Ye Qingying held the bottle, a nameless sorrow filling her heart.
How incredibly intelligent his Xiao Yao was.
With just one of his actions, she could fathom his intentions.
Her voice was ruined, and from now on, she had no connection to her past.
From now on, she was truly Xiao Yao.
Whatever her master asked her to do, she would do.
She wouldn't even ask a single question.
Looking at the little girl crying heartbrokenly, buried in his arms, Ye Qingying raised his hand, wanting to embrace her.
But in the end, he only gently stroked her head.
"Alright, this is the last time Master will tease you. From now on, Master will dote on you, okay?"
He didn't know when he had become so soft-hearted.
He was an assassin. How could an assassin show tenderness to anyone?
But he just couldn't bear to let her go.
When he thought she had left earlier, his heart felt so empty, an unbearable emptiness.
He had grown accustomed to having two people, and he could no longer return to being alone.
If he were left alone, he... he feared he would live a life of great hardship.
"Master, why are you going to Beiming?" After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yao finally stopped crying.
She wiped her eyes, then used her master's sleeve to wipe her nose. Her sadness was thoroughly over.
Her large eyes were sparkling, still holding a hint of tears, making her indescribably beautiful.
"Master owes someone a favor. I promised to return to Beiming and wait for her."
"Then, when will the favor be repaid?" She still sniffled.
She hated owing people the most. Owing someone made her feel uncomfortable.
"Perhaps, this is the last time."
Looking at her still slightly red eyes, Ye Qingying secretly decided this was the last time.
Once they returned to Beiming and he had done what Yu Linglong wanted him to do, they would leave.
"Master will give you some money. You stay..."
"No!" Xiao Yao tightly hugged his arm, refusing to let go. "Master, I've already drunk the poison. If you still don't take me, wouldn't this poison be wasted?"
She wasn't stupid. There must be people and matters in Beiming that concerned her.
But she didn't care! She only wanted to be with her master.
"I want to be with Master. I won't go anywhere but by Master's side."
Ye Qingying lowered his gaze to look at her.
In fact, Yu Linglong had asked him to return to Beiming Imperial City, but she herself didn't know when she would return.
She hadn't given him clear instructions on what she wanted him to do, so he didn't know how long he would be staying in Beiming Imperial City.
He was also uneasy about leaving Xiao Yao alone here.
Moreover, she was right. Giving her the poison and damaging her voice was precisely to prevent anyone from recognizing her.
With her appearance and voice completely changed, could anyone really recognize her now?
He suspected that even the culprit, Yu Linglong, wouldn't recognize her.
"Alright, Master will take you along. However, you must promise Master a few things."
"What things?" Xiao Yao began to smile again.
When she smiled, her eyes curved, and her lips turned up slightly, making her look very beautiful.
Even if her face was ordinary, her entire being was still exceptionally bright and lovely.
Ye Qingying looked at her as if she were his own child. A hint of pampering colored his usually cold eyes.
"Don't tell anyone that you were seriously injured before, and definitely don't tell anyone that your heart was wounded."
"Don't let anyone see the mark of the bracelet on your wrist."
"Once we reach Beiming Imperial City, if Master tells you not to go out, you must stay at home obediently and not go out."
Ye Qingying continued to stare intently at her face, his expression solemn and serious, devoid of his usual gentleness.
He was absolutely earnest: "If you cannot fulfill these three conditions, Master cannot take you with him."