Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Her dimples.
Upon seeing her, Li Xuanbai's gloomy and impatient face relaxed for a moment.
"You're here." He looked at her with his eyelids raised. "Do you still remember me?"
"You're so sarcastic." She stood beside Asong, not taking a step forward, and deliberately asked, "What are you doing here?"
Suddenly a hand stretched out from the door, grabbed her forearm, and was pulled past Asong by Li Xuanbai like a little chicken, stepped over the threshold, and hid behind him.
Ah Song was inside the door, unable to stop her. He watched helplessly as she was dragged out. His face tensed even more. "Brother, last time you forcibly abducted Miss Chu from Muxue Courtyard, we already had the Young Master report it to Uncle Master and punish you. Aren't you afraid of being punished a second time?"
"Punishment? You call that a punishment?" Li Xuanbai laughed arrogantly, his pigeon-blood red earring dangling. "Let me tell you, Uncle-Master will only punish him, not me."
Having said that, regardless of Asong's expression, he leisurely pulled her and turned around.
"By the way, this is for you." She stuffed the light blue heart knot into his hand.
"Oh, a heart knot?" He raised his eyebrows, "You have a conscience." He took it, lowered his head immediately, and tied it to the hilt of the sword in no time.
Nan Qiong Shuang watched him tie the knot with a cold look and asked lazily, "How did I offend you, you rascal?"
"You dare to ask?!" Li Xuanbai looked up at her in disbelief and sneered, "That day, that guy surnamed Gu asked you to come over, and you went. How could you forget?"
Nan Qiong Shuang shrugged, "What else can I do?"
Li Xuanbai suddenly pulled her back, gripping her arm so tightly that it almost hurt her. His eyes darkened, "Don't forget what we agreed to do."
She really didn't remember. "What did we agree on?"
"I told you—" the five fingers on his forearm slowly tightened again, his eyes dark as if a storm was about to come, "—you have to act with me."
Nan Qiong Shuang was stunned.
What he meant by "acting with him" was actually this.
Do you want to act out a love relationship with him?
Even if the performance really couldn't last long, she had someone else who needed her acting more urgently, she sneered.
But why pretend to be in love? If he fell in love with her, his position in the mountain would definitely be shaken. After all, she was now the target of public criticism.
Could it be that - he wants to go down the mountain?
Nan Qiong Shuang looked him up and down coldly and said with a smile, "You want me to pretend to love you?"
"It's not acting. Let me ask you," Li Xuanbai stared at her gravely, "If you had to choose, between me and that Gu Zhi, who would you choose?"
Of course, she would choose whoever could get the mountain-guarding jade token for her.
She nonchalantly fiddled with the small earring under her ear.
During this time, she suddenly realized that she had forgotten to bring the small earrings made of seven-eight fragrant wood that she always wore.
I'm afraid I'll have to be with Li Xuanbai all day today. Li Xuanbai is a crucial move in her game. If I don't wear those earrings, I feel like I'm letting the opportunity slip away in vain.
She said, "Wait a minute, I forgot something."
"What did you forget?" Li Xuanbai's tone suddenly became angry. "What's your answer?"
She looked back and smiled, "I choose you."
Isn't that what she wanted to hear? Anyway, it's all empty talk. She can get as much as he wants.
The mountain breeze was crisp, and fallen flowers fluttered in the chill wind. Li Xuanbai stood on the hill and his expression suddenly changed.
The irritability in his body disappeared in an instant. He snorted coldly and kicked the stones with his shoulders.
Nan Qiong Shuang sneered. Why do men always want her to fall in love with them? Once they say they don't love them, they won't give in.
He turned around, knocked on the gate, and slipped back into the yard.
*
A few days ago, she was bored and asked the kitchen to make her some rose cakes. Now that she was going out, she wrapped them up in paper and planned to take them with her.
When I went out again, the courtyard gate was half open, and Asong was still standing between the double doors, standing there in silence and unwilling to give in.
There were two people talking outside the door.
"...Why can't I take her away? She wants to go with me, what's it to you?" Li Xuanbai's voice.
She slipped past Asong and walked out the door, looking up, "...Mr. Gu."
Gu Zhi stood outside the door, still wearing his usual snow-white disciple's clothes, but his face was particularly cold today, even paler than his clothes.
He glanced at her and then turned away lightly.
Just that one glance, sometimes, Gu Zhi felt that her skin was too white, and how could her lips be so naturally red. There were some things that he simply couldn't blame him for.
Before she could say anything, Li Xuanbai grabbed her arm without saying a word, trying to pull her away from Gu Zhi.
She stumbled, and the next moment, she suddenly felt her other arm being held by another hand without her noticing.
She was stunned.
He grabbed her arm?
The hand suddenly loosened.
The instant warmth felt like a dream.
Gu Zhi let go of her hand almost as if he had been electrocuted, put his hand into his sleeve, and stretched out his wide sleeve to block her.
She lowered her eyes.
Gu Zhi said, "Miss Chu fell a few days ago, please stop pulling her."
Li Xuanbai sneered, "She didn't say anything herself, why are you trying to stop her?"
Seeing that he was unwilling to let go of her hand, Gu Zhi suddenly saw something on Li Xuanbai's waist under the bright sunlight, something so familiar, so conspicuous, and so glaring.
That heart-shaped knot of blue distant mountains.
It was hanging under his sword in broad daylight, without any scruples or hesitation.
How dare he?!
He gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist and subconsciously wanted to draw the sword out of the sheath.
But he barely stopped.
He closed his eyes and involuntarily took two steps back, swaying slightly before finally standing firm.
He opened his eyes and forced himself to relax for a moment.
When he spoke again, his expression was as calm as water, but for some reason, he seemed exhausted and weak.
He said softly, "Miss Chu...are you willing to be with him?"
This question left Nan Qiong Shuang stunned.
How should she answer?
Although he was asking her, he seemed to be in a trance, as if... he was asking himself.
A tired, disheartened feeling.
Suddenly, something at his waist shook for a moment. It was the rough and heavy sachet on the hilt of his sword.
She curled her lips and smiled, "I guess so."
Gu Zhi didn't say anything. With a smile on his face, he stared at her collarbone for a long time with his eyes lowered.
After a long moment, he nodded gently.
"I understand." He moved aside to let her pass, "Go ahead."
Laughing is still laughing.
However, the person actually began to shiver slightly as if he was cold.
Did she still remember that the last time he was shivering like this was when he came out from under the waterfall late at night as punishment and she came to pick him up in a narrow boat?
At that time, she could still feel that he was cold.
He watched her as if she was in a good mood, and walked towards Li Xuanbai with a smile, letting Li Xuanbai grab her arm without restraint.
Suddenly, Li Xuanbai saw the paper package in her arms, took it and opened it. "Rose pastry?" He took one and chewed it in his mouth.
Nan Qiong Shuang pondered for a moment, took two and turned back.
Gu Zhi was stunned when two rose cakes were suddenly forced into his hands.
He lowered his head in a trance.
Her hand seemed to touch the back of his hand for a moment.
He couldn't help but rub that small area with his other hand.
She smiled brightly and said, "Don't worry, sir. I'll be back soon. Here, take it."
As he looked at the two round little cakes, he felt as if his stomach and heart were tied together, and both began to ache.
Li Xuanbai had already walked a few steps away, chewing the cake, and said vaguely, "He doesn't like to eat these, so give him less."
Gu Zhi laughed to himself, pulled her wrist and stuffed the two rose cakes back into her hand.
He said, "Since others have it too, there is no need to give it to me, young lady." He put his sleeves together and walked away.
Looking at his back, Nan Qiongshuang was lost in thought for a while.
The tactic of hurting oneself is no longer effective; the tactic of being gentle and sweet to others seems to no longer have any chance.
But, close yet distant.
——It seems that the tactic of playing hard to get and being distant still has some uses.
She chuckled happily, twirled her hair around her index finger, and looked up to see that Li Xuanbai had already walked a few steps away, so she slowly followed him.
Interesting. She thought to herself, this time, it is quite interesting.
*
On that day, Gu Zhi did not go to practice martial arts. Song Yaojie sent a message to invite him to play chess and drink, but he did not go.
He was alone in the Tianshan Buddhist Temple, with the door locked tightly, copying scriptures by himself.
He has been so abnormal these days that even he can't stand it.
Only Buddhist scriptures, Buddhist temples, and meditation mantras can suppress his anger.
He lowered his head to grind the ink. The ink stick circled slowly and gently on the inkstone, and his slender jade-white fingers were stained with a little ink.
Use a brush, dip it in water to moisten it, then dip it twice in the inkstone, left and right, and absorb the ink.
The inkstone was surrounded by a circle of tiny plum blossoms. Plum blossoms only bloom in winter, but the mountains below were covered in peach blossoms.
At this time, she and Li Xuanbai were walking among the blooming mountain flowers.
I don’t know where to go.
She injured her knee a few days ago and her leg hasn't fully healed yet, but even so, she had to go.
Are your legs still hurting? Why don't you take care of yourself?
She likes Li Xuanbai?
He lowered his eyes, a self-deprecating sneer on his lips.
Who she likes has nothing to do with you.
You are the one who has least to do with this.
After dipping the pen in ink, he picked up the tip of the brush and examined it. There was a tiny thorn on the tip, so he pulled it out.
Li Xuanbai seems to like her.
Yes, that's natural. His character has been shown so clearly.
Maybe this is a good thing, he told himself.
Li Xuanbai had a naturally erratic personality, and the people on the mountain had long since grown accustomed to it. However, he was also incredibly gifted and favored by his uncle, so no matter how absurd his actions, no one could touch him.
Perhaps, only such a person is suitable to love her.
He has a bad temper, is good at training, is favored by his uncle, and has no burden.
If he is unhappy, he will just lose face in order to save the other person's face. Anyway, he is such a bad person, who can force him to be in a good mood?
No matter who he favors or who he sides with, no one dares to say a word against him - he is just a disciple of the mountain.
Only such a person could protect her wholeheartedly and without distraction. If anyone became jealous, he would immediately swallow his pride and fight back for her, without needing to consider the other person's reputation or qualifications, nor the harmony within the mountain or the unity of the sect. After all, he was not in that position and did not need to be responsible for all this.
Only people like this...
He was silent, his long eyelashes drooping, hiding all thoughts in his eyes.
Yes, it’s better that he loves her.
After figuring this out, he actually smiled slightly.
That was fine. This way, she had one more person on this mountain to protect her, and this person could even do more for her than he did.
What are you dissatisfied with, Gu Huaijin? He told himself that you should thank Li Xuanbai.
Yes, thanks to him.
He smiled slightly, holding a pen, and stood by the desk for a long time.
When I lowered my head, I found that the tip of the pen, which was dipped in ink, had already dripped a ball of ink, spreading out in a small circle on the rice paper.
That is the Buddhist scripture I wrote yesterday.
Seeing that the five aggregates are empty, one transcends all suffering. Shariputra! Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form…[1]
"Form is emptiness."
That blob of ink just happened to be soaked into the word "空".
How could it be so similar...
In that dream, she had... a birthmark.
Dimple on the waist - a birthmark.
Cute, round, with a dimple on the waist.
His heart beat violently, almost starting to burn from his stomach, uncontrollably, burning his scalp, fingertips, spine, and every tiny trembling nerve.
He thought very calmly.
Maybe, it's too late.
He's finished.
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