Bai Shuyu stood by the ruins of the White Tower, looking at the scorched marks all around, feeling a little palpitated for no reason.
He frowned and murmured to himself: "Li Fenglan, don't think about it so quickly. If you hesitate for a few more days, we will all feel better by then."
As he was talking to himself, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Chen Ling'er. Chen Ling'er's expression was a little strange, and she looked at Bai Shuyu with some confusion in her eyes.
Bai Shuyu turned around, smiled and asked, "Is something wrong with Ling'er?"
Chen Ling'er pursed her lips and asked, "Why...the dead soldiers started lurking around those in Changfeng Tower?"
Bai Shuyu explained with a smile: "The final battle is coming soon, and we need to cooperate with Changfeng Tower, but it is just arranged in advance."
"But you know," Chen Ling'er took a step forward, "Those strongholds are fake to begin with. Even if there is a war, they will not be in those places... Third Young Master, you..."
"Ling'er," Bai Shuyu's expression turned cold, "Do you have any questions about my arrangement?".
"Yes," Chen Ling'er did not flinch, "Third Young Master, don't do anything you will regret."
"We have known each other for so many years, when have I ever regretted it?"
"You are regretting it now," Chen Ling'er said tit for tat, "regret knowing Jade."
Bai Shuyu was silent for a long time and nodded: "What else?"
"There are others, but these regrets will not appear until your plan is implemented."
"You think I'm going to fail?"
Chen Ling'er shook her head, her eyes a little sad: "If you succeed, you will regret it even more... Third Young Master, why bother?"
"Ling'er, you know what I care about most, right?"
"The Bai family."
"Yes, I compromised with Li Fengyao, I compromised with Chen Zijue, and the alliance with Changfeng Tower last year was all for the Bai family. It's not right to say that. I was all for my brothers and sisters. If I didn't do this, what would happen? Kill Li Fengyao? Changfeng Tower and Li Fengyao are very different in appearance. If Changfeng Tower is not eliminated, do you think Mo Changfeng will stop me? Will Li Fenglan stop me?"
"What about Jade? What will happen to Jade when you succeed or fail?"
Bai Shuyu was silent again. He opened his mouth, as if it was difficult to say what he wanted to say.
"Jade is not my Bai family yet," his voice was very soft, "You also know that I am always able to ignore my own feelings and those of others when it comes to dilemmas."
Chen Ling'er felt that the person in front of her was a little strange, as if she didn't recognize him.
Bai Shuyu smiled bitterly and suddenly said: "Ling'er, you like me, right?"
These words made Chen Ling'er a little stunned.
"The third son of the Bai family, Bai Shuyu, is born smart, has a photographic memory, and is the wisest among all the heroes... In the past few years, these are the only words that have been used to praise me. There is nothing new. You also know that these statements are spread by me. Out. The people in the world are so stupid. I obviously haven’t done anything earth-shattering, but they all believe that I am a smart person. Before I was fifteen years old, I told myself over and over again: Bai Shuyu, you are a smart person. Use this method to anesthetize me. Myself...until I met you, I didn't know that I was smarter than I thought. I guessed your identity the first time I met you, I knew how to make you do things for me willingly, and I even knew how to tie you down. "
Bai Shuyu walked towards Chen Ling'er with no expression on his face: "I keep you by my side to give you peace of mind and hope. I have gradually grown into what you like, right? Gentle and elegant, not afraid of danger, and capable of doing anything with ease. You are like this A woman is suitable to be ignored, and she is even more suitable to be ignored by a man like me."
Chen Ling'er looked at Bai Shuyu stupidly and asked blankly: "What did you say?"
Bai Shuyu did not answer, but continued: "I have worked hard for you these years. Although I am cold, I still retain a trace of kindness to the people around me. I will give full freedom to those who are willing to stand by me. Ling'er, What you are going to do next will be unbearable for you... Leave the Bai family. I had someone build a villa for you a few years ago. It has beautiful mountains and clear waters and is like spring all year round. You can live there for as many years as you want."
Chen Ling'er gradually understood, she lowered her head and smiled
He smiled and said, "Why do you have to be like this? The Bai family and I both want to teach you to be a ruthless person. But you are only full of loopholes in the matter of ruthlessness. Mr. Qin taught you this, right? You don't need it." The spies must either be sealed up or killed. Chen Zijue can do it, but you can't."
Bai Shuyu's body swayed, as if he had reached the limit, and he slowly sat down on the boulder behind him. He bent down, covered his face with his hands, and said in a trembling voice: "Yeah... I can't do it. What kind of determination did Chen Zijue make to kill you?"
He took his hands away and stared at his palms motionlessly: "I have been able to kill Li Fenglan many times and completely wipe out Changfeng Tower, but why can't I be so cruel? Ling'er, I don't know what to do. What should I do? Even if the plan succeeds, I don’t know how to start. I don’t even know how to face Jade... When the Bai family is truly safe, is it the best solution for me to die in front of Jade? "
Chen Ling'er walked over and patted his shoulder gently, lowered her head and said with a smile: "This is what I like about you."
The look of struggling between coldness and humanity.
Bai Shuyu was a little dazed, raised his head and asked, "Will you help me?"
"Yes, even if the outcome is unsatisfactory, I will help you. In the worst case... let Jade beat you and me to death together."
Chen Linger smiled slyly.
Bai Shuyu also smiled and seemed to suddenly understand: "Yes, I don't blame Li Fenglan for what she did. I just did it for the Bai family and had no better choice... But Ling'er, I still have a trace of luck in my heart."
"Is it any luck that Miss Li can find a solution that has the best of both worlds?"
"That's right," Bai Shuyu seemed to be smiling even more happily, "Forget it, leave the problem to her. After all, this matter is not only my own, Jade's is also a part of it, she is Jade's good sister."
Chen Ling'er raised her head and looked at the sky: "It's getting late, go back and rest."
…
It takes less than two months to get from Xiangyang to Luzhou, which is enough time for her to return to Luoyang and then go to Luzhou. But Li Fenglan didn't want to go back to Luoyang at all, or in other words, she wanted to stay away from the Bai family. According to her words, she was afraid that she would beat Bai Shuyu when she saw him.
"I can't beat Jade, but it's easy to beat Bai Shuyu. When the time comes, I'll help you beat him." Han Lu said confidently.
Li Fenglan glanced at him and teased: "You don't dare. How can Jade scare you with just one look at you?"
"Do I have to beat him in front of Jade? I'll do it when Jade isn't around."
After two days of traveling, the two of them had arrived at the foot of Jingmen Mountain.
I was walking up a mountain road. After walking for less than half an hour, I heard Han Lu say, "It's just ahead."
Not far in front of them, a lonely cabin was located in a clearing in a mountain forest. It seemed relatively secluded.
It was almost two years since he came down the mountain. He was a little excited to return to the place where he had lived for more than ten years. As soon as he arrived at the edge of the mountain forest, he threw away Li Fenglan and galloped over on horseback alone.
Li Fenglan suddenly felt that the man in front of her didn't seem to have grown up yet, with happiness and sadness written all over his face.
This house is very simple, with only two rooms, one bedroom and one kitchen. The wood is aging badly. From the outside, this wooden house seems to be more than fifty years old.
After Han Lu dismounted, she opened the stone beside the bedroom door and took out two keys from underneath.
He couldn't wait to open the bedroom door, and a musty smell that had not been popular for a long time wafted out. He didn't care about it and stepped in.
Li Fenglan casually tied the two horses to the tree trunks nearby and followed him into the house.
The furnishings in the room are also very simple, including a dining table, a kerosene lamp on the table, a small stool, and a shabby wooden cabinet, which seems to be used to store clothes. A small bed, with his quilt on the bed and a sheet covering it. There is a small stove next to the bed, and several tools are piled in the corner. A coir raincoat and a fishing rod hang on the wall. This is all the furnishings in this room.
Han Lu took off the sheets from the bed, lowered her head and smelled her bedding, frowned and said, "It has rained a lot in the past two years, and it has become moldy.
. "
After saying that, he hugged the quilt and left the house.
Li Fenglan opened his small wardrobe, which contained only a few clothes from his childhood to adulthood. Two pairs of clothes were obviously resized. It seemed that he had worn them since he was a child and stopped wearing them when he couldn't change them anymore.
She took out those clothes too.
The cold dew connected the clothesline that had been broken long ago and took advantage of the fact that it was almost noon to dry the bedding.
He looked back at Li Fenglan, who was holding the clothes, and asked with a smile: "What are you doing with these clothes?"
"It's also moldy, why don't you put it in the sun?"
Han Lu smiled and scratched the back of his head: "You can't even wear it anymore. It doesn't matter whether you sunbathe or not."
Although he said this, he still took the clothes from Li Fenglan's hand.
Then the two people simply tidied up the two wooden houses, at least they didn't look so old.
After cleaning up, the two sat on the stone outside the cabin, looking at the cabin side by side.
Li Fenglan said: "It's quite nice here, with beautiful mountains and clear waters."
Han Lu smiled and said, "What a good thing. In summer, there are bugs, and in winter, it's cold. The roof of the wooden house is leaking. I repaired it several times but couldn't fix it."
Li Fenglan asked: "Speaking of water, where do you usually go to get water?"
Han Lu pointed to the left with her chin: "There is a creek over there. The water is very clear. I usually get water from there."
"What about taking a bath?"
"In the summer, I just go to the river to wash myself. Anyway, I'm the only one on this mountain at night. During the day, hunters and woodcutters occasionally pass by."
Li Fenglan frowned and asked, "What about winter? Don't tell me you don't take a shower in winter. If you really don't take a shower, don't touch me at night."
Han Lu smiled and said, "I just live in the mountains, and I'm not a savage. It's only half an hour from here to the bottom of the mountain. I usually go down the mountain to buy rice, flour, grain and oil. In winter, of course, I go to the bathhouse at the bottom of the mountain to wash."
"What about...the food?"
"There is a small open space behind the house. I grow vegetables for my own food. Don't ask, there is meat too. Those hunters often come to my place to rest. I prepare some tea for them, and they will give me some meat to eat in a few days. .”
Li Fenglan looked at his side face quietly, feeling a little distressed: "Have you taken care of yourself since you were a child?"
Han Lu nodded, with a smile on her face: "Yes, I used to be a little beggar. I learned how to cook when I was six or seven years old."
Li Fenglan bit her lip: "You... have suffered a lot."
Han Lu shook her head: "It's not hard work, it's much better than begging for food. After all, the master will leave some money for me every once in a while, so I can buy it myself."
Li Fenglan patted her knees and said, "Let's go down the mountain."
"Going down the mountain? Now? Can't you just let me stay a little longer?"
"We're going to buy some rice, flour, grains and oil, we'll be here for several days."
"Huh? Live?"
"Ah, stop talking nonsense and leave quickly, otherwise it will be dark when you come back."
