Chapter Forty Suspicious Relations
âLet.. Let goâ¦.â
Weakly struggling, Gu Weiyi used all her force to try and move that hand away, but she was too weak. That hand was like an iron hoop, she was helpless against it and couldnât free herself from it. Only when Mu Yalun heard her weak cry from inside the room was she finally released. He rushed over to her side and pulled her away from the elderâs grasp, carefully bringing her into his embrace.
âWushuang youâre fine right?â Mu Yalunâs concerned voice rang in her ears and she weakly shook her head in response. She calmed her rapidly beating heart and between dry coughs, she stammered out, âIâm.. Iâm fineâ¦â
âYoung Master, who is he?â
The one who spoke was the elder who had just gripped Gu Weiyi by her neck. He had a hair full of long, pale white hair that wasnât bound and he seemed to be about forty or fifty years old. His face was grave and cold, sending shivers into Gu Weiyiâs heart when she saw him. Adding onto this was the fact that he had just nearly killed her, so itâd be safe to say that Gu Weiyi was scared of him. Inside the room, there was Zhuang Sheng standing as well as several other elders wearing white clothes sitting beside a long desk similar to those that could be found in the offices of modern times. Zhuang Sheng was standing as straight as a stick which intimidated Gu Weiyi when she peered into the room. She timidly shrunk back and hid behind Mu Yalun, pulling at his sleeve for support. For some bizarre reason, this action of hers immensely pleased Mu Yalun. He didnât know why, but he felt as if he was the best person that could protect her.
âElder Fu this is Xue Wushuang, the guest I invited over to the stronghold.â He mildly smiled as he explained, but the protective glimmer in his eye could be plainly seen by anyone. Elder Fuâs icy expression seemed to be holding something back as he indifferently swept a glance at Gu Weiyi before slowly opening his mouth to say, âLao fu [1] doesnât wish to call Young Masterâs guest into question, but can Xue gongzi explain why he suddenly appeared in the conference hall?â
âItâs just that Xue gongzi appeared here so suddenly. Itâs hard for people not to doubt your intentions, ah!â This time, it was actually Zhuang Sheng, who had always been displeased with Gu Weiyi, who poured oil into the fire in front of everyone.
âI⦠Iâ¦â Seeming to have been scared witless under everyoneâs gaze, Gu Weiyiâs actions displayed weakness. Upon seeing this, tenderness almost immediately rose in Mu Yalunâs heart. Softly, he comforted her, âWushuang, donât be scared. Tell me, why did you come here?â
âI.. I came to find you.â Timidly opening her mouth, Gu Weiyi whispered her response, âNormally, you wouldâve come to my room at this time to have dinner, but today, you were late. So.. So I came here to find you.â
Her considerate words caused Mu Yalun great distress, without much doubt, he was convinced of her words. Let alone to say that what she said was a fact. Everyday, at this time, Gu Weiyi did have dinner with Mu Yalun.
âIt was my carelessness that caused me to forget to inform you that I have business to deal with tonight. You can go back first, donât wait for me.â Tenderly replying to her, Mu Yalunâs words were extremely gentle.
âI didnât intentionally mean to listen to your words, moreover, I really didnât even hear anything!â Innocently grasping Mu Yalunâs hands, Gu Weiyi began to cry. With her angel-like face and crying eyes, she truly invoked a lot of pity from others.
Mu Yalunâs heart softened at this sight and his slender fingers reached up to gently stroke her ink-like hair. He comforted her, âWushuang, I truly believe you, really. Go eat your dinner first, donât starve yourself.â
âEn.â Looking like a deer, she blinked her teary eyes and nodded her head. Under Mu Yalunâs watchful gaze, she turned around and began to walk down the stairs, away from the conference hall. Only until she could no longer feel a gaze watching her back and she was outside of the castle did Gu Weiyi let out a breath. All of a sudden, her lovely and pitiful face turned cold and solemn.
If Lan Sheng Ling wished to use her to threaten gege, he certainly wouldnât have let out any information regarding her escape. In that case, why wasnât gege going to find her and striking up a deal with Lan Sheng Ling instead of digging around Blue Snow Stronghold? Could it be that it was actually like Zhuang Sheng said, that they were digging around for some sort of treasure? No, itâs not possible. She could doubt anyone else, but she couldnât doubt the love that gege had for her! There must be something else hidden in this mess, something that they couldnât understand⦠But what was it?
After thinking for a bit more without results, Gu Weiyi decided not to continue abusing her small head. First she was calmly watch from the sidelines. All of her doubts would inevitably have a day where they were explained.
After eating dinner, Gu Weiyi was reclined on her bed in a restless sleep. Today, she had already slept enough. Instead, thoughts of this afternoonâs adventure flooded her mind. One after another, she recalled the mysterious grove and that blood red tree. But what happened after that? She remembered watching the tree bleed, then she faintly recalled seeing an old man appear and say some strange words. Something about a Xue girl, seals, and protecting something, but she couldnât remember it all clearly. Was it that everything she saw today was all apart of her imagination? After all, the mark that she supposedly obtained there couldnât be found at all and nothing had been left behind.
Gu Weiyi slept just like this tonight, with her imagination running wild.
At this moment, Xue Yunge and Xue Zhuyue were both inside the Snow Origin Room and thinking about the amazing sight they saw at noon today. Nobody wouldâve thought that, that ruined piece of wall was the entrance to Blue Snow Stronghold. But what confused them was that this sort of barrier wasnât strange to them at all. This was because Ming Xue was exactly the same. Could it be that there was some sort of link between Ming Xue and Blue Snow? And could it be that Yi Yi was kidnapped due to this link? However, Ming Xueâs existence was very hidden. It wasnât like Blue Snow Stronghold, which, despite its location being unknown, was known by everyone, world-wide. What sort of secret was hidden in here? Was the person behind the scenes the master of Blue Snow Stronghold? Could it be that the opponent knew of something that they didnât and also knew of Ming Xueâs existence?
Once they reached this thought, the two brothersâ facial expressions simultaneously changed and turned grave. They wished that they were thinking too much. But even if they were willing to give up Xiu Luo villa and hand over Ming Xueâs power just to get Yi Yi back, they still didnât see the link!
If others wanted to enter Blue Snow Stronghold, then they were afraid that their only opportunity to enter would be at noon. Fortunately, entering the stronghold could be considered to be easy for them. They knew how to break through the barrier. Like this, countless inconveniences were avoided for them. Who wouldâve known that the barrier that left so many others empty-handed and helpless would be seen by them as a childâs game?
They would surprise attack the stronghold the following night. This time, they were determined to win!
âPass this down, I want all of our shadows to be concealed in all corners of the slums. I want all four sides surrounded! Keep your eyes open, donât let anyone come out of the stronghold. If Young Miss appears, closely protect her and donât let any accidents happen! Additionally, summon twenty snow clothed guards to march into Blue Snow Stronghold tomorrow night alongside us!â
âYes Master!â
They couldnât allow any mishaps to occur this time. This was regarding Yi Yiâs life, so they wouldnât be at ease unless they personally lead the march into the stronghold.
Yi Yi, gege will arrive soon!
[1] lao fu â used to reference oneself by an elderly person