"You don't want to come with me?"
He walked slowly, step by step, and a chilling, wintery feeling followed.
"Please stop." A-Yue spoke softly, but with an irresistible force.
Feng Moru glanced at A Yue, his eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't stop walking.
"Tianqi of the Seven Star Tower?"
"Young Master Feng has good taste." The tone was still gentle, but the words were quite blunt.
His delicate chin tightened, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, surging with layers of murderous intent.
"Why would you willingly allow yourself to be used by Jun Guan?"
"It doesn't matter, as long as I can have you."
An uncontrollable twitch appeared at the corner of his eye; some clues had already surfaced.
"How will you obtain it? What guarantees can he give you?"
His expression twisted strangely for a moment. "Lian'er, don't you feel... uncomfortable?"
I laughed when I heard what he said, and the more I laughed, the more confused he became, forgetting that he was going to keep walking.
Well, He Xiuqi, even if Jun Guan has some leverage over you, you wouldn't dare to really go against Yun Zhi. You're quite clever, knowing who to please.
"What's wrong with me? Who could be living a more comfortable life than me?"
The cold glint of the sword reflected the clear moonlight, gradually sharpening the corners of his eyes and brows.
"Don't you hate him?" The voice, after the first snow had melted, was frozen into an even thicker layer of ice by the cold wind.
"But dislike is also an emotion, isn't it?"
Chapter 71
He paused for a moment, then laughed, a strange smile curving his eyes.
"Since that's the case, I don't care whether you like it or not."
A flash of cold light, and before I could even feel the glare, the sound of the lock ring clashing against the sword rang out, a clanging and clashing that disturbed the peace.
"Don't try to persuade Miss Shao to be careful," he said, standing in front of me with his hands behind his back. He even resembled Nangong Ling in that manner.
I pursed my lips, finding it amusing. What was there to be careful about? Feng Moru couldn't possibly hurt me. Even if I pointed a sword at him and threatened to kill him, he wouldn't budge an inch.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I knew you couldn't handle her by yourself." The deep voice, carried by the cold wind, added to the gloomy atmosphere.
The voice was immediately recognizable as that of the Grand Master Jun of the Heavenly Annihilation Sect. He sat on a tiger-skin soft chair, still accompanied by two servants. However, this trio now included another person: He Xiuqi's son, He Mengyan.
I looked behind him, and all I saw was the chill of the night.
"Stop looking. If Nangong Ling is going to leave now, he'll probably be in deep trouble." He touched the white warm gloves on his hands, his eyes lowered and somewhat unfocused.
I have absolute confidence in Feng Moru, knowing he won't hurt me. But it's hard to say if it's Jun Guan; his personality is the kind that makes you want to hit him.
"You came all this way, going through such a long detour, it can't be just to watch a show, right?"
He smiled, and the flowers and moon paled in comparison. It was this kind of poison that wouldn't stop until it had blinded you.
"Capturing you and taking you back would benefit everyone. Rong Lian, you are truly a treasure, more valuable than anything else."
It benefits everyone? What nonsense are you spouting? I think it only benefits you.
So I looked at him for a while and slowly smiled, and immediately saw a look of surprise flash across his face.
“I am valuable enough, otherwise you wouldn’t have bothered to make this trip.”
His expression changed, and the boy beside him handed him a cup of warm tea. The preparations were truly thoughtful.
"He Mengyan, you are really useless, you only drag your old man down."
The boy's expression remained aloof and unchanging in the darkness; he simply gazed at me quietly with his eyes.
Jun Guan snorted coldly, "If this kid is useless, who is? How much time did it take me to capture him?"
"Are you done rambling? Since you're here, get rid of the people in my way."
Looking over there, Aqing had already collapsed onto Xiaoman's body. The golden ring lock was broken in two, and the bright white moonlight shone on the broken edge, making it extremely glaring.
But A-Yue didn't move, and Shao-You's expression didn't change either, but I felt uneasy.
"It's just catching up. We've already waited this long, why rush things?" Jun Guan's pale face showed obvious sarcasm. "Or is it that you can't even tolerate someone else talking to her?"
The atmosphere was tense and ready to erupt at any moment. I pulled my coat tighter; it was getting chilly in the deep night with heavy dew.
"Shaoyou, they're going to fight amongst themselves. Let's go."
Jun Guan raised his head instantly, his eyes as venomous as a snake, even causing Shao You's body to stiffen for a moment.
Without saying a word, he thrust the Qilin Whip at me, but it was blocked by A-Yue with her sword just as it was about to touch the hem of my clothes.
At this moment, everyone's nerves were on edge. If Jun Guan suddenly lost his temper, no one here could withstand him.
"Ah Yue, can you beat them?" I asked, turning my head to the side.
A-Yue returned my smile with a clean one, "I can't beat them."
This child is too honest.
"Rong Lian, do you think you can escape?"
I sighed. "Did I say I was going to run away? It's so late, you guys don't want to rest, but I want to sleep."
When I finished speaking, A-Yue almost lost her smile. Everyone was stunned and speechless for a long time.
What are you doing? I'm really sleepy. Is there no justice in not letting people sleep?
Feng Moru finally managed to regain his cold and aloof expression, but his eyes still betrayed him. Hey, is my request really that strange?
"Okay, as long as you come with me, you can sleep as long as you want once we leave this place." He said this with such reluctance and stiffness.
"No, I find the silk-threaded couch here very comfortable to sleep on..."
A sharp crack of the whip cut off my next words. I looked down and saw that Jun Guan had used his whip to snap a railing on the side of the steps.
"Don't waste time."
After saying that, the long whip came chasing after them, but A-Yue dodged and used her sword to entangle the Qilin Whip.
Each and every one of them was a master, their moves creating countless afterimages, dazzling the eyes. When I got tired of watching, I looked at the moon.
Although I enjoy watching a good show, you don't have to come in the middle of the night, okay?
Not long after they started watching, Shao You on the side also moved, but unfortunately he was no match for him.
"Alright, I'll go with you, just don't hit my men."
"Your people aren't Nangong Ling's?"
You must have taken the wrong medicine today; every word you speak feels like a needle prick.
I've been too good-tempered today, letting them cause trouble in front of me until now.
"What's his is mine, what's wrong with that?" I was indeed getting angry, especially seeing that Aqing was still not sober.
His smile grew even more sinister and alluring. "How could I possibly have any objections to Miss Rong?"
I really regret not solving this problem with one sword back then. I muttered to myself as I leaned down and whispered something in Xiaoman's ear that only she could hear.
"I can't delay much longer. Tell your master to come and pick me up as soon as possible. Also, tell him not to overthink things and to get some rest so he can be fully refreshed."
Chapter 72
I was exhausted after running around all night, so I slept in the camp for a whole day before finally getting up, feeling completely satisfied.
After lunch, I felt bored and wanted to go for a walk, but I was stopped by Luo Qiu outside as soon as I took one step out.
I finally held back until dinner time, but instead of Feng Moru, Jun Guan brought me a pigeon as an extra dish.
It was unusual to see him walk in instead of sitting in a soft chair, and he didn't even bring his servants with him, so I couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.
“You’re not afraid at all,” he said, looking down at me with his chin raised.
I simply didn't look up. Looking up is exhausting, and besides, there's no way I'd ever look up at him. Aside from the enraged Nangong Ling, what have I, Rong Lian, ever feared?
"What good is being scared? It won't solve any problems."
He didn't reply, but sat quietly opposite me, his pale and handsome face expressionless.
"...You know how much I hate you." No other light could shine into the camp; only the flickering candlelight illuminated his flat, lifeless eyes, making them appear so empty. "You might as well just kill me. You should know what kind of place the Heavenly Annihilation Sect is."
"The dirtiest place under heaven," I mentally added for him, knowing that saying it aloud might provoke him and I wouldn't be so glad to be whipped to death.
"In the Heavenly Annihilation Sect, anyone with the ability can become the sect leader, you know that, right? My uncles, you know?" He raised his eyes, his gaze like cold snakeskin slowly crawling across every inch of your skin. "Comparing them to beasts is a disgrace to these animals. As soon as my father died, all they wanted was to climb into my mother's bed. When soft methods didn't work, they resorted to force, practically driving my mother to her death... And that's not all, do you know what other beastly things those bastards did afterward?"
I wanted to say how would I know, but I couldn't utter a single word. My intuition told me not to listen anymore, but I twisted my skirt tightly and tried to cover my ears, but it was too late.
"They thought I was still young. Well, I was only fourteen back then, young, right?" She laughed as she spoke, her beauty almost faded. "Should I blame my face or my weakness? I ended up being raped by men, my own uncles no less. It took me five years to finally get rid of them one by one. If my body hadn't been so weak, would things have been different?"
I shouldn't have listened to that. What are you telling me now? Do you want me to pay for your life or take responsibility for you?
"Are you wondering why I don't follow my mother's example? That woman was too cowardly, but at least she died with a reputation for chastity. But what about me? How can I bring up something so shameful? I just think, why should I be the one to die and not them? How can those things, which are worse than animals, continue to live in this world? Letting them atone with their deaths is too lenient, isn't it?"