Chapter 218 - 218: 218. Lian Shun ‘s confession
Chapter 218 - 218: 218. Lian Shun ‘s confession
“For the sake of your elderly father and your child, I hope you won’t give up on yourself. You will get better.” Su Liang’s expression was serious.
Peng Fan’s gaze fell on the rabbit purse at Su Liang’s waist, looking at her with a faint curiosity and exploration.
Peng Qian was in poor spirits, so Su Liang only spoke briefly with him, and left after administering the acupuncture.
Today there was no plan on what to do, so Su Liang asked the old housekeeper if the tea garden was far away.
The old housekeeper said that there was a large tea garden near Lingyin Temple in the suburbs of the city, and Su Liang could go at any time if she wanted to.
“Let’s go for a walk then, and prepare some food and fruits.” Su Liang instructed.
Half an hour later, Su Liang left the house and got on a low-key luxurious carriage heading towards the tea garden.
Aside from carrying her medical kit, she also brought along a medical book she hadn’t finished reading and the notes taken by Gu Ling, which were arranged and tucked in the book.
As Su Liang opened the book, the latest note caught her eye, and after she glanced at it, she brought it up once again.
“How to defeat the weirdo Great God?”
This was what Su Liang had written while lost in thought while reading a few days ago.
Below, the two lines “1. Daydream” and “2. Dream at night” were written in the same handwriting as Su Liang’s, making her doubt whether she had written them herself while sleep-walking. She was certain she hadn’t written it when sober and wouldn’t write something like that!
However, Su Liang didn’t have a habit of sleep-walking. The next moment she realized that this was certainly the work of a certain quirky Great God.
It is worth noting that after crossing over to this world, Su Liang started learning to write calligraphy, first copying Gu Ling’s handwriting, and later learning another font, Ning Jing’s.
As a result, both their writings could blend together and were hard to distinguish.
If Gu Ling was here, Su Liang would definitely paste the note on his face and tell him, “Let’s wait and see”.
But at this moment, Su Liang was alone in the carriage, sneering, putting down the note, and continuing to read her book.
As they passed the street where the assassination occurred last night, Su Liang heard people discussing the bodies that had been found this morning.
Su Liang didn’t investigate because they were all Death Soldiers and there would be nothing to find. The person who wanted to kill her could only be a certain prince in the capital city.
Su Liang and Duanmu Cheng now share a ‘kill or be killed’ relationship, both clearly understanding this.
Duanmu Cheng knew what he had done, realizing now that after Duanmu Ao’s death, the collapse of the Wan Family, and Wan Cong’s beheading, Su Liang would never let him go.
Thus, the only way for Duanmu Cheng to survive was to kill Su Liang first.
Compared to Duanmu Cheng, who had been driven into a corner by Su Liang, she was not afraid, but she could not change her intention to kill him.
The carriage stopped, Su Liang put the note back in the book, closed it, and lifted the curtain to see the vibrant green scenery, feeling refreshed.
Driving the carriage was the old housekeeper’s grandson, who Su Liang only knew by his nickname of Asi, a dark-skinned teenager with a honest and simple smile.
The tea garden manager and a group of people had been waiting at the entrance for Su Liang’s arrival. They knelt to greet her, but she stopped them.
Asi carried Su Liang’s medical kit in one hand and her food in the other, following behind her into the tea garden.
The manager respectfully introduced Su Liang to the tea garden. She was knowledgeable about tea and asked some questions, which impressed the manager and made him even more attentive.
After a brief tour of the tea garden, Su Liang was invited to a pavilion built on a small hill. Asi mentioned that his grandfather had told him that the old Marquis Ning liked to come here to drink tea and play chess, which was why the pavilion had been specially built.
The table was set with tea, various desserts, seasonal fruits, and Su Liang’s medical kit.
Su Liang asked everyone to leave, then stood at the edge of the pavilion, admiring the view of the tea garden. She sat down, had some tea, ate a couple of desserts and a peach, thinking about the peach she had dried at home, which should be done in a few days.
As the gentle breeze blew, Su Liang enjoyed the faint scent of tea trees in the air. She opened her medical book, continued reading, took out her writing supplies from her medical kit, and circled the quirky question and answer mentioned earlier before continuing to take notes.
Su Liang didn’t know if Gu Ling was secretly following her, but this location was too eye-catching, so he definitely wouldn’t appear.
Approaching noon, the manager came to ask if Su Liang wanted to have lunch in the tea garden. He said that his daughter-in-law could cook and could prepare a meal for her if she didn’t mind.
Su Liang let the manager prepare it and planned to finish the book before leaving today.
“Miss!”
Hearing Asi calling her, Su Liang looked up to see him leading a familiar figure towards her. As they got closer, Su Liang recognized the person and closed the book in her hands.
“This young master said he has urgent business with Miss. Grandfather allowed him to find you. Miss, do you know him?” Asi asked.
Su Liang nodded, “He’s my friend. You can go.”
Disheveled Lian Shun sat down opposite Su Liang, saw an empty teacup, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a full cup of tea. He took a deep breath after draining the cup in one gulp, looked at Su Liang with concern and asked, “Are you alright?”
Su Liang’s expression was indifferent, “Master Lin, weren’t you on your way to the north to join the army and glorify your family name? How did you get the time to come here?”
Lian Shun sighed deeply, “Did he really die?”
Su Liang nodded, “Yes, Ning Jing is really dead.”
Lian Shun closed his eyes, “Although our friendship wasn’t deep, he was an interesting person. I wanted to befriend him sincerely, and he once told me that I was his friend. I had thought that when we met again, you two would already be married, but I never expect…”
“Please accept my condolences.” Su Liang said with a calm expression.
This was what Lian Shun had intended to say to Su Liang, but he didn’t expect to hear it from her first. He became filled with sorrow, “To be honest, before I heard you say he was dead, I always thought there might be some hidden truth, that he just didn’t want to be an official anymore, faked his death to escape and travel the world or find a utopia to live in. Actually, I don’t know much about him, but I have a feeling he could do something like this.”
Su Liang remained silent. Lian Shun’s intuition was quite accurate, but there were some secrets he couldn’t know.
After taking a deep breath, Lian Shun said seriously, “I took leave from Marquis to come specially to see you, and I will go back to Xuanbei City afterward. He is very worried about you, but he has important tasks to complete and cannot leave.”
“Thank you, please tell Uncle Xing that I’m fine and will return to the capital in a few days.” Su Liang said.
“It’s good that you are fine.” Lian Shun hesitated for a moment before changing the subject and began talking about the situation in the northern part of Qian Country after Su Liang left Xuanbei City.
“Now, Che Yun is in charge of training the soldiers, using your new approach, which has significantly improved the overall strength of the army. In Xuanbei City, you can hear people praising you wherever you go, saying that you were born with a General’s star,” Lian Shun said.
Su Liang shook his head, “That’s an exaggeration. I’ve never been on a battlefield.”
“Even so, I believe if one day you command an army, you will be amazing,” Lian Shun said.
“How are Che Yun’s parents’ health?” Su Liang asked.
Lian Shun nodded, “After your treatment, they have improved a lot. But as you know, they suffer from heartache, and without Che Xiao, they won’t get better.” “I’ve asked for help in finding him, but there’s no news yet,” Su Liang said.
“I’ve also been keeping an eye out for the past few years, but haven’t found anything,” Lian Shun sighed, “In reality, that’s also Che Yun’s heartache. On the surface, he’s just like me, big-hearted, but he keeps many things to himself.” “You’ve become much more mature than before,” Su Liang said.
Lian Shun shook his head, “With the death of a friend, I can’t just laugh and joke around. I’m not heartless.”
“Is there anything else?” Su Liang asked.
Lian Shun frowned, “Are you trying to send me away? I’ve traveled a long way just to see you, and I’ve only had two cups of tea. No matter what, I am the master who taught you the Disguise Technique. If you’re upset, you can even beat me up, but don’t you think ignoring me is a bit too much?”
Su Liang nodded, “Fine, I’ll treat you to a meal, and after that, I’ll beat you up and you can’t fight back.”
Lian Shun twitched the corners of his mouth, speechless as he looked at the sky…
The Tea Garden housekeeper’s wife cooked authentic homemade dishes, especially a green tea minced meat tofu dish that Su Liang really liked. So she called the housekeeper couple over and asked them how it was made.
Lian Shun quietly savored the delicious food while listening to Su Liang talk to the housekeeper’s wife.
When they left, Lian Shun sighed, “Seeing your demeanor, it feels as if nothing has happened, as if he’s still alive and you’re learning the recipe to cook it for him.”
Su Liang’s hand paused slightly, hidden under the table and unnoticed by Lian
Shun.
His intuition is too sharp… Su Liang thought, she needs to be more cautious, and not let Lian Shun discover any flaws.
Seeing Su Liang’s silence, Lian Shun hurriedly apologized, thinking he had touched on her sorrowful past.
“No, I thought you heard Ning Jing died and came to pursue me. I didn’t expect your feelings for him to be so deep,” Su Liang said surprisingly.
Lian Shun was choked by a mouthful of soup, covering his chest and coughing uncontrollably…
After a while, Lian Shun looked at Su Liang again, his tone somber, “Since you put it so bluntly, I’ll be straightforward too. If I say I want to pursue you while Ning Jing’s body is still cold, it would appear heartless. But I admit, I have been considering pursuing you once you have sorted out your feelings. I really like you, and have always known I couldn’t beat Ning Jing, so I gave up before. I hope you can give me a chance.”-
Su Liang quietly continued eating, as if she didn’t hear a thing.
Thus, after Lian Shun’s confession, the atmosphere became incredibly awkward.
Lian Shun picked up his chopsticks again, but some of the taste was lost. He originally came just to see Su Liang and didn’t plan on confessing his feelings, but she pointed out his intentions first. Regretting his words, he couldn’t understand what Su Liang was thinking and felt that the timing was not right at all.
When Su Liang put down her chopsticks, Lian Shun silently followed suit.
“Your cousin Duanmu Che was also involved in the attempt to kill Ning Jing,” Su Liang spoke again.
Lian Shun had just imagined countless ways for Su Liang to reject him, but he didn’t expect that she would suddenly mention Duanmu Che, let alone that Duanmu Che would attempt to kill Ning Jing.
“Did he… do it to get you?” Lian Shun’s face darkened.
Liang nodded, “Probably. Although I can’t understand why Duanmu Che, who initially hated me so much, changed so drastically later on. Some people just do whatever they want, trying to get everything they desire by any means necessary, and never give up.”
“Has he gone mad?” Lian Shun’s anger came from the fact that he still had expectations of Duanmu Che since they had a brotherly bond, which led him to seek medical treatment for him.
“I’m just telling you this,” Su Liang said, “You are you, and he is him. However, I want to ask, if I were to kill Duanmu Che, would you try to stop me?
Lian Shun’s face was pale, and after a long silence, he asked Su Liang, “Was Ning Jing killed by Duanmu Che?”
Su Liang shook her head, “Not exactly. Duanmu Che attacked, but he didn’t succeed.”
“If it were really him who killed Ning Jing, I would feel very guilty, because his survival up to now is closely related to me,” Lian Shun sighed, “If you have evidence and want to avenge Ning Jing, it would be perfectly justified. I have no reason to stop you. He and I are not on the same path after all. The brotherly bond we had before was just my wishful thinking. Although my grandfather left a will for me to take care of him, I can’t do so at the expense of human ethics and morality.”
“Alright,” Su Liang nodded, “As for the matter of you pursuing me, just forget about it. You can’t catch up, so don’t waste your energy and affect our relationship.”
Lian Shun was caught off guard by Su Liang’s sudden change in tone and stared at her in a daze for a moment, unable to speak. Even though being rejected should have made him sad, he couldn’t help but laugh in the end, “You’re really good at frustrating people with your words. Did you learn that from Ning Jing? Or did he learn it from you? Or is it because of this that you two ended up together?”
“I learned it from him,” Su Liang replied, implying that she was influenced by Ning Jing, and that she was originally quite gentle. However, in such a situation, it was best to be straightforward. It had nothing to do with others; she thought Lian Shun was a good person and genuinely treated him as a friend, but she didn’t have that kind of feeling for him.
“You really won’t consider me at all?” Lian Shun let loose, returning to his original playful and carefree manner, holding his face in both hands, and looking at Su Liang with aggrieved eyes, “Am I really that bad? Am I not even worth one of Ning Jing’s hairs?”
Su Liang shook her head, “No, you’re not. At least you’re worth two of his hairs. Don’t belittle yourself.”
Lian Shun: …
“Before coming here, Che Yun told me that you wouldn’t accept me, and sure enough…” Lian Shun rubbed his face, sitting upright, “But what did you mean just now when you said it would affect our relationship? Do we even have one beyond friendship?”
“Don’t cross the line; we can be friends. If you cross the line, we won’t even be friends,” Su Liang bluntly told Lian Shun her principles for making friends.
Lian Shun nodded gloomily, “I understand. Should I thank you for your honesty? I do like how straight-forward you are. Ah, what nonsense am I talking about, I take it back! I haven’t crossed the line! But…”
Suddenly, Lian Shun leaned closer, staring into Su Liang’s eyes, “What kind of person do you like? If not me, what about someone like Che Yun?”
Su Liang slapped Lian Shun’s head, “Neither of you will do!”
Lian Shun lamented, “Then the two of us should just live together! We won’t bother you anymore!”
Su Liang nodded, “That seems doable.”
“Just kidding, I like cute girls. Who would want to live with that big-bearded rough man Che Yun?” Lian Shun shook his head, stood up, and said, ‘Weren’t you going to beat me up? Come on, I’ll leave after you’re done!”
“I just did earlier, you can leave now,” Su Liang said.
Lian Shun looked at Su Liang, crying and laughing, “Su Xiaoliang, you are really something! This trip wasn’t a waste after all. After seeing you, I feel that even with Ning Jing gone, you can take care of yourself. You’re strong when it comes to hitting and scolding people. Not bad! In that case, I’ll go back. It’s said that one should make great achievements to bring glory to their family; it would be too shameful to give up halfway through. You can go on killing whoever you want, it has nothing to do with me! I’m curious to see which god you’ll marry in the end!”
With that, Lian Shun emptied the fruit plate and desserts on the table into a cloth bag he carried with him, and left with a confident stride..