"Miss, Jiuxing knows her place. Jiuxing is not worthy of Young Master Wen," Jiuxing said, her gaze lowered and her voice dejected.
"There is no distinction between noble and lowly. It's just that Wen Yuxi may not be suitable for you," An Ning said indifferently, raising her head.
Jiuxing was slightly startled. "Not suitable?"
An Ning turned to look at Jiuxing and said, "Yes."
"What are you two chatting about?" Wen Yuxi asked, leaning closer.
"We're talking about you," An Ning replied without concealment.
Wen Yuxi was surprised by An Ning's frankness. He blinked, then chuckled, "What is there to talk about me? I'm just someone living on the edge of a blade, someone who might not see tomorrow."
Saying this, Wen Yuxi tore off a large piece of meat, sprinkled it with salt, tasted it, and nodded. "It's good. You should try some."
An Ning did not take the meat Wen Yuxi tore off. Instead, she cut a piece herself with a knife and tasted it. It was indeed fragrant.
She cut another piece, stood up, and said, "I'll go get some for Guining."
She approached a tree not far from the carriage and found Guining. His slender figure was seated on the tree, his black robe blending seamlessly with the night.
However, before she could get close, his closed eyes suddenly opened. In the silent night sky, a meteor streaked across, and the starlight was exceptionally brilliant at that moment.
Yet, this brilliance was fleeting. A cold glint flashed, like the heavy frost of late autumn, sending a chill to the very core of one's being.
An Ning couldn't help but shiver. "The wild boar meat is roasted. I thought you hadn't eaten, so I brought some for you."
Guining retracted his chilling gaze and said faintly, "There's no need for such fuss."
An Ning was taken aback, then nodded, "Yes, I understand."
As she turned to leave, she heard a voice from behind her, "Put it down!"
An Ning turned back to look at Guining. She saw him sitting on the ground, looking at her. His eyes shimmered like scattered stars. She quickly handed him the wild boar meat.
He reached out and took it. With his slender, fair fingers, he tore off a piece of wild boar meat and put it into his mouth. Perhaps it was truly delicious, as his expression softened, becoming less cold.
At this moment, he seemed more human, less like the ethereal being he had been before.
"You've been by your master's side for a long time, haven't you? Do you know what kind of person Xue Zining is?" An Ning asked.
His slender, fair fingers, poised to tear off another piece of wild boar meat, suddenly stopped.
He looked up. The scattered starlight was gone, replaced by the cold and mysterious night of late autumn.
There was an unsettling strangeness to it.
"I just wanted to ask," An Ning explained. Da Feng Novel Network
He lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time. Just as An Ning thought he wouldn't speak, he said, "She is someone who turns the impossible into the possible. She is intelligent and decisive. She is someone who is ruthless to herself."
His voice was ethereal, as if bridging ancient times.
An Ning also sat down on the ground and said, "I've heard about her. She eliminated the Regent who once held absolute power in the wilderness, winning the hearts of all the men around her. However, she still couldn't avoid betrayal and harm, ultimately meeting a tragic end."
She saw his slender fingers, still greasy from the wild boar meat, twitch slightly. She continued, "Guining, if my soul returns to my body, will I still be me?"
He remained still, and after a long pause, he said, "I don't know the answer to that question."
An Ning chuckled softly and looked up at the starry night sky. "Since I woke up, I've had no memory of my past. My father and An Ru told me about my childhood. But I was happy. I had my father's love and An Ru's companionship. I never knew that my seemingly real life was just an illusion. It turns out I was merely borrowing someone else's soul. I was never truly myself."
Everything around them fell silent, with only Jiuxing's incessant chatter from the campfire.
She turned to look at his profile and suddenly asked, "If, one day, I disappear, will you forget that I ever appeared in your life?"
"Your Highness, what you have experienced, your presence, will not be forgotten by anyone."
"Is that so? Guining, I hope you won't forget me. My name is An Ning."
He blinked and looked up, seeing the girl's clear and bright eyes, shining very brightly.
He averted his gaze, his voice tinged with a slight hoarseness. "I won't."
He watched as the girl stood up, brushed the dust off her back, and said, "Thank you."
An Ning left. The moment she turned away, tears flowed uncontrollably.
By the campfire, Jiuxing was still talking to Wen Yuxi. However, Wen Yuxi's expression grew colder. Seeing An Ning appear, he suddenly stood up, took her hand, and pulled her into the carriage.
"What's wrong? Your complexion doesn't look good," An Ning asked.
Wen Yuxi looked at her, his gaze seeming to change subtly. "What's wrong?" An Ning also felt that something was amiss with Wen Yuxi at this moment.
Wen Yuxi shook his head and said in a low voice, "I need your blood now."
An Ning was stunned. "Isn't it once a month?"
"I don't know why it's early this time," Wen Yuxi's complexion worsened.
"Wen Yuxi..."
Before she could finish speaking, Wen Yuxi had already pushed her onto the carriage, opened her collar, and bitten her shoulder. Pain surged through her body in an instant.
"Wen Yuxi, you're not human..." An Ning cursed softly.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and An Ning saw Jiuxing's incredulous gaze. Soon, Jiuxing's eyes filled with tears, and she turned and ran.
"Jiuxing, it's not what you saw..." An Ning said half-heartedly, enduring the pain. Then she saw Guining's figure.
"Guining, it's not..." Before she could finish, Guining had already entered the carriage and struck the raging Wen Yuxi, who was drinking her blood, unconscious.
"Guining..." She watched as Guining kicked Wen Yuxi out of the carriage. Wen Yuxi rolled several times and stopped by the campfire. If he got any closer, he would be engulfed in flames.
"If you're unwilling next time, you can call me," Guining's voice was cold, laced with frost.
An Ning nodded. How could she have expected Wen Yuxi to rip her clothes off right away?
Suddenly, she remembered Jiuxing and asked worriedly, "Jiuxing ran off. Will she be alright?"
"No, it's very safe around here," Guining replied.
Since Guining said it was safe, An Ning didn't ask further.
Before dawn, Jiuxing returned, looking exhausted. She knelt before the carriage and said, "Miss, Jiuxing should not have run off. Please punish Jiuxing."
An Ning looked at Jiuxing's weary face and said, "Go and take care of Wen Yuxi."
Jiuxing lowered her head and said, "Yes."
She went to the campfire and sat there, staring at Wen Yuxi blankly.
By the time Wen Yuxi woke up, it was already broad daylight. He stood up, stretched, and then groaned, "Why is my whole body aching, as if I've been torn apart by horses?"
An Ning instinctively looked at Guining. Guining's expression remained unchanged.
Wen Yuxi walked over, scratched his head, and asked, "How did I fall asleep?"