Chapter 90: Confrontation

Yu Jingshuang stared coldly at him, utterly silent. A suffocating stillness settled between them. Wei Xie waited intently for a moment, then raised an eyebrow, a bitter smile touching his lips.

"I see..." he murmured slowly, as if sighing to himself. "Why is it always like this? You never choose the path that saves face for both of us, always insisting on tearing things apart, making it ugly... It was the same back then, and you haven’t changed."

"You still have the nerve to bring up the past," Yu Jingshuang said, her face devoid of expression, her tone flat.

Wei Xie straightened up, a flicker of embarrassment crossing his features. "I was wrong back then—I shouldn’t have misunderstood you like that. All these years, day and night, I’ve been filled with regret... But, Shuang Shuang, it hasn’t only been you suffering these ten years."

He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a network of crisscrossing scars on his arm—many old wounds, pitted and truly horrifying to behold. Yu Jingshuang glanced briefly before looking away, but Wei Xie, oblivious, continued in a pleading, pained voice:

"Back then, Father and my elder brother said sending a noblewoman for a marriage alliance was a temporary measure, a pretense—that’s why I submitted your name... I just wanted you to yield. I didn’t know they were deceiving me! Later, I understood, I investigated, I wanted to find you, Shuang Shuang... But my mother lied to me, I had no way out, no alternative..."

He explained urgently, his words growing increasingly fragmented and chaotic, laced with anguish, slowly echoing his earlier disturbed state on the mountain.

Yu Jingshuang tightened her grip around Xiao Xing, watching Wei Xie’s increasingly frenzied expression, and imperceptibly stepped back. That single step made Wei Xie jerk his head up, his eyes fixed intently on her movement.

As if suddenly breaking free from his instability—or sinking deeper—he reached out to grab her. Yu Jingshuang, quick-eyed and swift-handed, shielded Xiao Xing as she dodged backward, shouting sharply, "What are you trying to do?!" Hidden by her sleeve, she used her dagger to cut the ropes binding Xiao Xing and slipped a knife into her hand.

The two women exchanged a covert glance; Xiao Xing gave a slight nod, and only then did Yu Jingshuang feel some relief.

Wei Xie’s grasp met empty air, his expression growing even darker. Meeting Yu Jingshuang’s clear, cold eyes, seeing the unconcealed disgust and wariness directed at him, he gave a strange smile and suddenly gritted his teeth. "I’ll give you one last chance."

Pointing at the large black patch on Xiao Xing’s arm, he said, "You’ve seen what happens to others afflicted with Gu poison, haven’t you? Without the antidote, these patches will only grow larger each day, spreading over her entire body, from the outside in, until her flesh rots and she dies."

"Come with me. For every hundred *li* closer we get to Shangyan, I’ll give her a dose of antidote. I won’t harm her or you in the slightest. I just want you to leave with me, return to Shangyan!"

Wei Xie’s face showed a pleading look, his voice trembling. Only then did Yu Jingshuang vaguely believe the truth she had long denied: Wei Xie’s odd behavior, his relentless pursuit to Daliang, all his bizarre, abnormal actions—was it really just to "win her back"?

Heavens.

Yu Jingshuang felt as if struck by lightning, unable for a moment to connect the man before her—driven mad by "unreciprocated longing"—with the cunning, cautious, and arrogant Wei Xie of the past.

Ten years. He regretted it. Abandoning all he had schemed for over a decade in Shangyan, racing eight hundred *li* to stand before her, just to make up for driving her away ten years ago—to beg her... forgiveness?

No, wait—Yu Jingshuang suddenly realized. Seeking forgiveness out of regret had only been Wei Xie’s initial intention. Because she had doubted his motives, coldly keeping him at a distance, he was now on the verge of collapse, thinking only of using Xiao Xing to force her back to Shangyan...

Once she understood, Yu Jingshuang immediately connected all of Wei Xie’s previous actions. Yet, after the initial delayed shock, she merely closed her eyes briefly, shook her head while staring at his face, and without hesitation, said tersely, "No."

Again—again, she had rejected him once more!

Wei Xie’s eyes reddened; at that word, he nearly broke down, roaring, "Aren’t you the one who cares most about those around you? Why, even when I’ve gone this far, won’t you yield?!"

Yielding, pleading, tempting, threatening—every method he could think of was useless before Yu Jingshuang. As if one mistake from him meant eternal unforgiveness. Wei Xie was on the brink of despair.

He stared fixedly at Yu Jingshuang’s impassive face, his eyes suddenly turning fierce. "Fine. Since you won't be reasonable, don’t blame me..."

"Wei Xie," Yu Jingshuang interrupted loudly, her eyes shining brightly in the dim room. "You used Xiao Xing to lure me here, planning to force me back to Shangyan. I know."

Caught off guard by her interruption and words, Wei Xie stared blankly. Yu Jingshuang said calmly, "I don’t know who gave you the delusion that if I return to Shangyan, everything between us can be as if it never happened."

She stood and walked toward him. "Do you know what I’ve been through these ten years?"

Wei Xie didn’t dare blink, an expression of shame flashing across his face. But Yu Jingshuang paid no heed to his feelings, speaking evenly: "In my first year in Daliang, I failed to acclimatize, with sores in my mouth, sick for a long time. In the third year, Shangyan broke the treaty, and I was nearly beheaded by angry officials and citizens, forced to kowtow the entire length of the street."

"In the fifth year, I was severely injured in a snow mountains disaster. Even now, when the weather turns cold, my knees ache terribly, and I need strong liquor to numb the pain."

"In the seventh year, to survive better, I worked for the Liang Emperor, wore myself out and attracted jealousy, suffering slander and assassination attempts. Look—the old wound on my left arm nearly severed it."

She showed him her arm. Wei Xie broke into a thin sweat, his eyes filled with heartache, shock, and hidden shame, avoiding her gaze. Undeterred, Yu Jingshuang asked him pointedly:

"You just said you’ve missed me all these years, that you’ve suffered and regretted daily, that it wasn’t only me enduring hardship... So when I don’t forgive you, avoid you, give you the cold shoulder, you feel wronged and angry."

She smiled mockingly. "But search your heart: aren’t you the one who started all my suffering? If we swapped places, would you forgive me for treating you like that? You wouldn’t."

Yu Jingshuang sighed. "First, you threatened my family to punish my 'betrayal' and drove me away. Now, you use Xiao Xing to force me back... Wei Xie, you make me sick. If I could do it over, I’d rather never have saved you back then."

At her last words, Wei Xie’s pupils constricted sharply. Seizing the moment of his shock, Yu Jingshuang swiftly plunged her dagger into his abdomen!

A "squelch" sounded as pain tore through him. Wei Xie realized too late Yu Jingshuang had approached him while speaking!

Her wrist twisted; her eyes were cold, her grip steady. Blood gushed from the wound, instantly soaking her fingers.

Wei Xie stared at her in disbelief. In agony, he instinctively grabbed her sleeve. Another "flesh-rending sound" followed—Xiao Xing, stern-faced, stabbed him from behind with precision and force.

Weak but determined, she pushed the knife deeper into him.

A twist, a turn—the blade scraped bone, producing a grating sound. Wei Xie let out a faint scream, staring at Yu Jingshuang as if unable to believe her cruelty, searching for any hint of reluctance.

But, defying his hopes, Yu Jingshuang exchanged a look with Xiao Xing. In unspoken understanding, they withdrew their blades and retreated in unison. Agonizing pain surged; blood gushed out. Clutching his stomach, Wei Xie collapsed heavily!

"Since you threatened me ten years ago, I’ve hated nothing more than being forced into anything. Wei Xie, from the moment you took Xiao Xing, you had to die." Yu Jingshuang crouched, tilting his chin up with her dagger, speaking softly.

Wei Xie’s face twisted in pain, pale from two wounds, a mix of shock, resentment, and disbelief that amused Yu Jingshuang.

Outside, guards sensed something amiss and knocked. "...Your Highness, the carriage is ready, Your Highness?"

Xiao Xing’s eyes widened; she rushed to cover his mouth, but weakened by the poison, her grip faltered. Wei Xie struggled, yelling hoarsely—

"Come in! Now!"

He knew they were past the point of reconciliation—better to stick to the plan, take her by force, and leave Daliang!

Back in Shangyan, his territory, even with her skills, once he used "Yellow Millet Dream," she’d have to obey... Even turning her into a mindless puppet was better than being discarded, coldly killed, and forgotten!

In pain and madness, Wei Xie clung to this obsession. Ignoring his wounds, he struggled fiercely, grabbing Yu Jingshuang’s ankle—Xiao Xing was shoved aside. The door burst open; his guards poured in!

"Boom—"

Thunder roared, lightning tore through the sky. Wind and rain raged as Wei Xie’s trap fully revealed its claws.

Two gleaming blades thrust toward Yu Jingshuang. She dodged, drawing her sword to block, but the attackers were prepared. Ropes shot from the shadows, wrapping around her waist.

They pulled tight; Xiao Xing tried to stop them but was kicked away, coughing blood as she collapsed, watching helplessly—

Suddenly, a gleaming sword light severed the ropes binding Yu Jingshuang. The blade hummed as it struck the ground. Its wielder leapt in like a phantom, lightning illuminating his stern face.

Yu Jingshuang turned, momentarily stunned—

Qian Yu.

**Author's Note**

Next, I want to write a plot-driven story.

Actually, the reason I impulsively registered an author account was because I read a plot-driven novel where the protagonist was incredibly badass, and that night I felt a strong urge to create.

But somehow, after signing the contract, I’ve been writing romance... Romance! It’s like I was possessed, stumbling through hundreds of thousands of words in romance—when what I love to read and write is plot-driven stories.

(Rambling aside, I’d appreciate it if you could check out my upcoming novel!)