In the darkness, Yun Xiao stared wide-eyed at the water-patterned canopy above her head. She thought about the brief time she spent with Murong Chong in the Rouge Pavilion today, and it seemed something had begun to grow.
This feeling was unfamiliar to her. It was different from friendship, different from family. It was a new and strange sensation, one she didn't dislike at all. On the contrary, she seemed to enjoy it.
Could this feeling be liking someone? Did she like Murong Chong?
The moment this thought crossed her mind, she abruptly pulled the thin blanket over her face and fell asleep amidst the heavy thoughts.
Not far away, two figures stood on the eaves of the roof, shoulder to shoulder, having clearly become good friends.
They were Zhiyue and Liuxing, who had been engaged in an exciting fight last night. Liuxing was aloof, while Zhiyue sized him up, clicking his tongue in amazement from time to time.
"I never expected you to know the art of disguise, and to be so skilled at it. I truly misjudged you."
The fellow sighed and admired, then, disregarding Liuxing's cold demeanor, he took it upon himself to upgrade them to brothers. After all, they were protecting the same person. From now on, the woman in this house would be their mistress.
At midnight, the moon shadows shifted westward. A few dark, gloomy clouds covered half of the bright moon, casting the night in a somewhat dim hue.
This was the time when everyone was deep in dreams. Liuxing and Jingyun lay on their sides in a large tree not far from the small building. The green foliage concealed the moonlight and their shadows, making the night feel desolate and chill, with a touch of bleakness.
A light, graceful figure darted swiftly through the overlapping buildings and shadows, reaching the vicinity of the small building in the blink of an eye.
Killing intent arrived silently.
The two on the tree immediately sensed it, flipping over to face the direction. Before the approaching person could get close to the small building, they sprang forward, like two white waves crashing over, and stood squarely in the path of the newcomer.
"Who is it?"
Liuxing and Zhiyue, to the left and right, circled the person with their swords.
The person visibly faltered, seemingly surprised that someone was protecting this person. And among them...
Their pupils suddenly became bloodthirsty. If this was indeed the case, then she had to eliminate this man; he absolutely could not be allowed to ruin her master's reputation.
A figure like her master, dazzling and captivating, whose every move could charm and fascinate others, how could she let a mere doctor ruin him?
The person approaching the small building was masked, dressed in a black night-traveling suit. Her figure was slender and graceful, like a boneless willow, with a beautiful posture, instantly revealing her as a woman.
As soon as the three engaged, Zhiyue knew who the intruder was.
His expression immediately turned grim, his cold eyes filled with chill. He spoke quickly, "It's you. Go back."
Zhiyue hadn't expected the intruder to be Mo Ruyan. She was here to assassinate Yun Xiao. Did she know who Yun Xiao was?
Perhaps her master would appear soon. If she lingered here, she would only be asking for trouble.
Unfortunately, Mo Ruyan disregarded Zhiyue's well-intentioned warning. Her sword strikes were sharp and fierce, conjuring deadly sword flowers, aimed directly at Liuxing and Zhiyue, in a desperate, all-out attack.
And Zhiyue, out of consideration for her, did not attack with full force. Therefore, the two of them could not do much to her for the moment.
Liuxing's eyes were dark, filled with the fury of thunder. He snorted coldly at Zhiyue beside him.
"She's Murong Chong's subordinate. You people are truly strange. On one hand, you come to protect, and on the other, you come to kill."
At this moment, the dark clouds receded. The bright moonlight shone on the eaves. Several tall, slender figures were darting back and forth, interspersed with the clanging sound of swords and blades.
The sound had already alerted the person in the room. Yun Xiao was startled. She quickly fumbled to put on her mask. Then, without lighting a lamp, she used the moonlight to pull back the curtain and peer outside. She lazily called out towards the outside.
"You three have such refined tastes, staying up all night to fight on the roof beams. Fight on, I can't sleep anyway. I'll just watch the show."
Her dark eyes were very bright under the moonlight. Her face was veiled by a layer of gauze, hazy like a silver waterfall. Unfazed and unafraid, she leaned lazily against the window and watched the spectacle.
The light gauze was lifted by the wind, brushing against her cheeks. Her dark hair merged with the curtain, like a magnificent tapestry.
It left the three of them feeling deeply moved, a surge of heat coursing through them. Such a person seemed born to fight for him.
Mo Ruyan was momentarily distracted. When she came back to her senses, she spat.
"You enchantress, I absolutely cannot spare you."
She attacked Yun Xiao with her sword, but was blocked mid-air. So she could only fight Liuxing and Zhiyue.
And the person she hated continued to watch the show with a calm and detached smile, occasionally tilting her head as if lamenting some move, which angered Mo Ruyan to the point of wanting to smash her head against a wall.
But before she could smash her head against the wall, she was determined to kill this enchanting man, not to leave him to continue to harm her master.
The three of them resumed fighting, while Yun Xiao lazily and casually spoke.
"With the moon and a show, how can there be no song? Why don't I sing a tune to add some atmosphere for you?"
After speaking, she actually began to sing: "When will the bright moon appear? I raise my cup and ask the sky. I don't know in the heavenly palaces, what year it is tonight. I wish to ride the wind and return..."
It was Su Shi's "Shui Diao Ge Tou." It began joyfully and playfully, but later became tinged with deep melancholy. If she were still in the 21st century, would she be in this situation today?
Constantly being framed, constantly being hunted, her eyes couldn't help but mist over.
This singing alerted Wanwan outside, who quickly put on her clothes and rushed in, exclaiming repeatedly.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Yun Xiao couldn't be bothered with her and continued to sing, her eyes fixed on the outside without blinking.
Under the moonlight, swords and blades flashed. The black-clad figure that appeared was no match for Liuxing and Zhiyue.
However, they couldn't defeat her in a short time either. Thus, three figures darted back and forth on the tiled eaves, the clashing swords and blades sparking, like flames in the dark night.
Inside the room, Wanwan, seeing that her master ignored her, looked up and saw the fight outside. She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"What is this?"
After much thought, she wondered if someone was trying to kill her master. She immediately shouted at the top of her lungs, "Liuxing, kill this guy for me!"
In the night, this voice was sudden and loud. Several lights flickered on far and near, clearly indicating that people on the street had been alerted.
Yun Xiao stopped singing and rolled her eyes at Wanwan.
"What are you doing? You've scared them."
"So what if they're scared? We're not going to kill them; they're here to kill the master," she said, becoming even more indignant. Hands on her hips, she commanded Liuxing outside.
"Liuxing, put some serious effort into it! What are you doing, like you haven't eaten? Mangle that scoundrel, gouge out his eyes first, then slash his face, then stab him through the chest with a sword, and then chop off all his hands and feet. Let him die without a complete corpse."