Love & Redemption
Chapter 165: Volume 4 Hua Meng’s Sudden Rift - 22 Eve (Part 4)

Chapter 165: Volume 4 Hua Meng’s Sudden Rift Chapter 22 Eve (Part 4)

Yu Sifeng had packed up his things and was about to go find Zhong Minyan when he suddenly noticed a figure flashing through the trees opposite him, followed by a rustling sound. He called out urgently, "Who’s there?" Before finishing his sentence, he had already chased out the door, only to see the figure flash again, running towards the northwest. From the figure’s back, it didn’t seem like a disciple of Fuyu Island, nor one of the Shaoyang Sect disciples who had come to participate in the competition this time.

His heart filled with suspicion, he suddenly remembered Ting Nu’s words; Zhong Minyan’s return might not be as simple as it appeared on the surface, and could very well be one of Wu Tong’s tricks. He took a handful of marbles from his pocket, clicked them together in rapid succession, and shot them out, only to see them all easily dodged by the figure. He suddenly realized that the figure’s movements were very familiar—almost as if they belonged to someone from Lize Palace.

Had the Palace Master sent someone to infiltrate Fuyu Island early on?! The thought sent a shock through him, and he sprinted to catch up, following the figure through multiple twists and turns, seemingly towards a secluded area. Suddenly, he grew cautious and stopped pursuing. The figure didn’t bother with him; it shook twice more before vanishing.

Who was it? How exactly did they get onto the island? Yu Sifeng was at a loss. Seeing a group of patrolling disciples approach, they all greeted him warmly. He asked them in a hurry, "Did any of you brothers see someone over there?" pointing towards the direction where the figure had disappeared.

The disciples all shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t. One of them asked, "Did Young Master Yu see a suspicious person?"

He nodded and hesitantly said, "The island’s security is tight, perhaps I saw wrongly... But there definitely was a shadow just now."

The disciples reassured him, "If Young Master Yu said he saw something, there must not be a mistake. Let’s go and conduct a thorough search in that area." With that said, they signaled to others and moved off in the direction of the search. Yu Sifeng stepped back, just about to leave, when he heard a Fuyu Island disciple say, "We just came from the main gate where Sect Leader Chu brought a few new disciples. They’re very unfamiliar, but they greeted us politely."

New disciples? Yu Sifeng was taken aback, while someone by his side said, "The Shaoyang Sect is renowned; every year, hundreds, even thousands of people go to join. It’s normal to have a few new disciples, isn’t it?"

The two of them exchanged a few words and walked away. Yu Sifeng stood motionless, recalling no one from Shaoyang Peak who arrived late or fell behind. Where then did these "new disciples" come from? But since it was Chu Lei who brought them onto the island, they were most likely not suspicious characters.

Unable to decipher the mystery, he decided to turn back. Walking past Zhong Minyan’s courtyard, just about to enter to look for him, he suddenly heard a conversation taking place inside. With soft yet clear tones, it was unmistakably Linglong’s voice. They must surely have some secret matters to discuss. Not wanting to eavesdrop, he turned away, only to see a figure gracefully walking towards him through the flowers and willows—it was Xuanji. When she saw Yu Sifeng standing by the door, she too paused, then suddenly burst into laughter, fluttering toward him like a butterfly and threw her arms around his arm.

"Si Feng! So you are here too! I wondered why I couldn’t find you anywhere."

Seeing her laugh so cheerfully, looking vibrant and spirited, Yu Sifeng couldn’t help but touch her smooth forehead, softly saying, "Is there something that has made you so happy? You’re smiling so broadly."

"I’ve been looking for you for so long, and suddenly running into you here, isn’t that a happy occasion?" Her eyes sparkled, like a child who had found a treasure.

He chuckled softly, pinched her nose, and whispered, "Linglong is inside. Let’s not disturb them. Let’s go."

Now that Xuanji had found him, she naturally put the matter of looking for Zhong Minyan out of her mind. With her arm wrapped around his, the two of them cheerfully walked back. Suddenly, they heard Linglong raise her voice sharply from the courtyard, "You just don’t want to tell me! You’ve always looked down on me from the bottom of your heart, thinking I’m useless, am I right?!"

The two exchanged glances, both not wishing to spoil the happy occasion of their reunion with a quarrel, which would be quite inappropriate. Thinking this, they didn’t feel it right to leave and instead clandestinely climbed to the top of the wall to see what was causing the disagreement, so they could intervene if things turned ugly.

In the small courtyard with a stone table and two stone benches, Zhong Minyan sat while Linglong stood with her back against him, clearly in a bad mood. Xuanji, with a branch of locust blossoms obstructing her view, quietly moved it aside and looked down, just in time to see Zhong Minyan stand up hastily, grabbing Linglong’s hand, and say in a grave tone, "I don’t look down on you! Don’t you understand what you are to me, even after all this time?"

Linglong tried hard to shake off his grip, but couldn’t pull away, so she snapped in anger, "Fine! Since you say that, why won’t you let me take revenge?! Why won’t you agree to take me to Buzhou Mountain to find Wu Tong?!"

Zhong Minyan said sternly, "First, because I don’t want you to be involved in danger again; second, even if you go to Buzhou Mountain, you won’t be able to see Wu Tong; third... I don’t want to hear this person’s name from your mouth again!"

Linglong had never been scolded by him so coldly before, and was actually stunned at that moment, unable to speak. Zhong Minyan let out a sigh, suddenly pulled her into his arms, and said in a low voice, "I don’t want to see you hurt by him again!"

Linglong came to her senses and struggled as her face reddened, crying out in urgency, "You... you’re being unfair! You still, you still look down on me! Why can Xuanji and the others go, but I can’t? You..."

His finger pressed against her soft lips, pushing back all the excited words she had to say.

"Don’t mention Xuanji or anyone else," he said softly, lowering his head, his lips slowly pressed onto hers, the rest of his words lost between her lips, "A man will only protect his own woman..."

Linglong felt dizzy, all her anger extinguished under his fiery kiss.

The two people perched on the wall felt somewhat embarrassed, they exchanged glances with red faces, chuckled at each other, and hopped off the wall.

Well done, Min Yan! Yu Sifeng applauded him inwardly for the way he handled Linglong. It turned out just like Brother Liu had said, sometimes it doesn’t work to reason with a woman. Even if they’re wrong, they’ll make it seem like they’re right. If you don’t give in, they’ll twist it to say you don’t love them. This back-and-forth leaves you confused about what you were arguing about in the first place, ending with the conclusion that you don’t love her. It’s more effective to just hold her tight and kiss her fiercely.

He turned back and looked at Xuanji with a profound feeling. This girl was alright, silly and never argued with anyone. She would only draw Bengyu and fight to the death. Sometimes, he indeed hoped she would find an excuse to argue with him, just to see if Brother Liu’s words were really that effective...

"Si Feng, why are you smiling so lecherously? You look like Brother Liu," Xuanji asked curiously.

Yu Sifeng quickly straightened his expression and spat, "Don’t talk nonsense!" while secretly panicking over not wanting to end up like Liu Yihuan – that would be too awful.

"Seeing them like this, I feel relieved," she suddenly said with a smile, "I thought everything was unreal before, I was wondering if it was an illusion... Has Sixth Brother really returned? Now I understand, he really has come back."

Yu Sifeng noticed something off in her voice, and looked down at her. Her eyes were reddening. She held her forehead with her hand, whispering, "It’s really good, he’s back..."

He couldn’t help but reach out his hand to cover her eyelids, saying softly, "Xuanji."

She shook her head, "I’m happy, it all feels like a dream. Si Feng, you tell me, this isn’t a dream, is it?" She held his hand and looked up at him, urgently, with the look of a child.

He couldn’t resist wiping away the tear at the corner of her eye that hadn’t yet fallen, tasted it, and suddenly smiled, saying, "Sometimes I really envy Min Yan."

Xuanji said blankly, "I... I didn’t..."

He nodded, "I know..." and that sounded almost like a sigh.

Xuanji said hesitantly, "You all use him to talk to me, you as well, so does Brother Liu. Must we really determine who is better or worse? I cried for you today, can’t I cry for someone else tomorrow? If I’m with you now, does that mean I can’t talk or laugh with others in the future?"

Yu Sifeng frowned slightly and didn’t speak.

Xuanji felt a terrible headache coming on and couldn’t continue, turning around to leave, "I’m so tired, I want to sleep for a while."

Having taken just one step, her arm was suddenly pulled by him, causing her to stagger a few steps and fall against his chest. His arms wrapped around her tightly, pulling her close. Xuanji let out a low sigh and whispered softly, "Someone will see us..." Before she could finish her sentence, she felt his lips on her eyelids, scorching hot. She couldn’t help but close her eyes and pressed her face into his palm, wanting to act coquettishly and wishing at the same time she could cry bitterly to vent all her grievances.

He kissed her eyelids tenderly before moving down to linger on her earlobe, whispering something softly. Xuanji suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him in a daze, "What... did you just say? Was it a western dialect?" Yu Sifeng smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying, his fingers stroking her cheek as he said softly, "I am just that selfish. I hope that you will always care about only me, whether you’re crying or laughing, it should all be for me. Do you hate me for that?"

She murmured. "How could I... hate..."

He laughed lightly, "It doesn’t matter if you hate me. It’s still better than being forgotten by you. Xuanji, I want you to remember me, and never forget about me."

He kissed her deeply, a kiss utterly different from any before, as if he wanted to devour her. Xuanji could even feel a slight pain on her lips, and as she instinctively opened her mouth to cry out, he pried open her teeth and searched inside as if looking for a secret, a complete upheaval.

Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her throat, and she broke into a cold sweat, feeling each other’s burning skin even through their clothes as if something was about to burst out. He held her so tightly that it seemed all of her bones would break. The pain was intense, yet within it was an indescribable pleasure.

This strange sensation caused her to moan tremulously, her legs gave way, and she leaned on him with no strength left. Such a sweet yet fierce kiss was something she had never experienced before; it was... utterly disconcerting... and bewitching. She helplessly clung to the fabric on his shoulder, like a person drowning, with no ability to resist, feeling his kisses move from her lips down to her neck, each spot he touched felt ablaze.

A sudden bite on her ear made her startle and tremble, then a tickle as his tongue gently licked there. The sensation was a mix of numbness and tickling. She cried out, "Ah," and said shakily, "Don’t... don’t do that..." Her voice was husky, even she was taken aback.

Yu Sifeng kissed the back of her ear tenderly for a long time before gently releasing her. When Xuanji stood on the ground, her legs were so weak that she leaned back into him again, and he lightly supported the back of her head, his fingers wandering on her smooth neck.

After a while, she said in a low voice, "Why... is it different..." She wanted to ask why it was different from previous kisses, but for some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to ask out loud. Every pore in her body seemed to soak in sweetness, melting inch by inch, no longer under her control. Her every move, it seemed, was manipulated by him.

"Because I want you to be different," he said with a soft laugh, his fingers gently brushing behind her ear, "Like this, you are now mine. In the future, you will truly become mine."

His words held an inscrutable significance, and even though she did not quite understand, she blushed, feeling too shy to raise her head and look at him. She felt his kiss once more on her cheek. Her shoulders tensed as she closed her eyes, turning her face away, only for him to tenderly turn her chin back towards him.

"No..." She was frantic, with twelve parts panic and shyness, and one part anticipation, the two of them complementing each other perfectly.

Just as their lips were about to meet, she suddenly felt something was amiss. They both turned their heads and saw Tengshe, an obtrusive face close at hand, staring dumbly at them.

"Ah!" Xuanji was startled, overwhelmed with embarrassment and quickly hid behind Yu Sifeng. She buried her face in his back, too ashamed to show her face again.

Yu Sifeng internally cursed Tengshe for being a nuisance, but maintained a polite smile. "What is it? Is there something you need?"

Tengshe scratched his nose and snorted, "Don’t mind me, carry on. Oh, it bothers you to have me watch? Then I’ll turn around. Go on! Continue!"

Continue what! Yu Sifeng fought the urge to kick him into the sea and frowned, "What is it exactly?"

Tengshe snorted again, "Did I interrupt your good time? I’m truly sorry for that. Anyway, to me, your amorous affairs are as insignificant as dirt and stones..."

"Not going to say? Then we’re leaving." Yu Sifeng wrapped his arm around Xuanji’s shoulder and turned to walk away.

Tengshe hurriedly called out, "The old man said it’s time for dinner! They’ve been looking for you both and couldn’t find you. They happened to see me idle, so they asked me to look for you! Hmph, I’m always the idle one... You go on with your romance or catch up with old times..."

Yu Sifeng, hearing his childish tone, couldn’t help but laugh and whispered in his ear, "You won’t be idle once the meal starts, as the food and drink on Fuyu Island are a thousand times better than anywhere else."

Understanding Tengshe’s nature all too well, he was satisfied to see his eyes light up as he ran off ahead. Xuanji couldn’t help but snicker, and looking up to meet Yu Sifeng’s gaze, her blush deepened with new color.

"You... stop looking at me like that!" she flung out her arm, flustered, and ran off as well.

********

The French kiss, ah, the French kiss~~~ Making its fiery entrance by request of some fans.

Hmm? Want to see something even more heated?

Si Feng: Cough cough, the wind’s too strong... I didn’t hear...

Don’t be stingy with your monthly tickets and recommendation votes~~ Give Little Phoenix some courage! Fist bump. (To be continued, for further details please visit www.qidian.com. There are more Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)