Chapter 108 Don't be blind to me, you still have six hours to live. ...
Xi Rao's smile deepened. He lowered his head and said casually, "According to ancient custom, the one testing the blade only uses seventy percent of their strength. In that case, why don't I invite my junior sister to test the blade with me?"
Without asking how the Blood-Drinking Blade became a pair of twin blades, Nian Nian simply picked up the female blade and whispered, "I'm afraid Senior Brother will have to use all his strength to barely reveal seventy percent of its sharpness."
He chuckled softly and supported her slender waist from behind.
His broad chest pressed against her shoulder blades, the heat of his blood and the deep scent of sandalwood instantly enveloping her. Nian Nian's eyelashes trembled slightly, her lips parted slightly, but before she could utter a sound, those pale, slender hands gripped her wrists tightly, pressing down slightly.
He bent down, gazing at the snow-white back of her neck, suppressing the itch in his teeth, and slowly said, "Junior Sister, how can you belittle yourself?"
As he spoke, his thin lips brushed against her earlobe almost imperceptibly, his warm breath landing on her earlobe, sending shivers down her spine.
A tingling electric sensation crept up from her neck to her shoulder blades, and in an instant, Nian Nian gripped the knife handle tightly.
The two were extremely close, their green robes blending together like the green shade of a tree, even their hair tangling in the cold wind. As Xi Rao whispered in his ear, Li Xunhuan felt as if he were about to take that jade-like earlobe into his lips and lick it tenderly.
Li Xunhuan stared intently at her flushed earlobe, a sharp emotion piercing his heart like a dagger. The intense pain, accompanied by increasingly rapid breaths, made him bite his tongue so hard that his finger bones felt like they were about to pierce his flesh.
He knew better than anyone how sensitive Niannian's earlobes were; every time his intermittent breath brushed against her, her body would tremble.
Li Xunhuan had never imagined what it would be like to see Nian Nian trembling and collapsing into someone else's arms. But everything before him seemed to be forcing him to imagine it—to imagine her limp in someone else's arms, clinging to his shoulders, their lips and tongues entwined...
A sudden tightness gripped his heart, and Li Xunhuan crushed the teacup. A mere blurry image in his mind was enough to make his eyes redden, his breath catch in his throat, and his heart clench with pain. His entire body resisted the urge to continue thinking about it.
Li Xunhuan then realized that he couldn't do it.
He couldn't bear to see Niannian with someone else.
He couldn't bear to see her so intimate with someone else. Just thinking about it for a moment made him breathless, and the sharp echo in his ears almost pierced his eardrums.
The porcelain shards embedded themselves in his palm, and he tried to use the pain to force himself to ignore the buzzing in his ears.
However, it ultimately proved ineffective.
The blade's energy shook off the frost and snow from the plum branches, but he was completely unaware.
Merlin had no idea how he was cut in half at the waist.
All he knew was that the eyes that had always looked at him with such intensity would no longer linger on him.
Unlike his chaotic thoughts, the eyes of the martial arts practitioners gleamed with fervor, their faces flushed as they praised, "Truly a Twin-Winged Sword! Master Xi, what superb swordsmanship!"
"Master Xi's willingness to part with such a precious weapon truly shows his deep love for swords; we are deeply impressed!"
The man who was always good at flattery sighed and said, "I am willing to hand over the precious sword to you, my lord. Your kindness is so deep that no one else can match it."
Xi Rao smiled faintly: "You flatter me. My junior sister Lingxing and I have grown up together since childhood, so our friendship is naturally quite deep. Since we are named Bi Yi, even if my beloved is not skilled with a sword, I will never share it with anyone else."
He paused, then said meaningfully, "Though I am unknown, I am not the kind of person who changes allegiances. What I despise most in my life are those who already have someone they love, yet still shamelessly..."
He stopped speaking deeply and only gave a sarcastic smile.
Those present assumed the young man was simply in love and that his expression was deep.
Faced with the prospect of personal gain, many cunning old foxes were not angered even when he exposed their secrets; instead, they smiled and praised him for his youthful talent and unwavering loyalty.
Only Li Xunhuan chewed his lower lip tightly, his fingers tightening their grip, crushing the broken porcelain into powder and pressing it into his blood-soaked palm, but it was still nothing compared to the bitter pain in his heart.
What pierced his heart even more than those words were the eyes that had once reddened for him. He had no face to argue; he had let Nian Nian down.
But this unfaithful man had already changed his mind. Li Xunhuan smiled self-deprecatingly, knowing that he could never again be a chivalrous hero praised by the world and renowned for his unparalleled righteousness.
Even though Xi Rao pointed his finger at him and made sarcastic remarks, he still wanted to be seen by others as a shameless beast and a fickle, faithless man.
He didn't want any of it. He clutched tightly the things he couldn't bear to part with, but he hadn't yet found anything more precious to put in his palm.
Niannian is right, he has always been a despicable person. He just couldn't bring himself to be a coward.
He needs to be reminded, just as a withered tree needs sunlight and water.
Sheathing his twin swords, Nian Nian turned his back and said obliviously, "Today is my senior brother's birthday, and it is not auspicious to see blood. Since we have already seen the sharpness of the twin swords, it is not too late to reward them tomorrow. My uncles and elders, let's enjoy the Seven Treasures Feast first."
Everyone was naturally eager to try, and each picked up their chopsticks with their own thoughts. Fragrant wine, eight-treasure stew, shark fin and bear paw... none of it could satisfy their desires. They gnawed at the meat and sucked the marrow with burning eyes, their chests burning, their mouths glistening with oil, almost wanting to swallow it whole, bones and all.
Seeing them enjoying their meal, a secret smile finally appeared on Nian Nian's lips.
With a light tap of his cold fingertips on the tip of her nose, Xi Rao drawled, "Are you happy now?"
Good ice.
Niannian wrinkled her nose slightly, turned her head and said, "There are so few people here, what's there to be happy about?"
As she moved, the wooden hairpin, which was slanted into her hair bun, swayed and fell off, and the intricately carved plum blossoms sank into the snow, splashing up snowflakes.
She was startled and instinctively bent down.
Xi Rao covered her hand, "These old things should have been replaced long ago."
As she spoke, she reached into her sleeve, took out a gold hairpin, and smiled as she put it in her hair. "Is Lingxing happier now?"
While everyone was enjoying their drinks and food, their eyes never left the two of them. Their hair was tied with gold hairpins, adorned with butterfly and flower patterns. This innocent-looking young girl was likely to become the future mistress of the manor.
Although he was a bit young, Xi Rao was just over twenty years old.
Those eager to flatter and curry favor quickly put down their wine cups: "Master Xi is young and promising, and Miss Lingxing is an exceptional beauty. They are a match made in heaven, and I am so envious!"
"Although he is still young, why not arrange the marriage first!"
The man laughed three times, raised his wine glass, and said loudly, "Good, let us also have a drink of celebratory wine!"
Upon hearing this, Li Xunhuan's pupils contracted sharply, his gaze abruptly shifting from the plum blossom hairpin to his head, whereupon he stared intently at Nian Nian.
His heart tightened instantly, causing his chest to heave.
Xi Rao stepped forward unhurriedly, shielding her behind him. His narrow, venomous eyes met Li Xunhuan's, and he said, word by word, "It's only a matter of time. At that time, we will definitely hold a banquet and invite you all to witness this auspicious union."
He stepped on the plum blossom hairpin with his long boots, and with a smile, he rotated his ankle, crushing and grinding it.
"Good! Since ancient times, good men have always settled down and started families before building their careers!"
"I'll be waiting for Master Xi's wedding feast!"
"The beginning of the year is an auspicious time, I think it would be better to..."
......
Li Xunhuan couldn't see Niannian's expression, but all he could hear were flattering words.
"Getting married," "wedding banquet," "auspicious day"—each word pierced my heart like shards of broken porcelain.
He breathed heavily, unable to stop himself from recalling the scene of his wedding in his dream.
As the blessings piled up in his ears, the image of him gradually blurred into Xi Rao's appearance. And she—
She smiled, her eyes crinkling as if in a dream, and tilted her head back to kiss 'him' with sweet delight, mumbling "senior brother" in her mouth. She would, just like in her dream, take off her wedding dress, her mouth full of spring water, and press herself tightly against 'him' from behind, giving herself to another person without reservation.
Can't.
The sharp pain in his chest made it hard for him to breathe. He felt like a headless fly, suffocated in the cramped underground space, his spine trembling amidst the buzzing roar.
She cannot smile sweetly at others, cannot take off her clothes to kiss others' lips, cannot... cannot love others.
He couldn't accept that Nian Nian would marry someone else and lie beneath another man, pleasing him. Just thinking about that scene made him completely lose his mind. An indescribable anxiety, impulse, jealousy, and fear pounded wildly in his chest, as if trying to break free of the shackles of bone and flesh, like a wild beast breaking free of its cage.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stumbled out, completely losing the composure of his senior.
Tie Chuanjia frowned, and was about to follow when Li Xunhuan's shout forced him to stop in his tracks.
Filled with worry, his eyes glazed over the blood-soaked ground, he murmured, his gaze dim, "Young Master, why did you do this..."
Since it is a birthday banquet, the host naturally cannot abstain from alcohol or food.
After several rounds of drinks, Nian Nian threw down her wine cup and prepared to leave the table.
Xi Rao grabbed her sleeve from behind, narrowed his eyes, and said in a drawn-out tone, "How heartless! Why don't you even keep your senior brother company?"
Niannian gripped his well-proportioned fingers, "Senior brother isn't a child, why do you need me to accompany you?"
After she finished speaking, without waiting for his reply, she stepped into the depths of the plum grove along the path she had come from.
The dark blue figure walked further and further away until it disappeared into the courtyard gate, at which point he lowered his eyes with a deep look in them.
......
Corner of the courtyard.
Li Xunhuan's previously lifeless eyes finally came alive, "Niannian..."
The voice was hoarse and weary, carrying a faint tremor and a hint of bitterness. Within those two short words lay an immeasurable weight of sorrow and regret, compelling anyone who heard it to pause and listen.
However, the owner of the green skirt walked as usual, without turning her head.
Li Xunhuan clenched his fists, his body trembling as he frantically chased after him, his face deathly pale, and said, "Niannian, don't marry him."
His breath trembled, fearing that if he missed this opportunity, he would never have another chance to speak. "I know I'm too old, and I'm really not good enough for you. But..."
His throat was hoarse, and he didn't know how to continue. He could only take a deep breath, gaze at her through the misty eyes, and say in a pleading tone, "I know that if it weren't for the love potion, you would never have fallen for me. It's all my fault."
"If you resent, hate, or despise me, you may take my life to pay for it, just don't let me become invisible."
Li Xunhuan didn't even know what he was saying. Before he could finish speaking, hot, salty tears streamed down his face.
These words were utterly despicable and shameless, and completely unreasonable, but he had no other choice.
Upon hearing this, Niannian finally stopped and turned around to look at him coldly, her eyes unwavering, as if she were observing the suffering of a stranger with indifference.
Those dark, cat-like eyes could be so cold and piercing.
Li Xunhuan felt an indescribable panic. It was as if a voice in the darkness was telling him that if he did nothing, he would lose something of the most precious thing in the world under that gaze.
His chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. He endured the throbbing pain in his heart and tried to peel back his skin and lay naked before her. "Niannian, I admit I'm a weak, pathetic, and despicable person. I spout moral principles and chivalrous ethics, afraid of being criticized by the world. Twelve years ago, I already got used to being castrated by worldly conventions."
Li Xunhuan was never a carefree and unrestrained wanderer of the martial world. In his youth, he often pondered the meaning of fame and fortune and did not understand why his father and brothers were trapped by fame and fortune. However, he himself was bound by the word "chivalry" for half his life.
He wanted to say: Ever since I first saw you under the plum tree, I have never been able to forget your eyes.
However, the truth is that from the moment she suddenly opened her eyes in that swaying carriage, her gaze filled with an untamed wildness, he could never forget those eyes.
In stark contrast to him, a person with such eyes will never be disciplined.
"Meeting you made me gradually whole. You gave me back the part that had been cut off. No matter what the world says, I will never again divide my heart to become a flawless hero."
Her wildness, her arrogance, her fiery passion, were like a raging wildfire that finally burned away his hesitation as he looked towards the secular world, burning away all his shackles and chains.
He became an isolated island, except that the waters on all sides blocked all suspicion, and the waters meandered all the way to her.
Li Xunhuan said in a trembling voice, "I no longer want to be a coward. In the remaining decades of my life, I only want to live in your eyes."
If even a kitten is willing to stay, how can an island still be an island?
But would she still be willing?
In the cold, desolate wind, only his own sobs echoed in response, suppressed and painful.
Nian Nian calmly crossed her arms, watching his pain like a detached observer, and after a long while, she smiled and said, "So it was you. You are so affectionate, but unfortunately I have forgotten everything."
She gently rubbed his wrist bone, reminding him with distress, "Today is my senior brother's birthday, it's not auspicious to see blood. You still have six hours to live."
Her dark pupils suddenly shifted, and she smiled, her tone still carrying a hint of innocence: "You'd better hide it well."
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Author's Note: A Call Back
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