Breakup
Instead of walking back to the Demon Palace, Cang Jingye took out a folding fan and unfolded it to use as a vehicle.
How come Cang Jingye also has Cang Jingqi's folding fan? Could it be that he bought it wholesale? Han Jiang showed a hint of surprise.
"What are you looking at? This is a fake. The real Cang Jingqi wouldn't let me use it," Cang Jingye said.
Han Jiang remembered that Cang Jingqi had indeed mentioned having many identical folding fans. So, the siblings had reconciled? Cang Jingqi not only told Cang Jingxing about his burial place but also gave Cang Jingye a fan.
As they approached the Demon Palace, Cang Jingye couldn't help but say, "Actually, I was an inside man."
"Huh?" Han Jiang could never keep up with Cang Jingye's train of thought; this woman spoke on a whim.
Cang Jingye continued, "Cang Jingqi gave me a lot of benefits and asked me to persuade you. He's quite pitiful; everyone around him has distanced themselves from him, leaving only you and Hantian. Now you don't want him anymore either."
"But don't you hate him? You even told me not to follow him."
“I can’t explain it. On one hand, I hate him for not saving Ah Xing and for killing Ah Jue, but on the other hand, I feel that his pain is no less than mine. For so many years, I have never let go, but has he let go? I am unwilling to acknowledge his pain, so that I can vent my pain on him.”
As the elder brother, he had to shoulder more responsibility. This was what the Demon Lord told him.
The fan is truly a wonderful weapon; it can not only kill but also conceal one's face. Cang Jingqi possesses spiritual perception, allowing him to see people without using his eyes. Therefore, the fan is one-way for him, preventing outsiders from seeing him clearly.
None of the siblings were spared from the pain.
"Han Xiaoman, is that what you call him? I always hear Cang Jingqi call you that," Cang Jingye said. "Although I benefited from this, I won't actually advise you on anything. I'm just responsible for completing the story about him, and then you can decide the outcome."
The decision on when the cold weather arrives cannot be made by the system itself.
"Will the next Demon Lord definitely be the Second Prince?" Han Jiang asked.
"Probably, but actually, it's possible that Cang Jingqi might try. But I guess Cang Jingqi has some lingering fear of the Demon Lord's position, so he won't actually fight for it. Why are you asking this? You don't actually want to marry the Demon Lord, do you? I thought you were joking."
Cang Jingye really hit the nail on the head. Han Jiang was considering whether to try and persuade Cang Jingqi. But how should he start? Could he just say, "Cang Jingqi, go become the Demon Lord, just for my sake"? That would be too bizarre!
"Do you like Cang Jingqi?" Cang Jingye asked.
Han Jiang shook her head; she didn't know how to answer the question. She should like him, right? But when did she start liking him, and why? Han Jiang couldn't answer any of these questions.
"You don't like him?" Cang Jingye asked again.
Han Jiang still shook his head.
Cang Jingye: "You're confusing me. Do you like me or not? You two are such a hassle! You're both so confused, not understanding your own feelings, and yet you're heartbroken. I should have just stayed out of it like Cang Jingmo."
"He didn't know either? Then why did he say he liked me 100%? He was just lying to me..." Han Jiang muttered to himself.
"Whatever you say! Anyway, I've already gotten what I wanted." Cang Jingye lowered his folding fan. "It's actually a one-time use item. Cang Jingqi really is reluctant to give away anything good!"
The folding fan vanished upon landing.
She safely escorted Han Jiang back to her room: "The Heavy Snow Festival is coming soon. The demon people will start preparing from mid-February. The demon realm will be very lively then, even more so than during the Lunar New Year, and it will last all month of March. Have fun! If you don't have anyone to play with, you can come to me."
The Heavy Snow Festival is a festival spontaneously held by the people to commemorate the previous Demon Lord.
Inviting Cang Jingmo out is a good opportunity to increase your favorability.
Han Jiang wasn't avoiding the topic of Cang Jingqi, but each time she thought of him, she couldn't help but feel sad. She really didn't want to cause herself more pain, so she simply avoided it. But Cang Jingqi's actions that night inevitably brought him back to Han Jiang's mind.
It won't be long before we see Cang Jingqi again after the Cold Descent mission is completed.
Everything will be forgotten, like a dream.
Cang Jingmo was still in his study, working diligently.
Hanjiang suggested going to the Snow Festival together, and Cang Jingmo surprisingly agreed immediately. She thought Cang Jingmo was difficult to talk to.
“Before the Snow Festival, the princes of the Demon Palace will be going to inspect the common people in case of any special circumstances during the Snow Festival. You should go with them,” Cang Jingmo said.
Once the matter was agreed upon, Han Jiang quickly left the study.
She had almost reached her limit by forcing herself to be in the same room with Cang Jingmo a few days ago. She was still not used to being with the opposite sex. It was the same with Cang Jingqi at first. She would feel uncomfortable if she got close to him. When did she stop feeling averse to Cang Jingqi's contact?
Hanjiang deliberately chose lunchtime to find Cang Jingmo, so that he could avoid Cang Jingqi.
She was still avoiding Cang Jingqi. While Cang Jingye's additional information did give Han Jiang a new understanding of Cang Jingqi, it didn't give the system a new understanding; the Demon Lord was still Cang Jingmo.
Just as Cang Jingye said, starting in mid-February, the entire Demon Realm began to get busy.
There were no decorations in the Demon Palace during the New Year or other holidays, but it was decorated for the Snow Festival. The flowers in the corridors were all replaced with new ones, and the palace servants were busy cleaning. If you didn't know, you would think it was New Year's Day again.
Cang Jingmo sent someone to inform Han Jiang of the patrol date, and told Han Jiang to go out with Cang Jingye first, and that he would arrive later.
Han Jiang brought the money Han Tian had given her, thinking that she shouldn't let Cang Jingmo pay for their outing. She recalled the scenes of the male and female leads traveling together in period dramas, strolling through night markets, buying jewelry, and making wishes, and Han Jiang planned to try them all with Cang Jingmo.
She felt a little uneasy and kept looking around to see when Cang Jingmo would arrive.
"You look very nervous. Han Xiaoman, are you going to pursue Second Brother?" Cang Jingye turned his head to look at Han Jiang.
"Hmm..." Han Jiang nodded somewhat guiltily. Her whole body was tense, and her shoulders shrugged slightly.
Cang Jingye: "You've got some skills, aren't you? Making a fool of my two older brothers?"
"No, that's not it..." Han Jiang wanted to explain, but didn't know how.
"Last time I asked you if you liked Cang Jingqi, you couldn't answer. So, do you like Cang Jingmo?"
She was even less able to answer this question about the cold weather. She couldn't just say directly that she didn't like him; after all, what's the point of pursuing someone if you don't like them?
"Could it be for my sake? Anyway, she's my sister-in-law," Cang Jingye teased.
"You can interpret it that way if you want." Han Jiang laughed in exasperation. Cang Jingye had no self-control and said whatever came to mind. To be honest, she suddenly relaxed.
Cang Jingye burst into laughter and rubbed Han Jiang's face: "Wait here for a moment, I'll go see if Second Brother has arrived yet."
Han Jiang stood guard at the bridgehead, while the demons coming and going busily made no one notice her standing still.
As if by prior arrangement, Cang Jingqi approached Cang Jingye almost stepping on his heels as he left.
But Han Jiang felt that Cang Jingqi was approaching her in sync with her heartbeat. Why did her heart beat faster the closer he got? She felt like a heartless woman who was meeting someone else behind her boyfriend's back.
She had no choice but to turn her back and pretend she didn't know him.
"Han Xiaoman, don't you like me anymore?" Cang Jingqi's voice came from behind without any surprise.
"You've fallen for Cang Jingmo?" Cang Jingqi continued to ask. "Or is it because Cang Jingmo will become the future Demon Lord that you want to be with him?"
Stop guessing! Cold weather is about to break.
She did waver on whether to tell Cang Jingqi, but after much deliberation, she realized that she still didn't trust him.
Perhaps because Cang Jingqi is a character in the book, and comes from a different place, they are not from the same world, have different worldviews, and different ways of understanding, so she is afraid that things will get worse.
But things went awry from the moment she stopped seeing Cang Jingqi, and her heart was in turmoil as well.
"Han Xiaoman, aren't we on the same side?"
They are in cahoots, accomplices who knowingly withheld information, and allies who stood by and watched.
"Cang Jingqi, can I tell you?" Han Jiang turned around and questioned Cang Jingqi, while also questioning herself inwardly: Should she really tell Cang Jingqi? Would telling him really solve the problem?
Cang Jingqi didn't answer immediately, but just stared at Han Jiang. They hadn't seen each other for many days, yet her eyes remained bright.
"I don't like Cang Jingmo." Han Jiang was going all out; things couldn't get any worse. "I made a deal with a being that's like a god."
This explanation should be easier to understand.
“God…” Cang Jingmo murmured softly.
"As long as I can make the future Demon Lord fall in love with me, he will send me back to my original world." Han Jiang didn't mention Wen Xu's resurrection, because that would be too complicated.
"You're not joking about marrying the Demon Lord, are you?" Cang Jing retorted.
She made a casual remark, but both Cang Jingqi and Cang Jingye remembered it.
"Hmm... I was thinking that if we like each other, we'll eventually get married..."
The "cold season" comment was just a half-joking remark.
"So when you said you liked me and wanted to be with me, was it because you thought I was the future Demon Lord?"
"In a sense, yes." Han Jiang felt that this answer was fine, and that he was just telling the truth.
The memories of that night were torn apart, revealing a different answer than before.
For a moment, Cang Jingqi forgot to breathe. A feeling of suffocation spread through his entire body, his brain stiffened, and he even had difficulty turning his head.
Han Xiaoman, that's not what you said before. You said... you said...
You said you like me.
You meant, "You like me too, okay?"
"You don't actually like me either?" Cang Jingqi didn't know how he could still ask questions, even though he was having difficulty breathing.
"I can't say I don't like it... Actually, I don't understand what liking is..." Han lowered her head.
"In Jingzhou, what angered you wasn't that I kept it from you, but that I didn't tell you that Amo was still alive, which caused you to mistake the person?" Cang Jingqi sought confirmation of all the previous questions, knowing full well that the answers would cause him pain, yet still begging Han Jiang to give him a resolution.
What if it is? What if it isn't?
"Half and half..." Han Jiang, adhering to the principle of leniency for honesty and severity for resistance, decided to answer honestly.
That's enough, that's enough. Cang Jingqi didn't want to ask any more questions.
A moment of silence followed, until the demons' shouts pierced through the gap between them, their penetrating voices seeming to pierce something.
The air came alive again, and Han Jiang could hear Cang Jingqi's breathing.
"I'm sorry." Han Jiang kept rubbing her hands together, until they were red but still icy cold.
The weather was still warm in February, and she wore a thin cloak to look good.
"I'm the one who should apologize," Cang Jingqi said. "I'm the one who kept you from going home."
After saying that, he was finally able to move.
His steps were heavy, but Cang Jingqi tried his best to keep moving forward.
Before Han Jiang could react, Cang Jingqi walked past her and said, "Amo will be here soon, I'm leaving now."
What does this mean? Han Jiang was stunned. She called out to Cang Jingqi before he stepped onto the bridge, "Cang Jingqi, are you... angry?"
Asking a question one already knows the answer to. Hanjiang felt she must be crazy to ask such a question.
What else can be said? She lied to Cang Jingqi.
"No." Cang Jingqi's tone was calm, but he didn't stop walking.
"Cang Jingqi!" Han Jiang shouted anxiously, disregarding the others around them, "Aren't we on the same side?"
Cang Jingqi stopped in his tracks.
He quickly walked forward again: "We're not a group anymore."
"How could you be like this!" Han Jiang repeated angrily, "How could you be like this!"
She called out to Cang Jingqi's retreating figure twice, then lowered her voice the third time.
"How could you be like this..." She chewed on the words, swallowing them down along with all her grievances, and no one would notice her sadness.
Even Cang Jingqi wouldn't notice.
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