Chapter 194 The white-haired girl lay quietly on the ice platform, or...
Li Mengbai didn't answer, but instead asked her, "Do you want me to remember you?"
Jiang Yuhuo naturally didn't want to, but he would be unhappy if he said it out loud.
She carefully observed Li Mengbai's expression for a while, confirming that he had not regained his memory; he was just pretending.
“We’ve already dissolved the contract. You shouldn’t have barged into my room so late at night.” She flicked her finger, and the palace doors swung open. “There’s nothing else. You can leave now.”
As the cold air rushed in, Li Mengbai felt that her voice was even colder than the air itself.
The coldness made him angry!
Li Mengbai not only didn't leave, but instead slowly approached.
His cold gaze fixed on the person on the bed. "Try to get rid of me? If I can't come to your bedchamber, who can? That merman? Is his embrace so easy to lean on?"
Jiang Yuhuo suddenly looked up, and this subconscious reaction further enraged Li Mengbai. He sneered, "You're surprised? Surprised that I knew? Too bad I saw it all. Not only did I see it, but I even found out some interesting things... Guess what they are?"
"Li Mengbai, we have already dissolved the contract." Jiang Yuhuo had no interest in knowing, and only reiterated the fact.
Li Mengbai shook his head, "No, no, no... it's about what happened before the contract was broken, you absolutely need to know."
He smiled, but his voice was almost clenched through gritted teeth, “They told me that my fiancée, on the night we got engaged, took a merman into the bathhouse and didn’t come out until dawn… What do you think they would have been doing in there all night?”
Li Mengbai had no memory of this incident at all, but the palace servant he questioned saw it clearly in his mind. He even saw himself dressed up carefully, beaming as he went to greet her, like a fool.
She lied to him, conspired with that little girl to deceive him! She spent the night that should have been his with another man!
He had only intended to investigate the relationship between the merman and her, but he unexpectedly discovered the truth. He was consumed by jealousy and roared, "You betrayed me long ago! My amnesia makes you happy, doesn't it? You think you can finally get rid of me, don't you?"
Jiang Yuhuo's brow twitched at his shout. She originally wanted to say that she and Jia Yue hadn't done anything, but then she remembered that they had indeed done something, such as transferring qi, so she had no choice but to remain silent.
To Li Mengbai, this was tantamount to tacit approval, and the lack of even a word of explanation stirred a nameless bitterness within him. By the time he realized what it was, his eyes were already red. He was slightly taken aback, but quickly composed himself. However, the harsh words he had prepared in his mind turned into accusations.
"You used some trick to deliberately erase my memory, didn't you? How cruel of you!"
Jiang Yuhuo's eyes widened, and she took a slight step back. "It wasn't me."
"If it's not you, who else can get close to me!" Li Mengbai said angrily, but he moved a few inches closer.
He was too close, so close that Jiang Yuhuo could feel his breath.
"Tell me, why aren't you refuting me?" He leaned closer, his gaze lowered, landing on those thin, red lips, wanting to taste just how hard they were.
Realizing his intention, Jiang Yuhu kicked him away with such force that Li Mengbai, caught off guard, was sent flying out the door.
Jiang Yuhuo stood at the doorway, looking at the person in the snow, her voice calm, "Perhaps I wronged you about that matter, but I didn't erase your memory. Now I have nothing to do with you anymore, so don't come looking for me again."
After saying that, the palace doors were slammed shut, and a restriction was even placed on them.
The man on the ground, his face contorted with shame and his eyes filled with utter malice, glared at the tightly closed palace door and said bitterly, "Jiang Yuhuo, I will not let you go."
Jiang Yuhuo heard everything from inside the door. She had long been prepared to become enemies with Li Mengbai, but she never expected him to blame her for the amnesia, let alone that this day would come so soon.
She did not respond to the people outside, but silently reinforced the restrictions on the door several times. However, this once quiet bedroom was visited by people again the next day.
As I opened the window at dawn, I saw a person dressed in white standing in the snow, having stood there for an unknown amount of time. If it weren't for the long, gray-blue hair, the person would have been almost invisible in the snow.
Whether it was due to the snow or something else, his face looked even paler than when they parted at Tianque last time.
The two stared at each other through the window for a long time before Jia Yue smiled and walked towards her.
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to come and treat your injuries these past few days. Are you feeling better?"
Jia Yue's hand reached over her forehead and naturally took the wooden comb from her hand, gently combing her hair with tender movements, carefully avoiding certain areas.
Jiang Yuhuo found it very strange. The way he looked at her made it seem as if she were something very fragile, something that would break at the slightest touch.
"Are you injured?" Jiang Yuhuo asked.
The mermaid in the bronze mirror shook her head; her face remained as pale as snow within the yellowish mirror surface.
"You left this." Jiang Yuhuo took out the pearl and returned it to him, hesitating for a moment before deciding to ask, "Why...why were you crying by my bedside?"
Jia Yue paused in combing her hair. "Perhaps, I'm just prone to crying."
Jiang Yuhuo tilted her head slightly, "But you weren't like this before."
She saw the smile on Jia Yue's lips freeze instantly and asked her, "What was it like before?"
Jiang Yuhu pondered for a moment, unsure how to describe it.
Suddenly, the person above her cupped her face and kissed her.
The kiss came so suddenly that Jiang Yuhuo's eyes widened abruptly. She clearly saw a tear slide down his cheek, and instinctively reached out her hand, where the warm pearl landed in her palm.
Unlike previous breath-passing rituals, this was just a gentle touch, and they quickly separated.
Jiang Yuhuo stared blankly at the object in his palm, then heard Jia Yue's voice, which sounded like she was choking up.
"Don't say anything...don't say anything at all..."
Soft kisses landed on her cheeks, pecking and kissing inch by inch, along with the weight of his tears. Jiang Yuhuo, completely bewildered, accepted a handful of pearls. She decided to give them all to Xiao Jing, and when her hands were almost overflowing, she finally couldn't help but ask again, "Jia Yue, what's wrong with you?"
The merman didn't answer her, but instead left her with a series of painful and desperate kisses. After a long time, the merman finally released her face, hiding all his emotions in his blue eyes, and smiled at her.
"I want you to meet someone."
Jiang Yuhuo was a little wary. "Was it that person who made you cry?"
Jia Yue smiled, her eyes red, and simply looked at her, "Yes."
Jiang Yuhuo was taken by Jia Yue to the Four Gods Temple on Miyang Mountain in the suburbs of Xidu City, the place where she and Li Mengbai had formed a pact.
This temple belongs to the Heavenly Palace. The priest who presided over the ceremony there recognized Jiang Yuhuo. After bowing to Jia Yue, he turned to her and said, "Your Highness, the Princess." Then, upon seeing her fingertips, he exclaimed, "Where is Your Highness's magic thread?"
"It's over." The one who answered him was the sect leader, his voice so cold and ruthless it sent chills down one's spine. What terrified the priest even more was seeing that the seemingly unapproachable merman sect leader actually holding the princess's hand!
Should he prepare for the next contract line?
Turning the corner of a door, Jiang Yuhuo smiled slightly and said, "You used to be like this."
Jia Yue tightened her grip on her hand. "It won't happen again." If there is a future for them.
Jiang Yuhu shook his head, "No need to change, it's fine as it is." This way, everyone will be afraid of him, no one will dare to bully him, and even less will they dare to make him shed tears.
Jia Yue led her to a stop in front of an iron gate. The gate, made of fine iron, was extremely heavy, and there was even a powerful barrier outside the gate.
Jiang Yuhuo couldn't understand why anyone would live in a place like this. Anyone who didn't know better would think there were some treasures hidden inside.
The door slowly opened...
Jiang Yuhuo was completely stunned after just one glance.
The secret room had no windows and was dimly lit, with only a few large luminous pearls emitting a soft glow. But she still saw it; she spotted the white-haired girl lying on the ice platform at a glance.
She could recognize him at a glance.
That was... my former self.
Seeing her standing motionless outside the door for a long time, Jia Yue's heart tightened slightly, and she took her hand, "Come in and take a look."
Jiang Yuhuo brushed his hand away and took a few steps back. "What are you doing? Who told you to bring her back? What do you want?!"
Jia Yue had anticipated her reaction and did not back down, but persistently tried to pull her back.
"Don't be afraid, the Nightmare Demon is dead. No one can control your body anymore. It belongs only to you."
Jiang Yuhuo slapped his hand away forcefully, "Get away! I don't want your pity!"
Jia Yue's hand was knocked aside, but her gaze remained fixed on the person in front of her, her heart filled with sorrow.
Those eyes were incredibly bright, clearly brimming with tears, yet they stubbornly refused to let them fall, staring at him angrily.
"have a finger in the pie!"
She left those words behind, turned and walked toward the exit, her back view resolute.
Jia Yue knew her personality; once she left, she would never come back. He rushed out almost immediately and intercepted her from behind, pulling her into his arms.
"Jiang Yuhuo, I want you to live!" He held her waist tightly, not letting her leave even an inch, and choked out, "I'm sorry... I just... want you to live a good life."
Live well...
Jiang Liuyun said the same thing to her before they entered the Netherworld.
"Don't go, don't hate yourself anymore, hate me instead..." A warm pearl fell onto her neck, and the mermaid's voice whispered in her ear, "Don't even abandon yourself..."
Jiang Yuhuo pursed her lips tightly and gritted her teeth, but tears finally streamed down her face uncontrollably.
The white-haired girl lay quietly on the ice platform, still looking like she was thirteen years old.
Jiang Yuhuo looked at the sleeping girl. Broken wings, a new body... This body had endured too much pain. All the silent tears, soft sobs, and loud cries were borne by this body.
She desperately wanted to tell thirteen-year-old Jiang that she had survived, that she had overcome the darkest moments. She had done so well; no one could bully her anymore. She had grown up and could truly protect those around her.
Stop hating yourself. You ultimately saved everyone in Liyue Village, and their souls can now rest in peace. And don't be sad, the merman you loved didn't abandon you. He found you; he brought you back…
Jiang Yuhu knelt beside the ice platform, holding Xiao Jiang's hand, tears streaming down her face.
After a while, Jiang Yuhuo was able to get up. He stroked the girl's combed white hair. She was wearing a white dress, a color she would almost never wear before. Obviously, someone had changed her clothes.
"You saw it?"
Those ugly scars are definitely noticeable at a glance.
Jia Yue responded in a muffled voice, "Mm."
Jiang Yuhuo took a deep breath and wiped the water off her face haphazardly. "I didn't want you to go looking for it, I just didn't want you to know. These things are just buried in my heart... When others don't know, I can pretend that I've forgotten them too."
"But you insist on going to find..."
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Author's Note: This chapter has a lot of tear-jerking moments. Hugs to Xiao Jiang! [shrug][shrug]
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