My Love Rivals Have All Reborn - Chapter 57

Xiao Kunning had followed Zhao Xiran to many places. Although she didn’t have as many rules as a conventional young lady from a noble family, her experience was certainly not lacking. Forgetting to bring money when going out was a common occurrence, but today, with Xie Yu in tow, things were a bit more difficult to manage.

As they reached the entrance of the restaurant, she told Xie Yu to wait on the side: “You wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Xie Yu didn’t know what scheme was brewing in her little head and watched her go in without blinking. There weren’t many customers in the restaurant tonight. Only a few scattered guests were in the main hall, and the manager was dozing by the counter. She saw the little swindler walk in and exchange a few words with the manager. The manager immediately opened his eyes wide, nodding and bowing with a forced smile.

Xie Yu: “…” The little swindler was indeed a little swindler, deceiving the restaurant manager in just a few words.

Before long, the little swindler emerged carrying a food box. Xie Yu walked over, and the little swindler’s expression was solemn. She grabbed Xie Yu’s hand and started walking. After they had passed the restaurant’s premises, the little swindler yanked her hand and ran.

After running for about a li (approx. 500 meters), the two stopped, panting heavily. Xiao Kunning looked back. Only after confirming that no one was following did she feel safe enough to sit down on the steps in front of a shop. Her stomach was rumbling. She couldn’t wait to open the food box and shoved a plate of pastries towards Xie Yu: “Hurry up and eat.”

Xie Yu considered herself a person of principle. When had she ever cheated or swindled? The pastries in her hand felt so hot she almost couldn’t stand still. “How did you manage to pull off this empty-handed trick?”

Xiao Kunning opened the second layer of the food box. It contained a roast chicken that had been cooked earlier. There was no rice, so they had to make do. She tore off a chicken leg and offered it to Xie Yu: “If you don’t eat it, give it back to me.” Xie Yu silently returned the pastries, took the roast chicken leg, and, under Xiao Kunning’s gaze that clearly said, ‘eat quickly or get lost,’ she took a quiet bite of the chicken meat.

The roast chicken had been prepared in advance. She didn’t know when it was made. It didn’t taste exquisite when she bit into it, but at least it filled her stomach. Xie Yu silently finished the whole chicken leg. Xiao Kunning handed her the remaining pastries: “After you eat, we’ll find a place to sleep.”

“We can stay awake all night,” Xie Yu said.

Xiao Kunning glared at her: “You stay awake. I’m going to sleep. I’m leaving here tomorrow.”

“I’ll have Yu Yin escort you,” Xie Yu replied, lowering her head, her thin eyebrows slightly furrowed.

As the night deepened and the dew fell, pedestrians slowly disappeared from the streets. The lingering warmth of the day could not stop the eerie chill of the night. Xiao Kunning was chewing on a chicken wing when she suddenly remembered something she shouldn’t have: “Xie Yu, what day is today?”

Xie Yu’s lips curved slightly: “The fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month.”

No wonder there was no one around. Xiao Kunning was so angry she threw a chicken bone at Xie Yu: “Are you an idiot? Who gets married today?”

“It’s not me getting married. It’s Gu Ning. She said it was a good day.” Xie Yu inwardly chuckled, but maintained a facade of calm. She removed the chicken bone from her shoulder and patted Xiao Kunning’s shoulder: “Do you still want to leave?”

Xiao Kunning pulled a long face: “Tomorrow, I’ll sell you into a brothel.”

Xie Yu didn’t understand what a ‘brothel’ was. The little swindler’s face was full of mischievous smiles. Xie Yu quietly reached out and held Xiao Kunning’s hand: “Xiao Kunning, can we put aside the past and be civil?”

“Aren’t we being civil? You have your mission, and I have my future. We don’t belong in the same place.” Xiao Kunning pulled her hand back and looked up at the lightless sky. She didn’t want to know about Xie Yu’s feelings. Su Ying’s countless hints had made her realize it long ago, but Xie Yu’s nature was too cold. She didn’t want to warm her a second time.

Xie Yu forced a careful smile: “I won’t choose to stay in Chang’an.”

Xiao Kunning raised an eyebrow, staring at the smile on her face: “Xie Yu, I’m not a child of three or five. I have my own considerations. After capsizing the first time, I learned my lesson. Do you think I would board your boat again?”

“The capsizing wasn’t what you imagined. The boat overturning wasn’t intentional to make you fall into the water. The waves were too high.” The hand Xie Yu used to clutch her sleeve trembled slightly. The tension in her heart was completely concealed. If not for the slight movement in her sleeve, one would assume she was utterly indifferent.

Xiao Kunning was not a person who was skilled at discerning hearts. If Xie Yu didn’t say it, she wouldn’t notice, nor would she ponder the deeper meaning. The Xie Yu she knew was a cold and unfeeling person. She was without emotion, without a heart, and full of schemes.

Facing Xie Yu’s carefulness, she had already grown indifferent, like facing a stranger: “The boat capsized is just the boat capsized.”

Xie Yu knew she was going to be disappointed again. She caught a faint, almost imperceptible cold smile in Xiao Kunning’s indifferent eyes. There was a time when she had treated Xiao Kunning this way, too. Time had changed, and karma was swift.

She took a step back: “Where do you want to sleep?”

“I don’t want to go anywhere. Right here is fine.” Xiao Kunning backed down, holding her arms and cautiously facing the void. Zhao Xiran had said that during the Ghost Festival, ghosts liked to wander the streets.

Xiao Kunning, who was clearly terrified but feigned composure, made Xie Yu want to knock on her head: “If there were ghosts in this world, there wouldn’t be so many unjust cases.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Xiao Kunning realized, her eyelashes fluttering, but her panicked eyes seemed to betray her. She was obviously still terribly afraid.

Xie Yu nodded at her: “It makes sense. It looks like someone is coming from that direction, but it’s a bit strange. They seem to disappear and then reappear. Why are they swaying?”

“Ghosts are coming…” Xiao Kunning believed her nonsense, her face turning pale with fright. She quickly moved closer to Xie Yu.

Xie Yu took the opportunity to pull her into her arms, inhaling her clean scent, and continued her ‘ghostly talk’: “Do you want to take a look? There’s more than one. There are several people following him, all swaying.”

“Don’t say another word…” Xiao Kunning hid in Xie Yu’s embrace, trembling, and covered her ears, trying to pretend she couldn’t hear, just missing the smile in Xie Yu’s eyes.

Xie Yu instinctively wrapped her arm around her waist, pulling Xiao Kunning completely into her embrace. In the suddenly rising temperature, a pale hand slowly moved to Xiao Kunning’s nape, gently massaging her. “You are afraid of things too?”

Xiao Kunning was already scared out of her wits, her speech broken: “Actually, the thing I fear most is you. You are more terrifying than a ghost. After all, ghosts only appear today, but you appear every day. Relatively speaking, you are more, more terrifying than a ghost.”

“I am more terrifying than a ghost…” Xie Yu’s good mood was ruined. Her long hand pinched a piece of tender flesh on Xiao Kunning’s nape: “Xiao Kunning, I want to send you to be fed to vampires. Vampires specialize in biting girls.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt the person in her arms tremble involuntarily, followed by a sharp pain in her shoulder. Xiao Kunning seized the opportunity to bite, showing no mercy. Xie Yu winced in pain: “Xiao Kunning, do your teeth feel uncomfortable?”

“No, I just want to bite you, you vampire, to death.” Xiao Kunning ground her back teeth. She felt this woman was utterly hateful. The hatred in her heart was hard to dispel, so she bit down again through the clothes she had just bitten.

With that sudden counter-attack, Xie Yu was in too much pain to sit still and leaned back. With that lean, Xiao Kunning froze. The posture was a little strange. It looked like she was pressing down on Xie Yu and doing something scandalous. It was extremely unsightly. Fortunately, no one was passing by in the middle of the night, or Xie Yu would have clung to her again.

Clenching her teeth, she got up by herself. Just as she stood up, her wrist was pulled, and she fell into Xie Yu’s arms again. Xie Yu caught the person who fell, leaned against her neck, and lightly pecked her flushed little ear. The faint fragrance from before became even clearer. Xiao Kunning froze completely, almost forgetting to struggle. Xie Yu was also surprised that she didn’t resist and felt anxious herself. Given Xiao Kunning’s temper, a slap would have been the least of it.

In the midst of the stalemate, the sound of complex footsteps came from a distance. Xie Yu’s first reaction was to stand up with her in her arms and move to a nearby corner for cover. Xiao Kunning was dazed. When she came back to her senses, a large troop of soldiers passed by in front of them, the leader riding a horse.

In the darkness, the two pressed tightly against each other. Xie Yu felt a fervent heat in her chest. Her heart was beating very fast. To avoid being discovered, they tried their best to move into the shadows, unconsciously sticking together. The subtle fragrance wafted, and her heart stirred restlessly. Many people came, and they walked for a long time. Xiao Kunning didn’t dare to move and stared straight at Xie Yu: “Take your hand away.”

Xie Yu withdrew the hand that was resting on her waist.

Xiao Kunning was not satisfied: “Touch me again and I’ll chop off your hand.”

Xie Yu remained silent.

After what felt like ages, the people finally left. Xiao Kunning’s legs were numb. She couldn’t move and just stared wide-eyed: “Are you doing this on purpose?”

Xie Yu blinked, defending herself with feigned innocence: “I’m not Zhuge Liang. I can’t calculate such precise things.”

Xiao Kunning reached out to pinch the flesh on her wrist: “You’re not much different from Zhuge Liang.”

Xie Yu hissed in pain twice: “I’m far from Zhuge Liang.”

Xiao Kunning was still angry and stomped on her feet twice: “You’ve changed.”

Xie Yu: “How have I changed?”

“You never used to be so shameless,” Xiao Kunning said in exasperation.

Xie Yu admitted frankly: “People grow up.”

Xiao Kunning sneered: “Growing up means becoming shameless?”

Xie Yu smiled: “Su Ying said this isn’t shameless.”

It was Su Ying again. Xiao Kunning couldn’t smile anymore: “You listen to Su Ying so much, where is your own brain?”

Xie Yu considered this seriously: “Bitten by you?”

Xiao Kunning was so angry she didn’t know what to do: “You shameless, Xie Shameless.”

Xie Yu smiled again: “Shameless and a swindler—that’s not bad.”

Xiao Kunning was speechless. Xie Yu’s smile was infectious, blending into the cool breeze, and her heart felt incredibly warm.

“Xie Yu, the way you are reminds me of what Zhao Xiran said,” Xiao Kunning’s tone cooled.

Xie Yu remained unfazed: “What did she say?”

Xiao Kunning’s red lips parted slightly: “Needs a beating.”

Xie Yu: “…”

The troops vanished, their destination unknown. Both of them settled down, and the night wind blowing made them realize what was happening. Xie Yu touched her own face. It seemed she had lost face, but she ignored it and asked Xiao Kunning: “Shall I take you back to the relay station?” Gaoyang should be out of trouble by now.

Xiao Kunning was past her anger and didn’t want to talk to Xie Yu. Whether she was a demon or a good person, it had nothing to do with her. She said, “I’ll go by myself.”

Xie Yu’s lips curled slightly: “Tonight is the fifteenth of the seventh month.”

Xiao Kunning fell silent, looking left and right, feeling uneasy. She said testily, “Are you going or not?”

With such a good excuse, Xie Yu boldly held Xiao Kunning’s hand: “Tonight, every household will close their doors. People avoid going out on special days, which is why I chose today for the wedding. Everyone will think it’s strange. Gu Zong couldn’t care less. He tried to use the wedding today to lure Zhao Xiran and threaten her to hand over the account books. Unexpectedly, he lured Gaoyang instead. Therefore, he brazenly invited the Jiangnan Provincial Army to surround Gaoyang at the relay station. After the army captures Gaoyang, they will naturally seize Zhao Xiran, thereby obtaining the account books. To prevent Zhao Xiran from not being at the relay station, guards were still set up at the Gu manor. However, the common folk blocked the road, and the army couldn’t enter the Gu manor.”

“Will your people still show up?” Xiao Kunning was curious.

Xie Yu sighed: “I don’t know. I sent someone to capture Gu Zong. In a moment of crisis, that person wouldn’t dare not save him.”

Xiao Kunning generally understood. Gu Zong set a trap for Xie Yu, and Xie Yu quietly waited for Gu Zong to expose himself. It was a scheme within a scheme. Xie Yu was betting on whether that person would care about Gu Zong. Given Xie Yu’s cunning, how could she fail? She sneered, “Mr. wins again?”

Xie Yu said, “I have never won.”

Xiao Kunning didn’t believe her nonsense but didn’t refute it either, following her closely to the relay station. The empty street had not a single person. In the darkness, cloth banners fluttered, making it eerie and bizarre. As they walked, Xiao Kunning edged closer to Xie Yu. The closer they got to the relay station, the more secluded it became. The occasional darting wild cat made her scream, and the hand clutching Xie Yu’s started to sweat.

Xie Yu saw her cowering and let go of her hand instead: “Xiao Kunning, you go to the relay station alone. I’ll go find Yu Yin.”

Xiao Kunning shivered with fear: “No, I’ll go with you to find Yu Yin.”

“Don’t you dislike me?” Xie Yu smiled, seeing her hunched back, she patted her: “What is such a grown person afraid of ghosts for?”

Xiao Kunning was about to cry: “I don’t dislike you anymore. I’ve decided to… go with you to find Yu Yin.”

Xie Yu stopped, her eyes open and honest: “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Xiao Kunning nodded. In the blink of an eye, she saw a fleeting shadow under a tree, not knowing what was moving, and couldn’t help but swallow.

Xie Yu held out her hand to her: “Shall we go?”

“Let’s go.” Xiao Kunning grabbed her hand.

The surroundings were silent. After a long while, Xie Yu’s lips slowly lifted. The little swindler was quite easy to deceive. She also had to thank Zhao Xiran for telling her those strange ghost stories.

Immersed in the ghost stories, Xiao Kunning was no longer aggressive. She obediently followed behind Xie Yu. When her legs started to ache from walking, she finally saw a house.

As the two approached the house, the tree branches suddenly moved. A human figure appeared in front of them. Xiao Kunning screamed. Nong Qin, who had just landed, bent her legs and fell down, landing face-first in the dirt. Nong Qin heard the girl’s scream and didn’t understand what the problem was. She looked up and saw Miss Xiao clinging to Mr., shaking non-stop. Was she that scary? Seeing Mr. patting Miss Xiao’s back and murmuring comfort, she seemed to understand something. She had been led into a ditch by Mr. again.

Xiao Kunning cried from the fright.

The house was small, with only a few rooms, meant for ordinary family living. This place was extremely remote, situated north of the relay station. Yu Yin had initially wanted to find a house near the relay station, but Mr. had refused, so she had to settle for this.

After entering the brightly lit room, Xiao Kunning stopped crying and stared at the candle flame for a long time. Xie Yu handed her a cup of calming tea: “Drink this and go to sleep early.” Xiao Kunning looked tired, her eyes hollow and numb, as if severely frightened. She took the tea from Xie Yu and drank it. Yu Yin led her to the room to rest.

Nong Qin stood woodenly on the side, keeping her distance from Xie Yu, as if she had committed a grave mistake. As soon as Yu Yin approached, she pushed her over and said to Xie Yu: “Miss Xiao is afraid of the dark. I’ll go keep watch for you.”

Xie Yu didn’t say anything. Yu Yin knew she was displeased and secretly signaled Nong Qin to leave quickly, while reporting to Mr.: “The Old Prince has left the border. I couldn’t persuade him to stay.” When the Old Prince was attacked, she took a knife for him, which saved his life. The Old Prince was grateful and kept her at the border to recover. Almost a year later, the Old Prince finally couldn’t resist leaving the border. A person who was officially dead appearing in Chang’an would cause big trouble.

“Let him be.” A faint, imperceptible smile escaped Xie Yu’s lips. She got up to leave, but Yu Yin said again: “Mr., the Provincial Army has surrounded the entire city. I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave until Minister Wen arrives.” The Jiangnan Provincial Army numbered tens of thousands. Although only a few thousand had come, this force alone was enough to block Xie Yu, who had come alone.

Xie Yu was not overly surprised. She didn’t even blink: “When will Wen Yuke arrive?”

“At least five or six days. If there are delays on the road, it could take half a month.” Yu Yin was worried. If it really took half a month, the army would definitely turn the entire city upside down. Xie Yu still just hummed in response. Yu Yin handed her a bottle of medicine: “Mr.’s medicine must be almost finished.” Gu Zong was not an upright person. Since she was staying in the Gu manor, he would surely use medicine to threaten her.

Xie Yu did not refuse, poured a few pills into her hand, and swallowed them all: “You go rest first.” She then lifted her foot and left.

The common folk in front of the Gu manor had long been dispersed by the Provincial Army. Gu Zong was raging with a headache. Not only was Xie Yu gone, but Gu Ning and Su Ying had also vanished. He smashed the white porcelain vase next to him and cursed the Provincial Army angrily: “If you had come earlier, how could even a shadow be invisible?” The soldiers of the Provincial Army stood in the courtyard, their hands gripping their knives. The leader heard his words and was immediately displeased: “Who told your Gu family to give out rice? The soldiers have nothing to eat. The Gu family refused to feed us, but they gave it to the common folk. Whose fault is that?”

“That was Xie Yu’s scheme!” Gu Zong cursed loudly: “In the end, it’s because you came late. Xie Yu couldn’t get out. Hurry up and find her.” The leader was reluctant: “You have food for the common folk, but not for us?” Gu Zong, who had lost both money and troops, nodded and agreed: “I’ll give it to you. Hurry up and find Xie Yu.”

The Provincial Army left the Gu manor in a massive troop, searching for Xie Yu door to door.

Meanwhile, Xiao Kunning in the house woke up in the middle of the night again. She opened her eyes and saw the bright candlelight. Her heart felt much calmer. She got up, poured a cup of cold tea, and drank it herself.

Nong Qin’s voice sounded outside: “Miss Xiao, are you awake?”

Xiao Kunning was about to reply when she heard a gloomy voice: “Scram.”

It was Xie Yu. She pretended not to have heard anything, turned, and went back to sleep.

Outside, Nong Qin scurried away. Xie Yu glanced at the room door, then opened it. Xiao Kunning inside flipped over and sat up: “Xie Yu, you scram too.”

A moment later, the room door closed again. Nong Qin left giggling. She scrammed, and Mr. scrammed too. They both scrammed together.

When dawn broke, Xie Yu personally cooked porridge. Nong Qin squatted by the stove, adding firewood, still unable to figure out why Miss Xiao had cried last night, even after thinking about it all night. When the porridge was done, Xie Yu served it. Nong Qin followed behind her expectantly.

Xie Yu turned to look at her: “Are you very idle?”

Nong Qin felt a chilling coldness crawl from her neck into her clothes. She decisively shook her head: “No, I’m not. I’m going out to buy groceries today. What does Mr. want?”

Xie Yu said loudly: “I want you to scram far away.”

Nong Qin: “…” What did I do wrong?

Xiao Kunning in the room had just woken up. Rubbing her aching head, she heard the door open. “Xie Yu?”

“Want porridge?” Xie Yu gently responded to confirm her arrival.

Xiao Kunning felt extremely embarrassed recalling last night’s events. But upon a closer detailed analysis, there were many problems with this incident. There were too many coincidences. And why did Xie Yu pull her to the inn and pretend not to have money to eat when there was a house to stay in? Xie Yu was an old, cunning fox.

Xie Yu scooped the porridge from the bowl and placed it on the table, just right for Xiao Kunning to eat when she came out. In broad daylight, there were no ghosts. Xiao Kunning ignored Xie Yu, eating her breakfast in silence. Xie Yu also didn’t dwell on it and left after finishing her breakfast.

The city was full of the Provincial Army, and the city gates were constantly being checked. When Nong Qin went shopping, she encountered the army’s checks. They were only let through after the inspection. The market was surrounded by the army. The common folk were panicking. On the second day, farmers didn’t dare to come, and the market was much emptier. Jiangnan was originally a quiet, fertile land. With this commotion, people chose to leave their homes less often.

Yu Yin and Nong Qin walked around the streets and found that the number of soldiers only increased. They were knocking on doors house by house, leaving only after a thorough search.

After three days, even fewer common folk were moving in the city. The number of soldiers on the street only grew. Xiao Kunning hadn’t spoken to Xie Yu for three days. No matter what Xie Yu cooked, it was useless. The two remained silent until the Provincial Army came searching.

Nong Qin opened the door. The soldiers swarmed in and immediately started searching without a word, rummaging through cabinets, under windows, and in the backyard grass, not missing an inch. Someone held a portrait and compared the people in the house one by one. Yu Yin glanced at the portrait. It was indeed Mr.’s image, and also those of Gu Ning and Doctor Su.

Xiao Kunning sat motionless in the room. Yu Yin guarded her side. She suddenly realized she hadn’t seen Xie Yu today and felt a little worried. The Provincial Army turned the room upside down. A few pieces of clothing from the cabinet were thrown onto the floor. The people in the room didn’t dare to breathe heavily. Yu Yin didn’t even blink, only Xiao Kunning looked restlessly outside the door.

After searching for a long time, the Provincial Army found nothing and finally led their people away. Yu Yin quickly closed the door and signaled Nong Qin to go to the backyard while she and Xiao Kunning tidied up the room. Xiao Kunning picked up the clothes scattered on the floor. After waiting for a moment and still not seeing Xie Yu return, she thought about how small the house was and where she could be hiding. She looked at Yu Yin: “Did Mr. leave?”