Chapter Eleven: Better Not to Meet

  In the quiet valley, the sound of horseshoes is the only sound at this moment.

  "Halt..." Huangfu Ling reined in his horse. They had already reached the mountaintop. Before them lay a precipice that plunged into the depths below.

  He let out a bitter laugh, jumped off his horse and walked to the edge of the cliff, looking down. The high mountain was shrouded in thick clouds and fog, with a vast expanse of mist between the cliffs. Nalan Xiong's approaching hoofbeats were echoing through the empty valley.

  Huang Pu Ling stood at the edge of the cliff, hands behind his back, gazing out at the beautiful scenery of the opposite mountain peak. The magnificent mountains and rivers were all in view, but soon, he would probably never have the chance to see such a beautiful scene again.

  A "whoosh" sound. A sword wind whizzed by. Huangfu Ling slightly tilted his head. From the cliff wall 100 meters away, a shocking cracking sound came.

  Nalan Xixi jumped off the horse, his face cold and stern. Indeed, he was a deep and reserved person. If it were someone else, that sword wind would have already beheaded him.

  Huang Pu Ling didn't turn back, still standing at the edge of the cliff, not speaking, and without any movement. Nalan Xianuo didn't walk up to him, her wrist lightly raised, and two sword winds were emitted again, respectively attacking his vital points.

  Huang Pu Ling remained expressionless and easily dodged it, as if nothing had happened. He turned around and smiled lightly at her.

  Nalan Xixi looked at his radiant smile and also smiled slightly.

  "I still underestimated you." Huangfu Ling's voice was very light, yet it still lingered and echoed in the valley.

  She had many opportunities to make him surrender, but ultimately chose today's battle. After today's battle, the overall situation is settled, and the three kingdoms will inevitably form an alliance. Luoyang will have a chance to breathe again and prepare for the war of unification.

  Nalan Xixi walked up to him and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. "The trend of the situation, success or failure has nothing to do with me."

  Huang Pu's lips curled up slightly. What a "success or failure has nothing to do with me". In this battle, she may not be the biggest winner, but she made him tie himself up in knots. In the end, it was all for naught, and he even ended up making her wedding dress. She was fine, just one sentence of "nothing to do with me" and everything was clear-cut.

  "I never could have imagined it. Even Du Guhan is under your control."

  Huang Pu Ling looked at her, a pair of dark eyes that seemed bottomless. "But it's not surprising."

  A sudden horseshoe sound came from behind, Yuan Yue had caught up. Huangfu Ling's expression turned gloomy, and he said lightly: "Make a move."

  Nalan Xixi smiled lightly. She leaned in close to him, her hand reaching out to stroke his perfect facial features. The moment her fingers made contact with his skin, Huangfu Ling's expression slightly froze.

  Her fingers lightly slid across his bright and handsome face. The cool sensation made him somewhat embarrassed. The sound of horseshoes was getting closer. Her smile deepened. "I won't kill you."

  Huang Pu's eyes flashed with a hint of puzzlement, but that puzzlement dissipated under her increasingly close lips.

  The pain of the fractured skeleton inside her worsened with each jolt. Wan Yue's face was deathly pale. She struggled to keep herself awake. She knew she wasn't a match for Nalan Xueyin. But even if it killed her, she had to die by his side. She had to do everything in her power to ensure he remained safe and sound.

  The horse galloped all the way to the top of the mountain. The severe pain in her body caused her to fall off the horse. She lifted her head, and the scene before her eyes left her stunned.

  On the cliff, Nalan Xianyu was gently stroking his handsome face. Her lips gradually approached him. His complexion was slightly red, and his eyes did not have their usual sharpness, but were instead bewildered by the ambiguous atmosphere.

  Her eyes suddenly blurred, tears welled up, and for a moment the pain in her body wasn't so intense. She almost stopped breathing, could hardly hear her own heartbeat, and just stared at that scene in the distance, as if she were dead.

  Nalan Xixi stopped in her tracks. She glanced at Yuan Yue, who was lying on the ground. Her eyes were filled with disdain and contempt. She had said it before: one day, she would return what was owed to her, no, she would return it twofold.

  "Marry me as your queen. Is it okay?" She asked softly.

  Across from him, Huangfu Ling struggled to calm his racing heart. His rational mind told him that all of this was just her tactics, everything was just an illusion. But her gentleness, her intimacy, were like a flood crashing against his rationality, leaving him defeated.

  "Good." An unhesitating response.

  He knew it from the moment he first lost to her, from the moment he first saw that stunning face of hers. He knew that one day... he would also fall under her control, unable to resist her, and for her... conquer all.

  Her pale face watched the scene in front of her as if everything had been drained away. A strong sense of suffocation made her stand still, unable to move. A single word "good" was like a fire that burned her. It wasn't just pain, it wasn't just death, but annihilation into nothingness.

  From the moment she could perceive this world, her fate was already sealed. Like a puppet, every move was controlled by him. In the end, even her emotions were at his mercy.

  For her, he is her entire world. He makes her willing to die for him. She will do so without hesitation and even feel happy to die for him.

  Her happiest moment is just being by his side. Even a single smile from him will be etched in her memory for life.

  But at this moment, he is no longer himself. He is no longer the wise and astute Ling Wang who plans every step carefully. He can't help but be captivated by her gaze. He can't help but lose control of his emotions because of her gentle words.

  And she, Nalan Xionuo, her mocking smile, the disdain in her eyes, were all the most effective and profound revenge against her. Yuan Yue looked at her, his eyes filled with endless despair and pain. Suddenly, Nalan Xionuo's expression changed.

  She was startled by the moonlight. She wanted to get up, but her bones felt as if they had all been broken, and she was paralyzed with pain. She stood still, unable to move.

  Nalan Xixi sneered coldly. The lips that were originally close to his suddenly moved away. Huangfu Ling's expression solidified, and the hand that was originally on his face suddenly moved to his shoulder. A powerful force struck, and Huangfu Ling's body suddenly tilted backwards...

  "No..." Yuexuan stared at Nalan Xixi in shock as she pushed Huangfu Ling's hand away. It seemed like a gentle push, but it was an unstoppable force.

  Huang Pu's face was filled with a hint of astonishment, and in the instant he fell off the cliff, the astonishment in his eyes turned into a bitter smile. His clothes fluttered in the wind as his body plummeted downwards, passing through the clouds and mist, falling towards the depths of the abyss.

  "Ahh..." The heart-wrenching cry echoed through the valley.

  Blood seemed to congeal. Enduring the intense pain, he struggled to his feet and rushed to the edge of the cliff. Except for a thick fog, nothing could be seen.

  "Master... Master..." She cried out towards the cliff below. But all she got in return was the echo of her own cries.

  The echoes reverberate, but there will never be any response again.

  She gazed at the moon, staring at the endless mountain cliffs. Her sobs grew fainter. The pain in her chest made it hard for her to breathe.

  A long silence. Only a faint sobbing sound.

  Suddenly, she got up with a start. The pain in her body and the anguish in her heart made her face deathly pale. She glared at Nalan Xianuo beside her, her fists clenched tightly, the bones in her hands cracking audibly.

  "You think you've won..." Yuan Yue's voice was trembling. Her eyes were filled with hatred.

  Nalan Xixi looked at her with a faint smile that was not quite a smile. She didn't say anything.

  "You think you can win." Tears flowed uncontrollably. Yuan Yue's face turned even paler. Her angry voice echoed through the valley. "You think... Master doesn't know the outcome of today's battle? You think... Master didn't know what kind of thoughts you were harboring just now?"

  Nalan Xixi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her face gradually became expressionless.

  "You think you've won, huh? You're wrong! You just took advantage of his fondness for you. You just relied on him not wanting to kill you. You only won because he still has a tiny bit of hope for you."

  Nalan Xixi looked at her with a moved expression, but suddenly sneered, "What's the difference."

  She was taken aback by the moonlight. Nalan Xue walked slowly towards her. "You say these things to make me feel guilty, to make me think that winning is not glorious. Ha! Like, reluctant to part with him. What qualifications does Huangfu Ling have to like and what qualifications does he have to be reluctant to part with?"

  "And you." She stretched out her hand, icy fingers pinching Wan Yue's chin with a force that made his face contort in pain. "Do you think it ends here?"

  Her face suddenly turned into extreme terror. How could she forget? She was Nalan Xianuo, the cruel and ruthless Nalan Xianuo who couldn't be defeated. The Nalan Xianuo whose gaze alone could suffocate people.

  Watching the moon's fearful appearance, Nalan Xinxiao smiled faintly.

  She relaxed her hand, her gaze indifferently moved away from Yuan Yue's face, and turned to walk away.

  She stared blankly at Nalan Xixi's departing back. She... didn't kill her.

  Yes. Now living is more painful than dying. This is her real revenge. Let her be worse off than dead. Yuan Yue watched as she rode her horse away, and suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

  She turned around, gazing at the mountain cliff shrouded in thick clouds and fog. The expression on Huangfu Ling's face before he fell off the cliff lingered in her mind, unable to be shaken off. He remained as calm as ever, without a hint of terror or panic, only a bitter smile.

  He had never smiled like that before, only later on when he met that person and encountered such an opponent. Although he knew what lay ahead, because of that person, even if he lost, he would still give it a try. After losing, he would reveal this kind of smile.

  It's like I knew... I just knew I was going to lose.

  Now that you know, why again?

  It was he who taught her not to be emotional. It was he who wouldn't let her be emotional towards anyone. That's what he said. What he wanted was the world, not romantic love. But in the end, you and I both lost because of a single word: emotion.

  Wiping away the tears that flowed non-stop, she slowly walked towards the edge of the cliff.

  Her face had no extra expression. Nothing at all. She was as calm as if she were already dead.

  Her left foot has stepped out. The cold wind is piercing her bones. She closes her eyes and leans forward.

  Suddenly, a hurried footsteps came. Yuan Yue's heart moved slightly. Suddenly, a force pulled her waist and she felt light again, returning to the top of the cliff.

  She slowly opened her eyes, and saw several people in black standing before her.

  Her eyes widened slightly, but she couldn't say anything. The leader of the black-clad men said in a low voice: "The master has never taught us to die to atone for our sins."

  He had never taught that. He said, death is something people can't escape from. So even more can't choose to die actively. Choosing death is equivalent to choosing to give up. The kind of person he despised the most was someone who gave up easily.

  The man in black said in a low voice: "I still have a task at hand. You go back to Lenovo and wait for the master."