58. We only met a few times.
Please don't tell me who you are. I don't want to know, and I have no interest in knowing. Please don't shatter this only reason I can use to deceive myself!
This single sentence left the Carefree King utterly helpless. Several times he tried to explain, but Liu Hanruo deliberately interrupted him.
"Ruo'er, you should have known long ago that I am actually..."
“Um… The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it’s only for a short time… No matter how beautiful something is, it will eventually disappear, and the same goes for people. Many things are gone and can never be returned to…” Liu Hanruo quietly and directly changed the subject.
"Ruo'er, can you please listen to my explanation? Actually, I..."
"Didn't you hear me? Who you are, what your identity is, is none of my business. I have absolutely no interest in you, and your so-called explanation is completely meaningless to me. If you really want to say it, fine, I'll leave!" Liu Hanruo's tone was extremely indifferent, as if her words were of no concern whatsoever.
Seeing Liu Hanruo turn to leave, the Carefree King hurriedly called out:
"Ruo'er, don't go! If you don't want to hear it, then I won't say anything more!"
Seeing Liu Hanruo's persistence, the Carefree King was at a loss. He thought that since he had finally found Liu Hanruo, he didn't want to drive her away by anger. Helpless, the Carefree King had no choice but to give up explaining, missing this only opportunity. This directly caused the distance between the Carefree King and Liu Hanruo's hearts to grow further and further apart, until they almost forgot each other in the end...
Perhaps many things really depend on fate and timing. If you miss them by accident, you may really miss them, and you may just miss happiness.
The two remained silent, simply gazing at each other. As darkness gradually descended, the endless expanse of black covered the entire sky. Night fell, and the bright, clear crescent moon slowly rose until it hung high in the sky.
As the bright silver light painted the earth, scattered stars dotted the sky. On the vast, deserted island, only two people stood, their desolation palpable. Liu Hanru skillfully started a fire, while Xiaoyao Wang quietly helped, occasionally handing them firewood. As the moonlight gently shone upon them, casting their busy shadows long and even overlapping, the harmony at that moment was somewhat enviable. At least for now, under the moonlight, neither of them seemed so lonely.
After starting the fire, the two sat down around it, quietly eating the fruit they had picked to fill their stomachs. Under the silent night sky, only the sound of the wind and the soft chewing could be heard. It was such a harmonious scene that one couldn't bear to disturb it.
But the weather wasn't cooperating. Autumn nights are like a baby's face, always unpredictable. One second, it might be smiling at you, and the next, it might be wailing. Sure enough, the sky, which was full of nebulae just a moment ago, suddenly began to flicker between light and dark, with flashes of lightning that seemed to be smiling at you. Then, gusts of strong wind swept by, and the entire beach was filled with swirling sand, making it hard to open your eyes.
Perhaps because of their proximity to the icy pool, the howling wind brought a biting chill that pierced to the bone. Liu Hanruo glanced at the Carefree Prince and noticed his lips were bluish-purple. She suspected the external cold had drawn upon the cold energy within him, creating a resonance. She sighed, removed her outer robe, and without a word, draped it over the Carefree Prince's shoulders. Then, she took his arm and said:
"The cold has already seeped into my heart, how can I let myself get even colder!"
Although Liu Hanruo's voice was soft, it was filled with concern, which surprised and delighted the Prince of Xiaoyao, but also made him worry about Liu Hanruo's health.
"Ruo'er, I'm not cold at all. You just came out of the icy pool, so don't catch a cold."
As he spoke, the carefree prince returned the clothes to Liu Hanruo. To keep her warm, he even took off his own outer garment and gave it to her. This thoughtfulness, however, earned him a glare from Liu Hanruo.
"Put them on!" Liu Hanruo said succinctly.
"Cough cough. Ruo'er... I really... am not cold... You're wearing too little... you'll get cold... cough cough..." After saying that, the carefree prince started coughing again.
"Just put it on when I tell you to! Why all the nonsense? I don't want to bring a burden on me." Liu Hanruo raised an eyebrow and said impatiently, while her hands were busy, directly putting the clothes on Xiaoyao Wang.
"Cough cough..."
Unable to dissuade Liu Hanruo, the Carefree Prince had no choice but to comply. After putting on his coat, he walked forward with Liu Hanruo's help.
"Ruo'er...where are we...going?"
"While you were unconscious, I took the opportunity to wander around and found a small cave. Although it's simple, it can still provide shelter from the wind and rain."
The carefree king nodded, and under Liu Hanruo's familiar guidance, they soon arrived at the cave Liu Hanruo had mentioned. The cave was huge and pitch black. Before even stepping inside, a stench and a strong smell of blood, accompanied by gusts of cold wind, assaulted their nostrils, making them instinctively cover their mouths and noses.
At this moment, if you listen carefully, you can hear faint hissing sounds coming from inside the cave, sometimes there, sometimes not, sometimes there.
Those who practice martial arts naturally possess extraordinary hearing. Although the hissing sound was very faint, it could not escape Liu Hanruo's ears. She frowned slightly and said calmly:
"Looks like I'll have a lot to do before I take a break."
Liu Hanruo released Xiaoyao Wang, letting him stay quietly to the side, while she took a torch and went to scout ahead.
Seeing Liu Hanruo leave, the Carefree King stared intently in the direction she had gone, his worry evident. He had heard the faint breathing sounds inside the cave just now, very clearly. Although he was very worried about Liu Hanruo's safety, he also understood his current physical condition. If he followed her, he would not only be of no help, but would also be a burden.
Liu Hanruo held a torch in one hand and a soft sword in the other, ready to act at any moment. The further she went, the stronger the smell of blood became. Before long, she could hear a hissing sound getting closer and closer.
A sudden gust of wind blew out the torch, plunging the entire cave into complete darkness, so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.
In the blink of an eye, a nimble black shadow opened its blood-red maw and lunged at Liu Hanruo from the dark cave. Relying on her instincts and sense of danger, Liu Hanruo dodged to the side at the last moment, and then there was a 'bang' as the black shadow crashed into the stone wall of the cave.
Seeing that the food had escaped and that he had embarrassingly crashed into the stone wall, the dark figure was furious and roared angrily, making hissing noises.
As the shadowy figure steadied itself, a pair of wide, yellowish-brown eyes stood out starkly in the dark cave. The entire cave was pitch black, and the shadowy figure's eyes became the only visible object.
Although it was dark inside the cave and the shape of the shadowy figure was indistinguishable, Liu Hanruo boldly guessed from the sound and the pair of yellowish-brown eyes that the creature living in the cave was a ferocious snake. As for its species, that remained to be investigated.
Liu Hanruo secretly memorized those yellowish-brown eyes as a target, using them to determine the snake's location. Once the direction was determined, Liu Hanruo attacked ruthlessly, each move aimed directly at those eyes.
After more than a dozen rounds, the snake had not gained any advantage. Suddenly, it raised its head, flicked its tongue, and kept hissing. Its eyes were slightly red and flashed with ferocity. It bared its white teeth at Liu Hanruo, as if it wanted to devour her whole.
Then it angrily swung its tail, pounding the ground repeatedly, and charged towards Liu Hanruo with all its might.
Faced with the snake's attack, Liu Hanruo curled her lips in disdain, a faint sneer on her face.
"A snake is a snake. No matter how big it is, it is still just a lowly animal that can only rampage around."
As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Hanruo instantly shifted her position, channeled her inner strength, and slashed directly at the snake's head. With a swift movement, the snake's head detached from its body. Due to inertia, the snake's body twitched the moment the head left, sliding forward slightly before a loud 'bang' was heard. The snake's body landed with a thud, and due to its enormous size, the ground inside the cave trembled slightly upon impact. This greatly worried the carefree king who had been outside. After much deliberation, he could only stare intently in the direction of the cave, eagerly awaiting news.
Without the light of torches, Liu Hanruo struggled to move forward, relying solely on her memory to slowly grope her way out along the edge. After several stumbles, she finally saw the long-lost light of fire.
From afar, the Carefree Prince spotted Liu Hanruo. Holding a torch, he rushed forward, embraced her tightly, and said anxiously:
"Ruo'er, I was really worried about that loud noise... It feels so good to see you're alright!"
Holding the carefree prince tightly in his arms, Liu Hanruo's feelings were incredibly complex. On one hand, she cherished the warmth of his chest, but on the other hand, she loathed the man's promiscuity. After struggling for a while, she resolutely pushed the carefree prince away, keeping her distance from him, and said softly:
"Men and women are different, so it's best to keep your distance."
"Ruo'er, must we be so formal with each other? You know perfectly well that I am..." the carefree king said, slightly agitated.
"I've only met the man in black a few times, nothing more," Liu Hanruo replied calmly.
After Liu Hanruo finished speaking, she relit the torch and took the lead into the cave. Helpless, Xiaoyao Wang had no choice but to follow her in.
Back inside the cave, Liu Hanruo sprinkled spices along the way, trying to get rid of the stench and the strong smell of blood. However, the smell was too strong and could not be completely removed in a short time. Liu Hanruo made a quick decision, picked up the lower half of the snake, and walked outside.
The two carried the large snake body one after the other to the entrance of the cave. There, Liu Hanruo set up a rack with bamboo skewers, lit a fire, and used a soft sword to cut the snake body into sections. She then skewered the sections with bamboo skewers, placed the snake meat on the rack, and started roasting it. As time passed, the snake meat slowly turned golden brown and emitted a fragrant aroma.
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