âYun Sheng?â He Yan almost thought she was dreaming. She looked again and found that it was indeed He Yun Sheng.
He Yun Sheng had already walked up to her, and after shielding her, he pushed Fan Cheng far away.
âYouâŠhow did you get up here?!â Fan Cheng stood still and pointed at him, his eyes were full of surprise.
âSwam up, of course.â He Yun Sheng roared.
As soon as he got up from the water, his whole body was dripping wet. He squatted down to relieve the rope on He Yanâs feet.
âHow did you know I was here?â
âI was afraid that Fan Cheng would pester you, so I sent Shuang Qing back to guard the place earlier, but who knew that he would just see you being called away.â Shuang Qing was the boy He Yan had bought for He Yun Sheng, who accompanied him to the academy on weekdays.
âShuang Qing followed you here and kept me informed about the situation. So I ran all the way and swam here. Fortunately, I caught up.â He untied the rope binding He Yanâs feet and was about to untie the rope around He Yanâs hand but it was already loose. It was a little strange but he didnât think much about it. He straightened and glared at Fan Cheng, âIf I hadnât made it in time, what would this beast have done to you?â
âDo what?â Fan Cheng finally came back to his senses. He looked at He Yun Sheng and said with a fearless smile, âDo you think you can change anything by coming here?â
There was no one on the boat except the three of them. They were probably afraid of disturbing Fan Chengâs âmoodâ. Even the guard who had just sent He Yan to the boat was nowhere to be found. He estimated that the guard might be rowing a small boat and was far away, waiting for Fan Chengâs orders, after the deed was done.
âYour sister will be mine sooner or later.â Fan Cheng said with disdain. âYou poured the wine first. Why should I be ashamed of drinking the wine which was served on my table? Who tried to climb my bed at first? Now you are pretending to be chaste!â
âYou!â When He Yun Sheng heard the words, he turned pale with rage. He rushed forward and punched him, âYou bastard!â
Fan Cheng almost fell when he was attacked. The boat shook violently by his action, making He Yun Sheng stagger.
He Yan frowned and was about to go to help but she saw something glinting in Fan Chengâs sleeve. She could vaguely see a silver light and her scalp tightened. She yelled, âYun Sheng, dodge!â
He Yun Sheng did not know what had happened, but subconsciously turned over. Fan Cheng took out a knife and pierced his clothes. Luckily, He Yun Sheng missed by inches.
He Yun Sheng broke out in cold sweat, âHow dare you!â
âWhy not?â Fan Chengâs face was ferocious. âIt doesnât matter if the son of a school lieutenant dies. When you die, I will enslave your sister for my entertainment, every day, and sell her to a brothel after I get tired of her.â He started laughing maniacally.
He Yanâs eyes flashed with a trace of fierceness.
Afraid of causing trouble to the He family, she did not want to fight Fan Cheng. But it seemed that Fan Cheng was not willing to give up; whether she made the move or not did not matter any more.
He Yun Sheng was so angry that he simply turned his head and bumped into Fan Chengâs stomach. Fan Cheng was knocked down unexpectedly, and the boat wavered again as he fell to the ground. He was about to shout but before he could open his mouth He Yan warned, âDonât let him make a sound!â Immediately they rushed forward, stuffed the veil on the table into Fan Chengâs mouth.
Fan Cheng was silenced. It was at that moment that He Yun Sheng swiftly rode on his back and started punching him. He was a teenager with great strength. Although Fan Chengâs mouth was fierce, he could not be He Yun Shengâs opponent. He gradually stopped struggling.
âYun Sheng, thatâs enough.â He Yan stopped him. âIf you hit any more, he will die.â
âI wish he was dead!â He Yun Sheng gritted his teeth. âIf he died, he wouldnât dare to make trouble!â
âBut the He family would be in trouble.â He Yan pulled away He Yun Shengâs hand. âGet him up first.â
He Yun Sheng stood up leaving Fan Cheng motionless, facing the ground. He Yun Sheng stretched out his foot and kicked him, âGet up, donât play dead!â
Fan Cheng still showed no movement.
âI hit you twice and now youâre pretending to be dead. You are expert in how to blackmail people.â While mocking Fan Cheng, He Yun Sheng tried to kick him up. As he moved, he suddenly saw that the place where Fan Cheng was lying was gradually filled with a mass of red.
âHe, heâŠâ He Yun Sheng stuttered.
He Yan was listening carefully to the movement outside. The boat was swaying. She wondered if Fan Chengâs guards noticed it. There seemed to be nothing wrong at the moment. Maybe they thought it was due to Fan Chengâs âmoodâ. At that moment, she heard He Yun Shengâs sudden change in voice. He was looking at Fang Cheng strangely.
A moment later, she squatted down and calmly turned Fan Cheng over.
âAh~â He Yun Sheng gave a short cry but quickly covered his mouth and swallowed the rest of his words. He looked at the sight in disbelief.
Fan Cheng was lying on his back. His body was soft; as if he had no bones. The clothes at his waist and abdomen had been dyed red with blood. A small part of the hilt was exposed while the blade of the knife was lost somewhere between his flesh and bones.
During his fight with He Yun Sheng, Fan Cheng had pulled a short knife out of his sleeve. Later, the boat swayed and the knife fell to the ground. When He Yun Sheng had punched him again, he lost his balance. As he fell, the sharp knife pierced into his abdomen.
It would not have entered so deep but He Yun Sheng also pressed him to the ground and punched him with his fist. This practically led the whole knife to penetrate further into his abdomen, causing his death.
He Yun Sheng was frightened to the point that his legs became weak and he fell. He was horrified, âHeâŠhe wonât beâŠâ
He Yan stretched out two fingers to probe Fan Chengâs nose, and uttered a single word, âDead.â
He Yun Sheng looked at her blankly as if he didnât comprehend what she said. A moment later, he started sobbing, âHeâŠhow did he die? What shall we do? â
The boat was still in the river, swaying and floating, and there seemed to be no other light around except for the lights inside the boat. In the dead silence, He Yun Shengâs sniffles were particularly distinct.
He kept on murmuring, âWhat should we do? What are we going to do?â
He was just a teenager who had never seen blood, let alone kill a person. He even had to make a detour to kill a fish. He was only fierce in his words but he never expected that he would kill someone one day. He Yun Sheng was panicking.
Looking at Fan Chengâs body, He Yan frowned.
She had killed too many people but they were all enemies met on the battlefield. She had not been in a situation like this. Though she was a little surprised, she was not agitated at all. He Yun Sheng was in a trance, crying and laughing at the same time. He was shaking Fan Chengâs corpse as if trying to shake him awake. He seemed to have lost his mind.
Smack!
He Yun Sheng felt a burning pain on his face like that of being slapped. He woke up from his chaotic thoughts and looked at He Yan who was in front of him.
He suddenly discerned that compared to him, He Yan was extremely calm. Her gaze was as sharp as a sword, piercing his heart. It made him shiver. Her hands were steady, unlike his, which were still shaking.
Her voice was cold, laced with a tinge of hatred and harshness. âHe Yun Sheng, wake up, heâs already dead.â