Still Secretly In Love With My Enemy Today - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: 

 

By the time I was studying the map of Hengzhou for the third time, Xie Huaishuang sat down across from me.

 

“Is something on your mind?”

 

I marked another location, set down my pen, and after a moment’s thought, reached out to pull his hand toward me by the sleeve.

 

“The person who tried to intercept you the day Linlang Pavilion burned—what exactly was his background?”

 

Xie Huaishuang frowned slightly. “I didn’t recognize him, but…”

 

“But what?”

 

He shook his head. “I was chosen by the Temple when I was very young. There were thirteen of us in total, all following the Master. The other twelve… they were kept as backups, ready to replace me at any moment.”

 

“We learned all the same things growing up. He was likely one of those twelve.”

 

Looking at it this way, the “Priest” from that day was probably the best they could pick from the remaining dozen.

 

—But has everyone in the Temple gone senile? To think they could find anyone to truly replace Xie Huaishuang is pure delusion.

 

Xie Huaishuang’s fingers moved, and I immediately tucked away my messy thoughts to ask: “Since the Temple sent him, does it mean they’ve discovered you’re still alive?”

 

Xie Huaishuang nodded. “It’s highly probable.”

 

“Actually, when I first came to Linlang Pavilion, someone told me you were there.” I tried to recall that hurried glimpse from the past. “I couldn’t see clearly; I only knew they used a sword. Could it be one of those twelve as well?”

 

“Someone told you… I was there?”

 

A look of deep confusion crossed his face. After a moment, he shook his head. “It’s hard to say. Many people in the Temple practice the sword. Based on that alone… I can’t think of who it might be.”

 

The lamplight flickered. I lowered my head to stare at the map of Hengzhou when I suddenly heard him speak.

 

“The Temple has sent people to Hengzhou, haven’t they?”

 

He had guessed it after all. I tapped twice on his hand and wrote immediately: “It might not be because they found you. It could be because they found me, or someone else from Iron Cloud City.”

 

Though I said that, I knew the scouts in Hengzhou were well-hidden; the chance of the Temple discovering them was slim, which was why the City Lord wasn’t overly concerned in the letter. In contrast, the likelihood of Xie Huaishuang being discovered was much higher.

 

I was truly worried he would say something like “don’t worry about me” again.

 

But Xie Huaishuang didn’t even hesitate. “Do you think they’re coming for me?”

 

“Are you worried… that I’ll go back with them?”

 

I denied it instantly. He continued, “Then you’re worried that I won’t let you get involved?”

 

This time I didn’t deny it. Xie Huaishuang waited a moment, then smiled, his expression softening.

 

“I won’t do that this time.”

 

He tilted his head, his eyes downcast, his lashes casting long shadows.

 

It wasn’t what I expected. Before my fingertips could even land in his palm to ask, he continued.

 

“I used to think that if I wanted to be good to you, I had to stop you from doing dangerous things.” His voice was soft. “I know now that isn’t right. It’s more important to let you achieve what you want to do.”

 

His expression was earnest, like a student answering a teacher in a classroom.

 

“You are of Iron Cloud City; dealing with the Temple is something you must do.” He paused. “The Temple’s pursuit is dangerous, but my role isn’t to simply obstruct you, but to help you.”

 

“And…”

 

He stopped abruptly, his lashes lifting, those emerald pools reflecting the lamplight.

 

“If… if I went back with the Temple, or was killed by them… mmpf.”

 

I had instinctively covered his mouth. His eyes blinked rapidly twice. I felt his warm breath against my palm and realized I had crossed a line; I pulled my hand away in a hurry.

 

“Don’t say those things,” I wrote scrawlingly in his hand.

 

“…Alright.” Xie Huaishuang shook his head and smiled, his fingers curling slightly. “In short, if that happened, you would be very sad. Right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

His right hand had been resting on my knee waiting for me to write, but he suddenly withdrew it. In the next instant, he placed his fingertips over my heart.

 

“I used to think as long as the body wasn’t injured, it was fine. But it’s not like that, is it?”

 

Through the fabric of my clothes, his fingertips lightly touched the rhythm of my heartbeat.

 

“If I make you sad here, then I… truly owe you far too much.”

 

Xie Huaishuang remained serious and quiet. Could he feel it? The chaotic, frantic heart that felt as if it might burst through my chest in an instant.

 

Instinctively grabbing the fingertips resting on my chest, I found myself speechless. I just stared at him—what was I even looking for?

 

“Can you tell me now?”

 

Xie Huaishuang smiled, his captured fingers moving slightly.

 

“Are you, well, worrying about this very thing?”

 

I felt like I had asked him something similar before—right, in Linlang Pavilion, the night he first bared his wounds to me.

 

He was actually imitating me.

 

“Yes,” I confessed. “I’m not afraid of the Temple. I’m worried about you.”

 

“I’m not afraid of the Temple either.”

 

His finger brushed against my palm, the sensation so ticklish that I had to pin his restless hand down.

 

“I’ll help you—help you deal with them.”

 

He still looked perfectly serious, saying perfectly serious things, but his fingers were secretly competing with mine. If I wouldn’t let him brush my palm, he insisted on doing it anyway.

 

“I know the Temple better than you do. Tell me what you feel you can. I understand what they want better than you… is this ever going to end? Why can’t you let me win just once?”

 

Fine. I stopped moving. I watched him blink in surprise, then burst into a smile.

 

“Why… why do you want to be good to me?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Is it because I helped you with the Linlang Pavilion business?”

 

Xie Huaishuang blinked and said nothing. I stared at him tensely.

 

If he said “yes,” it would mean he only felt he had to repay a debt. I wouldn’t be able to let myself hold his hand or sit this close to him anymore.

 

Xie Huaishuang thought for a moment before saying, “Not entirely.”

 

“You’ve looked after me these days, told me so many things I never knew, helped me escape Linlang Pavilion, and found Physician Ye to cure me,” he counted off on his fingers slowly. “You are very good to me. I should be good to you too.”

 

My heart sank a little. That sounded like nothing but gratitude—and gratitude was not what I wanted.

 

“And,” he looked up again, his voice earnest, “you are very capable, you know what you want to do, and you have a good heart. I want to be with you, so I want to be good to you too.”

 

I held my breath—I felt like I had a chance again.

 

“Zhu Pingsheng.”

 

He suddenly called my name. I poked his palm to show I was listening.

 

“Your Iron Cloud City and the Temple… they must be quite different.” His voice dropped a bit. “Among your people, even ordinary friends have very good relationships, don’t they?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I had actually been thinking a few days ago about whether I could take him back to Iron Cloud City one day.

 

“The people there are very kind.” I wanted to leave him with a better impression. “I have many friends. If you’re willing, I’ll introduce you to them. They are all wonderful people.”

 

Xie Huaishuang remained silent. I felt I hadn’t quite moved him yet.

 

“Iron Cloud City is very lively; everyone truly is a good person.” I wrote quickly in his hand. “Even if they’re just ordinary friends, if someone gets into trouble, the others will go through fire and water to help, or…”

 

“I understand.”

 

Xie Huaishuang just nodded. I stopped writing, wondering which word I had gotten wrong. After a long pause, I heard him mutter something quietly to himself.

 

“It’s fine. I learn things very quickly anyway.”

 

Learn what?

 

I asked him, but he wouldn’t say. He just tapped the map of Hengzhou on the table. “Do you have any questions? Tell me; perhaps I can be of some help.”

 

I looked down at the map, then suddenly remembered something that had been interrupted several times.

 

“What exactly did you say to Ye Jingwei?”

 

After all, the last time he and Ye Jingwei communicated in secret, it was about the Rebel Sovereign poison. I felt a necessary level of suspicion was required.

 

“Nothing, just a small favor. I’ll tell you tomorrow.” He shook his head. “But it’s definitely not like last time. I don’t plan on doing anything to myself—I promised you, only that once.”

 

“Why can’t you tell me until tomorrow? Why do you always stop halfway?”

 

Xie Huaishuang stared at me, then suddenly let out a cold snort and turned his head away.

 

“Because I’m not going to sleep well tonight,” he said. “So you shouldn’t think about sleeping well either.”

 

What on earth did I do to him this time?

 

…

 

Xie Huaishuang spoke mercilessly, but when it came time to sleep, he still placed his hand on my Shenque acupoint.

 

“Ye Jingwei is coming again tomorrow.” I watched him in the dim light. “To see about your detoxification.”

 

Xie Huaishuang’s hair had long been untied, draping over his shoulders and swaying before my eyes. I really wanted to touch it, to see how it felt wrapped around my finger.

 

“What are you… what are you doing? What’s wrong with your hand?”

 

He paused. I didn’t speak, but firmly pressed down my right hand, which had been itching to reach for his hair.

 

The next morning, as I led him over the threshold, he was still asking me.

 

“You didn’t injure your hand, did you?”

 

“…No.”

 

“Can you tell me now?” I asked. “What were you and Ye Jingwei discussing behind my back?”

 

“Nothing.” He shrugged. “She wants me to describe the onset, timing, and specific symptoms of Rebel Sovereign to her in detail when she next visits. I originally thought, since I promised not to mention it again, I wouldn’t tell you.”

 

“I asked her what else I could do—after all, it’s a great debt of kindness.” Xie Huaishuang continued, “She said she’s already squeezed twelve iron puppets out of you, so she won’t squeeze me.”

 

“…”

 

“I told her I owe her a favor; if she ever has need, she can call on me at any time.” He paused, then lifted his eyes to me. “So, what about the debt between me and you?”

 

“What?”

 

“Between me and you,” he stared at me. “How should we settle that?”

 

How could we settle it? If I said “marry me to settle it,” would he even dare listen?

 

I stuffed a sword into his hand. “We won’t settle it—there’s nothing to calculate. Don’t think about it. Didn’t you want to try this new sword?”

 

Senior Brother He had previously asked me to improve a weapon he designed. I had modified it a few times and he was satisfied, but I always felt something was missing.

 

Last night, in between calculating the Temple’s movements, I had mentioned it. Xie Huaishuang heard it and asked, “Should I give it a try?”

 

“When I was in the Temple, if I didn’t have a mission, I had nothing else to do and nowhere to go,” he had explained then. “Aside from practicing the sword, I stayed in the armory studying how to use the things they created.”

 

No wonder anything became a lethal weapon in his hands, and he could always spot the weaknesses in my gear.

 

When it came to making weapons, he knew nothing. But when it came to using them, I was the one who fell short.

 

“I moved all the plants out of the way,” I told him. “Feel free to try. Nothing will trip you up, and you won’t hurt them.”

 

I guided his hand to the hilt. He went silent for a moment, his eyes shifting, but in the end, he said nothing. He just reached out to feel my right hand again. “Is there really nothing wrong?”

 

I had to let him feel around. Only when he was certain there were no injuries did he let go. He casually twirled the sword and took a step back.

 

He lowered his head, his fingertips lightly tapping the blade as if studying it. In an instant, the yard was filled with a flurry of sword shadows.

 

I had intended to work on my iron puppets nearby, just keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn’t trip.

 

But the moment the sword was drawn, I realized my eyes could no longer hold anything else.

 

His sleeves fluttered like wings—stabbing, flicking, parrying—his movements were like flowing water and swirling silver. Even the spring breeze was thrown into chaos, suppressed by a chilling frost.

 

A single blade stole the glory of the spring.

 

It was the first time I had watched him use a sword from this perspective. It wasn’t until he finally sheathed it that I snapped back to reality, only then noticing the wrench I had dropped on the ground at some point.

 

Xie Huaishuang stared at the blade, frowning as if lost in thought, his breathing not yet fully leveled.

 

I suddenly felt that being able to fight him back and forth for ten years meant I really did have some skill after all.

 

“Here.”

 

He stood where he was, holding up the sword toward me.

 

“The idea is good, but this mechanism up here is almost never used. In actual combat, it’s actually a hindrance.”

 

I walked over to where he was pointing.

 

“Is it easy to fix?”

 

“Not hard.” I calculated. “Just change the direction.”

 

But despite having felt something was “off” for so long, I had never realized the problem was right there. I suppose you really do need someone like him to find the flaws.

 

“Are you really not considering coming to Iron Cloud City?” I couldn’t help but ask again. “Our people really are great, the City Lord pays generously, we’re all good friends…”

 

Xie Huaishuang pulled his hand away again.

 

“Who wants to be with you…” He frowned, tossed the sword back to me, and said, “Forget it.”

 

…What did I say wrong this time?