Chapter 107: Lingering Obsession
Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Lingering Obsession
After a brief moment of shock, a tingling numbness rose from the base of her spine.
The wind and rain raged on, cold and unabating, but the temperature inside the room climbed steadily higher.
Her heart pounded and her breath grew short. The hand on her waist was no longer content to just rest there, slowly beginning to explore her soft, warm body.
Though her heart was frozen solid, the touch of his skin felt like being seared by a hard, searing-hot branding iron...
Fear turned her hands and feet to ice. She shivered, unable to pretend to be calm or composed any longer. Liang Wan let out a low, choked sob she could no longer suppress.
Sensing the change in the woman beneath him, Lu Xiu clawed back a shred of reason from his daze. He pulled back a little, lowering his gaze to look at her. On her pale face, her eyes were shut tight. Her red lips, which he had just ravaged, were now swollen and blood-gorged. The hand gripping his arm was like a willow branch in a storm—fragile and helpless.
Perhaps because his assault had ceased, she dared to tentatively open her eyes. Her dark, shimmering eyes were wet, her gaze a mixture of timid defiance and innocent pity, like that of a trapped young animal.
A dry rasp formed in Lu Xiu’s throat. He had intended to restrain himself, but this close, it was like throwing fuel on the fire. Not only did his breathing turn ragged, but his heart also began to race. All he wanted was to torment her mercilessly.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. He quickly covered her eyes with his palm, then turned his head away and shut his own eyes, his body blazing with an unbearable, suppressed heat.
’I can’t look at her eyes.’
’I really won’t be able to hold back...’
They remained motionless like that for a long time, waiting for the air to slowly cool.
Before she could speak, Lu Xiu pulled his hand back. As he moved away from her, he even gave her a push to put more distance between them.
He paused for a moment before saying,
"Go to sleep."
His back was to her, his voice low and heavy.
After speaking, he extinguished the last remaining lamp.
Plunged suddenly into darkness, neither of them spoke again.
The wind and rain outside had subsided at some point, leaving only a clear, quiet chill in the silent night.
Though her body had relaxed, her mind was in torment.
Liang Wan clutched the corner of the quilt, curled into a tight ball. Fear, terror, disgust... Whenever she closed her eyes, she couldn’t escape the nightmares. Silent tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, soaking her hair and the pillow beneath her.
Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her from one side of the bed to the other. The palm had a familiar warmth, no longer searingly hot.
She was like a frozen snake, tucked into someone’s embrace and slowly warmed.
「After the rainy night, the air was crisp and clear.」
The moment the carriage left Jinye City, it began to jolt. Fortunately, the road wasn’t muddy, and aside from avoiding a few puddles, the journey was fairly smooth.
The road from her memory had become somewhat unfamiliar. The once-barren patch of land was now overgrown with weeds, some of which were chest-high. It was clear no one had been here for a very long time.
Yuan and several guards cleared a path ahead, while Lu Xiu followed behind, holding her hand.
There was no tall cover around them. A gentle breeze brushed against their faces, carrying the scent of grass, trees, and earth.
Amidst the overgrown wilderness, a solitary willow tree stood out conspicuously.
The slender willow switch from back then had somehow grown into a large, leafy tree over thirty feet tall.
Lu Xiu gave a slight nod, and his men retreated to the side.
He let go of her hand and walked forward alone. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his expression cold and detached in a silence that was different from his usual demeanor.
He had barely spoken the entire way, making it impossible to guess his mood.
In the open wilderness, the only sound was the wind rustling through the grass and trees.
Lu Xiu stood beneath the tree. The wind whipped at the hem of his robes, creating an inexplicable sense of loneliness and desolation.
Liang Wan vaguely recalled Awen. Back then, he had been just like this, simply standing under the tree in silence.
In a daze, she realized she had now accompanied two different people to pay respects to this spy from the Zhou Country.
Each time, she would stand with them for as long as they stood there.
Just when Liang Wan thought Lu Xiu would stand there forever, he finally turned around. He took her hand and started walking back, leaving behind a single word.
Lu Xiu’s hand was usually warm, but right now, it was ice-cold, as if the chill was seeping out from his very blood.
Just one word, spoken quietly: "Dig."
Instantly, a chill shot up from the soles of her feet.
’Dig?’
’He’s going to dig up Yuan Shaoyu’s remains?!’
In the carriage, Liang Wan kept her head down, her mind reeling with the complex web of relationships, trying to guess what other secrets lay hidden within.
She had expected them to return in the same silence they had arrived in.
"Wanwan, come sit closer."
Liang Wan looked up in surprise. His dark eyes were fixed on her, and he held out a hand.
She lowered her gaze, took his hand, and sat down beside him.
Lu Xiu’s other hand gently caressed her face. The tension in his brow eased a little before he began to speak.
"From my earliest memories, he was my mentor. He even taught me how to hold a writing brush."
Liang Wan was shocked. She never expected Lu Xiu to tell her about this willingly.
She heard him continue, "He never married or had children in his life. He treated me extremely well, saw me as... a son."
Liang Wan found it all utterly incredible.
"One day, he suddenly came to visit me. This was unusual, as he rarely came directly to my family’s estate; I was usually the one to go to his residence." Lu Xiu glanced at her and explained, "It’s the one in the eastern part of the city. The villa was built on the foundation of his old home, which was also where he used to teach me."
"Surprised, I just assumed he was there for a spot check on my studies. But he didn’t ask about my schoolwork at all. He just made small talk with me. And it was on that day that he told me about you."
Liang Wan gasped, finding it unbelievable.
Lu Xiu said, "He told me he had planned to wait until I was older to say anything, but he couldn’t resist telling me himself. Later, one evening, there was a coup in the palace. The Emperor was poisoned. And he... he failed and was executed. Thinking back, his visit must have been a farewell, in case something went wrong."
For a moment, Liang Wan didn’t know what to say.
Lu Xiu continued, "After he died, it was Grand Tutor Liang who came to my family and brought up the marriage proposal. They all thought I didn’t know about it, but in fact, he had already told me."
He stroked her hair, his touch gentle, but his eyes flashed with what could have been hatred, or perhaps fury. "He had already achieved such a high position. Why did he still have to do that?"
Liang Wan’s mind went blank.
Yuan Shaoyu was a spy from the Zhou Country. Lu Xiu was the youngest son of the Grandmaster.
Yuan Shaoyu not only personally taught Lu Xiu but also arranged his marriage for him.
Awen personally exposed him, and the Lu Family delivered the killing blow...
A thought flashed through her mind, and she felt herself suffocate.
’No! There are many things I shouldn’t know!’
Liang Wan suppressed the tremor in her heart and lowered her eyes. "Husband, don’t dwell on it. Perhaps this was his mission as one of the Zhou people."
Lu Xiu nodded lightly. "You’re right."
Liang Wan closed her eyes, trying to dispel the panic rising in her chest.
He leaned forward, wrapped an arm around her slender waist to pull her close, and buried his head in the crook of her neck. His entire being radiated an indescribable sense of despair and exhaustion...
A Lu Xiu like this left her at a complete loss.
Liang Wan could only let him hold her.
And she finally understood why Lu Xiu had such a deep obsession with her, why he insisted on keeping her by his side.
Or rather, it wasn’t an obsession with her, but an obsession with Yuan Shaoyu.
"So, for the sake of a mission, you can just abandon your own child?"
His voice was low, but it struck her like a bolt of lightning.