Chapter 73
The next day, when Xie Wen was washing up, Hong Hong'er came up to him hesitantly and asked, "Wen, you weren't hurt last night, were you? Chu Xianyue didn't do anything to you, did he?"
As it spoke, it noticed the red marks on Xie Wen's neck and said, "You've suffered so many injuries! That scumbag Chu Xianyue! I'm going to fight him to the death!"
Xie Wen covered her neck. Through the bronze mirror, she could indeed see a red mark and inwardly scolded Chu Xianyue for going too far.
Just as Honghong'er was shouting that she wanted to fight Chu Xianyue, Chu Xianyue walked in, looked at Honghong'er calmly, and said, "I heard you want to fight me?"
Just as Honghong was about to bare her fangs, Xie Wen picked her up at the last moment, and she instantly retracted her sharp claws, becoming fluffy and smiling at Xie Wen, "What's wrong, Awen?"
Xie Wen said, "Honghong, why don't you go out and play for a while? And prepare dinner while you're at it. Don't worry about me." Xie Wen gave it a look, and Honghong wouldn't disobey Xie Wen's words, so it obediently went out.
Although she had sent Honghong away, Xie Wen turned away as Chu Xianyue entered, pretending not to see him, and sat down at the dressing table, preoccupied with her own tasks. Chu Xianyue: "..."
He remained silent for a while, wandering around the room aimlessly, seemingly unsure of what to do. Xie Wen said, "Are you trying to get my attention? What are you doing, wandering around in front of me? If you're itchy, go take a shower."
The two were still arguing and couldn't say anything properly.
Chu Xianyue suddenly braced himself on the dressing table and said coldly, "Seeing you makes my heart itch unbearably."
With a slap, Xie Wen gave him a slap. "I feel your face is a little itchy, so I'll scratch it for you."
Instead of getting angry, Chu Xianyue laughed. He touched the side of his face that Xie Wen had slapped, and smelled the fragrance that followed. He turned his face to the side and said expressionlessly, "This side is itchy too."
Enraged, Xie Wen slapped him on the other cheek as well. He straightened up, his tall frame looming close, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure. Xie Wen thought that he had provoked Xie Wen into retaliating.
Unexpectedly, he simply took the comb from Xie Wen's hand, gathered the strands of hair that were on Xie Wen's shoulders, and gently combed her hair.
Xie Wen sat upright, letting her hair fall into his hands, which he manipulated from side to side, strands of hair coiling around his fingers like snakes. Xie Wen was startled by her own thoughts; this terrifying feeling pressed down on her scalp, making her uncontrollably think of that dream.
In her dream, she was submerged in the boundless sea, her body feeling as if it were being torn apart. She collapsed in agony, and in a daze, she opened her eyes to see that her hair had turned white, drifting slowly in the sea like drifting white clouds. Xie Wen turned around and saw many similar drifting white clouds. She awoke as if from a dream, breaking out in a cold sweat as she tried to pull at the white hairs hanging from her head.
But pain followed. She couldn't pull out the white hairs no matter what she did. The white hairs seemed to grow on her head. Her breathing became more and more rapid. White hairs, white hairs everywhere, she couldn't get them out no matter what she did.
Xie Wen snapped out of her daze, her heart pounding, her scalp tingling, and she was breathing heavily. The person behind Xie Wen leaned closer, his cheek pressed against hers. He tilted his head slightly, his lips and nose brushing against her face, and used one hand to hold Xie Wen's face to prevent her from backing away. "What's wrong? Is your face hot?"
Xie Wen turned her head, and he kissed her on the lips before letting go, asking her again, "What's wrong? Did you think of something just now?"
Xie Wen's wavering heart calmed down. She nodded, then looked at her hair again, until she was absolutely certain it was black, not white. She told the truth, "I dreamt I was trapped at the bottom of the sea. I was in great pain. My hair turned white."
Three sentences made Chu Xianyue's expression change instantly. His dark eyes became even more unfathomable, like an abyss. He suddenly leaned in and hugged Xie Wen, burying his head deeply in her shoulder, repeating over and over, "It's just a dream, it's just a dream."
With Chu Xianyue gently patting his back, Xie Wen's heart calmed down. He hugged him and nodded, "Yes, it was just a dream."
During dinner that evening, Honghong saw Awen and Chu Xianyue sitting together. Fearing that the two would explode again, since they had argued yesterday and were still angry with each other, ignoring each other and about to start arguing again if they spoke. Honghong carefully moved a small stool and sat down next to Xie Wen.
They started off eating peacefully, but after a while, Chu Xianyue subtly reached out and put food on Xie Wen's plate. Xie Wen paused in his eating, and Honghong'er also stopped. Her mind went through a 360-degree turn, and she finally came to the conclusion that it was all over. Knowing A-Wen's temper, he would definitely take the food out and throw it away. The two of them would have another big fight, and they wouldn't even be able to eat in peace.
To everyone's surprise, Xie Wen paused for a moment, then continued eating as if nothing had happened, even eating the food Chu Xianyue had picked up for him. Hong Hong'er: "?"
When Xie Wen picked up more food, he threw a large chili pepper into Chu Xianyue's bowl.
She chuckled to herself.
He can't handle spicy food, Xie Wen thought to himself: You'll die from the spiciness.
Honghong: Oh no, we're going to argue again.
To everyone's surprise, the next moment, he calmly picked up a chili pepper and ate it without changing his expression. Xie Wen opened his mouth, observing Chu Xianyue's composed demeanor, and wondered if he wasn't afraid of spicy food anymore?
Then, she noticed his earlobes were an unnatural red, and the back of his neck was burning red. Xie Wen couldn't help but chuckle, but before he could finish, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and carried her into the house like a chick. Hong Hong'er tried to stop him, but the door slammed shut, leaving her dumbfounded. Oh no, the two of them are going to fight again!
On the other side of the door, Xie Wen was being held against someone. The redness on his ears slowly spread to his cheeks. Xie Wen hadn't noticed before that his lips were slightly swollen and red from the spiciness, which added to his sexiness.
Before Xie Wen could even utter a laugh, the sound that had just escaped his throat was silenced by the person in front of him. Forced against the door, Xie Wen couldn't back away; his chin was held, and he was forced to tilt his head back to receive the blow. Between his lips and teeth was the person's cool breath, carrying a slight spiciness.
It was so uncomfortable to keep her head tilted back. She was finding it even harder to breathe. She pushed him away with all her might, and when she met his scrutinizing eyes, Xie Wen paused and said weakly, "My neck hurts from tilting my head back."
As soon as she finished speaking, he lifted her up in one arm, causing the door to slam shut, which made Honghong'er outside the door tremble violently! They were fighting so fiercely!
He held her against the door, and this time Xie Wen didn't have to look up. He kissed her without warning, and Xie Wen was stunned for a second as his warm, moist breath lingered on her neck.
Honghong quietly tidied up the dishes outside. After everything was tidied up, Chu Xianyue came out unharmed as dusk fell. Xie Wen followed closely behind, and Honghong immediately went up to him.
"Awen, he didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Xie Wen: "...It's nothing." She patted its head. "You washed all the dishes? That's great."
Honghong nodded shyly.
Xie Wen sat in the courtyard with Hong Hong'er for a while, enjoying the evening breeze. Chu Xianyue came over and draped a coat over Xie Wen, telling him to go back inside as soon as possible because it was cold outside.
Dusk had been falling earlier lately, and soon the sky was as black as if splashed with thick ink. That night, after Xie Wen fell asleep, he groggily reached for his side and found Chu Xianyue was gone again. She said she'd make him new clothes if he couldn't sleep, and he actually believed her? Xie Wen got up and sighed.
The wind outside the window was unusually strong tonight. The wind howled through the forest, and the sound of howling echoed back and forth, reminding Xie Wen of her childhood when she lived in a dilapidated thatched hut. At night, she would always hear wolves howling. One night, she heard a strange sound, got up, and saw a wolf under the hole at the door, staring at her with its eerie green eyes.
As Xie Wen thought of this, she seemed to hear the howling of wolves in her ears. She shivered, calmed herself, and indeed heard eerie howls coming from outside the window. Could there be some wild beasts around here? Xie Wen thought to herself, searching around but not finding Chu Xianyue. So she got up and went out to search.
When she walked into the courtyard, she found nothing around her. The moonlight was very bright tonight, shining on Xie Wen's feet as if water had risen to her feet. Xie Wen felt dizzy for a moment because the boundless water that was flowing over her body gave her the illusion that she was imprisoned at the bottom of the sea in a dream and could not escape.
She took a deep breath, intending to call out to Chu Xianyue, but was interrupted by a strange noise from the bamboo forest. Xie Wen was not afraid of evil, and with the magic of Yao Fang in her hand, she slowly searched the depths of the bamboo forest from which the strange noise came. In the deep mountains and wild forests, there were bound to be wild beasts, or at worst, evil creatures.
Gradually, Xie Wen heard someone calling her name.
"Awen."
Such a voice sent chills down Xie Wen's spine, her heart sinking to the bottom. Her hand gripping the sword was drenched in cold sweat. Xie Wen whirled around, but there was still nothing there.
She was certain she wasn't hallucinating; she couldn't possibly have misheard that voice. Jin Huaran—that was how she always called her before.
Just thinking of Jin Huaran's name made Xie Wen feel breathless.
Not only because his existence would disrupt the peace of the entire world, Xie Wen's fear of Jin Huaran also seemed to stem from another aspect: the strange dream and the things buried deep in her memory, the things she least wanted to face.
Xie Wen was afraid. She was afraid that Jin Huaran's existence would force her to confront all the strange things about her past. For example, why did she have that dream? Why could she see herself in Li Zhaoxue's memories while she herself had no such memories? And why, if she had lived in Qingshui Town throughout her childhood, did she have no recollection of any evil spirits haunting the town? She had absolutely no recollection of it. Why was all of this happening?
She feared these things would plunge her into an endless abyss. She didn't want to become like Jin Huaran, with the blood of the Feather Clan, born with bad luck, destined for eternal misfortune!
Xie Wen suddenly felt a splitting headache, as if she were sinking into the sea in a dream. Her world spun around her, and in a daze, a shadow appeared before her eyes, semi-transparent, with a smile on its lips, a face that feigned compassion. The shadow flashed past Xie Wen's eyes.
Xie Wen felt a chill run down his spine. He pointed his sword at the empty space and said, "Jin Huaran, get out here! What do you want? I knew you weren't dead!"
After a long while, the wind stopped, but Xie Wen was in a state of utter confusion. Her whole body was tense. Suddenly, someone grabbed Xie Wen's wrist from behind. In an instant, Xie Wen slashed down with her sword. The sharp sword energy instantly cut the swaying bamboo behind her in half, and the bamboo fell together, making a crisp cracking sound.
Xie Wen stared blankly at that spot, still shaken, his chest heaving violently. Chu Xianyue dodged the sword, grabbed Xie Wen's wrist, and said, "Don't be afraid."
Xie Wen turned around and stared blankly at Chu Xianyue. Her gaze finally settled on him, and her heart, which had been adrift in darkness, found its shore. Chu Xianyue hugged her without hesitation. "What's wrong? What did you see just now?"
Xie Wen opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the depths of the dark bamboo forest in the distance. A gust of wind swept through there, and the bamboo branches trembled, as if something was there. Xie Wen murmured, "Jin Huaran, he's not dead."
In that instant, Chu Xianyue's expression changed, and Xie Wen, whom he was holding tightly, suddenly trembled and cried out uncontrollably, "He's there!"
Chu Xianyue's heart sank. He quickly turned around and followed Xie Wen's gaze. There were only bamboo swaying in the moonlight. Chu Xianyue held Xie Wen's shoulders tightly and said in a deep voice, "There's nothing there. Don't be afraid, there's nothing there. Did you dream about something again? It must be a dream."
Xie Wen trembled uncontrollably in Chu Xianyue's arms. She had just seen that person's figure again, and she didn't know why she was so afraid of Jin Huaran. She had a vague intuition that this person would drag her into an abyss of despair! Xie Wen said, "But there was no wind just now." Why were the bamboo trees moving?
Chu Xianyue held Xie Wen tightly, covering her eyes, "You're seeing things. It's all fake. It's an evil spirit causing trouble, I'll get rid of it for you." As he spoke, Chu Xianyue raised his hand, and the Nine Heavens Sword appeared out of thin air. The vast sword intent instantly cut through the dense bamboo, and they all fell down with a loud bang.
Xie Wen was held and pressed against Chu Xianyue, but she couldn't see anything, only hear his voice. Fortunately, she knew Chu Xianyue was in front of her, so at least she stopped trembling.
The sound of swords whistling through the air lingered for a moment before the Nine Heavens Sword returned to Chu Xianyue's hand. He said, "The evil has been slain. Let's go back."
Xie Wen was still blindfolded by Chu Xianyue. She murmured, "But, is Jin Huaran really dead?"
Chu Xianyue: "He's dead. I saw it with my own eyes. He was pierced through the heart by ten thousand swords, and his body was suppressed by thousands of magical artifacts on the border of the Canglan River. Even if he were to transform into an evil creature, he wouldn't be able to escape."
Xie Wen leaned against Chu Xianyue's chest, lingeringly inhaling his scent, which made her feel a little better.
During the time Chu Xianyue brought her back to the bamboo house, Chu Xianyue kept her eyes covered, saying that she had been affected by evil spirits, was frightened, and had developed a phobia of the bamboo forest.
He scooped her up in his arms, and Xie Wen finally calmed down, obediently letting Chu Xianyue hold her. The journey was smooth and uneventful in his embrace. Xie Wen only opened her eyes when Chu Xianyue removed his hand from her eyes. Before her was a warm room with the faint flickering candlelight.
Chu Xianyue placed her on the bed, and sat by the bedside, covering her with the blanket. "Sleep, I'll be right next to you."
Xie Wen opened his eyes and saw Chu Xianyue looking down at him. Suddenly, drowsiness washed over him like a tidal wave. Xie Wen grabbed his hand and said, "You should sleep too."
"Yes. I'll never leave again."
As she spoke, she sensed someone slip into the bed, and she fell into that embrace again, a safe and secure embrace.
Chu Xianyue held the person in his arms tightly, his eyes wide open in the darkness, staring into the void. He had only thought about speeding up the process that night, to finish her new clothes quickly; she would be happy. But when he sensed something was wrong and went out to look for her, he saw her as if she had encountered something terrifying.
But that's not right. Everything he said was true; Jin Huaran was indeed dead.
But how can Xie Wen's various abnormalities be explained?
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