CHAPTER 481: CHAPTER 162 XIE RUOTONG CONFESSION_4

She slept peacefully.

Probably for fear of disturbing him.

In the tranquil room.

The dim candlelight, complementing a streak of moonlight on the window lattice...

Such nights, serene and exquisitely beautiful.

Song Yanqing suddenly turned over.

Because of the quietness of the room, the motion of turning over sounded very loud.

"Not used to it?" Xie Ruotong asked.

Clearly, she hadn’t slept either.

"The bedding, I had Qiao’er change it to new," Xie Ruotong explained.

"It’s not the bedding, just not very sleepy, can’t really sleep," Song Yanqing replied.

"Then shall we chat?" Xie Ruotong suggested.

"Hmm?" Song Yanqing was somewhat surprised, Xie Ruotong being so proactive in speaking to him.

He always felt that in the past, she was very reserved.

"I just wanted to ask, how is Lin’er?" Xie Ruotong started.

"Cried all day, wouldn’t eat or drink. But it’s just temporary, she’ll be fine after a few days of reflection," Song Yanqing said.

"Then, these next few days, you should spend more time with her," Xie Ruotong said.

Song Yanqing looked at the woman under the bed canopy.

Actually, there was a bed curtain, so he could see Xie Ruotong, but she couldn’t see him clearly.

"You don’t mind?" Song Yanqing asked.

"I don’t mind," Xie Ruotong’s voice carried a smile, "and I should thank my lord for your tolerance. For tolerating my identity."

Song Yanqing pursed his lips.

At this moment, he felt his remarks to Xie Ruotong in the afternoon were somewhat narrow-minded.

Now that Xie Ruotong spoke so openly, it made him feel somewhat sorry.

"Lin’er has suffered such a grievance this time, ultimately, it is also because of me. If I had been more open and acknowledged it... I really don’t have the courage. I’m sorry," Xie Ruotong apologized.

Song Yanqing suddenly felt a pain in his chest.

Xie Ruotong’s words unexpectedly made him feel a bit heartbroken.

"It wasn’t easy for me to return to the Duke Mansion. When I went to Yicui Pavilion, it was actually just a cover for my identity. My lord must have heard that previously there was a sect called Ten Extremes Sect in the martial arts world, full of top-notch assassins, all of whom were children abducted from all over the country by the Ten Extremes Sect. Once there, we had no choices, in order to survive, we had to follow every arrangement made by the Ten Extremes Sect," Xie Ruotong murmured.

Suddenly, she candidly told Song Yanqing about those past events.

Song Yanqing also quietly listened to Xie Ruotong, clutching his heart, paying close attention.

"Upon arriving at the Ten Extremes Sect, a group of children were ruthlessly trained, then made to kill each other. Every six months, there would be so-called assessments, those who failed were either killed by their peers on the spot or by the Ten Extremes Sect. In the end, out of thousands of children who went to the Ten Extremes Sect, less than a hundred survived. I was one, barely surviving, living only to obey every arrangement by the people of the Ten Extremes Sect, whether it was to kill or do other tasks, just obeying!"

Song Yanqing could fully imagine.

A little girl, in such a brutal environment, how hard she must have worked, what torture she must have endured, to live to this day.

"For a long time, I lived in a numb state. I had a home in my heart, but dared not return. At that time, the leader of the Ten Extremes Sect, Duan Ya Zi, developed a drug that we assassins had to take; without the antidote, one would bleed from the seven apertures and die within a month, so we could not rebel. Later, I met Princess Ye Qichi. Thanks to her exquisite medical skills, she saved all assassins of the Ten Extremes Sect and killed Duan Ya Zi, allowing me to return home," said Xie Ruotong.

Her tone was very light.

As if she was talking about someone else’s matters.

In Song Yanqing’s ears, however, it felt like needles were pricking his heart.

"I never intended to hide it from you, from the family, but... after being away from home for ten years, I didn’t want them to worry about me, to feel heartache for me, or to always feel guilty. Grandmother’s health has been deteriorating over the years, she needs to take medicine all year round, I didn’t want her to continue being unhappy in her later years, so I concealed a lot of the past, selectively mentioning some lighter details. Today I didn’t acknowledge it either, for the same reasons," Xie Ruotong was apologizing, explaining.

In this way, it made Song Yanqing feel even more petty.

"Now that I am married into the Song Family, I am truly grateful. I also appreciate, my lord, your acceptance of my identity. I never thought of obtaining you, I’ll never have such thoughts in this life, especially since I’ve stayed in the brothel, I’m not worthy of my lord’s love. I sincerely wish you and Lin’er happiness, and I envy the love between you. The only thing I wish for now is to live peacefully with the Song Family, not causing my family any worry. If my lord thinks I’ve taken something that should belong to Lin’er, I only hope that after my grandmother passes away, you could grant me a divorce then, at that point, I will leave willingly without any resentment," Xie Ruotong said sincerely.

The meaning she conveyed was very clear.

If it really came to divorcing her, she hoped it would be after her grandmother’s death.

And the reason Xie Ruotong brought everything out in the open was also due to Song Yanqing’s reminder earlier that day.

She was well aware, after Song Yanqing knew she had been in the Yicui Pavilion, he would not harbor any feelings towards her and even become guarded against her, never treating her sincerely in the future and also worrying that she might seek revenge on Xie Ruilin. The only solution was to lay everything out, easing Song Yanqing’s apprehensions about her.

Even if Xie Ruilin acted out in the future.

It wouldn’t be because Song Yanqing knew of her unfavorable identity and unconditionally side with Xie Ruilin!