Chapter 88 Chapter 88 She had no choice.
That night, Nan Qiong Shuang didn't know how she fell asleep.
I wasn't even sure if I was asleep or not. With my eyes closed, I drifted back to Famen Temple that day.
The sea of fire was raging, the carved beams of the house were burning and falling down, and the thirty-six golden Buddhas were in the purgatory of karma fire, their faces were compassionate, but they could not save themselves.
She was in the middle of the fire, staring blankly at the fortune stick in her hand.
Half a catastrophe.
She casually threw the fortune stick into the fire, turned around and walked away without even looking back.
He raised his head and stepped over the high threshold of Famen Temple.
Suddenly I heard a familiar voice.
A hand grabbed the hand under her sleeve, holding it so tightly that it almost hurt her.
Gu Huaijin covered his chest which was stained with blood and walked out with difficulty, holding on to the door frame. He was so injured that he couldn't even stand up straight. A straight line of blood stretched from his pale lips to his chin.
His expression was as pale and terrifying as a zombie:
"Jiaojiao, why..."
"I love you so much... I obviously..."
"Why are you..."
She woke up suddenly.
With my eyes wide open, I could hear the early bird calls chirping on the branches outside the window.
Behind her, Gu Huaijin was still sleeping peacefully. During the night, he hugged her again, and she was completely wrapped in his arms, unable to move.
His regular breathing sprayed on the back of her neck.
She was still in shock and almost fainted. She struggled a little out of his arms, raised her head, and took two breaths.
“…Jiaojiao?”
He woke up.
He knew she was a light sleeper, and worried she wouldn't sleep well, so he'd been patting her gently at night to lull her to sleep. When there were mosquitoes, he'd often help her find mosquitoes for an hour. She often woke up from nightmares, and when she woke up, he'd start to wake up too, patting her again to lull her to sleep.
But now, she didn't want to be treated well by him.
She closed her eyes and said nothing.
Gu Huaijin heard her shallow breathing and thought it was just an illusion. He climbed his legs over her curled legs and fell asleep again.
There was a little cold water in the corner of her eyes. She heard the roaring sound of the sea of fire again in a trance, and the sound of "Jiao Jiao" witnessed by the Buddhas that day.
Why find her?
He found her, thinking it was a reunion, a perfection, a recovery of what was lost.
In fact, it is the beginning of separation between life and death.
They could all have been saved.
After an unknown amount of time, she opened her eyes again and it was already bright outside.
Gu Huaijin was already up and sitting at the table. Seeing her open her eyes and turn over, he said, "Awake?"
"Yeah." She deliberately avoided looking at him. "Aren't we going down today? Why haven't you left yet?"
"Aren't you going down with me?" He no longer wanted to ask for her opinion. He never liked her opinions. "I'm waiting for you. Hurry up and get ready."
"Me?" She pointed at herself in confusion, "I'm not going down."
He didn't say anything, but there was a crackling sound, and it turned out that he was peeling lychees.
In the eight-treasure fruit plate, a pile of translucent lychee flesh, like snowballs, has been piled up, trembling.
He peeled the last one and placed it on the top of the pile, then went to the washstand and washed his hands.
He walked up to her with the fruit plate, his expression unchanged, "Eat quickly, and we'll go downstairs after you finish."
"I'm not going down."
He didn't respond, put the fruit plate on the bedside table, and walked to the table to copy the calligraphy.
Not answering means rejection.
She realized that she had been forcing him to force her, but now he had become accustomed to this kind of dominance, and some things were gradually beyond her control.
She said, "...Whenever I get down there, everyone is curious about me. Wherever I go, people follow me and look at me. I feel uncomfortable."
"Not anymore. They wouldn't dare," he said. "Once you're engaged and your title as the headmaster's wife is confirmed, no one will dare to even poke their heads in your eyes."
"...Besides, there are traps all over the place. It's not even safe for me to go out for a walk."
"Do you think it's safe for you to just walk around Chaoyao Peak alone?" He said to the maid Liu Su who was waiting outside, "Help the madam change her clothes."
She gasped.
Although it was she who cultivated his tough tone and she couldn't blame anyone else, she was not used to his unreasonable behavior.
No matter what, she had to step back now, think calmly about the situation, and weigh the pros and cons.
As long as he was not in front of her, she would not be easily shaken.
"I really don't want to go. Chaoyao Peak is so high, I'd be terrified to go up and down it. I'm not you guys."
As soon as she gave in, Gu Huaijin's expression relaxed for a moment and he stopped writing.
She signaled Liusu to go out with her eyes. The door was slowly closed by Liusu. She walked over, hugged his arm, and leaned against him:
"If you want to go down, come back early. I'll wait for you here, okay?"
He lowered his eyelashes and still said nothing.
"Okay?" Go and shake his sleeves.
Gu Huaijin sighed in frustration.
She knew what he was waiting to hear, and she had no intention of teasing him or trying to please him.
"I lied when I said I didn't miss you. How could I miss you? It's just that it's so high up, and it's really too much for you to go back and forth in a single day just to see me. What if you get hurt?"
He looked at the half-written copybook in silence.
"Chaoyao Peak is simply too high for me. The way up makes me dizzy just looking down. I really can't stand the repeated tossing and turning for several days. I won't go down, okay? You martial artists, even if you have great skills, should be careful. You shouldn't take such a big risk just to see each other every day. Don't I feel bad for you?"
He put down his pen and pinched his eyebrows.
When he spoke again, his voice was dry:
"In that case, bring me one or two of your things."
She was stunned, "Things?"
"Anything. A handkerchief, some clothes, or even your pillow," he said. "I'll hold it while I sleep."
She suddenly remembered what Wu Dao said, that during the days when she fell off the waterfall, he kept smelling her clothes while sleeping.
How come this person...
He is such an adult, but he holds her in his arms and smells her every day, just like a child holding a doll.
He pulled her over, opened her collar, and rubbed her shoulders with his lips from behind:
"When you're not by my side, I always feel uneasy. I always feel like you're going somewhere."
"Where can I go?" She laughed. "Go quickly. The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back."
Gu Huaijin finally went down reluctantly. On the entire Chaoyao Peak, there were only a maid Liu Su, a servant A Jin, and some monks and Taoists, no one else.
The fewer people there are, the quieter it is, and the clearer you can think.
In front of Mingyue Pavilion, there is a mountain lake. When the moon shines on it, the waves sparkle at night.
Gu Huaijin knew that she liked water, so he built a water swing for her by the lake.
Today, without him behind her to help her push the swing, she walked barefoot on the shore and swung into the lake.
This lake was originally formed by the melting of ice and snow on the mountain top. It was night time, and when I dipped my feet into the water, I felt a biting cold.
She liked the cold, the icy pain. Perhaps a cooler body would make her mind clearer.
If Gu Huaijin knew, he would definitely be angry, but he is not here, so who cares.
The swing swung slowly, and she thought leisurely.
She had to make a decision within a month, otherwise, perhaps she would not have enough time to go down the mountain.
In a month, she might not be as lucky as last time and be able to escape from the Mist Blade.
Then, there are actually only two paths left for her.
Or, betray the gate of rebirth.
Or, betray Gu Huaijin.
If she betrayed the Wangsheng Sect, her chances of success would be only 50%. The advantage was that she could live a leisurely life in the mountains and talk about love. Before the Tianshan Sect fell, she would hardly be in any trouble.
Even if the Wangsheng Sect reached into Tianshan, it might not be easy to plot against her.
The downside is that the Wangsheng Sect is all-powerful after all, and perhaps one day, she will die unclearly like Gu Zhi.
If the Tianshan Sect fell, Gu Huaijin would still die, and as for her, her death would be a million times more miserable than his.
If she betrayed Gu Huaijin, it would be much easier. She could take his life and the Mountain Guarding Jade Plate with almost no effort.
However, after the mission is successful, you will return to the Gate of Rebirth and live your life as before.
She was sent out to move among the men, flattering them, sowing discord, and racking her brains to please them.
In order to win a heart, she will do anything, even if she is envied and framed by other women, she has to endure it. Even if she is treated like an object by men and fought over desperately, and no one respects her, she has to stand in the middle and flatter and smile.
Being obsessed with men but rarely treated as a human being was a disgusting life for her and she had had enough.
Moreover, it was still uncertain whether her fifth mission would be accomplished. Even if she succeeded, it was still unknown whether the Wangsheng Gate would release her as promised.
If neither option is optimistic, it's better to choose the path that at least brings less suffering now. Besides, the Tianshan Sect has been in the martial arts world for three hundred years and has a solid foundation. It might not be impossible for them to clash with the Wangsheng Sect.
After much thought, she came to the conclusion that was the answer that was easier for her, and she felt a little relieved.
She wasn't kidding herself. After much reflection, objectively speaking, this was indeed the better approach.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and her toes scraped the surface of the lake, stirring up a string of light water droplets.
Wu Dao: "How do you plan to kill him? Where? What method?"
She was instantly horrified.
Lately, why does he always appear when she is thinking about betrayal? Is it just a coincidence?
What a coincidence, perhaps Wu Dao has already guessed some of her thoughts.
She said, "The deadline given by the sect is one month. We will be engaged in a month, so we can make the move then."
"Very good." He said, "The sect told me there's a secret passage out of the mountain, right below the Snow-Holding Peak. There's a forbidden area called Lan Pavilion on the Snow-Holding Peak, rarely visited. You'd better lead him there and take action there. After that, we'll go straight down the mountain and report."
"Okay." She plunged her feet into the lake. The water was so cold that it ached, but she felt refreshed. "Once I get down this time, the fourth mission will be complete."
"Finished?" Wu Dao laughed. "How can it be considered finished? You only did half of it. You killed someone, but you don't have the Mountain-Suppressing Jade Plate—so, the sect said that only half a circle can be drawn on the case file."
She looked in the direction of the sound in surprise.
The entire area around the lake was cold and desolate, with no one else in sight.
"It was someone inside the sect who asked me to go back. If I had been given more time, I would have obtained the Mountain Guarding Jade Plate. Is this also to be blamed on me?"
Wu Dao laughed, "Are you trying to reason with the Judicial Office? We in the sect have raised you since you were young, nurtured you, and provided you with food to eat. This is already a great favor."
He chuckled, "You're repaying a favor. It's what you should do."
fart.
Sooner or later, she will kill all these people.
She knew that the Wangshengmen would not keep its promise.
Fortunately, she has another way to go.
"However, you are quite determined. If it were any other woman, being doted on by that Gu guy, she would have defected long ago."
She didn't say anything, but her grip on the rope tightened.
When she suddenly brought up this topic, Wu Dao had already seen through her.
"...After all," he sighed, "in our sect, we're not allowed to peel lychees, nor are we allowed to see a doctor. No one cares if we catch a cold, and no one even looks after us if we die. They really treat us like animals. Isn't that right, Nan Qiong Shuang?"
Her whole body was cold and numb, and she began to shiver.
"Stop your bullshit. Stop being suspicious here. I've told you so many times!"
"You and him have been so sweet lately. Holding hands, you can't even separate."
In the distance, by the lake, a tall black shadow appeared, as if it was a wild beast that had been lurking at her in the dark night for a long time. It finally sniffed and came to her, baring its fangs.
"You have such a good relationship. That guy named Gu can't leave you for a moment, kissing you all the time."
He folded his arms, staring at her against the moonlight, as if he were waiting by the bedside of a chronically ill person, visible only to the patient, like the Black Grim Reaper waiting only for death to claim his soul:
"Tell me, what would he do if he knew that the person he loved was a fake from the beginning to the end?"
"If he knew that her real name was Nan Qiong Shuang, that she was a spy, and that she came here to kill him—what would he do?"
Nan Qiong Shuang couldn't help but shiver, her bones colliding with each other, and her body creaking.
"If, after a month, you don't do what you should do, Nan Qiong Shuang—"
In the darkness of the night, the terrifying shadow, who was black from head to toe, had two rows of neat, white teeth with the corners of his lips raised.
"——I will tell him your identity."
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