Chapter 118 Total Solar Eclipse Arrives, Passage Opens
Not wanting to cause any further trouble, Yunxi immediately followed Yunyi and disappeared into the crowd in a few flashes.
As soon as Yunxi left, Gu Nanxiao rushed over. But he couldn't find a similar figure in the crowd at all.
He had correctly guessed that Yunxi would come to watch the Shi family's exile today. So he had already deployed many hidden guards around the area and was searching for her himself by weaving through the crowd.
He had just caught a glimpse of a figure in this corner that looked remarkably like Yunxi, so he immediately rushed over.
But when he stood there, that figure had vanished. He was certain he hadn't misread it; after all, it was the person he had longed for day and night, and even just a glimpse of their back was enough for him to recognize them clearly.
Gu Nanxiao knew that his arrival had alerted Yunxi. He decided to stop hiding and immediately notified all his guards to cordon off the area and conduct a thorough search.
But even after two hours, and after everyone had been checked, Yunxi was still nowhere to be found.
The little girl slipped away right under his nose again. For the first time, Gu Nanxiao disliked Yunxi's intelligence so much; he was utterly helpless against her.
In order to lure Yunxi out, Gu Nanxiao came up with another plan. He decided to set off from the capital soon and spread the news far and wide.
Although he wasn't sure, he still hoped that Yunxi would come out to see him, considering that he was about to leave the capital. That would give him another chance to find the person.
But Gu Nanxiao was destined to be disappointed. Despite having placed countless secret guards inside and outside the city gates on the day he left the capital, he still did not see Yunxi.
This time he was truly heartbroken. Did Yunxi no longer care about him?
The lesson of losing Yunxi made Gu Nanxiao deeply understand that he must never do anything to hurt the woman he loves.
Otherwise, trying to salvage the situation would be virtually impossible. If time could be reversed, he would rather die of anger and frustration than dare to torment Yunxi like that again.
Gu Nanxiao rode his horse away forlornly into the distance. In a corner he couldn't see, an old woman carrying a basket slowly straightened her hunched back and craned her neck to look in the direction he had gone.
Finally, with equally forlorn eyes, she blinked her sore eyes and walked in the opposite direction from him.
Yunxi followed Qi Jinxiu back into the barrier and sat there silently for a long time.
His eyes were fixed on the wooden house opposite, and his hands were caressing the portrait that Gu Nanxiao had carved himself.
He held the two small portraits, one of a man and one of a woman, tightly in his hands. After a long while, two streams of tears slid down his cheeks, dripping onto his skirt and leaving a wet patch.
Qi Jinxiu brought the food he had prepared into the house, and this was what Yunxi saw. He placed the tray on a small table.
He gently wiped away Yunxi's tears, then cupped her cheeks in his hands, lifting her head slightly so that they met each other's eyes.
Qi Jinxiu swallowed hard and mustered his courage to say, "Yunxi, since loving him is so painful, why not love me instead?"
I will definitely do better than him. I won't do anything you dislike, and I certainly won't do anything to hurt you. If you agree to marry me, I will do everything in my power to ensure you never shed a tear again for the rest of your life.
Yunxi was feeling very down and had no energy to respond to Qi Jinxiu's confession. In fact, even if he hadn't said it, Yunxi had already guessed his feelings.
I thought he would never say it, which would have avoided awkwardness between us, but to my surprise, he couldn't help but say it just as I was about to leave.
Yunxi gently pushed Qi Jinxiu's hands away, wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief, and said in a choked voice, "I know how good you are to me, but I can't control my heart."
Even though it's painful, it still loves that man uncontrollably, and there's nothing I can do about it. I don't want to use you as a substitute or a tool to relieve my sorrow; that would be very unfair to you.
Even if Gu Nanxiao is a complete scoundrel, I know clearly that my whole heart is already filled with him, and there is no room for anyone else.
So, I hope you won't say similar things again in the future. That way, at least we can still be friends.
Qi Jinxiu wanted to say that he didn't care about being a stand-in, much less a tool. But seeing Yunxi's resolute expression, he ultimately didn't dare to say it.
Just as Yunxi said at the end, if he doesn't stop pursuing this, they might not even be able to remain friends.
For the first time, Qi Jinxiu was consumed by jealousy. He smiled bitterly and then assured her, "Yunxi, don't be upset. If you say that, I won't mention it again."
The unpleasant confession left the room silent for a long time, the air thick with awkwardness. Yunxi was the first to change the subject, saying, "It's a bit stuffy in here, I'll go for a walk in the woods."
Qi Jinxiu gave a soft "hmm," but this time he didn't follow.
Yunxi quickly walked out of the house and came to the two hibiscus trees. Looking at the barrier without light, she felt reluctant to leave again.
In truth, it's incredibly difficult for anyone to forcibly let go of their deepest love. But it's precisely because their love is so beautiful that Yunxi doesn't want to see it one day turn from vibrant and bright into something rotten and decaying.
Yunxi had once considered having Gu Nanxiao come with her to the modern world so he could become a live-in son-in-law of the Yun family. But one should not do to others what one would not have them do to you.
How could she bear to crush the pride of the man she loved and force him to live a life of dependence on others?
Just as her mind was in turmoil again, she suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats behind her, growing louder as they approached. Yunxi slowly turned around and saw Gu Nanxiao galloping towards her.
She immediately ran towards the edge of the barrier, but stopped again when she reached its end. She watched as Gu Nanxiao dismounted and shouted hoarsely in her direction:
"Yunxi, you heartless girl, can't you forgive me just this once? I'll only make this one mistake, okay? Just this once, I promise I'll never do it again."
If I ever hurt you again, I'll cut off my own hands to apologize. Please believe me just this once, okay? I've changed, I've really changed everything. I can't live without you... Waaaaah..."
As Gu Nanxiao spoke, he choked up and bent over, covering his face with his large hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
Suddenly, the sky darkened. Yunxi, Gu Nanxiao, and Qi Jinxiu all looked up at the same time and saw that the sun in the sky was being swallowed by darkness, and in the blink of an eye, only a crescent moon remained.
Gu Nanxiao's expression suddenly changed, and he shouted even louder, "Yunxi! Yunxi, I beg you! Don't leave me. I'll do whatever you say from now on. Please give me another chance. Yunxi..."
Gu Nanxiao kept looking up at the last sliver of the sun. He urgently summoned all his guards, ordering them to quickly search the vicinity for any suspicious locations.
The guards received the order and immediately began a thorough search of every tree and blade of grass in the vicinity.
When the sun's rays were completely blocked, a curtain of light suddenly appeared between the two hibiscus trees.
Yunxi knew her chance to go home had finally arrived. She looked at Gu Nanxiao as she backed away towards the passage.
Gu Nanxiao suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. He raised his hand to his chest, trying to ease the stinging pain. But following his instincts, he stumbled and staggered towards the barrier.
But his steps remained outside the barrier. Like a lost person, he could only go around in circles, unable to step into the barrier.
When Yunxi's figure had already disappeared into the barrier, Qi Jinxiu could no longer remain calm and quickly ran to the side of the barrier, kicking away the spirit stones on the array's core.
Then, an invisible force vanished like a ripple.
Gu Nanxiao felt the scene before him distort. Then, he saw Yunxi facing him, her entire body almost submerged in the light curtain.
He shouted and ran over, but he was too late. Yunxi had already entered the light barrier and disappeared before his eyes.
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