Hearing the commotion, Gu Qianying and Nangong Mo were both startled and looked outside simultaneously.
Ouyang Qinglin was still dressed in red, wearing a mask.
After he entered, the three of them exchanged glances.
The eyes hidden beneath the mask, upon seeing Nangong Mo's loosely worn robe and the faint kiss marks on his neck.
His heart ached sharply.
A'ying was with her husband...!
His red eyes contracted.
So... A'ying's stomach ache was because of this...!
His hands, hidden beneath his sleeves, clenched fiercely, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Nangong Mo, you beast, don't you know that pregnant women shouldn't be touched carelessly!
At this moment, he desperately wanted to punch Nangong Mo.
But... he knew he couldn't.
He had no right to do so!
At this moment, he suddenly felt so useless!
A'ying was in pain, and he couldn't stand up for her!
"National Preceptor, why have you suddenly visited?"
A voice brought him back to his senses.
Gu Qianying helped Nangong Mo adjust his clothes before turning her gaze to Ouyang Qinglin.
Her words were distant, her voice clear and cold.
Ouyang Qinglin looked at her indifference towards him.
His heart ached, though he knew this coldness was simply because she didn't know who he was, it still hurt him deeply.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, "This National Preceptor is here on the Emperor's orders to deliver the Xuanling Sect token to Sect Leader Gu."
As he spoke, he took out the token from beneath his sleeve and placed it on the table.
"I shall not disturb you further, I bid farewell!"
Ouyang Qinglin turned to leave.
In truth, he desperately wanted to ask: A'ying, what was wrong with you just now? Where did it hurt?
But the words, once on his lips, never escaped.
He knew he had no right to ask.
Gu Qianying looked at him, and the moment he placed the token down, she saw the wound in his palm.
"You're injured?"
Gu Qianying's voice came from behind him.
Ouyang Qinglin's steps halted abruptly.
Was this... A'ying's concern for him?
All the pain in his heart vanished at this moment.
He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Gu Qianying.
"I... I'm fine."
His voice was somewhat hoarse.
"This is for you. Thank you for personally delivering the token today, National Preceptor."
A small white jade bottle was placed before Ouyang Qinglin, and Gu Qianying collected the token from the table.
Ouyang Qinglin was lost in thought, staring blankly at the small bottle before him.
His heart felt warm.
"Wife, I feel a bit of pain here."
Nangong Mo, half-reclining on the bed, suddenly spoke.
"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"
Gu Qianying hurried over, looking at Nangong Mo with great concern.
"I feel a bit uncomfortable here."
Nangong Mo grasped Gu Qianying's outstretched hand and placed it on his chest.
"I'm feeling jealous here."
"..."
"Nangong Mo!"
With Nangong Mo unharmed, Gu Qianying's heart was put at ease, and at the same time, she felt utterly speechless.
What was Nangong Mo acting so strangely for?
"Alright, you rest first. I'll go and see the National Preceptor out."
Since the Imperial National Preceptor had delivered the token, it was only proper for her to see him off.
Gu Qianying pushed Nangong Mo's hand away, but before she could retract it, Nangong Mo grabbed it again.
"No, wife, you need to sleep with me. I'm tired."
"You..."
Nangong Mo's slender fingers traced from her hand up her arm. He sat up, suddenly embraced Gu Qianying, and insisted, "The Imperial National Preceptor knows the way back, there's no need to see him off. Wife, why don't you sleep with me for a while, okay?"
"..."
"Wife, you promised you'd stay with me."
"..."
Nangong Mo held Gu Qianying, "acting spoiled" in front of her.
Gu Qianying, unable to refuse him, could only stay with him.
Then, Nangong Mo turned his gaze, his indifferent eyes falling on the man who lingered nearby, unwilling to leave: "Since the item has been delivered, National Preceptor, please return. I won't see you out!"
Just now, he had seen the National Preceptor's expression towards his wife.
He wasn't a fool; he could discern intention from casualness.
"National Preceptor, I apologize for letting you witness this. My husband is not feeling well and needs to rest."
Gu Qianying, still holding Nangong Mo, looked at Ouyang Qinglin with a faint smile.
"It was I who disturbed you. Farewell."
Ouyang Qinglin bit the inside of his lower lip. Under the pain, he finally uttered the words he least wanted to say.
A moment later, Ouyang Qinglin left the inn in a daze, walking alone on the street.
The sky, covered in dark clouds, began to pour down heavy rain.
The raindrops struck his mask, and his eyes were soaked, blurring his vision.
His robes were also drenched, and wet strands of hair on his cheeks dripped with rain.
The road ahead was uneven and full of potholes.
His foot slipped, and he fell to the ground. Without getting up, he simply lay there, facing the sky, letting the relentless rain lash down on him.
In the downpour, the streets were sparsely populated.
He stared blankly at the sky.
His mind was filled with the image of Gu Qianying and Nangong Mo embracing.
As if possessed, their figures refused to leave his mind.
It was impossible to distinguish whether it was rain or tears that streamed from the corners of his eyes.
Even though he was in great pain at this moment, the small white jade bottle he had brought from the inn was still tightly clasped in his hand.
This was a gift from A'ying.
Perhaps because the rain mixed with his tears flowed too much, making his mask uncomfortable, he casually removed it and tossed it aside.
Skin covered in snake scales was exposed.
Among the pedestrians seeking shelter, a few companions saw the snake-scaled face of the man lying on the ground.
"Ah!"
With a scream, the few who had gathered scattered in panic.
In the chaos, someone stepped on Ouyang Qinglin's wrist, causing him pain.
He instinctively tried to hide the object in his hand, to protect it, but as he raised his hand.
The small white jade bottle he was holding slipped from his palm.
With a clatter...
The small white jade bottle rolled back and forth with the footsteps of the fleeing people, kicked away to an unknown place.
Ouyang Qinglin was startled and immediately sat up, crawling on the ground to search.
His hands, stepped on by passersby, were scraped, and blood oozed out.
Not far away, some pedestrians hiding in a tea house noticed Ouyang Qinglin, and soon, someone recognized his identity.
"Isn't that the National Preceptor? What's wrong with him?"
The dignified Imperial National Preceptor, crawling on the ground in the pouring rain, searching for something?
His image was completely ruined, utterly pathetic.
But Ouyang Qinglin didn't care about any of this.
"The item... A'ying's item..."
It was a gift from A'ying; he couldn't lose it!
He crawled and searched for a long time but still couldn't find it.
He was heartbroken.
Just then, a person holding an umbrella appeared before him.
The person bent down and offered the item in their hand to Ouyang Qinglin.
"Are you looking for this?"
It was the item A'ying had given him!
Ouyang Qinglin quickly took the small white jade bottle from the person's hand. When he looked up, the person extended their hand to him.
"You found the item, now get up. The ground is cold."
"How could it be you?"
Under the cover of the umbrella, Ouyang Qinglin saw the person's face clearly, and his eyes turned cold.