Plucking Red Apricots

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The target of bounty killer Tang Xizhou's latest assignment is Zhao Lurou.

She is a blind beauty and a folk poetry collector.

She roams the mountains and rivers, immerses herself in local customs, observes the many faces of life, and lives with carefree abandon.

Tang Xizhou can't see what makes her so special that someone would want her dead.

But he gets paid to do a job, and never asks questions.

Yet when their blades meet, she turns and smiles, so gentle that all his sharpness melts away in an instant.

Tang Xizhou falls for her.

She is beautiful and gentle, yet resilient and strong-minded, like a clear spring, pure and free, never stopping for anyone.

The killer becomes her protector, following her everywhere. Just seeing her smile or frown is enough to satisfy him, and he gradually lets go of the hatred and bloodshed in his heart.

He thinks that he and Zhao Lurou will spend their lives together in peace, watching the clouds drift by.

Until one day, he returns from an outing to find Zhao Lurou chatting inside with a strange man. She calls him "Young Master Wen."

The moment Tang Xizhou meets his gaze, an inscrutable smile flickers in the man's eyes.

Distant, fragmented memories flash through Tang Xizhou's mind.

Ten years ago, a manor ran red with blood.

A six-year-old girl knelt among the corpses, staring at her slaughtered family, and wept until she went blind.

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The first time the red apricot blossoms bloom, he promises to stay by her side.

The second time, she hopes he will return as promised.

The third time, he leaves her lost in the dreams of the past.

The fourth time, she hates that he has left her nowhere to turn.

The fifth time, he begs her to love him as before.

The sixth time, she sighs at his unwavering devotion.

Blurb screenshot dated 2024.2.14 /Happy Valentine's Day/

Theme: The wind of freedom will always blow.