Ink Burns

Chapter 247 Massacre
When a person experiences strong emotions in an instant, such as surprise, fear, astonishment, or panic, it is extremely difficult to hide them.

Shan Yue knew this well; since she could not hide her expression, she could only hide her face.

Before she could ponder Cui Yulang's intentions in stopping his horse and dismounting, Shan Yue pursed her lips, lowered her head, and turned to the side, attempting to brush past him and take advantage of the chaos.

The man carries a fragrance, a blend of angelica root extract and calamus, which softens the spiciness, leaving only a fresh and warm scent, like sun-dried ginger slices, containing the gentle warmth of the sun.

Shan Yue lowered her eyes, but her left arm was suddenly grabbed by an urgent force.

"this."

Cui Yulang shifted his gaze from Shan Yue's face and finally noticed her hair in a bun. Cui Yulang's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he coughed lightly: "Madam, may I ask how to get to East Twelfth Alley?"

Cui Yulang's eyes were deep and unfathomable, like a bottomless abyss, and his tone was like a taut string, trembling at the end.

Shan Yue lowered her head, and after a breath, she spoke in a fearful and timid voice: "The carriage should go straight ahead, turn left at the intersection, and that is East Twelfth Alley."

Beneath the feigned trembling was a myriad of thoughts.

Was it a coincidence? Or was it carefully planned?

Why was Cui Yulang here? And why did he follow her and call out to her? Everything happened so suddenly that she had no time to maintain a composed demeanor while quickly thinking through the situation amidst her immense shock.

Could it be that she exposed her identity, and Cui Yulang came to investigate?
impossible.

No one could possibly send Cui Yulang. Fu Mingjiang wished she could build a golden house to hide her beloved husband. She would never agree to let Cui Yulang come and pretend to be a "lowly commoner".

One guess was rejected, and then ten, twenty, countless guesses emerged one after another.

Unable to judge right from wrong in a hurry, Shan Yue could only pretend nothing was wrong and walk straight away to avoid it.

"This lady looks somewhat familiar."

As she took a step, Cui Yulang spoke again: "Is Madam from Jiangnan?"

Shan Yue took a half step back, lowered her eyes, her expression flustered yet timid, and stammered, "The Book of Rites says that men and women should not sit together, share the same shackles, or use the same towels and combs, and should not give or receive things directly; it also says that it is proper for men and women to not give or receive things properly—I do not know you, and it is already presumptuous of me to be talking to you, let alone that you have been so frivolous and offensive!"

Shan Yue unconsciously hugged her right arm, which had just been pulled. "What happened today was truly rude, but thankfully no one knows. I also do not wish to have any further entanglement with you, sir! I hope you will forgive me!"

After saying this, she sobbed and curtsied, returning the "etiquette" that "Qingfeng" had taught her to Cui Yulang.

Shan Yue tried to leave again, but was blocked by someone once more.

Cui Yulang raised an eyebrow, and the coachman immediately jumped out of the carriage. With lightning speed, he cornered Huang Zhi against the wall with one hand and roughly slid his hand into Huang Zhi's waist.

"Ah—!" Huang Zhi immediately cried out!
Shan Yue abruptly raised her eyes, her voice sharp yet tinged with panic, trembling as she questioned, "My lord, what are you doing! How dare you be so rude in broad daylight! Judging by your attire, you must come from a respectable background—"

Before Shan Yue could finish speaking, the coachman reached out and took out something, presenting it to Cui Yulang with both hands.

It's a pair.

The character "薛" is written in clerical script on top.

Cui Yulang paused, his beautiful, clear eyes instantly filled with disbelief: "You, you are Xue Xiao's wife?"

In the capital, only one person named Xue was allowed to wear the Suzhou Song brocade with diagonal horizontal embroidery, which was issued by the Six Ministries to the wives of third-rank officials.

It was a chance encounter.

Shan Yue confirmed it in her heart.

But he kept pestering her. Was it lust at first sight? Or did he recognize her?

Shan Yue immediately pulled Huang Zhi behind her, pressing her back firmly against the wall, and cried weakly, "Now that you know we are the family of Imperial Censor Xue, you shouldn't be so reckless! I won't ask your name, just let us go, and I'll pretend I did nothing."

As soon as Shan Yue finished speaking, Cui Yulang swiftly pressed down on her forehead.

The man's fingers were icy cold, as if no blood flowed through his skin, but rather a chilling coldness surged forth.

She wasn't lying; she had taken "Qianji Yin" and was indeed the one "Qingfeng" sent to Xue Xiao's side.

In the blink of an eye.

The man withdrew his hand, his gaze towards Shan Yue like a slowly flowing river, searching but never finding its source or destination: the fire on Fushou Mountain had not destroyed her, but she had transformed into a "Green Phoenix," and after eight years, she flew into the capital and came to his side.

Oh no.

Not by his side.

It was "Qingfeng" who turned it into a delicious, docile, yet highly poisonous dish and served it to that mad dog.

A sense of bewilderment and disappointment flashed through Cui Yulang's mind: entering "Qingfeng" required identity verification, and he had long heard that the "Qingfeng" beside Xue Xiao was quite useful with her fine appearance—the Fushou Mountain fire had scorched the entire mountain, and digging three inches into the soil only yielded blackened ashes, how could "she" have escaped? And if she had escaped, how could she have entered "Qingfeng" and used her flesh to serve the powerful and wealthy?

"What's your name? Where are you from?" Cui Yulang asked in a low voice.

Cui Yulang knew it was impossible, but still spoke up with a glimmer of hope.

Shan Yue covered her eyes and wept.

"Speak!" Cui Yulang's voice suddenly rose: "Even if you don't speak, I have plenty of ways to find out the truth!"

Shan Yue looked up in terror, her eyes like those of a frightened deer, but she tried to keep her voice steady to protect herself: "I...I'm surnamed Liu...I...I'm from Suzhou Prefecture." Shan Yue took a step back, sobbing softly: "...If you want money, I'll give it to you, I'll give you everything. My husband has money, please don't hurt us, please."

He paused, a hint of realization dawning on him, then swallowed hard before hunching his back and shoulders, and said in a humble, ingratiating tone, "If you... if you want a girl, I can give you money. Just walk forward, around East Twelfth Alley, then turn left."

He seemed somewhat embarrassed to say it: "Once you're there, someone will take care of you. I can pay for your drinks, food, and even the prostitutes."

The face I remembered so vividly suddenly appeared before me, but after only three exchanges, the face was completely unrecognizable.

This woman's inherent stupidity has shattered everything!
Cui Yulang instantly felt a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath, as if a huge chunk of his chest had collapsed, squeezing his heart and lungs to the size of a fist, making it impossible for him to breathe smoothly: Is it her? How could it be her? The woman in front of him had similar features to hers, but her eyes shone with a submissive and cowardly light, like a lamb to the slaughter, devoid of the vigorous vitality and anger of a fighter.
Cui Yulang felt as if the sky had darkened and the world had spun around him, as if his faith had collapsed.

Not her.

She will not grovel and beg for mercy.

She was still begging for mercy.

As she backed away, she blinked her long, upturned, tearful eyes and pleaded with him, "Please don't hurt me, please, don't hurt us."

She even foolishly suggested that he "go to a brothel".

Stupid as a pig, yet as lowly as a dog about to be beaten to death on a rainy night.

Is pleading useful?

Is pleading even useful?
No!
Pleading cannot stop the sticks, nor can it stop the fire that engulfs the mountains and fields, much less can it stop malice and harm!
This is not her.

She just looks like her.

But it wasn't her.

Having figured this out, Cui Yulang let out a long, slow breath, as if to recover from his earlier outburst. He lowered his head to straighten his perfectly straightened clothes, then looked at Shan Yue with undisguised disgust in his eyes.

This face shouldn't belong on this kind of woman.

Cui Yulang turned his head slightly, his voice calm and gentle, and said to the coachman beside him, "Kill them. — Do it cleanly."

This face cannot be used to serve that mad dog.

Xue Xiao is not worthy.

After saying this, he covered his nose with his sleeve, turned his back indifferently, and walked away—he didn't like to see these scenes of shouting and killing, which were terrifying.

The driver, having received the order, kept his head down and walked forward, his steps casual and perfunctory: they were just two women who couldn't even kill a chicken; he could easily strangle them like two ants.

One of the women dressed as a maid burst into tears.

The cries were shrill, like a brake slamming, making one's ears ring.

The driver glanced at her, then walked towards Huang Zhi first. He pressed one hand on Huang Zhi's shoulder and the other hand around her neck. The sharp scream stopped abruptly, and the girl's face slowly turned red, her eyes bulging like a lifeless carp.

"Ugh—" The driver groaned, his eyes widening instantly!

The crimson on the carp's face gradually faded, and before anyone knew it, two streams of blood splattered from the tip of its nose!

The driver's throat was slit open with a precise, decisive stroke by the butterfly bone knife!

Warm, fresh blood was still spurting out, inevitably emitting a fishy smell.

Cui Yulang covered his nose and frowned slightly: "Tell Uncle Zhang to clean up a bit. He often doesn't understand. Bloodstains are splattered all around, and it looks like a mess. How is that related to 'clean'?"
Cui Yulang was about to speak to remind him when a sudden, sharp pain shot through his back!

With a "whoosh," the sharp weapon that had been embedded in his shoulder was swiftly pulled out. Immediately afterward, the blood-stained blade slashed past his eyes and headed straight for his throat. He couldn't dodge in time, and the blade just managed to cut his jaw and earlobe. Instantly, a string of blood beads dripped down the wound!

Cui Yulang was knocked away and staggered back three steps. When he looked up again, he saw a woman three steps away, her clothes fluttering, holding a bone knife with blood dripping from its tip in one hand. Her face was cold, and her long, narrow, upturned eyes were full of killing intent.

Blood gushed from Cui Yulang's back and chin. The excruciating pain acted as a catalyst, causing a terrifying, wild joy to erupt in his eyes!
He seemed to be getting to know the person in front of him all over again.

"He Shanyue! You are He Shanyue!"

Behind the woman, flames seemed to surge straight into the sky.

Shan Yue held the butterfly bone knife in one hand, turned it over to reveal its sharp edge.

Huang Zhi had already run far away to fetch reinforcements.

Today, whether she lives or dies, Cui Yulang must die.

“You know my name,” Shan Yue said calmly.

She couldn't understand Cui Yulang's reaction.

What is he happy about?
But as long as he has emotions, then we can have a conversation, and as long as we can have a conversation, we can drag things out a bit longer.

"Do you know who I am?" Shan Yue slowly circled around the road, retreating to the left and back in a semi-circle.

Cui Yulang's eyes sparkled, and he unconsciously bent down to follow Shan Yue's footsteps.

"Of course I know who you are. I thought it wasn't you!" The blood on Cui Yulang's chin had soaked through his clothes.

He lowered his voice, but his gaze remained intense, and his face was almost contorted as he uttered a nonsensical sentence: "Everyone thought you were dead!"