BXBX NOVEL Chapter 313: 313. Sorry
Chapter 313: 313. Sorry
Besides giving Nangong Qian acupuncture and chatting about the outside world each day, Su Liang spent her time with Gu Ling. Whether they were climbing mountains to watch the sunrise and sunset or going into the city to watch plays and listen to music, she found happiness in these activities.
After expressing admiration and fascination for Gu Ling during their initial encounter, Nangong Qian had grown closer to Su Liang. Gu Ling seldom appeared before Nangong Qian, and she never actively asked about him.
At one point, Nangong Lin sparred with Gu Ling and acknowledged that Gu Ling’s skills had vastly outgrown his own as a master.
In this manner, six days passed. Nangong Qian no longer coughed up blood, and her cough symptoms had noticeably eased. Her spirit was improved, and Su Liang raised the matter of her departure with Nangong Lin.
Nangong Lin was surprised, “Do you have to leave so soon?”
Su Liang smiled, “I have taught Dr. Liu the methods of acupuncture, so he can perform acupuncture on my senior. We will continue with the current prescription. I have written two new prescriptions specifying when to change the medicine and what kind of diet and exercise should be followed after my senior can get out of bed.”
Nangong Lin nodded, “You’ve put in a lot of effort. That sounds reasonable.”
“Since Gu Ling and I secretly came here, we need to return as soon as possible to avoid any trouble with the Emperor,” Su Liang said to Nangong Lin. They also planned to visit Xiangyue City, but there was no need to disclose this at the time.
“That’s for the best. I would feel guilty if I caused any inconvenience to you,” said Nangong Lin with a warm smile, “I won’t keep you any longer. Feel free to visit whenever you have time. If Qianqian’s health improves, I’ll surely bring her to see you.”
While Gu Ling was packing, Su Liang went to say farewell to Nangong Qian.
“You’re leaving so soon…” Nangong Qian’s eyes reddened, and she clung onto
Su Liang’s hand, “When you’re gone, I won’t have anyone to talk to.”
Su Liang sighed lightly to comfort Nangong Qian, ‘When you’re feeling better and can go outside, you can come to my house with your master.”
Nangong Qian nodded gently, “I definitely will.”
When Su Liang returned to her courtyard, she found Nangong Lin had come over again.
“When I urgently came to find you, I did not have time to prepare any gifts. I brought them now. There’s also a gift for your wedding, ” Nangong Lin said with a smile, handing over two boxes to Su Liang.
Su Liang opened the “first-meeting gift” to find a yellowing book.
“This is a medical book treasured by the Nangong Family. It contains many ancient prescriptions. I hope it will be useful for you,” said Nangong Lin. Su Liang nodded, “I love it, thank you, master.”
As for the wedding gift for Gu Ling and Su Liang, it was a box of valuable sandalwood. Nangong Lin knew that Gu Ling liked to carve.
Thus, before noon that day, Su Liang and Gu Ling bid farewell to Nangong Lin and left the Mid-hill Villa.
When they left Hefeng City, they both changed clothes and even the horses. After leaving the city, they headed towards Xiangyue City.
Traveling at a swift pace, they arrived in Xiangyue City before the city gates closed for the night.
Although there had been setbacks in the war in the northern parts of Yin Country, Xiangyue City remained largely unaffected. The brightly lit streets were bustling as usual.
It was impossible for them to find a house to buy at this hour, so they decided to stay at an inn. Conveniently, Gu Ling reckoned that the following day would be auspicious.
After settling their belongings, they went to a restaurant for dinner and chose a private room facing the street.
Su Liang sat by the window, looking at the night view outside, where she could see a brightly lit tower in the distance.
“Is that a temple or the palace over there?” Su Liang asked Gu Ling. Gu Ling glanced over, “The palace.”
“We have serious business to attend to tonight.” Said Su Liang. One of her reasons for coming to Xiangyue City was to pay a visit to Mu Ya, the Imperial Concubine of the crown prince, in his mansion. As for the secret scroll, she’ll casually inquire about it tomorrow. Even if the royal family of Yin Country possessed it, it would’ve been given by the royal family of Liang Country since the complete scroll is with Gu Ling.
Su Liang ordered a few dishes, all on the sweet side. She didn’t eat much before putting her chopsticks down.
Leaving the restaurant, they strolled around the street for a while before returning to the inn.
Su Liang lay down and slept for an hour, woken by Gu Ling when it was quiet outside.
She pushed open the window, a clean breeze swept across her face. The night sky was filled with stars, a sight hard to resist.
Gu Ling hugged Su Liang from behind, his head resting on her shoulder, faces touching sideways, “Tomorrow, hmm?”
Su Liang chuckled lightly, “God, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Gu Ling tilted his head and stole a kiss from the corner of Su Liang’s lips,
“Don’t play dumb, otherwise…”
“Otherwise, you’re going to keep kissing me until I understand? Too scary.” Su Liang grinned, “Tomorrow, I’m going to sleep with you, satisfied?”
“You said so.” Gu Ling seemed utterly pleased, finally, the time he had been waiting for arrived.
They put on their masks and quietly left the inn, heading for the crown prince’s mansion in Yin Country.
Ever since Mu Ya miscarried, she was completely neglected by the crown prince. Since she was only an Imperial Concubine and the Empress above her had a niece as the crown princess, life was not easy for her.
Plus, because she didn’t properly recover from her postpartum period, she suffered from persistent headaches and weakness.
Since the public challenge with Su Liang during the Military Exam selection in Qian Country, which she lost, everything seemed to go wrong for her. Her reputation and prestige in Yin Country took a major hit due to that defeat and she ended up as an Imperial Concubine instead of the likely crown princess.
Mu Ya, blaming all her sufferings on Su Liang, deliberately instructed her minion Qiu Jianren to insert his nephew Qiu Ming into Su Liang’s side during
Qian Country’s military conscription. Surprisingly, the plot was uncovered, Qiu Ming died, while Su Liang remained fine.
Mu Ya was unaware of the events that transpired after Qiu Ming went to Qian Country and didn’t know her poisonous plot against Su Liang almost killed Su Liang’s friend Gao Jiabao.
After meeting with Qiu Jianren, he was killed, leaving behind a beheaded corpse which Mu Ya saw in person. This spectacle gave her nightmares for three days, after which she forgot about Qiu Jianren.
But when she miscarried, Mu Ya felt it was all Su Liang’s fault. She believed Su Liang cursed her, sent people to kill Qiu Jianren, which shocked her and affected her unborn child.
Upon hearing that Su Liang married Gu Ling, Mu Ya’s jealousy toward her reached the pinnacle.
During the quiet hours of the night, Mu Ya in white clothes and disheveled hair, held a cloth doll with Su Liang’s name written all over it, pierced by long needles. After placing the last needle, she took out all the others from the doll and inserted them back again while cursing, “Su Liang, you won’t die a natural death…”
When Su Liang and Gu Ling approached Mu Ya’s room, they leaned against the wall and listened to what Mu Ya was saying.
Gu Ling’s eyes chilled, signaling Su Liang to wait outside while he went in to deal with it. This time, no hesitation was required.
Su Liang watched Gu Ling leave, slightly raising her head counting the stars, wondering at what count Gu Ling would return.
When Mu Ya noticed a person behind her, Gu Ling’s long sword had already pierced her body.
The doll full of needles dropped from Mu Ya’s hands to the ground. She incredulously turned her head, attempting to see who it was.
Then she heard an unfamiliar voice, “I’m Su Liang’s husband.”
Su Liang’s husband… Gu Ling… The most beautiful man in the world… He came to kill her for Su Liang… Mu Ya’s eyes were dull, and she murmured, “She harms me… The heavens are unjust…”
Su Liang heard it. In some way, it could be said that she harmed Mu Ya. If she hadn’t traveled through time, Mu Ya’s life might have been different. However, there are no ifs in this world, and Mu Ya’s end was also the result of her own choices.
Just when Su Liang felt that Gu Ling was about to come out, and they could return to the inn to sleep, she suddenly felt a chill on her back!
With a sinking heart, Su Liang hadn’t had time to do anything when she heard an aged voice by her ear, “Don’t move.”
She felt a cold sensation on her neck, as if something was wrapped around it, but she hadn’t even noticed when this person had come close! Encountering a master like this at Mu Ya’s place was something she hadn’t anticipated. Had such a person been by Mu Ya’s side, he would have been sent to kill Su Liang long ago!
Soon, Su Liang saw Gu Ling, and Gu Ling also saw her, including the figure in a black cloak behind her, almost blending into the night.
In an instant, it was as if all of Gu Ling’s blood had frozen, “Let her go!”
“You killed my adopted daughter.” The elder’s deep voice revealed that he was one of Mu Ya’s men.
It must have been that when this elder discovered Gu Ling, he had already stabbed his sword through Mu Ya’s body. So the elder had chosen to capture Su Liang…
“What do you want?” Gu Ling saw the golden thread around Su Liang’s neck and told himself to stay calm, don’t panic, but his heart couldn’t help plummeting. From the time he had met Su Liang till now, even throughout Gu Ling’s life, he had never felt this panicked before.
“To pay with a life,” the elder said in a cold voice, “Yours or hers.”
“Mine,” said Gu Ling instantly, “Let her go.” If they were to use poison at this moment, neither he nor Su Liang had taken the antidote in advance, and it would only put them at a disadvantage.
“Drop your weapon,” the elder stared at Gu Ling.
Gu Ling put his long sword on the ground and took the dagger from his sleeve and threw it down.
“Your pouch,” the elder said.
Gu Ling unfastened his pouch and threw it aside.
“Take this medicine.” As soon as the elder finished speaking, a white porcelain bottle flew towards Gu Ling.
“Don’t!” Su Liang watched Gu Ling gripping that porcelain bottle, her heart suddenly tightening, “I instructed him to kill Mu Ya! If you want to do something, come at me!”
But the elder didn’t take any notice of Su Liang, “I’ll count to three, if you don’t take it, I’ll slit her throat.”
“Gu Ling, don’t take it, I beg you,” Su Liang didn’t have time to think about how all this happened. But at this moment, she only had one thought, that he shouldn’t take the medicine. He simply must not take it.
“Two,” the elder said, suddenly tightening the golden thread in his hand. Su Liang didn’t let herself cry out in pain, but Gu Ling saw a bloody mark appear on her neck.
Gu Ling poured a pill out of the bottle, holding it in his hand, looking steadily at Su Liang, and his eyes were full of guilt, “I’m sorry, you have to stay alive.”
“No!” Su Liang’s tears streamed down her face. She heard her elder chant “one” behind her, and Gu Ling put the medicine into his mouth.
The elder let go, and Su Liang, feeling as if all her strength had been drained, collapsed on the ground. She watched with wide eyes as Gu Ling spat out blood and collapsed, being dragged up by someone and taken away…
The last bit of sanity reminded Su Liang, along with Gu Ling’s warning, that she wasn’t to do anything, she absolutely couldn’t do anything. The elder’s power was beyond her imagination, and if she rashly took action, she would surely die.
In fact, everything happened very quickly, so quickly that one moment she was counting stars in her memory, waiting for Gu Ling to come out so they could go back and sleep together, and the next moment, she felt heartbroken…
A woman’s scream rang out, seeming far away, yet suddenly very close. Su
Liang came to her senses and realized that the scream was coming from Mu Ya’s room, just across the wall. A servant must have found Mu Ya dead, and soon, someone would discover her…
Su Liang got up and walked over, picked up the long sword, dagger, and pouch that Gu Ling had dropped, and practically stumbled away. When she climbed over the wall to leave, she fell on the ground. Her hand was scraped, but she felt nothing.
Dawn arrived.
Alone, Su Liang stood in the dense forest outside Xiangyue City. The rising sun dribbled gold through the gaps in the leaves. Yet, her heart felt icy cold.
She anticipated that with the murder of the crown prince’s concubine, the city authorities would scrutinize all newcomers, inn guests being first on the list. So, she packed her belongings in the middle of the night and left the city, abandoning the horse behind.
They had only arrived the previous day, riding horses and laughing together. They strolled through the city at night, planned to consummate their marriage that night, and buy a house they liked during the day, so they would have a place to stay when they returned. Gu Ling wanted it as a memento.
Even now, Su Liang couldn’t understand why.
They were always careful. Since Mu Ya was protected by such a powerful master, why did he show up after she died? Whys overpowered her thoughts… Why did Gu Ling apologize to her? Was it because he could no longer stay by her side? No, she couldn’t accept such an outcome. She refused to…
She sat down, leaning against a tree, eyes closed, tears streaking down her face, her mind blank. She wished it were all a dream, that they had never been to Xiangyue City, that she and Gu Ling were still in Qian Country, in Jiaye City, in their home in the capital city, in Su village…
The afternoon sun was harsh.
Donning a straw hat, Su Liang followed a caravan back to Xiangyue City.
She found a teahouse and quietly sat in a corner of the hall, drinking tea alone, while listening to the people around her discussing the grisly death of the crown prince’s concubine.
Previously, despite being deemed unlucky for losing to Su Liang and giving birth to a stillborn baby, Mu Ya garnered sympathy. People had started remembering her as the heroic female general of Yin Country.
It seemed ridiculous to Su Liang, but she was too heartbroken to laugh. She didn’t know why she had come back. She didn’t even know whether Gu Ling was Still anve… wny ala tnat man taKe mmc 11 It was to avenge mu Y a, why didn’t he kill him on the spot?
With her thoughts in a whirl, Su Liang left the teahouse and aimlessly wandered the city.
Without Gu Ling, she realized that she couldn’t get used to the rules of this world on her own. If Gu Ling was dead, what was she to do next? She couldn’t believe that Gu Ling was dead. But even if he was alive, she didn’t know where to find him…
When Gu Ling opened his eyes again and saw the person before him, there was no surprise in his gaze.
Nangong Lin wiped away the filth on Gu Ling’s face with a handkerchief. “You don’t seem surprised, seems you guessed it has something to do with me last night. ”
With a frosty gaze, Gu Ling stared at Nangong Lin, ‘Who is that man?”
Nangong Lin chuckled, “My master, your master’s father, and Qianqian’s grandfather. The reason I met you and your wife years ago, was because I was helping my master search for his missing daughter all around the world. His daughter is Situ Xiang. You’re a genius, even my master would have a hard time fighting you. Unfortunately, Su Liang, your biggest weakness, was with you. My master was following you all along and waiting for the right chance to strike. I told him to be careful when taking you back. Fortunately, you didn’t tell Su Liang the truth last night. Otherwise, I would have had to take her out of the picture. ”
“Why?” Gu Ling asked coldly.
“You’ll know soon.” Nangong Lin stood up, cleaned the handkerchief in the basin, and wiped Gu Ling’s hands.
At that moment, Gu Ling was too weak to move. Thinking about Su Liang being alone and ignorant of the cause of everything made him feel crazy.
“You really are a sight to behold.” Nangong Lin looked at Gu Ling and nodded with an all-smiles face, “Your mother wasn’t happy when she married Gu Yuan. I wanted to take her away but she refused. This time, I won’t let history repeat itself. Don’t worry, you are the only child of the woman I loved the most, I will not harm you, nor kill you.”
As Nangong Lin finished speaking, he picked up the basin to leave. At the door, he stopped and turned back. His smile didn’t reach his eyes as he said, “Apologizing to Su Liang was the right thing to do. All this is because you married her. If not, things wouldn’t have turned out this way and she wouldn’t have come to Yin Country. I will rectify your mistake. Don’t worry, she will live well. From now on, she’ll have nothing to do with you..”