Chapter 91 All the scandals are my fault; I'm the one who corrupted you.
His hands were well-proportioned with long, slender fingers, and when tucked into his sleeves, they resembled a piece of jade that had become increasingly warm and lustrous with the passage of time.
However, these are still hands that hold throwing knives.
His fingertips and the calluses on the outside of his palms were as rough as tree bark, and they quickly rubbed her skin red.
The snow-white skin beneath her clothes trembled with goosebumps at the sight of the cold sweat on his palms.
Niannian's waist went limp, and she nestled against his chest like a cat, clinging to his shoulders, complaining wetly, "Uncle, you pinched me so hard."
Hot, moist breath was exhaled into his ear, flooding his narrow ear canal like a tidal wave, pounding against his eardrums and completely engulfing him.
The soft touch of his fingertips, combined with the warmth of the girl's body, felt like red-hot iron branding his palm.
He stared with trembling eyes at the indecent and filthy scene before him, as if he were watching helplessly as he dragged an unbloomed flower into an abyss.
Her tender, youthful face pressed against his bare chest, every scar on her face a fleeting image of the past—the way she affectionately called him "Daddy," the way he repeatedly said he would treat her like his own daughter, the way he declared at Xingyun Manor that she was his daughter, the way those chivalrous figures in the martial arts world viewed them as "father and daughter"...
He had upheld morality for half his life, and looking back at the sins before him, he etched the words "worse than a beast" into Li Xunhuan's heart.
"cannot......."
He strained so hard he trembled, desperately trying to reclaim his body and put an end to all his sins and mistakes.
The muscles on the radial and ulnar sides of Li Xunhuan's forearm were taut and bulging, his knuckles were bent like knives, and the veins on the back of his hand were trembling and crawling under a thin layer of skin.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move an inch.
Feeling his palms were damp as if flooded, Nian Nian pulled his hand to the bedding for a closer look, her voice trailing off as she complained, "Uncle, your sweat has soaked a big patch of my shirt. It's cold and sticky, and it makes me so uncomfortable..."
Those already taut hands began to tremble instantly.
Niannian suddenly took his hand in her hands, stuck out her tongue, and licked away the trembling cold sweat like a kitten.
Her pink tongue lightly touched his fair skin, covering his winding veins with layers of glistening moisture.
Li Xunhuan's pupils contracted sharply, his tendons in his hands convulsed, and he croaked, "No... Nian Nian, don't ruin yourself."
He trembled, and said painfully, "It's all my fault... I'm the one who corrupted you..."
Li Xunhuan's chest heaved violently, a tragic blush rising on his pale face. He trembled as he said, "I seduced you, I defiled you, I'm worse than a beast..."
"It's all my fault, and I'm willing to pay with my life."
Niannian buried her face in his palm and said softly, "What would I do with your life, Uncle? I want you, I want your love."
Li Xunhuan closed his reddened eyes, his breath unsteady, and said, "You're not old enough to understand love. I'm old enough to be your father, and everyone knows you're my daughter. Do you know how shameful this is? You're still young; you may have made a mistake, but it's not too late to turn back... It's all my fault..."
Niannian couldn't help but interrupt him, turning her face away and saying, "You're not my biological father, so what does it matter? I may be young, but I'm old enough to get married..."
Her voice suddenly softened, and she said aggrievedly, "Uncle, didn't you touch it all?"
"I..." Li Xunhuan's mind went blank, and he could only gasp for breath and struggle.
Hearing the violent coughing beside her, Niannian leaned close to his lips and said maliciously, "Father, you've ruined my reputation. If my future husband's family finds out about me and you..."
Li Xunhuan's face flushed red, his breathing became rapid and disordered, and he closed his eyes in pain, saying, "Stop talking!"
Niannian suddenly burst out laughing, her voice even crisper than the copper bell on her wrist.
She bent down to lick his slightly purplish lips, and mumbled, "Uncle..."
Li Xunhuan's breath was thick with the smell of rust, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "If you still consider me an elder, then let me go."
The word "elder" has become a poisonous vine spreading from his back.
It was all like a wild horse running headlong towards a cliff; he could only desperately pull on the reins and bring everything back on track.
Niannian raised her eyes slightly and said slowly, "Uncle, why are you still trying to escape?"
He not only wanted to escape the shackles of the threads, but also refused to confront this distorted and sinful emotion.
All he could do was run away.
For the first time, Niannian glimpsed his shadow through the blurry flesh, and a subtle light flickered in her eyes. "You have become my puppet, and you can no longer escape. Only by falling in love with me can you leave this courtyard."
Li Xunhuan's face was ashen, and he said in a hoarse voice, "You think that by trapping me here, I will fall in love with you?"
Niannian said slowly, "Of course I won't just do 'trapped you here'."
Her delicate, soft hand slipped inside his clothes, and his waist and abdomen instantly tensed.
Li Xunhuan seemed to faintly hear the echo of his spine breaking. Along with it, morality and ethical principles snapped, and what surged back like waves were pain, guilt, and fear.
"You think taking off your clothes will make a man fall in love with you? If that were the case, I, a womanizer, would probably be overwhelmed with love." Li Xunhuan closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
To bear the stigma of being dissolute in front of this younger generation whom he once regarded as a daughter is tantamount to rubbing salt into his wounds.
But he had to make Niannian give up and completely extinguish this terribly wrong relationship. And all he could do was destroy himself.
"Besides, I prefer mature women and have absolutely no interest in you."
Niannian was still smiling, but her eyes turned cold. "I don't want to use any other methods to make you fall in love with me. You'd better keep these words to yourself."
The translucent white thread was wrapped even tighter, leaving indented white marks on his limbs.
Li Xunhuan, oblivious to the danger, said in a hoarse voice, "You're not old enough to understand love yet. If force could create a relationship, there wouldn't be so many heartbroken people in the world."
He seemed to see that purple figure again in the distance, graceful and elegant, holding an umbrella as she walked into the rainy alley without looking back.
Poetic Sounds —
He has already ruined a love affair; how can he ruin the life of a child who is still innocent?
He had already wronged his elder brother and Shiyin; how could he possibly wrong Niannian as well? Her life, as radiant as a summer flower, hadn't even begun when she was led astray by this scoundrel. What abyss awaited her when she grew up and understood the world? If such a shameful affair were to become known, how could a still innocent child survive amidst the gossip and slander?
He was already a hopeless mess, and if he were to ruin her as well, he would truly deserve to be torn to pieces.
Li Xunhuan said hoarsely, "I already have someone I love, and I will never fall in love with you."
Upon hearing these words, Nian Nian's heart instantly ached.
The pain crept up her bones to her slightly reddened eyes. She grabbed his taut chin and said fiercely, "I'll make you fall in love with me."
Li Xunhuan suddenly smiled and said sadly, "We grew up together, childhood sweethearts, and have had a relationship for decades. How can I fall in love with someone else?"
He had thought he would keep these words to himself for the rest of his life, but he never expected to say them out loud in this situation.
His tongue still tasted bitter; with his eyes open and closed, all he could see was the past. How could one stop missing someone simply because they've given away a piece of their heart?
Loneliness and pain kept him locked in a medicine pot for a full ten years.
If he could fall in love with someone else so easily, how could he have had those ten years?
She murmured to herself, "Childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree..."
She lifted her eyelashes and suddenly laughed, saying crisply, "You say I don't understand love, then I'll come and see your love."
As soon as she finished speaking, the red thread on her wrist wrapped around his wrist like a thin snake, intertwining once before tightening and knotting.
The knot was stuck on her wrist, and the red thread embedded itself into her flesh like a sword blade. Blood gushed out, but instead of falling to the ground, it crawled along the thread to the other end.
Their blood mingled in mid-air, and the red thread, soaked with blood, turned into a thicker vermilion color.
The silk threads that had bound his limbs quietly came off, and Li Xunhuan's body suddenly relaxed. He propped himself up, but before he could stand up, he met those cold, deep cat eyes again.
In the dark, inky water, an eerie green light shone through. Li Xunhuan glanced at it only once, and his limbs felt heavy again. His skin and flesh felt like cotton soaked in water, and his head became dizzy.
He staggered to his seat, collapsing into bed like a puppet as he murmured "Sleep" in increasingly low and slow voices.
The light before him grew dimmer and dimmer. He clenched his fists tightly, and after a moment, he was finally enveloped in darkness.
Nian Nian stared intently at his furrowed brows, chuckled softly, and said leisurely, "It's only a few decades."
......
Thick black fog permeated the area, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face anywhere.
Niannian slowly raised her head, looking around at this corner hidden in Li Xunhuan's heart.
The area has been almost completely eroded by the black mist, and it is cold and damp. Looking down at your feet is like looking into a bottomless black abyss—if you fall in, your flesh and blood will be shattered to pieces.
You can only hear your own breathing in your ears. When this sound echoes, it's as if the ghostly shadow of loneliness and helplessness has already climbed up your back.
So this is what his heart looks like.
She walked forward, shaking a copper bell, seemingly lost in thought.
She broke through the black mist layer by layer and finally reached the deepest part—just a tightly sealed room made of thick blue bricks.
The eaves are upturned, the windows are ornately carved, but the embroidered gate is tightly locked.
It was a copper lock, stained with mottled green rust, but the edges of the lock were sharp and pointed, like the thorns of a soft leaf standing up silently.
This is Li Xunhuan's dream, but the dream's owner is her.
Without a sound, the copper lock fell to the ground and shattered into powder.
"Creak—"
The old, heavy door was finally pushed open.
The voice pierced Li Xunhuan's soul like a sharp knife, and he suddenly turned around.
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