Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Distance Between Them

East, South, West, and North were picking herbs on the mountain, a truly pitiful sight. The sun had risen, but it was scorching hot, and the four young men, whose skin had once been fair as snow, were now tanned and darkened.

“Big brother, I’m almost turning into a little black guy. I used to think I was quite good-looking! Now I look so ugly,” North complained, clearly unhappy with his lot in life.

“Uh…” East, the eldest, really didn’t know what to say. He felt aggrieved himself—it was likely that the girls who used to know him wouldn’t even recognize him now that he was so dark.

“All right, you two, stop complaining. Just remember that everything we’re doing now is for Sister Qianyin,” the other two interjected, having far fewer complaints. After all, a healthy skin tone should be yellow.

As they continued picking herbs, they suddenly noticed that, on a mountain some distance away, the trees at the summit were toppling one after another. Though they couldn’t hear the sound of axes, it was clear that a good portion of the forest was being cleared.

“Isn’t someone cutting down the trees on that mountain? Why does it look like the whole mountaintop is going bald?” North, who could never keep his thoughts to himself, immediately cried out in alarm at the sight.

East was puzzled, but he knew that sometimes people would clear out forests to replant with different species, finding the current trees unsuitable. Such things weren’t uncommon.

Qianyin walked quietly along the road, leaving the Mo family estate. She hadn’t taken her car, nor did she go anywhere else. She didn’t even think to look for the four young men.

Her mood was in turmoil. The boss was a difficult man to deal with; she was genuinely afraid of losing everything she had now. And seeing them suddenly rescind their orders made her feel the whole affair was growing even harder to handle. She wanted to leave—she did not want Lengxue to get involved in any trouble for her sake.

Lengxue had followed and saw Qianyin walking alone. He was a bit puzzled and didn’t immediately catch up, instead choosing to quietly trail behind her.

“How exhausting,” Qianyin muttered, feeling that if she kept these thoughts bottled up inside, they would suffocate her. So she walked on, gloomy and distracted, her words slipping out unconsciously.

Lengxue couldn’t understand what had happened in such a short span of time. When they’d returned earlier, Qianyin had clearly been in high spirits. Had someone said something they shouldn’t have?

Unwittingly, Qianyin found herself walking toward a remote area—the very place where Mo Lan had her car accident. It was actually quite far away, but she had walked quickly without realizing it, covering a long distance.

Lengxue simply followed quietly behind her, silently keeping her company. He neither disturbed her nor revealed his presence. If Qianyin hadn’t been so lost in thought, she might have noticed he was always a few steps behind. But her mind was far too preoccupied to sense anyone nearby.

Qianyin stopped at the railing, gazing silently at the maple leaves. The crimson leaves fluttered down one by one, as if she could lose herself in their descent for a lifetime.

“If one day I leave this world, how many people would cry for me?” she murmured softly. Suddenly, a tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She didn’t want anyone to see her cry, so she stubbornly lifted her head and stared at the leaves above.

Lengxue stood seven or eight meters away, also leaning on the railing, watching her. Hearing those strange words, he was momentarily stunned. What had happened? Why was she saying such ominous things?

When Lengxue saw the tear slide down Qianyin’s cheek, his heart thudded painfully. He wanted to go and embrace her, to tell her: If the sky falls, I will hold it up for you.

The wind blew incessantly between them, as if trying to draw them closer. Yet neither of them took a single step toward the other.

Just as it seemed the two would quietly remain there together, a car suddenly sped by, racing down the small road toward them, snapping them both out of their reverie.

Whose car was that? Why was the license plate covered? Why were the wheels caked with mud? Where had that car come from?

They both looked up in the direction the car had gone, sharing the same thoughts.

Qianyin quickly became aware of Lengxue’s presence. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and, pretending nothing had happened, asked, “How long have you been here?”

“Not long. I saw the car and followed,” Lengxue replied, wanting to tell her the truth but knowing it would make her uncomfortable.

“Who do you think those people were? Driving so fast—if anyone had been in the middle of the road, they would have been killed,” Qianyin said. She had to keep a close watch on every disturbance in the city, now that the boss and his people had gone into hiding. She had to find their trail as soon as possible.

Lengxue shook his head. He’d had little contact with his old associates lately, hadn’t taken any jobs, nor had he investigated these matters. All he wanted now was to quietly stay by Qianyin’s side and accompany her through all her days.

Just then, Qianyin’s phone rang. It was North calling.

She quickly answered, turning away to look at the maple leaves, not wanting to say anything more to Lengxue for fear of stirring up emotional entanglements. She didn’t want to touch upon matters of the heart. After all, those who take love for granted deserve nothing. She didn’t consider herself a good girl, nor an ordinary person suited for romance.

“Hello?”

“Sis, you’re back in the city? Where are you? I miss you so much!” North’s voice was still that of a child, full of clingy affection.

The three older brothers all turned away, pretending not to know this guy. No matter how much they missed Qianyin, they couldn’t lose face like this! How could he say such embarrassing things? How would he ever survive in the assassin world after this?

“Are you back already? I’m out for a walk right now. Let’s have dinner together tonight. I miss you all, too.” Qianyin smiled, thinking North was the purest of the lot, so endearing and innocent—just like Su Bai.

The other three were also just boys at heart, but they always tried to act cool and mature. Ever since they’d started following Qianyin, each tried to appear strong.

“Okay, Sis, we’re still on the mountain. We’ll be back soon!” North was thrilled to hear what he wanted, shaking his bundle of herbs like a happy child.

The other three also smiled, though not as openly as North, who wore his heart on his sleeve.

The smile at the corner of Qianyin’s lips instantly reassured Lengxue. He stood quietly beside her, longing to hold her for a moment, but afraid that one embrace might shatter the fragile peace between them.

This kind of love was torturous. Being so close, yet unable to confess; wanting an embrace, yet lacking the courage.

“Let’s go back. It’s not good to linger in the cold wind,” Lengxue gently reminded her, seeing that Qianyin still meant to remain there. He lowered his head, thinking: If you get sick from the cold, it’s my heart that will ache.

Qianyin nodded, and the two of them walked side by side along the path they had come. Watching their departing figures from behind, it seemed they suited each other perfectly, yet the gap between them—the distance left in the space—remained.