No no no. Wen Ruwei waved her hands repeatedly. Knowing he had misunderstood she quickly explained. Brother in law I am not here to persuade you to surrender. The matter is already over. They are not arresting you anymore. Even if you do not go back they will withdraw.
Not arresting anymore. Yu Qing felt doubtful in his heart. Such a big operation to surround and capture him for half a day was clearly aimed at him. He found it hard to believe that the matter was already over.
But thinking of the scene when Wen Ruwei appeared earlier and looking back at the four Si Nan Mansion personnel escorting her his heart stirred slightly. He probed. Did your fathers painting work?
Wen Ruwei nodded repeatedly and made a hush gesture to him. She said in a low voice. Yes brother in law. But the matter of the painting is not to be publicised. Brother in law the Earth Mother herself came forward. We are all fine now. The matter is really over. Elder sister personally pleaded for you to the Earth Mother. It was also elder sister who asked me to come see you.
Yu Qing froze. He looked around again at the surrounding forces that surrounded but did not attack. He thought it seemed Zhong Sus life saving strategy had really worked.
Hope and relief mixed in his mind. He hoped it was not a dream. He hoped it was real. He had been chased and blocked so miserably before and was exhausted.
Yet the other party kept calling him brother in law which really made his teeth ache. She also said it was her elder sister helping him. This he truly could not face.
He now cared only about one point. He asked. Are you sure that even if I do not go back they will not surround and capture me anymore?
Wen Ruwei said anxiously. It is true brother in law. Why do you not believe me. I really am not here to persuade or trick you into surrendering. The matter is really over. I swear to heaven.
Yu Qing raised his hand to stop her from making any oath. Since that is so then the road is wide open and each goes his own way. That ghost place the capital is too dangerous. I basically do not know what can be done and what cannot. There are pits everywhere. Even if you offend no one and just resign from office you can still be targeted to death. What kind of people are they. They are all a bunch of perverts. I cannot keep them company. I will not return to the capital. You all go back.
Since it was fine now he was even less likely to go back. Having finally avoided a disaster should he go back and give himself a thousand more disasters?
No way. He would not go back even if beaten to death.
Wen Ruwei pleaded with a sorrowful look. Brother in law everyone has some constraints. We are not wild monkeys in the mountains that can be completely free. I am often forced by my mother to do things I do not want to do. Is that not how everyone gets through life? Brother in law come back with me. Go back and admit your mistake to elder sister. She will forgive you.
He still had to go back to meet her elder sister and admit his mistake. Yu Qing resisted even more. He waved his hand in refusal. Wen Ruwei let me call you Miss Wen. Miss Wen please do not call me brother in law anymore. It is me who is not worthy of your sister. Consider that I have let her down. I wish never to meet your sister again in this life to avoid embarrassment. Let the matter of going back end here. Do not mention it again.
Wen Ruwei said with grief and indignation. Why. Now everyone knows that elder sister is your fiancee. If you abandon her now what is she to do. How will others see her. How can she marry anyone in the future. You cannot give elder sister hope and then destroy it with your own hands.
Yu Qing really wanted to tell her the truth right now. However the matter had reached this stage. Not a single step was right. It was already a mess. Who knew if the current situation had truly ended completely. At least for now he did not dare reveal his and A Shihengs background to anyone.
This matter really required him to meet A Shiheng to discuss it and let A Shiheng handle it himself.
So he could only shake his head and say. Miss Wen go back. Just pretend I never came to the capital.
Wen Ruwei said with a face full of bitterness. Brother in law I know elder sisters character too well. If you go back now admit your mistake and soften up she will definitely forgive you. She will definitely pretend nothing happened. She will definitely work hard without complaint and be a good wife to you.
Brother in law if you go back now the matter can still be salvaged. If you abandon her like this she will hate you for the rest of her life. She will definitely hate you to death. She has done nothing to wrong you. Brother in law you cannot treat her like this.
Yu Qing also felt somewhat uncomfortable after hearing her words. Yet he was truly helpless. He smiled bitterly in his heart. If I really ended up with your elder sister and one day she learned the truth that would probably be when she truly hates me for the rest of her life. Why would I bring that upon myself.
Besides there were some things he could do and some things he absolutely could not do. That was his friends wife.
After all the tangled feelings in the end they could only turn into a bitter smile. Miss Wen it really cannot go back. I have my reasons. Perhaps one day you will know why.
Under the firelight all around Wen Ruwei who had pleaded without success broke into tears. Her shoulders trembled as she sobbed. With tearful eyes she gazed at Yu Qing.
After wiping her tears with her sleeve several times she finally took out a metal cylinder from her sleeve. It was a metal cylinder that Yu Qing also recognised.
She handed it to him and said in a tearful voice. It was elder sister who asked me to come see you. Elder sister asked me to give this to you and to bring you a message. Elder sister said from now on the grudges between the Zhong family and the A family are written off. We owe each other nothing anymore.
Actually this was her real purpose in coming. Her previous words were all her own ideas. As she herself said because she understood her elder sister she wanted to try her best to help her elder sister salvage this marriage.
In her personal view it was such a good marriage. So many people envied this marriage. It was not worth ruining it. Mother was already washing her face with tears.
Yu Qing was stunned upon seeing it. Was the treasure map not offered for self protection? What did it mean to give it to him now? It could not be an empty one right?
He took the item in hand. There was doubt in his eyes.
Brother in law you are so heartless. Wen Ruwei scolded then turned and walked away while wiping her tears.
She summoned back the four grey clothed men sat back in the chair and the four grey clothed men carried her and flew away through the air.
Soon the firelights all around also began to form ranks and started to withdraw.
Before long the place fell into silence.
Yu Qing rushed out of the mountain stream and carefully observed along the way. He found no signs of anyone.
He quickly rushed to a mountain peak looked far into the distance and saw a long fire dragon withdrawing from the deep mountains.
They had really left?
Swish. Yu Qing sheathed his long sword and quickly opened the metal cylinder in his hand. He poured out the contents.
As soon as he held it he knew from the feel that it was not the same item. He had touched the original painting more than once.
It was some kind of light thin fabric. He unfolded it and looked carefully under the moonlight. To his surprise it was not half a painting but a complete painting.
He could recognise the pattern on one half at a glance. It was exactly the half that A Shiheng had given him. It was identical to what he had seen. Even the remembered sizes of plants and trees were the same.
The other half of the painting he had not seen before but as soon as he looked he could understand that combined with the half he had seen it formed a complete painting.
Then in the corner of the half he was familiar with he discovered a line of text.
It read something like on a certain year month and day Ruochen copied and repaired the tear.
Yu Qing looked at the date. After a quick calculation it was the date not long after he had just arrived in the capital.
After pondering the full text he roughly understood. This was Zhong Ruochen personally copying and combining the two half paintings into one. The other half should be the half that the Zhong family held.
As he looked he suddenly smiled bitterly and let out a soft deep sigh. This thing probably confirmed what Wen Ruwei had conveyed. Indeed they owed each other nothing anymore.
However she was never his woman anyway. He had nothing to pity. He quickly put the messy affairs between men and women behind him. His attention truly turned to this painting. Zhong Su had said this damn thing was a treasure map that could find an immortal cave mansion.
Now with the full map in hand after his mind turned around he suddenly became excited.
This was not the place to study the treasure map. He put the thing away and stuffed it into his bulging clothes.
He originally had a satchel on him from when he disguised as a yamen runner but that item along with the yamen runners clothes had been destroyed by him. He had prepared in case he was caught so there would be no evidence to prove it was him who killed.
After looking left and right for a while he determined the direction and quickly darted down the mountain to escape.
He climbed over mountains and ridges all the way. It took a lot of effort before he left the mountains and reached the official road.
After confirming that no one was pursuing him anymore he immediately hurried through the night in the direction away from the capital.
He encountered a small town arranged lodging and paid money to have the innkeeper prepare a set of clothes for him.
After washing and bathing to remove the dishevelled look he threw a bone obtained from the innkeeper to the fire cricket to gnaw on. Then he could not wait to study the treasure map under the oil lamp. However no matter how he studied it he could not see anything special.
There were dozens of mountain peaks in the painting with no markings. He did not know where these mountains were. The text on the painting was only some poetic phrases praising the landscape. These were a treasure map? It truly puzzled him.
He pondered and pondered. Without realising it the sky had brightened. Sunlight shone on the window and was glaring. Only then did he come to his senses and blow out the oil lamp.
He washed his face took his hair and tied it back into the ponytail he was used to. He grinned at himself in the mirror picked up his things and left.
He did not linger in this small town. It was still too close to the capital after all. During daytime it was better to hurry on the road as much as possible.
He walked around the town and bought a horse.
Only after leaving the town did he realise it was a place with good mountains and good waters. He had not seen clearly last night.
The mountains were clear and the waters beautiful. There was a large lake outside the town reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.
Even the weather was so fine.
Yu Qing on horseback took a deep breath. His face showed an intoxicated expression. It had been a long time since he felt this free breathing.
In his delight he ignored the people coming and going outside the town. He could not help spreading his arms and letting out a loud and long ah shout.
In short he felt refreshed. In that damn capital he had been careful and pretending all the time not even knowing if he pretended well enough. He had felt stifled.
It felt like breaking free from shackles and only today realising who I am.
Whoosh.
Suddenly there was a sound of breaking wind.
Yu Qing leaned back urgently. He saw a stone fly past in front of his eyes. He immediately turned his head to look in the direction the stone came from.
On the lakeside with lush green grass there was a carriage. One person sat by the lake fishing. There was also a man with ugly scars on both cheeks standing beside the fisherman. The latter was waving at him signalling him to come over. He seemed to be the one who threw the stone.
Had his loud shouting disturbed them? Yu Qing wondered. He drove the horse closer and discovered that the one fishing was an old man. The old mans beard and hair were quite distinctive as if they had been dyed red.