"you!"
...Don't tell me you're shocked. I don't even understand why I rushed up to push you and block those two knives for you. It wasn't my will; my body moved on its own.
Just as we were both completely baffled, the man in green over there swung his palm back and attacked with a whooshing sound.
So once again, I went along with it and pushed Nangong Ling out the door. The wind from his palm parted his clothes, and as I dodged, that hand relentlessly followed. I dodged twice, almost twisting my ankle, but ultimately couldn't escape. My lower back slammed heavily against the nanmu wooden table behind me, hitting it hard.
Before I could even feel the pain in my body, I felt a tightness in my chest and couldn't breathe!
Hey, Nangong Ling, get back here right now! I'm still young and don't want to die!
I cried out in my heart, thinking that the man who was destined to die still had some conscience; that was the first and last time he laid a hand on his father.
This time I didn't faint, but I felt very weak and had great difficulty breathing. The stabbing pain in my lumbar spine from that time still lingers; it flares up whenever I touch it, but the pain comes and goes quickly. I always remember to check on it, but I always forget.
Nangong Ling's moves were all soft, while his father's every move was ruthless, as if he wouldn't stop until he chopped his son into seventeen or eighteen pieces.
I asked, "Who's going to give me a break?" You guys are making me dizzy from all that swaying around. I looked down and suddenly a blinding white light flashed before my eyes, and my blood rushed to my head uncontrollably.
"Rong Lian!"
I felt very dizzy and my vision was blurry. A figure walked up to me and lifted me up, the pale, thin fingers holding me unsteadily.
He leaped and took me away from the Nangong family. Although he couldn't beat his father at that time, he was at least skilled in a martial art. We managed to shake off his father after circling around most of Luoyang.
"You...it's not worth it..."
"So, was it worth it for your father?"
He wiped the blood from his mouth, and his voice sounded even weaker than mine.
"I just can't stand your dad, but let's just consider it an accident... Anyway, I've always been someone who likes to meddle in other people's business."
"...You don't need to get involved in this mess."
"It's all thanks to your senior brother Jing Tianxiang. If he hadn't told me that Feng Moru's only hope of salvation was to go to your Nangong family, would I have come along?"
At this moment, the pain gradually spread throughout his body, and his speech became unsteady, losing all his momentum.
He seemed to sigh slightly, pursed his lips, took out a handkerchief and wrapped the wound on my arm. Then he turned my body around, and a warm current flowed into my back with his hand, and the pain gradually subsided.
"Perhaps I misjudged you due to preconceived notions."
Hmm? I was feeling so comfortable that my whole body was about to go limp when a very soft sound suddenly appeared out of nowhere, like a gentle breeze. When I tried to reach for it, it disappeared.
After waiting for a long time, the wind never came again. Moonlight shone through the leaky roof tiles into the dilapidated temple. Looking up, the moonlight was very bright. Although the clouds were thin, they were piled up there and remained motionless. There was not a breath of wind tonight. What was that just now? Could it have been a cold wind?
Are you cold?
"no."
"Then why are you shaking?"
"..."
"..."
"Aren't you afraid of choking on your words?"
"You'll be fine as long as you don't provoke me to speak."
"..."
So nothing was said that night, and by dawn the rooster had called him to give him his energy, which was almost used up.
He was much better now, at least he wasn't completely blind anymore, and that's when I could see his condition clearly.
His face was extremely pale, barely clinging to life like a corpse. His pale clothes were stained with blood, and his body was so thin it seemed as if it could break at any moment.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the city gate."
The city gate was not far away, and after walking out for a short while, you could already see the bluish-gray brick walls.
The person in front suddenly stopped and looked in the direction he was looking. They saw Feng Moru leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and Yan Guhong constantly practicing his breathing exercises.
He gestured for me to come over, and I looked at him.
What will you do?
His eyes dimmed, and he turned his head away. "Luoyang, don't come again."
After saying that, he turned and left. The rising sun cast a golden glow, and his silhouette was bathed in the golden light, slowly fading until it disappeared completely.
Chapter 127
I didn't see him for two years after that, but I always managed to find out about him, whether intentionally or unintentionally, from when he was brought to Anting by the Martial Venerable and when he appeared at Wuyue Palace.
I saw him again when I was fifteen and it was time to get married. He appeared for a while, and after my father said a few words, he changed his expression and left.
Hey, didn't you hate me? Why did you react like you'd been bitten by a snake the moment you heard Feng Moru's name? I hesitated then, but the ensuing upheavals left me no time to think. One thing after another led to the Rong family's downfall, and I was left unsure how to face him. With no one to rely on and his ambiguous attitude, I had no choice but to raise my quills. But I didn't expect to not only make myself look pathetic but also wound him deeply. In the end, he became enraged and transferred all the insecurity he had previously placed on his father onto me. Looking back now, we really were two ridiculous hedgehogs.
I've always kept these things to myself. Those who need to know already know, so why should I explain them to other irrelevant people?
If it weren't for the appearance of the courtesan, I wouldn't have thought about these old stories. I admit that the throat-slitting incident was very traumatic for me, or rather, I was simply afraid that such a thing would happen again, especially now that I've removed all the thorns from my body, I don't know if I can still handle it.
That man's face was extremely ugly. Were all his memories good? His strange germaphobia was something he developed later. He didn't want to touch a sword or see blood, but because I was tricked by Xiao Lianjue, an accident occurred that made him hold a sword and bathe in a sea of blood. Although his attitude at the time made me want to slap him, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him when I thought about it afterwards.
I pouted. I had originally wanted to bring up these old stories to confront him, but looking at his face, I couldn't utter a single word.
I remember him telling me that it was the most impulsive and regrettable thing he had ever done. Of course, I wouldn't be foolish enough to be soft-hearted about something like that. Since he was capable of doing it, I would definitely use this incident to put pressure on him for the rest of his life.
Seeing that the courtesan was frightened by Nangong Ling's expression, I coughed lightly. The former came back to her senses and looked at me with surprisingly clear eyes, without the resentment and unwillingness she had shown before.
She slowly stood up, smiled slightly, and said, "I...I've never seen him with that expression before."
Huh? This guy always likes to play the victim, and he actually told me he'd never seen it before. Isn't that his signature move?
"I was too naive. There was absolutely no way a third party could have interfered between you. I understand now that judging things by appearances can really be deadly." Her smile was truly beautiful; it seems she didn't deserve the title of courtesan for nothing. "However, I don't regret knowing him, nor do I regret what I did for him. It's proof that I tried my best."
Yunzhi, you are so lucky to have such a soulmate! Stop staring blankly like you're back from the dead, hurry up and see her off.
"No need, let's part ways here."
She waved goodbye, looking relieved and carefree, leaving with a hint of regret but no longer lingering.
"They've all disappeared, stop acting."
"You're still bothered by me..."
"Don't come back to sleep tonight either. I'm heavily pregnant, and one more person will take up more space."
This person cannot be tolerated. I turned a blind eye when the courtesan came to my door last time, but now she's doing the same thing again, which reminds me of what happened years ago. So I feel uncomfortable and don't really want to see you.
The hand gripping my wrist tightened its hold. Was it using that trick again?
"What, do you want to argue or fight?"
He stared at me for a long time before slowly letting go of my hand.
"Don't get so angry that you'll ruin your health..."
"I won't treat myself badly, you... never mind, there's something I need to ask you now."
He immediately gripped my hand again, his eyes lighting up.
"Was it out of guilt, or some other reason, that you chose me? You knew who I liked all along, so why did you keep pressing and probing?"
"At first, I really disliked you. Sometimes, after arguing with you, I felt a lot better, but my impression of you remained bad. Then, that time you rushed in without hesitation to shield me from two deadly attacks, and the first time you laid a hand on Dad… I suddenly felt I couldn't live like that anymore. Thinking back on everything, I slowly figured out the intentions behind your aggressive behavior. By the time I understood, you had already run away with your tail between your legs. Actually, many times it wasn't that I didn't trust you, it's just that I couldn't control my fear, I was so afraid… afraid…"
"Alright," I interrupted him. If I listened any longer, I'd probably be the one to give in first.
That Nangong Yi is truly a master of creating trouble, completely eroding his son's sense of security, leaving me with not a single bit. My own temper is sharp and I never know how to back down, and I feel that many things don't need to be said. Nangong Ling isn't as carefree as he seems; he's anxious and uneasy inside. Being rubbed by my bad temper is like a flint igniting paper, ready to burst into flames at the slightest touch.
Why do I have to be the kind of person who only responds to force and never to gentleness? I've only made myself suffer so much for nothing.
"Let go, I want to go back and drink bird's nest soup."
His dark, jade-like eyes eventually dimmed, like lifeless, sunken stones.
"...It's not a solution for Xiaoman to keep changing the heater for me every night. She can't work properly if she doesn't sleep well, can she?"
He looked up, reacted for a moment, and then reached out to pull me into his arms.
"sorry."
"Why does it feel like Nangong Ling's 'I'm sorry' is becoming increasingly cheap?"
This time he ignored me and simply rested his chin on my shoulder.
"Granny Zhao said I'll be able to see my son in about four months."
He nuzzled my earlobe with the tip of his nose and gently patted my back with his hand.
"It's a daughter."
The setting sun outside the window ignited the snow, turning it a fiery red, and the last snow of the year was gone.
Chapter 128
Spring came early this year, and with it, problems arose.
"Ayu is back?"
"...Cang Zhe had infiltrated Li Mu's Imperial Guard earlier, but Li Mu was extremely wary. Even when he had few men left, he would still walk a distance and send some away. Cang Zhe was sent away in the second wave. He had no choice but to wait for Li Mu to walk a distance before secretly following him. Just before he was about to set off, he heard the sound of a golden whistle, which is why you saw him that night."