Ink Burns

Chapter 249 Encountering a Double Kill

The bustling city was teeming with people. Before the government troops arrived, the reinforcements Huang Zhi had fetched from her residence finally arrived. Luo Feng drove the carriage, whipping it with great force, and the carriage stopped at the intersection.

Huang Zhi ran incredibly fast, her short legs bobbing up and down like a waterwheel, her posture somewhat disheveled. In terms of speed alone, she was undoubtedly the fastest steward in the inner quarters of a third-rank official in the capital.

"Stop!"

"stop!"

Soldiers and officers chased each other, creating a noisy and chaotic scene.

Shan Yue lifted the carriage shaft, got into the carriage, pulled back the curtain, and sat down—all in one smooth motion.

The carriage immediately turned around.

Shan Yue took off her cloak, revealing a blood-stained outer garment. The carriage was immediately filled with the bloody smell of rusty nails.

"Are you injured?" Across the carriage, Xue Xiao approached personally, leaning forward, his voice tense as he examined Shan Yue's condition. Noticing that all the bloodstains came from outside, he softened his tone, "Who is it?"

Shan Yue lowered her head, turning the hemp robe in her hands over and over, searching for something. She spoke succinctly: "Cui Yu, the heir apparent to the Marquis of Wuding."

Xue Xiao's back stiffened instantly: "With him? How could you have a conflict with him?"

Shan Yue casually put down her linen robe and looked at Xue Xiao with a calm expression: "We brushed past each other in the alley, and he recognized me as He Shan Yue from eight years ago. To eliminate any future troubles, I tried to kill him. He did not resist, but because the blade of the butterfly bone knife was too short and thin, I don't know if I succeeded in killing him. Afterwards, the soldiers surrounded me, and someone helped me escape. I guess the person who helped me and the person who reported to the authorities should be the same person."

In just a few words, the thrilling experience just now was clearly described.

Xue Xiao slightly raised his chin, his throat bobbing slightly. Too much information was jumbled up, with logic and common sense contradicting each other: For example, how could Cui Yu recognize Shan Yue at a glance after only a fleeting glimpse a few years ago? For example, why didn't Cui Yu resist when Shan Yue wanted to kill him?
Xue Xiao's expression gradually hardened, his eyes darkened and his lips pressed into a tight line, revealing his sharp jawline.

Men's thinking is strange yet relatable.

In the blink of an eye, Xue Xiao had guessed most of what Cui Yu was thinking.

Ah.

Cui Yu.

The renowned noble young man of the capital inherited his father's refined and dignified demeanor. His appearance, family background, origins, talents, speech, and character were all impeccable. Before marrying Fu Mingjiang, he was already praised as "a handsome young man whose smile is as gentle as a warm breeze, leaving behind a lotus petal where he bends." Countless noble ladies in the capital inquired about his marriage. After passing the imperial examinations and marrying Fu Mingjiang, many in the court believed that "Cui Yu may become the youngest prime minister of the Great Wei."

With similar family backgrounds and similar ages, Xue Xiao was a "mad dog" that everyone avoided, while Cui Yulang was a "lotus" that was loved by many and remained pure despite being surrounded by mud.

Who says the people are unenlightened? Haven't they keenly realized that the Cui family is a cesspool?
A person without any negative reviews is either a pure good person or a distorted evil person.

Purely virtuous people, like Cheng Xingyu, rarely live long.

He has always leaned towards the latter interpretation.

When a monstrous, wicked man harbors a strange obsession with his wife that he has secretly harbored for many years...
Xue Xiao's lips twitched slightly, and a surge of murderous intent rose in his chest, as if a long sword were to be drawn from the sky, a sword that, once drawn, would inevitably lick blood. "But, I personally think he might not necessarily report me."

Shan Yue frowned slightly, her expression revealing a hint of doubt: "His attitude is a bit strange—he seems unwilling for me to die." After a moment's hesitation, she added, "He seems quite expectant, waiting to see just how far I can go."

It's like watching a good show. Although he is also a character in the play, his madness and obsession sometimes make people forget the role he plays.

“But he definitely wants me dead.” Xue Xiao lifted his eyelids, a sharp, mocking smile appearing on his face.

Shan Yue glanced at him, blinked, and for some reason, inexplicably spoke up, adding, "He invited me to die together."

The mocking smile vanished instantly. Xue Xiao's breathing remained steady, but the veins on the back of his clenched hands bulged. After a long pause, he chuckled softly, "To extend such an invitation to someone else's wife, you really have no manners."

Want to compete in madness?
When he was acting like a "mad dog," Cui Yulang was still a pure and innocent girl in the public eye!

When he goes crazy, he'll even bite himself! A spineless coward who begs for wealth and status, who is three inches shorter than a person even when standing at full height, dares to go crazy in front of him!?

Cheng Xingyu was so pure and kind that he was almost saintly. He respected, tolerated, and understood Shan Yue, and he especially respected his close friend Shan Yue, who had accompanied him through thick and thin. What kind of bird was Cui Yulang? Had he even washed off the rouge smell of Fu Mingjiang from his clothes?!
"Isn't that right, Madam?" Xue Xiao lowered his eyes, his eyelids drooping, his gaze avoiding Shan Yue, but revealing the faint blue veins under his eyes.

Shan Yue pursed her lips.

Which part do we need her to agree with?

"Someone else's wife"? Or "lacking manners"?
Shan Yue turned her face away, her gaze wandering. She deeply regretted not having Shui Guang's insensitivity, but instead possessing the ability to immediately understand Xue Xiao's unspoken meaning: That night, Xue Xiao said that if she was "Shan Yue," he would be "Fei Niao"; if she was "Coward," he would be "Mad Dog." The man's feelings were frank and passionate, like the scorching sun on the dam during the hottest days of summer, leaving no place to hide. Shan Yue's few moments of tenderness in her life, apart from her sister who was used to acting coquettishly, were reserved for Xue Xiao, who forcefully embraced her that night.

After that night, their relationship became transparent yet ambiguous. Neither of them defined it, and they lived like this without any clear definition. Xue Xiaoping was as calm as if he had never heard her rejection. He openly stayed by her side and never mentioned moving out of the west wing. However, he also wisely withdrew from sharing the same bed and curled up on the warm couch in the outer room of the west wing every night, looking pitiful, not knowing who he was trying to impress.

The word "mad" still needs to be examined, but the word "dog" is something I understand quite well.

Shan Yue avoided the ambiguous question, lowering her eyes to fold the linen robe she had just taken off.

This linen robe was nothing special; it was made of ordinary fabric, with ordinary stitching and ordinary workmanship. The only unusual thing was that it was a man's robe, not the one that the little girl had just worn.

The shirt was long, but the shoulders were slightly narrow, which suggested that the owner of the shirt was a tall, slightly thin man.

This man, using simple fabrics, was able to tailor clothes to fit perfectly.
A man from a wealthy family, traveling incognito, appears at this moment in East Twelfth Hutong, bribing a hutong girl familiar with the alleyways to save her from danger—who is this man? Why does he save her? What is his intention?
"Compared to Cui Yulang, I am more concerned about who the person who rescued me and reported to the authorities is," Shan Yue said softly.

This person must have heard the whole story.

"Let me investigate." Xue Xiao leaned back, his clear profile resembling towering mountain peaks.

He commented on the current situation in the capital: "It's a complete mess, with snakes, insects, rats, ants, demons and monsters all showing up. We should take advantage of the chaos and catch them one by one, or kill them both if we encounter them."

Current status of the daughter and son-in-law:
Son-in-law: I'll pretend you didn't refuse, but I still need to be mindful of boundaries;

Daughter: I refused you, but because you were sensible, I didn't have to be so forceful.