The doors and windows of the tea room were closed tightly, and the oil lamps were scattered on the ground, no longer emitting a glimmer of light.
Outside, archers with torches surrounded the place.
Qi Yan's profile was reflected by the dancing flames, and his face was blurred.
"Did you find this group of people?"
he asks.
Xia Xun's heart beat too fast, and breathing became an irrelevant matter.
"… Yes."
He gritted his teeth and secretly grasped the dagger hidden in his sleeve.
He tried to find a sullen or cruel expression on Qi Yan's face, just like when he cut off his father's head with his own hands.
Qi Yan didn't change at all, and still stared at him with eyes that might be called affectionate.
He said to Xia Xun, "Are you going to kill me?"
He took a step forward.
Xia Xun snapped, "Don't come over!"
He was so nervous that his voice changed:
"Let me go! Or the archers outside the house will—what are you doing?!"
Qi Yan didn't stop, walking towards him step by step firmly.
"You heard what I said!" Xia Xun's tone was so stern that she was startled, "Don't come here!"
Qi Yan turned a deaf ear to it, and walked slowly, stepping on the broken teacup tiles all over the floor.
Xia Xun had to back up until she hit the pillar in the center of the tea room.
He could actually go around the pillar and continue back, but he was too flustered, his legs were weak, and he couldn't control it.
The porcelain shattered into finer powder at the bottom of Qi Yan's feet, and he had already come in front of Xia Xun.
"Let you go, then what?"
He fixedly looked at Xia Xun, and spoke every word very slowly:
"Leave me here, living in heartache and regret every day, exhausting all my strength, looking for things related to you, even the slightest clue? Let me ask God every night , please let your soul enter my dream, even for a moment?"
His brows were furrowed, his voice was trembling, and the end of his eyes was red, as if he was the most infatuated person in the world, and Xia Xun failed him, forcing him to break his heart and cry his blood.
"I've lived like this for seven years. Life... is worse than death."
Qi Yan clenched the clothes tightly around his heart, the expensive fabrics were wrinkled, and the patterns woven with golden threads were in a mess.
He was full of madness.
"I will not let you go, as long as I am alive, I will never let you go."
Xia Xun almost believed it, believed that what Qi Yan said was true, that he really loved him.
The last time I believed him, Xia Xun's family was ruined.
This time he had nothing, nothing to lose.
He gripped the handle tightly.
This was the chance he had finally found to escape, and he had to ask Qi Yan to let him go.
"Don't say any more." Xia Xun drew out the knife and placed it in front of her body: "Let me go."
Qi Yan turned a deaf ear and slowly approached Xia Xun until Xia Xun's blade was directly on his chest.
Xia Xun's palm was full of cold sweat, the handle was too smooth, he was holding it with all his strength, but the next moment, his hand slipped suddenly, and the dagger with a cold light suddenly fell to the ground.
— bang.
Qi Yan followed the sound and looked at the knife on the ground.
Xia Xun thought he would be shocked, but he didn't.
He leaned over to pick up the knife, put it back in Xia Xun's hand, then raised his head and showed him a gentle smile.
"If you want me to die, why bother? My life is yours. You can take it anytime you want."
Xia Xun felt weak all over, and had to clasp her hands together to be able to hold the light, short knife.
"I don't want your life—" He restrained his shortness of breath: "... I just want to leave!"
Qi Yan shook her head with a smile on her lips.
"Kill me and you can go."
Painful memories swept over Xia Xun, and the overwhelming anger instantly eroded Xia Xun. He raised the knife and squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth:
"Don't think I'm afraid to do it! I'm not who I used to be!"
Xia Xun's facial features were distorted and her expression was ferocious, very frightening.
Qi Yan was not frightened.
"I know." He said softly, "I know—"
Before he finished speaking, Xia Xun started.
He used all his strength for this knife, and the snow-white blade pierced deeply into Qi Yan's shoulder.
He used too much force, the blade collided with Qi Yan's shoulder bones, making his hands numb.
Metal sharp objects rubbed against bones, making a tooth-piercing screeching sound.
This time, it must be very painful.
Qi Yan's face did not change, and he still watched Xia Xun gently.
His blood gradually flowed onto Xia Xun's hands, and the sticky liquid still carried his temperature, almost burning Xia Xun's fingers.
Xia Xun let go of her hand quickly, and took half a step back shaking, her chest heaving violently.
Qi Yan asked softly:
"Did the stab miss?" His voice was very soft, as if he was coaxing an unreasonable child again: "It's okay, do it again."
He grasped the blood-stained handle and pulled out the short knife forcefully, blood gushed down his sleeve, dripping to the ground.
Xia Xun was dumbfounded: "What are you going to do?!"
Qi Yan smiled slightly, put the knife into Xia Xun's hand, then grabbed his hand, shortened the distance between them, and put the knife point directly on his heart.
Xia Xun struggled hard, trying to break free from his confinement.
"Let go! Let go of me!! Are you crazy?!"
Qi Yan was indifferent, the arm holding him was as hard as iron.
"—This time we have to be on the right track."
He made a sudden effort.
With a puff, all the cold short blades sank into his body, and blood splashed from his chest onto Xia Xun's face.
Xia Xun froze on the spot, her lips trembling uncontrollably, and her whole body could not move an inch.
He stared fixedly at Qi Yan's face, his eyes were full of scorching blood.
Qi Yan neither backed nor evaded, stretched out her hand, and hugged Xia Xun tightly into her arms.
"Finally hugging you."
He pressed against Xia Xun's face and said with a sigh.
Before he finished speaking, a mouthful of blood gushed out of his mouth and sprayed onto Xia Xun's neck.
Panting heavily, Qi Yan raised her hand and wiped it off for him with difficulty.
"Dirty you again..."
His cold fingers brushed Xia Xun's skin.
"I don't want to see you with blood on your body at all... It's a pity..."
Qi Yan's face was pale, with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, cold sweat covered his forehead and hair, he was embarrassed and miserable, he was no longer the calm look he had before.
But his figure is still tall and straight, the corners of his eyes and brows are noble, and his gestures are still the outstanding demeanor in Xia Xun's memory.
—and the look in his eyes.
He looked at Xia Xun, his eyes were full of tenderness, hiding incomparable nostalgia.
He looked at him, suddenly raised his eyebrows and smiled, and tapped Xia Xun's face lightly.
"Don't cry... I don't want to see you cry..."
Xia Xun suddenly groaned.
He didn't know he was crying.
By now, he thought that all he had left for Qi Yan was hatred.
Seeing that he was really going to die, Xia Xun didn't feel the joy of relief, and felt mixed feelings in her heart, as if she was lost.
He closed his eyes, more wetness trickling down his cheeks to his chin.
Qi Yan wanted to say something, but the archer outside the room suddenly moved.
They were obviously found by Xia Xun, but they neither broke in to take Xia Xun away, nor did they intend to help Xia Xun kill Qi Yan.
—They want to solve the two together.
Thousands of arrows were fired, and the burning feather arrows passed through the doors and windows and shot in densely.
Xia Xun thought, this is also good.
He was tired and had no strength to face everything that fate gave him.
But Qi Yan disagreed.
With such a serious injury, he still has to protect Xia Xun thoroughly.
He pressed the wound, squeezed out the last of his strength, dragged Xia Xun, and staggered to the backyard.
There is a lake in the backyard, the water of the lake is gloomy and dark, making people look horrified.
There was a group of archers on the other side of the lake. Seeing the two of them coming out, they started shooting a row of rockets in unison.
Where the rain of arrows fell, a sea of flames rose instantly, and the monstrous fire quickly surrounded the two of them.
This place is empty and there is nowhere to hide. If the archers shoot their bows again, they will all die without a place to bury them.
Qi Yan no longer hesitated, and pulled Xia Xun to jump into the icy lake.
As soon as he entered the water, a sharp pain came from Xia Xun's hand.
He looked down, and there was a bone-deep wound in his palm. He held the knife too hard just now and was cut by the blade.
A single inch-long wound can bring such sharp pain, so Qi Yan...
Xia Xun couldn't help but look forward.
As if she didn't know the pain, Qi Yan held onto his hand tightly and led him to swim forward.
The surface of the lake is too big, so big that people can't see the edge at a glance, and the lake water is bitingly cold, and the chill goes straight into the cracks in the bones.
Even if he was as strong as Qi Yan, he gradually lost his strength and his movements began to slow down.
His blood flowed more and more, staining the surrounding lake water red.
To make matters worse, the archers on the other side had found them in the lake and were coming along its edge.
Once they are in position, it will be another round of impenetrable offensive.
Qi Yan stopped and pointed at the bottom of the lake to Xia Xun.
Xia Xun understood what he meant, he wanted to dive underwater and swim across.
Following his example, Xia Xun took a deep breath and dived into the depths of the lake.
Xia Xun's water skills were not good, and the breath in her chest soon became unbearable.
He raised his head, trying to breathe out of the water.
At this moment, a familiar shout suddenly came from the shore:
"Master Qi! Where are you?! Master Qi—?!"
— It’s Qi Yan’s bodyguard! He found them!
Xia Xun was overjoyed, and suddenly lost her sense of control, she couldn't hold her breath, and was choked by the lake water.
He felt a strong sense of suffocation, his swimming movements were messed up, he couldn't keep his balance, and his body gradually sank.
His vision was blurred, and all he could hear was the sound of the quiet running water.
But Qi Yan didn't notice his situation, and he was drifting away.
Looking at his receding figure, Xia Xun vaguely thought that he was the only one left.
Seven years ago, he lost almost all his relatives, even Qi Yan left him.
Everyone told him that Qi Yan lied to him.
He said he loved him, but in fact he just wanted to kill his parents and avenge the Qi family.
Xia Xun didn't believe it, but she had to believe it.
After many years, in the bleak and dull waves, before he was about to die, his long-standing hatred for Qi Yan seemed to dissipate.
Xia Xun closed her eyes, gave up struggling, and waited for the moment when she sank to the bottom of the lake.
The expected death did not come, someone grabbed him hard.
He opened his eyes suddenly.
— It's Qi Yan!
He was obviously seriously injured and bleeding, and he was about to lose his hold, and he was about to reach the shore, but he still came back to save him.
He held Xia Xun's face in his hands, pressed his mouth tightly against his lips, kissed him persistently and long, and poured all his breath into his mouth.
This was the first peaceful kiss between him and him after seven years of separation.
After the kiss was over, Qi Yan leaned against Xia Xun's forehead, smiled tenderly at him for the last time, and then pushed him up violently.
Xia Xun was pushed towards the surface of the water, while Qi Yan sank slowly.
Xia Xun wanted to catch him, but was suddenly hugged from the water.
It was Qi Yan's bodyguard who dived down and rescued him.
Xia Xun patted his arm and asked him to rescue Qi Yan. As soon as he opened his mouth, his mouth was filled with water.
He couldn't make a sound, and couldn't break free from the guard's firm grip, and was dragged up to the lake by the guard.
He stretched out his arms to Qi Yan in vain, but he could only watch him get further and further away, and finally disappeared into the depths of the dark lake.