Blood sedge

Chapter 1213 Speaking Too Profoundly with Someone You Don't Know Well (Part 1)

"Girl, what nonsense are you talking about? When did you become so emotional?"

“Brother, you know I’ve always been this way. Once I’ve made up my mind, no one can change it.”

"You... sigh!"

Despite Wu Shuang's earnest attempts to persuade him, he was both anxious and helpless, knowing Xun Zhen's temperament well. In the end, he could only let out a long sigh to express his inner resentment.

"In any case, I will not forward this letter to the young Prince of Qin, because I do not want to ruin your future with my own hands. If you insist on pleading guilty, then find someone else to deliver it on your behalf!"

After saying this, Wu Shuang forcibly stuffed the letter back into Xun Zhen's hand, then turned to look at Xiao Zhirou, whose brows were slightly furrowed but who remained silent, and absentmindedly cupped his hands in apology: "Valley Master Xiao, I was just offended!"

"I don't want it to happen again." Xiao Zhirou's voice was still as cold as ice beads falling to the ground, devoid of any emotion.

"Rest assured, Valley Master Xiao, there won't be a next time." Wu Shuang's words seemed to be a promise to Xiao Zhirou, but in reality, they were Yu Xunzhen's final admonition: "Even if there were... I'm afraid it wouldn't be my turn."

"you……"

"Sister, repeating yourself three times makes things taste bland. Since you know what you're doing, I won't say anything more. You... better watch yourself!"

After speaking, Wu Shuang, feeling disheartened, glanced deeply at Xun Zhen, who seemed hesitant to speak, shook her head in disappointment, and then walked towards the courtyard gate.

“Brother, please take Abaolu back to the Western Regions with you.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Shuang paused in his tracks, and without turning his head, said, "After all, Abaolu has followed you for so many years..."

"He must leave!" Xunzhen interrupted in an unquestionable tone. "This is both a punishment for Abaolu and an explanation to the young King of Qin."

"What explanation?" Wu Shuang turned to Xun Zhen with a look of surprise. "It's clearly a silent protest against the young Prince Qin's suspicion of you."

"So what?"

“But you clearly had feelings for Liu Xunyi…” Wu Shuang said, puzzled, “So it seems that Abaolu didn’t just make things up out of thin air…”

“I will take care of my own affairs and bear my own sins. I will say what I need to say and do what I need to do. I don’t need anyone to remind me or do it for me!” Xunzhen said unhappily. “If you don’t agree, then don’t blame me for not showing any mercy to Abaolu.”

"You..." Looking at Xunzhen, who had made up his mind, Wu Shuang knew that there was no point in saying more. After thinking for a moment, he finally compromised, "Since it is a small punishment to teach a lesson, I agree to it."

"Thank you, brother."

"However, you must be extra careful now that Aparu is not around. Your brother... is leaving!"

After saying this, Wu Shuang dared not hesitate any longer, fearing that if he lingered for even a moment, Xun Zhen would say something that would put him in a difficult position. Therefore, he left in a hurry without looking back.

Watching Wu Shuang's dejected figure disappear into the distance, Xun Zhen's heart was in turmoil, and her mind went blank.

"This letter..."

Interrupted from his dazed thoughts by Xiao Zhirou's voice, Xunzhen was startled at first, then looked at the letter in his hand and couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly: "Valley Master Xiao must have heard this just now. This is my letter of apology to the young Prince Qin. Because of my weak will, I had thoughts that I shouldn't have had about Liu Xunyi, so I ask to be punished!"

"you……"

"Does Valley Master Xiao want to take a look?" Before Xiao Zhirou could hesitate, Xunzhen had already handed the letter to her. "If there is even a hint of conspiracy in the letter, or any slander against Liu Xunyi, Valley Master Xiao can take my life tonight."

At this moment, Xiao Zhirou's gaze toward Xunzhen became increasingly intriguing.

“Valley Master Xiao need not doubt, this is not a scheme.”

"This..." Faced with Xunzhen's frankness, Xiao Zhirou subconsciously reached out her delicate hand, but just as her fingers were about to touch the envelope, she suddenly stopped in mid-air. "This letter... I won't read it. How about I tell you the truth instead?"

"The truth?" Xunzhen had long anticipated that Xiao Zhirou must have something to say when she came to his villa in the middle of the night, so he stopped beating around the bush. "Valley Master Xiao came so late at night for... this truth?"

"I guess so," Xiao Zhirou readily admitted without hiding anything.

"I never expected Valley Master Xiao to be interested in me?" Xun Zhen's smile was forced, it was unclear whether she was mocking her own pretense or ridiculing Xiao Zhirou's feigned mystery. "Now that things have come to this, let's be frank. What exactly does Valley Master Xiao want to ask?" "You just said you had feelings for Xun Yi that you shouldn't have, but what I see is more than that." At this point, Xiao Zhirou's eyes suddenly narrowed, her sharp gaze shooting straight at Xun Zhen, as if trying to see through her expression to her heart. "I want to know, Xun Yi... does he also have feelings for you that he shouldn't have?"

"This……"

"Let me be more direct: you and Xunyi... have you already confessed your feelings for each other and secretly pledged your love?"

These words startled Xunzhen, who had already prepared an excuse. The shock between her brows, mixed with the blush on her cheeks, could not hide her inner panic.

"Why...Why does Valley Master Xiao say that?"

“I am Xunyi’s mother. Nothing about him goes unnoticed.” Even without Xunzhen’s admission, her shifty gaze was enough to confirm Xiao Zhirou’s probing. “Last night, Xunyi didn’t return home. When I asked him where he was, he stammered and refused to answer. This morning in the council hall, he searched everywhere as soon as he entered. Before you arrived, he was distracted and inattentive. But after you appeared, he immediately became energetic and talkative, like a completely different person. More importantly, today, whatever he thinks, says, or does, he unconsciously looks at you.”

"This……"

"You don't have to deny it. Although you tried your best to hide it at the time, the involuntary emotion in your eyes still betrayed your heart."

"I……"

“I am also a woman, and one who has stumbled in love.” Seemingly noticing Xunzhen’s embarrassment, Xiao Zhirou couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, and her tone gradually softened. “I have personally experienced your behavior today, and I am very familiar with it. So you may be able to fool others, but you can’t fool me.”

"Since Valley Master Xiao has already seen through everything, why ask any more questions?" Xunzhen knew that any further explanation would be futile, so she stopped denying it.

“What I want to know is not these things, but your thoughts,” Xiao Zhirou said in a deep voice.

“This letter of apology is my true intention.” Xunzhen waved the letter in his hand and sighed, “He was the one who got drunk last night, but he ended up causing me to… lose my composure.”

Xiao Zhirou understood. She quietly watched Xunzhen, who was forcing a smile, and remained silent for a long time.

"Why is Valley Master Xiao looking at me like that?" Xun Zhen felt uncomfortable under Xiao Zhirou's gaze. "You came to visit so late at night... could it be that you're blaming me for seducing your precious son and have come to interrogate me?"

"There's no right or wrong in matters of the heart. Even if there is a mistake, your mistake is no greater than Xunyi's."

"how do I say this?"

"To be honest, I've always been worried about Xunyi's love life, but because of my status, there are many things I can't say openly. Even if I wanted to, I doubt Xunyi would open his heart to me. Therefore, I hope there's a woman he can confide in by his side, so that even if I'm gone one day, he won't feel lonely for the rest of his life." Xiao Zhirou spoke from the bottom of her heart, every word filled with care and tenderness for Liu Xunyi. "Don't laugh at me, but I've even thought about finding a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for Xunyi... including people around him. I've thought about the female disciples of the Valley of Heartbreak, the women of the Teng Clan, and Miss Pan..."

"You didn't think of me at all, did you?" Gradually discerning the hidden meaning in Xiao Zhirou's words, Xunzhen simply cut to the chase.

“It’s not that I haven’t thought about it, but… I dare not think about it, and I don’t want to think about it.” When she mentioned this, a hint of guilt appeared in Xiao Zhirou’s eyes as she looked at Xunzhen. “Actually, I’ve known for a long time that Xunyi’s attitude towards you is completely different from his attitude towards other women. Although he keeps saying that it’s just mutual use between you, the more he does that, the more it proves that you are of extraordinary importance to him. I have seen all of this. It’s just that as his mother, the person I least want to stay by his side… happens to be you.”

Xiao Zhirou's words were indeed frank, but they were also quite poignant. As a result, Xunzhen, who was trying to remain calm, couldn't manage a proper smile after hearing them. Instead, her eyes involuntarily reddened slightly.

"Can I ask... why is this happening?" Xunzhen's voice sounded slightly choked as she suppressed the complex emotions in her heart.

"Though these words are cruel, you are indeed a dangerous woman." Xiao Zhirou couldn't bear to hurt Xunzhen, yet she couldn't go against her own heart, so her words became somewhat hesitant. "In my opinion, you and Wu Shuang both harbor too many secrets. You have beliefs you worship like gods, goals you pursue at the cost of your lives, methods you use to manipulate people's hearts, and pretense you wear... No one really knows whether you are good or evil, loyal or treacherous, true or false. Even... whether you are human or ghost is unknown. Therefore, giving your true feelings to someone like you is bound to be dangerous. Besides, you won't stay by Xunyi's side forever; sooner or later you will leave him. Xunzhen, am I right?"

“This…” Xunzhen wanted to deny it outright, but her remaining rationality and stirring conscience prevented her from lying.

“Actually, I can guess what’s going on even if you don’t say it. But my purpose in coming here tonight is not to break up the couple, nor to force you to leave Xunyi.” Xiao Zhirou gently waved her hand at Xunzhen, who was hesitant to speak, indicating that she didn’t need to worry. “I just want to be honest with you about one thing, and I hope you can understand a mother’s worries about her child.”

"Please speak, Valley Master Xiao!"

“You should know that Xunyi… was deeply hurt by Zhao Xin’s departure,” Xiao Zhirou said sadly. “Because of this, for a long time he dared not face his feelings, let alone give his heart easily. The pain of heartbreak far surpasses the wounds of swords; many people may live in pain and torment for ten, twenty, thirty years, or even a lifetime, unable to escape. I’ve been through it… I understand this feeling of being worse than dead better than anyone else. Fortunately, Xunyi was luckier than me; he met you. Your existence subtly healed the wound hidden deep in his heart. His ability to break through the shackles and take the initiative to express his feelings to you is an extremely rare form of self-redemption.”

“I can roughly understand what Valley Master Xiao is saying.” Looking back on the unprecedented care Liu Xunyi showed her that day, Xunzhen felt both warm and conflicted. “Perhaps it’s because he lost Zhao Xin that he is so close to me…”

“It’s not intimacy, it’s attachment! It’s because of Zhao Xin’s example that Xunyi cherishes you so much. It’s because he misplaced his affections and lost you before that he doesn’t want to, and dares not, misplace his affections again and lose you again.” Perhaps it was because she had touched a nerve, Xiao Zhirou subconsciously grasped Xunzhen’s hand, her voice trembling slightly with excitement. “Xunyi is not a fickle, heartless man. On the contrary, his attitude towards love… is perhaps more loyal than he imagines. Neither of you are love-struck fools, but he can’t help wanting to be with you all the time, to watch over you, and even feels uneasy if he can’t see you. The reason for this is that he is afraid of losing you, afraid of experiencing that heart-wrenching pain of loving but not being able to, of wanting but not being able to.”

Xunzhen nodded slightly, as if she were saying something unintentionally: "I understand Liu Xunyi's feelings, but... I don't quite understand what Valley Master Xiao means. What you're saying..."

“I want to say that Xunyi’s luck can’t always be so good. Last time he was hurt by Zhao Xin, he was fortunate that you saved him. But if it happens again… I can’t even imagine what would happen if one day you abandoned him like Zhao Xin… Xunyi would be devastated and hurt again. What would he become?”

……