Chapter 24 Birds and Fishes (End) Huai Xu thinks about power and his people...
These fragments were scattered, but they were enough for Lian Qiang to understand Shao Yu a little.
As luck would have it, the memories she could see... were all after Shao Yu arrived in Canglang Sea.
She saw the young princess, yearning for freedom, dismiss her attendants and wander alone to the seashore. Such a carefree moment was rare for the princess, constrained for so long. She had always gazed at the water from afar, across the sky, never having seen the sea so closely, let alone touched it.
The waves lapped against her feet, an experience Shao Yu had never experienced before. The girl's attention was completely focused on her feet, and she didn't notice anyone rising from the sea, surrounded by the waves.
I'm afraid no one knows why Huai Xu came ashore that day and met Shao Yu by chance.
When the girl raised her eyes, the young Mermaid King was already standing in front of her.
The sea breeze whipped his long, dark hair. His eyes, shimmering in the morning light, became even clearer and more transparent, like crystals refracting light. The waves obediently crouched beneath his tail, like a god.
This beauty was different, yet no less stunning than Yu Ren's. The girl's heart skipped a beat without warning. She heard herself pretending to be calm and saying, "Who are you?"
The sun was shining brightly at that time, and the young man's emotionless eyes were quietly stained with a color called "helplessness": "This is my territory, who do you say I am?"
...This was their first meeting. Lian Qiang was speechless. It was so...perfect, so perfect that she couldn't bear to wonder when Huai Xu had harbored evil intentions.
She didn't have time to think about it, as the memories that followed came flooding back, those that Shao Yu had mentioned but couldn't recall much... Lian Qiang had read them all, until time stopped at a certain day after Huai Xu and "Qing Ji" got married.
Qing Ji was controlled by puppet strings, and many of her actions were not voluntary. Even though she was also influenced by the pure spirit of love, when Huai Xu came to her bedroom, she still lay on the couch with her back facing him.
Huai Xu was not annoyed, he just sat aside and quietly reviewed the documents.
The sunlight cannot reach the bottom of the sea, and people who are used to seeing sunlight would find it extremely uncomfortable. However, this palace is always illuminated by the perpetually burning night pearls, which is comparable to a room full of sunlight.
But this light was a little hurtful to the mermaid's eyes. Huai Xu didn't care at all. He stopped writing from time to time and rubbed his eyes.
As a king, he might have a better place to do these things, but he chose here.
Somehow, Huaixu coughed lightly. He thought Qingji was already fast asleep, so he quickly covered his mouth and nose, fearing to wake her. But Qingji didn't. At the cough, her eyelashes trembled, a very subtle movement, but Lian Qiang caught it.
After a long while, Huai Xu finally finished reviewing the thick documents. He stood up, swam to the bed, stood behind Qing Ji, and looked at her for a long time. After looking for a moment, he turned and walked away. When the door closed, Lian Qiang seemed to hear a barely perceptible sigh.
Qing Ji on the bed also turned around at this time, her eyes as black as ink were unfocused, as if she was thinking about something.
In reality, their marriage hadn't lasted long, just half a month. And in that time, how many moments like this had there been? Were they few and far between, or were they everywhere? What were they thinking about during these countless moments?
Was Huaixu thinking about power, the future of his people, or simply that they would have many more days like this in the future? Would he ever regret his audacity?
What about Shao Yu? Did she hate him to the core, or was she a little shaken by those magnified details?
Even Qiang didn't know all this. She only knew that the little love they once had had between them had completely disappeared.
——It was ruined by Huai Xu himself.
After an unknown amount of time, Lian Qiang realized that she was no longer immersed in the memories of Shao Yu. She tried to open her eyes, but what she saw was herself tightly holding a piece of her sleeve. Looking up, she saw Chi Xingji's worried face.
Lian Qiang was startled and almost let go of his sleeve.
She made a big noise, but Chi Xingji didn't say anything. He calmly took it back and said, "You're awake. You were in a coma for three days."
"Three days?" Lian Qiang was shocked. She had spent half her life in a dream, and when she woke up, it was only three days. Chi Xingji was surprised by her reaction and asked, "Did you see anything while you were unconscious?"
"...I saw a part of Shao Yu's memory, which was related to Huai Xu." Lian Qiang thought about it and decided to be honest, but after saying this, she kept silent.
After all, she was just a spectator. It was not her place and should not be her turn to interfere in their affairs.
After hearing this, Chi Xingji didn't ask any further questions, but instead brought up another matter: "I've been keeping an eye on the situation on the other side of the Canglang Sea these past few days. They've only told the public that the king suddenly fell seriously ill and has passed away and been buried. The queen, deeply in love with her husband, committed suicide in the palace, to be with them in life and death."
After Lian Qiang had understood all this, Chi Xingji continued, "...I heard that people have been sent from the South China Sea to handle the follow-up matters."
Lian Qiang didn't know what to feel for a moment when she heard this. Huai Xu had no descendants, and Nanhai sent people here most likely with the intention of annexing the country. She didn't like Huai Xu, nor was she familiar with politics, but she felt that as a king, it was too hasty and sloppy to just brush it off like this.
"Maybe Huai Xu doesn't care about what happens after his death." Chi Xingji comforted her lightly, "No matter what, there will always be someone who remembers him."
Feeling sad again, Lian Qiang knew that this matter had been moved on by Yu Huaixu and Shao Yu, let alone her as an outsider, so she cheered up and thought of the important matter.
"It's a pity that neither of us completed our mission." Lian Qiang mentioned this with a mixture of regret and joking. She couldn't take Shao Yu's wings back to see Jiang Lang, and Chi Xingji couldn't force Shao Yu to go to the Feather Tribe. "The Immortal Lord is also going back to heaven, right? In that case, I wish you a safe journey."
Although she had been told to keep a distance from Chi Xingji before, when she finally felt the reality of separation, even Qiang felt a little dazed.
Chi Xingji's face was gloomy, and he remained silent. Lian Qiang hadn't noticed before, but now he had the leisure to observe his surroundings. It looked like an ordinary wing room. Looking at the sky through the window...he guessed it was nighttime.
Chi Xingji had probably been looking after her for the past three days. Lian Qiang wasn't someone who didn't know how to repay a favor, but she really didn't want to be involved with Chi Xingji any more. This was truly a situation that would harm both of them. She could only take this opportunity to see if she could clear things up between them...
"These days, I've actually been wanting to ask you something." Chi Xingji's clear voice rang out again. Lian Qiang had a feeling that his next words would explode like a bolt from the blue, but she couldn't stop him. "Have we met before? Or, do we know each other?"
Lian Qiang clearly heard the sound of a candlelight popping, and she shuddered.
Chi Xingji's eyes were like cold stars. He said slowly, "At first I thought it was my illusion, thinking that maybe you just looked familiar, but I quickly overturned this idea. There is a sense of familiarity about you, and this feeling is extraordinary."
His words were so compelling that Lian Qiang felt bewildered. Was he finally going to remember? She didn't know how to face Chi Xingji, who had just remembered everything.
"Your Excellency is overthinking this," Lian Qiang heard her own voice sounding pretentiously cheerful. "If we had met before, why would I be unwilling to admit it? It's my honor to be associated with someone like Your Excellency."
Even if she could pretend better, when she said the last four words, Lian Qiang couldn't express her true feelings.
"Perhaps the Immortal Lord is simply too anxious to regain his memory and is desperately seeking treatment. I often have delusions, too—"
Lian Qiang was about to tell a lie, but Chi Xingji interrupted her firmly: "But I know it wasn't an illusion. You don't want to recognize me, is there something you can't explain?"
He rubbed his brow, looking extremely tired. Lian Qiang naturally didn't want him to remember the current situation. Fortunately, Chi Xingji wasn't completely sure, so she retreated away from him while choosing her words.
An unspeakable secret...huh? Lian Qiang recalled the past hundred years without any emotion. If she were still the same person she was back then, after Chi Xingji said that, she would probably rush over and accuse him of betrayal, abandoning her alone to become an immortal.
Unfortunately, she wasn't. Life was tough these days, but she didn't hate it. She didn't want to go back to the days when all her joys and sorrows were tied to one person. She wasn't someone who held onto things. Once she'd tasted the pain, no matter how much she clung to it, she let go.
"There's nothing to hide. For people like us, being able to meet the Immortal Lord is already an honor. These days, we say we've been fighting side by side, but in reality, it's the Immortal Lord who's been looking after me." Although he was being serious, Lian Qiang wanted to laugh. "The mountains are high and the waters are far, and it's time to part ways. If you need anything in the future, just tell me."
She paused, then continued, "Your Majesty can go to the Demon Realm to look for me—but I'm used to being free. You might not be able to find me, and you might not even need me."
Lian Qiang got off the bed lightly. She was slightly surprised that Chi Xingji kept kneading his eyebrows for so long, but leaving smoothly like this was exactly what she wanted...
When she reached the door, Chi Xingji made no move to stop her. Lian Qiang felt that she was overestimating herself. Just as she was gritting her teeth and making up her mind to open the door, she heard a noise behind her.
Lian Qiang turned around and saw a scene that nearly scared her to death: "Chi Xingji!"
The usually dignified and respectable Immortal Lord was now spitting blood, his hands bracing themselves against the edge of the bed to keep from collapsing. Lian Qiang immediately threw away the thought of leaving and trotted a few steps, quickly helping him to lie down on the bed.
She was so anxious that she called out his name without even noticing it herself. Chi Xingji was barely breathing and didn't have the energy to raise her hand.
"What's wrong with you..." Lian Qiang had never seen Chi Xingji in such a distressed state. Even though she had witnessed life and death over the past hundred years, she was still panicked at this moment and checked his body to see if he had any injuries.
Chi Xingji is an immortal... She thought helplessly, everything was fine before, how could it be like this... Could it be that Huai Xu hurt him? Bah, it's a good thing she still has some sympathy for him!
"I'm fine..." Seeing Lian Qiang's anxiety, Chi Xingji had to comfort her, "Maybe I was...backfired by the way of heaven..."
Lian Qiang spat and cursed when she heard this: "What a bullshit Heavenly Dao!"
Seeing her like this, the immortal king, whose face was whiter than paper, actually slightly curved the corners of his lips.
-----------------------
Author's words: Second update~The story of the bird and the fish ends~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
