The Inverted Dragon's Scale

Chapter 382: How long do you want to hide?

When Li Muyang’s carriage had caught up, Cui Xiaoxin already stepped onto the footstool and jumped down the carriage.

She was dressed in a light-coloured white robe and draped a black coat that was made from some unknown animal fur. She lifted off her hood, revealing her black silk-like hair and pretty face.

She raised her head up 45 degrees to look at the sky, listening to the cold wind whistling like a blade and watching the countless granular snow spinning endlessly above.

Before waiting for Li Muyang to help her down, Li Shinian jumped down the carriage, exclaiming, “Sister Xiaoxin, why did you get off? Is there something you can’t say in the carriage? Get in, get in, your body is weak, and if you catch a cold, it’s not going to be good.”

“I want to walk around.” Cui Xiaoxin looked at Li Shinian and smiled. “Suddenly I want to take a walk. It will be boring by myself. Will you accompany me?”

Li Shinian scanned around. Although they had arrived in the city, but the wind and snow were as heavy as before. There were no people around, and even the city soldiers responsible for patrolling the city were not seen anywhere.

“Nothing will happen.” Cui Xiaoxin added. She understood what was on Li Shinian’s mind. “With Uncle Ning here, nothing will happen. Moreover, we are in the city, there will be a brigade of troops to the rescue if anything happens——”

“Then okay.” Li Shinian had to nod and agree. “I will accompany Sister Xiaoxin for a walk. Snow have filled the sky of Tiandu, we will tour the capital at night, even the thought of it is an elegant matter.”

Cui Xiaoxin nodded, the two girls plodded over the pure white snow.

Crunch—— —

The snow glittered, and it seemed like the whole world was made of glass.

There was no moon, not a speck of star, but the night Tiandu still emitted a soft glow.

The snow was beautiful, but the girls in the snow were more beautiful.

Cui Xiaoxin did not say a word; Li Shinian also didn’t talk.

The two people silently walked in the snow like that, but it did not seem boring and they occasionally looked into each other’s eyes, revealing a trace of joy.

They came to a stop at someone’s courtyard, where a branch of winter plum blossom extended out of the corner wall, sticking out its head to look at this snow-white world.

Cui Xiaoxin suddenly giggled, pointing to the wall, “It must be interested in the outside world? So it’s trying to stick out its head to see.”

“If the people that do not understand flowers or love flowers sees this, they most likely will snap it off, then it cannot see any world.”

Cui Xiaoxin nodded. “In the end it can only take a glance. Those flowers in the courtyard are not in danger of being snapped off, but are stuck in the little garden for a lifetime. Flowers bloom, flowers die. What can be remembered in this short life?”

“Sister Xiaoxin——”

“I also went to the wall to look outside, I saw a different scenery.” The smile on Cui Xiaoxin’s face disappeared, softly sighing. “Those years in Jiangnan were my happiest days. I can read as I like, say what I want, I don’t need to hold back my words or actions, both my body and mind felt free back then. Now that I have returned to Tiandu, I feel like a plum blossom locked in the back courtyard. I have to be careful with my every word and action, and my each and every move are being watched. My heart is shacked and I have no command over myself.”

“Sister Xiaoxin, don’t worry too much. In fact, your life is already very good——Girls that are brought up in families like yours, you are much more blessed than them.”

“Yes.” Cui Xiaoxin nodded. “There are things that I can comfort myself with. After all, this should be the fate of girls like us. I am much more fortunate than they are, I should be satisfied, right?”

“Sister Xiaoxin, I don’t mean that.” Li Shinian hastily tried to explain.

“Shinian, I understand.” Cui Xiaoxin grasped Li Shinian’s hand, saying emotionally, “I am most grateful for that, in my happiest time I met you and Li Muyang, my two best friends. I will always treat you as a friend.”

“Sister Xiaoxin, me too. I will also always treat you as a friend. We will always be friends, right?”

Cui Xiaoxin was silent.

“Sister Xiaoxin, you don’t want to?” ”

“Shinian, of course I want to.” Cui Xiaoxin knitted her brows in a frown, hesitating on how to explain her worries to Li Shinian the naive girl. “But the future is beyond our control. For example, our fate, also the fate of the Cui family, the fate of the Lu family, and the fate of the city we are in, and the fate of the Kingdom we are living in——these are not in our control.”

Li Shinian chuckled. “Sister Xiaoxin, why do you worry so much? Look at me, I only worry about my family’s safety, whether they have food to eat and drink, have clothes to wear, and whether I have a carriage to sit on when I go out, even if there is no carriage, I am fine with that——I never think of other things. It’s useless to think about it anyway.”

Cui Xiaoxin looked taken aback, then smiled quietly, stroking the tip of Li Shinian’s brow, and removed the piece of snowflake fallen on her fan-like eyelashes. “That is pretty good.”

Li Shinian giggled, “Sister Xiaoxin, if you think like I do, you won’t have any worries.”。”

“Okay. I’ll give it a try.” Cui Xiaoxin smiled. “

She was thinking to herself that steel knives, blood and fire may not come, but it also may arrive in an instant.

But, these were all matters of the future, the matters after tonight. No matter how the battle between the Lu and Cui family unfolds, or either one or the other dies, at least at this moment she and Li Shinian were close friends.

Now, all she had to do was relax herself and enjoy the endless snow.

The two women were in high spirits. The two carriages were following behind them.

When they arrived at the Vermillion bird bridge, the two girls stood on the bridge to admire the scenery before preparing to part with each other.

Cui Xiaoxin tightly grasped Li Shinian’s hand, saying, “You said you would send me Li Mu’s ‘Winter plum blossoms bloom proudly in snow’ painting, Please don’t forget.”

“Don’t worry, Sister Xiaoxin, tomorrow early morning I’ll tell Li Mu to personally bring it to the Cui family’s residence.”

“Given the standard that he showed tonight, that painting must be pretty good.”

“Of course.” Li Shinian said with a proud face.

Cui Xiaoxin, looking at the proud expression that she inadvertently revealed, softly said, “these two days your mood has been exceptionally good.”

Li Shinian was slightly startled, thinking to herself that Sister Xiaoxin might have noticed something?

Yes, her behaviour these two days was not like her former self. In the past even when with Sister Xiaoxin, she still looked troubled and deep in thought and could barely squeezed out a smile.

But now every day she was particularly cheerful, and could not hide the smile on her face. Her behaviour was not normal for someone whose brother’s whereabouts were still unknown?

“Has it?” Li Shinian said, stroking her face. “

Cui Xiaoxin smiled, “it’s cold outside, let’s go back.”

After that, Cui Xiaoxin turned to her carriage.

Li Shinian gazed at Cui Xiaoxin’s rear figure, then loudly shouted behind: “I’ll tell Li Mu to bring the painting to you early in the morning.”

Cui Xiaoxin turned around to respond with a slight smile, before stepping on the stool and boarding the carriage.

Lowering the curtains, Cui Xiaoxin picked up the scroll painting on the soft stool. She spread out the painting scroll, which had nothing on it.

She put the paper to the tip of her nose and gently sniffed. It still had a strong plum fragrance.

“Just how long do you still want to keep hiding?”

————

Li Shinian stood motionless, Li Muyang drove the carriage over to where she was, asking, “what?”

“Sister Xiaoxin might be suspecting your identity.” Li Shinian said, looking annoyed. “You did well, but I did not act so well. I was too happy that she had seen through me.”

Li Muyang shook his head and said: “It’s not your fault.”

“It’s my fault.”

“Given Xiaoxin’s personality, she must have suspected long ago?” Li Muyang smiled. “If not, after the attack at Thousand Buddha temple, she would not had ran to the backyard first and grasped my hand to examine. All this points to the fact that she had already suspect that I am Li Muyang. But because my recovery ability is too strong, so she did not noticed the wound on my hand, so her doubts were temporarily dispelled.”

Li Muyang looked at Li Shinian. “You gave her the painting ‘Winter plum blossoms bloom proudly in snow’ with nothing on it, others may not notice anything but do you think she cannot tell? Xiaoxin, Xiaoxin, how many people are as careful and cautious as her?”

Li Shinian pursed her lips, “Xiaoxin, Xiaoxin, you address her so affectionately——I think you must want her to know that you’re Li Muyang as soon as possible?”

“How could that be?” Li Muyang denied it. “I have never thought so.”

“Really haven’t thought about it?””

“I really haven’t thought about it.”

“Really haven’t?”

“I really haven’t.”

“Say that again?”

“I can say it again 100 times——Fine, I admit it, I’ve occasionally thought about if Xiaoxin knows who I am, how we would meet., what we’ll say after we meet, what we’ll do together, and what we’ll eat——”

“You’ve thought about so much, yet you said you have never thought about it.” Li Shinian sneered. “Have you even thought about your children’s name?” “

“Don’t you think it’s too early?” Li Muyang looked astonished.

“You idiot——” Li Shinian scolded, stomping her feet.

“Hurry get in, we’re going back.” Li Muyang said with a smile. “If we go back too late, mother will be angry.”

“Humph.” Li Shinian grunted, and nimbly leapt onto the carriage. “Driver, go faster.” “

“Yes, Miss.” Li Muyang cracked his whip and the horse bolted forward in the direction of the Lu residence.

When they arrived at the small courtyard of the Lu mansion, Li Shinian rushed inside to let her Mother know she was safe, while Li Muyang was about to take the carriage into the storeroom, when a blue-clad elite bodyguard came over.

Li Muyang recognised this person, who was one of the iron bodyguards at Lu Qingming’s side when they were returning from the bamboo sea.

“Gongzi——” The bodyguard bowed, seemingly extremely respectful to Li Muyang. “Governor invites you over to chat.”

“Now?” Li Muyang sounded surprised. It was so late, Lu Qingming hasn’t slept yet?

“Now.” The bodyguard said aloud.

Li Muyang nodded, “I’ll bring the carriage into the storage room first.”

“Leave this kind of thing to me.” “

Li Muyang also did not decline, handed the horse ropes to the bodyguard and headed toward the front courtyard where Lu Qingming lives.

Lu Qingming was enjoying wine in the courtyard, when he saw Li Muyang coming over, he said with a smile, “Is Military power important, or is imperial power more important, what does Muyang thinks?”