NFBE Chapter 247
Chapter 247
Silence returned to the carriage. She had said everything she needed to say; as for what Pei Yundai would do, that was up to her.
She set off for Xuzhou ahead of time, while Pei Yundai departed with the disaster relief supplies.
Nalan Jingwen remained silent, and Liu Qingxu quietly did not disturb her. She simply stared blankly at Nalan Jingwen's profile, which flickered in and out of the light. The carriage moved slowly, and after leaving the city gate, it became a bit bumpy. The curtain was blown open by the wind, and cold air sneaked in through the gap, giving her goosebumps.
With no worries about hunger and cold gone, their tense nerves finally relaxed.
Liu Qingxu was somewhat dazed; had so much time really passed?
Since the massacre of the Liu family, she has faced countless hardships and dangers, never paying attention to the passage of time. As long as she keeps her eyes open, she has never stopped, with only one belief in her heart: to see Nalan Jingwen.
This was her only hope. In truth, she didn't know if Nalan Jingwen would help her, but at that time, she had no other choice.
She made the worst choice. If Nalan Jingwen didn't help her, she wouldn't blame her. No one would want to get involved in this mess, especially since she was just an ordinary commoner.
At worst, she can go back and perish together with those treacherous villains!
Liu Qingxu's eyes were filled with pain. So much time had passed, yet she still couldn't sleep peacefully every night. Whenever she closed her eyes, she would see her mother's desolate and desperate eyes, tightly gripping her hand and urging her to leave quickly.
"I have indeed done many evil things in my life, but I have no regrets. Now that this is my fate, I have no complaints. But you must live on!"
"Have you forgotten what your mother told you?! Go! Don't look back!!"
At that moment, the woman who had always been serious and stern in her memory, who had never smiled at her, shed tears in front of her for the first time. Her eyes were filled with determination as she held a sharp weapon and forced her to leave.
How could she forget? Her mother always said that merchants value profit over parting, so when choosing between profit and feelings, one must choose the former without hesitation.
But that's her mother! She's no stranger!
She didn't want to leave, clinging tightly to her mother's hand. Her vision was already blurred, and her throat was choked, unable to speak. She could only shake her head frantically. She didn't want to leave; she wanted to die with her mother.
Everyone says that merchants are cunning, profit-driven, and blinded by greed. Over the years, everyone knows that the Liu family's business has reached this point because of some shady dealings. But if they were truly innocent, they would have been devoured by those wolves and tigers long ago. How could they have survived until now?!
My mother said she had done many evils in her life, but only I know that no matter how profit-driven she was, she never harmed ordinary people in the slightest.
My mother always reminded me not to lose my true self because of those illusory things, and to learn to be content. That's why she refused Nalan Jingwen's offer to cooperate with her.
She always kept her mother's words in mind and never dared to forget them for a moment.
When she opened her eyes again, she had already been led away by servants.
Liu Qingxu lowered his eyes, concealing the deep sorrow within them, a hint of red remaining at the corners of his eyes. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.
Nalan Jingwen opened her eyes and turned her head to look. Liu Qingxu's clenched fists and bulging veins indicated that she was not at peace with herself.
Nalan Jingwen didn't say anything to comfort her. A thousand words wouldn't be as good as letting her kill her enemy herself and bury her family in peace.
The smoke curled upwards; perhaps too tired, Liu Qingxu had fallen asleep leaning against the carriage. Nalan Jingwen withdrew his gaze, lost in thought.
The carriage was still moving when, without anyone noticing, snow began to fall from the sky, quickly covering the entire hillside in a thick, white blanket. The snow swirled and the cold wind swept across the land, and the accompanying servants began to put on warm clothing. The carriage was having some difficulty moving due to the accumulated snow.
Charcoal fires were lit inside the carriage. Liu Qingxu, who knew no martial arts and therefore no internal energy, shivered from the cold, his face turning pale.
Upon hearing this, Nalan Jing silently circulated his profound energy, and the carriage was no longer cold, and Liu Qingxu's complexion improved considerably.
She pursed her lips, glanced at Nalan Jingwen, and softly thanked him, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Nalan Jingwen's expression didn't change much; he simply nodded and then handed her a cup of hot tea.
Liu Qingxu lowered her eyes to look at the tea in her hands. Fine tea foam floated on the edge, emitting a faint fragrance. Her pale and haggard face was reflected in the cup.
Fingers gripped the cup tightly, trying to draw in the faint warmth.
Since her family was destroyed, many people have avoided her when they see her disheveled appearance, fearing that they might get into trouble. The world is cold and indifferent. She couldn't say anything, only that everyone has their own difficulties or inconveniences. But when Nalan Jing heard these insignificant little actions, she almost burst into tears.
To avoid Nalan Jingwen seeing her disheveled appearance, she kept her head down and remained silent until the carriage suddenly stopped.
Nalan Jingwen frowned slightly, his slender, white fingers paused, and he looked ahead. Soon, a servant's slightly serious voice came from outside the carriage.
"Your Highness, there are people ahead."
"Go around."
Nalan Jing heard a flat voice, but upon closer listening, it carried a hint of coldness.
But the person outside clearly hesitated, "But Your Highness..."
Before the man could finish speaking, a familiar voice rang out, weak yet firm, "Please, Your Highness, take me with you on this journey."
Nalan Jingwen frowned even more deeply. With her pale hand, she lifted the carriage curtain and saw a man in black kneeling in the vast white snow. He was covered in fine snow, and his eyelashes were also covered in snow. He was kneeling there motionless with his eyes downcast, and it was unknown how long he had been kneeling there.
She stared at him intently, then fell silent. Perhaps sensing Nalan Jingwen's gaze, he slowly raised his eyes, gazing at her across the silvery-white snow.
She saw the pleading in his eyes.
Jingchi got up and tried to get closer to her, but because he had been kneeling in the snow for too long, his whole body was stiff and he couldn't even lift his fingers. He gritted his teeth and struggled to get up, but he fell heavily as soon as he took a step. Snowflakes splashed everywhere, and snowflakes fell on him, as if to bury him.
Nalan Jingwen rubbed his fingertips, glanced at Liu Qingxu, who quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, you don't need to worry about me, I'm fine."
She had already caused Nalan Jingwen a lot of trouble; how could she allow herself to influence Nalan Jingwen's decision?
Nalan Jingwen withdrew her gaze and instructed the servant beside her to bring the mirror pool over. After thinking for a moment, she called for a halt.
Several servants looked back at her in confusion, waiting for her instructions. Nalan Jingwen lifted the curtain, got off the carriage, walked towards the person lying in the snow, bent down, and easily picked the person up.
The attendant wanted to help, but Nalan Jingwen stopped him.
Jingchi is a very loyal man, but he is also very stubborn. If he were to encounter another woman, he would probably choose to die to prove his loyalty.