Chapter 76: Breaking Point

Behind the inn, the swift waters of the Grand Canal churned with turbid, restless waves. Occasionally, burning pieces of charred wood tumbled from the inferno above, hissing as they hit the water's surface. The flames were extinguished before they could even produce smoke, the blackened debris quickly swept away by the relentless current.

Yi Xiao roughly wiped her face with her sleeve, straining to force open eyes that were red and streaming from the acrid smoke. She asked urgently, "Are we jumping into the canal?"

Feng Suige chuckled softly, almost absurdly given their circumstances. "Yes, and—" He held Yi Xiao firmly at his side, his grip iron-strong. "I can't swim. If you can, it's time to repay me for saving your life!"

Before Yi Xiao could even finish shouting "Hey!", an immense force propelled her forward. She had only enough time to snatch a breath before they plunged together into the icy, murky waters below.

Not daring to release her death grip on him, Yi Xiao struggled desperately toward the surface, managing to drag Feng Suige up into the air. "Relax your limbs," she gasped, spitting out a mouthful of foul canal water. "I've got everything under control."

Even with all of Yi Xiao's considerable strength, she could barely keep them both afloat in the rapid current, fighting to prevent them from being torn apart by the water's force. It was the height of summer flood season, and within moments they had been swept alarmingly far downstream.

Yi Xiao kicked relentlessly, her arm locked around Feng Suige's neck in a lifesaving hold, trying her utmost to keep his nose and mouth above the waterline as she attempted to angle them toward the high embankment. But the swift current repeatedly thwarted her efforts, pulling them back into the river's merciless embrace.

"Silly woman." Feng Suige's voice emerged suddenly, rough but calm. "The canal flow will slow down when we reach the outskirts of the city." He coughed, water sputtering from his mouth. "For now, save your strength."

Yi Xiao didn't respond, but her frantic movements gradually eased into more measured strokes.

As they continued their involuntary journey downstream, the embankment grew progressively lower, the river wider, and the current less violent. Finally sensing their opportunity, Yi Xiao made several powerful strokes toward the shore.

Supporting each other through the shallows, they stumbled onto a rocky beach littered with smooth stones. The moment her feet found solid ground, Yi Xiao felt her limbs turn to water. Not caring about the hard pebbles digging into her back, she collapsed onto the beach, letting her exhausted body go limp. Feng Suige, looking equally drained, dropped down beside her.

After a moment of recovery, while Yi Xiao was still working to steady her ragged breathing, Feng Suige suddenly started laughing—a genuine sound of mirth that seemed incongruous with their bedraggled state.

Yi Xiao turned her head to look at him, watching his unexpectedly joyful laughter with confusion. Unable to resist, she gently kicked him. "What are you laughing at?"

Feng Suige lazily rolled onto his side to face her. "Earlier in the water, I was thinking about how I would scold you severely once we reached the shore. But now, for some reason, I can't bring myself to say a single harsh word."

Yi Xiao was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "How did you know to come?"

"Ye Duanfang." Feng Suige's voice was matter-of-fact. "He thought that identifying the mastermind would only make them more desperate to harm you, so he set up secret lookouts on all the streets surrounding the Prince's mansion. You were spotted by his men as soon as you appeared."

Seeing Yi Xiao's contemplative silence, Feng Suige shifted, propping himself up on his elbow to look into her eyes with sudden intensity. "Can you tell me who it was, and what reason they gave, that made you sneak to such a place so secretively, even to the point of being oblivious to being locked in a room?"

Yi Xiao opened her mouth. Words nearly escaped several times, only to be swallowed back. Finally, she sighed heavily. "Why ask like this? You just want to hear me say it myself, but…"

"I understand." Feng Suige's expression transformed, the last glimmer of light in his eyes instantly extinguishing like a snuffed candle. He seemed to be suppressing some cruel impulse as the words emerged with difficulty. "I understand."

Yi Xiao, not yet perceiving the shift in his demeanor, continued with frustration. "But I don't understand how that person knew so much—I just wanted to see him once…"

"And then," Feng Suige interjected with devastating calmness, "continue your tryst with him."

Yi Xiao looked up at him in stunned surprise. Feng Suige slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position, his movements deliberate. "I've had enough—you've never forgotten Xia Jingshi. No matter how hard I rack my brains to please you, it's all in vain. I thought you had finally changed your mind, but while I've been doting on you and loving you, you've been secretly toying with my sincere feelings."

His sharp words were like a double-edged sword, piercing Yi Xiao while simultaneously causing Feng Suige unbearable pain. Yet he continued with numb determination. "Now I finally understand. Your heart belongs entirely to Xia Jingshi; there's no room for anyone else." He looked directly at the bewildered woman before him, enunciating each word with cruel precision. "But it's truly a pity. You think you belong only to him, yet he belongs to Xi Yang. He'd rather watch you die than marry you, isn't that right?"

Yi Xiao remained frozen, speechless. His words were too sharp, too accurate—she had no defense against them. She only felt that the wounds she had painstakingly healed over months and years were being mercilessly torn open again, raw and bleeding. That pain, that coldness, penetrated her bones and invaded her very soul…

"I misspoke." Seeing her continued silence, Feng Suige laughed again—a cold, bitter sound. "You don't have a heart at all, and you never will. You liar!"

As the last word left his mouth, his agitation peaked. He forcefully pushed Yi Xiao down onto the rocky beach and crushed his lips against hers in a punishing kiss.

A salty, metallic taste flooded her mouth with Feng Suige's invasive kiss—the unmistakable taste of blood. Yi Xiao's eyes gradually darkened with resignation. Wasn't this what was most familiar between them? The never-ending suspicion, the equally stubborn pride. This kind of volatile passion, this kind of wounded love—when would it ever find balance?

He was now forcefully biting at her neck, marking her. The sharp pain, mingling with the disappointment and melancholy churning in her heart, made her close her eyes in surrender. She spoke softly, each word carefully chosen. "Since you already know so clearly, why not be magnanimous and let me go?"

Perhaps this was punishment for her past neglect of his sincere feelings, retribution for not cherishing every fragment of emotion he had entrusted to her care.

"Let you go?" Feng Suige's voice was thick with barely suppressed resentment. "Are you so eager to return to his side?"

"Yes." Yi Xiao sighed inwardly, though her spoken words remained eerily calm. "Just as you said, I'm a poisonous flower. Once my blooming season is over, no matter how hard you try, I won't bloom again."

A fleeting look of utter devastation passed through his eyes—there and gone in an instant, but unmistakable. Releasing Yi Xiao abruptly, Feng Suige rolled away and sat up, putting distance between them. "You always say I broke the rules of the game." His smile was bitter as old wine. "Maybe that's true. Fine, the game ends here. You can go!"

"Alright." Yi Xiao slowly pushed herself up to standing, her movements careful and measured. She fumbled in her pocket and withdrew a thoroughly soaked handkerchief, offering it to him with an outstretched hand. "For the wound on your forehead. Wrap it with this for now."

"Keep your kindness to yourself." He swatted her hand away with sudden violence, his response simple and cutting. His fingers, still coated with coarse sand and grit, slowly traced over the wound that had turned ghostly pale from its submersion. The resulting pain brought him a perverse sense of vindictive pleasure. "A scar in exchange for a truth—it seems worth it."

Yi Xiao sighed, the sound carrying all her weariness. "Take care of yourself."

She turned with what remained of her grace and began walking toward the main road visible in the distance. Feng Suige forced himself to stand on unsteady legs, watching her retreating figure with a cold smile that never reached his eyes. The pain accumulated slowly, layer upon suffocating layer, pressing down on his chest until it was hard to draw breath. It was like sinking into deep water, descending inexorably into despair and numbness.

"Feng Suige!" Suddenly, Fu Yi Xiao's voice rang out as she came running back, grabbing hold of him with urgent hands. "What's wrong with you?"

"It's none of your business!!!" He growled, trying desperately to shake off her supporting grip, to maintain his pride even now.

Before darkness claimed him completely, before consciousness slipped away, he heard Fu Yi Xiao calling out in unmistakable panic. "Feng Suige? Feng Suige!"

Stop calling, he thought as the world faded to black. You don't love me at all.

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