"Miss!" Wei Dongling's eyes were filled with tears. Ignoring Shangguan Yun, she quickly tidied her clothes and tightened her belt. Despite the pain in her feet, she started running desperately on the pebble beach.
Finally, she could see Qi Jinxuan's departing figure in the distance. Wei Dongling endured the pain and quickened her pace, shouting, "Miss! Miss! Wait for me! Miss, please listen to my explanation!"
Stumbling, she lost her balance and fell hard to the ground. The gold hairpin in her hand clattered and flew out.
Wei Dongling's feet were numb with pain. She struggled to get up.
But Qi Jinxuan in front suddenly stopped. Her face ashen, she walked step by step towards Wei Dongling.
"Miss!" Wei Dongling's eyes were bloodshot. Tears of grievance rolled down one by one, wetting her already tattered clothes.
Qi Jinxuan was crying bitterly. She picked up the gold hairpin on the ground, and with a flick of her hand, the hairpin drew a beautiful arc and fell straight into the waters of Luoyue Lake.
Wei Dongling stared blankly at Qi Jinxuan in front of her, then at the ripples spreading on the lake where the hairpin had disappeared. She couldn't say a word.
Qi Jinxuan stared fiercely at Wei Dongling, her eyes showing a severity Wei Dongling had never seen before.
Wei Dongling felt a flutter of panic in her heart. Then she heard Qi Jinxuan looking coldly at her and saying word by word, "Wei Dongling! From this day forward, our bonds are severed!"
After saying this, she walked away without looking back.
"Miss!" Wei Dongling looked in panic at Qi Jinxuan's disappearing figure. She tried to get up clumsily, but slipped and fell hard again.
"Miss!" Wei Dongling's nose twitched, and her eyes blurred with tears. With great difficulty, she struggled to her feet and limped onto the shore, staggering after Qi Jinxuan in the direction she had disappeared.
The moon was bright, and the long lakeside path was deserted. Wei Dongling was extremely anxious. Enduring the pain, she dragged her injured leg and ran forward, her hot tears leaving a trail behind.
On the gravel by the riverbank, Shangguan Yun had a splitting headache and felt as if his body was on fire. He murmured in a low voice, "Dongling... Dongling..."
In his dream, Wei Dongling's gentle little hands carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead. With a wave of his hand, her soft body fell into his broad embrace.
This dream was so real and beautiful.
"Wei Dongling..." Shangguan Yun looked at the woman in front of him with red eyes. Trembling, he hugged her tightly, and his burning body seemed to get a little bit of coolness. It was like a man in the desert encountering a sweet rain. He hugged her tightly without any hesitation.
The woman in his arms responded gently. Her cold arms wrapped around his hot body. Shangguan Yun no longer cared about anything and planted gentle kisses on her.
There was a rustle in the forest beside the lakeside path.
The exhausted Wei Dongling perked up at the sound and shouted urgently, "Miss?"
A man stepped out of the forest. He was dressed in black and had a sinister face.
Wei Dongling looked at him, was stunned for a moment, and then recognized him.
He was the black - clothed man who had set fire to her house that day! Wei Dongling had even fought with him outside the high wall of the General's Mansion and almost lost her life.
The Zhao Mansion had sent him to assassinate her several times. It was probably him who had put the poisonous herb in the bird's nest that day!
When Wei Dongling saw him, she trembled all over. Her tears stopped, and she slowly shrank back.
The black - clothed man rolled his eyes and glanced at Wei Dongling's lame leg. He curled his lips and said with a smile, "Long time no see, Miss Wei. How have you been?"
Wei Dongling secretly groaned in her heart. She didn't even have an iron hairpin on her. She panicked and turned to retreat, but after taking a few steps, she felt a chill on her back.
The man's dagger was pressed against her back. He said with a soft smile, "Miss Wei, you'd better be obedient, so as not to make things difficult for both of us."
Wei Dongling was sweating with fear. She tremblingly raised her hands in surrender.
The black - clothed man waved his hand, and several more people emerged from the forest. Without saying a word, they tied Wei Dongling's hands with ropes and dragged her towards the nearby Baoqing Tower.
Wei Dongling felt desperate. She lost her balance and fell again. Those people ignored her and just walked forward, dragging her on the ground.
Before long, Wei Dongling's body was scraped raw by the ground. The pain was piercing, but she gritted her teeth and endured it without making a sound.
After a long time, the group arrived at the entrance of Baoqing Tower. Wei Dongling looked up at the three characters on the plaque and her face turned ashen.
Someone went to knock on the door. The door creaked open, and the group dragged Wei Dongling inside.
At this time, Wei Dongling vaguely saw through her blurry vision that there were several figures slowly walking away at the street corner.
Wei Dongling looked up at the nearby Baoqing Tower, then raised her voice and shouted at the figures walking away, "Help me!"
Although she didn't know if they could hear her from such a distance.
The black - clothed man's face changed. He stepped forward and kicked Wei Dongling hard on the ground. The kick made her chest ache sharply. She immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and almost fainted.
Hearing the noise beside her, Wei Dongling forced her eyes open. She saw the people who had walked away coming towards them from afar. She couldn't help shivering. Then she saw that the leader looked familiar. He was looking at her with a surprised and uncertain expression and asking, "Girl?"
The man was dressed in brocade clothes. He had a straight figure and a familiar face. She couldn't recognize him for a moment. But his voice was extremely familiar! It was clearly Uncle Li's voice!
Wei Dongling thought she had misheard. She forced her eyes open and looked again. Under the bright moonlight, those eyebrows and eyes were clearly Uncle Li's! But he had shaved his beard and changed into clean clothes, so she almost didn't recognize him!
Wei Dongling was overjoyed. Then she heard Uncle Li looking at her with a serious face and exclaiming in surprise, "Girl, it really is you?"
As soon as the words were out, Uncle Li didn't say a word more. He flew forward and kicked the black - clothed man hard.
That kick sent the thin body of the black - clothed man flying straight up. He hit the wall of Baoqing Tower and then slowly slid to the ground.
Uncle Li picked up Wei Dongling on the ground. Looking at her pitiful appearance, he frowned. He was both disgusted and heart - ache. He reached out to untie the ropes on Wei Dongling's hands.
Seeing their master unexpectedly beaten like this, the black - clothed man's subordinates roared and gritted their teeth, then rushed forward.
A tall young man leaped out from behind Uncle Li. With a foreign accent, he sneered, "It's been a long time since I had a good fight! Boss, you take a rest. Let me stretch my muscles!" Then he rushed forward and started fighting against ten of them with his fists.
Uncle Li ignored him. Looking at Wei Dongling's lame and unsteady legs, he roared angrily, "Did they hurt you like this? Damn it! I'll tear down this Baoqing Tower today!"
The tall young man punched and kicked those people. Along with the miserable cries of the servants, Wei Dongling watched as they were beaten with their teeth bared, blood flying everywhere, and some even missing arms and legs.