Upon seeing Xuezhi, his eyes were filled with astonishment.
Xuezhi said softly, "It's me."
"You...have been here all along?"
"Hmm." Xuezhi paused, then walked up to him. "Did you need something from me?"
Shangguan Tou looked down at Xuezhi. Her nose and cheeks were red from the cold, and her large, dark eyes were brighter than the snow. He didn't know if it was she who had changed, or himself, but every time he saw those eyes, he felt his emotions were harder to control than before.
However, he simply smiled faintly and said:
"No."
"Looking for the others from Chonghuo Palace?"
"no."
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I just came to check, nothing important." Shangguan Tou shook his hat and put it on. "It's late now, I'll go back first." He casually patted the snowflakes off her hair. "You should stay home as much as possible, be careful not to catch a cold. Go to bed early."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Xuezhi called out:
"etc."
Shangguan Tou stopped, let out a soft breath, turned around and smiled, "What's wrong?"
Xuezhi had no idea why she had called out to him. Under his gaze, she became flustered:
"If you're alright, why did you come?" The words were barely out of her mouth before she regretted them.
"I want to see you."
They maintained a considerable distance from each other. But whenever he spoke to her, his tone would involuntarily soften.
Those four simple words shattered Xuezhi's defenses in an instant.
She clenched her fists and said to herself: Tell him. Tell him everything. What could be more important to a woman than lifelong happiness? The world is vast, full of heroes, and no one would mind losing a female hero.
Snowflakes danced wildly in the cold, desolate air.
In the end, what she said was:
"I heard you've proposed to Feng Zi."
Shangguan Tou hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Yes."
"In that case, you shouldn't have come here."
"I didn't know you were outside."
When will you get married?
"Around May next year."
Xuezhi stared at him blankly. Their child would be born next May.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and she could barely hold them back.
Do you like Feng Zi?
"I don't like it." Shangguan Tou stared at her. "I like you."
Her nails dug almost into her flesh, but Xuezhi still forced back her tears. The next words she spoke were almost unbelievable to her:
"Then...can you accept me too?"
"……What?"
"I wouldn't mind being a concubine."
Shangguan Tou looked utterly bewildered. He tried to speak several times, but couldn't find the right words. After a long pause, he finally said:
"This doesn't sound like something you would say."
"I know, but I have..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shangguan Tou decisively said, "No."
It seemed there would be no chance to say the rest. Xuezhi's face flushed red, and she pointed at him angrily, saying, "Then get out! Your behavior is disgusting!"
Shangguan Tou stopped looking at her and turned away.
After taking only a few steps, Xuezhi said again, "Shangguan Tou, you'd better not regret this later!"
Shangguan Tou didn't dare turn around. He knew Xuezhi was crying behind him, so he frowned deeply and walked even faster.
122
The next day, in the main hall of the temple.
The crowd continued to discuss the "Lotus Wings." Chong Xuezhi sat in the very center of the Chonghuo Palace crowd, her gaze unfocused, yet she would occasionally, uncontrollably, glance towards Yue Shang Valley.
As soon as Shangguan Tou arrived, Feng Zi went to stand beside him. The atmosphere between them was somewhat awkward, and they rarely interacted, which attracted even more attention.
Everyone knows how their matter was resolved, but no one says it.
Shangguan Tou never glanced at Xuezhi.
He was looking at another young couple, and he was quite puzzled—Xia Qingmei and Liu Hua.
Neither Lin Xuanfeng nor Yuan Shuangshuang came to Lingjian Manor, but Xia Qingmei and Liu Hua did. They stood side-by-side behind Fengcheng, chatting and laughing. Liu Hua would often tiptoe and whisper in Xia Qingmei's ear, and Xia Qingmei would nod intently, then smile and squeeze her hand. Every time these two appeared in public, their intimacy grew. If Shangguan Tou hadn't seen another side of Xia Qingmei, he would have thought their marriage at the beginning of the year was too late.
Shangguan Tou knew Xuezhi was watching him, so he tried to shift his attention to other things.
Feng She witnessed all of this. Not long after, Feng She lowered his head and whispered to Xue Zhi, "Poor Xue Palace Mistress, your lover was stolen by your sister, and you have to suffer in silence. Let me, this young master, comfort you..."
Xuezhi said, "If you say another word, I'll kill you right here."
"Still so feisty, no wonder no one wants you."
Xuezhi had only drawn her sword halfway when Feng She interrupted, "Alright, alright, let's wait and see what Abbot Shiyan has to say."
At this moment, a servant sneaked in and whispered a few words in Xia Qingmei's ear. Xia Qingmei frowned slightly, nodded thoughtfully, patted Liu Hua, and left the main hall.
Half a day after he left, Shangguan Tou also went out.
He hadn't wanted to arouse suspicion by going out so late, but Xia Qingmei ran too fast, and by the time Shangguan Tou found him, it seemed he had already missed the crucial conversation.
He was talking to a woman in a small courtyard.
The trees were all withered in winter, so Shangguan Tou had to hide behind the wall, which is why he couldn't hear very clearly.
The woman's voice was low, but she was clearly furious: "There's nothing to say. You're going to be ruined today!"
"Godmother, you can't treat me like this. I was just confused for a moment. Now that things are about to succeed, you can't let a little bit of romantic feelings get in the way..."
"It's all bullshit! No need to say any more!" With that, footsteps drew closer.
Just as Shangguan Tou was about to move, he heard Xia Qingmei say, "You should at least think about how much damage this will do to her before you do it."
Shangguan Tou was still completely confused.
The woman remained silent for a long time.
Xia Qingmei continued, "Since it's already irreversible, why do you still do so many meaningless and self-destructive things? The point is, do you want the whole world to talk about her and the two men?"
"Xia Qingmei, you're something else! You're ruthless and decisive!"
Only then did Shangguan Tou recognize Yuan Shuangshuang's voice.
"I only learned a little bit from my godmother."
"From now on, you are not allowed to come near Feng Zi even half a step, or I can't guarantee what I might do!"
"Absolutely not, absolutely not."
As they talked, Shangguan Tou gradually began to understand. But his own assumptions startled him: the person who had done the shameless thing to Feng Zi was very likely... not himself?
Moreover, it seems that Yuan Shuangshuang and Xia Qingmei had been in cahoots for a long time, but she was not clear enough about what Xia Qingmei had done.
Just then, someone spoke from behind:
"Tsk tsk, Yuan Shuangshuang is indeed no ordinary woman, she's really perverted."
Shangguan Tou immediately turned around, looking slightly surprised.
Feng She stood behind, smiling broadly, his eyes large and bright, tossing a small bottle in his hand.
"Don't you know about the Five Paths Reincarnation King Golden Elixir?"
Just as Shangguan Tou made a "shh" gesture, Feng She laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'm here to find the perverted woman."
At this moment, Xia Qingmei, who was inside the courtyard, shouted:
Who is it?
“Feng She of Xuantian Hongling Temple has something he would like to ask the former sect leader.”
The room suddenly fell silent.
Feng She then turned to look at Shangguan Tou, speaking very softly: "Young Master Shangguan is indeed a gentleman—although a gentleman never eavesdrops behind a curtain."
"Are you on Zhi'er's side?"
"certainly."
"In that case, thank you for your trouble. Farewell."
Don't you want to know the truth?
"I've guessed most of the truth. Besides, this place is no place to linger." With that, he flashed away and headed towards the main hall.
123
The Great Buddha Hall.
The opinions of the people remained divided.