northernbook Chapter 295
Chapter 295
Ah Nian carefully grasped the corner of her sleeve, then secretly glanced up at her. Seeing that she showed no displeasure, he quietly tightened his grip on the fabric in his palm.
These subtle movements naturally did not escape Nalan Jingwen's notice. She said nothing, but simply turned around and led her people forward, the two of them weaving through the crowd one after the other.
Colorful fireworks suddenly rose into the dark, boundless night sky, bursting into bloom in the next instant with a tremendous sound, rendering the entire night sky incredibly beautiful and colorful. Petals fell like rain, leaving traces as they fell. All the pedestrians on the street stopped in their tracks, looking up at the fireworks that kept rising and blooming in the night sky.
The moment the sound rang out, a slender, soft body suddenly threw itself into Nalan Jingwen's arms, its thin arms tightly encircling her waist, burying its head in her chest, its frail and fragile body trembling slightly.
At my feet lay a shattered sugar figurine, its face completely altered.
Nalan Jingwen quickly understood. Immediately afterward, the person in his arms felt a pair of warm hands gently covering his ears. In an instant, all the harsh sounds from the outside world were shut out, leaving only the sound of his own heart pounding like a drum and the woman's calm and gentle voice.
"It's okay, don't be afraid."
His body gradually stopped trembling, and the person in his arms slowly raised his head, meeting the woman's calm and unwavering eyes. Waves of emotion gently rippled from his heart. He stared at her blankly, unable to hear any sound, only seeing her eyes reflecting his own image.
He thought, if the person by his side were always Nalan Jingwen...
He is willing.
He knew he didn't have many years left to live. He knew everything and accepted his fate. Even if Nalan Jingwen and the others didn't tell him about his situation, he still knew.
His mother and father told him that if he could not experience great joy or sorrow, and could not have any desires or loves, he could live a very long time.
He knew it wasn't like that. Originally, he would have lived like that, just as his mother and father had said, without desires, without joy or sorrow. But now he didn't want to.
In his remaining days, he had desires, he had things he really wanted. He didn't want to die so peacefully; he wanted the person he longed for to be by his side in his remaining days.
His life was so barren that even the sudden appearance of a single flower was enough to bring him joy for a long time.
So when Nalan Jingwen forcefully entered his life in such a way, he felt no disgust, only joy. It was as if a heavy rain had suddenly fallen on the barren land, followed by a warm sun. Life began to sprout one after another from the cracked earth: flowers, green leaves, and grass, embellishing his long and bleak life.
And then Nalan Jingwen entered his heart through his eyes, and entered the barren land that was beginning to come alive.
He was really happy.
Nalan Jingwen looked down at the dazed boy, then glanced up at the still-blooming fireworks. He then put his arm around the waist of the person in his arms, flew away from the spot, and landed on a rooftop. This location not only allowed him to watch the fireworks but also prevented him from being frightened by the loud explosions.
"Still uncomfortable?"
She asked the boy who had been holding her the whole time.
Ah Nian suddenly came to her senses, her eyelashes trembling, and she lowered her head in a fluster, then gently shook her head.
"No... I don't feel bad anymore."
He let go helplessly, not realizing he was on the roof. He slipped and almost fell, but luckily Nalan Jing caught him just in time.
"Be careful."
Ah Nian gently placed her hands in front of her, somewhat annoyed by her own clumsiness, and stammered an apology: "I...I'm sorry."
Nalan Jingwen only let go of his hand after he had stood steadily on the roof.
She sat down casually, and Ah Nian followed suit and sat down next to her.
"Afraid?"
Ah Nian gently shook his head.
Not afraid.
Looking at the dazzling fireworks in the distance, Nalan Jingwen calmly said, "It's clear from here, and there's hardly any noise."
Ah Nian followed her gaze and his eyes lit up.
"so beautiful!"
Nalan Jing heard his exclamation and couldn't help but turn her head to look at him.
Having been confined at home for so many years, these things, which are commonplace to ordinary people, were something he was seeing for the first time.
His eyes were bright, and the hair at his temples was slightly disheveled by the breeze. A corner of his veil was lifted, revealing half of his exquisite and well-defined face. Even if you saw him a thousand or ten thousand times, you would still be amazed and shocked.
Sensing Nalan Jingwen's gaze, he turned his head, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
"Thank you sister!"
It was so sincere that even Nalan Jingwen was moved, and he slightly curved his lips and hummed in agreement.
Ah Nian watched the fireworks for a while, then suddenly noticed something, and became depressed, staring blankly at his hands.
Nalan Jingwen noticed this and couldn't help but ask.
"what happened?"
Ah Nian looked at her, "Sugar figurine..."
"My sister and I dropped our sugar figurine."
Nalan Jingwen glanced at it and said, "It's alright, I'll go buy another one."
As she was about to stand up, a sharp whistling sound came from the air. Her eyes narrowed, and she quickly stood in front of A-Nian, her five fingers together as she grabbed at the air. When she opened her palm again, a cold-looking arrow appeared in her hand.
Her face darkened, and she ripped the paper off the arrow. The more she looked at it, the uglier her expression became. She then crumpled the paper and sent it flying into dust along with the arrow.
She immediately knelt down to check on Anian, "How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Ah Nian was frightened by what he had just witnessed, and his face turned pale, but he still shook his head, though he was unable to speak.
Nalan Jingwen didn't say anything more, but simply grabbed the person and flew away, heading swiftly towards the inn.
Upon arriving at the inn, they saw Xiao Congyu pacing back and forth at the door, glancing anxiously outside. When he saw Nalan Jingwen and the other person suddenly appear, he immediately went to greet them.
"Miss! Where have you been?!"
Ah Nian lowered his head and dared not speak; they had come out behind Xiao Congyu's back.
Nalan Jingwen's eyes were dark and deep. He glanced at her casually and said in a deep voice, "Give the order: everyone, pack your things and leave immediately!"
Xiao Congyu was taken aback and didn't quite understand, but seeing Nalan Jingwen's somewhat unpleasant expression, he quickly realized what was going on.
"Yes!"
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, everyone was ready again and set off on their journey.
Ah Nian sat in the corner of the carriage, silently watching the two people talking.
Xiao Congyu boarded Nalan Jingwen's carriage and cautiously asked, "Your Highness, are those people here?"
The people she was referring to were naturally Bai Ji's pursuers, but they had never seen Nalan Jingwen with this expression in all the assassinations they had encountered along the way.