Chapter 123
Time slips by silently, and another winter snow falls in the blink of an eye.
In February, the sky was slightly clear with occasional light snow, but fortunately, this year was a mild winter, so it didn't feel particularly cold.
After a while of peaceful days, I started to get restless. I've been staying in the Nine-Story Tower for the past few months and haven't gone out much, so I don't know what's going on outside.
I should have known better than to pretend to be innocent. You really can't just say things carelessly; I've gotten myself into such deep trouble. Asking that dead man Nangong Ling won't get me anything. He just evaded the main point and steered the conversation away in no time. I always like to do things that trap me. No, it's all because Nangong Ling is the best at playing the victim, always hitting the softest spot on my heart.
"Xiaoman, what is that?"
"This..." Xiaoman glanced out the window, "This subordinate doesn't know either."
"If you don't know, why don't you go down and ask around?" I put down my tea and glanced at her sideways.
She knew I'd been in a bad mood lately, or rather, to some extent, I'd reverted to my old temper, so she didn't say much and turned to go downstairs.
I don't expect to find out anything, so I'd better send her away and go down and check it out myself.
The flower-decorated sedan chair is clearly a woman's sedan chair. How can it be brought in so blatantly through the Changsheng Gate? Do they think I'm blind?
It's been six days since that dead man came to the building. Thinking of this, I raised my eyebrows, feeling uneasy.
How did you get out?
Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw He Mengyan carrying a bowl of bird's nest soup, about to go upstairs. But she had a pair of thieving eyes and somehow spotted me.
"Your dad also said that taking more walks is good for you."
"That's true, but who would go for a walk behind a screen?"
That brat, always meddling.
Who's outside?
"Huh?" He looked puzzled.
I had forgotten that he was either hiding in the medicinal cuisine hall or planting herbs in the garden, and that he was just as clueless as I was.
"It's nothing, you can leave now that the bird's nest is here."
"I'm going to take your pulse today, so let's put off any shady plans for now."
"Don't speak so recklessly. Put your things down and come with me. I'll take you to see some beauties."
"What's so interesting? What trouble are you trying to cause now?"
Do I really have a face that looks like I'm going to cause trouble? Fine, I won't go then, who cares!
"Hey! Don't be alone... Xiaoman, where's Xiaoman?"
Ignoring He Mengyan's cold expression and loud shouts from behind, I left without a second thought, saying, "Follow me or not, I'm on my way."
As soon as I stepped outside, a blast of cold wind hit me in the face. I shivered and my eyelids started to twitch. Suddenly, I hesitated, and an ominous premonition began to grow in my heart.
But I'm the kind of person who knowingly ventures into dangerous places; once my curiosity takes hold, everything else becomes just a passing cloud.
I wasn't wrong, she was indeed a beauty, but she looked so familiar that I couldn't quite place her.
"What else do you want?" The man's voice came from afar, sounding somewhat weary.
"She wants you to fight for the world for her. I only ask that you treat me as well as you treat her, and I will be content."
There was a long silence on the other side. The silence was the most irritating thing. I took a slow breath and felt my throat was dry.
"Okay," he replied softly, and my heart sank. Unfortunately, I could only hear his voice but couldn't see his expression.
"Really? Really?" The woman's voice trembled, whether from joy or excitement, it was hard to tell.
"If you would die for me."
Another silence fell. Dark clouds drifted in from afar, and cold snow swirled down, landing on my face but refusing to melt.
After a long time, there was still no movement inside. Gradually, I couldn't stand the cold any longer, so I pushed open the door and went straight in.
"Did I disturb you?"
The man seemed surprised to see me, but I didn't pay him much attention. I turned to look at the beautiful woman sitting to the side with a look of surprise and uncertainty, and finally remembered who she was. It turned out to be the most beautiful courtesan in Xihong Garden.
She was quite famous in Xiling Kingdom. It's quite interesting, really. Because she was an orphan, Aunt Qing took her in at Xihong Garden when she was little. She didn't even know her name, but seeing her beautiful appearance, she simply raised her to be the most beautiful courtesan. Everyone else, seeing Aunt Qing constantly calling her "the most beautiful courtesan," started calling her that too, and they still do now. Back then, when I learned the reason for this, I even laughed at Aunt Qing for a while. At that time, my third brother was this courtesan's biggest patron.
"Without you, Aunt Qing of Xihong Garden would be devastated. How could you abandon your mother, who fed you and raised you to adulthood, to come and seek refuge with this completely unreliable man?"
"Unreliable..." she repeated several times before letting out a cold laugh, completely unlike her previous pitiful and weak demeanor. "Without City Lord Nangong, would you have your current status? Or would you even be alive to stand before me?"
"This is what he owes me. I think you only see the thief eating meat but not the thief getting beaten. Don't just keep your eyes on other people's glory."
She didn't understand, and of course she couldn't possibly understand. I once said that Yue Linghe's affection wasn't to the point of being willing to risk one's life for her. She asked me a question back then, but I didn't give her a direct answer. There's no need to talk about many things everywhere.
I shut her up with one sentence and she didn't say anything for a long time. When she raised her head, there was still resentment in her eyes.
At this moment, Nangong Ling moved and came over to take my hand.
"Stop talking."
"Why do you care so much about me?"
I glanced at him sideways, and he paused, gripping my hand tightly before forcing a bitter smile.
"This kind of person has done anything to gain his father's approval. You only know that he's good to me, but do you know that I almost died at his hands six years ago!"
Nangong Ling's face turned pale instantly, her lips tightened into a thin white line, and her dark eyes trembled violently.
Chapter 124
Six years ago.
An atmosphere of bleakness permeated the area outside Junzi Tower in Luoyang City. The clouds and mist hung low, the sky was gloomy, and the west wind blew up, scattering fallen leaves all over the street.
At that time, my eldest brother was often away from home, my second brother had to help my father manage the household affairs, and my third brother couldn't control me, so I followed Feng Moru all over the country. He painted his portraits of beauties, and I took Yan Guhong, who was still clinging to me at the time, to join in the fun.
Choosing to settle in Luoyang was a coincidence, encountering a battle outside Junzi Tower was accidental, and my decision to rescue a familiar face who was being chased and injured by a group of people was purely unexpected.
"Go away...go away..."
"You've stained your white clothes red and you expect no one to care? If you want to die, don't dirty the shop entrance, okay?"
"Miss Rong, it's best not to interfere in the Nangong family's delicate affairs."
"Who is this, Bai Chenyun? What kind of scoundrel turns on its master?!"
"Chen Yun is wrong, but this is the master's will."
"I'm determined to get involved in this matter."
Bai Chenyun remained unfazed, neither speaking nor backing down, looking at me as if I were a thug.
"That's perfect. May I ask what kind of medicine Miss Rong gave our young master that would only boost the morale of others while undermining the prestige of our own?"
"What medicine could I give him? When have we ever gotten along peacefully? We always end up fighting over a few words. Giving him medicine... Hmph, I'd rather give him poison!"
The reason I could say these words so confidently was that I didn't know that the "others" Bai Chenyun was referring to were my father.
"Very well, Chen Yun happens to have a heartbreak herb here, would Miss Rong like it?"
So you came prepared? Are you trying to kill him? Bai Chenyun, what benefits did you receive from his stepmother?
"You're quite good at using someone else to do your dirty work. Although I'm prone to impulsiveness, you'd better not try to set me up openly."
"Really? That's a pity." He suddenly turned around. "Take the young master back."
"Anyone who dares to touch him is going against me. His life or death is up to me!"
A glint flashed in Bai Chenyun's wooden eyes. Without saying a word, he picked up the longsword, which was still dripping with blood, and thrust it straight at him.
Unexpectedly, there was no time to dodge. Just then, a roll of Xuan paper fell diagonally from upstairs, knocking away the sword in Bai Chenyun's hand.
Looking up, he saw Feng Moru standing at the second-floor window, holding a small wolf-hair brush. But his expression was obscured by the dark clouds and could not be seen clearly.
Dark clouds drifted in and a thunderclap boomed overhead, turning the midday sky as dark as ink. Still reeling from the thunder, Bai Chenyun suddenly collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way.
"Guard White!"
Pushing aside the others who rushed at him, Bai Chenyun spat out blood and squinted at Nangong Ling, who was supporting his body with his sword.
"...Does he want me to die, or do you want me to die?"
"We're all going to die anyway, so what's the difference?"
The result is the same, but the process is different. Unless you have the ability to force Nangong Ling to commit suicide, like his father Nangong Yi, he won't let you do whatever you want. He may not kill you on the spot, but he can torture you for a long time afterward, making you wish you were dead.
I curled my lip. "Don't pretend I don't exist. Bai Chenyun, I've disliked you for a long time."
"You're annoying."
The person who answered me wasn't Bai Chenyun, but the one who was clearly on the verge of death but still stubbornly refused to fall, and who spoke those words without even breaking a sweat.
It was nothing at first, but because of those three words, now the more he doesn't want me to get involved, the more I want to interfere. I absolutely cannot do what he wants or please him.
"Lone Goose, charge!"
Yan Guhong was young and inexperienced, and he was also half a head shorter than me at that time. Despite my fierce shouting, when he finally came out from behind me, the man with only one eyebrow to Bai Chenyun's left laughed without any courtesy.
She glared fiercely at Yan Guhong, snatched the sword from his hand, and thrust it at the one with only one eyebrow, saying, "I'll shave off your other eyebrow too!"
The plan was well thought out, but in the end, it was Feng Moru who shaved off that person's eyebrows.
"The weather's changing. If it rains later and we get soaked, who's to blame?"
As soon as he finished speaking, I immediately grabbed Yan Guhong and dragged Nangong Ling into the building. The moment we stepped inside, there was another clap of thunder behind us, followed by a torrential downpour that soaked us from head to toe in an instant.