Chapter 21: Better Not To Think About It

  "Could it be that he's still afraid I'll run away?" Nalan Xixi furrowed her brow.

  "I think that's what it means," said Zhu Xiaolian with a smile. But he was startled by Nalan Xianyu's sudden cold face and stiffly touched the tip of his nose. "The young master wants to say, let you personally bring the money over."

  Nalan Xixi furrowed her brow, with complex emotions settling at the bottom of her eyes. She didn't want to stay here anymore. The jade pendant had already been returned to Dugu Han. Now, she didn't want to face Dugu Han again. Dugu Han could receive complete treatment here, which would alleviate the guilt and complicated feelings in her heart. Continuing to entangle herself wasn't a good thing.

  Moreover, even if she really wanted to know her identity from Shangguan Hongye's mouth, or the connection with the Shangguan family, but just as Shangguan Hongye said, whether it is or not, what's important? Now nothing is important. She only wants to find Nangong Jin. She wants to see him. Very much so.

  Moreover, it's generally difficult for people to come in... Zhu Xiaolian stared at Nalan Xixi's increasingly ugly face and added with a quivering heart.

  "I know." Nalan Xixi didn't say anything else, just walked forward with a gloomy face. Since Shangguan Hongye wanted her to go back again, she didn't mind making him worry a bit more. After taking the silver coins back, she would definitely think of a way to make him reveal Nan Gongjin's whereabouts, and there was no need for her to search aimlessly.

  Thinking of this, Nalan Xieruo couldn't help but quicken her pace, hastily walking forward. Zhu Xiaolian, in order to catch up with her footsteps, was panting heavily and complaining in his heart about the young master of his household, who always made him do physically demanding tasks.

  After leaving the valley, Nalan Xianyu turned her head and glanced at Zhu Xiaolian with a hint of dissatisfaction and disdain in her eyes. This time, Zhu Xiaolian's self-esteem was provoked. Although this unsmiling woman was quite terrifying...

  Before Zhu Xiaolian could speak up for himself, Nalan Xianyu spoke up in a voice that was neither loud nor soft: "You go to the imperial palace of Sheng Jin Country and bring back 10,000 taels to cure the crown prince. Ten days later, this guy will come to take it."

  This sentence is for the constantly waiting Suo Ming Wu Chang to hear, bringing this Zhu Xiao Lian guy, don't know when he will arrive at the imperial palace, it's better to instruct Suo Ming Wu Chang directly.

  It was just a gust of wind passing by. Nalan Xiong had already known that life and death were unpredictable and had accepted his fate and set off.

  "You. Who are you talking to." Zhu Xiaolian felt a bit strange.

  "You just come back in ten days to collect your money." He said coldly and turned around to walk away.

  "We're going back." Zhu Xiao Lian closely followed Nalan Xian Yu's footsteps, asking in a daze.

  Nalan Xixi ignored him and continued walking.

  "We won't take a break." Zhu Xiao Lian asked seriously. Rushing down and then rushing up again, isn't that exhausting?

  "You can rest if you want to," Nalan Xixi replied, but her footsteps didn't slow down. In fact, Nalan Xixi just wanted to bully him because of the way Zhu Xiaolian looked.

  Zhu Xiaolian pouted. Why does everyone always treat him like this?

  When they returned to the courtyard, Shangguan Hongye looked at Nalan Xianyu with a surprised expression: "You got the money so quickly."

  Nalan Xixi didn't say a word, she just took out the carefully prepared nutrient-dense dry rations from her bag that Shangguan Hongye had packed for her and started eating them to replenish some of the energy she had expended along the way.

  Zhu Xiaolian glared at Nalan Xianyu fiercely. She had food but didn't even take it out to eat on the road.

  But having a temper is one thing, daring or not daring to express it is another. Besides, I need to answer the young master's question first now.

  "The young lady has instructed someone to fetch the money. I can collect it ten days later," replied Zhu Xiaolian.

  "How can you sit here so leisurely? Haven't you started treating him yet?" Nalan Xianyu looked at him with a carefree expression, somewhat worried.

  "Who says that after starting treatment, one must stay by his side all the time." Shangguan Hongye didn't show any emotional fluctuations due to Nalan Xianyu's questioning. "Treating him for an hour every day is enough."

  "I have a question for you." Nalan Xixi didn't ask any more questions about the treatment. Because she believed that Shangguan Hongye had his own way.

  "Ask then, but if the question affects my mood, I won't guarantee that nothing unexpected will happen." Shangguan Hongye's mouth slightly curved up with a faint smile, his expression as if nothing was on his mind.

  Nalan Xixi's heart skipped a beat. How did this person train himself to know everything he thinks?

  "Wait until you've finished treating him and then ask." Nalan Xixi said. It's just a few days, waiting a bit longer won't matter.

  Shangguan Hongye's mouth corners slightly rose upwards, then he faintly said: "You really don't love Dugu Han, no love, yet you can pay out so much."

  "Tied up with him, indeed because of emotions. But this emotion is not love." Nalan Xianyu said seriously, having clarified things for herself. "Facing Dugu Han, my mood always becomes very complicated. He has paid too much for me, it's not something that can be expressed by just saying 'owe'. After his leg is healed, I will leave. It's better if we don't meet again. Thinking of meeting him would only bring harm to him. My love belongs to Jin, in this life and the next, it can only be on his body."

  Nalan Xixi's bright eyes gazed into the distance, but there was no focus.

  Shangguan Hongye listened to her words and fell silent for a long time before saying lightly, "Don't worry, his leg is in my hands."

  Nalan Xixi turned her head and looked at Shangguan Hongye for a long time, but he just sat calmly on the stone bench, flipping through the book in his hand, as if their previous conversation didn't exist.

  Nalan Xixi nodded and turned back to her own room.

  On a smooth big stone in the mountains, Nalan Xianyu sat on it, absent-mindedly looking at the white jade short flute given to her by that monkey. Why did he have to give it to her?

  The answer that vaguely emerges from the bottom of my heart is very vague. Even if I say it's not important, but in my heart, I still can't help guessing. This short flute, I always feel like I'm its original owner.

  Made up his mind, Nalan Xixi hurried back to the courtyard. Just in time to see Shangguan Hongye coming out of Dugu Han's room.

  "How is he?" Nalan Xixi asked. Today was already the fifth day of treatment. According to Shangguan Hongye's words, today was the last acupuncture session.

  "He's already woken up." Shangguan Hongye handed things over to Huajiao. Huajiao then left.

  "Wake up." Nalan Xixiao was overjoyed for a moment. The happiest thing during this period was to hear that Nan Gongyin's life was safe and that Dugu Han's leg would be cured. "Then, his leg..."

  "Rest for another month and you'll be fully recovered." Shangguan Hongye said, walking into the courtyard. He stroked the head of the enormous white snake that was leaning against a tree in the courtyard.

  Nalan Xixi also walked past and stood beside him.

  "How come? Don't go in and take a look?" Shangguan Hongye turned his head back, seemingly puzzled by Nalan Xixi's first reaction. Shouldn't she have gone in to see Dugu Han's injury with her own eyes?

  "Now that I know his leg is fine, I can rest assured. There's no need to go in." Nalan Xianyu said calmly. It wasn't that she didn't want to go in and take a look, it was just unnecessary. As long as they didn't meet, it would be better to cut ties early on. He also wouldn't suffer or get hurt because of her again.

  "Something's up." Officer Hong Ye furrowed his brow slightly and sat down on a stone stool.

  "I wonder... who I really am." Nalan Xinxiao never did beat around the bush, so she directly asked him out loud. She sat across from Shangguan Hongye.

  Shangguan Hongye heard her words and only slightly hesitated, then immediately returned to his usual calm and somewhat mischievous smile, saying: "This is very important to you."

  "It doesn't matter." Nalan Xinxiao said without thinking. Yes, it didn't matter. Just like Shangguan Hongye had said before, not at all important. She never took the relationship between family members seriously in the past or present. So to her, relatives were nothing and everything was unfamiliar. She didn't need them.

  "It doesn't matter then. Why ask?" Shangguan Hongye's mood seemed to have really turned gloomy, his face stern as he looked at Nalan Xinnuo.

  "Just curious. Brief and to the point. Just want to figure out what's going on. What kind of reason would make her receive such treatment. Just curious."

  "It doesn't matter anyway, no need to pursue it further." Xiang Guan Hong Ye let out a soft sigh, casually picked up one of the books that had been placed on the stone table for years, and began to read.

  "No. I don't like living a vague life." This is also something she can't tolerate. There's a reason. Why let yourself be unaware.

  "Haha, this temper is indeed stubborn." Shangguan Hongye said with a low and gentle laugh.

  "So, can you tell me what connection I have with the Shangguan family? I want to get to the bottom of it. And another thing is that inexplicable sense of familiarity. She hated those vague memories. She wanted to figure it out."

  "That's right, you're from the Shangguan family." Shangguan Hongye lightly confirmed Nalan Xinnuo's inner speculation. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Nalan Xinnuo was still shocked to the point of sitting frozen on the stone bench.

  "Then." Nalan Xixue asked softly after a long silence.

  "You are my real sister." Shangguan Hongye's tone was calm and unruffled, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

  Nalan Xixiao, who had always been calm in the face of events, was actually stunned.

  Even if she said that she didn't value family ties, and lived a life without them, but when she truly heard someone say that she was his younger sister, a strange warmth and excitement surged up from the bottom of her heart. It was so strange that it left the normally unflappable Nalan Xiong at a loss for what to do.

  "That's why I'm in the palace, and you're in the valley." Shangguan Hongye's words made Nalan Xian'er digest for a whole cup of tea time. Shangguan Hongye didn't disturb her either, quietly flipping through the book in his hand, waiting for her reaction.

  "This question... isn't something I can answer." Shangguan Hongye's eyes never left the book in his hand, unsure if it was because he, who always had a grasp on everything, also didn't know what expression to make when facing his own family at this time.