Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Xie Xiaoyi did not press his advantage. He loosened his grip on the sword slightly and said, "Lord Bai, I know that once you learn my identity, you will definitely disdain to associate with me."

But Fu Yaoqin is of utmost importance to me. If you know anything about this, please tell me. I have always remembered the wine and sword you gave me in the past, and I will never harm you in the slightest today.

Bai Letian was first surprised by his rapid improvement in martial arts, and then, after hearing him reminisce about his past, he pondered for a moment and waved his hand at the soldiers:

"Everyone, step back!"

The newly arrived soldiers were all taken aback, but quickly responded and went forward to help their fallen comrades up.

Some carried it, some helped others, and they quietly slipped away in a moment.

......

The hall was silent, with only the two of them standing facing each other.

Bai Letian looked at Xie Xiaoyi, who was stubbornly refusing to give up, and finally let out a long sigh:

"Xie Xiaoyi, I didn't want to tell you because it was too late when I found out. I was powerless to do anything about it then."

Xie Xiaoyi was shocked. The ominous premonition that had been hanging over him from the beginning suddenly exploded at this moment.

Previously, he had only felt vaguely uneasy and made wild guesses, but now that Bai Letian had exposed his suspicions with a single sentence, he felt as if his heart had been hit hard by a heavy hammer.

He asked urgently, "What...what happened to her?"

Bai Letian paused for a moment, then continued, "Several months ago, the Second Prince Wang Yu suddenly came to Qingjiang City, and I personally received him."

He immediately said that he came to Qingjiang City by following a clue in order to find out information about someone, whose surname was Xie and given name was Mo.

Later, he found out about your connections in Qingjiang City, and learned that you and Fu Yaoqin had a close relationship and were not ordinary friends. So he went to Ya Yin Fang.

Xie Xiaoyi clenched his fist, his nails digging into his flesh, and said coldly, "And then?"

Bai Letian's face was full of shame, and his voice was so low that it was almost inaudible:

"The Second Prince Wang Yu appears to be gentle and refined with an extraordinary demeanor, but in reality, he is a lustful and lewd person."

Upon arriving at Ya Yin Fang, he immediately harbored wicked thoughts. A woman of Fu Yaoqin's unparalleled beauty, falling into this man's hands, her fate was predictable.

Xie Xiaoyi's face was deathly pale, and his voice was hoarse as he continued to ask, "Where...did Fu Yaoqin go?"

Bai Letian's face was grim, his tone filled with endless guilt:

"Those who escaped from Ya Yin Fang said that as soon as Wang Yu entered the fang, he drove everyone out, leaving only himself and a few guards..."

"Where...where is she?"

"I don't know, it seems like they've completely disappeared from Qingjiang City."

Xie Xiaoyi felt a sharp pain in his chest, and a scene from the past suddenly flashed before his eyes—

It is still this Qingjiang City, and it is still this city gate.

At that time, he was still known as Xie Mo, and was carefree and ready to travel far away with the caravan.

Suddenly, the sound of a zither drifted down from the city wall, a lingering melody of "Broken Heart" that floated into people's ears.

"A sorrowful farewell, a sorrowful farewell, the bright moon shines upon the fleeting world. Mortal life is but a joke, youth fades easily, and you are hard to see again."

Youth fades easily, and you are hard to find again...

Is this a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Who would have thought that that last glance would be the last time he saw her safe and sound?

Don't cry at eighteen...

Xie Xiaoyi felt a lump in her throat, and her eyes instantly reddened, but she held back her tears.

His hands, hanging limply at his sides, clenched tightly, his voice hoarse and almost incoherent: "In this vast city of Qingjiang, why is no one here to save her?!"

Bai Letian's face was ashen, and his tone was full of suppressed self-blame: "I rushed there with my men as soon as I heard the news, but it was too late."

When I arrived at Ya Yin Fang, it was already deserted.

Others only said that they had heard a woman's piercing screams coming from inside the ward, and shortly afterward, the Second Prince's guards came out to disperse the crowd; nothing else was known.

Xie Xiaoyi suddenly looked up, tears still wet in her eyes, her tone filled with biting sarcasm:

"You are the lord of Qingjiang City, responsible for protecting the people of this city. If you can't even protect the people within your own city—do you even deserve to be the lord?"

Bai Letian sighed deeply, his face full of helplessness: "The Second Prince's status is what it is, and imperial power is supreme. Even if I wanted to, what could I do?"

Clang—!

With a clear, sharp sword cry, Xie Xiaoyi gripped the hilt of the Guan Cang Hai sword tightly, his voice as cold as ice:

"This sword was a gift from you, named 'Viewing the Vast Ocean.' But now, I find it dirty."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist!

Guan Canghai transformed into a cold light, which fiercely nailed to the ground three feet in front of Bai Letian!

The sword was almost completely submerged, leaving only the hilt sticking out. It trembled violently and the buzzing sound echoed all around.

"From this day forward, our ties are severed. We need not meet again in the martial world."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xiaoyi drew the wooden sword from his back, flicked his wrist, and tossed the sword into the air.

His figure gracefully leaped into the air, stepping on his sword and soaring away.

Bai Letian stood there, watching the boy's departing figure, motionless for a long time.

He felt both ashamed and shocked, and sighed softly, "I never imagined... he had actually cultivated to the point where he could fly on a sword."

In just over half a year, he has made such progress; his talent and resilience are truly astonishing.

The more he praised, the heavier the guilt in his heart became, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

In the end... he betrayed the city and the girl who played the zither.

......

Xie Xiaoyi stepped on his sword and soared into the air, riding the wind as he circled around Qingjiang City again and again.

The wind brushed my brows and eyes, yet my heart felt eerily empty.

In this vast world, where could he possibly find Fu Yaoqin?

He flew aimlessly, without direction or purpose, like a lone shadow swept by a raging wind.

Until I glanced down and caught sight of that familiar plaque in the city—

Yushengfang.

In that instant, a name flashed into my mind: "Mu Pingting".

Xie Xiaoyi changed his sword technique and, without further hesitation, stepped onto his sword and plummeted down, rushing towards Yushengfang.

He landed outside Yushengfang on his sword, put away his wooden sword, looked haggard with red eyes, and pushed the door open and went in regardless of the gatekeeper's obstruction.

As they walked along, the soft sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air. Mu Pingting was talking to her maid when she suddenly caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye.

She froze at the sight of him.

The next moment, the music and the voices stopped simultaneously.

Mu Pingting gasped softly, "Thank you, young hero!"

She ignored everyone else, strode forward, and before he could speak, she reached out and hugged him tightly.

Her body trembled slightly, and her voice was soft and urgent: "When did you get back...?"

Xie Xiaoyi stiffened as she was hugged, and the tension that had been building up for so long finally eased in that instant.

The next second, all the stubbornness, all the effort to hold on, all the tears that were kept hidden, completely collapsed.

He buried his head in Mu Pingting's shoulder, and suddenly wrapped his arms around her, like a child who had finally found someone to rely on, and could no longer hold back, bursting into tears.

The sobs were suppressed yet heart-wrenching, sending shivers down one's spine.

He didn't say anything, he just cried.

She cried as if the sky had fallen.