MOF Chapter 96
by Volare“A Si, don’t say such things.” Wen Rumeng knew Nie Xiangsi’s melancholy and spoke earnestly, “If my father doesn’t agree to us, I won’t go back for a single day. In short, I will never let you down. However, I don’t earn much money from calligraphy and paintings, so buying jewelry will have to wait.”
The promise softened and sweetened Nie Xiangsi’s heart. She feigned a cold snort and said coquettishly, “I’m hungry, I want to eat winter pear cakes.”
“A Si, look at this?” Wen Rumeng magically produced a wrapped package of winter pear cakes from her sleeve, smiling and handing it to her. “I prepared it long ago.”
The two leaned on each other and walked into the house, isolated from the bleak and cold night outside.
The days of celebrating the New Year were getting closer and closer. Nie Xiangsi went out to buy some lanterns and paper cuttings to add some festive cheer to her home.
It was lightly snowing outside, and she opened her umbrella and stepped into the snow. In the vast expanse of white, a touch of elegant purple swayed like a lotus.
After Nie Xiangsi finished shopping, she noticed a hint of threat as she left the store. She lightly furrowed her brow, discreetly glanced behind her, and quickened her pace.
A dangerous and familiar aura pressed up from behind. Nie Xiangsi gripped the umbrella handle tightly, and snowflakes rolled off the umbrella.
Her shoulders trembled slightly, and she forced herself to speak, suppressing her fear, “I have severed ties with the Autumn Water Hall. From now on, there will be no more connections, and I will never reveal half a word to the outside world.”
The person behind her said in a low voice, “The Grand Hall Master wants to see you. If you dare to make a noise, you will bear the consequences.”
These words made Nie Xiangsi want to laugh inappropriately. Even if she obeyed, wouldn’t there be consequences? She was afraid that both options would only lead to her death.
Nie Xiangsi stiffened her neck and slowly walked into an alley. She slowly turned around and saw clearly that the person who came was an unfamiliar, tall man. If he was just physically strong on the surface, she might have a chance to escape. But on the black token at the man’s waist, the three words “Autumn Water Hall” shone brightly.
The difference in strength was too great; she couldn’t escape this calamity.
Nie Xiangsi retreated step by step until she hit the cold, hard wall. She looked at the tall man in front of her, and despair slowly surfaced in her eyes.
“Please, let me go…”
The man was unmoved, but turned to the side, making way for a path, and said respectfully, “Grand Hall Master.”
A middle-aged man walked out step by step from behind the tall man.
Compared to the tall man, he was shorter, but his aura was several times stronger. A brocade robe of excellent material showed his prominent family background, noble and unattainable.
Especially his hands, placed in front of him, almost every finger was wearing a gemstone ring.
The fear on Nie Xiangsi’s face was replaced by a few moments of shock. She had seen this person before.
Wen Rumeng’s father, Wen Qingliu.
“Uncle Wen, you…” Nie Xiangsi, remembering the tall man’s identity, turned as pale as frost, “You are… the Grand Hall Master?”
“You betrayed the Autumn Water Hall. I originally intended to be lenient and spare your life.” Wen Qingliu stared at her coldly, his wolf-like eyes revealing a fierce killing intent, “However, it seems that I have no choice but to get rid of you now.”
He raised his hand and beckoned to the tall man twice, who immediately understood, stepped forward two steps, and revealed a dagger from his sleeve.
The tears that had been hanging in Nie Xiangsi’s eyes froze. Her expression stagnated. Just as she was about to close her eyes in resignation, her hand loosened, and the umbrella fell forward. In that instant, a cloud of fragrance wafted towards the two of them.
“Don’t disappoint me.” Wen Qingliu turned the ring on his thumb, his tone seemingly indifferent, but releasing a wave of pressure.
The tall man lowered his head and said “Understood.” The second he turned around to chase Nie Xiangsi, he took out a pill that would dissolve the fragrance from his sleeve and swallowed it.
Nie Xiangsi jumped over walls and doors, shuttling through the alleys, trying to shake off the tall man behind her. Although her heart was a mess, she managed to take out a spirit talisman she carried with her, her movements were still nimble.
Perhaps knowing that this day would come, she had never taken off the talisman.
The handsome face of that young man appeared in her mind, along with the serious expression he had when making his promise. A glimmer of hope was buried in her heart.
After reciting the incantation on the talisman word by word, Nie Xiangsi continued to flee, praying in her heart for the Immortal Lord to save her life. She turned out of the alley and hid in the crowd.
The moment the incantation worked, a black sword responded from the distant depths of the water. The vibration of the sword body stirred up thousands of waves, breaking out of the water from the bottom of the river, and then flew towards the distress signal thousands of miles away.
Who knew that halfway there, it was interrupted by an invisible force. The sword became dizzy and turned around, leaving a circle of afterimages in the air, disappearing somewhere, not knowing when it would appear again.
Nie Xiangsi used the terrain of the streets and alleys to delay the tall man. She dared not go home until it was getting dark, fearing that she would run into Wen Rumeng.
Although she knew that Wen Qingliu would not harm his own daughter, she did not dare to gamble with Wen Rumeng’s life, remembering the dirty deeds within the Autumn Water Hall.
The tall man behind her did not seem to be chasing with all his might, but was following her like a cat playing with a mouse. Every time Nie Xiangsi thought she had successfully escaped, he would appear at the next alley entrance.
It wasn’t until Nie Xiangsi was completely exhausted and her chest was filled with bone-piercing pain that she had to stop, leaning against the wall. As soon as she tried to catch her breath, her chest and abdomen burned like fire.
Immortal Lord, save me…
Nie Xiangsi looked around blankly, but did not wait for the white-robed Immortal Lord. She only waited for a wind full of hidden killing intent to approach.
“Don’t make futile struggles.”
After chasing for so long, the tall man’s breathing was not disturbed at all. Although he was expressionless, Nie Xiangsi saw a hint of composure in him.
The cold, silver dagger first touched her fragile neck, and then slowly slid from her arm to her wrist.
Nie Xiangsi was full of vigilance, not daring to breathe, only staring at the tip of the knife.
The tall man ruthlessly tore her sleeve, found the Autumn Water Hall pattern hidden under her sleeve, and coldly spat out a sentence, “People from the Autumn Water Hall must die without a trace.”
Realizing what he wanted to do, Nie Xiangsi struggled with all her might, but the tall man’s hand was like iron and steel, firmly welded together with hers, motionless.
Her painful screams were drowned out in the man’s palm. The dagger sank into her flesh, and the man took the opportunity to cut off the complete pattern and threw it on the ground.
Nie Xiangsi’s lips and face were completely white. Her body was as cold as ice, her heart as cold as snow. When she trembled and looked at the man, her eyes unconsciously carried a bit of pleading.
The tall man stared at her watery eyes and suddenly retracted the dagger.
Nie Xiangsi’s heart first loosened and then tightened. Seeing the man taking a step back, she suddenly and quickly struck his chest with her palm.
This palm was merciless, directly severing her heart meridian, but it connected her severed past memories.
Yong City, Ghost City, Yuquan Town, Mother, Xie Ci, Autumn Water Hall.
She remembered everything.
When the memories sealed in her mind woke up, it was like a spark igniting all the fireworks. The moment it exploded, her head ached like it was splitting.
She couldn’t bear such severe pain, but it was easily suppressed by the pain of the severed meridians.
Nie Xiangsi spat out blood, and her body was slammed against the hard wall by the force of the palm. A bloody hole immediately appeared on the back of her head.
She was breathing weakly, glaring at the tall man standing not far away. Her slightly undulating chest showed that she still had a trace of breath.
Her face was originally beautiful and charming, but at the moment she regained her memory, a bit of heroic spirit was added to her ink-washed willow-leaf eyebrows.
“…A… A Ci…”
She thought: So that young man was A Ci. He has grown taller than her.
Fortunately, they had met once in this life.
The tall man looked down at the dying woman by the wall, watching her gradually turn pale.
However, in the next moment, the corners of the woman’s mouth curved into a relieved arc, as if she had fulfilled a long-cherished wish.
Darkness blurred her vision, and two white figures appeared far away on the other side.
Nie Xiangsi’s body lightened, like a cloud, and floated over.
The two figures seemed to sense her arrival and suddenly turned their heads together.
“A Qing.”
“Sister.”
“Let’s go together.”
*
On a deserted road in Ghost City, a young man was worrying about a mother and daughter.
Just a moment ago, the mother of this mother and daughter was still breathing, begging him to save her twelve-year-old daughter.
But the young man was only fifteen years old. He barely made a living with the three-legged cat skills he had learned. How could he raise a child?
The mother’s body gradually became cold. She was probably terminally ill, her face was sallow, she was lying on the ground, with a thin girljiá under her arm.
This young man’s name was Yan Zhan. After his mother passed away many years ago, he had been making a living alone in the world.
He had a nameless sword left by his father. Although he had never met his father, his mother said that he was a swordsman whose lifelong wish was to join the Immortal Sect and seek immortality.
However, after marrying his mother, he felt that he had to take on the responsibility of being the head of the family, so he gave up joining the Immortal Sect and taught people to practice swords for a living.
Later, he died in a fight with someone.
Every time his mother said this, she would touch the sword and tell him, “A Zhan, you can’t fight with people in the future, like your father, losing your life. Mother only wishes you joy, happiness, and a peaceful life.”
So when carving the sword’s name, Yan Zhan named it “Le Sheng” (Happy Life). But he had not experienced many happy times in his life.
“Alas.” Yan Zhan sighed. His face, still with a hint of childishness, was full of helplessness. “Don’t look at me like that. Could it be that many years later, you will come to me for revenge because I didn’t save you now?”
On the girl’s thin face, a pair of bright black eyes looked particularly large. She looked at Yan Zhan ignorantly and crawled out from under the cold corpse.
“Brother.”
“Don’t call me that!” Yan Zhan was startled, and goosebumps rose all over his body. He rubbed his arms, his face uneasy, “I don’t have a sister as big as you. When my mother left, she didn’t leave me anything.”
The girl listened, froze for a few seconds, then lowered her head and rummaged through her body, finally finding a small silver bracelet.
“Here.”
Yan Zhan’s eyes widened: “I didn’t say I wanted your things!”
“Brother.”
Yan Zhan turned his head away: “I told you not to call me that.”
The two were in a stalemate. In the end, Yan Zhan was the first to give in.
“Alright, alright, if you want to follow me, just follow me. Just don’t cry when you’re hungry.”
The girl stood up, shorter than most people her age. Although she was only three years younger than the boy, she was more than half a head shorter.
Yan Zhan looked her up and down, raised his hand and compared it to his chest: “Why are you so short? What’s your name?”
The girl licked her chapped lips: “Wei Luo.”
“My name is Yan Zhan.” He handed the sword to Wei Luo, “Take it. I’ll dig a hole and bury your mother.”
The moment the yellow earth covered her face, Yan Zhan heard Wei Luo’s low sobbing behind him.
“Let’s go.” Yan Zhan took the sword and patted Wei Luo’s shoulder. As a result, this palm almost knocked her flying.
“Why are you so weak?” Yan Zhan looked at his hand incredulously and then looked at her.
Wei Luo pursed her lips and showed a very shallow smile: “It’s okay, Brother Yan Zhan.”
After saying goodbye to Wei Luo’s mother, the two walked forward aimlessly.
“Where are you from?”
“From… Yong City.”
“That’s quite far. Where’s your father?”
“Mother said we can’t tell anyone.”
“Oh, actually, I didn’t really want to know.”
“…”