Il arrive souvent des choses désagréables

Chapitre 23

I was completely devastated. The tense atmosphere between us had vanished, and I no longer had the energy to fight him to the death. I just slumped my shoulders and shook my head. "No."

"Or have you practiced some strange internal energy?" He immediately denied it after saying that. "No, if you had such power, why would you need to become a disciple of Wen De?"

Mo Li rarely spoke so much in one go. I think he was a bit stunned by what had happened before, just like me. It's just that he was better at putting on a show than I was, so his reaction wasn't as strong.

Thinking of this, I felt a wave of relief wash over me, and I lay back down, looking at the carved patterns on the ceiling of the bed as I spoke.

"Or perhaps it was my master, whose divine skills were invincible, who injured you from a distance."

He snorted coldly, "Him?" With that, he reached out and grabbed my wrists as before.

I stared at him in surprise, "What are you doing?"

“I refuse to believe it.” He pressed down hard on my palm, and I couldn’t help but cry out in pain, but his fingers remained as firm as iron, without the slightest tremor, a stark contrast to everything that had happened before.

I screamed, "Let me go!"

He didn't let go; instead, he lifted me up, pulling half of my body up with him. He stared into my eyes and asked, "Tell me, what did you do before?"

I gasped. "How should I know? You were the one interrogating me before. Can't I even feel heartache and sadness? I'm in pain, why are you clutching your chest? Why are you slamming the table?" As I said this, I suddenly shuddered and stared intently at him.

He immediately noticed my change, met my eyes, and coldly asked, "How is it?"

My elder brother said that we would never leave each other and never be separated. If I don't die, he will be fine. If I have the will to die, the other half of him will break through my chest and return to my side no matter what.

If I have thoughts of dying, he will come back to me.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I struggled with all my might. He loosened his grip, and I fell back onto the bed. Ignoring the pain in my wrists, I knelt up and reached out with both hands to touch his heart.

How could I possibly run into Mo Li? With a flick of his sleeve, a surge of internal force sent me crashing to the corner of the bed.

I was seeing stars from the impact, but I didn't give up. I turned around and lunged at him again, using all my strength, just wanting to grab him.

Mo Li snorted coldly, his hand already raised, about to strike with the whip, but I rushed forward without a care, facing the direction of his raised hand, knowing I might be lashed on the head, without any intention of dodging.

In a flash, he didn't swing the whip. Instead, he turned sideways, flipped his palm, and lifted me up over the head in mid-air. Although the technique was rough, he caught me steadily.

I opened my arms and hugged him tightly, crying out desperately, "It's you! It's you! I knew it was you! It must be you!"

He gave a very strange look and said only three words, "Are you crazy?"

Just as I was about to speak again, I felt a numbness in my waist; he had struck my pressure point, and I immediately lost consciousness.

...

Hai: Mo Li, remember to cherish and protect the beautiful!

Mo Li: ...

Narrator: (Looking at the shards on the ground) Sometimes I really don't know what to say about you...

Chapter 62

I don't know how long I was unconscious. When I tried to wake up, my eyelids were too heavy to open, and my body felt light and airy. The previous feeling of weakness had disappeared, and a warm sensation slowly flowed into my wrist, coursing through my meridians, making me feel warm all over.

With a flick of my wrist, the heat vanished instantly. I opened my eyes in surprise to find the room already faintly lit by daylight. A hazy shadow loomed before the bed, looking down at me.

I gazed at him, my vision blurred, a gust of wind caught in my throat. I wished time could stand still, this moment could last forever, and that only he and I remained frozen in this world, with no one and nothing to disturb us.

His face was back to the morning light, blurred in the shadows. I reached out my hand to him, but he didn't react at all, still with his hands behind his back, his voice hoarse and low.

"Get up now that you're awake. Your internal energy reversed last night, causing you to lose your mind. I've already used my internal energy to regulate your disordered meridians, so you should be awake now."

My hand froze in mid-air, as if I had fallen from heaven back to hell.

Yes, he wasn't Ji Feng, he was Mo Li. He transferred his true energy to me because he thought I was crazy.

I finally remembered the last thing he said last night, a cold question: "Are you crazy?"

I lowered my head in dejection, but then quickly rallied.

So what if he doesn't remember me? The body's reaction doesn't lie. What happened last night was exactly as my brother said. He forgot me, changed his personality, and became a different person. But the one standing in front of me is still him. Ji Feng is still here, just sleeping somewhere in this body. One day, he will wake up.

One day, he will come back to me.

I looked down at my wrist, which was still warm. I imagined him holding my hand beside me all night, and my heart suddenly felt tender.

Even if he becomes so powerful, he will always be good to me.

My strength returned, and I looked up at him with bright eyes. He frowned, turned around, and left. I tried to call him back, but someone else walked in. It was Xiao Wei, dressed in white, who looked at me coldly and said something without any politeness.

"Please rise, Miss. I have many things to attend to today and cannot be delayed."

I gazed wistfully at the open door and sighed.

Monsoon, although I was temperamental when I was young and caused you a lot of suffering, this retribution is too intense.

I put on my clothes, and Xiao Wei came over to comb my hair. The bell rang again, one after another. She grabbed my hair, and our faces were reflected in the bronze mirror. Common things are never as good as the royal utensils I was used to in my childhood. Although this bronze mirror is of high quality, the two faces in it are still somewhat blurry.

"The clock has rung again, aren't you going?" I asked her.

"Does Miss wish to stand beside Master with her hair disheveled?" She glanced at me coldly and took a gold hairpin from the dressing case in front of the mirror.

The hairpin was sharp, and a flash of light appeared in the bronze mirror. Suddenly, I couldn't see her eyes clearly, and a chill ran down my spine.

I felt a chill on my scalp as the hairpin was firmly inserted into my neatly styled hair bun. When I turned around, I saw that she had turned her face away, as if she didn't want to look at me anymore.

I find it strange. Although she wasn't exactly polite to me yesterday, she didn't completely avoid looking at me either. What happened to her overnight?

I thought about it for a moment, and since we were under each other's roof, I decided to be more tactful. "Xiao Wei, did I scare you last night?"

She stared at me without saying a word for a long time.

I sighed. Everyone in this village is strange. Or maybe I had too high expectations of their understanding. It was already broad daylight, and time was running out. I decided to get straight to the point and not beat around the bush with her. "Is there something you can't figure out? Do you have something you want to ask me?"

Her clear, black-and-white eyes widened, revealing an expression of utter disbelief.

"You...you really have no shame."

Huh?

I froze, then couldn't help but jump up, glaring at her and shouting, "Who are you calling shameless!"

"It was you, of course. You bewitched you, sir, and attracted those people from the martial arts world, putting you and my manor in danger. In short, I saw it all last night."

Last night? I bewitched him? Wasn't he torturing me?

Xiao Wei was still not satisfied and continued, "Do you know that the master circulated his true energy into you all night, protecting your heart and preventing you from going mad? With the great battle imminent, I see you acting strangely, you probably have other plans, don't you? Am I right?"

Xiao Wei once again demonstrated his ability to make wild guesses with great enthusiasm. I was dumbfounded and about to retort when the door opened and Qingfeng's face appeared.

"Sister Xiaowei, everyone is ready. His Majesty is asking her questions."

Xiao Wei nodded, Qingfeng glanced at me, reached into his pocket and pulled something out, making a clinking sound.

I was already very familiar with the sound and was allergic to it. Without thinking, I jumped out of the house. Just as I was about to jump outside, a white light flashed before my eyes, and a white ribbon was wrapped around my waist. When I tried to dodge again, my feet felt heavy and they were already chained.

"Let's go." Qingfeng grinned slyly, completely satisfied.

Xiao Wei was right behind me. I turned around angrily and was met with her cold face. Her clear black and white eyes clearly showed what she was thinking.

I can't help but grind my teeth.

This woman...does she really think I'm a vixen?

Xiao Wei and Qing Feng led me to the main hall. Everyone in the manor was already lined up outside the hall, all solemn and dressed in their best, waiting for Mo Li to give the order. My feet were locked, so I couldn't use my lightness skill. I had to walk with difficulty, making a clanging noise all the way. I didn't look very good either. It had been a long time since I had walked so awkwardly, which reminded me of many things in the past.

When I was young, I was in poor health and walked with a slight limp, so I always liked to be carried. But Cheng Wei was a miracle worker who removed the cold from my body with surgery. He also said that my slight limp was caused by a congenital blockage in one of my meridians. He told me to study Qingcheng's internal energy cultivation method carefully, and that one day I would open up the Ren and Du meridians, and then all my problems would be gone.

I was completely confused at the time, thinking that the Ren and Du meridians weren't like sewer pipes, so how could they be so easy to unblock? I never expected that when Wen De taught me the lightness skill, he disliked my poor innate conditions, and right there on the summit of Qingcheng Peak, he used his own power to forcefully unblock my so-called blocked meridian.

At that time, I was still physically weak and had just started learning martial arts. I couldn't withstand his surging internal energy. I was in so much pain that I fainted several times. After he finished, I collapsed. It was worse than jumping off a building.

I remember he said to me as he came down the mountain that day, "Ping An, from now on, you'll have to walk your own path in this world."

I was feeling like my body was about to break, and I had no energy left to think things through. Looking back on that day, I realized that my master was indeed my master, and his words had come true.

I wonder how Wende is doing now. He went into the manor alone to save me yesterday, but was injured by Mo Li's trap. Thinking of this, I felt guilty. I just looked out of the manor. Suddenly my face turned cold. Someone walked slowly out of the hall. As they passed by me, their dark eyes swept over me. Although it was only for a moment, it made me feel like I was being touched by frost and snow.

I silently lowered my head. Sure enough, all peerless masters have something in common. Mo Li and my master are indeed somewhat similar in some ways.

Feili Village was built in the mountains, while Tianshuiping was on the mountaintop. There was only one path leading to the summit. The large group set off, and I struggled to walk, gradually falling behind. Eventually, I couldn't even see Moli's back anymore.

Qingfeng, that noisy little brat, kept urging me on, which annoyed me. But then someone came from ahead with Mo Li's order, telling Qingfeng to carry me on his back and follow immediately.

Qingfeng uttered a "Gah?" sound, and the wonderful expression on his face almost made me, who was filled with worries, burst out laughing.

Xiao Wei didn't follow us out of the village. Qingfeng had no one to complain to, so he reluctantly carried me on his back. Although he was small, he had practiced martial arts for many years, so he had a solid footwork and plenty of stamina, and keeping up with the group was no problem at all.

I lay on Qingfeng's back, with Mo Li's back in front of me, always by my side in green and red robes. Our leader remained silent the whole way, and no one in the manor dared to speak. Everyone moved forward quietly, the only sound in the valley the gentle patter of their footsteps.

The road is narrow, with towering pines on both sides like waves. Finally, upon reaching the summit, the view suddenly opens up, with steep cliffs at the end and a rushing river below. Indeed, the sky is high and the water is dangerous, making it extremely precipitous and worthy of the name Tianshuiping.

"We're here. You can get off now." Qingfeng said irritably, letting go of my hands and straightening his back. I hadn't intended to stay on his back all day, so I landed immediately.

At noon, both groups had arrived. The sunlight was blinding. I glanced around and, sure enough, apart from Wen De and Cheng Ping, almost all the Jianghu people I had met in Dinghai had come out in droves, surrounding Wen De. In particular, Miss Jin, still wearing a white flower in her hair, stood right next to my master, following him closely.

I noticed that Wen De looked fine. Then I saw another person walk out from beside Cheng Ping, craning his neck towards me. He whispered a few words to Cheng Ping. The two faces were identical. Who else could it be but Cheng Wei?

My heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, was finally at ease. It turned out that Cheng Wei had also come. So the poison from the miasma that Master had been afflicted with should be much better now, right?

Although Cheng Wei is long-winded, his medical skills are truly first-rate and he has never disappointed. I glanced at him again, and he must have seen me, but there was no smile on his face. Even from such a great distance, it seemed as if he frowned at me.

I sighed and gave Mo Li, who was standing in front of me, a mournful look.

Boss, it seems that the performance you put on in the hall yesterday was very effective.

I was speechless, so I stopped looking at Cheng Wei and turned my attention to the others. Besides the martial arts figures I had met in Dinghai, there were some people with uniform clothing standing in neat rows beside Wen De. The most eye-catching among them was a group of people wearing purple and gold coats. Each of them had a strange face and did not look like people from the Central Plains. They had high noses and deep-set eyes and looked like they came from the Western Regions.

The masked man in blue stood beside me. I figured he must be familiar with the ways of the martial world, so I immediately asked him without hesitation.

"Qingyi, where did those people in purple and gold robes come from? They don't seem to be from the Central Plains."

The woman in green answered me in a low voice, unhurriedly, "This purple-gold robe is the symbol of the Lei family of Jiangnan. Miss, haven't you already witnessed the power of their thunderbolts?"

I was taken aback, and when I looked back at those people, I thought, "The Lei family of Jiangnan? How could such a family come from Jiangnan?"

The woman in green was very patient. “The Lei family came from the West a hundred years ago. Legend has it that they were descendants of a royal family from a certain country. After their country was destroyed, they were hunted down and had no choice but to cross the ocean to seek refuge in our country. These people have a unique appearance and are skilled at making sharp firearms. They also use firearms as a trade to seek protection from the martial arts world in the Central Plains. After several generations, they integrated into the martial arts world and formed their own sect.”

I listened with great interest, nodded and said "Oh," indicating that I had learned something. Then I asked, "And what about the group of people in gray next to them?"

"That's the Meishan Sect, Zhao Sheng with gray eyebrows, the one standing at the very front. His signature move is the Cross Chain Lock, and his weapon is also ingenious—a sickle with chains that can take a life from a hundred paces away."

The more I listened, the more interesting it became. I asked a few more questions, and Qingyi answered them one by one. Finally, she added, "Ping'an, aren't you Mr. Wen's last disciple? These sects are the people from the Three Manors and Nine Schools led by your master. Don't you recognize any of them?"