Chapter 32 Chapter 32 “Please be careful with your words,…
Yao Ning looked at the hand on his arm, his expression calm, and said in a gentle voice, "What did you say?"
Chen Qian slowly loosened his hand, the warmth still lingering on his fingertips. His heart was beating like a drum, and he nervously took out a bouquet of flowers from behind and handed it to Yao Ning.
"I..." he began, his voice dry and unsteady. "When I came here, there were cherry blossoms on the mountain, so I picked a few branches and wanted to bring them to you."
Yao Ning remained silent and didn't answer, so he kept holding out his hand.
The double petals of pale white and light pink are surrounded by bright yellow stamens, and there is a very faint fragrance. Yao Ning's eyes fell on it, and the past memories came to him like a tide.
It was not long after they got married when a young disciple casually and rashly barged into the room one day and excitedly asked, "Master, the Sect Master has returned from the Tianshu Sect and said he wants to plant many flowers on all the peaks of the Xuanqing Sect. We can't let our sect fall behind... What flowers should we plant?"
The room was small, yet the couple felt quite far apart. Chen Qian was reading by the window, while Yao Ning was lying on the dressing table in the corner, absentmindedly adjusting her golden hairpin.
Chen Qian didn't care about these mundane matters: "It's up to the clan leader to decide."
Xianxian wasn't disappointed, as if asking him was just a matter of routine. She turned around and ran over to Yao Ning, giggling and praising the beautiful hairpin Yao Ning was wearing. Then she sat down next to Yao Ning in front of the dressing table, holding her chin and asked her, "Master, what kind of flowers do you want to plant?"
Yao Ning did not blame her for being disrespectful. He thought for a while and said, "I don't care."
Xianxian hugged her arm and shook her: "Master, how can I not care? The entire Xuanqing Sect is planted with flowers and trees, so beautiful! What flowers do you like? I want to plant peonies, the bright red ones, as red as Master's skirt!"
Yao Ning stretched out his finger and poked Xianxian's forehead helplessly: "Even if I like it, I can't decide based on my own feelings."
Xianxian glanced at Chen Qian and whispered in Yao Ning's ear, "But we can grow the flowers that Master Uncle likes at Daofeng!"
Yao Ning's mind moved, and he restrained himself from looking at Chen Qian: "Really?"
"Yes, yes!" Xianxian urged excitedly, "Uncle Master, what kind of flowers do you like?"
Yao Ning thought about it seriously, his eyes a little blank: "I don't think... there is anything I particularly like."
"Ah? How could that be?" The girl's face wrinkled, looking confused. "What about the color? Uncle, what color flowers do you like?"
What color do you like?
Yao Ning thought of the first time he met Chen Qian, the white clothes he was wearing, and the wind and snow behind him.
"White." Yao Ning said.
"White. There are pear blossoms, jasmine, platycodon..." Xianxian counted on his fingers, "Ah, and cherry blossoms."
When he was twelve years old, Yao Ning hid behind a cherry tree and saw a faint smile on Chen Qian's lips through the thick branches.
"Cherry blossoms." Yao Ning made the final decision, "I like cherry blossoms."
A figure in white stood in front of the window, facing the wind, and the words on the book became blurred for a moment.
Next year, cherry blossoms will bloom like clouds among the mountains of Xuanqingzong.
Yao Ning fixed his eyes, reached out to take the cherry blossoms, and raised the corners of his mouth: "Thank you."
She put her nose close to the tip of her nose and sniffed it, her eyes curled up: "The fragrance is also nice."
Chen Qian's eyes lit up, but Yao Ning didn't even look at him, turned around and left.
Shen Qian hurriedly followed him. Yao Ning stopped to look at him and said with a smile, "Brother Shen, is there anything else?"
The call of "Brother Shen" made Shen Qian's throat tighten and his eyes suddenly became dazed.
He was very close to Yao Ning, looking down at her, his eyes passing through her dark hair and meeting her clear eyes: "Aning, let's start over, okay?"
Yao Ning raised his head slightly, his eyes sparkling and clear in the sunlight, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly, like a fleeting breeze.
The voice was clear, and every word seemed to knock on Shen Qian's heart: "Okay."
Chen Qian seemed to be hit by a rock from the sky, and he didn't react for a long time. When he came to his senses, he finally understood what it meant to be ecstatic, and his eyes suddenly turned red: "A Ning..."
He subconsciously wanted to hug her, to hold her tightly in his arms, to hold her between his arms, and then lower his head to smell her fragrance.
Yao Ning raised her hand and used the bouquet to hold back his body.
Shen Qian paused.
Yao Ning tilted his head, a smile still on his lips, his unadorned black hair hung down, his face was snow-white, and his eyes were as clear as a pool of water.
Shen Qian's heart suddenly dropped.
He finally realized that something was wrong.
Yao Ning was too calm. From the moment she appeared until now, she had been gentle, indifferent, and polite, almost as if she were treating a stranger.
stranger.
Chen Qian's mind was instantly in turmoil, and he reached over the branches to touch her.
Yao Ning took a step back.
The smile on her lips disappeared, her eyes were still calm and gentle, and her voice was distant and indifferent: “Brother Shen, you have crossed the line.”
Chen Qian breathed rapidly, panicked and frightened: "Aning..."
"Aning?" Yao Ning savored the name. "You've never called me like that before."
"Aning, I was wrong in the past. I... owed you a lot. Now I know everything." Chen Qian held Yao Ning's hand and said, "Please give me a chance. I will treat you well and make up for the mistakes I made."
Yao Ning struggled twice but couldn't get free. Her eyebrows knitted together: "I thought we were no longer Taoist companions. There was no future for us."
"No!" Chen Qian clutched Yao Ning tightly, like a drowning man, and explained hurriedly, "At that time, I thought I was going to die and disappear, and I didn't see my true intention clearly, so I said that I would remove the Taoist Seal."
“Then…then…” His eyes were red and he took a deep breath to calm his breathing, “Aning, that’s not what I meant.”
Yao Ning looked at his eyebrows carefully, as if trying to capture every fleeting expression to determine the truth in his words.
"Really?" She raised her face, still looking calm and unperturbed.
Suddenly he cried out in surprise: "You're hurting me!"
Chen Qian quickly let go of his hand and looked down, only to see several dark blue fingerprints on the back of Yao Ning's slender white hand. His breathing stagnated, and he hurriedly wanted to use his spiritual power to heal him, but Yao Ning had already stepped back a few steps.
Chen Qian stepped forward, and Yao Ning shouted, "Stop."
He paused and retracted his steps.
The two were a few steps apart, and Chen Qian could see clearly that all expressions on Yao Ning's face disappeared, and the gaze that fell on him was light and shallow.
It's like a butterfly trembling on the pistil, ready to fly away at any time.
She doesn't care about him anymore.
Shen Qian understood desperately.
Yao Ning would never look at him like this in the past. Her eyes were always obsessed and longing. If she was annoyed, she would look aggrieved and pretend to be fierce.
Not such a cold gaze without any warmth.
Chen Qian felt a dull pain in his heart, and the overwhelming fear, sorrow and sadness overwhelmed him.
He wanted to catch Yao Ning, catch the butterfly on the petals, break her wings, and prevent her from flying away forever.
But the butterfly had already abandoned him.
The butterfly never looked at him again.
Shen Qian clenched his palms tightly, his nails cutting into the flesh, and the pain made him sober up a little.
He said with difficulty: "Aning, I love you. I am willing to do anything for you."
The two stood facing each other a few steps apart. A brook gurgled through here and turned down into a valley shaded by trees. Not far away, the fairy boat and flying pavilion moved, and the mechanism engaged and turned, making a long "creaking" sound.
The disciples of the Tianshu Sect hid behind the windows and watched the two curiously, gathering in groups of two or three and whispering to each other.
Yao Ning looked at Chen Qian calmly, but seemed to be looking through him at something else.
Chen Qian said that he liked her.
Those were the words that Yao Ning had once sought but could not obtain.
He thought she would at least be a little moved, but Yao Ning still didn't care.
The girl in the sunlight was a little thinner than a month ago, her charm had changed silently, and the coldness and indifference between her eyebrows made her look like a different person.
But that was indeed Yao Ning, not anyone else.
As the silence stretched on, the pain and panic in Chen Qian's heart grew heavier. He had a vague illusion that there were mountains and time between them, and he could no longer touch her at all.
After an unknown amount of time, Yao Ning finally spoke. She said, "Will you do anything for me?"
She seemed to be asking herself, then nodded and said, "Then kneel down."
Chen Qian lifted up his clothes and immediately knelt down.
Yao Ning's eyes darkened, and his peaceful temperament suddenly disappeared.
The chattering became louder, and countless eyes shot over. Chu Liangxiu and Meng Yaoguang, who were fighting fiercely against their rivals, stopped and looked over in surprise.
A gloomy look flashed across Yao Ning's face. Just as she was about to open a barrier to block the prying eyes of others with one hand behind her back, she suddenly retracted it. She was almost cruel and dark, wanting more people to see this scene that made her scalp tingle.
Let more people see his humility and embarrassment, and see how long he can pretend.
I don’t know if it’s a punishment for Chen Qian.
Or just abuse yourself obsessively.
On the distant mountain top, Chu Liangxiu frowned and waved his hand to lower the barrier, but Meng Yaoguang held his hand down.
"One is willing to fight and the other is willing to be beaten, why are you interfering?"
A white barrier rose from the ground and the field of vision disappeared in an instant.
Inside the barrier, Yao Ning withdrew her hands, the remaining spiritual power flowing from her fingertips. She turned around angrily, her skirt swaying and spreading out.
Yao Ning turned his back to Shen Qian and said in a cold voice, "Get up."
Chen Qian stared at her back and slowly stood up.
He approached hesitantly. Yao Ning heard the voice and said angrily, "Stop!"
Chen Qian stood there obediently.
"Aning..."
"Shut up."
The barrier became quiet, with only the sound of the stream splashing.
After a long moment, Yao Ning turned around, her face still expressionless. She lowered her eyes and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have embarrassed you in public."
"I do."
Yao Ning looked up at him and smiled softly: "After all, he is my senior brother. How can a senior brother kneel before his junior sister?"
Chen Qian's heart burned, and he quickly confessed: "But you are also my wife, I am willing to kneel down."
Yao Ning shook his head, like a child correcting a mistake: "No, I'm not."
Shen Qian's face turned pale.
Yao Ning's eyes were cold, as if he was refuting, but also as if he was warning: "Chen Qian, I am not your Taoist partner, not your wife, and I don't love you. I have said these words to you a few days ago, and I will say them again now."
Her voice was firm and cold: "I called you Brother Shen before, just to tease you, don't think too much. You and I are strangers now, so this name is inappropriate. From now on, I won't call you that."
Watching Chen Qian's expression collapse bit by bit, Yao Ning remained calm and indifferent.
"Please be careful not to annoy me any further."
Chen Qian's face was pale, like the paint on a painting fading away, revealing the haggard and gloomy complexion underneath.
His features were still handsome, but a hint of illness was creeping in.
Yao Ning glanced at him indifferently, then turned and left.
The Tianshu Sect boasts towering buildings and a grand path stretching across the sky. The pond reflects sunlight and cloud shadows, and scattered disciples wear jade pendants and sing phoenixes. Green mountains and verdant waters frame carved railings and jade-paved paths, each displaying a sense of elegance and restraint.
As they walked, the scenery changed. Shen Qian followed silently at Yao Ning's feet. The disciples along the road all knew that Yao Ning was the eldest lady's guest of honor, and everyone knew Shen Xianzun. However, the atmosphere between the two was strange, so everyone just looked at them in silence.
Yao Ning walked slowly, leaving Chen Qian with only his back. He looked at her quietly, clearly within reach, but not daring to reach out.
He pursed his lips and followed Yao Ning step by step, silently, like a loyal and honest servant.
Yao Ning stepped onto the wooden bridge and quickened his pace.
The vermilion arch bridge spans the two peaks. Below the bridge, the spring mountains are dark green, the wind is light and the dust is soft, and the fallen petals are fluttering.
Yao Ning's black hair and white clothes fluttered in the wind. As she walked across the top of the bridge, her figure gradually disappeared. Chen Qian's heart trembled. He felt as if she was about to disappear. He quickened his pace and ran across the arch bridge in a few steps. He was already beside her.
Chen Qian turned his head to look at the side of Yao Ning's face, and his panicked heartbeat finally calmed down. He stretched out his hand, but withdrew it when he touched the corner of her sleeve.
He pursed his lips, and there was a hint of grievance in his eyes.
But Yao Ning didn't even look at him, as if there was nothing around him.
After a while, she stopped and looked at the octagonal pavilion beside the bridge.
The veil rose and fell with the wind, revealing the figures of two women, one in white clothes and white hair, with an expressionless face, sitting upright, with a dull look in her eyes, as if she had lost all hope in life.
A man in a purple robe and a golden belt, with a noble temperament.
Meng Yaoguang held his chin with his hand, tilted his head and looked at Chu Liangxiu, with a hint of mischief in his curved eyebrows.
Hearing the noise, they both turned their heads and stood up.
Yao Ning asked Meng Yaoguang, "Can I still go back to that place?"
Meng Yaoguang's eyes shifted between Yao Ning and Shen Qian, and he raised his eyebrows: "Of course, you are my best friend."
Chu Liangxiu and Shen Qian looked at Meng Yaoguang at the same time.
Yao Ning nodded, walked past Meng Yaoguang and walked forward.
Chen Qian hurried to catch up, but Meng Yaoguang stretched out his hand and vaguely stopped him.
"Don't make trouble." Seeing Yao Ning's figure walking away, Chen Qian's eyes showed anxiety.
Meng Yaoguang smiled, but she didn't smile, and said something that hit home with Shen Qian: "Can't you see? She doesn't want to see you at all."
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