Before noon, Lin Si Yao and Situ Yun had returned to the inn safe and sound.
Seeing the people sitting in the lobby, Lin Si Yao casually threw a scroll-like object at Xue Li. Then, he pulled Su Shuilian to return to their own room.
âPeople, take a rest for a while! After lunch, we will depart.â Before climbing up the stairs, Lin Si Yao advised the others.
Situ Yun heard him. Tired, he pouted his lips. âUncle! Canât we just have a nap? Iâm so sleepy.â
Seeing Lin Si Yao not even turn his head back, Situ Yun could only rub the bridge of his nose reluctantly. Alright, he could always take a nap in the carriage. Afterward, Situ Yun obediently returned to his room and took a shower. Fighting for almost two hours, he had sweated a lot, which made him stinky.
âYun-er is right. Why donât you take a nap? I know you two went to the mountain very early today.â When they got to their room, Su Shuilian looked at Lin Si Yao. As he didnât want her to be worried, he didnât tell her the reason. So, she just chose to believe him and ask nothing.
âNothing to worry about. I can always rest when weâre on the way.â Lin Si Yao shook his head.
He still needed to talk to Si Tuo about this. Who knew if there were still some fishes out there that could ambush them in any minute. Thus, if they depart one day later, the risk would be much higher.
Seeing him so persistent, Su Shuilian agreed reluctantly. She called for the waiter of the inn to bring them hot water. She checked the temperature and helped him take off his coat.
âYou should take a bath to relax. Iâm waiting for you outside.â She placed clean clothes on the rack and grabbed the ones he had just slipped off.
âThe bath tub is really big.â Lin Si Yao glanced at the bathtub the inn had prepared. Perhaps because they were staying in a couple room, the bath tub was big enough for two.
â⌠I⌠already washedâŚâ Su Shuilian was stimulated by his explicit saying, her cheeks blushing.
âI donât mind if you bathe one more time.â Lin Si Yao determinedly took off his clothes and waved at her. âCome here!â His rusty voice heated up her chest.
âA⌠A YaoâŚâ Su Shuilian had never bathed with him. She was so shy she didnât know how to cope with him. Her conscience told her to get out of the room now, but his hot eyes had immobilized her.
Lin Si Yao pulled Su Shuilian. She had to place her hands on his broad chest to support her body. His high body temperature made her not dare to move or look around. Because he was naked and he was hugging her⌠Her face felt so hot.
âDonât you want to help me wash my back?â Lin Si Yao smiled as he soaked in the water and reminded her.
Oh right, he didnât strip her. He just wanted her to scrub his body.
Su Shuilian didnât think further. She grabbed the towel and gently washed his back.
âToday, I went to Yun Luo Pagoda⌠to kill people.â His indifferent voice pierced through the hot steam, reaching her ears.
The towel on her hand slid away, falling into the bathtub. Instantly, there was only silence in this small room. The thick steam gradually faded in such silence.
â⌠Shuilian, I am an assassin.â Later on, his extremely faint voice but strangely clear arose the second time.
âI know.â She paused and gently replied. Of course, she knew this but she was never afraid of it since he had never killed anyone in front of her feet. Him, being an assassin then and him being an assassin now, were two different concepts.
âYou promised meâŚâ She remembered that she had asked him to stop doing this job before they got married. And he had agreed with her resolutely.
âRight, thatâs why I didnât tell you before.â Because he was worried that she would be scared of him.
â⌠Why?â She didnât understand. If he didnât want to tell her, so why nowâŚ
âThe way between husband and wife is rooted in understanding.â He said gently. It was what she had solemnly told him, and he had always kept it in his mind. âI donât want to lie to you or defend myself about whom I killed and why I killed them. However, I promise I will never kill innocent peopleâŚâ
âA YaoâŚâ Su Shuilian leaned on his shoulder. âYou misunderstood me.â
âWhat?â This time, he was bewildered.
âThe way between husband and wife is rooted in understanding.â Su Shuilian gently repeated what her mother had taught her in her previous life. Slowly, she explained, âIt doesnât mean what to achieve. It means that we should not hide anything⌠Even if itâs a good white lie, or a lie out of reluctance, it shouldnât be⌠As we are husband and wife, we must treat each other frankly and support each other to the end of life. If⌠What if you didnât say goodbye to me before going to the mountain this morning⌠And we would never meet each other again⌠A Yao, I think I would blame you.â
âIâm sorryâŚâ He pulled her into the water, hugging her tight. âI was afraid that you wouldnât understand and you would stay away from me. No matter what, there were dozens of lives. I got used to it. But you are different. Iâm⌠Iâm not sure if you can accept a man like meâŚâ
âYou didnât talk to me so how could you assume that I canât accept or understand you? A Yao, I trust you, youâre not someone who would kill innocent people. At least, youâre not like that now.â She lifted her head, gazing at him with bright eyes.
A man who chose to believe in some bandits in the middle of the forest; without killing them for their attempted robbery. How could she assume that he would kill innocent people?
And, previously, when she saw the permanent wounds and scars crossing his body, her heart ached for him⌠How could she calculate those things?
And, since she was young, Su Shuilian had received a strict education from her family, which kept her from acting beyond the rule. However, her reasoning wasnât dumb or conservative. Which was heavier, of course, she understood clearly.
âShuilianâŚâ Lin Si Yao kept silent for a while. Then, he stooped his head and gently planted a kiss at the corner of her mouth. âThank you!â
Su Shuilian hadnât expected to see him replying to her that way. She was dumbfounded, she did not know how to reply to him. Youâre welcome? Or, thatâs what I should do?
âHahaâŚâ His low, magnetic laughter escaped his lips. âI think I should be thankful. Perhaps, the Heavens have given you to meâŚâ Right after that, he sucked her beautiful lips, which had turned redder and sexier because of the water. âThank you for marrying me, ShuilianâŚâ
This man! Their children were almost four-month old and he was still so odd. Or, should she say that he was even more old-fashioned than her?