back and said expressionlessly, "That's right! It was indeed my idea to get Shen Dongshan and Tang Afu to compromise. What do you plan to do?"

Liu Xunyi was taken aback by Xunzhen's sudden change in attitude. She was about to explain when Xunzhen interrupted her again: "But I only found out today that my brother and Shen Dongshan had joined forces, and that Shen Dongshan had even taken the initiative to seek cooperation with the Young Prince of Qin. Whether you believe it or not..."

"I believe you!" Before Xunzhen could finish speaking, Liu Xunyi answered decisively.

"you……"

Xunzhen was taken aback by Liu Xunyi's reaction. She seemed not to have expected Liu Xunyi to believe her so easily. Xunzhen, who had been prepared to outwit him, found all her words useless and was speechless.

"You've misunderstood! I didn't come here tonight to interrogate you, nor did I ever intend to." Looking at Xunzhen, who was still somewhat doubtful, Liu Xunyi smiled slightly and said softly, "I came to say thank you."

"Thank...thank me?" Xunzhen was quite surprised.

"Yes!" Liu Xunyi nodded solemnly. "If it weren't for your painstaking mediation, Brother Tang and Master Shen might not have been able to coexist. Brother Tang and I are like brothers, and I can't ignore the deep-seated hatred he carries. But Jin Fuyu used Sui Zuo to set a trap for me and the Prince Xian's Mansion, and now I have no choice but to rely on Shen Dongshan to break the deadlock. It was precisely because I was caught in a dilemma and couldn't do both that I left the council hall without saying a word during the day. It wasn't because I was noble, but because I... really didn't know what to choose. Therefore, you not only helped Brother Wu and Shen Dongshan, but also me and everyone else."

"Liu Xunyi, you..."

In Xunzhen's memory, she and Liu Xunyi had always been testing each other, using each other, deceiving each other, and being wary of each other... Tonight, it seemed to be the first time he had trusted himself without reservation.

Regardless of whether Liu Xunyi was real or not, his words alone were enough to disturb Xunzhen's heart, especially at a time when she was feeling depressed after learning that she had been suspected by the young Prince of Qin.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Xunzhen still looking depressed, Liu Xunyi frowned. "You look pale. Did something happen?"

"It's nothing." Xunzhen took a deep breath and forced a smile at Liu Xunyi. "There's no need for thanks. After all... I didn't do this for you."

"Of course," Liu Xunyi said, unable to hide her disappointment, "but in any case, you did relieve my urgent need."

"Alright!" Xunzhen didn't insist, nodding slowly and looking quite tired. "I accept your gratitude. Is there anything else?"

"This..." "It's late! If there's nothing else, Vice Sect Master, please return!"

"This... I'm sorry to bother you."

Facing Liu Xunyi, who seemed unwilling but hesitated to speak, Xunzhen nodded almost imperceptibly in response.

The two looked at each other without saying a word, and the courtyard fell into a deathly silence once again.

"I'm leaving now, you should get some rest..."

"it is good."

A reluctant farewell and a listless reply revealed an unexpected sense of unfamiliarity, making the two seem completely out of place.

"Liu Xunyi!"

Watching Liu Xunyi's receding figure, Xunzhen, who had been reluctant to close the door, finally couldn't suppress her inner impulse and blurted out the name "Liu Xunyi" without thinking.

"Yes." Liu Xunyi stopped upon hearing the voice and quickly turned around. "What..."

"I...I'm not feeling well today..." When Xunzhen met Liu Xunyi's deep, star-like eyes again, her gaze darted away once more, her lips opening and closing several times as if she were repeatedly refining her words, "Because of some other things...I'm not in a good mood, just now I might...I might have been a little...anyway, it wasn't about you."

Although Xunzhen's explanation was hesitant, vague, and his tone was flat and unapproachable, Liu Xunyi felt very pleased, and a relieved smile finally appeared on her melancholy face.

"I'm very grateful that you believe me and know that I had no ill intentions in bringing Shen Dongshan and Tang Afu together." Xunzhen frowned slightly and pursed her lips, as if she had been gathering her courage for a long time before she could say these words.

"Can you tell me why you're unhappy?" Liu Xunyi asked tentatively, her mind racing. "Is it because of Wu Shuang and Shen Dongshan's matter? Did they not inform you beforehand? Was this Wu Shuang's idea, or... the Young Prince Qin's idea?"

"The young King of Qin has his own ideas about how to do things, and he doesn't allow others to interfere." Xunzhen smiled self-deprecatingly. "We're all the same, just following orders."

"Why is the young Prince of Qin acting this way?" Xunzhen's answer, which was tantamount to acquiescence, startled Liu Xunyi. "Does he not even trust you?"

"Perhaps... he doesn't even believe it himself."

"This……"

Xunzhen was worried that Liu Xunyi would misunderstand, so he quickly reassured her: "Don't worry! These are all matters between me and the young Prince Qin. They will not affect your status in the Western Martial Sect, nor will they affect your importance in the young Prince Qin's heart."

Although Liu Xunyi did not know the root of Xunzhen's problem, she could clearly sense her inner struggle.

Her forced strength, the mission she carried, the grievances she endured—when Liu Xunyi reminisced about the past and looked at the present, she gradually realized that the woman before her was silently bearing an indescribable sorrow and bitterness that she could not tell anyone. Liu Xunyi's heart suddenly felt a deep piercing pain.

Almost in an instant, Liu Xunyi forgot everything, abandoned everything, and suddenly flew to Xunzhen, who was forcing a smile.

"you……"

Before Xunzhen could ask any questions, Liu Xunyi suddenly opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace without saying a word.

"Liu Xunyi, what... what are you doing?" In front of the tall Liu Xunyi, the petite Xunzhen had no chance to resist and could only let him hold her tightly with all his might and care.

"You know, I don't care about them at all." Liu Xunyi put one arm around Xunzhen's slender waist and gently stroked the back of her neck with the other, saying each word clearly, "When I was in seclusion, I thought about many things, and I thought about them very clearly. My life, my power, my escape from death, my fame and fortune... all of them are because of you. The reason why I am so deeply connected with the Western Martial Sect, with the Young Prince Qin, with the Prince Xian's Mansion, and with this martial world is also because of you."

"Liu Xunyi..."

“Xunzhen, you’re right! I used to be timid because of heartbreak, unable to hold on or let go. I was afraid of losing you and dared not fall in love again, hesitant and timid, afraid to hate and afraid to love…” Liu Xunyi closed her eyes, feeling Xunzhen’s gentle affection with her body. “But I can’t run away forever! Because more than being afraid of getting hurt, I’m afraid of missing you… I don’t want to live a life of walking on thin ice, and I don’t want to regret missing you for the rest of my life. Therefore, I must face my own feelings, face my own emotions, and face you!”

"Liu Xunyi..."

"These words... perhaps only under the influence of alcohol do I have the courage to say them." Liu Xunyi's fingers gently brushed Xunzhen's hair as he confessed his feelings, unable to contain himself. "I don't know when it started, but seeing you happy makes me happy, and seeing you sad makes me sad. Every time we argue, seeing you hold back your tears breaks my heart. I want to hold you in my arms without hesitation, I want to do everything for you, to obey you... I know! I know we both have our own burdens, our own beliefs, and our own paths... I know this relationship is too much for either of us, and I know there's an insurmountable chasm between us... Reason has always told me I should stay away from you. I've really tried avoiding you, distancing myself from you, even trying to hate you, to despise you..." …Even if I imagine you as utterly cunning, vicious, and blinded by greed… I still can't forget you. I still can't help but want to be close to you, to see you, to talk to you… I probably don't even know when it started… that I've already fallen for you! The world is treacherous, life is short, the martial world is unpredictable, and life and death are uncertain. I don't have time to discern things one by one, nor do I have any interest in spending my days in endless illusion. Therefore, even if we have different positions, even if you are full of scheming against me, even if one day I will die at your hands… I accept it! Xunzhen, I… love you! Not some princess of the Song Dynasty, not some young lady from the Western Regions, and certainly not some mutually exploitative alliance. My heart belongs only to… Xunzhen!

When Xunzhen heard Liu Xunyi's long-suppressed thoughts, her heart sank, and tears instantly blurred her vision. Unconsciously, she gave up her surprise, her resistance, and even her reason. Her jade-like arms slowly wrapped around Liu Xunyi's waist, and her trembling hands gently stroked his back.

At this moment, she nestled into Liu Xunyi's arms, feeling for the first time in her life that she could rely on someone so uniquely.

"Liu Xunyi, my heart... was actually stolen by you long ago." As Xunzhen said these words, two lines of tears rolled down her cheeks. "You poured out your feelings without regard for anything else, you rushed into my heart without regard for anything else, but what about me? What should I do? How should I deal with my feelings?"

At that moment, only she herself knew the depth of her inner turmoil, her pain, and her despair.

Despite being deeply bothered by the suspicion of the young Prince Qin, she had no choice but to stand in his shoes at all times to maintain the dignity befitting the Liao royal family.

Despite being repeatedly warned not to develop feelings for Liu Xunyi, he had no choice but to use his feelings as a bond to firmly hold onto Liu Xunyi's heart.

The greatest sorrow in the world is to desire something but not be able to have it, to love something but not be able to have it.

Xunzhen was indeed intelligent, but she was still a human being, a person with flesh and blood and feelings.

As human beings, who can clearly and precisely separate liking and hating, loyalty and reverence, true feelings and false intentions?
Sometimes, even she herself couldn't tell whether her concern and care for Liu Xunyi was acting on orders or coming from her heart.

Just like tonight, just like now, just like before her eyes, her mind, already in turmoil, was completely confused.

……