“Has Miss Xi been safe?”
“…I’m fine.” Xi Fuhong peeked out from behind Shi Cuiyan, too timid to look at Luo Qingcheng.
“Could you hand over the rings to me, Chen Tanghe, so I can draw the map and notify everyone immediately?” Chen Tanghe said, bowing to those present.
Luo Qingcheng just nodded slightly and turned to leave the doorway.
Only after Luo Qingcheng left did Shi Cuiyan step aside to give Xi Fuhong some space.
Xi Fuhong took out the Black Dragon Ring and White Tiger Ring from her sleeve and handed them over with both hands, as if they were a hot potato she couldn’t wait to get rid of.
Chen Tanghe took the rings, and his expression changed slightly.
These were the legendary keys to the Tiger Dragon Cave treasure.
With them, one could find the Tiger Dragon Cave, where endless riches, martial arts secrets, and powerful weapons awaited.
The key to the Tiger Dragon Cave treasure was in his hands, and the hope for the Luo Family’s whip manual that his junior sister longed for…
“It’s all here.”
Author’s note: What’s amnesia? Pretending to have amnesia is the real deal!! The senior sister is such a great actress (sweat), already written by the unscrupulous author as a scheming villain xddd, but who else could play this masked role? Indeed, the senior sister is the most suitable, la la la~ (kicked away)
☆ Chapter 44: Parting Ways
The night was falling, and the winter evening wind was particularly biting.
Shi Cuiyan held a few thick clothes in her arms, all bought for Xi Fuhong while strolling the streets during the day.
She had long been displeased with the coarse and tattered clothes, and today was the perfect opportunity for her dear sister to change into the clothes she had chosen, which would surely look beautiful.
Humming a little tune, Shi Cuiyan, like a little girl, skipped to the east wing courtyard where Xi Fuhong was staying.
Without knocking, she pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold: “Dear sister, I’ve brought you some clothes.”
Looking up, the steam-filled bedroom was misty.
Xi Fuhong had just had the servants bring hot water for a bath, but carelessly forgot to latch the door.
She was completely naked, her back to Shi Cuiyan as she stepped into the wooden tub, her upper body exposed to those bright eyes.
The clothes fell from her hands, and her previously smiling face vanished: “Dear sister… your back…”
Xi Fuhong’s honey-colored skin was covered in red marks, not from insect bites, but Shi Cuiyan knew they were love bites.
The red marks bloomed like plum blossoms, but they also pierced Shi Cuiyan’s heart.
If they were love bites, who else but Xiao Qiyu could be the culprit?
“This… I… it’s not what you think…” Forgetting to scold Shi Cuiyan for barging in, Xi Fuhong sank into the warm water with a splash, wrapping her arms around her chest to submerge her body below the neck.
She didn’t know how to explain this absurd and unspeakable experience.
Even the usually clever and cunning Shi Cuiyan was momentarily speechless.
Her reaction was too strong, her shock too obvious.
After a while, she collected herself, picked up the clothes from the floor, dusted them off, and walked slowly towards Xi Fuhong.
Placing the clothes on the bed’s edge, she turned her back to Xi Fuhong, taking deep breaths to suppress the urge to scream.
“Just tell me, were those marks made by Xiao Qiyu?” After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out this question.
The sound of water gently splashed, and Xi Fuhong hesitated for a moment before replying, “Yes.”
That simple word felt like it plunged Shi Cuiyan into an icy pool, leaving her body trembling and her heart cold and aching.
This was the first time Xi Fuhong admitted to having a relationship with someone else.
Before, she had suspected Xue Baihua and Luo Qingcheng, but now she was almost certain that those people had all humiliated Xi Fuhong.
If she hadn’t taken her dear sister out of the valley, if she had died in the trap back then…
“This isn’t Miss Xiao’s fault, she was also…” Xi Fuhong struggled to purse her lips, “…forced.”
Forced?
“Hmph.” Shi Cuiyan let out a mocking snort.
She didn’t know what had happened after the two went to Huangcheng Hill, but she was surprised that Xi Fuhong brushed it off with just four words.
Could the pain left behind be so easily soothed? Could a woman being stripped and ravaged be dismissed with just the words ‘forced’?
What about me?
Gui Po’s words echoed in her mind, and she knew all too well…
Her dear sister hated her.
“Dear sister, do you like Xiao Qiyu?” Shi Cuiyan didn’t realize that there was a hint of hostility in her tone.
If her dear sister said yes, could she suppress her jealousy and not rush out to kill Xiao Qiyu?
Xi Fuhong was stunned by the question and shook her head repeatedly: “No! I don’t like Miss Xiao!”
Xi Fuhong didn’t understand what liking felt like.
But she wasn’t willing to bury that painful memory because she liked Xiao Qiyu; she just didn’t want to be hurt again, didn’t want it to be a topic of conversation, and wanted it all to fade away with time, to be forgotten.
Her reaction made Shi Cuiyan unclench her fists.
Fortunately, she said she didn’t like her, or else she wasn’t sure she could suppress the raging jealousy.
“The water’s getting cold, hurry up and change into your clothes.” With a sweet smile, Shi Cuiyan turned and said.
Faced with the unpredictable Shi Cuiyan, Xi Fuhong was at a loss.
Just now, she was sure Shi Cuiyan was angry, but the next moment she was all smiles? Frowning, she took the clothes handed to her, not avoiding Shi Cuiyan’s gaze, and quickly dried herself and put on the clothes.
Shi Cuiyan’s eyes held no desire, only a hint of weariness.
Once Xi Fuhong was dressed, Shi Cuiyan took her hand and sat her on the bed’s edge, using a dry cloth to absorb the water from her hair tips.
Her movements were gentle, like an older sister watching her grow up.
Facing Xi Fuhong’s resilience, she felt not only admiration but also heartache.
“Please don’t tell anyone about this.” Xi Fuhong twisted the hem of her clothes, finally speaking up.
She didn’t want Xiao Qiyu to know, nor did she want anyone else to know.
“Okay.” Without her usual cunning, Shi Cuiyan agreed immediately.
After drying her hair, Shi Cuiyan let Xi Fuhong lie on the inside, while she removed her outer clothes, blew out the candle, and lay back on the bed.
Xi Fuhong was already used to sharing a bed with Shi Cuiyan, so she didn’t resist.
She yawned tiredly and turned over to sleep, but Shi Cuiyan suddenly turned her around and held her tightly.
“Can you… not do this?” Xi Fuhong awkwardly tried to escape, but Shi Cuiyan tightened her grip.
“Why?” she asked softly.
Not expecting Shi Cuiyan to respond this way, Xi Fuhong was momentarily stunned.
“Do you hate me?” Shi Cuiyan asked seriously, adjusting to look Xi Fuhong in the eye.
This time, Xi Fuhong didn’t respond.
She stared at Shi Cuiyan for a while, then closed her eyes and nestled into the warm embrace.
Seeing this, Shi Cuiyan leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then closed her eyes to feign sleep.
She couldn’t sleep, but holding Xi Fuhong, she felt at ease.
Although that sense of security was elusive, she cherished this brief tranquility.
Is this liking Xi Fuhong?
Shi Cuiyan opened her eyes, unable to see anything in the darkness, but Xi Fuhong’s bright and slightly silly smile was already etched in her heart, impossible to erase.
Perhaps it wasn’t liking, but a deep sense of guilt, she interpreted it as such.
Compared to Shi Cuiyan’s distress, Chen Tanghe was quite pleased.
Since he got the rings in the evening, he locked himself in his room to study them, even forgetting to have dinner, focusing solely on finding the hiding place of the Tiger Dragon Treasure.
He combined the White Tiger Ring Head and Black Dragon Tail Ring, discovering that the shadow they cast under candlelight closely resembled the ancient Zhongyuan map he had collected.
Carefully drawing with pen and ink, then comparing it to the ancient map, he found a high degree of similarity.
The center point where the rings joined was precisely the sharp tooth of the tiger’s head and the pearl at the dragon’s tail, forming a delicate pattern resembling a hole in the center of a hill.
Chen Tanghe speculated that this was…
