NFBE Chapter 199
Chapter 199
"Now, I can also call you my wife."
His smile was gentle, but his voice was choked with emotion.
"You asked me to see the world's splendor that you have never seen, but Qishan is unwilling. I do not want to see it alone; I want to go with you."
Without her by my side, everything is meaningless.
Nalan Jingwen stood beside him, looking at his gaunt face, feeling extremely distressed.
He had lost a lot of weight, his collarbones were protruding, and he was just skin and bones. The wind on the mountaintop was strong, which made him stagger, and he barely managed to steady himself.
You told me to forget everything about our past, but it's not that easy.
How could he bear to forget her? He wanted to remember her, even in the next life, and the life after that, he wanted to remember everything he had spent with her.
Liu Qishan slowly squatted down and began digging in the soil with his bare hands. His fair, jade-like hands were cut by sharp stones, leaving them covered in wounds and blood seeping into the soil, but he was completely unaware of it.
Nalan Jingwen looked puzzled, wondering what he was doing. He saw Nalan Jingwen dig a small hole, then open a box next to him. Inside was the painting, along with a letter and silver notes left for him.
He reached out to touch it, but when he caught a glimpse of the hand, which was already covered in scars, his eyes trembled and he withdrew his hand.
He gazed at it for a long time, his eyes filled with longing and reluctance. The sun, which had been high in the sky, gradually set in the west, casting a soft golden glow on him. Finally, he slowly closed the lid, placed the box into the small pit he had dug, and buried it with his bare hands.
He didn't stop until the last handful of soil covered him, and then he laughed, a laugh that was both poignant and desolate.
Nalan Jingwen could not bear to look any longer and turned his eyes away.
Liu Qishan stiffly stood up, leaned against the sycamore tree and slowly sat down, looking at the moon gradually rising in the sky, revealing a gentle smile.
"After today, I will no longer come to Qishan. I hope Awen will not be offended."
Nalan Jingwen didn't understand the meaning behind his words. Watching him sit alone under the tree all night and leave at sunrise, his back view resolute, it was as if he had truly let go.
Upon returning to his residence, Liu Qishan locked himself in his room every day and never went out. No one knew what he was doing in his room.
Nalan Jingwen knew this.
He collected countless books on supernatural and bizarre phenomena, searching frantically. At first, Nalan Jingwen thought he wanted to find a way to bring the dead back to life, but she soon realized she was wrong.
Liu Qishan desires immortality.
She watched him peruse ancient books, experiment on himself, and learn various forbidden techniques from the books. Whether they were real or fake, he used them all on himself, drawing countless talismans on his body and cutting his palms, leaving hideous scars all over his body, making him look like a madman.
He grew thinner and thinner each day, but his eyes became increasingly crazed. He even taught himself medicine, cutting himself again as soon as his wounds healed, leaving him covered in scars. He became so thin that he was unrecognizable and extremely ferocious.
Nalan Jingwen wanted to stop him, but she was deeply shocked. Every time he cut himself, ate those random things, and drank blood expressionlessly, her heart ached.
Kneeling before the Buddha statue for days on end, what is it that one seeks in their heart?
The once romantic man has become like this. How much suffering did he endure to finally reach her?
He locked himself in his room for many years.
They all say Liu Qishan has gone mad, that she's gone mad from being a widow, that she's been driven insane.
But Nalan Jingwen knew that her Qishan was more lucid than anyone else, but she would rather he were insane, at least he wouldn't be in pain anymore.
Nalan Jingwen could only watch him and stay by his side, but she could do nothing and was powerless.
Liu Qishan even made a coffin for himself. In the end, she watched helplessly as he drank a bowl of black blood, the nature of which was indistinguishable. His body was covered in incomprehensible runes, and he lay fully clothed in the coffin, wearing the blue robe she had given him. A faint smile played on his lips, but his eyes were filled with madness.
Beside him lay a book called The History of Gods.
Nalan Jingwen felt a surge of panic and reached out to grab him, but he missed and could only watch as the heavy coffin lid closed and he was buried alive in the ground.
Nalan Jingwen swayed and collapsed to the ground. The scene before him began to crumble and then reassemble, crumble and reassemble...
The image finally freezes on the moment she arrived, and a familiar, charming female voice rings in her ears.
“Nalan Jingwen, there’s only one incense stick’s worth of time left. If you don’t come out now, you’ll be trapped there forever.”
Nalan Jingwen snapped out of his daze, raised his hand to touch his cheek, only to find his hand damp. Liu Qishan's last smile kept replaying in his mind, like a nightmare that he couldn't shake off.
Urged on by the voices, she finally stood up and went into the room.
Changsheng once said that she was looking for places she considered familiar.
The Spirit Fire Grass and the Mysterious Spirit Fruit are very likely located in this courtyard.
But she searched the entire empty house and found nothing, which made her doubt her judgment.
Time ticked by, and she remained clueless. The charming female voice in her ear, which had initially been languid and casual, gradually became serious.
She closed her eyes and pondered, going through all the places she had been and that were before her eyes. Her thoughts were in turmoil, a mixture of Liu Qishan's face and those delirious words, giving her a splitting headache.
The pain made her bend over, sweat dripping down her face and onto her clothes.
Desolate Mountain...
Her desolate mountain...
She felt as if she were trapped in an endless nightmare, and Liu Qishan smiled gently at her and reached out his hand to her.
She looked dazed, as if bewitched, and slowly reached out her hand towards him, trying to grab him.
"Nalan Jingwen! If you don't come out now, you'll never see Liuqishan again!"
The sound in her ear was like a thunderclap, pulling her abruptly out of her sight. The scene before her eyes quickly vanished and became clear.
Yes, Qishan, she still needs to go out to see her Qishan, she can't stay here.
She couldn't give up on Qishan, who had come to her side with great difficulty and was covered in wounds.
Nalan Jingwen closed his eyes again, this time clearing his mind of all distractions, and carefully recalled the events, finally focusing on one point.
She opened her eyes, channeled her inner energy, and rushed toward a certain place. The scenery around her rushed past so fast that it was impossible to see clearly.
She stopped again, having reached the top of Qiwu Mountain.
The sycamore tree still stood straight on the mountaintop, but Nalan Jingwen had no time to care about it now, and squatted down to start digging something.
She quickly unearthed something hard, and her face lit up with joy. She quickened her pace and dug out the box that Liu Qishan had buried that day.
Her hands trembled slightly, and she suddenly hesitated to open it. But then she remembered something, and without further hesitation, she opened the lid. A blinding light shone from inside, and she instinctively closed her eyes.
When the light faded, she opened her eyes again. The things in the box were gone, replaced by two fruits and a magical herb that emitted a faint glow. These must be the Spirit Fire Grass and the Mysterious Spirit Fruit that Changsheng had mentioned.
Nalan Jingwen quickly closed the box, raised her wrist, and the golden thread on her wrist gradually became visible. She stood up and walked in the direction of the golden thread. The scenery around her began to collapse rapidly and was enveloped in a blinding white light.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw Changsheng's familiar eyes.