Chapter 101 (1/2)

Sixteen men in black court dress stood in solemn silence, like statues that had been withstanding wind erosion for thousands of years. Beside the mysterious carriage black as polar night, an old man bowed slightly, with peaceful expression and impeccable etiquette.

A woman who seemed to walked out of endless darkness came to Lin Xun and Shia Zhi, and took the little hand of Shia Zhi. With her ocean-like blue eyes, she was gazing at the incomparably beautiful face of the little girl. After a long time, a hint of satisfaction came over the corners of her lips.

Shia Zhi was still and held up her head, staring at the woman’s face, with obvious vigilance in her crescent inky eyes.

Yesterday, Shia Zhi felt a trace of agitation which was becoming increasingly intense until today. When she saw the woman in front of her, she finally realized that the woman was the source of that feeling, while Lin Xun had nothing to do with it.

“So, you’ve already guessed I will come?” The woman said in surprise.

Shia Zhi compressed her lips, silent for a moment, and then she said, “Just a kind of feeling.”

The woman seemed to be more satisfied, and in her habitually cold eyes was a tinge of relief. She said, “From today, you will be with me.”

Her voice was calm and emotionless, but with no room for doubt or disobedience.

Lin Xun heard this with a heavy heart. That was an order and its implication was so clear that there was no room for negotiation at all.

It ignited the anger in Lin’s heart again, and his reason almost burnt out.

Just now, Yao Tuohai wanted to detain Shia Zhi, which had made him feel extremely resentful. Now, the mysterious woman who appeared suddenly, also wanted to take her away from him. It seemed that everybody ignored his existence from beginning to end!

“Tell me why.”

Lin’s voice became hoarse, and with his body slightly trembling, he was on the verge of losing control of his anger. However, fear welled up in his heart instinctively when he faced the mysterious woman. Under the impact of this kind of anger and fear, Lin Xun was like a tight bowstring at this moment, which might snap at any moment.

The woman frowned. For the first time she moved her eyes to Lin Xun, while her light blue pupils were already filled with indifference.

In a moment, a terrible sense of oppression overwhelmed Lin Xun. His trembling grew worse and face grew paler. But on his handsome face was firmness and forbearance, which meant he was trying his best to stick to standing there.

Unexpectedly, Shia Zhi said, “I’ll go with you.”

The woman withdrew her gaze, and Lin Xun seemed to be saved from the edge of death in a wink, with his face ghastly pale.

“He is a nice young man, no wonder that you used to follow him.” The woman looked thoughtful.

“To me, he is irreplaceable, while you will be surpassed by me in the future.” Looking directly at the woman, Shia Zhi said seriously.

A touch of meaningful smile rose from the corners of that woman’s mouth, and then she said, “I will wait for that day to come”.

“Aren’t you afraid that I will kill you at that time?” Shia Zhi asked.

The woman looked gentler and she seemed to have a special feeling about Shia, “I can give you three chances to kill me.”

Shia Zhi pressed her lips, “Three chances are unnecessary. Just one chance is enough.”

The woman smiled.

This was the first time she had a smile since she appeared here, as if a magnificent flower bloomed in endless darkness at that moment. Even the universe seemed to be eclipsed because of the smile.

“Remember what you said.”

After quite a while, she took Shia’s hand, turned around and went towards the black carriage.

Shia Zhi turned her face to Lin Xun and looked at him quietly. All of a sudden, she said, “Lin Xun, you can’t die until I come back, can you?”

At this point, Lin’s mind went blank. It seemed that all the negative feelings – resentment, fear, unwillingness and frustration, disappeared, and only a trace of unprecedented firmness remained.

“No, I can’t.”

Lin Xun muttered in hoarse and low voice, standing there motionlessly and sinking his head upon its breast, and allowed the woman to take Shia Zhi away. No one saw the two lines of tears running down from the corners of his eyes.

At this moment, this thirteen-year-old young boy, who came from the mine prison, told himself that these were the last tears in his life.

The woman took Shia Zhi into the black carriage, but just before the door was shut, she turned her head, looked at the young boy standing alone in the distance and then came out of the carriage as if something came to her mind.

She came to Lin Xun and leaned forward slightly. Gazing at the handsome face of the young boy, she said, “I have tested your aptitude, and it’s only general. No matter how hard you work in this life, the gap between you and the little girl will just get wider and wider. She doesn’t belong to you.”

Lin Xun kept silent.

The woman lifted Lin’s chin with her long white fingers and said, “I can clearly feel that you are filled with anger and hatred. It doesn’t help, but I can give you a chance – bear in mind that I’m from Heiyao Shrine. My last name is Liulan, and first name is Ji’nian. You will see me only when you are strong enough.”

The voice was husky with a unique charm. Before her voice had died away, the woman turned away and boarded the black carriage.

Shia Zhi sat quietly with her usually tranquil look in the carriage, while her crescent eyes gradually became indifferent and cold.

When Lin Xun raised his head, the black carriage had gone away into the distance.

“Liulan… Ji’nian… I’ll keep it in mind.”