"Thank you," I said calmly, and continued on my way.
A gentle spring breeze wafted through the air, caressing my face. I looked down and saw the tips of my shoes, woven with crimson feathers and adorned with cloud-shaped gold ornaments, incomparably beautiful… So, I can feel the wind again? I can see colors again?
These are such precious things, and I once threw them away for someone or something... Thank God! I won't be that foolish again.
—Just like a person who attempts suicide, if they fail the first time, they will never try to die again.
This principle is truly timeless and unbreakable. It's excellent, truly excellent...
Volume 1, Chapter 8: Struggling to Move Forward (2)
Section Two: The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons
Having just arrived in Zhashui, and now returning to Luoyang, such a long and arduous journey is generally considered a major taboo for travelers, but—
Now that the young lady has spoken, who dares to object?
Gong Feicui fastened the Hualin Lock back to her waist, and my breath caught in my throat. I then lowered my head and turned to leave with her.
The wind-chasing creature continued its low neighing. I glanced at it coldly and suddenly found it quite laughable.
I spared your life out of a moment of mercy, and you ended up becoming Xiao Zuo's mount!
Hello, Wind Chaser, you're great...
I walked past it expressionlessly. Three steps later, I heard the sound of the massive object crashing to the ground behind me, followed by gasps from passersby. Gong Feicui turned around at the sound, her expression clearly startled, and looked at me: "Why?"
"It's nothing," I replied calmly. "The things I gave to Baili Chenfeng, even though he's no longer here, I won't leave them to anyone else."
Gong Feicui's eyes flickered, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't. She mounted her horse and ordered the cavalry, "Let's go, back to Hecheng tonight."
The group turned around and left in a grand procession, but I couldn't help but look back—at the entrance of the inn, Zhuifeng lay on the ground, convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Xiao Zuo squatted down to check its breathing, and suddenly looked up at me.
For a fleeting moment, I saw anger in his eyes, but the anger vanished in an instant, the glint in his eyes disappeared, and his whole being dimmed.
It finally faded into obscurity.
First the Dragon King, then Baili Chenfeng, then Gong Feicui... Your best friend and the woman you love most have all left you, Xiao Zuo. Although you haven't fallen yet, you're almost there, aren't you?
As I expected, he never caught up with me again.
Are you truly disheartened?
I looked back several times, lost in thought, while Gong Feicui, on the other hand, spurred her horse and galloped even faster than when she came.
“Young Miss,” I caught up with her as we passed a bamboo grove, slightly out of breath, “it’s getting dark. Should we stop for a while, have some dry rations, and then continue our journey?”
Gong Feicui hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The group dismounted and lit torches.
As soon as the firelight ignited, the forest path became even more secluded. Bamboo branches intertwined above our heads, obscuring the sky, making it seem as if only our group remained in the world... A night breeze swept by, and suddenly a red dot appeared ahead, swaying gently, flickering on and off, giving it a somewhat eerie and sinister appearance from afar.
Gong Feicui narrowed her eyes warily.
The red dot grew brighter and brighter. As it drew closer, it became clear that it was a lantern, held in the hands of a person whose hands were as beautiful as jade.
It was him, the stunningly handsome man I'd seen before.
The difference was that this time he had another person with him, and the red light illuminated that person's face, which was no less beautiful than his.
Before I could even react to seeing these two people in this place, Gong Feicui cried out, "Hua Ye!"
Hua Ye, the foremost of the three most famous courtesans in the land? Jin Zhaoyu and the iron cavalrymen all showed expressions of surprise.
Hua Ye smiled gently, her face appearing even paler under the lamplight, and said in a languid voice, "Miss Gong, we meet again."
Gong Feicui's expression changed instantly, and she said coldly, "Do you know who I am?"
This time, it was the stunningly handsome man who answered: "You are the richest person in the world, of course we know each other."
Gong Feicui's eyes darted around, and she suddenly fell silent.
"Miss Gong, are you wondering why I'm here?" Hua Ye said, rolling up her sleeves to reveal large bruises on her wrists. "Look, this is from that Young Master Meng from that day, he..."
Gong Feicui interrupted her, saying, "Good riddance! Seeing you standing here unharmed, I think he didn't hit you hard enough!"
Hua Ye blinked and laughed again: "Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect Miss Gong to be so ruthless... Actually, I just wanted to remind you that a man who is so rude to women is terrible. Don't be fooled by his gentle facade."
She thought these words would surely hit a nerve, but to her surprise, Gong Feicui sneered, "Whether his gentleness is genuine or not is none of my business. However, I don't think he did anything wrong by crippling your martial arts."
Hua Ye was stunned for a moment, then turned to the handsome man and said, "I'm so surprised... Husband, did you hear that?"
The man replied with a smile, "I heard you. It seems that this Miss Gong is much smarter and more cold-blooded than we imagined."
"Compared to the astonishing news that Hua Ye, the most famous of the three courtesans, is already married, what is my little bit of cold-bloodedness?" Gong Fei Cui raised an eyebrow, and then spoke slowly, "No need to act anymore, there's a whole bunch of ghosts in the mountains."
Upon hearing this, the cavalrymen drew their weapons with a whoosh, the torches reflecting off the blades, the light dazzling.