FID – Chapter 691

Chapter 691: A Turnaround? You Don’t Have the Chance 

“I’ve already completed the research I needed to do, and I’ve done what I had to. You guys are getting boring now. I like to seclude myself, but I really don’t like being forced into it!”

“Don’t push me—if you do, don’t blame me for being merciless!”

The man’s irritated curses continued, growing louder as he got closer. The more loud and angry the voice became, the more excited Liu Yusheng felt.

“Xue Qinglian! Is that you?!”

When she reached the other end of the bamboo corridor, there was a clear blockade in front of her, and she couldn’t get through. Raising her voice, she shouted.

The cursing inside stopped for a moment, followed by a sudden expletive.

“Lucky Nannan? Why are you here?!” After asking, perhaps realizing it was a stupid question, the man muttered another curse, and there was the sound of something being slammed. “Lucky Nannan, wait for me, I’ll be right out!”

There was a brief moment of fighting noises before the door opened, and the light from inside spilled out. Liu Yusheng saw Xue Qinglian.

His long hair was a mess, stubble visible on his chin, his clothes wrinkled and disheveled. Even though the light was dim, she could tell he had probably spent yet another sleepless night on his research, leaving him exhausted and disheveled.

Seeing the young woman standing at the door, Xue Qinglian looked up and rolled his eyes. Leaning his body against the doorframe, he asked, “That freak brought you here?”

Although he didn’t name anyone, Liu Yusheng was certain he was referring to Heilian. She nodded, “Did he capture you too?”

Xue Qinglian rolled his eyes again. “Captured? This is my home!”

“…” Liu Yusheng felt as if she had been struck by a bolt from the blue.

So, after all the twists and turns, she had been captured by that freak and brought to Xue Qinglian’s lair?

Xue Qinglian’s lair… isn’t that—Baicao Valley?!

If that’s the case, then Heilian is also from Baicao Valley?!

What exactly was his role in the Valley? And what was his relationship with Xue Qinglian?

Walking out of the room, Xue Qinglian kicked the knees of the two guardian statues at the door, impatiently saying, “Get out of the way! Aren’t you tired of guarding here every day? I said I’m not running, so I’m not running. When I say something, it counts. Can you be a bit smarter?!”

The two people who had been kicked didn’t say a word. They exchanged a glance and then stepped aside slightly.

They no longer blocked her.

Standing in front of the woman, Xue Qinglian looked at her for a moment, then sighed lightly and raised his hand to rub her head. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

The corners of Liu Yusheng’s mouth twitched. She swatted his hand away, her gaze sweeping over the two guards behind him. “You’re not any better off than I am.”

Being guarded in his own home—she had only seen two people who could relate to that: Xue Qinglian and Qian Wanjin.

Misery loves company.

They sat down in the living room on the first floor of the bamboo house, where the lamp was lit on the table. Xue Qinglian instructed someone to make tea, then began to ask, “What happened? How did you run into him?”

“Heilian?”

“That name suits him well.” Xue Qinglian nodded in agreement with the nickname.

“What’s your relationship with him?”

“Let’s talk about your situation first. As for me and him, our relationship is too complicated to explain in a short time.”

Seeing that he clearly didn’t want to speak about it, Liu Yusheng didn’t press further. Instead, she told him the story of how she was captured. “Xue Qinglian, why did he capture me?”

“I don’t know either. Should I ask him later? Though asking won’t do any good. If he doesn’t want to say something, no matter how you ask, he won’t tell you.” Xue Qinglian scratched his head in frustration, and his already messy hair became even more tangled. “But since he promised to send you out, he’ll keep his word. You don’t need to worry about that.”

Liu Yusheng raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“There’s no one in this world who knows him better than I do.” As he said this, a hint of sarcasm flashed in Xue Qinglian’s eyes, but it quickly disappeared. “Since you’ve gone missing, the outside world must be searching for you like crazy. No one knows what Feng Qingbai might do when he goes crazy.”

“I wonder if Aunt Hong has gotten in touch with Feng Qingbai,” Liu Yusheng furrowed her brow, feeling some concern. She then added, “Isn’t this your home? Why don’t you just send me out? If we leave now, I might be able to get back sooner.”

Xue Qinglian’s reaction exuded awkwardness. “I’m afraid I can’t help you with that.”

“Why?”

“I’ll be thrown back as soon as I step out of this bamboo house. Although this is my territory, the people here don’t listen to me.” At the end of his sentence, Xue Qinglian tilted his head in frustration.

The woman didn’t respond, her mouth slightly open, eyes wide as she stared at him.

“What are you looking at? Haven’t seen a down-and-out young master before?” Damn, that little look in her eyes—Lucky Nannan, are you mocking me?

Liu Yusheng took a sip of hot tea, then stood up and patted his shoulder. “With that scruffy beard of yours, you should go and tidy yourself up. Wash up and go to bed. I won’t be saying goodbye when I leave.”

“…You really won’t say goodbye to me?” Xue Qinglian muttered irritably, watching her back as she walked away.

“Would you even come to see me off if I did?”

“……”

Returning to the room where she was staying, Liu Yusheng slept deeply that night. Having a familiar person around gave her a sense of security, and it allowed her to relax, naturally drifting into a peaceful sleep.

Downstairs, Xue Qinglian finished the last of the tea, then, as dawn began to break, slowly returned to his own room.

The lamps in his room had already been extinguished by the servants. He closed the door behind him, shutting out the light, and the room immediately sank into darkness.

Walking through the familiar room, Xue Qinglian pulled out a chair and sat down at the desk.

This was the room he had lived in for over ten years. The layout of the furniture had never changed. Even with his eyes closed, he could accurately avoid all obstacles, let alone find a chair. He muttered, “What the hell did you bring Lucky Nannan here for? Has your brain gone haywire?”

No one answered.

Xue Qinglian didn’t care, continuing to sneer, “I’ve researched everything I can. As for her medical skills, I won’t say I’ve mastered them completely, but at least I know seven or eight out of ten. If it can be cured, it can be cured; if not, then it can’t. It’s useless to find her. Moreover, she is someone who responds to gentleness, not force. You’ve offended her like this, and you’ll regret it later.”

A voice finally broke the silence in the room, flat and emotionless, “If you’re done, go to sleep.”

“Sleep my ass! Xue Honglian, I warn you, stop pulling this crap with me! If I ever turn things around, I’ll make you regret it!”

“Turn things around? You don’t have the chance.”

“F**k you, you son of a—” Bang.

The room fell silent.

The next morning, as early as dawn, Liu Yusheng woke up and went out of the bamboo house to wait.

Heilian had said he would send her away today, and Xue Qinglian had also said that when he made a promise, he kept it. She believed he would definitely come.

She didn’t have to wait long, and sure enough, the person arrived. He was still dressed in black, but today the mask he wore was more ordinary, looking like an ordinary person.

But Liu Yusheng knew that was definitely not his real face.