At this moment, his eyes were darker than the sky. Dark clouds were pressing down, and green lightning flashed in his eyes. Beneath the lightning was a boundless sea with surging waves. The violent waves were flying and pouncing towards him.
It was the first time Meng Fuyao had seen such a look in his eyes. In her memory, Yuan Zhaoxu was calm and poised, unmoved by the wind. If Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, he would kick it down. She had thought that she would never have the chance to see his face change.
But now, her heart sank. She held her breath, lowered her gaze, and subconsciously turned her head away. Her fingers dug into the grass on the ground, and she took a deep breath before raising her head to look at Yuan Zhaoxu.
'Hate me, hate me … I can't escape your power, so I can only force you to leave …'
Yuan Zhaoxu only stared at her without any movement or expression. Even the waves in his eyes were gone.
He just stood there in front of the bonfire, the firelight delineating the contours of his face. His long eyelashes were slightly drooping, and he was as quiet as a virgin.
However, everyone felt that the atmosphere around them had suddenly changed.
It was as if someone had suddenly splashed a pot of paste in the air, instantly sticking to the originally bright and clean winter night. The layers of clouds seemed to have sensed it and pressed down even more heavily. The originally crackling flames seemed to have weakened a lot, burning silently.
The cheers gradually died down, and Miss Hu Sang's ecstasy turned into bewilderment. She was at a loss and froze there, looking at Yuan Zhaoxu and then at Meng Fuyao.
In the suffocating silence, Yuan Zhaoxu finally moved.
Once he moved, he was like a thunderbolt. He reached out and pulled up Meng Fuyao, who was staring blankly at him, and unceremoniously threw her out.
Meng Fuyao was thrown in a parabola in mid-air, landing with her butt forward and face backward on a horse outside the circle of people. Before Meng Fuyao could cry out in alarm, a purple shadow flashed before her eyes. Yuan Zhaoxu was already on the horse, face to face with her. Seeing that she was about to scream, he poked her mute acupoint with his finger and patted the horse, which galloped away.
These few movements were done in one go, so fast that people couldn't keep up with them. Everyone could only see two figures flashing in front of them, and the city lord was magnificently "hijacked".
Miss Hu Sang chased after him in shock. She cried, "Daren … you accepted my brocade handkerchief!"
Yuan Zhaoying did not even turn his head. Suddenly, a fat ball jumped out of his arms and climbed onto his shoulder. It pulled at Miss Hu Sang who was chasing behind him and unfolded a brocade handkerchief embroidered with mandarin ducks and willow branches.
In the firelight, Lord Ingot bared his snow-white teeth and looked proudly at his master's suitor. In his claws, the handkerchief and his white fur fluttered in the wind.
If I hadn't been prepared at all times, my master would have been sold out by that shameless man …
Peng Peng!
The pitiful Hu Sang, whose courtship had failed, fainted …
*****
Meng Fuyao did not expect Yuan Zhaoxu to be able to gallop at such an extreme speed. The speed of his horse was comparable to a modern car. The wind whistled past her ears like a knife. Her headscarf was pulled off, and her long hair scattered in the wind. Some of it was tangled with the horse's hair, causing pain. Meng Fuyao did not avoid it. She pulled hard, and a strand of her hair fell like smoke. It was like a dream lost in the mortal world.
Meng Fuyao did not even look at her hair. She pursed her lips and looked at the scenery around her rapidly retreating. The trees, people, and houses disappeared in an instant. It was as if time had been reversed. How good would it be if time could be reversed? Back to the beginning, back to the quiet Meng Fuyao. When they met, it would be better to not see each other.
She was still frozen on the horse. Yuan Zhaoxu did not hold back at all when he threw her onto the horse. She was planted there like a piece of wood. Her acupoints were sealed and she could not control herself. She swayed and swayed along with the horse. Yuan Zhaoxu controlled the reins with one hand and held her waist with the other. Even through the thick winter coat, she could feel the coldness of his palm.
From Meng Fuyao's angle, she could only see his jaw line, which was delicate and firm. His thin lips were pursed even tighter than hers. Yuan Zhaoxu was always smiling. His smile was calm, dignified, and disdainful. Meng Fuyao was used to his smile, but she was not used to his cold smile. She subconsciously tried to smooth it out, but she could not raise her hand. Only then did she remember that her numbing acupoints had been sealed.
The horse galloped through the empty and quiet streets. The stream beside the street flowed quietly, and some Rong people were releasing colorful lanterns. The lanterns flickered with colorful halos as they floated by and were swept away by the wind. The Rong people looked up in shock as they watched the couple galloping away on a festive occasion. They watched the crimson bougainvillea that filled the city scatter in the wind and fall on the two of them.
The floating lanterns illuminated the frosty stone road. Tonight, many people rejoiced and reveled. Tonight, the couple was silent, and the moonlight was silent.
The sound of hoofbeats echoed in the cold night. The city gate was already in sight. Yuan Zhaoxu took out the token from Meng Fuyao's bosom and threw it to the soldier who came to question him. "The Castellan has an urgent military matter. Open the gate!"
The soldier opened the gate without another word, and Yuan Zhaoxu galloped away. Meng Fuyao looked up in surprise. "Why are you leaving the city?"
Yuan Zhaoxu did not look at her, as if he had no intention of talking to her. She could only shut up in embarrassment. After a while, he said, "You need to be brainwashed."
"Huh?" Meng Fuyao did not understand, but she knew that Yuan Zhaoxu was really pissed off today. It would be better for him to be obedient and return the corpse. She could only shrink her neck in silence.
On the opposite side, Lord Ingot suddenly struggled out of Yuan Zhaoxu's bosom and flicked Meng Fuyao's forehead with a look of disdain. Meng Fuyao miraculously understood it. 'You're so stupid.'
'Yes, so stupid. But if I wasn't this stupid, I might do something even more stupid in the future …'
Meng Fuyao sniffed and looked up at the hazy and gloomy moon. 'What is my mother doing in another time and space? Does she still have the money to support dialysis? Did the research give her any martyr's allowance? She always rides a bicycle to the hospital. Who's going to carry her now? '
Seventeen years. Seventeen years had passed in the Five Continents. She was really afraid that this world and the other world were parallel. She was afraid that her mother would not be able to wait for her for seventeen years. But some things could not be given up just because of fear. What if the time in the two worlds was different? What if the Evergreen Temple's almighty could help her return to a certain time in the past? What if … what if her mother had always been waiting for her?
Meng Fuyao raised her head, allowing the frosty wind to blow fiercely against her ice-cold forehead and widened eyes. The wind was so cold that she could hear the sound of liquid freezing in her eye sockets.
Suddenly, her body shook and shattered along with the fine ice crystals. She looked up in a daze and saw that Yuan Zhaoxu had stopped his horse. In front of him was a continuous mountain range, verdant and green. At the foot of the mountain range was a vast expanse of plains that surged forward as far as the eye could see. The wind howled as it rushed over from the plains, passing through the rocky mountains and emitting a sharp whistling sound.
Meng Fuyao did not recognize this place, but Yuan Zhaoxu seemed to be very familiar with it. He got off his horse and carried her. She waited for him to unseal her acupoints, but Yuan Zhaoxu ignored her and carried her straight up the mountain.
His pace was extremely fast, and the winding and dangerous mountain path was as smooth as flat ground under his feet. Meng Fuyao, who was carried by him, felt dizzy from the jolting. She did not make a sound and merely laughed bitterly. 'See, even the most gentle and magnanimous person can be like a mad lion when provoked.'
Fortunately, Yuan Zhaoxu quickly stopped. Meng Fuyao shook her heavy head, but before she could raise it, she smelled the thick smell of sulfur and saw what seemed to be white steam rising from the corner of her eyes. She could not help but be startled.
Before she could think clearly, her body suddenly soared into the air with a 'bang'.
"Ah!"
Water splashed and scattered pearls and pearls flew everywhere. Meng Fuyao's body suddenly fell into the water. The water around her was not cold, but hot instead. White steam rose noisily, causing her to stagger and fall into the water. When she got up, she realized that her acupoints had been unsealed.
Propping herself up on a rock that was half above the water's surface, she wiped the water off her face and scanned her surroundings. Only then did she realize that she was in a natural hot spring that was built on a mountain. She had just been thrown in by Yuan Zhaoxu.
She stood in the water in a daze, looking at Yuan Zhaoxu, who was submerged in the shadows on the shore. Her face was flushed from the hot water, and her head was dizzy. She did not understand what he was trying to do.
Half of Yuan Zhaoxu's face was revealed in the dim moonlight, while the other half was submerged in the shadows of the dusky mountains. Only his eyes shone brightly. His usual gentleness and grace had been replaced by coldness. He quietly looked at Meng Fuyao in the water and said, "Wash, wash well. Clear your mind and make sure you understand what you want and what you should do."
Meng Fuyao was stunned in the water. Her head and body were drenched, and she looked like a homeless dog. Yuan Zhaoxu stood there like a jade tree, his voice calm and steady. Every word he said was like jade striking against stone.
"I'll give you one night to wash away the selfishness and frivolity that shouldn't belong to you. Wash away until you understand that you can't be spoiled and use other people's tolerance as a reason to be presumptuous. Understand that you can refuse and escape, but you have no right to violate other people's dignity or interfere with their freedom of choice."
Meng Fuyao trembled in the hot water. She slowly squatted down in the water.
"It's my business to like you and chase after you, just as it's your business to avoid me and reject me. If you don't want to see me, you can tell me that you'll never see me again. Yuan Zhaoxu will disappear from your sight forever. Fuyao, do you want it? If you do, say it now. "
Meng Fuyao raised her head to look at him, her face dripping with water. She opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.
Yuan Zhaoxu looked down at her, his voice calm and his eyes sorrowful.
"Fuyao, you have something on your mind that you're never willing to share with me. It's not that I can't accept rejection, but I can't accept your unreasonable rejection and abandonment. You even want to shove me to someone else. Fuyao, you're so selfish and cruel. You treasure your own heart, but you discard it like it's worn out."
Meng Fuyao clutched her chest and struggled for a long time before she finally squeezed out a sentence.
"Why … do you like me?"
Yuan Zhaoxu suddenly fell silent. After a long time, he gently picked up a fallen leaf in the wind and said,
"I met a girl who overlapped with a certain shadow in my heart. I approached her because I wanted to see her clearly, but in doing so, I gradually forgot my original goal. I've been taking and demanding all my life, never knowing what it's like to fight for something or cherish it. But because of this girl, I cherished her to the point that I forgot about her shadow and only wanted to see her."
He faced Meng Fuyao and opened his palm for the first time. The misty moonlight shone on the lotus flower.
"I really hope that she can be like this lotus flower, born in my blood and skin, forever by my side, until she transcends life and death and time to see the end of our doomsday."
Meng Fuyao stood in the water in a daze. Her eyes, mouth, and nose were frozen. After a long time, she suddenly sat in the water and burst into tears.
"Yuan Zhaoxu, can you not be so emotional?"
"Yuan Zhaoxu, I'm not as selfish as you make me out to be. I'm just too f * cking selfish!"
Waves of surging emotions assaulted her like boiling hot spring water, washing away the embankment of her emotions. Something exploded, scattering all over her flesh and blood. Her consciousness and body seemed to explode in an instant, turning into the dim starlight of the night and flying up to the firmament.
Intense pain engulfed her, and the black cyan blade revealed its ferocious saw-like teeth, grinding away her consciousness and thoughts bit by bit. She gritted her teeth and endured it, swallowing the blood that rose up, but the sweet and fishy smell seemed to arouse the unwillingness and anger that had been hidden in her heart for a long time.
She wailed almost uncontrollably, struggling to slap the surface of the water with all her might. Waves of water flew up and crashed down, drenching her from head to toe.
Her shrill voice pierced the silence of the night like a steel knife.
"I'm not afraid of the torment of a lover or the confusion of being loved! I'm afraid of a short reunion and an eternal parting!
"All the days I've been here are borrowed. Borrowed, do you understand? If I leave one day, Yuan Zhaoxu, will you scold me for giving up without a reason and abandoning your heart like a worn out shoe? "
"My love shouldn't be here. I'm restraining myself and pushing you away because I don't want to hurt you! Do you f * cking understand? Do you f * cking understand … "Tears streamed down Meng Fuyao's face as she trembled and her speech was unclear. Suddenly, she jumped up and pounced onto the shore, dragging Yuan Zhaoxu down.
Yuan Zhaoxu stared in shock at her loss of composure. Caught off guard, she pulled him into the water, drenching him in an instant. She did not care and tried her best to hold him in the water, crying as she did so.
"Disappear! Disappear right now! You f * cking disappear right now! From now on, I'm not afraid of you anymore. I couldn't speak because I had a toothache just now. Let me tell you now. Yes, I don't want you, I don't want you. Just do as you said and disappear from my sight forever … "
"I've changed my mind."
Yuan Zhaoxu, who was being pushed into the water, suddenly spoke. The coldness in his voice had dissipated, replaced by a gentle calmness.
He stood up in the middle of the hot spring and grabbed her flailing hand. He held it so tightly that she could not move at all. The two of them faced each other in the middle of the hot spring. Yuan Zhaoxu looked into her eyes and said quietly, "You didn't say it just now. It's too late to say it now. It doesn't count."
"If you say it doesn't count, then it doesn't count …"
A pair of cold, soft lips suddenly pressed against hers.
She was so shocked that she forgot who she was.
She stood in the water in a daze. She stood there stiffly with one hand still poised to hold him down. She watched as Yuan Zhaoxu leaned over to taste her, accepting the entanglement of his tongue and lips. At first, it was as light as a butterfly's wings and feathers, but it gradually deepened. There was a sweetness in his mouth, like melting snow. It was a slightly cool and refreshing taste that did not make one feel cold. It was gentle and delicate, like the most beautiful dream of a budding beauty in a small house under the moonlight.
The dreamland was blurry and dense, like fog and wind surrounding her. The man's soft breath and faint fragrance assaulted her senses, softening her heart.
She sighed softly and raised her head dizzily, no longer having the strength to push away this moment of tenderness.
The moonlight was reflected in the center of the waves. The man and woman, wet and hugging each other, leaned against each other in the pool of clear water, like a lotus flower blooming in the center of the pool.
The wind swept across the surface of the water, writing its own poem. The poem was also lingering, gentle, and moving.
The air was fragrant, and emerald vines hung down from the pool, entwining and swaying together.
While Meng Fuyao was floating like a floating cloud, she heard Yuan Zhaoxu, who was buried in her neck, suddenly say in a low voice, "Seal your thoughts with a kiss."
Sealed with a kiss … What a beautiful phrase. However, could it really seal this moment of peace and tranquility, persevering until the mountains and rivers were everlasting and the seas turned into mulberry fields?
Meng Fuyao only felt pain in an unknown part of her body. Her arms trembled, but Yuan Zhaoxu had already let go of her. His eyes reflected the moonlight, which was another pool of even more beautiful water.
Meng Fuyao blushed slightly and turned her face away. Her eyes unconsciously swept downwards, and she saw Yuan Zhaoxu's wet body facing her. His clothes were half undone, and water droplets rolled down his slightly exposed chest. His skin was even more lustrous and clean than the water droplets, glistening like soft jade under the moonlight. His exquisite collarbone slightly extended into his half-opened collar, inviting people to explore even more.
Meng Fuyao stared blankly. Suddenly, she felt her nose heat up, and when she lowered her head, she saw a patch of red on the surface of the water. Her mind went blank, and she thought, "This is so embarrassing! My nose is bleeding from looking at a beauty, how am I going to face people in the future …" Before she could finish her thought, she felt a sweetness in her chest, and something spurted out of her mouth.
Meng Fuyao subconsciously raised her head and saw a ghastly rain of blood suddenly falling from the sky, dyeing the gloomy moon red. The rain of blood fell on both her and Yuan Zhaoxu's faces. She saw Yuan Zhaoxu's shocked expression, which was covered in blood. At the same time, she miraculously saw herself slowly falling down.
"Luckily … I didn't get a nosebleed because I was greedy for beauty …" As she fell, an irrelevant thought emerged in her mind.
*****
A ray of light danced in her closed vision. The aroma of food and the warmth of the fire snuck in silently.
When Meng Fuyao opened her eyes, she saw the dark, craggy dome of the cave, the bright red fire, and Yuan Zhaoxu beside it, turning over his clothes to dry in a rather unpracticed manner.
Clothes … clothes!
Meng Fuyao's consciousness returned instantly, and she jumped up in shock. She quickly touched her body. Phew … luckily, her underwear was still there.
She grabbed the covering on her body. It was Yuan Zhaoxu's outer robe. She gently stroked it, vaguely remembering what had happened earlier, and could not help but blush.
She looked around and saw Lord Yuan Bao drawing circles in the corner of the cave. 'Eh, its fur isn't wet. Was it not in Yuan Zhaoxu's arms when he entered the water? Then why is it depressed? '
Yuan Zhaoxu turned around, his eyelashes and eyes glistening in the firelight. After a while, he said, "Zong Yue actually didn't tell me that you were poisoned by 'Love Lock'."
Meng Fuyao's mouth twitched, and she weakly leaned back. "Do you understand now?"
"Wrong," Yuan Zhaoxu shook his head. "There's always a way to cure any kind of poison. The hardest thing to cure is one's own heart. Fuyao, don't make excuses."
Meng Fuyao was silent. After a while, she said, "Alright, I was wrong, but I think I was right."
Yuan Zhaoxu actually understood her strange words. He gazed at her and suddenly reached out to stroke her hair. "You stubborn little thing …" he said.
Meng Fuyao was waiting for him to get angry. 'Beat me up, beat me up. I'm not happy about it either.'
Yuan Zhaoxu stood up and helped her up. Her long hair had come loose from the earlier struggle, and because it was not facing the fire, it stuck to her back and was in a mess from the mountain rocks. Yuan Zhaoxu sat behind her and gently picked up her hair. He carefully held it in his palm, smoothed it with his fingers, and dried it bit by bit with the heat of the fire. "Your hair is wet, and you can't protect yourself during the period of the poison. Be careful not to get sick," he said.
Meng Fuyao clenched her fingers in silence. Behind her, the man's clear and seductive scent wafted over. His fingers were gentle and nimble, and a slight itch and numbness spread throughout her body like an electric current. She felt so comfortable that she felt as if she had fallen into the clouds, and tears gradually welled up in her eyes.
She would rather he throw her into the pool and scold her than face such an irresistible and inescapable gentleness!
Yuan Zhaoxu did not speak. His hair gradually dried, and he seemed to ponder for a while before tying her hair into a braid for her.
Even though Meng Fuyao was conflicted, she could not help but laugh. "Don't tell me you're so omnipotent that you can even tie a woman's braid."
Yuan Zhaoxu did not reply. He untied her hair, as if trying to recall some braiding technique. After a while, he said, "I don't comb my hair. My silky hair drapes over my shoulders and stretches out on my knees. How pitiful …"
His low and elegant voice recited the long, mellow sentence, full of tenderness and tenderness. Meng Fuyao shivered, and a strand of her hair fell unintentionally. She quickly hid her smile. "Ouch, it hurts."
Yuan Zhaoxu's hand paused, and he suddenly let go of her braid. "I think I still don't know how to comb it."
Meng Fuyao reached out to touch her hair. She could vaguely feel that it was a bun that had been coiled halfway. She could not help but laugh. Just as she was about to tease Yuan Zhaoxu, he suddenly said, "You're a stubborn little thing … but I'll wait for you."
"Fuyao, the moon is easy to fall, and the people are easy to disperse. Cherish it," Yuan Zhaoxu said softly behind her. "I'll wait for the day you understand."
All of a sudden, the bonfire exploded, and the aroma of roasted pine nuts wafted out. One of them landed in Fuyao's palm, which she clenched tightly, as though she was clutching a burning hot heart.
The fire illuminated the cave, reflecting the silhouette of the person behind her. He was not burly or majestic, but he always covered her with warmth. Meng Fuyao stared at the silhouette in a daze, watching as her long hair fell on his knees.
The atmosphere in the cave was quiet. Both of them did not speak. Their hearts were filled with unspeakable worries. They could hear the sounds around them more clearly. They could hear the wind blowing past the cave entrance. There was a faint roar. Amidst the murderous syllables, there was suddenly a strange sound.
It was the sound of someone falling down, panting, the rustling of plants, and the unintentional clashing of swords. It was getting closer and closer.
Meng Fuyao sat up straight and listened attentively. Yuan Zhaoxu, who was behind her, immediately raised his hand to extinguish the fire. "Someone's being chased in the southwest direction, and they're rushing over here."
Meng Fuyao turned to look at him. "Where exactly is this?"
Yuan Zhaoxu fell into a rare moment of silence. After a while, he said, "I've been here once before. This is Hao Yang Mountain, and it's close to the Rong Army's encampment."
Meng Fuyao looked at him in shock. She did not understand why the wise and mighty Yuan Zhaoxu would bring her to such a dangerous place. Yuan Zhaoxu looked at her without shame. "I was galloping all the way and forgot."
Meng Fuyao was silent. After a while, she rubbed her nose. She knew that she was the culprit. If Yuan Zhaoxu had not been so angry that he had galloped away, he would not have been able to run so far in the night.
She stuck her head out of the cave and looked out. Unknowingly, torches had been lit all over the mountain, like stars falling from the sky. The number of people was astonishing, and the sound of weapons clashing could be heard continuously. Someone on the top of a mountain not far away waved a torch and shouted, "Catch the spy who broke in!"
Meng Fuyao whispered, "So powerful? How did you know we broke in? Aiya, it's all your fault for drawing water from the hot spring. "
Yuan Zhaoxu didn't want to argue with her because she was the one complaining first. He stared into the darkness and said slowly, "There's a cliff at the bottom of this cave that retracts into the cliff and is covered by vines. I'll let you down later."
Meng Fuyao turned her head abruptly. "What are you doing?"
"The Rong Army has been alerted." Yuan Zhaoxu pointed at the torches. "It doesn't seem like we're the problem, but someone broke into their encampment. There are too many of them, and you can't move due to the poison. I'll send you to a safer place first."
"No way," Meng Fuyao rejected firmly. "Don't even think of running away without me."
Yuan Zhaoxu turned to look at her, a faint smile appearing on his face for the first time that night. "Fuyao, when will you change your bad habit of saying things that don't match your heart?"
Just as Meng Fuyao was about to retort, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps. A small black shadow staggered past the entrance of the cave. As she ran, she looked back in panic. The moonlight shone on her blood-stained face.
It was Xiao Dao!
Meng Fuyao was about to cry out, but she quickly covered her mouth. The next moment, she saw Xiao Dao, who had turned back while running, step on empty air. His body tilted and fell down the cliff in front of the cave.
"Xiao Dao!"
Meng Fuyao immediately rushed out of the cave and down the cliff.
*****
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