Chapter 138 Didn’t Mean to Deceive You

Chapter 138: Not Intentionally Deceiving You

Qiu Heng rode in a carriage to the gates of Earl Yongqing’s mansion and called out for Uncle Zhang to stop.

“What’s wrong, Sixth Miss?”

“Uncle Zhang, go on in. I’ll buy some trinkets from the peddler over there.” Qiu Heng pointed to a peddler who’d just pulled up nearby.

“Alright.” Uncle Zhang chuckled and nodded, then drove the carriage into the mansion.

Qiu Heng approached the young peddler, pretending to take her time browsing. Once the crowd around him thinned out, she lowered her voice and asked, “Everything set at Qinglian Lake?”

“It’s ready,” Chen San said. He’d gotten tan from walking the streets all day, but his curiosity hadn’t faded. “Miss, you really like going boating alone on Qinglian Lake?”

Back when he didn’t know Que was Sixth Miss Qiu, Que had told them to rent a boat and stash it at the lake. At the time, he and Brother Tao had discussed Que’s intentions, but Brother Tao told him to shut up.

Qiu Heng sighed softly. “Sometimes the pressure just gets to me. I just want to be alone, drifting on the lake and zoning out.”

“Makes sense.” Chen San nodded in understanding.

Sixth Miss Qiu was a few years younger than him, yet the things she had to do were huge. It was only natural she’d feel pressure.

Chen San’s look at Qiu Heng changed a little.

Qiu Heng smiled and asked, “Brother Chen San, why you staring at me like that?”

Chen San scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “It just hit me that you get stressed too. You’re not the same as before.”

Once, he’d even argued with Que just to be stubborn. But after Que actually took out Yuan the Bandit and revealed her identity, she seemed like some kind of immortal in his eyes.

Now, he realized Sixth Miss Qiu was just like them—she could feel scared, hurt, and stressed too.

“Of course. I’m not made of wood or stone.” Qiu Heng smiled and said goodbye to Chen San. “Brother Chen San, don’t overwork yourself either.”

“No worries. The more I walk, the better my endurance gets. Not to brag, but I know every street in this city like the back of my hand.” Chen San said, proud as could be.

He was going to do big things with the young lady, and knowing the capital inside out would come in handy.

“Good. That’ll make things easier down the road.” Qiu Heng gave Chen San the nod he was hoping for, then headed off to Qinglian Lake by herself.

In early winter, the lake breeze was chilly and crisp. Because the ghost stories were so well-known, there were only a few random visitors around.

Qiu Heng found the little boat stashed in a hidden spot, picked a leaf and put it between her lips. Lying in the boat, she blew softly on it.

The leaf whistle sounded airy, barely there—at first sounding distant, then fading into what seemed like the wind.

The few visitors left listened, mumbled to themselves, and all ran off scared.

The sunlight was just barely warm, spreading a gentle, perfect comfort over her.

Qiu Heng dozed off and on, then suddenly sat up.

The boat rocked gently with her movement, ripples spreading out. A bird in the reeds flapped its wings and took off, a feather drifting down.

Qiu Heng struggled to roll over and slipped into the water, grabbing the boat’s edge with both hands, sweat pouring off her like rain.

It was a pain she’d never felt before.

Was it because saving the crown prince had changed things too much?

The thought flashed through her mind for just a second before the pain shattered it.

The pain surged like molten lava through her limbs and bones, wave after wave, getting worse, driving her crazy.

Qiu Heng let go of the boat’s edge and allowed herself to sink toward the lake’s bottom.

As her consciousness faded, she felt herself being pulled upward.

Breaking through the water, the winter sun was bright. Qiu Heng barely opened her eyes and saw Xue Han’s terrified face through a blur.

It was still Xue Han.

Xue Han… why was he so afraid?

Qiu Heng didn’t know that Xue Han was even more frightened than she realized.

He reached out and touched the blood trickling from her nose and the corner of her mouth.

The blood was warm, but her cheeks were cold.

The lively young woman he had quietly come to care for seemed as if she might slip away at any moment.

“A Heng, what can I do?” Xue Han held Qiu Heng tightly and asked, “Tell me quickly, what can I do?”

For a moment, Xue Han thought that if he could do nothing, if he couldn’t keep her, then he would stay here with her.

Perhaps the pain had peaked, and Qiu Heng regained some clarity. She smiled at Xue Han through the bloodstains on her face. “Don’t worry, I feel okay…”

Xue Han gritted his teeth in anger but dared not tighten his hold on her. “Qiu Heng, can you stop lying to me at a time like this!”

“What’s wrong… how did I lie to you?” Qiu Heng asked slowly, her strength drained by the pain.

Xue Han reached out to touch her cheek and raised his bloodstained fingers before her eyes.

Qiu Heng’s eyes widened slightly as she realized she was bleeding.

“No wonder it felt strange…”

“How can I make you better?” Xue Han gritted his teeth and asked again.

“You don’t need to do anything.” Qiu Heng rested her head on Xue Han’s shoulder, no longer needing to support herself. “Just this is enough.”

“The lake water is cold.” The young man’s voice carried irritation.

As her thoughts gradually returned, Qiu Heng realized why Xue Han was angry, but she wasn’t fully lucid yet, so she still called him by name. “Xue Han, I didn’t mean to deceive you.”

The young woman’s voice was close to his ear, light as the lake breeze, yet it stirred his heart.

She continued, “The hot spring in the valley is wonderful, but my strange illness could flare up at any time… Xue Han, I wasn’t lying to you. I just didn’t want you to feel that your feelings were unappreciated…”

Xue Han opened his mouth, but it felt like a boulder was lodged in his chest, leaving him speechless with pain.

After a long moment, he asked, “If I hadn’t come to Qinglian Lake today, what would you have done?”

What did it matter if his feelings were unappreciated? Her safety was what truly mattered.

Hadn’t she considered what would happen if she sank into the lake?

“I was careless. I didn’t expect it to be this severe this time. It won’t happen again.” Qiu Heng closed her eyes slightly, and in a place Xue Han couldn’t see, a single tear silently slipped down.

Even if she sank to the bottom of the lake, she still wouldn't die.

The lake water treated her differently from others, just like in the future Great Xia, time would uniquely leave no mark on her.

No matter which side she was on, she was an anomaly.

How could someone like her manage to never lie to Xue Han at all?

"Xue Han, I'm a bit tired. Take me to the cabin, please."

Xue Han carried Qiu Heng onto the little boat.

Her soaked clothes kept dripping, and when the wind blew, a bone-chilling cold seeped in.

"Are the spare clothes in there?"

"Yeah, I'll change in a bit."

Figuring Qiu Heng was too weak to change clothes right then, Xue Han hesitated for a moment before making up his mind and asking, "Want me to help you change? Is that okay?"

A flicker of surprise appeared in Qiu Heng's eyes.

"I'll take responsibility for it." Xue Han mustered his courage to say.

Qiu Heng looked at the serious-faced young man and slowly shook her head. "I don't need you to take responsibility. I can change myself later."

She didn't need anyone to take responsibility for her, least of all Xue Han.

Whether it was disappointment or something else, Xue Han's tense heartstrings quietly snapped. He muttered, "Alright, then get some rest first."

He wrung the water out of his sleeves and pant legs, and in his distraction, instinctively reached out to wring the hem of Qiu Heng's skirt, but his gaze suddenly stopped at her rolled-up pant leg.

The girl's ankle was pale and slender, with a few greenish finger marks standing out starkly.