He leaned against the door of the house, took a deep breath, and then expressionlessly pulled out the arrow embedded in his shoulder. Silently, he untied the robe from his side and quickly used torn strips of cloth to bind his wounds, preventing himself from fainting due to excessive blood loss.
He performed these actions swiftly, knowing they must be extremely painful, yet he did not utter a cry of pain.
Next, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small crossbow. With a glance outside the door, he shot an arrow directly into the forehead of a person attempting to break in.
The person let out a miserable scream and fell to the ground, never to rise again.
One arrow, one life taken.
Soon after, several others who refused to give up tried to force their way in, only to be shot down one by one.
After several rounds like this, the outside became quiet for a while. Just as Su Qiuge thought they might be giving up, Xie Xinglin suddenly turned his head and looked at her.
It seemed he had realized something, his eyes carrying a hint of gravity. Just as she made eye contact with him, she caught a glimpse of a distant flicker of fire.
She was slightly startled, and then her eyes widened as she realized that those people outside intended to trap them here and burn them alive.
They had no way out.
She tightly clenched her wrist, and she saw him leaning against the door, lowering his gaze as he slowly said, “It’s my fault.”
She turned to look at him, and he expressionlessly snapped the sleeve arrow in half. “If I had been more careful, it wouldn’t have come to this.”
He, a person who lived on the edge of darkness, would die sooner or later. After all, he had killed quite a few people, and he knew he was destined for hell.
But he should never have dragged her down with him.
She was supposed to have a brilliant future, but it was all ruined because of his greed.
With these thoughts, he gritted his teeth slightly and tightened his wound even more, his eyes gradually turning colder.
Even if it meant risking his life, he would send her back.
Unexpectedly, the person beside him fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at him and calmly said, “Are you an idiot?”
He was slightly taken aback, pulling himself out of his various thoughts and raising his head to look at the girl who had come closer. “You did nothing wrong. Why blame yourself?”
The tongues of fire outside were about to engulf them. Soldiers surrounded the house, and anyone who tried to break free would be shot down by stray arrows.
In the flickering firelight from a distance, she suddenly smiled and said, “Actually, I don’t want to go back anymore.”
Perhaps it was at that moment when they shared a drink together, or when he filled in her eyebrows, or when he drew his sword on the arena, or maybe even earlier, when he fetched the lantern for her.
At that moment, she realized that no matter what, no matter where, he was still himself.
He was the person she had always deeply loved and entrusted her heart to.
Although he didn’t remember her, he would still fall in love with her.
He would never change.
She could always trust him.
Upon hearing her words, his eyes, which had remained unblinking despite his injuries, reddened at the corners. A trace of blood stained the corner of his mouth, and then he turned his head, wanting to pull her up.
He thought that as they broke out, if he used his body to shield her, she would have a chance to escape.
But she showed no reaction at all. Her gaze was fixed on the approaching flames in the distance, and then she turned to look at him and suddenly asked, “Did you just ask me if I ever had feelings for you?”
His motion, which he had been contemplating, paused for a moment. He lowered his eyes to look at her, his body appearing somewhat rigid.
She smiled and then walked up to embrace him. “Then let me tell you.”
She leaned against his shoulder. “Whether in this lifetime or the next, I love only you.”
The scorching tongues of fire licked closer, accompanied by a raging gust of wind. She stood there, dressed in a bridal gown as vibrant as the flames, gazing at him with tender affection.
He was slightly taken aback and then looked at her.
She leaned against his shoulder and whispered, “We had a ceremonial drink earlier, symbolizing our marriage. That’s when our fate began.”
The wind howled, and a beam in the distance collapsed.
The night sky was swept by the tongues of fire, shimmering with a radiant glow.
At the moment when the spreading flames were about to engulf them, she tilted her head and smiled, “This fate will keep me tied to you forever. I will always be your wife…”
She tenderly gazed at him and spoke slowly, “Xie Xinglin, you can never escape, in this life and for all eternity.”
The flames swept over her magnificent wedding gown, resembling the grand brilliance of heavenly light descending upon the mortal world.
At this very moment, she became that light.
His eyelashes trembled slightly, and then he hoarsely uttered two words.
“… Qiu Qiu.”
The shattered words were engulfed by the engulfing flames. The beam of light in front of him gradually transformed into a girl.
With a smile on her face, she walked out of the light and pulled him out of the abyss where he dwelled in darkness. Then, she tightly embraced him, rescuing him from his immersion in a cold world.
She wasn’t afraid. She was so gentle, willing to embrace him with all she had. She said, “We will be together forever, and we will never be apart again.”
Her embrace was warm, so warm.
It was like the sun descending upon an icy wasteland, melting away all the frost.
Everything came to life.
So, the next time, I will never let go again.
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