The Devil of Scarlet Rain

Chapter 37 - Conflict of the Past (Part 2)

"It seems to me that she did not want to be reunited with you, Sir Jing." Xia Hei pointed out bluntly.

Jing Yun Sheng dropped his smile when he heard Xia Hei's word. He lowered his eyes briefly as complicated feelings welled up in his heart. It was a feeling he detested very much.

"That..." he drawled lightly as he carefully placed the painting back into the sandalwood box. Instead of answering, he turned to look at Lian Xi and instructed, "Take this and wait for me outside."

Lian Xi widened her eyes, visibly surprise but she did not refute his order. Lowering her gaze, she stepped forward to take the box from him. Xia Hei watched the exchange with much interest. For some reason, his felt there were unspoken tension between the two of them. It seemed that Jing Yun Sheng did not want to let his servant to hear what he was about to say next.

Now this is getting interesting, Xia Hei mused to himself. He cast a quick glance at Lao Qi. Tacit as always, Lao Qi nodded knowingly, and without further ado, followed Lian Xi out of the room.

When the door closed behind Lao Qi, Jing Yun Sheng turned to look at Xia Hei. He said with a light crisp voice, "Truth be told, my fiancée would not be willing to see me voluntarily. A lot of things had happened in the past... so she should still be deeply resenting me."

Xia Hei cocked his eyebrow and sneered coldly, "Oh, then aren't you afraid that she will try to kill you when she sees you? That woman... she can kill without batting an eyelash."

Jing Yun Sheng laughed lightly as he stood up. There was not the slightest hint of anxiousness nor fear in his expression. He ambled over to the window with his hand clasped behind his back and gazed into the far distance.

"I don't doubt it at all. That will probably be the first thing she would do when she sees me." His voice was as light as feather, without grudge nor fear, as if he was talking about another person's matter. There was even a small smile on his face, as if he could not wait to meet that person.

Xia Hei tilted his head as he carefully studied the silhouette of Jing Yun Sheng from behind. He cannot decipher whether Jing Yun Sheng was telling him the whole truth, but he was amused by what he said. A lot of people considered Xia Hei as eccentric, and he did not deny it, but today, he felt that he met someone else who was even more unfathomable than him.

Clearly knowing the other person would not hesitate to tear him apart as soon as they meet up, yet he still daringly sought out for her. Was he not afraid of death or was he confident that she would not be able to kill him? No matter what, Xia Hei could not think of any solid reason for an intelligent man like Jing Yun Sheng to make such a stupid decision.

After contemplating for a moment, Xia Hei's lips curled up into a contemptuous smile, and he said carelessly, "So, the almighty Jing Yun Sheng really is a love fool as per the rumours? Ever only pining for one woman after so many years even though she hated you to the core?"

Hearing his sarcastic remarks, Jing Yun Sheng whirled around. Basked in the ray of sunlight coming in from the window, those charming pair of eyes glistened brightly as a boyish grin formed on his handsome face.

"Perhaps I am." He admitted unabashedly.

Xia Hei was stupefied when he heard Jing Yun Sheng's candid reply. He burst out into an unreserved laughter as he repeatedly slapped his thigh. Jing Yun Sheng leaned against the window and said, "I hope I have answered all your questions, Boss Xia."

Composing himself, Xia Hei thought to himself. Since Jing Yun Sheng was not scheming against him, then he had no other reason not to accept this business deal. Not to mention, Jing Yun Sheng's quicky personality had piqued his curiosity. He was adamant to find this woman regardless of the consequences. Was it really out of love? Redemption? Guilt? Or something more than that?

This business deal was not as simple as it looked, but Xia Hei found himself looking forward to see how this pair of lover would reunite.

Putting his hand together, Xia Hei said, "It seemed that I have misunderstood you, Sir Jing. I apologize for my rude behaviour just now. Please do not take it to heart."

Jing Yun Sheng shook his head and replied, "Don't worry. I believe it must be Yi Er who had unintentionally provoked you. Can you tell me what happened?"

Xia Hei suddenly remembered the situation they were in, and a visible frown appeared on his face. Seeing both his brow knitted tightly together, Jing Yun Sheng sensed that something was amiss. Clearing his throat, Xia Hei carefully broached the subject.

"Sir Jing, I'll be frank with you. Your fiancée intruded the Red Lantern Manor on the night of auction. She was in disguised, so I did not know it was her when we are trying to apprehend the intruder. Though she managed to escape... but she was shot by my arrows."

Jing Yun Sheng arched his brow when he heard Xia Hei's words, "What do you mean?"

Xia Hei could detect a hint of anxiousness from his voice, but he ploughed on regardless.

"My arrows are laced with a deadly poison that I personally concocted. The antidote is not available outside of the Red Lantern Manor. If she did not get the antidote soon, I am afraid that she would not be able to last another few more days," Xia Hei explained matter-of-factly.

He did not intend to hide the truth, because this was one of the reasons, he wanted to meet Jing Yun Sheng. After so many days of searching, there were still no clues on her whereabout, so Xia Hei could not continue to drag this matter on. In business, Xia Hei had strict principle to always deliver to his customers. Even if the person his client seek was accidentally harmed by his people, then it was his responsibility to inform them too no matter what the consequences was. He was also hoping to find some clue by discussing this matter with Jing Yun Sheng today.

Jing Yun Sheng's expression turned cold so quickly that it sent chills down Xia Hei's spine. It was as if he had totally transformed into another person all together when he shed off his gentle appearance. Xia Hei could feel sweat beading on his forehead and his hand unconsciously touched the hidden crossbow in his sleeves. However, he was the black market big boss himself, and had experienced much more than this, so he met Jing Yun Sheng's gaze straight on, without even flinching.

His heart skipped several beats when Jing Yun Sheng began coming towards him. He was not walking particularly fast, but Xia Hei could feel anger and murderous intent from every step that Jing Yun Sheng took. He tightened his hand on his crossbow.

"Xia Hei, if anything happened to her because of your mistake..." Jing Yun Sheng hissed in a dangerously low voice, as his eyes glinted menacingly "then your Red Lantern Manor would cease to exist."