"It's a wooden kite and a phoenix!"
They spotted the two people flying towards them from afar. Feng's white robes were particularly striking because of the blood-red sleeve. Luo Houji rushed forward to check on his injuries and couldn't help but gasp.
"What... should we do?"
"We can't handle it, let's stop the bleeding first!"
Luo Houjidu immediately got to work, while Mu Yuan said from the side, "Stop the bleeding quickly, I'll take him to find Gui Juezi." "I'll leave after Ning Xian comes out."
"No, look at the state you're in. The one we need to worry about right now isn't Ning Xian, it's you, you know?" He squatted down and deliberately nagged at Feng, "Hey, I saved you this time, how about it? Grateful? Don't think I'm some kind of superstar? Don't idolize me too much, just remember this and repay me later..."
Feng closed her eyes, turned her head, and couldn't be bothered to look at his smug face.
Large sections of the houses and courtyards within the Misty Rain Pavilion had collapsed. Zuo Xuan coughed, her beautiful face covered in a layer of black ash; after wiping it away, she looked almost like a little cat, struggling to make her way through the thick smoke.
"This way!"
Bai Mo pulled Ning Xian along, and a wall almost collapsed next to them. Bai Mo subconsciously pulled Ning Xian into his arms and shielded her with his body. At that moment, similar images overlapped in Ning Xian's mind, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat—fortunately, it was just some rubble. Apart from a few scratches, Bai Mo was fine.
"You—you're asking for it!?" Ning Xian was both anxious and angry, not knowing what to say. He knew he should thank her, but he couldn't help but scold her, "Even without martial arts, I can run faster than you! Why are you bothering me instead of getting out of the way yourself? Don't you want to live?!"
One has already died... Du Cisheng died for her, how could she watch others die for her? Although she didn't mean it, Bai Mo seemed to understand her meaning, smiled faintly, and said to her, "Okay, I'll listen to whatever you want to say after we leave, let's go quickly."
"Come quick, this way!" Zuo Xuan waved from ahead, and Bai Mozhong pulled her along. Ci Sheng, Feng… Feng's hand…
Ning Xian bit her lip hard. If she hadn't been distracted by her, Feng's hand wouldn't have...
How can she compensate him for his hand? How can she...?
Bai Mo squeezed her hand tightly. Ning Xian looked up, but her smile was more like a grimace.
As they escaped and turned around, the enormous Misty Rain Pavilion collapsed before them, engulfed in thick smoke and flames. Zuo Xuan looked around anxiously, and Ning Xian asked, "What happened?"
"I didn't see Zuo Ci come out—he, I hope he's alright?"
Ning Xian did not respond. She did not know how to deal with Zuo Xuan. It was natural for Zuo Xuan to worry about Zuo Ci's safety, but as for her, she did not care at all and hoped that he would just disappear from now on.
But she couldn't bring herself to say those words to Zuo Xuan, nor could she offer words of comfort.
"Lord Jialing."
Suddenly, someone appeared and bowed to Ning Xian, saying, "The Sect Leader is waiting for you."
"The cult leader has arrived?"
"yes."
That makes sense, doesn't it? Without the leader's permission, who could destroy the entire Misty Rain Pavilion on their own?
"Where is Feng? Take me to see him first."
"yes."
Chapter Ninety: Flying Together in the Forest (from "The Story of My Wife Climbing the Wall") by Lian Zhi Qingting.
In the unfamiliar manor, Ning Xian sat in a quiet courtyard for a long time.
Uncle Dongli was treating Feng inside the house and hadn't come out or allowed anyone to enter. She could only wait, and the longer she waited, the more her heart ached, sinking deeper into despair.
Why has it taken so long...?
Feng's hand, even if anyone saw it, would be impossible to salvage. Yet, before receiving the final ultimatum, she still couldn't help but cling to a sliver of hope, so faint, which was crushed by the already known outcome, causing her even greater pain.
She didn't know how long she had been waiting. Perhaps she just wanted to keep waiting like this, without hearing the result, so that at least she could still hold onto a sliver of unrealistic hope. Yet, she also hoped that the door would open soon, ending this painful wait filled with a mixture of hope and despair.
The door finally opened, and Ning Xian's heart leaped into her throat, unsure where to land. She saw Uncle Dongli emerge, and abruptly stood up, but lacked the courage to greet him. It was too fast… Despite her long wait, she wasn't prepared to hear Dongli's answer; she needed more time… But Dongli didn't give her that time, because he could tell from her expression that no amount of time would be enough.
He walked up to her and got straight to the point: "His right hand has been reattached. But most of his tendons have been severed, and there's no chance of a full recovery."
Ning Xian slowly sat back down, her mind blank, her hands unconsciously clenching tightly.
"Shall we go in and see him?"
Ning Xian slowly shook her head. Mr. Dongli patted her shoulder, then left her alone to have some peace and quiet before turning and leaving. Ning Xian sat for a long time before suddenly getting up and striding towards the courtyard gate.
After settling in, Bai Mo was dragged by Kinnara to drink "peace wine." Kinnara got drunk and chatted with "brother" and "little brother" for a long time. Finally, the arrival of Luo Hou and Ji Du distracted him, and Bai Mo was able to get away.
Although he knew where Feng was staying, he also knew that Ning Xian must be there. He didn't want to disturb them, so he didn't go to visit her. Instead, he sat in the room that had been arranged for him, casually flipping through the books on the bookshelf to calm his mind.
His door was suddenly pushed open, and Bai Mo looked up to see Ning Xian walk in, his hand on his desk, saying in an unquestionable tone, "Give me a letter of divorce!"
Bai Mo slowly closed the book, his gaze remaining fixed on it, avoiding her eyes. He asked, "Brother Feng's hand... is it beyond cure?" Ning Xian slightly shifted her gaze. "You don't need to ask those questions. Just give me the divorce papers—"
"I can't."
"Bai Mo!!" Ning Xian slammed her hand on the table. "There was never any affection between us to begin with. What's the point of dragging this on like this? If you feel ashamed, it's the Qiu family that's losing face, not the Bai family, if you feel you can't explain this to your in-laws, I'll go talk to them!" She turned to leave, but Bai Mo suddenly grabbed her wrist. Without looking up or at her, he said softly and slowly, "I know you and Feng are in love, and our marriage is only in name. Since you're lovers, I have no right to stop you—but, Ning Xian, I can't give you a divorce decree..."
Ning Xian didn't understand and pressed, "Bai Mo, why are you so stubborn? What good is it for you and me to just keep a title?" "You don't care, do you? I will let you go and let you be with Feng—I think Feng also doesn't care about an empty title. What he cares about is that you can be by his side."
"Yes, I don't care, and he won't care either. As long as we're together, what does it matter what our status is? But I know you care! I can just leave, but then what? The position of wife will be occupied by someone who leaves. Sooner or later you'll get married again and marry someone else. Do you want to live with someone who has no real status?"
"You don't need to think about those things."
Ning Xian felt the hand gripping his wrist tighten imperceptibly, then return to its almost nonexistent hold, a light but firm grip. "Ning Xian, let me keep this title—now that you're gone, this will be the last connection between you and me..." Even knowing this title was meaningless, even knowing that she and he lived in two completely different worlds, keeping this title allowed him to feel that she had indeed appeared in his life, that even though she had flown far away, they had at least brushed past each other, and that it wasn't all an illusion.
Even if he can never reach her again, at least his last connection with her will remain.
Ning Xian paused slightly. The hand holding hers was light, yet it suddenly felt burning hot, making her almost want to pull away—but she didn't move. She didn't quite understand Bai Mo's thoughts, but suddenly she felt a pang of sadness. An inexplicable sadness. She had never liked Bai Mo. Perhaps sometimes she found him annoying, sometimes not so annoying, and maybe this seemingly decent guy was quite nice sometimes—but what did it matter? He was just her nominal husband. She had never wanted to marry him, much less stay—she didn't like Bai Mo, and Bai Mo didn't like her. That was it, then, now, and always would be…
"I...I understand...Whatever, I'm going to see Feng—" Ning Xian withdrew her hand, the warmth on it vanishing in an instant. The momentary bewilderment she felt disappeared, and she turned to leave.
Bai Mo remained in the room, neither looking up nor glancing around. He simply opened the book again slowly, letting the wind scatter its pages. He had to go.
He is no longer needed here, this place does not belong to him, and he does not belong here.
But he felt as if he had lost something very important, something that could no longer be found in this world that did not belong to him.
…………
Ning Xian pushed open the door. Feng was leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed. Sunlight streamed in from the window, illuminating his pale face, but even the warm light couldn't hide it. Ning Xian felt a pang of pain in her heart. She walked over with a slightly somber expression. Feng opened his eyes, looked at her, and said with a slight smile, "I thought you should have come sooner."
Ning Xian stood there without speaking. Feng straightened up and carefully looked her over. "You haven't shown up. I thought you were injured and they were hiding it from me—even though Mr. Dongli repeatedly assured me you were safe… Come here. You've been hiding so far away. I'm starting to suspect you're hiding something from me." Ning Xian, enduring her smile that was more like a grimace, approached and said, "What could be wrong with me? I've always been lively and energetic…" As she smiled, she suddenly felt like crying. A sore feeling welled up in her nose, and she dared not say another word, afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would burst into tears.
Feng… he has always been such a perfect person, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, aloof and standing at a high place. His kung fu is so profound, his swordsmanship so exquisite, even just standing there, he is completely different from others—as long as he is there, you can always feel at ease. How could such a Feng be crippled with one hand?
Like a flawless jade disc, once a corner is missing, it can never be repaired...
A tear fell to the ground, splashing a drop of water. Feng reached out and wiped the rest of her tears away. New tears flowed, and he wiped them away again. They continued to flow, and he continued to wipe them away.
His slightly weak voice was low and deep, lingering in my ear as he said, "Even the finest jade loses its value once it's broken. Do you think I'm worthless too?"
Ning Xian shook his head desperately in his palm. Feng said, "Then why are you crying? Even if one hand is crippled, I still have the other. I can still use my sword. My left hand may not be any worse than my right hand."
Ning Xian pressed his hand down, burying her face in it to hide her emotions. Even as tears seeped through the gaps between her palms and cheeks, she didn't want him to see her cry. She would only cry this once, just this once, so let her cry this time. For Feng's hand, for her Feng, for the unbearable pain in her heart.
How could she bear to see Feng, whom she loved so much, suffer even the slightest harm?
Before today, I never knew that I loved Feng so much, so very much...
Chapter Ninety-One: Preparing for the End of "The Story of My Wife Climbing the Wall" by Lian Zhi Qingting.
The leader and his party stayed here for several days and conducted a large-scale search of the ruins of the Misty Rain Pavilion. They found a number of living, dead and half-dead people from the Xuanlang Sect, but did not find Zuo Ci's body.
Zuo Xuan was extremely anxious, and Ning Xian also came to inquire about the situation several times. Dongfang Qingming stopped her with a smile, "Ning Xian, since when have you become so concerned about Zuo Ci's life or death?"
"Of course I care about whether he lives or dies."
"So, would you rather see him dead or alive?"
Ning Xian snorted, "It's best if he's alive! I'll cut off his hands and feet and cripple him for the rest of his life! -- Master, we still can't find him at this point, is he dead or alive?"
"Well... if they weren't unlucky enough to be buried under some ruins, or blown to pieces... then they escaped... Aside from the first possibility, there's no way to prove the latter two for the time being."
Ning Xian wanted to scoff at Dongfang Qingming, thinking that this was all the Dongfang Cult Leader was capable of. But at least she hadn't forgotten that he was still her cult leader.
"In that case, please continue the search, Master. I'll go with Feng—"
Dongfang Qingming called out to her, "Ning Xian, you should also persuade your lovely little boy not to wait any longer. I think the latter two possibilities are more likely. If it is unfortunately the first possibility... of course we can't possibly search every rubble. We can only hope that he is not buried too deep. Otherwise, we can only leave him buried."
Ning Xian shrugged. "Okay, I'll talk to them. Hopefully, I won't see a big jerk crying."
"That's a good kid."
"That's right, although the soil it grew in wasn't great, it still produced a good seedling."
She walked out, looked up at the sky, sighed, shook her head, and struggled with the question—was it better to be torn apart by limbs and pieces of flesh, or to be a half-dead person without hands and feet? What should she pray to Buddha to let her see?
Okay, good riddance. It's clean and quick, without her having to lift a finger, and it'll eliminate any future trouble.
Entering the courtyard, she saw Du Zhengnian preparing medicine for Mr. Dongli. The scene evoked a sense of nostalgia and comfort. Perhaps in a couple of years, she could retire with Feng and settle down in some quiet little place. Hmm… if Uncle Dongli had no children, it wouldn't be bad for everyone to get together.
Is Feng inside?
"No, he went out," Uncle Dongli replied. Ning Xian frowned. "Huh? Where did he go?"
"Just taking a casual stroll and getting some exercise."
"He's wounded! How could he run out alone?"
Mr. Dongli put down his work and smiled gently, "You're a bit too nervous. He's injured his hand; there's nothing seriously wrong elsewhere—but you, your internal injuries haven't been treated yet—"