Chapter 114 Gu Nanxiao Settles Down Outside the Barrier
After many days, seeing Gu Nanxiao again, Yunxi couldn't help but tear up. This man was someone she had truly loved, but unfortunately, his temper was too bad, and she was not fortunate enough to be with him.
In the period immediately following her departure from him, Yunxi was actually going through a lot of inner turmoil. Relationships are never something that can be easily severed.
Whenever longing overwhelmed her, Yunxi couldn't help but think that no one is perfect. Gu Nanxiao's only flaw was his temper; otherwise, he was impeccable in every way.
In ancient times, it was quite rare to find someone so devoted. But whenever I wavered, the thought of him saying he could marry whomever he wanted would involuntarily resurface in my mind.
So much time has passed, and he has long since come to believe Gu Nanxiao's explanation from that day. The man said he never intended to marry Shen Yujiao, and Yunxi believed him.
Before meeting her, Gu Nanxiao had been trying to refuse marriage. Even with an imperial decree granting him marriage, he did not marry Xu Shulan, and even with the Empress Dowager's pressure, he did not take Shen Yujiao as a concubine.
Moreover, when their relationship was at its peak, why would Gu Nanxiao want to marry someone else? It's just that his words at the time were so self-righteous that Yunxi felt like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat every time she thought about them.
Yunxi worried that her impulsive words that day might become the truth after their feelings had faded. She didn't want to entrust the rest of her life to a man's emotions.
Besides, given his status as the future head of the Yun family, once he leaves this ancient era, what kind of man can't he find? Yunxi kept telling herself this.
But only now did she realize that the heart cannot lie. Her heart, which had been withered and lifeless for so long, began to beat wildly again when she saw this man.
Gu Nanxiao's eyes swept in her direction, but they were empty and unfocused, as if he hadn't seen anything at all, and he simply walked past her.
Yunxi's gaze unconsciously followed that figure. She could tell that Gu Nanxiao's complexion was much worse than before, and he had also lost a lot of weight. Presumably, he had not been having a good time lately.
Suddenly, a thick cloak appeared on Yunxi's body. Qi Jinxiu had appeared behind her without her noticing and gently advised her:
"Don't worry, a few days ago, I had Master Qingfeng set up a barrier using the special magnetic field in the vicinity. As long as you don't step out of the array gate made of those stones, he won't be able to enter here or see you."
Yunxi nodded silently, then followed Qi Jinxiu toward the makeshift thatched hut. But just before entering, Yunxi couldn't help but turn back for one last look.
Just then, Gu Nanxiao also turned around, as if sensing something. The two seemed to be looking at each other, but in reality, only Yunxi could see Gu Nanxiao, while Gu Nanxiao could only see a forest.
Just now, Gu Nanxiao felt a sudden tremor in his heart, as if there was something important there. So, relying on his intuition, he turned back and walked quickly back and forth in the woods.
After searching for a long time, he finally lowered his head in disappointment. After a while, he suddenly looked up at the sky and barked twice like a dog.
Yunxi never expected that such a proud man would actually bark like a dog. The tears she had been holding back finally slid down her cheeks.
Realizing that she was about to lose control of her mind, Yunxi immediately ran into the room in a panic, signaling Qi Jinxiu to close the door. She then lay down on the bed and covered her head with the blanket.
Qi Jinxiu stared at the trembling body beneath the quilt, his eyes darkening as he clenched his fists. No wonder Gu Nanxiao had won Yunxi's heart in just a few months; that guy was truly shameless and had no bottom line.
Qi Jinxiu knew perfectly well why Gu Nanxiao was barking like a dog. The harsh words Gu Nanxiao had uttered during their argument had already been relayed to him by his bodyguards.
It's said that back then, Gu Nanxiao, in a fit of pique with Yunxi, said that if he regretted it, he'd be a dog. His barking just now was to express that he'd rather be a dog than admit he regretted it.
Three days have passed since Yunxi met Gu Nanxiao through the barrier that day. Yunxi thought that Gu Nanxiao would not come back after searching this place.
Three days later, Gu Nanxiao suddenly brought a group of people and moved a lot of household items. Right on the opposite side of the barrier, they used the local materials to build a wooden house.
At first, Yunxi hid inside the house like an ostrich, but her ears kept involuntarily listening to the sounds coming from the other side. Her eyes, as if unable to resist, kept glancing over through the window.
After two days of logging and building, a simple house was finally completed. Gu Nanxiao sent all his subordinates into the forest to search for Yunxi.
He himself sat in a rocking chair by the door, gazing in the direction of the Cloud Creek Barrier, the thrill of that day still fresh in his memory.
Gu Nanxiao felt a strong attraction here, giving him the illusion that the person he was seeking was right here. That's why he made the decision to move in.
For the next two months, Gu Nanxiao would get up at the crack of dawn every day to search for Yunxi around the woods. After eating a few bites of dry biscuits, he would change into his court robes and go to court.
He would finish his shift early in the afternoon and return to the woods to search for the person. At first, he focused all his energy on searching the woods, and he wasn't comfortable just having his guards search for him; he insisted on doing it himself.
Later, after he had explored almost every inch of the forest, Gu Nanxiao began to spend most of his time sitting in the rocking chair by the door.
Yunxi's rattan chair was gradually moved from under the two hibiscus trees to a place closer to the barrier. She went from initially trying to avoid him to eventually sitting opposite him every day.
Yunxi watched him carve wood and make trinkets, and every day she could hear him barking like a dog towards the barrier.
Sometimes when he returned from court, he would bring some of Yunxi's favorite foods, and he would sit in his rocking chair and eat them quietly. Occasionally, he would mutter to himself about how they tasted.
Sometimes he brings back the latest Kyoto snacks. He'll eat them while describing their flavors, just like he always has.
Yunxi would sometimes ask Qi Jinxiu to bring her the same snacks, but after tasting them, she would often murmur with red eyes, "Liar, it's not as delicious as you said."
Such tranquility did not last long. After the first heavy snow of winter, an enemy country invaded from the northern border. The emperor issued an edict to send Gu Nanxiao and his son to the battlefield to meet the enemy.
Upon learning the news, Yunxi stood by the barrier early in the morning, watching Gu Nanxiao pack his bags. Her seemingly resolute attitude was betrayed by the constantly flickering look in her eyes.
Yunxi knew that this border rebellion was the same battle that Liu had mentioned, the one that had taken the lives of the Yong King and his son in their previous life.
Although he knew they had made preparations before he left, Gu Nanxiao shouldn't fall into the emperor's trap as easily as he had in his previous life.
But Yunxi still felt that some calamities still involved great uncertainty and danger.
After Gu Nanxiao finished packing, he felt that familiar heart palpitation again. He followed the direction he sensed and walked towards Yunxi, only stopping when he stood beside the barrier.
Yunxi watched the man approaching without flinching. Only when they were extremely close did Yunxi whisper to Gu Nanxiao outside the barrier:
"Come back alive. If you can come back alive, anything is possible..."
Gu Nanxiao couldn't hear any sounds from inside the barrier, but he sensed something and said to Yunxi, "Yunxi, if I come back alive, you won't leave, okay?"
Yunxi was moved to tears by his words. She almost lost control and just wanted to step out of the barrier and into his arms.
Just then, Qi Jinxiu suddenly appeared behind Yunxi and draped a thick fox fur cloak over her shoulders. This interruption instantly brought Yunxi back to her senses.
She withdrew the foot she had already taken, and wiped away the tears on her face. Watching Gu Nanxiao walk away quietly, she felt a profound sense of desolation and loneliness emanating from his retreating figure.
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