The Turbulent World, With Only You and Me (3)

Winter's warm sunlight spilled across the world, while the air in the courtyard carried a stiff, deathly silence.

Ruan Su froze mid-run toward the wooden cottage. Her brand-new fitted clothes trembled faintly in the wind, and an indescribable dread instantly began spreading through her heart. Her slender figure stood rooted to the spot like a wooden chicken, not daring to turn around.

But soon,

Qin Yi's familiar, calm voice rang out softly, shattering the stillness:

"She is my older sister."

Qin Yi spoke neither hurriedly nor slowly. Accompanied by the rustle of footsteps, he walked up to Shang Jin and lifted his eyes to stare at her.

"If it weren't for her, I would likely already be dead."

"..."

After meeting his gaze for an instant, Shang Jin unconsciously retreated half a step. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Fan You spoke first from the other side. His voice was earnest as he said,

"Young Master, I fear you may not know, having been stranded outside. The Lineage is now deeply divided in its attitude toward Calamity Seeds, and not everyone welcomes your return. The position of legitimate heir has also already... In any case, if you suddenly bring a Calamity Seed back now, I fear it will become an excuse for others to attack you."

At this point,

Fan You's gaze passed over Qin Yi and fell upon the girl standing stiffly before the cottage as though immobilized. He said softly,

"Your sworn elder sister presumably would not wish to place you in danger because of herself."

"..."

This time, Qin Yi did not immediately object. A thoughtful look appeared on his face.

As the cold wind swept over the roof, Shang Jin tightened her sleeves and hurriedly added,

"Young Master, if you truly cannot bear to part with this elder sister of yours, you may first return to the Lineage. If you can obtain the Patriarch's consent, it likely will not be a major matter..."

"Xiao Yi, I... I won't go."

Before Qin Yi could speak, Ruan Su turned around first. She forced a bright smile that looked more like crying, absentmindedly winding a loose strand of dark hair around her fingers as she looked toward the well.

"Xiao Yi, go home first. I'll stay here. Um... look, I can cook for myself, and I can work under the shopkeeper and earn money. I can take care of myself! So go home without worry first!"

Qin Yi looked at her and let out a soft breath.

His silence was not hesitation. He simply wanted Ruan Su to say those words herself.

His existence had, in practical terms, already become her shackles.

Whenever he was by her side, Ruan Su had no initiative at all. Poke her once, and she moved once. She habitually tossed away her brain and gave up thinking. Even when her intelligence occasionally seized the high ground, he still had to guide her.

And now, there happened to be an opportunity for Ruan Su to safely unleash her natural leadership to some extent...

So,

He made her a promise.

"I will come back for you."

Ruan Su immediately nodded hard, though her eyes were beginning to burn. It wasn't some life-and-death farewell, and Xiao Yi wasn't abandoning me. So why did I still feel so wronged? Why did I want to cry so badly?

Her fingertips dug into her palms. The girl sniffed, her eyes curving into crescents as she accepted his promise.

"Alright."

Qin Yi cast a sidelong glance at Nie Junyue.

Nie Junyue immediately understood. He cupped his hands in salute and said,

"Before you return, Young Master, I will look after her as best I can."

Qin Yi nodded and promised,

"Thank you. The next time we meet, I will give you what you want."

Nie Junyue's pupils contracted slightly, and he lowered himself even further.

After a brief silence,

Fan You seized the opportunity. He glanced at the piled-up boxes inside the cottage and asked softly,

"Young Master, should we move your luggage away as well?"

"There is no need."

Qin Yi shook his head directly and said slowly, "We can discuss it when I return for Sister next time. For now, we can simply leave."

With that, he stepped straight toward the courtyard gate.

Seeing this, Shang Jin, Fan You, and Nie Junyue were all slightly stunned. They could not help glancing at the girl by the door.

Wasn't she the elder sister who had shared life and death with the Young Master? He was just leaving like this? There was not even a need for a farewell?

"Xiao Yi, wait."

The crisp voice still could not hold back and rang softly through the wind.

Ruan Su called Qin Yi to a stop, then turned and darted into the cottage. Taking this chance, the others tactfully withdrew outside the courtyard.

After rummaging through the wooden cottage, Ruan Su came stumbling and panting before Qin Yi.

Qin Yi lifted his eyes, analyzing his elder sister's actions.

In less than an instant, he realized that Ruan Su was doing something meaningless again.

The girl, half a head taller than him, bent slightly and took the boy's cool little hand. She placed a somewhat worn cloth pouch in his palm and forced her eyes into two crescent moons.

"Th-these silver coins, take them. Sister can earn more!"

"..."

It was not very heavy. The family's savings had been spent all at once by Qin Yi some time ago. These should have been everything Ruan Su had earned anew these past few days.

Should he refuse...

Qin Yi pondered.

This money would be more useful in Ruan Su's hands than in his.

But would she really use it? She would probably only foolishly hide it away like before...

As he considered,

The old locust tree in the courtyard rustled as the wind swept past. Qin Yi's body was suddenly pushed back a step by force.

Tilting his head slightly upward, he looked through the girl's hair and past her trembling shoulders at the cottage in the distance.

A familiar touch.

A familiar warmth.

And that familiar scent of soapberry.

She had hugged him, very tightly.

Just like that night with the Killing Ape.

Qin Yi's dark eyes turned back impassively as he looked at Ruan Su's profile.

She was crying...

But he had clearly promised not to abandon her.

Why?

The spacious, luxuriously furnished carriage swayed gently along the mountain road.

Qin Yi reclined against the soft couch inside, looking at the broken silver mixed with copper coins in the worn cloth pouch in his hands. He thought about why Ruan Su had cried before his departure.

The separation of life and death caused by death made living creatures cry in "sorrow."

He did not understand why, but he had come to recognize this through past experience.

But what did that have to do with Ruan Su's tears?

This journey was merely a temporary departure, and he had promised to return. They were only being temporarily separated by some physical distance. Why had she cried this time...

He did not understand,

But he could learn.

He pulled the drawstring tight on the worn pouch and tucked it into his clothes. At that moment, the woman in white kneeling beside him in the carriage suddenly spoke softly.

"Young Master... you need not be too sad. So long as the Patriarch agrees, you and that elder sister will be able to see each other again very soon."

Qin Yi did not respond. Instead, he asked,

"You... what is your name, and what is your status within the Lineage?"

Shang Jin froze, subconsciously averting her eyes. Being around this Young Master always made her think of the Patriarch. He gave away neither joy nor anger, and at such a young age, once he returned to the estate, he would most likely transform into a dragon upon encountering wind and clouds.

After pondering for a moment, she reached into her clothes and took out a silver-jade token. She respectfully offered it to him and said,

"In reply to Young Master, this servant is Shang Jin, the Madam's personal maid."

Qin Yi nodded lightly. He accepted the silver-jade token and carefully examined the strange beast carved upon it. Then he turned it over, stared at the large engraved characters for a moment, and suddenly put down the token and rose to his feet.

Shang Jin looked somewhat surprised. She instinctively straightened her kneeling posture, her white dress outlining her graceful figure. She raised her eyes to look at the boy who slowly walked before her and looked down at her from above.

"Sister, you are my mother's maid?"

Qin Yi's dark eyes curved slightly. One hand gently stroked the woman's cheek, while the other settled upon her soft shoulder, lightly rubbing the fine, smooth fabric...

Escorted by a host of armored guards, the carriage slowly traveled along the mountain road toward Yellow Bamboo Town.

Nie Junyue sat behind a low table, his face full of helplessness as he looked at Ruan Su, who was curled up in the corner with her knees hugged to her chest, weeping quietly with her head lowered.

Though he was already the father of a son and daughter, he spent most of his time buried in official work and had scarcely any experience comforting girls.

After spending a long time trying to persuade her, she was still crying. Some of his words had even made her cry harder.

After hesitating and weighing his words for some time, Nie Junyue finally cleared his throat and spoke again, preparing for one final attempt.

"Ruan Su, now that Qin Yi has returned to the Qin Family, he will obtain the Lineage's authority even faster than you and I can imagine..."

"W-what?"

Ruan Su suddenly stopped crying and raised her tear-filled eyes. "Shopkeeper... what did you just say?"

"I said he will obtain..."

"No, I... I'm asking what surname this family has?" Ruan Su's tone was somewhat urgent.

Nie Junyue froze slightly, not quite understanding.

"Of course, its surname is Qin..."

Bang!!

Before he could finish,

Splinters from the shattered carriage wall suddenly exploded before Nie Junyue's eyes!

"Yes."

Inside the carriage,

Shang Jin answered with slight surprise. Looking at the Young Master touching her cheek, whose other hand seemed to be trying to reach into her collar, she thought that he might be a little too young for this and hesitated.

"Young Master, what are you..."

Her probing words came to an abrupt end, never to be finished.

Threads of Spirit Resonance silently flashed past. A streak of blood slowly appeared across her fair neck, while blood gradually seeped from the place where her heart lay beneath her chest.

Two threads of Spirit Resonance floated before him. Qin Yi gently pressed the woman's head against her neck. If her head fell off suddenly, blood would spray. There would be noise. It would disturb Fan You, who was driving the carriage in front.

If he could, he would not have wanted to do this either.

But unfortunately,

In this life, his surname was not Qin.

Qin had been his surname in his previous life.