Chapter 49
Later, Qiongying asked me if I had hated my father or resented Nangong Ling after I learned the truth. I looked at her and couldn't answer for a moment.
I thought about it for a long time, so long that I didn't even know when she was brought back. To say I hated her would be too intense. How could I hate my own father? The honor and status he gave me were something others couldn't earn in ten lifetimes. All I could feel was a brief moment of anger, since he was already gone.
As for Nangong Ling, I don't know what to say. I suddenly couldn't suppress the urge to see him. I sighed at my increasingly uncontrollable self and finally left the pavilion to go to Wangyue Tower.
I frowned slightly as I lifted the somewhat elaborate skirt. Having grown accustomed to simple cloth clothes, putting on this luxurious brocade felt cumbersome; it was so inconvenient to walk in. Leaving the Begonia Courtyard and passing through the central and north buildings took quite a while. I wondered, Nangong Ling is incredibly extravagant; his clothes are sometimes even more elaborate than mine. How come he walks in them without feeling heavy at all, but rather with such grace?
It's so hot today. Even my palms are sweating because my body temperature is naturally on the cooler side. It must be really tough on those who are sensitive to heat.
When I arrived at Jinxiao Pavilion, the first thing I saw was Cang Zhe, who was practically melting from the heat. At that moment, the man with the most exquisite features and the most arrogant attitude was pressed against the ice bucket. His long eyelashes trembled incessantly from the heat, and his arrogance was long gone. So at first glance, he looked like a very naughty child.
"Huh? Is it so hot that you're hallucinating?" Xiao Jinse sat there, clearly unbearably hot, yet he maintained his expressionless, half-smiling face, as if he had no facial expression at all.
"Stop your delusions." I glared at him. "Where's your master?"
"Inside the room, Han Xuanmo came to visit."
I was shocked. They found us so quickly?
"What's wrong with him?"
"I want Qu Haifeng's life."
It turns out this person is so persistent; he's been targeting Qu Haifeng for so many years. It's also Qu Haifeng's fault for being so ruthless; once she decided to kill, she wiped out the entire Han family. The reason, it turns out, was that Han Xuezhi was going to marry her brother, which she refused. I only learned later from the Xuanmo Sect that Qu Haifeng had an extremely strong possessive desire for her half-brother, Qu Haiyuan. Knowing the marriage was arranged, she endured until the wedding day, waiting for everyone to be off guard before unleashing her killing spree, not even sparing her own parents.
“What’s the point of coming to find Yunzhi?” I raised an eyebrow. “In the end, you won’t get what you want and Yunzhi will take advantage of you. I didn’t expect Han Xuanmo to do something so thankless in order to get revenge.”
Xiao Jinse grabbed a fan and fanned herself vigorously. "It's a thankless task, but there's nothing he can do. Of course, he has to hurry. Before Qu Haifeng has done anything for the Palace Master, and since she once tried to kill you, this is the best opportunity. If he misses it, there won't be a second chance. If he wants revenge again, it won't be as simple as just being difficult."
"When do they want to talk?"
"Who knew, half an hour has already passed."
It's rare that I had the time to come and see you, Nangong Ling. Well, you're out of luck. I'd better go back to my pavilion to escape the heat. It's already so hot today. Just looking at Cang Zhe's appearance here will only make it hotter.
"Then you guys wait patiently, I'm leaving."
I grabbed a fan from the table and turned to leave.
"Where are you going? Come back."
A beautiful, melodious voice came from behind, stopping me in my tracks.
Turning around, one sees an extremely refined face. A loose-fitting dark blue robe accentuates his slender frame. He habitually touches a jade thumb ring, and his dark eyes are unfathomable. His overall impression is ambiguous; he is refined and clean-cut, yet carries a hint of gloom and coldness, a complex mix that makes him somewhat enigmatic.
The tall, slender figure who emerged from behind him wore a light purple robe, a piece of blood jade hanging from his waist, and walked towards me in flying cloud shoes.
"Finished talking?" I took a sip of the plum juice that had been warmed up on the table; it wasn't as good as the iced kind.
"Hmm, what made you decide to come over? Is something the matter?"
He took the bowl from my hand, drank a mouthful, and immediately frowned.
"Why can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?"
He was taken aback, glanced at me, and then smiled with some surprise.
"Master Han said he would send two of his guards to you to deal with. What do you say?"
Han Xuanmo looked out the door, his expression calm, as if he was listening but also as if he wasn't listening at all.
"Is that the Fu Shuang duo? Didn't you refuse to hand them over no matter what?"
"..." Han Xuanmo pursed his lips and slowly turned his head. "You've changed your mind."
"Oh, then bring it to me, I'm bored."
Chapter 50
Han Xuanmo appears cold, but he is actually very protective of his own. The fact that he was forced to bring out members of his own sect shows just how much he hates Qu Haifeng.
I only asked after seeing Han Xuanmo off.
How much more have you exploited him?
"The land that the Han family used to live on is no longer inhabited, so I might as well have it."
What do you want with a piece of broken land?
He smiled and said, "Nothing."
This person is too proud, so proud that he refuses to say anything.
"Shouldn't this be the time to take advantage of their misfortune and loot their family's secret treasures?"
"Mysterious Powder?"
"Yes, I heard that practicing this can help you stay young."
"You want to learn?" he asked enticingly, raising the corners of his narrow eyes.
I nodded. I've been coveting this internal energy cultivation method for a long time.
"I'll teach you next time I have time."
"Huh? You can do that?"
"Although all martial arts in the world are unique, the general routines are still similar. I can tell what someone has learned just by looking at their breathing rhythm and footwork. Moreover, Xuanzhen Powder is neither profound nor practical, but it does have the effect of preserving youth and maintaining youth. It is an internal skill suitable for women to learn, and my senior sisters also know it."
After he said that, it seemed like Xuanzhen Powder was really worthless.
"If it's so useless, why did you learn it?"
"At that time, I had nothing to do in Anting, so I read through some miscellaneous collections compiled by my master and memorized them."
I felt my lips twitch nervously. "No way, how can you learn internal energy cultivation methods together? If they're mutually exclusive, at best your internal energy will clash, at worst you'll lose your life."
"If there are any contradictions, just make a few minor changes to make them blend together."
No wonder the old man kept calling him a genius; such a person only appears once in a hundred generations, and I actually met one.
"I'm going to Xiaoshan in early October, do you want to come?"
"Of course I'd like to go out, but what will you be doing there?"
The peaks of Mount Xiao have always been dominated by the Juyi Manor. While the name Juyi Manor sounds prestigious, it's actually a notorious place, unapproachable for miles around. No one knows exactly when Juyi Manor began to grow in size; all that's known is that an abandoned manor at the foot of Mount Xiao gradually became inhabited, and the entire manor was renovated. Initially, people, out of curiosity, went to see who was gathering there. What they saw terrified them, causing them to flee in terror. Those people were either notorious bandits or wanted criminals, wanted by the government but impossible to capture—utterly wicked and vicious villains. Even after the news spread, the government made no move. These so-called heroes initially seemed to have gone to uphold justice, but after returning in disgrace, none of them were ever seen again. They only knew how to bully the weak, shrinking back when faced with the truly powerful.
"You'll find out when you get there."
It's another roundabout tactic; they clearly know I won't be able to resist their curiosity.
"Fine, I'll go. Do you think I'm afraid?"
His silent laughter was as serene as a snow lotus in its first bloom.
"Speaking of which, what did those two from the Xuanmo Sect do to offend you? What do you plan to do with them once they're brought here?"
"Hmph, trying to steal my things. They snatched the last jar of plum blossom wine from Xihong Garden that year! I waited a whole year for it, and it just flew away. I chased after them and, unusually, offered to pay three times the price for the wine, but they didn't appreciate it. I slapped them twice, and they were badly injured, but one of them managed to escape with the wine, while the other stayed behind to hold me off. Then, Feng Moru caught up and took me back, so Dafu's life was saved."
He took a breath and sighed slowly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
My mother said I'm a heartless person who doesn't know how to cherish things, and that I'll definitely suffer in the future.
For some reason, this sentence suddenly came to mind at this moment. It was so abrupt that it made my heart tremble, and a sense of unease and fear arose within me.
Can I trust him? Should I trust him? "No problem," a voice whispered in my head.
Chapter 51
At the end of September, Yue Linghe suddenly returned to Wuyue Palace, bringing bad news.
I know my mother's health has never been very good, but it's impossible that she's become so ill in just a few months. But whether it's true or not, I have to see my mother, both out of courtesy and reason.
Nangong Ling was somewhat taken aback when she heard the news, but she showed no intention of accompanying me. In an instant, I felt a sense of panic I had never experienced before.
The stinging pain in my back extended all the way to my head, bringing a suffocating pain. The jolting of the carriage made me feel nauseous and want to vomit.
"Sister, are you alright? You look terrible."
I shook my head, forced myself to calm down, and closed my eyes.
When I returned to the Nangong family home, I felt the long-lost hostile gazes, undisguised and blatant.
I straightened my back, each step feeling as heavy as if I were trampling them under my feet.
Compared to my pale complexion, Yue Linghe smiled sweetly, as if she were the lady of the house.
She pushed open the door and a wave of damp, stuffy air rushed in, feeling like it could corrode her if you touched it even a little.
A sudden surge of anger almost made my eyes red, and I took a deep breath without making it obvious.
Why did you tell me so late?