Chapter 18: It's Better Not to Meet Again
Home.
Nalan Xixiao was momentarily at a loss for words as the word suddenly flashed in her mind. In this life, she had never had any connection with this word. She was an orphan, destined to have nothing from the moment she was born.
Hmph. What is home anyway? How can she have a sense of home?
Nalan Xixi, where is she good to go? She has a home, but it's an even colder place. There's only her indifferent father, her sister who can't wait for her to die, and what else.
But here gives her a sense of familiarity and warmth. She can't decipher it. The only word she can define this feeling is home.
Suddenly, the warmth on her face woke her up. A white hand was gently sliding over her cheek, wiping away her tears.
Nalan Xixi was taken aback. She actually cried. And what made her even more at a loss was that she didn't resist the man's hand wiping away her tears at all. In fact, she somewhat wanted to rely on this warmth.
He gently wiped away her tears, smiling softly. She turned her face away, not looking at him. Some memories seemed to want to burst out like a flood, but then again, nothing could be recalled.
Nalan Xixi tried to calm down and looked at him coldly, asking: "Who are you? What's your relationship with the Shangguan family?"
The man in the green shirt looked at her with a suddenly cold gaze, and a hint of desolation flashed across his eyes that she couldn't decipher.
"I am Shangguan Hongye. Shangguan Qinyue is my mother." He said without hesitation.
It's indeed a descendant of the Shangguan family. Nalan Xixiao's heart accelerated slightly with anxiety. "Jin he..."
"He no longer has to worry about his life." Shangguan Hongye knew what she was going to ask. "However, recovery may take some time."
Life without worry... Nalan Xianuo's nose turned sour. She was so happy that she almost cried. No one could understand what these four words meant to her.
Dying and then being reborn. It's as if she herself was pulled up from the edge of a cliff, feeling an indescribable joy. The excitement and emotion of being reborn.
Love to the extreme. Instead, there aren't so many extravagant demands. Just hearing that the other person is still alive will make one feel grateful and at a loss for what to do.
Looking at Nalan Xianyu's expression, Shangguan Hongye slightly raised an eyebrow. "What is your relationship with Nan Gongyin?"
Nalan Xixi only then realized that Shangguan Hongye was still here. She immediately put away her happy expression and calmly said, "He is my husband."
"Husband..." Shang Guan Hong Ye's tone suddenly rose, not matching his transcendent and extraordinary appearance at all. "Nan Gong Jin... that Emperor of the Luo Tian, Nan Gong Jin... is your husband?"
Although he had heard that she and Nangong Jin had some relationship, he didn't investigate thoroughly. He has been in this mountain for nearly thirty years, with no knowledge of the outside world. Yet, he couldn't have imagined that Nangong Jin was actually her husband.
Looking at Shangguan Hongye's excited appearance, Nalan Xianyu was somewhat puzzled. "What's wrong."
Shangguan Hong furrowed his brow. "How can you marry that man? That man has a deep bloody debt. Ten years ago, in that great war, nearly half of the people under heaven died at his hands. How can you marry that man... You..."
"I married him. What's it to you." Nalan Xixi was even more perplexed.
Shangguan Hongye was taken aback for a moment. Then she said: "Since that man is your husband, then what is Dugu Han to you?"
Nalan Xixi's expression solidified. "Nothing."
"Cheng Hai should have told you already." The man in green shirt looked at her.
Nalan Xixi's expression turned slightly cold. The final step to cure him was to use her heart's blood. Shangguan Hongye didn't understand. Heart's blood, even if it wouldn't cause excessive bleeding and death, the pain would be unbearable for ordinary people.
She wouldn't be unaware of the severity of this situation, yet she agreed to it. He thought that she loved that person named Dugu Han, so even if she lost her life for him, it wouldn't matter. And he certainly didn't intend to take her life anyway.
But what's going on with her and this Du Guo Han? Since nothing is between them, why would she be willing to take such a risk for him?
"I owe him too much." Nalan Xixi lowered her eyes.
"It's just because we owe each other."
"It's just because we owe each other."
"You will die." Shangguan Hongye looked at her.
"I know." Nalan Xixi nodded.
Shangguan Hongye looked at her as she nodded without hesitation. He reiterated, "I will use a knife to cut open your chest and take the essence of blood from deep within your heart. I won't give you anesthetic powder. It will be very painful. You might die."
Nalan Xixi heard this and couldn't help but lightly laugh. "I said it, I know. Pain is certain. Death isn't necessarily."
Shangguan Hong shook his head. "No one can survive that kind of pain. Even I, cannot guarantee to save your life."
"No need for idle chatter. I will do what needs to be done. And I hope you can keep your promise." Nalan Xixi looked at him coldly.
"You love him." Certain. Not doubtful. But a revelation.
Nalan Xixi's heart skipped a beat, her eyebrows furrowed, and she didn't respond to him. Shangguan Hongye looked at her, his gentle demeanor gone, simply staring at her as if trying to see through her. "Even if we owe each other, no one would be willing to throw away their life to repay the debt, especially you. For you, death is never a solution. You wouldn't be foolish enough to die for anyone because you know that only by living can you have the opportunity to fight for what you want. Death is the most useless way... unless you love that person."
Nalan Xixi's eyes trembled. This Shangguan Hongye, who had never met her before, didn't even know the relationship between Nangong Jin and her, yet he could see through her character at a glance. How sharp.
But she didn't love him. She only loved her Jin. She stubbornly turned away, not wanting to respond to anything.
"Why don't dare to admit."
Nalan Xixi turned to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Shangguan Hongye, who grabbed her arm. She tried to shake him off, but found that although he didn't use much strength, she couldn't move at all.
He pulled her back. Forcing her to look at him. "Why don't you dare admit it."
It was like an interrogation, yet it was like a monologue. Nalan Xixi gazed at him coldly, but the chill in his eyes suddenly melted when their gazes met. His eyes did not seem to hold the same anger as his tone, but rather something she could not decipher. It was like blame, yet it was like tenderness...
"There's nothing I'm afraid to admit. I don't love him. In this life, I've only loved one man. That is my husband, Nan Gong Jin."
One word, one sentence. It was like a warning and also a proof. Her face was expressionless. Not a hint of emotion could be seen. Only certainty.
Suddenly, Nalan Xixi was unexpectedly wrapped in a wide and warm embrace. The fragrance of plum blossoms surrounded her, and the warmth that enveloped her was like the gentle sunshine on a summer day. A sense of security she had never felt before filled her heart.
"Sorry." A soft and gentle voice, like fine wine intoxicating people.
Nalan Xixi came back to her senses, wanting to struggle free but found that she couldn't resist at all. This Shangguan Hongye didn't seem like a martial arts expert, yet he had an irresistible power that made it hard for people to defy him. She faintly felt that even if she possessed extraordinary energy beyond ordinary humans, it still wouldn't be one-thousandth of his.
Moreover, his behavior is really strange. When they met, he didn't say two words before saving Du Guhan. Then, he insisted on giving her some kind of contraceptive secret recipe. This was tolerable. Although he had just threatened her with Nan Gongjin, he didn't know that Nan Gongjin was actually her husband. He still tried to force her to admit that she loved Du Guhan. She refused to say it, and instead, he apologized.
Nalan Xixi felt a slight headache. Since entering this place, everything had become chaotic and illogical, and was difficult to explain.
What is he sorry about? What did he do wrong to her?
Could it be that he felt he couldn't save her life, so he's filled with guilt.
They hugged for a long time. Shangguan Hongye reluctantly let her go, he wanted to say something but stopped himself, and then had Huaque arrange for her to rest.
The sparrow led her to a room. The furnishings in the room were very simple, but there was a hint of grass and wood fragrance. This fragrance was just like the scent she had when she first entered this mountain forest, making people feel extremely comfortable when they smelled it.
"When will you take the blood?" Nalan Xixi asked coldly.
Hua Que was changing Nalan Xinnuo's bedding. Upon hearing her inquiry, Hua Que pursed his lips. "How would I know."
Perhaps feeling the chill of the gaze shot from behind, the flower sparrow shrunk its neck and said: "That something Du Guo Han has already been sent over by Da Bai. The poison of Qin Ye has also been resolved."
"It's settled..." Nalan Xixiao was somewhat surprised.
"Yes, the young master was given an antidote when he was in the cave. However, we wanted to swindle your money... uh... no, we wanted you to pay us. That's why we brought you here." Huā Què explained.
"Where is he now."
"He... Ah..." The sparrow changed the quilt and sat on the bed to rest. "He's in the room, ah. Just heard you came and had to get out of bed. However... when you and the young master were talking about owing or not owing each other, he calmed down. Then he was exhausted, so I gave him a tranquilizer pill and he fell asleep."
Nalan Xixi was taken aback. Suddenly her mind went blank.
He must have heard it... It's good that he heard it. There's no need for further explanation.
"The young master said he would treat his leg and went to the mountain with Little Zhu to find herbs. And you, just stay here obediently. If you're hungry, tell me. Don't hurt any animals in the forest, and don't run around randomly. Once the young master heals the person, we'll go out of the mountain together to collect the medical expenses... I heard your family is quite wealthy."
She was adopted by the young master when she was a child and has been living in this mountain ever since. Every day, all she sees are either those giant beasts or that picky Little Zhu. The young master sleeps for eleven hours a day. There is basically no one to talk to her.
Although Nalan Xixi wasn't that likable, she was the first person of her kind that she had met since growing up, so she couldn't help but want to talk to her a bit more.
Nalan Xixi's eyebrows furrowed even deeper.
He didn't even take her heart's blood, and instead actively went to find medicine for Dugu Han's leg treatment. From Cheng Hai's narrative, he is simply a person who loves to bully others and doesn't save people in distress. What made him take the initiative to rescue Dugu Han?
The Shangguan family wanted to conquer the world, but it was just a fleeting thought. They were absolutely not coveting the world. Then what was it for? In her sleeve, the cool touch of the short flute made her slightly stunned.