Chapter 28: Unforgivable

  The scenery of Yunzhugou is very good. If it weren't for those frightening strange objects, it would also be a place with beautiful mountains and rivers.

  At the summit, a willow tree with a trunk as thick as a house stands alone and unyielding. Years of wind and rain have bent its branches, but it remains remarkably sturdy.

  Standing under the tree, looking around, the entire forest's scenery is within sight. High mountains, flowing water, dense forests, canyons, even Nan Gong Zhen has never seen all these landscapes at once.

  He slowly sat down, leaning against the trunk of the tree, and in his arms, Nalan Xinnuo was motionless, as if she had fallen asleep. At this moment, her expression was different from her usual coldness and ruthlessness, but rather had a pure and quiet innocence like that of a little girl.

  A gentle breeze blew by, messing up her hair. He reached out his hand and gently tucked it back in place for her, gazing at her ordinary face, which to him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

  The kind of woman who makes your heart skip a beat just by being around her, and you can't help but want to hold her tight.

  He thought, this is love. It was the dependence that he had never opened before, only once in a lifetime.

  "You deceived me." His voice was low, yet it still echoed slowly in the silent valley.

  "What do you think I recall every time I look at you?" He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead, as if she were really listening. "There's always a picture in my mind, in a valley like this one, where we build a small cottage, rising with the sun and resting with the sunset."

  "When I'm happy, everything goes according to your wishes. When I'm unhappy, I argue with you and provoke you into anger." He said with a smile. "You must not want to quarrel with me, you must want to draw your sword and kill me. So I'll fight with you, or pretend to be dead, or else, I'll pretend to be crippled by you and lie in bed every day, making you feed me."

  "When it's a stormy day, I'll pretend to be afraid of thunder and cling tightly to you, saying that I want my wife to protect me, but actually I just want to take advantage of the situation. I just want to rely on you like a child, like a scoundrel, making you accommodate me, take care of me, and pamper me."

  He smiled more deeply, at this moment, his smile no longer had the usual coldness and overbearingness, it was the most primitive, purest, and most real Nan Gongyin. "Then, when you're tired and don't want to be a heroine anymore, let me take your place, I'll tie you up on my body, we'll be together every moment, if you dare to escape, I'll kill you."

  In her arms, Nalan Xiong's fingers gently curled up, she had a long dream, in the dream, people were talking nonsense, and no one knew what they were saying. Later in the dream, she dreamed of a white mist, with a faint voice speaking to her.

  Nangong Jin did not notice the movement of the child in his arms, and his smile gradually faded. "I also deceived you."

  "I lied to you, I wouldn't leave you behind alone. That day, I thought you were dead because no woman could survive my hands, do you know that? At that time, I just thought you had a special skill, you dared to marry me, why not take advantage of you to help me find these things and then use you as bait in the Cloud Spider Valley. But, you actually died. The matter with Yan'er couldn't be delayed, so I left you behind and continued on my way. Later, I realized..."

  "What did you say?"

  Nangong Jin's body trembled, he lowered his head, and looked at Nalan Xian'er who had already opened her eyes with surprise and excitement. He looked at her excitedly, holding her tightly. "You're awake, you really are awake? I thought..."

  Nangong Jin's words were incoherent with joy, and every time he was about to despair, she would give him such an unexpected surprise. Nalan Xianuo coldly pushed him away, her voice a little hoarse. "What did you just... say?"

  At the moment she woke up, she heard him say... He was just using her, that didn't matter, because she knew he was using her. The key point is, at that time, he thought she was dead.

  At that time, when she was missing and her life or death was unknown, he chose to leave without any hesitation.

  It's always been that way, from birth to death, all for the sake of Nan Gongyan. He absolutely cannot lose Nan Gongyan. From the very beginning, she was just a pawn, an insignificant existence, wasn't she?

  Nalan Xinnuo smiled self-deprecatingly, haha, Nalan Xinnuo, what do you think of yourself? Do you think he would care whether you're alive or not? Was there a moment when you hoped he'd care about you? How foolish.

  Don't you understand what emotions are?

  Huh... So, when everyone saw her reappear that time, they were all so shocked. When she kissed him and said she fell in love with him, at that moment... You must think I'm ridiculous, Nan Gong Jin.

  Nangong Jin looked at Nalan Xixi's increasingly cold expression and understood that she must have heard the last part of what he hadn't finished saying, so he quickly explained. "No... it was just back then, later..."

  "It doesn't matter anymore." Nalan Xixi slowly stood up.

  Nan Gong Jin's words were stuck in his throat, he looked at her indifferent expression, but didn't know what to say next. He thought she could forgive him, but no way, she had said before that the one thing she couldn't forgive was... and she had said it a long time ago.

  "After all, it's just a matter of raising my hand, I don't want you to die, only because you are Nan Gong Jin, you are the Emperor of Luo Tian, the people need you, the world needs you." Nalan Xianuo smiled lightly at him, her words as gentle as a cloud.

  "Is that... it?" Nan Gong Jin was deceived by her exquisite acting skills, and his expression gradually turned cold.

  "That's right, it's just like that. From the beginning I told you, I want to marry Nan Gong Jin, only Nan Gong Jin, I want to marry your identity, I want to marry your world, not you as a person." Nalan Xianuo said lightly: "Unfortunately, you are nothing but this, not even comparable to Du Gu Han."

  Nalan Xixi's heart ached inch by inch because of these words, and she didn't know why she wanted to say such things. Looking at Nan Gongyin's increasingly cold expression, she knew that she had won.

  Her goal was achieved, in the end, she didn't lose, she won back her dignity... so-called dignity.

  Winning is enough. This doesn't count for anything, having experienced life and death, what's this? It's just a fantasy of two people, two people who are infatuated with each other, promising to be together in life and death, just because they think the next second may not be in this world, so they crazily comfort each other by losing their rationality.

  She is Nalan Xianuo, she's not an ordinary woman. She won't be like those women who cry and make a fuss about life and death. Once things are clear, that's it. Too much sorrow and joy, what she's best at is picking up and putting down.

  "No, you're not that kind of woman." He didn't believe it, her demeanor was absolutely not that of a woman who craved fame and wealth.

  "No, I am not. You think I would be like those foolish women in your harem, risking my life to beg for your favor or praying for a ridiculous emotion? I am not that kind of woman, and none of those things are worth mentioning to me."

  What she said is right, she is Nalan Xianyu, with exquisite martial arts and astonishing wisdom, not greedy for fame or fortune. So, what's called emotions, to her, are really laughable.

  No wonder she went to find Dugu Han so unhesitatingly that day, the hickey on her body was indeed left by Dugu Han. Ha! Nangong Jin, in the end, how did you become unable to extricate yourself?

  It's even more ridiculous to deceive oneself and others.

  Nangong Jin's heart felt as if it had been torn open, the pain was like a sharp blade cutting into his heart, and the words he hadn't had time to say were like a series of knives slashing back at him.

  It's like climbing to a very high mountain top and then suddenly being pushed down, unable to react, at a loss, and then falling into the valley, shattered.

  Enough, Nangong Jin. It's just because you thought it was impossible to get out alive, so you indulged in your desires and lived a life of reckless abandon. You are still the same Nangong Jin who looks down on everyone else. You remain the same.

  Nangong Jin nodded slightly, smiled calmly, and his face regained its coldness and ruthlessness. "Thanks to the princess's care for many days, this time searching for medicine also thanks to the princess's help, is the princess willing to go to Luotian with me?"

  Since ancient times, such talents have never been obtained by themselves and cannot fall into the hands of others. She has a relationship with Dugu Han, if she runs to Dugu Han's place, it will be a great threat to him.

  Nangong Jin recovered quickly, which was originally what Nalan Xianyu wanted to see most, but in that instant when she saw him, her heart suddenly felt a little dull pain. Indeed, indeed he didn't care.

  Nalan Xixi nodded. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness, but I'd like to stay in Lingyun and assist my father, the Emperor. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave first."

  Nangong Jin's expression was indifferent, and he nodded slightly. "So be it, I'll go back and prepare some grand gifts, then personally come to your doorstep to thank you."

  Nalan Xino slightly bowed to him, showing respect, and just as he was about to leave, he saw Huo Zhe rushing towards the peak. When Huo Zhe saw Nalan Xino, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and then he rushed over.

  He looked at Nalan Xianyu's gaze with surprise and joy, but was blocked by Nalan Xianyu's cold expression and couldn't say a word. For now, there were more important things waiting for Nan Gongyin to deal with.

  He handed the urgent report in his hand to Nan Gong Jin, who took it and saw the red silk on top of the bamboo tube. His movements slightly stagnated for a moment before he quickly opened the bamboo tube.

  Seeing Li Hu's memorial in the urgent report, Nangong Jin raised a cold smile. "This Qiang person has really come at the right time."

  He had just left the capital and come here, his life or death unknown, when the Qiang people united with the eight tribes of the Man and Yi? If the Qiang people had such abilities, how could they have been defeated by Li Hu in previous years?

  Who can have such great prestige to unite the eight tribes of the Xiongnu at one time, and also make the Qiang people cooperate with them obediently, and know so accurately when he left the capital and where he went?

  Huo Zhen took advantage of Nan Gong Jin's distraction while reading the urgent report to turn his head and look back, but Nalan Xianyu was already gone.

  He called out in doubt. "Princess?"

  Nan Gong Jin raised his eyes, meeting the inquiring gaze of Huo Zhe. He put the urgent report back into the bamboo tube and then threw it down to the valley below the cliff. "Return to the capital."