Looking at the cold light in Huang's eyes, Ban Lan suddenly felt very tired and wanted to close her eyes and take a nap.
"Huang, I'm sorry..." Ban Lan knew that Huang was doing this for her own good, but all she could do was apologize.
She felt she had done the worst thing, wasting genuine feelings and betraying others' kindness. But if she had to do it again, she thought she would still do the same.
Phoenix felt a pang of sadness. The most foolish thing in the world is not self-deception, nor is it burying one's head in the sand; it is stubbornly loving someone who doesn't love you back. And the greatest tragedy in the world is not the passing of beauty, nor the relentless flow of time, but the clear-eyed realization of one's own moth-to-a-flame journey.
Huang pointed at Cen Ji and said to Ban Lan, "Will he love you if you shield him for him?"
Ban Lan turned to look at Cen Ji and said, "No."
Cen Ji lowered his eyes and turned his face away.
Seeing Cen Ji's evasive expression, Huang snorted coldly and said, "Ban Lan, this strike of yours was not worth it at all. You will regret it one day."
Ban Lan pursed her lips. For a moment, she felt as if she understood what love was.
She smiled bitterly and said, "Huang, there are too many things in this world that are not worth it, and I simply don't have the energy to think about them all. But the only thing I don't have to think about too much is whether I want to or not. I want to do this for him simply because I want to, and it has nothing to do with whether it's worth it."
Many years later, Ban Lan still remembered what Cen Ji said to her that day.
He said, "I thank you."
Ban Lan smiled. As she smiled, the sky darkened, making her already thin smile seem even thinner and more ethereal.
After the wound was bandaged, Ban Lan didn't let anyone help her. She wiped the extremely ordinary dagger clean and then took the Huaying sword from her waist and tossed it to Cen Ji.
"Returning it to its rightful owner, as compensation, this one is mine." As she spoke, she waved the dagger that had once been stuck in her shoulder.
Cen Ji walked over, placed Hua Ying back into her hand, and took the new dagger for himself. He remained silent throughout, his actions both natural and domineering.
Ban Lan pointed to the new dagger and said half-jokingly, "Let's switch back. That one's stained with my blood, otherwise you'll hate it and secretly..."
"It's too inconvenient to throw it away and buy a new one."
Cen Ji stiffened for a moment, then finally met Ban Lan's gaze.
"I won't lose it."
These words sounded like a vow, but they convinced Ban Lan even more than any vow.
After saying that, Cen Ji also looked away, no longer looking at Ban Lan.
Huang put away her whip, the somber look on her face gradually fading. She walked up to Ban Lan, her tone returning to its usual calm, and said, "I can spare his life."
Upon hearing this, Ban Lan beamed with joy.
"but……"
The arched eyebrows fell off.
"After you rescue your senior sister, you must come to Qingluan Forest and keep me company."
Ban Lan thought for a moment and asked, "Okay, how long?"
"lifetime."
woman
Some people spend their lives doing many things; others spend their lives doing one thing.
Ban Lan thought that perhaps he was the kind of person who would spend his whole life doing one thing, and that thing was to forget Cen Ji.
When Wen Moyin, arm in arm with Cen Ji, disappeared from Ban Lan's sight one day, the world was vast and the martial arts world boundless; to Ban Lan, it was all the same wherever they were. Because no matter where they were, from the ends of the earth to the netherworld, Cen Ji's figure would no longer be there.
Ban Lan nodded and said to Huang, "Okay, I agree."
Huang showed no relief at her agreement, but Cen Ji, standing to the side, angrily refused: "No way!"
Huang scoffed, "How dare you decide what happens to Ban Lan?"
Cen Ji said, "I can't decide, but it's not up to you to decide either."
Huang said, "I merely gave her a choice."
Cen Ji said, "You can kill me, but I, Cen Ji, will not spare my life because of a woman's charity!"
Before Huang could speak, Ban Lan was enraged: "Woman? Ha, now you remember I'm a woman? What's wrong with being a woman? Is being saved by a woman an insult to you? You look down on women, how could you possibly be sincere towards one? Cen, I never thought you were this kind of person! Senior sister really misjudged you!"
Cen Ji hadn't expected her to be so angry, and for a moment he forgot to defend himself.
Ban Lan stopped looking at him and turned her head away angrily.
Cen Ji stammered, "I..." He wanted to say that wasn't what he meant, but he didn't finish his sentence.
He doesn't love Ban Lan, so Ban Lan doesn't need to understand his inner thoughts.
Cen Ji is a person who values fairness in relationships. He will never accept anything he cannot reciprocate. He has repeatedly failed Ban Lan in her efforts, which is a huge challenge to Cen Ji's principles in relationships. Moreover, he has ruined Ban Lan's life by escaping a disaster, yet he cannot give Ban Lan even a little bit in return.
He simply didn't want Ban Lan to have made a wasted effort.
Since Banlan has already lost faith in him, let her give up on him because of it.