Chapter - 433 The Brides Pale Arms Parts the Red Clothing (8) (1/2)

He slept until midnight, and was awakened by some light tapping on his door. Han Lin'er sat up with a start and asked, ”Who is it?”

”It's me,” he heard Zhou Zhiruo's voice outside the door, ”Please open the door, I need to talk to you.”

”Yes, yes,” Han Lin'er said. He went to the door barefooted, pulled the latch open, then quickly turned around to light the candle. He saw that Zhou Zhiruo's eyes were red and puffy, her expression looked greatly different. Han Lin'er was scared. ”Miss Zhou, you … you …” he stammered, without able to continue whatever he was going to say. Suddenly he got an idea; he dashed out the room while saying, ”I'll fetch some water for you to wash your face.”

A short moment later, he returned with a washbasin in his hands, still barefooted. Zhou Zhiruo gave him a mournful smile. She sat on the table, supporting her chin with her hand, staring blankly at the candle.

”You … please wash your face,” Han Lin'er said.

Zhou Zhiruo did not say a single word; she merely shook her head and suddenly tears start flowing down. In his fright, Han Lin'er was stumped. He relaxed his hands while still standing; wondering why she was so upset, and dying to know what it was she wanted to tell him.

The two of them maintained the silence for a long time. Suddenly a light 'crack' was heard as the wax snapped off the candle. Zhou Zhiruo trembled as if she had just awakened from a sleep. ”Mmm,” she mumbled softly then she stood up to leave.

”Miss Zhou,” Han Lin'er said loudly, ”Who offended you? I, the man surnamed Han will take my dagger to him. Even if I have to die, I will make a few holes on his body. Please tell me!” Zhou Zhiruo only shook her head sadly, and then returned to her room.

From the time she entered his room, Zhou Zhiruo only sat quietly for a long time. It appeared that she had wanted to unburden herself from her troubled mind; but all along she did not utter a single word, so that a hot tempered and rash man like Han Lin'er can only scratch his head in confusion. As she left, he stood absentmindedly, occasionally curling his fist to hit his own head. After thinking for a while without finding anything, he heard 'bang, bang, bang!' three times from a distance, and he thought, ”Why haven't Jiaozhu and Peng Da Shi come back yet?” Since there was nothing else he could do, he laid down on the 'kang' again to sleep.

While he was dozing off, suddenly he heard a couple of loud noises, as if a chair was knocked down to the floor, coming from the room to his east; it was the room where Zhou Zhiruo slept. In his anxiety, Han Lin'er leaped up from his bed and ran toward that room.

Under the moonlight he saw a dark shadow inside that eastern room, swaying lightly, as if it was hanging in the air. Han Lin'er was shocked. ”Miss Zhou, Miss Zhou!” he called out, while stretching out his hand to push the door, but it was bolted from inside. Using all his strength he pushed the door with his shoulder and the bolt snapped. Rushing into the room, he struck the flint to light the candle first, and then turned around to see Zhou Zhiruo's feet which were hanging in the air, while a rope was wrapped around her neck, and the other end of the rope was tied onto the beam.

Han Lin'er felt as if his soul was about to leave his body. Hastily he jumped up to pull the rope from the beam, and then laid Zhou Zhiruo on the bed. He felt for her breathe and luckily she was still breathing.

”Miss Zhou, Miss Zhou,” he called in a very loud voice, ”You … why didn't you look at the bright side? Why did you … why …”

Suddenly he heard someone from outside the door calling out, ”Han Dage, what is it?” A man walked in, it was Zhang Wuji.