Because his vulnerable spot was exposed, he jumped up when he bit, which only made things worse.
The fierce look between his brows slowly dissipated, and he stopped speaking, simply holding me and stroking my back repeatedly.
Just as I was about to be captivated by his cool fragrance, I vaguely heard him say "I'm sorry."
"What did you say? Either don't say anything, or say it louder, otherwise who are you talking to!"
I maintained my fierce tone, and my displeasure subsided slightly.
“I said there’s a villa not far from here. It’s cold, are you really going to wear such thin clothes? Go over there and put on some clothes and take care of your hand injury. It would be so ugly if it left a scar.”
"Then don't look, why do you care so much..."
He took my hand, and we bickered as we walked.
Chapter 58
We didn't stay at the villa for long. After cleaning the wound on my hand, they gave me a padded jacket and a few outer robes before hurrying on our way.
Upon arriving at Chunhetang in Anqing, I entered the front hall and saw Qionghua, who was only half-asleep with his eyes still squinted. He said he had been traveling for five days straight without a moment's rest. After giving his instructions, he continued to sleep on the chair.
Suddenly, I thought of something and looked at Nangong Ling, who looked helpless and had no choice but to have Qionghua carried away.
"Have you not had a rest for several nights?"
"Hmm?" He sat down, took a sip of tea, and habitually pinched the bridge of his straight nose. "I don't remember."
Judging from his personality, he probably hasn't had a good night's sleep since I left. I was annoyed that he was overthinking things, and the words of reproach were about to come out when I looked back and saw that he had already closed his eyes and was breathing steadily, and had fallen asleep just like that.
"Hey, don't sleep here, you'll catch a cold." I went up and patted his face.
He was startled and grabbed me with his hand, his eyes filled with deep panic.
"……I am here."
A damp, aching feeling welled up inside me, sending chills down my spine. I realized I wasn't hard-hearted enough; otherwise, I wouldn't have followed them back.
"Go back to your room and sleep?"
Nangong Ling rarely lost his composure like this; at this moment, he was utterly vulnerable. Yue Linghe must have known this side of him, and that's why she was so bold, using it as leverage.
"I'm not leaving. I'll go back to your room with you."
He looked at me for a long time before a faint smile appeared on his face, the emotions in his eyes hidden by the deep black of his eyes.
“No need, I won’t be able to sleep for long now. Come here…” He reached out and put his arm around my waist, pulling me onto his lap. “Let me hold you for a little while.”
"Is there something else?"
"Yes, Qianxianglou, that place that deals in murder."
"Ghost in Red? His threat to take your life has become a joke in the martial arts world. What's going on this time?"
“It wasn’t him this time. I sent him to the desert. I don’t have time to play with him for now.” His cheeks were smooth as jade, slightly cool but not cold, and felt particularly comfortable against his neck. “Han Xuanmo is not one to suffer for nothing. He helped Feng Moru and thought he was being discreet, but in the end, even Dafu and Xiaoshuang by his side are my people. How could their every move escape my eyes?”
After rambling on for a while, I still couldn't figure out his main point, which was unlike his usual incisive style. But then I realized that he had let go of some of his principles and pride, and was trying to talk to me properly and communicate with me.
"If it weren't for Gui Hongyi, would anyone else in Qianxiang Tower dare to offend you?" I wanted to ask what Guan Fengmoru had to do with it, but after thinking it over, I decided to avoid that person.
"With Han Xuanmo acting as a go-between, Qianxianglou now has the future head of the Feng family backing it up, so what is there to be afraid of?"
"Looks like they haven't had enough of you yet." He said, taking a tassel from the hem of his shirt and playing with it.
"They've suffered enough losses. They trust Feng Moru and believe he has the ability to protect Qianxianglou."
"But your identity is not just that of the Palace Master of Wuyue Palace, but also the eldest young master of the Nangong family. Are you really inferior to him?"
“…” He sighed softly, “I don’t stay there often, I’m always in the palace, and you know why.”
This person is truly like a jade sculpture, with a long, fair neck and a pale blue undertone faintly visible beneath her fair skin, instantly evoking feelings of pity in one's heart.
"Are you still bothered? Even though you're not that woman's biological child, so what? As long as you have Nangong Yi's blood in your veins, you're the eldest young master of the Nangong family. Who would dare to say a word against that?"
“That’s so typical of you.” He chuckled and nuzzled my cheek with the tip of his nose. “You don’t have to worry about others. Even if they’re selfish, at least they won’t wrong themselves. But not everyone lives with such sharp edges like you. Being too real and too sharp can hurt you too.”
Chapter 59
When discussing extraordinary figures and events in the martial arts world twenty years ago, one cannot overlook Qin Juanrou, the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world and the birth mother of Nangong Ling. Qin Juanrou was a woman of many romantic affairs, admired by countless men. Rumors and stories about her could be found almost anywhere there were people. Although she ultimately met her tragic end, her twenty-eight years of romantic escapades were enough to fill three days and three nights of storytelling.
"If it weren't for the fact that I look like my mother, my father would probably have kicked me out of the Nangong family long ago."
I've always found this strange and haven't figured it out. "Qin Juanrou's difficult childbirth wasn't something you could control, so why are you being blamed for this?"
“Because I made his beloved woman suffer.” He smiled. “And because I stayed behind, that woman was able to leave so gracefully, but not long after, we heard the news of her death from illness. Do you think he wouldn’t hate me?”
"That's a terrible idea... So you're going to start your own business?"
"The Wuyue Palace is still too weak. We've already missed the chance to go to Juyizhuang this year, so we'll have to wait another year."
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door. I paused, then suddenly realized what was happening and jumped off him.
The door opened so quickly that I only had time to catch a glimpse of the emotion in his eyes, but it flashed by so fast that I couldn't catch it.
"Your subordinate greets the Palace Master." The one who walked in was Master Fu of Chunhe Hall.
"..."
Nangong Ling made no comment, lowered his head, blew on the tender leaves in his cup, and remained silent.
I felt inexplicably guilty. Was my reaction too much? Were we two people who used to be like oil and water suddenly becoming so intimate? It was as if I wasn't mentally prepared for this.
Oh right, I think I'm still arguing with this person. I almost let him fool me.
He glanced at Master Fu, who was kneeling properly on one knee, and seemed to be used to it.
I cleared my throat to cover my embarrassment. "What is it?"
Master Fu looked up with surprise on his face, but saw that Nangong Ling was still drinking tea without any reaction. He opened his mouth, unsure whether to say yes or no.
"Are you mute?!" I raised my voice.
"This morning, the third young master of Jingyanmen had an accident at Yucuifang. When he was found, he was holding a crescent-shaped piece of snow jade in his hand."
Nangong Ling smiled faintly, the glistening moisture on her lips reflecting a stunning beauty.
"That's really disappointing. I thought they'd found someone to operate on." He stood up, took my hand, and said, "You handle this."
"yes."
So he led me with gentle steps to the back of the hall, and after passing through two corridors, we arrived at the warm pavilion.
"It's getting cold, would you like me to put some more clothes on you?"
"Don't change the subject. What happened just now?"
He glanced at me, a smile playing on his lips, and poured me a cup of tea.
"What do you think someone who wants to conquer the martial arts world and dominate the martial arts community would typically do?"
"...Those who resist him will only face death."
"So, how many people do you think currently have this ambition and the ability? And what are the biggest obstacles on their path forward?"
"You yourself are one, with Yanwu Fortress, Tianjue Sect, and Feng Family ahead of you. If Bieyun Manor had the same ambition, it could barely be considered one, but the biggest problem is the suppression imposed by Nangong Yi..."
It's rare to see Nangong Ling's bewildered expression, and I was fortunate enough to witness it today.
"I'm truly defeated by you. Can't you think about it the other way around?"
Oh, I see.
"Such a typical framing tactic. You, Nangong Ling, are always meticulous in your work. Would you be so stupid as to leave such obvious evidence? Besides, you don't even care about it yourself, so why should I worry about you?"
"Jingyanmen is nothing to fear. Master Wan is a fickle opportunist who is also greedy and addicted to gambling. Once he squanders his fortune, how will he survive without money?"
As the saying goes, money isn't everything, but you can't do without it. This person is too evil. Even without martial arts skills, he can exploit your weaknesses and ruin you without giving you any chance to turn things around.
"Then you should know who orchestrated this frame-up, right?"
"Ah..." Her slender phoenix eyes slowly narrowed into a seductive arc, her smile carrying a bloodthirsty, eerie beauty.
Chapter 60
I had nothing to do these past few days, and Nangong Ling said there was no rush to go back, so he let me go out and play.
Actually, there's not much to do in Anqing city. The only thing worth seeing is the annual temple fair, but unfortunately, I missed it.
I went to the store to choose clothes, with Shao Ming following me closely.
Nangong Ling was ruthless in disciplining his subordinates. Looking at the child's stiff walking posture, which had been awkward for so long, he must have been punished quite a bit.
"Go and rest on that chair over there for a while," I said. He immediately glared at me with his rabbit eyes. "I'll have them bring out some clothes for me to choose from, as long as they don't leave your sight, okay?"