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墨書 Inktalez
Chu Xiruo did not respond, nor did she stop walking. At this moment, she did not want to say another word to this woman.
It was she who saved her from the hands of the villains, but it was also because of her that Xiao Luo ultimately gave up on herself.
“Xi Ruo, this is not her fault; you and he are ultimately fated to be apart...”
“No! I don’t believe it! If it weren’t for her, how could he possibly abandon years of feelings? And all that she has done before, she must die!”
“But you know that she is not the same as before; why put yourself through this?”
“I don’t want to hear it; she took him away from me...”
...
Two voices were arguing fiercely in her mind, and Chu Xiruo suddenly felt a splitting headache. She abruptly stopped in her tracks.
Behind her, Mei Shuang followed closely. When Chu Xiruo suddenly halted, Mei Shuang barely managed to stop herself from colliding into her.
“Miss Chu, I know you have always hated me. But now that you are with him, is it to take revenge on me or on the Emperor?”
This question caused Chu Xiruo’s gaze to freeze, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words.
She had never really thought about this question.
Staring at Mei Shuang, a layer of faint mist gradually rose in her clear eyes like autumn water. Chu Xiruo felt an inexplicable sourness in her throat, biting down on her slightly pale lower lip. The corners of her lips slowly curled up as her expression turned cold. “This has nothing to do with you.”
"Unrelated?" Mei Shuang turned to look at Nangong Nuo, who was still sitting quietly with her back to them. Even from a distance, she could see that the deep blue robe Nangong Nuo wore seemed to have darkened a bit. It was clear that meditating required some effort.
Mei Shuang lowered her voice, "You saw it too. His current situation is entirely self-inflicted. His greed led him to attempt to seize the treasures belonging to the Great Qin Empire, and now he has ended up like this. I mentioned before that he has already stood against your... uh, the emperor of the Great Qin Empire. Why didn't you take that in? If Xiao Luo meets you in the future, how will you face him?"
Chu Xiruo's gaze momentarily faltered, and a bitter smile appeared on her face. "Meeting in the future? How will I face him? He no longer has a place for me in his heart; what future is there to speak of?"
She lamented for a moment before suddenly fixing her gaze on Mei Shuang. "They say Zhao Prince is deeply in love with you, yet who would have thought that today Miss Mei Shuang would be so heartless and indifferent? Now that Xiao Luo has feelings for you, I wonder how you will feel about him in the future?"
"......"
A few words left Mei Shuang feeling as if she had swallowed a hard-boiled egg—she couldn't digest it or spit it out, leaving her speechless.
It wasn't until she watched Chu Xiruo's skirt flutter away into the distant cliffs that she regained her senses. She kicked a stone underfoot away in frustration and muttered, "What does this even mean!"
After pondering her thoughts for a while, when she turned back around, there was no sign of Nangong Nuo under the beam of light.
She sighed. Had Xiao Luo truly distanced himself from Chu Xiruo? And was it not because they were siblings? Did he even know they were siblings?
Thinking about Chu Xiruo's earlier despondency, it didn't seem fake at all.
Everyone said Xiao Luo had feelings for her, but why did she feel nothing? Whenever she heard others mention it, she felt no excitement whatsoever.
Reflecting on Chu Xiruo's situation, if it were true, then after so many years of deep affection, it could just vanish without a trace. Was this how one went from being the prince who would marry no one but her to becoming an emperor with a harem full of women? It seemed that once one became an emperor, their mindset changed completely.
As she thought about it all, an inexplicable chill crept over her. What was she to him anyway? Even if there was something there, who knew how long it would last!
"What are you thinking about?"
The faint yet thunderous voice brought Mei Shuang's thoughts back to reality. She looked up to see Nangong Nuo, who had been suffering from a headache and meditating earlier, standing right in front of her.
She observed Nangong Nuo's complexion, which was much better than before, at least not as pale. "Are you feeling better?"
Nangong Nuo noticed that Mei Shuang had been staring at the ground and realized she had been lost in thought for quite some time, even while he stood in front of her.
Earlier, he had only caught bits and pieces of the conversation with Chu Xiruo, but now, as he focused on Mei Shuang, he suddenly found her somewhat inscrutable. She had actually rejected Xiao Luo?
A playful smile crept onto his lips. Previously eager to marry Xiao Luo, she was now avoiding him after achieving success. Quite interesting!
"I'm just feeling a bit better for now. You wouldn't be hoping for my quick demise, would you?" He fixed his gaze on Mei Shuang's face and scoffed.
"That's what you said," Mei Shuang retorted angrily as she turned and walked toward the light.
Ever since Qishan's perilous return, she had developed an aversion to dark places like caves. Just staying in the darkness for a little while made her feel suffocated, and it also darkened her mood.
She felt an urge to kill Nangong Nuo, not out of her own darkness but because of the last sword strike from Qishan that left her grinding her teeth in hatred. That strike hadn't harmed her but had taken down the talented Shijieyu instead. If it weren't for that, she might have discussed some knowledge with Shijieyu in the future.
However, her luck now was worse than before; at least back then, she had someone by her side to help her. Now she was alone, uncertain of her fate.
After this encounter, she roughly understood Nangong Nuo's true intentions for grabbing her.
Sure enough, footsteps followed behind her.
As the pain subsided, Nangong Nuo felt rejuvenated, lazily gazing at Mei Shuang's delicate silhouette. "Ever since I heard that Miss Mei Shuang unfortunately fell into the water, I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime. Who would have thought there would be a twist of fate that allowed us to meet again..."
"Wow! You really did your homework!"
Without turning around, Mei Shuang coldly replied, "Aren't you just curious why I'm still alive and well despite everything?"
"I would like to hear more," Nangong Nuo continued.
What a shameless person!
Mei Shuang silently cursed as she stepped into the beam of sunlight. She looked up at the towering mountain peak that seemed unreachable, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths of the sunlit air, feeling much more at ease.
"I'll tell you this: aside from you, everyone else is doing just fine. You should understand why by now."
This time, Nangong Nuo deliberately avoided the sunlight, standing in the shade about ten feet away from Mei Shuang, hands clasped behind his back, his demeanor returning to its previous arrogance. "Is that so? But I've heard that several people who went with you met untimely ends."
Mei Shuang suddenly opened her eyes and glared at Nangong Nuo. "There were six of us in total. Kato died due to a trap, but what about Cong Yue and Shijieyu? Were they not your doing? Of course, if it weren't for Shijieyu, I probably wouldn't even have the chance to discuss this with you... But rest assured, the others are all doing well."
A faint smirk appeared at the corner of Nangong Nuo's lips, as if mocking Mei Shuang's ignorance. "I've heard that Cong Fei, who miraculously escaped, has also long since died. The envoy from Yamataikoku seems to be in grave danger as well..."
"......"
Images of their past interactions flashed through Mei Shuang's mind as she shook her head. "I don't believe it."
"I have no reason to lie to you. I originally thought fate had decreed this path for me and that I should not seek anything else. However, seeing you safe has piqued my interest... If Miss Mei Shuang could provide the secret to curing this illness, I might be inclined to show some leniency..." Nangong Nuo said smoothly.
In truth, when asked if Mei Shuang had any secret remedies, Nangong Nuo wasn't entirely sure either. If she really had a secret, how could she possibly keep it from Xiao Luo? But honestly, if she didn't have one, it was indeed a miracle that Mei Shuang had survived this long.
"Secret remedy?" Mei Shuang replied, feeling speechless. Did this guy really think he had taken some divine medicine? If that were the case, they would all be in danger, and yet here she was, living well—what a rarity.
She stated plainly that she had no secret remedy, knowing full well that Nangong Nuo wouldn't believe her. But if she claimed to have one, she certainly wouldn't be able to produce it.
She circled around the topic, saying, "Whether I have one or not isn't important; what's important is how I can trust you..."
Nangong Nuo wasn't foolish; he could tell that Mei Shuang was still weighing the matter of Qishan. He smiled slightly and said, "Actually, Miss Mei Shuang, you're the one who understands best. Just look at your current situation—do you really have the leverage to demand anything from me?"
Mei Shuang refused to back down. "Oh really? Then let's just perish together. I don't mind; I'm empty-handed anyway. It's just a pity for all of Zhao Prince's treasures—who knows who will benefit from them?"
A change flickered in Nangong Nuo's gaze as he fell silent for a moment before nodding slightly. "Speak then; what can this prince do for you?"
Mei Shuang held up three fingers. "Alright, you must agree to three things for me."
"Three things?" Nangong Nuo's expression darkened slightly. Internally, he scoffed at such demands—how outrageous! He narrowed his peach blossom eyes and said, "Go on, let me hear them."
"First, you must release Zheng Yi and her mother."
Nangong Nuo quickly nodded. "That’s not difficult."
"No, do it in front of me; otherwise, I won't feel at ease."
Nangong Nuo waved his hand to summon someone and gave a few orders. Before long, Zheng Yi and her mother indeed appeared.
"Big sister, what are you doing here?" Zheng Yi ran over excitedly upon seeing Mei Shuang, looking up at her with a suddenly displeased expression on her small face. "Why didn't you keep your promise?"
Mei Shuang crouched down, holding Zheng Yi's small hand and smiling. "I was sick for a few days and couldn't come to tell you. But I knew you were here, so I rushed over..."
"Oh, I knew you would definitely come." Zheng Yi nodded in understanding. "Big sister, can we leave now..."
Mei Shuang reached out to pat Zheng Yi's fluffy head. "Have you been scared here for a whole day and night?"
"I'm not scared! There are so many people to play with!" Zheng Yi replied curiously.
"Oh..." Mei Shuang looked at Nangong Nuo in confusion, not quite understanding what Zheng Yi meant, but she was relieved to see the mother and child safe. "Big sister has some things to take care of. Can I come find you after I'm done?"
Zheng Yi looked at Mei Shuang and suddenly leaned tightly into her embrace. Mei Shuang thought the child was just being affectionate and held her tightly. Suddenly, Zheng Yi's small hand stealthily slipped into her wide sleeve, giving a gentle press while whispering, "Big sister, my mother asked me to give this to you. Please keep it safe."
Mei Shuang's body stiffened slightly, and by the time she regained her senses, Zheng Yi had already turned and run back to her mother. Zheng Yi's Mother lowered her gaze and quickly took Zheng Yi away.
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