Han Yunxi was a sharp woman! She regarded Chu Xifeng coldly, smelling the scent of hatred in the air. It was precisely that flavor that sent a basin of cold water from her head down and completely stilled her chaotic thoughts.
Long Feiye was the East Qin crown prince, while she was the West Qin orphan. The two imperial clans had irreconcilable enmity against each other!
Actually, she wasn’t even the real “Han Yunxi,” so she couldn’t feel any hints of hate. But Long Feiye was different! Ever since he was young, he had known he wasn’t a Tianning imperial prince. Moreover, his imperial mother had long started making Beauty’s Blood to break through the puzzle of the Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion and win the world. Everything proved that Long Feiye was shouldering the burden of seeking revenge and reviving his country. All his years of hard work were for the sake of flying East Qin’s battle banners and going on an expedition against the world!
The most loyal subordinates by his side who knew of his status were likely some of East Qin’s staunchest supporters! They included the Baili military, the shadow guards, and the Tang Clan.
It’d be strange if Chu Xifeng didn’t hate her!
Han Yunxi might not be personally affected by the East-West hate, but she understood matters of national enmity. She too, cherished and treasured her country and despised its historical invaders, plunderers, and murderers! Seeing the indignant hostility in Chu Xifeng’s eyes, none of the thousands of thoughts in Han Yunxi’s mind mattered anymore. All she wanted to know was the truth.
Had Long Feiye long found out about her ident.i.ty? This was why she wanted to find Mu Linger! Long Feiye had been looking into her origins in the past and found out about Muxin from Medicine City’s Mu Clan. The news boiling over Cloud Realm Continent now had mentioned the woman and said that Mu Xin was a descendant of the West Qin imperial clan. Such a coincidence, combined with Mu Linger’s previous rant, only made her think of Mute Granny!
Mute Granny was the only person who knew the entire truth. If Long Feiye had long discovered her ident.i.ty, he could have shut Mute Granny’s lips while hiding her death from her. If that was the case, then what were the motives behind his actions to her now? And what about the motives of Long Feiye and Gu Beiyue’s collaboration?
Another possibility was that Mute Granny had nothing to do with Long Feiye, so he never knew about her status. But that too, gave Han Yunxi nothing but despair! How could the East Qin crown prince ever love a descendant from the West Qin imperial family? Was Long Feiye regretting everything right now? Did he repent acknowledging her after she delivered herself to his door?
Just what was the truth?
She hated suspicions and guesswork. She only wanted the truth! Whether it brought along pain or anger, hatred or complaints, or even a love that was given willingly despite its flaws, everything hinged on the facts. Only then could she have the power to make a choice. Otherwise, she would just be a fool being strung this way or that. She loathed that feeling.
Here was her final efforts at rationality.
Long Feiye, ah, Long Feiye. At least--at least you knew who you were! But what about me?
Han Yunxi thought of Gu Beiyue, the descendant of the Shadow Clan who were West Qin’s most loyal supporters. How much did you know, Gu Beiyue? How much have you lied to me?
“Chu Xifeng, are you planning to go against your superiors?” Han Yunxi seemed to be interrogating him, but she was actually sounding him out.
“Superior? Dregs of West Qin, you’re not worthy!” Chu Xifeng snorted coldly.
Not long ago, he had been desperately explaining himself to her, afraid that she’d misunderstand Long Feiye. But now his att.i.tude had taken a 180 degree turn. Just how much he must hate the West Qin Dynasty!
“I want to see Long Feiye. Where is he?” Han Yunxi asked icily.
“Don’t worry. His Highness will definitely come to see you one last time!” Chu Xifeng’s voice was cold.
“Long Feiye...Long Feiye long knew about my ident.i.ty? He’s been lying to me this whole time?” Han Yunxi probed while still suppressing her temper.
Chu Xifeng hesitated, but in the end, he affirmed it. “Yes!”
Han Yunxi was furious. She turned to head inside and slammed the door in his face. As she paced back and forth, she wondered how long she could hold out.
Outside, Xu Donglin muttered in a resentful tone, “Boss, you...how could do do that? You tricked esteemed w.a.n.gfei!”
Actually, they had been stunned by the news as well. None of them knew whether His Highness Duke of Qin had really uncovered esteemed w.a.n.gfei’s ident.i.ty long ago.
“I didn’t trick her. His Highness must have known long ago. Otherwise, why would he cooperate with Gu Beiyue? His Highness isn’t with the military, so he must be inside Medical City!” Chu Xifeng replied.
As he saw it, His Highness had cooperated with Gu Beiyue merely to use him. How could His Highness Duke of Qin ever rely on a member of the Shadow Clan or regard them highly? That was simply luring a wolf into his house! He too, had suspected His Highness Duke of Qin after Gu Beiyue was attacked by an a.s.sa.s.sin, but he was too afraid to voice his thoughts. Moreover, as a subordinate, he was supposed to do his best to coax his mistress. However, everything was different now! Han Yunxi’s ident.i.ty perfectly explained all of His Highness Duke of Qin’s unusual actions!
Now he was all but convinced that the dark-robed a.s.sa.s.sin was His Highness. After finding out about Han Yunxi’s ident.i.ty, His Highness had disguised himself to eliminate Gu Beiyue. Perhaps he even wanted to continue using the woman for other means. Unfortunately, Han Yunxi had caught him that night.
Xu Donglin only shook his head. He couldn’t agree with Chu Xifeng’s speculations at all. “Boss, if that’s the case, why did His Highness hide it from you, too? Why not tell the truth, even now?”
It was perfectly normal for His Highness Duke of Qin to hide things from everyone to keep them secret. But Chu Xifeng was different. He was the commander of all the shadow guards! Right now, it was obvious that Chu Xifeng was using his public office to avenge private wrongs!
Ashamed into anger, Chu Xifeng sniffed and said, “No matter what, she’s an enemy of us East Qin! And His Highness’s enemy as well! Perhaps she already knew everything long ago and concealed it all to end up by His Highness’s side! Don’t you forget, she entered the gates herself on her wedding day!”
“Boss, don’t be rash. Let’s wait until His Highness replies your letter before we discuss anything,” Xu Donglin murmured. Although he was stunned by esteemed w.a.n.gfei’s status as well, he still remembered how well she treated the shadow guards!
Inside the room, Han Yunxi was staring fixedly at the last message she’d received in the pale purple envelope.
Han Yunxi, do you still believe me?
“Long Feiye, what should I believe from you?” she muttered to herself.
She’d replied him with a blank letter to imitate what he’d done with hers. She was telling him that her heart towards him was the same as his heart towards her. On the night of Gu Beiyue’s a.s.sa.s.sination, Lil Thing had bitten the dark-robed man’s shoulder. Although its teeth had yet to recover, she had long smeared the hypertoxic “Blood Upon Dawn” poison onto its teeth, hoping that it’d help her out during times of danger.
Blood Upon Dawn would only take a single night to react. It was a toxin she’d cultivated in the poison pond and quite similar to the Sealed Throat Upon Dawn found in the poison circles. Unless one examined it closely, they’d never be able to tell the difference. But treatment varied widely between the two types of poisons!
The only antidote for Blood Upon Dawn was in her hands, while Throat Sealing Upon Dawn had multiple cures in the market. If the dark-robed man was Long Feiye, he would quickly discovered that the latter antidote couldn’t cure his poison. If he didn’t find her for the antidote, he’d die; if the a.s.sa.s.sin was someone else, he’d come find her for antidote too. Who didn’t fear death?
Even now, there were no signs from the a.s.sa.s.sin. The most formidable expert would find it impossible to create an antidote for a new poison overnight, right? Moreover, she paid especial attention to the dark-robed man’s shoulder that night, but didn’t sense any signs of poisoning in his flesh.
Han Yunxi already harbored suspicions regarding the ident.i.ty of the a.s.sa.s.sin and how he’d cured her poison instantaneously. She was also certain that this suspect had used the Celestial Mountain swordplay style in an effort to drive a wedge between her and Long Feiye with Gu Beiyue’s death. She hadn’t voiced her thoughts because she was planning to beat him at his own game and lure the snake out of its hole; furthermore, she was too angry at Long Feiye. She couldn’t accept that he’d reveal his ident.i.ty to the world without telling his wife a word beforehand!
She had been waiting this whole time for him to give her a personal explanation. But who knew that something terrifying would arise instead: her status as West Qin heir!
She dearly wished this was false news, but how could anyone else know of the secret phoenix birthmark on her back? They must have ascertained her ident.i.ty first, then grew definite that the birthmark existed. She forced herself to remain calm and quiet as she waited for the truth, but Chu Xifeng tossed it to her in one sentence.
If no one had exposed her ident.i.ty, would Chu Xifeng and Xu Donglin kept trying to explain on behalf of Long Feiye and help him keep up his act?
Even...even if Gu Beiyue’s a.s.sa.s.sin wasn’t Long Feiye, how could he, as the East Qin crown prince, lie to Gu Beiyue and her like this? What were his intentions?
If it wasn’t to use them, then what else was there?
She had once stood by the windows of the Leisurely Cloud Pavilion and pondered multiple times, what kind of woman in this world could gain his true heart and tender affections?
She had once believed that fortuante woman to be herself.
But wasn’t he just using her all this time?!
Fool!
The West Qin princess was already fated to never gain his heart or affections, right?
Han Yunxi lightly rolled up her sleeves and stared at the cinnabar gecko mark on her arm. She suddenly seemed to understand something and revealed a bitter smile. After four years of marriage, this mark was probably the sole witness of how he treated her true affections.
He truly rejected and refused her!
Her heart almost broke from sadness, but Han Yunxi didn’t cry or rage. Besides bitterness, all she felt was self-mocking. When it came to love, she possessed a strong stubborness in her bones. She placed all of those purple envelopes beneath a teapot before going to open the door, only to find that it’d been locked from the outside.
“Chu Xifeng, open the door!”
“Chu Xifeng!”
There were clearly people outside, but none of them paid her any attention even as she knocked furiously against the exist.
Forget it.
She’d wait!
Even if she’d been lied to and used, she still wanted to ask Long Feiye a single question to his face. Even if her world was falling apart, she had to wait until he answered before she fell apart herself and destroyed herself!
In truth, keeping rational was much harder than falling apart. Sometimes a breakdown was a source of release, but Han Yunxi only sat in bitter vigil in the room, refusing to cry or make a fuss. This was the greatest suffering she’d experienced in this life. Still, that was the kind of girl she was. Even in desperate straits, she remained calm.
What would this woman look like after she finally broke apart?
While Han Yunxi was waiting for Long Feiye, so was Chu Xifeng. Luo Zuishan desperately tried to think of ways to hire someone who could avoid the shadow guards on the cliff and enter the abyss to inform Gu Qishao and Mu Linger of everything. The two fo them were seizing the time to hunt for the missing Gu Beiyue, so they had no idea of the new revelations rocking Cloud Realm Continent.
As night fell, firecrackers rose outside the medical academy, dying the skies in beautiful fireworks. It wasn’t clear which family was celebrating. Chu Xifeng and Xu Donglin sat silently by the door, feeling lost and disappointed. Neither of them realized that the firecrackers were hiding the sound of someone removing the roof tiles to slip into the house behind them…