Finest Servant Chapter 610 (Patreon)

Chapter 610 The Heaven Spares True Lovers

"Big Brother, Big Brother, you're back?" Qiaoqiao's eyes brimmed with tears as she leaped into his arms like an ecstatic lark, clinging tightly to him. Before she could speak, tears already streamed down her face.

"My little darling, did you miss me?" He was about to give her a hearty bear hug, a smile forming habitually on his lips. But suddenly, his throat felt parched, so dry that he couldn't even speak. Not only that, he couldn't see his own hands.

Panic surged through him. "Ah—Ah—" He flailed his arms and legs in desperate struggle.

"My Dear," the woman in his arms looked up; her face had transformed into Qingxuan's exquisite visage. Qingxuan held a red swaddle in her arms, gently rocking it back and forth. Her face glowed with maternal love as she tenderly said, "Look, this is our child. He's smiling at you. This little rascal looks just like you. Look, he's really smiling!"

My child? Overjoyed, he reached out to embrace his flesh and blood tightly. The chubby little face inside the swaddle was flushed and adorable, an exact miniature of himself in every feature.

I have a son! Ecstatic, he leaned down to kiss his son's cheek, but was jolted by a sudden, sharp cry, "My Dear, watch out!"

A black arrow, screaming through the air, pierced his chest, breaking the skin and aiming for his heart.

Death had grabbed his hand, ready to take him away. Then, the baby in the swaddle suddenly opened his eyes, his tiny, soft hands flailing, his face blooming like a newly-born flower. "Daddy—"

His body convulsed as if electrocuted. Tears filled his eyes instantly. "I have a son, I can't die!"

With a gut-wrenching scream, as if waking from a nightmare, he flailed his arms and legs wildly, as if wrestling with fate itself. His eyes snapped open.

Qingxuan was gone. The child was gone.

The sound of trickling water reached his ears. The dim light of a fire flickered before him, scorching his cheeks. Though it was so close, he felt icy cold all over, drenched in sweat. He couldn't muster a shred of strength; his throat felt as if it had cracked open. The only real sensation was the searing pain in his chest, cutting deep into his bone marrow.

Taking a shaky breath, his mind flashed back to the final battle of that day. Endless killing, the ground awash in red, the fatal ink arrows, the sky filled with falling feathers of great snow. Each detail emerged before his eyes.

A faint chirping resounded near his ear; a subtle fragrance wafted beside him. Unnamed flowers nestled among the green grass, competing in their vibrant bloom. Not far away, a brilliant bonfire crackled, its sparks incessantly flying.

Taking a long, painful breath, he tried to move his body, only to find every inch of him felt broken, aching all over. He could only twitch his fingers; even turning his neck was out of the question.

‘This time, it's truly over for me,’ he thought. He felt like crying, yet also felt like laughing. To have survived the arrow of Yujia, wasn't that reason enough to be happy?

Beneath him lay thick green grass; above him, a fragrant cloth covered him. He lay quietly among wildflowers, surrounded by their scent. A stream flowed beside him, the sound of water gently slapping against its surface filling his ears.

A woman dressed in coarse garments stood in the clear stream, her hair casually pinned up, and her sleeves rolled. Her bare, radiant feet were in the water as she gently washed a couple of garments. Splashes of water landed on her cheeks and atop her hair, shimmering like white jade in the dim firelight.

Though she was without her favorite white robes, the full, graceful figure before him was still so familiar—indeed, even more intimate than before. As she cleaned the clothes, she was the picture of a humble, virtuous woman, her focused expression breathtakingly beautiful.

Lin Wanrong's throat was parched. Mustering all the strength he could, he barely managed to whisper, "Fairy Sister—"

The hum of his voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, almost inaudible even to himself. Yet, the woman doing laundry seemed as if touched by a spell; her movements halted and the clothes she was holding fell into the water with a splash. She trembled as she turned to face him, and what greeted her were eyes that sparkled like those of a mischievous spirit.

Her crimson lips trembled slightly, and she suddenly rushed through the water toward him. Her feet, shining like jade, splashed water droplets as if she were a torrent bursting forth, rushing to the riverbank.

"Thief—" She stopped a few steps away from him. Ning Yuxi stared blankly, as if wanting to reach out but doubting her own eyes. She stared for a long while, suddenly covering her lips, crying and laughing, her tears falling like rain.

Gone were her white robes, replaced by simple clothes and a hairpin. Her casually pinned-up hair messily framed her face, her eyes like still water, and her eyebrows lifted slightly. Her bare feet were as radiant as jade. Amid her languid fatigue, there was an irresistible charm. Lin Wanrong stared blankly at her, finally speaking after a long pause, "Fairy Sister, can even a celestial being return to the mortal world?"

Ning Yuxi slowly approached him, took his trembling hand, and gently said through her tears, "In your presence, I have never been a celestial being. Now, I just want to be a woman, a real woman—to wash your clothes, cook for you, and bear your children."

Lin Wanrong blinked, his eyes gleaming, "I know, but having children will be painful. You'll have to bear it. While doing all that, could you also part-time as a Fairy? You know how much I love watching you fly while I chase you from the ground. It adds a bit of thrill."

"You wicked man!" Ning Yuxi's face turned a shade of red, her hands wanting to give him a hard pinch on his waist. However, when her hand moved, it was incredibly gentle, and she laughed through her tears.

Life is so good when you can tease your Fairy Sister. Lin Wanrong grinned, but the smile tore at his wounds, causing him to cough violently. The acute pain felt like his organs had shifted places, and blood oozed from the corners of his mouth.

Ning Yuxi gently shook her head, lifted her sleeve to wipe away the dripping blood, and held his hand tightly. "Does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't," Lin Wanrong gasped.

"But it hurts me so much!" She pressed her tear-streaked face to his chest.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine soon," Lin Wanrong said, clutching her icy hand while taking deep breaths.

Ning Yuxi softly hummed in agreement, "I know you'll get better. Because... you still owe me something."

"Understood!" The thief chuckled. "Sister, don't worry. I won't forget, not for a moment."

Ning Yuxi gently stroked his hair and shook her head. "Not for a moment? You're lying to me again! Did you remember that when you stood in front of me that day? Why did you leave the greatest pain to me? How could you treat me like this, you heartless person? I hate you; I'll hate you for all eternity—"

She collapsed onto his chest, breaking into gut-wrenching sobs. Her shoulders trembled violently, as if she were about to choke. The heartache she had suppressed for so long finally erupted like a volcanic outburst.

Go ahead, cry. In this world, what could be more cathartic than tears? Silently, he also choked up.

As tears streamed down their faces, the two lay silently embraced amid the beautiful flowers. The world might be vast, but their hearts held an even greater expanse. How many such wonderful moments can one have in a lifetime?

"Sister, why didn't I die?" he murmured.

Ning Yuxi's eyes flooded with tears. "Don't ever say that! My thief will never die!"

‘Never die? Do you take me for an immortal?’ He smiled quietly. "Hmm, I'll be forever with my Fairy Sister, and we will never die. But I'm really curious—how could even Yujia's incredible archery not kill me? I must be invincible in the future."

Ning Yuxi shot him an annoyed look, but her heart softened when she saw the hope in his eyes.

"Look at this." She slowly handed him a light silk vest, soaked with blood. A large hole had broken open right over the heart. The silk covering it was stretched thin, hanging in tatters. The immense power of Yujia's arrow was evident; although the elasticity of the silk had partially absorbed the impact, the arrow had still penetrated deep into his chest, and the dried blood stains were proof.

Lin Wanrong stared for a moment and suddenly felt like bursting into laughter. ‘Thanks to the Emperor for this excellent vest; I'll burn incense in your honor when I return home.’

This silk vest had been personally sent by the Emperor through Gao Qiu when he was in the capital. He'd never taken it seriously and had even given it to Little Li when Li Wuling was injured. This time, attending the sheep snatching competition, he had been forced to wear it again for safety. Who would've thought that it would save his life in a critical moment? The old man really had vision and insight! He was so moved that he was almost tearful and wished he could bow to the Emperor right then and there.

Ning Yuxi sighed softly. "Thief, do you know how we escaped from Yujia?"

"I know," he nodded faintly and sighed. "In her eyes, I was already as good as dead. She wouldn't harm a dead man."

Those words carried a multitude of sentiments that were beyond description, stirring the soul to its very core.

"Yujia, even though she's a Turkic woman, is a gem of the prairie. In terms of intelligence, martial skill, and methods, she's reached the peak, truly one of the most outstanding people of our time. It's a shame, though; as a woman, it's inevitable that she'll fall at least once. That's our fate."

Fairy Ning looked at him deeply, as if a thousand words were left unspoken between them.

After a long silence, Lin Wanrong took a deep breath and softly said, "Sister, there's something I've always wanted to ask you. You've clearly erased Yujia's memories of me, so why does she still seem to recognize me?"

Ning Yuxi gave a wry smile. "Forgetting isn't so simple. Look, what is this?"

From her bosom, she produced several torn and dried pieces of sheepskin and slowly brought them before him. Under the dim firelight, the sheepskin was filled with tiny characters, seemingly written in some herbal juice. The script was both chaotic and elegant. He widened his eyes but couldn't recognize a single character. "Sister, why did you write in Turkic script? I can't understand it."

"You silly boy, I didn't write this," Fairy Ning shook her head. "This is something your beautiful captive, Yujia, secretly recorded before I performed my technique."

Yujia wrote this? What did she write?

"On each piece of this sheepskin, she wrote about her experiences with you. The grasslands, the desert, the snowy mountains, every word you've spoken to her, every deed you've done, everything you've gone through together—she's recorded it all. There are four pieces in total," Fairy Ning shook her head again. "Her intelligence is truly rare."

"Why would she write these?" Lin Wanrong was puzzled.

"Because she knew what you were planning to do to her!" Ning Yuxi sighed deeply. "These four pieces of sheepskin were hidden in her hair, chest, knife sheath, and boots. Each line of text mentions a certain individual. If she finds even one piece and glances at it, she'll never forget that ruthless person."

Lin Wanrong clenched his fist, gritted his teeth, and remained silent.

"When I performed the technique on Yujia, in the end, I held back. I couldn't bring myself to completely do it," Fairy Ning said, tears quietly falling. "For us women, to come into this world and find someone we truly love is so rare. How could such a match made over hundreds of years be easily erased? So, I wanted to give her a chance, and you a chance. If she recognizes you, then it means fate hasn't abandoned true love."

The thief remained silent, his face pale.

"I'm glad I did what I did," Fairy Ning softly added. "The heaven is fair. Because I left hope for Yujia, the heaven returned you to me."

He shook his head weakly, tears shimmering in his eyes. "Sister, I'm so tired, I want to go home."