Unexpectedly, while I was talking to Long Lin, he managed to pull out a hand from the glass shards. The flesh and blood on the shards were clearly visible. This guy was really ruthless. One could only imagine how much it must have hurt when he pulled it out.
Qi Lian lowered his voice and threatened Long Lin, "Let me go right away, or I'll kill her right now."
"Don't let him go..." I barely managed to squeeze out a few words when my neck tightened another notch. If he used a bit more force, my neck would probably break.
Long Lin's face was filled with anxiety as he paced back and forth continuously. "You should let the young lady go quickly. As long as you release her, I'll let you go right away."
Saying so, Long Lin waved his arm, and all the glass shards embedded in Qi Lian's body were pulled out.
Qi Lian thought he had succeeded. With me as a hostage, he was sure it would ensure his escape. His bloodstained hand was still clutching my neck as he said, "Come with me..."
After Qi Lian finished speaking, he pulled me backward. I looked at Long Lin helplessly with my eyes. At this moment, he took out a jade-bone fan and started to fan it leisurely. It turned out that all the nervousness before was just an act.
"We agreed that as long as I let you go, you'd let the young lady go. Why don't you keep your word?" His voice still carried an ethereal feeling and showed no sign of annoyance.
"Cut the crap. Now that she's in my hands, I call the shots."
After saying that, he dragged me hostage to open the car door.
Long Lin was still standing there, fanning his fan. It seemed that he wasn't going to save me.
The moment the car door was opened, my neck felt loose, and Qi Lian suddenly disappeared.
I turned around abruptly. He was hanging on the tree, covered in blood. The blood dripped from every twig and splashed on the ground.
Long Lin was already standing beside me, looking at me with a smile.
"Don't be afraid. He's dead!"
Seeing this scene, I was originally very panicked and wanted to run away from him as far as possible.
But he gently fanned his fan, and after a cool breeze swept by, my heart was filled with calmness, and my originally terrified soul was completely cleansed.
"Let's go and sit over there." He pointed to the meadow in front.
I don't know why, but I just followed him like a puppet.
When we walked past that tree, I instinctively looked up at the tree. Long Lin raised the oil-paper umbrella in his hand to block the "raindrops" dripping from the tree for me.
Just as I followed him past the tree and he put away the oil-paper umbrella, the tree was already covered with red flowers.
The wind blew, and the tree swayed. The petals rained down like snowflakes in the wind, filling the air with fragrance. It was extremely beautiful.
"He..." I was just about to ask where Qi Lian's body was.
As soon as I uttered one word, he pressed his slender finger against my lips.
"Don't talk about anything unpleasant. Do you like these red flowers on the tree?"
I nodded. Even if I didn't like them, I didn't dare to say so.
"That's enough. Since these red flowers can be our matchmaker, instead of choosing another day, let's worship heaven and earth and get married right here today."
Saying so, he waved his arm, and my casual clothes turned into a phoenix coronet and colorful robes. And his original plain long robe had turned into a red imperial robe at this moment.
To be honest, a good-looking man looks good no matter what he wears. Wearing this red robe, he really had the aura of an emperor.
I was completely stunned. What was going on? Why did everyone want to marry me?
If Gu Yuan saw this, would he skin me alive?
"No... no... no, I can't worship heaven and earth and get married to you." I stepped back continuously. I couldn't figure out who he was, and this scene was really terrifying.
Every time Long Lin took a step forward, I took a step back until he cornered me under the red-flowered tree.
I was so nervous that I could hardly breathe. My chest heaved up and down, my Adam's apple rolled, and I glanced to the left, wanting to escape. Just as this thought came to my mind, his right hand was already on the tree.
I looked to the right, and his left hand was also on the tree trunk.
There was no way to avoid him. I could only look up at Long Lin. He was actually smiling at me with doting eyes.
That smile was really something. It made me feel dizzy.
But my reason told me that I couldn't. Saving my life was the most important thing.
"I'm telling you, don't come any closer. There's a celestial being on me. He'll be back soon."
Long Lin laughed disdainfully, "Hahaha, you mean Gu Yuan. Do you think I'm afraid of him?"
It turned out that he also knew Gu Yuan.
Before I could ask further, he had already lifted my chin and whispered, "My dear lady, I've been looking for you so hard."
Saying so, his peach-blossom eyes looked at my lips, and his handsome face pressed down without hesitation.
He was really serious. I struggled in my heart. I suddenly broke free from his arm, turned around, and hugged the big tree, pleading, "Great celestial being, please let me go. I don't want to die yet."
I thought in my heart that if he still wanted to force himself on me, I would kneel down and kowtow to him. I heard that the best way to send a celestial being away was to kowtow.
I held the big tree tightly with both hands and refused to let go no matter what.
Long Lin stood behind me, looking very puzzled.
Just as we were at a stalemate, Long Lin looked at the sky.
His originally gentle voice became low, "What a spoilsport."
He put away the jade-bone fan in his hand and disappeared in a golden light.
Although he was gone, his voice still echoed in the air, "My dear lady, someone has disrupted our plan today. I'll come back to marry you another day."
As soon as Long Lin finished speaking, a strong gust of wind blew past me, and Gu Yuan was already standing beside me.
As soon as he landed, his cold eyes squinted slightly. I was so scared that I quickly lowered my head.
"Has someone been here?" Gu Yuan's voice was bone-chillingly cold, making me shiver.
My heart was numb. Did he see me hugging the big tree with Long Lin just now?
I looked around. Everything had returned to normal. The red flowers were gone, and the phoenix coronet and colorful robes on me were also gone. So I pretended to be calm and replied, "Who... who has been here? I didn't see anyone..."
Gu Yuan's face was already gloomy. Hearing me stutter, he must have been suspicious.
But he didn't expose me. Instead, he asked, "Where's Qi Lian?"
Right. How could I explain Qi Lian's death? I was so nervous that I didn't know what to do with my hands.
"He ran away..."
Gu Yuan simply didn't believe it. He stood there silently, looking cold.
"He's dead..."
"Tell the truth."
Gu Yuan was already impatient. I had a sudden inspiration and quickly told him everything I could say.
"I don't know why. He was still nailed to the pillar just now. Then in the blink of an eye, he disappeared. And in another blink of an eye, he was hanging on the tree. Then there were flowers on the tree. By the time you came back, there was nothing left."
I told the whole story in one breath, just omitting Long Lin. This shouldn't count as lying, right?
I flattered Gu Yuan with a smile, full of sincerity.
Gu Yuan didn't ask any more questions. His dark eyes drooped slightly, as if he had noticed the wound on my arm.
I quickly pulled down my sleeve, not wanting him to see it. Anyway, he wouldn't care.
The next second, his gaze fell on my shoulder, and he tore open the clothes on my shoulder.
"What are you doing?"