"How long have you been here?"
His tone was still indifferent, as if he was talking about someone else.
"I can't remember exactly, maybe seven or eight years."
She was stunned. Although she had expected it to take a long time, she had never thought it would take this long.
"Seven or eight years? Never been out?"
"Um."
"Never left for even a moment?"
"Um."
She looked at his calm profile, and for some reason, she suddenly felt sad.
"Then your mother...did she ever come to see you?"
"She won't come back here. No one who's been here wants to come back." His expression remained unchanged, but his fingers clasped her palm tightly. "In ancient times, the three ancient kingdoms of Huo, Chi, and Min all had records of this valley, and the descriptions were roughly the same. They said that when the gods and demons decided to end this world, they would choose a desolate and remote place to descend, and this hidden place was rumored to be within this mountain. Therefore, this place has been called the Land of the End of Heaven in ancient times. The End of Heaven is a collective name for a mountain, a tower, and a place. The mountain is the End of Heaven Peach Stop Mountain, the tower is the End of Heaven Lihen Tower, and the place is the End of Heaven Burial Ground."
Taozhi, Lihen, and Maigou all sound unlucky, and the road is difficult to travel on. No wonder no one is willing to pass by this place.
"I've been to the mountain, I've seen the tower, and this place is..."
She was halfway through her words when she suddenly realized something and her voice stopped abruptly.
However, the other party had already heard it, but did not intend to hide anything.
"That's right. The burial ground holds the remains of my mother's clan." He continued to work, carefully searching the cracks in the stone bricks. "Earlier, didn't you ask me about Luo He and my mother's clan? I'll tell you now, okay?"
She was silent for a moment, not knowing how to comfort the other person, so she could only step back verbally.
"If you don't want to mention it, I don't have to hear it."
Yes, if talking about those things would make him sad, she would rather spend more time looking for the answers herself.
She didn't say what she was thinking, but the other party already knew what she was thinking.
"Most of them are no longer alive. Even if I were to talk about them a hundred times now, no one would rebuke me or stop me. You and Xiao Zhun have no family, but you grew up in the Xiao family, and his obsession has long since seeped into your heart. I am willing to reveal my heart and bones to you, and tell you everything I know. I only hope that you can let go of some of it and stop harboring hatred for others."
Xiao Nanhui was stunned and speechless for a moment.
This was the first time he'd mentioned her relationship with Xiao Zhun in front of her. Yao Yi had previously advised her against becoming too invested in the Xiao family, saying she was ultimately just a stranger, but that hadn't convinced her. A friendship of over a decade couldn't be abandoned overnight. But now, with just a few words, he had nailed down the source of all her pain.
In fact, Xiao Zhun never asked her to do anything. It was just that she wishfully wove those ties and was unwilling to easily leave the Xiao family that sheltered her from the wind and rain.
Over the years, she had picked up too many things. She wore them one by one, refusing to discard any of them, as if this could create her own armor, but in the end, it was precisely these weights that dragged her into an abyss from which there was no escape.
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
Her troubled heart slowly calmed down, and Su Wei's voice just happened to sound in the ancient tower.
"Long ago, in a stone city on the northern border, there lived three families. Each possessing extraordinary abilities, they supported each other, living a quiet and prosperous life. However, one day, the situation changed, and the decadent dynasty was about to fall. A princess of the fallen dynasty gave birth to a child while passing through the stone city. Knowing her life was coming to an end, she couldn't bear to see her child die with her, so she braved the danger and knocked on the doors of each of the three families in turn."
"With the pursuers nearing the city, everyone was in danger. The first three households remained silent, but when they reached the last, the owner, who also had a newborn child, relented and took the princess' child in. The next day, the princess fled into the deep swamps outside the city, carrying the imperial seal, thus distracting the pursuers. The family then fled the city and sought a new place to stay."
"During their migration, this family encountered a drought unseen in a century. Their journey was arduous, with heavy casualties. Fortunately, a member of the clan, skilled in dream magic, foretold a small valley blessed with abundant rain and fields of pear blossoms. Finally, after overcoming numerous hardships, they found the location, changed their surname to Zhongli, and settled there, where they have lived a secluded life ever since."
"The princess's child grew up and fell in love with the daughter of the Zhongli family. However, no one knew that the princess's child carried the blood of a former dynasty's ghosts and gods. Although he grew up like an ordinary person, married and had children like ordinary people, none of his children were born safely, and almost all of them died in infancy. He had already given up hope, but then, at the age of forty-eight, he was blessed with a daughter."
"The girl was born with a pair of clear eyes that reflected everything in the world, so she was named 'Mirror'. Mirror was very beautiful, having grown up doted on by her brothers and sisters in the clan. However, because she often lived in the mountains, she was simple and straightforward, with a naturally bold and reckless nature. Even though she was over 28, no one within a hundred miles dared to propose marriage to her."
One day, Jing went to the village to get some wine and was encountered by the new emperor on his eastern tour. Out of kindness, Jing handed a bowl of water to the young emperor, but this caught his eye and he forced her to marry him. She had a chance to escape it all, but at the last moment, she gave up resistance to protect her last brother. She succumbed to her fate, walked into the walls, and was trapped in a tall, square building. From the moment she entered the building, she thought about jumping off it.
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