Because Xun's behavior was too strange, Yuwen Jin had to speak up: "This is the niece of Nancheng City Lord Nangong Xian, Miss Nangong Qin, as we said before..."
As he introduced himself, he observed Xun's expression, and saw his tense face relax and his eyes slowly become quiet. After closing his eyes tightly, he no longer looked at the puzzled Nangong beauty, and turned around and left without hesitation, holding the knife. He quickly walked past the screen and disappeared into the corridor.
Tang Li couldn't see anything, she could only hear from some subtle sounds that someone seemed to have come, but left soon. She didn't understand why, so she sat there dignified and calmly.
Yuwen Jin was dumbfounded, thinking that Brother Xun was acting strangely today, but since there were guests in front of him, he couldn't be too rude, so he smiled and apologized: "Hahaha, that was just a friend of mine, he has a weird temper and doesn't like to get along with others, please forgive me for my abruptness, Miss Nangong."
Tang Li shook her head and smiled: "Nothing."
Yuwen Jin was a man who liked gold and beautiful women. He was very nice to beautiful women in person and soon forgot what Duan Ming had said. He felt that Nangong Qin was gentle and considerate, without any airs and spoke generously. He couldn't help but chat with her. He didn't pay any attention to Duan Ming's contempt.
At the end of the conversation, Yuwen Jin cordially invited Tang Li to stay in his mansion, and Tang Li gladly agreed. After the others followed the maid to rest, Yuwen Jin turned around and saw his friend's half-smile, then he remembered what he had said before, and slapped his head: "Oh, no, I was careless."
"But, Ah Ming, you really must have seen it wrong, didn't you? I don't think this Miss Qin is the kind of person you said she is."
Duan Ming said coldly: "To be able to win you over so quickly and make you change your opinion of her, I can only say that this Miss Nangong may be better at disguising herself than before."
Yuwen Jin laughed, "Actually, Ah Ming, you don't have to be like this. I kept her only to give face to Nancheng, and also..."
Duan Ming: "I know you are curious about why Brother Xun was so abnormal when he saw her. One day you will die from this curiosity."
Yuwen Jin disagreed, "Aren't you curious?"
Duan Minghua opened his fan and smiled meaningfully, "Of course I'm curious. Although I haven't known Brother Xun for long, I'm also very interested in someone who can make him change his expression."
Tang Li was accompanied by two maids brought from South City and two maids sent from East City. The two led them to the guest house and introduced some things about East City to her on the way. Tang Li listened quietly, thinking in her heart how to make Yuwen Jin willing to give Mi Tuosheng away. From today's meeting, she could feel that Yuwen Jin was different from Nangong Xian, who was a shrewd and scheming person. He was open and honest. Perhaps this matter was not as difficult as she had thought before.
Another thing is how to get rid of the two maids from South City and ask about Xun Nu's news without arousing suspicion. The maids from East City are probably the same as those from South City, and are not aware of these secrets of the martial arts world. However, City Lord Yuwen is very likely to know them. From the conversation, it can be heard that he is a gossip lover.
Tang Li was thinking all this in her mind, but she didn't know that the person on the rooftop nearby, looking at her from afar, was none other than Xun Nu, whom she had been thinking about all the time.
One of them could not be seen, and the other did not know him.
"Miss Nangong, we're here. This guesthouse is called 'Kongcui'. It's quiet and elegant, with a spacious courtyard planted with many Xiang bamboos and fragrant herbs that are unique to our East City. If you are interested, you can take a walk on the small bamboo path next to it." The maid introduced politely.
Tang Li sat on the cushions in front of the window, listening to the birds singing outside and feeling the fresh breeze blowing past her body, relaxing a little. The maids sat aside, and she waved her hand and said softly, "You don't have to stay here, you can go down and rest too."
When she was alone, she finally let out a breath slowly, looking tired, and rubbed her temples.
Xun landed lightly under a tree in the courtyard, looking at the person sitting by the window quietly from half of the courtyard. Although he knew it couldn't be Tang Li, he couldn't help but follow her. His body seemed to have its own consciousness. When he came to his senses, the person had already arrived.
The face of that person in the sunlight looked hazy, like a real dream. Xun had a moment of doubt that this was another dream. A few years ago, when she had just left, he often had such dreams. When he turned his head, he seemed to see her waving at him in the crowd; when he went to a strange place, he suddenly heard her voice, and when he looked over, he saw a similar back, but when he looked closely, he found it was just an illusion; even in the wind and sand of Mobei, her shadow had appeared. She always smiled, looked at him once and left, without any nostalgia.
Now five years have passed, and he seldom thinks of her anymore, because he understands more and more every year that the dead cannot be resurrected, and every day he walks alone in this world, her body under the loess decays a little bit, and now she has probably turned into a pile of bones, no longer the same as he remembered.
The best things in a person's life, like morning dew, always disappear in the blink of an eye and cannot be caught up.
It was a face that was extremely similar to Tang Li, not only in appearance but also in expression, especially the eyebrows and eyes that were relaxed when she smiled. It was like they were in her bones, and this similarity made his whole body begin to ache.
Xun turned his face away and covered his forehead tightly. His face was pale and his dark eyes were filled with pain. Nangong Qin, who was very similar to Tang Li, was like a sharp blade, cutting open his old wounds and tearing out his bloody internal organs.
After standing for a long time, Xun finally put down his hand and walked towards the person sitting there alone. He jumped up lightly like a leaf and stood on the railing outside the window. His movements were light and his breathing was slow. Even though he was so close, Tang Li still couldn't detect his presence.
There was a tree in the yard, with unknown white flowers in bloom. It was probably almost past its flowering period, and the white flowers fell all over the ground and on Xun's shoulders, like snow.
A small flower spun and fell from the branch. Xun reached out to catch it while he was distracted, but when he came back to his senses, he let it go and let it continue to fly. It was supposed to fall on the railing, but Tang Li, who was sitting by the window, didn't know if she noticed something, and suddenly reached out and caught the white flower.
She seemed not to have expected that something would fall into her hands. She took her hand back and touched it, and found it was a flower. A faint smile appeared on her face, and she picked up the flower and put it to her nose and sniffed it.
Xun looked at her, and suddenly had a strong thought in his mind, he felt that this was Tang Li. His heart, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly moved because of this faint smile. He only had this feeling when he saw Tang Li smile like this.
But his vision was blurred for only a moment, and soon became clear. Xun suddenly felt that he could no longer look at this face, so he tiptoed and jumped onto the tree, and then he disappeared.
Tang Li leaned against the railing holding a flower, looking at the courtyard with lifeless eyes, completely unaware that there was someone standing next to her.
In the evening, Yuwen Jin, as the host, entertained the guests from South City. Tang Li naturally dressed up to attend. Even though the relationship between East City and South City was not good, she still had to perform etiquette for the sake of face. When Tang Li took her seat, Yuwen Jin had already arrived. He smiled and said, "Tonight is a small banquet to entertain the guests from South City. Don't be restrained, just be yourself."
In addition to Tang Li, there was also a confidant of Nangong Xian named Qiu Tu, who accompanied Tang Li in the name of taking care of her. He was also at the table and greeted Yuwen Jin. Seeing that there was an empty seat at Yuwen Jin's side, he asked casually, "Why is there an empty seat? This seat is so important. I wonder who is the Yuwen City Lord?"
Yuwen Jin said in a relaxed tone: "He is a friend of mine, but his personality is different from that of ordinary people. He doesn't like this kind of lively banquet. He hasn't shown up yet. Maybe he doesn't want to come this time."
Qiu Tu also had a smile on his face, but the inquiry in his eyes could not be hidden. "Speaking of which, I heard a rumor that the legendary swordsman Xun was good friends with City Lord Yuwen, and he had appeared in East City recently. Could it be that the friend that City Lord Yuwen mentioned was this person?"
Before Yuwen Jin could speak, he heard a sound of porcelain breaking. He looked over in surprise and saw Nangong Qin, who was sitting above Qiu Tu, accidentally dropped a porcelain cup. He thought Nangong Qin was blind and had accidentally dropped the cup. He was about to ask someone to rearrange it for her when he suddenly heard her ask, "Xun? Which Xun?"
Even though she had suppressed it, one could still see her excitement at the moment. Yuwen Jin was surprised. He had been impressed by Nangong Qin's calmness and dignity when he had seen her before. Why was she acting like this now? He couldn't help but think of the strangeness of Brother Xun when he saw her before. His heart moved, and the curiosity in his eyes became even stronger.
Qiu Tu was also puzzled by Nangong Qin's reaction. As far as he knew, Nangong Qin should have no connection with that Xun, but her current behavior did not seem like that.
Both sides were confused, only Tang Li tried hard to control herself. She didn't expect to hear Xun's name here suddenly. She thought it would take a long time to get news about him, but who knew he might be right next to her. She was anxiously and nervously waiting for an answer, and at this moment, a figure walked into the hall.
When Yuwen Jin saw the newcomer, his eyes lit up and he called out, "Brother Xun, you came just in time. We were just talking about you."
Tang Li's breathing stagnated and she turned her face towards the door. For the first time, she hated herself for not being able to see.
"Yeah."
Just two simple words, but Tang Li's eyes suddenly warmed up. It was Xunnu, this voice was Xunnu! She couldn't help but stand up. Because she was too anxious, her long sleeves brushed across the small table in front of her, knocking most of the cups and plates on it down. There was a loud clattering sound, which attracted most of the people in the hall to look at her.
But Tang Li no longer cared about all that. She lifted her skirt, hurriedly walked around the small table in front of her, and headed towards the source of the sound.
"Xunnu, is it Xunnu?"
Everyone was a little stunned, wondering what was wrong with this Miss Nangong, and was even more surprised by her address to Xun. Xunnu, yes, he was called this name when he was a killer in the Refining Domain, but later he somehow withdrew from the Refining Domain and faced off against Xiahou Xuanyu, the Lord of North City. The two fought a battle that was a loss to both sides, and since then, no one dared to call him Xunnu, and only called him Xun.
Xun showed a little surprise and stood there watching the person staggering towards him.
Qiu Tu frowned and raised his voice, "Miss, you are drunk, why are you so rude?"
Tang Li paused, then she remembered Qiu Tu's existence. She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath and barely calmed herself down, still a little anxiously saying: "Xun, I have something important to discuss with you. May I ask you to meet me alone later?" She had to talk to Xun Nu alone about this, otherwise if other people heard it, it would definitely cause big trouble. She would also have to be on guard against Qiu Tu. Also, she was even more afraid that Xun Nu would refuse.
After hearing what Tang Li said, Qiu Tu's eyebrows twitched, and Yuwen Jin almost dropped his wine glass. Could this Nangong beauty have some conspiracy? The first thing he thought of was the beauty trap, and he immediately saw something wrong in the eyes of the two people in the hall.
Xun had a blank expression on his face, as if he couldn't see the face in front of him that looked just like Tang Li, and said coldly, "No need, I don't know you, there's nothing to say."
Tang Li got a little anxious and followed the sound to grab his sleeve, but was quickly brushed away. Xun's voice sounded again, "I'll take my leave first."
After he said that, he turned around and left, showing no intention of attending the banquet.
Tang Li heard his footsteps going away, and she didn't care about anything else. She raised her foot to chase after him. She couldn't see and accidentally kicked the small table in front of someone, breaking the cups and plates to the ground. She stepped on it and felt a sharp pain in her foot, but she still gritted her teeth and chased forward, and accidentally knocked down a screen.
Qiu Tu couldn't stand it anymore and shouted at the two helpless maids: "The young lady is so drunk, why don't you go and bring her back!"
Two maids hurried over to support them, but were pushed away by Tang Li. She was extremely anxious. Whenever she thought that Xun would leave, she felt sad and scared that they might never have the chance to meet again after this time and miss the chance.
"Xunnu, Xunnu, stop, it's me, Tang Li! I'm back!" She didn't know if Xunnu had gone far, so she could only shout. Suddenly, her feet were empty and she fell forward. There was a staircase in front of her, and she was about to fall forward.
Tang Li felt a tightening around her waist, and she felt a strong arm grabbing her and holding her up. She bumped into that chest and smelled a familiar yet unfamiliar scent.
With red eyes, Tang Li put her arms around the man's neck without hesitation and whispered, "Xun Nu, I'm Tang Li, do you still remember me?"
"Are you... Tang Li?" The hoarse voice that she missed slowly sounded in her ears.
"Yes, I am." Tang Li nodded with a smile, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The author has something to say: Well, I think this 'one can't see and one can't recognize' plot is very sour and refreshing, it's a kind of fun, not abusive, and very sweet.
Unlike other authors who write stories that are sweet but sadistic, I say sweet because I sincerely feel it is sweet.