Dark Night (Part 2)

Xu Ning raised her hunched waist slightly, and her peripheral vision met the dark gaze at the end of the long hall.

"Who is coming?"

Suddenly a crescent-shaped hidden weapon flew over. Xu Ning took half a step to the right and narrowly avoided it. The dark-painted hardwood door revealed light yellow wood chips.

Xu Ning took some effort to remove the hidden weapon, "So you're still alive."

The voice was cold, with a hint of joy in the blame.

Tang Xixu heard the voice clearly, jumped down from the high seat and walked quickly to the woman.

The amber pupils were filled with moonlight, the sharp brow bones softened, the corners of the mouth were slightly raised, and the eyebrows and eyes melted like spring snow. In just a moment, the dark clouds were suppressed at the corners of the lips and floated up again.

He glanced at Xu Ning, then lowered his head and looked away. His lips were blood red and his face was pale. He quietly took a step back to keep some distance.

Yes, this is his true appearance. In the early years, in order to hide his identity, he wore a mask and had to endure the heart-wrenching pain of poison in the middle of the month.

The memories of the previous life and the previous life overlapped, making Xu Ning unable to get angry.

Isn’t it best that he is well?

Xu Ning ran over quickly and threw herself into the young man's arms, "I, I thought you were really dead."

In an instant, tears poured down like a rainstorm, and tiny sobs overflowed from the throat bit by bit.

Xu Ning hugged Tang Xixu's neck tightly, very tightly, leaving no gap.

Tang Xixu froze, and his hand, which had been hanging in the air, suddenly fell and patted the woman's back lightly.

"I'm not dead, I'm fine." The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and his dark pupils contained a sky full of stars.

Thinking back to his youth, how did he survive back then? It must have been very painful to be bitten by thousands of insects.

Uncle Mo and the others have left, so I will stay with you from now on.

"I'm sorry, Ah Xu, I'm late." Xu Ning's crying voice was filled with toughness, "I should have come here earlier."

That way you won't experience those pains.

In a place where she couldn't see, Tang Xixu was startled, and for a while his eyes were smiling, like the hazy half-covered by the mist and rain in the south of the Yangtze River. Then he held the back of Xu Ning's head and stroked it gently.

After a year, his Ningning finally recognized him.

Tang Xixu had recognized Xu Ning back in Beilao Mountain, and he was even more convinced when the girl took off her porcelain blue jade pendant and gave it to him personally on the night of the Linyao shadow play. Although he was angry that she had so easily given the jade pendant to someone else, he was also glad that the girl he had waited ten years for had finally arrived.

"And," the girl in front of him cried with anger in her voice, "From now on, you are not allowed to die without my permission."

The young man's crimson lips held a faint smile: "Okay."

"Gu~Gu"

Xu Ning stood up, his eyes red, and he pursed his lips and said, "I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything all day because I was looking for you."

The smile in Tang Xixu's eyes widened. "Okay, I'll make whatever you want to eat."

"You can cook too."

Xu Ning shut up. Of course Tang Xixu could do it. He had been thrown out by the Wu tribe and had been wandering around before he met Bi Ruohua, foraging for his own food and cooking his own meals. Sometimes, when he couldn't find anything to eat, it was normal for him to sneak into restaurants and eat leftovers.

"I'm sorry." Xu Ning lowered her eyes and looked at the lotus pattern on Tang Xixu's shoes.

The young man took the woman's hand and said gently, "You don't have to apologize to me. I never care about these things. Besides, in my opinion, Ningning is always right."

Xu Ning burst into laughter, "Where did you get this twisted idea from?"

"How is this a perverse logic?"

Tang Xixu pulled Xu Ning into the house.

An hour later, Tang Xixu brought two bowls of delicious wonton noodles.

The tender fresh meat was served with a few slices of bok choy and sprinkled with some chopped green onions. Xu Ning's appetite increased greatly and he quickly finished the whole bowl.

Tang Xixu propped up his chin and kept looking at her, "Eat slowly, there's another bowl here, if you're not satisfied, there's more in the pot."

Xu Ning frowned. She felt that his voice was soft and gentle, like the powder used by girls. In short, it had a bit of a coquettish tone.

"Hehe, please speak nicely. Just say 'eat slowly'. Why did you add 'ah'?" Xu Ning's cheeks were flushed red. She looked like she was just eating hot dumplings, but in fact, she felt like there was a willow catkin tickling her heart.

Those starry eyes were still looking at her, not at all shy.

"Concubine Shen is dead, but Wen Liang is still alive. You didn't touch him, did you?"

In the first life, Tang Xixu destroyed the Southern Sect not long after he came out of retreat. Xu Ning didn't know when he came out of retreat, but hoped that it was not too late now.

Tang Xixu stopped laughing and said seriously, "Ningning, why are you asking this?"

"There may be hidden secrets in the Mo family case. Wen Liang may not be the real murderer. We need to find out the truth."

The young man didn't say anything, but frowned and stared at the bowl of pure soup.

"Wen Liang values ​​that blood letter very much. Although it was collected by Old Manor Master Qu over the years, it was a bit too easy." Tang Xixu raised his eyes, and Xu Ning continued, "It took Old Manor Master Qu two years to compile the list of the Mo family's remaining generals. There are many random things, but who persuaded him to do it?"

"As far as I know, he has no connection to the Mo family, let alone a member of the imperial court. When such a major event occurred, His Majesty kept it a secret to prevent panic, simply stating that members of the Mo family died fighting at Wutong Pass to defend Ye County. And he's considered a half-man of the underworld, knowing such a secret. Don't you find it suspicious?"

Xu Ning also experienced his previous life and knew that Tang Xixu had taken revenge on the wrong person. Looking back, he felt that the matter was too smooth at that time. It was as if someone had dug a trap for them to jump into, or it was a decoy to cleverly conceal themselves.

Tang Xixu had not thought of this, but when Xu Ning mentioned it, it turned out to be true.

"Wen Liang is a mere eunuch, yet he holds immense power. Many fear him and wish to harm him. The person behind this must be in a high position, holding immense power."

Tang Xixu pondered for a moment and felt that what Xu Ning said made sense.

"Wen Liang is loyal to His Majesty. He is the sword in His Majesty's hand and the eyes of the court and the world. Killing him is not the same as cutting off one's own arm?"

The two looked at each other, understood each other, and had some clues that some of them might be suspects.

Tangxi Xu did not take any action and did not go to Nanjiao to investigate. Instead, he listened to Xu Ning's advice and started the investigation from the Qu family.

After the Qu family was wiped out, Qu Yi and Qu Xiang both entered the Buhuo City. One practiced martial arts day and night, and the other devoted himself to studying pharmacology.

The next day was night.

On a cold night, a young man focused on sword dancing. He drew his sword, the wind sweeping through the white magnolias, his brows stern and fierce.

Today, Xu Ning chose not to go through the main gate, but jumped over the wall to enter. Tang Xixu followed behind him with a faint smile on his face. The first time Xu Ning climbed over the wall, he asked him to catch him. At that time, he had bad intentions and deliberately did not catch him. Now he feels a little guilty when he thinks about it.

Qu Yi thought a thief had entered, and the tip of his sword was already pointing at him, causing the hair on both sides of Xu Ning's ears to be blown back.

"It's me, it's me. Be careful." Xu Ning pinched the tip with two fingers and slowly moved it away.

"Concentrate," Qu Yi saw the person put away the sword, and was surprised. He was halfway through speaking when he was warned by the young man behind the woman.

He immediately changed his words, "It turned out to be Miss Xu."

"Why are you being so polite to me? Just call me by my full name."

"This..." Qu Yi glanced at Tang Xixu from time to time.

The young man smiled faintly, as if it wasn't him who had given the warning look just now.

"You should do whatever Ningning says." There was a smile on his face when he said this, but Xu Ning couldn't see it.

"Okay." Qu Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead casually with his sleeve.

The servant brought tea. Qu Yi put down his sword and asked, "What do you two want from me so late at night?"

Xu Ning twisted her hands together, thinking about how to ask about this matter later, but she didn't expect Qu Yi to bring it up directly.

After a long silence, he frowned and said seriously, "Besides Wen Liang, were there any other people from the court who came to pay their respects at the Qu family's funeral?"

The smile on Qu Yi's face disappeared and he stared at Xu Ning for a while.

"Now I suspect there's something fishy about that blood letter. Perhaps..."

Before Xu Ning could finish, Qu Yi swallowed a fishbone, his eyes moistened, and he sneered, "So you think my father did it on purpose?"

"No, I suspect that Master Qu was used as a knife by someone during his lifetime." Xu Ning explained calmly.

"My father respects General Mo and admires the heroes so much, how could he do something to harm them?"

Qu Yi's fragile voice was mixed with tears.

"You said that Master Qu admires General Mo."

Qu Yi's face froze, his eyes became fixed and vague, and his lips turned pale.

"It's getting late, I'm going to rest, please take your leave, I'm sorry I can't see you off." Qu Yi pushed the two out of the door and closed it with a stern face.

Xu Ning raised an eyebrow, a little worried, "What should we do if he thinks this way?"

Tang Xixu looked up and saw that the green wooden door was soaked with water, which had not dried yet. There were uneven water marks on it. It seemed that it would be completely dry tomorrow after a night.

"Give him some time to think about it."

The two walked back without saying a word. The moonlight illuminated the road ahead. Xu Ning walked slowly, trying to overlap with Tang Xixu's shadow.

"Why do you trust me so much, Ah Xu? You follow me as soon as I say I doubt you."

A smile appeared on the young man's face. "Because you are Ningning."

Xu Ning was speechless and couldn't say anything for a while.

"What if I tell you that one day I will leave..."

"What did you say?" The young man's expression turned cold, and there was a hint of stiffness in his words.