As if bathed in warm sunshine, a bone-chilling cold wind suddenly blew in.
Instantly, he sobered up.
His heart was riddled with holes.
He closed his eyes and smiled silently.
At this moment, no matter how much he was unwilling to admit it, he had to acknowledge that the person Ah Ying missed most at this moment was still Nangong Mo.
That's right!
It was always like this, what else did he want to change?
He opened his eyes, hiding all his emotions.
He silently stepped forward and sat in front of Gu Qianying.
"Okay."
He took Gu Qianying's hand, letting her touch the face he wore a human skin mask on.
From his cheekbones, forehead, and between his brows, he traced downwards bit by bit.
Gu Qianying's eyes were misted.
"Nangong Mo, you fool, you big fool!"
Nangong Mo, this big fool!
This big fool thought she knew nothing?
Wrong!
In fact, she knew everything.
When she was almost miscarrying, she could feel someone saving her.
And that person was the one she knew best.
In her unconsciousness, she couldn't wake up, but she knew Nangong Mo was by her side, and he had used his original immortal magic to save her, protecting their child.
She touched Ouyang Qinglin's masked face, and the mist in her eyes grew.
Ouyang Qinglin quietly watched Gu Qianying.
He couldn't utter any comforting words.
What should he say?
It seemed that at this moment, anything he said would be wrong.
She knew he wasn't Nangong Mo.
Then what else could he say?
He felt a little disappointed.
Ah Ying, she still hadn't remembered him.
Also, he didn't even have the courage to face Ah Ying with his true face, so why should Ah Ying recognize him?
He raised a finger and wiped away the tears from her eyes.
Ouyang Qinglin couldn't bear to see her sad any longer, so he spoke, "Don't cry, I'm here, I've always been here."
He said this for himself.
But he also knew that Ah Ying's understanding would not be the same.
Hearing the familiar voice, touching the face that was most familiar to her.
A pair of unfamiliar hands were wiping her tears.
If it weren't for this, she might have truly believed that the person in front of her was her husband – Nangong Mo.
Listening to the person in front of her speaking these words in her ear.
Gu Qianying choked back a sob and cried out.
The tears from her eyes fell like broken strings of pearls, ceaseless.
"Can you say that to me again?"
At this moment, she didn't want to know who the person in front of her was, nor did she want to know where her husband Nangong Mo had gone.
Blind, unable to see the light, helpless, vulnerable at this moment, she only wanted to reveal it to her husband Nangong Mo.
Hearing the voice that reassured her, her fingers touched this face that could make her strong, this face that was most familiar to her.
"Don't cry, I'm here, I've always been here."
"Say it again, I want to hear it."
"Okay, don't cry, I'm here, I've always been here..."
Remaining in this posture, touching like this, Gu Qianying cried for a long time in the room.
A moment later, her throat was a little hoarse, and the child in her womb seemed to sense her sadness, kicking her gently.
The movement of the fetus made her wipe away her tears and let go of his hand.
Her fragility, helplessness, and unease were all put away by her.
Besides being someone's wife, besides being herself, she was also a soon-to-be mother.
She had to be strong.
Gu Qianying calmed her emotions, lay down again, turned over, and closed her eyes.
Ouyang Qinglin sat by the bedside, not speaking, keeping her company.
After an unknown amount of time.
Ouyang Qinglin, worried that she would be hungry or thirsty, quietly went out and came back in with a bowl of hot porridge. He placed the porridge on the table.
"Congee for nourishing the stomach. Get up and eat something. You don't just have yourself now, you have the child in your womb."
After speaking.
Ouyang Qinglin stood by the table and looked at the bed.
Gu Qianying did not respond, nor did she turn around.
Seeing her like this, Ouyang Qinglin's heart was cut like a knife.
He thought that by appearing in Nangong Mo's guise, she would be happier.
He thought that even if Nangong Mo left, he could still bring happiness to Ah Ying, even if it was in someone else's appearance.
But... it turned out that... all of this was just his own assumption.
And the moment Ah Ying recognized that he wasn't Nangong Mo, she stopped smiling.
He raised his hand and forcefully peeled off the human skin mask from his face, revealing his face covered in snake scales.
The white robe he wore was torn by him.
Ouyang Qinglin strode to the bedside, leaned down, grabbed Gu Qianying's arms, and forcibly turned her over.
He met her vacant eyes and said with a hint of anger, "Yes! That's right, I'm not Nangong Mo. Even if you've already recognized that I'm not him, I don't need to pretend anymore. Ah Ying, don't you want to know where he went?"
"Fine, then I'll tell you. Ah Ying, listen to me word for word. He's gone! He's never coming back! Ah Ying, do you hear me? He's not coming back!"
"Slap!"
Gu Qianying slapped Ouyang Qinglin across the face.
Ouyang Qinglin was stunned.
Gu Qianying couldn't see the person in front of her, but she could feel the anger in his voice.
"No, you're lying to me! He wouldn't abandon me. Who are you? What's your purpose in slandering him like this? What do you want from me?"
She didn't believe her husband would leave her alone.
"Hahaha, hahaha..."
Hearing Gu Qianying ask this, Ouyang Qinglin suddenly laughed, tears streaming down his face.
"Who am I? Ah Ying, come, touch me, see who I am?"
Ouyang Qinglin grabbed Gu Qianying's hand and made her touch the skin on his face directly.
"You are...!"
The skin on his face was a bit hard, uneven, somewhat like snake scales.
A figure suddenly appeared in her mind.
Gu Qianying was startled, and she instinctively pulled her hand back.
"Are you the Grand Tutor Yan Aotian?"
Seeing Gu Qianying's instinctive reaction, Ouyang Qinglin's heart ached to death.
So Ah Ying was still afraid of him.
Ouyang Qinglin slowly released Gu Qianying's hand.
He stood up, picked up the bowl of porridge from the table, and sat in front of Gu Qianying.
"I've told you what you wanted to know. Get up and drink some porridge."
As he spoke, Ouyang Qinglin held the porridge in one hand and supported Gu Qianying's arm with the other, making her lean up.
Gu Qianying shook off his hand, not letting him touch her.
"You are from the Empire. I know your purpose in approaching me is for these two pearls. Fine, I'll give them all to you, all of them. Make him come back, okay?"
Gu Qianying fumbled on herself and took out the two spiritual pearls hidden on her body.
Looking at the two glowing spiritual pearls in Gu Qianying's hand.
Ouyang Qinglin smiled again.
"Clang!"
He knocked over the bowl of porridge in his hand, grabbed Gu Qianying's arms with both hands, leaned forward, and said with anger, "My Ah Ying, isn't hurting me once enough? Why do you still say such cruel words to me? Do you think I'm taking care of you and approaching you for the two spiritual pearls in your hand?"
His eyes were red, and tears spread in his crimson eyes.
"Ah Ying, since I was kidnapped, have you ever thought of me? Have you ever thought of saving me? Ah Ying, do you ever care about me, even a little bit?"
The person before him remained silent, showing no reaction.
Ouyang Qinglin lowered his gaze and only then noticed that the person before him had fainted.
"Ah Ying!"
He quickly held her.
"Ah Ying! Ah Ying!"
Putting on the human skin mask again, Ouyang Qinglin shouted outside, "Someone..."
The white-robed youth Leng and the Flood Dragon A Mu rushed in.
"Qianying has fainted, quickly find Du Chun."
"Yes!"
Leng and A Mu quickly went out.
A moment later, Du Chun and Ouyang Qinglin, one holding a bowl, the other letting Gu Qianying lean on him.
Working together, they fed Gu Qianying some porridge.
"Qianying's body is fine, she just fainted from hunger due to not eating for many days."
He handed the empty bowl to the maid Wu Zi.
Du Chun stood up and glanced at the remaining fragments of the porridge bowl on the ground.
He looked up at Ouyang Qinglin, "A Mo, did you and Qianying quarrel?"
Ouyang Qinglin gently placed Gu Qianying, who had drunk the porridge but not yet woken up, on the bed, covered her with a quilt, and continued to sit by the bedside watching her.
"No, I accidentally dropped the bowl just now."
Ouyang Qinglin did not look at Du Chun; his gaze was fixed on Gu Qianying's face.
He thought that Ah Ying probably hadn't heard what he said earlier.
After his impulsiveness, he calmed down considerably.
The priority now was to let Ah Ying recover.
As for his identity, it was better not to mention it.
"It's good that you didn't quarrel. Qianying's eyes will recover in two more days. Her temporary blindness will naturally make her unhappy, so comfort her more."
"Mm."
Ouyang Qinglin replied faintly.
Du Chun gave a few more instructions from the side, then left with his medicine box.
When Gu Qianying woke up again, she drove Ouyang Qinglin out and didn't even let the maid Wu Zi in.
She stayed alone in the room, not allowing anyone to disturb her.
In the dark night.
Ouyang Qinglin stood outside the door, looking at the figure sitting inside.
A bitter smile spread across his lips.
Ah Ying, you're thinking of him, aren't you?
Ah Ying, do you know? I'm also thinking of you.
Inside the room.
Gu Qianying called the white-robed youth Leng in.
"What's the result of the search over the past few days?"
Sitting in the armchair, Gu Qianying had recovered somewhat, and her mood had also calmed down.
Leng knelt on one knee and reported, "Reporting to the Sect Master, your subordinate is incompetent. We haven't found the third spiritual pearl. The Demon Race's Evil Pearl is hidden by the Empire's Emperor."
Gu Qianying sat coldly, without speaking, her vacant eyes expressionless.
After reporting, Leng knelt without daring to move.
After an unknown amount of time, Gu Qianying suddenly asked, "Leng, do you have someone you love deeply?"
Leng's body trembled, and a figure appeared in his mind.
He glanced up at Gu Qianying, then quickly lowered his head, "Replying to my master, your subordinate does not."
"Leng, he's gone, he abandoned me and left, he's so selfish."
Leng was slightly surprised.
Who left?
"Master, who are you talking about?"
Leng was not very clear.
Gu Qianying did not respond to his words.
At this moment, the Flood Dragon A Mu rushed over, "Sect Master, there's movement in Ling Shu Pavilion. The White Ze beast has appeared!"