"Xue'er," Chu Ruo murmured as she stretched, her first word upon waking being the name of the woman who had even haunted her dreams.
"You're awake." Nan Muxue tossed a few more branches into the fire, making the flames crackle and pop. "Are you cold?"
Chu Ruo shook her head. Though she couldn't see, she could feel the intense heat radiating from the fire. She grinned. "I'm hot."
The woman beside her let a smile tug at the corners of her lips. "What are you smiling at?"
"The more I slept, the hotter I got. Look at my forehead—I’m actually sweating. I suspect that while I was asleep, someone kept stoking the fire, surely out of a tender heart that couldn't bear to see me catch a chill."
"Is that so? This valley doesn't look like it holds any other living soul. I'm afraid this 'someone' you speak of is nothing more than your own wishful thinking."
"Why do you always insist on being so duplicitous? You clearly care for me, yet your tongue refuses to yield an inch."
"Why should I yield to you? You—"
"Wait, wait, stop right there!"
Nan Muxue couldn't help but reach out and pinch Chu Ruo’s reddened ear. "What? Are you losing patience with me?"
"It’s not that. But rather than trading barbs, didn't you say we should explore this place once we woke up? I’ll get up now."
Nan Muxue pressed her back down. "Stay lying down. It’s dark now. Even during the day, this valley is shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see clearly. Now that night has fallen, everything is even more obscured. The nights here are cold and damp; since we’ve already started a fire and this overhanging rock provides some shelter from the wind and rain, we shall stay put for tonight."
"I’ve overslept again."
Nan Muxue chuckled softly. "It’s no fault of yours. In fact, it felt to me as though you had only slept for a short while before waking. Though I don't know how long we’ve been trapped here, you were exhausted. With me here, you can rest easy."
"Then..." Chu Ruo blinked mischievously. "Were you staring at me the whole time I was asleep? Is that why it felt like no time had passed?"
"Nonsense."
Hearing that awkward, defensive tone, Chu Ruo couldn't help but tease, "Wife, you really aren't very good at lying sometimes."
A sharp pinch to her ear followed immediately. The smug grin vanished as Chu Ruo instantly surrendered. "Why do you like pinching me no matter where we are?"
"It seems to me you have many complaints."
"No, no, just an observation. Merely an observation!"
Chu Ruo struggled to sit up, leaving Nan Muxue puzzled. "Why are you so insistent on getting up?"
"Doesn't it make your legs go numb, letting me use them as a pillow for so long? Come, let’s switch. You lean on me and sleep."
Nan Muxue let out a soft huff of a laugh.
"What are you laughing at?"
Nan Muxue pinched the other woman's cheek. "My disciple has finally developed a conscience."
"Look at how you put it. Haven't I always—"
"Enough." Nan Muxue cut her off, her eyes reflecting nothing but her lover's image. "I am fine. I don't know how long I was unconscious, but I feel refreshed now. I couldn't sleep even if I tried. You keep lying down."
"I'm not sleepy anymore either." As she spoke, Chu Ruo’s hand slid quietly onto the other's shoulder, pulling her into an embrace. A beauty in her arms, soft and fragrant—truly soft and fragrant. "Hehe, it’s still more comfortable holding you."
"Shameless."
"Mm, whatever you say. I’m a bit thirsty, though. I should go get some water. Oh, and are you hungry? Let’s catch some fish..."
Nan Muxue interrupted her. "Just endure it for now. We will look for food and drink tomorrow morning when we scout the area."
"Why?" Chu Ruo asked, confused. "The lake is right next to us. Are you afraid there are no fish? If I weren't blind and the sound of the water wasn't so loud, I would have caught some to eat long ago."
"I will take you to find food tomorrow."
"I'm not that hungry, just really thirsty."
Nan Muxue gently took Chu Ruo’s face in her hands and turned it toward her own. "Listen to me. You are not allowed to drink it."
Something felt wrong. Chu Ruo swallowed hard and said, "You... don't scare me."
"How am I scaring you?"
"Why won't you let me drink the water? Is it... is the lake water poisoned?"
Nan Muxue was utterly speechless. She snapped back, "If it were, why aren't you dead yet?"
"Then why won't you let me drink or catch fish? It doesn't make sense. When I was drinking it these past few days, it tasted quite sweet. And the water is flowing, so there shouldn't be a problem."
"Sweet?"
"Yeah. These past few days, I was guarding you and didn't dare leave. When I got so hungry my stomach wouldn't stop growling, I’d just gulp down a few handfuls of water. But then my stomach would just growl even louder."
Nan Muxue coaxed her gently, "Now that I’m awake, I won't let you go hungry again. We’ll find food first thing tomorrow."
"No, you still haven't told me. Is there something wrong with the water?"
Nan Muxue leaned naturally into Chu Ruo’s embrace. "You always have so many questions. So inquisitive, so full of curiosity."
"Well, curiosity is only natural."
"Some things are better left unknown."
"That won't do. Saying that only makes me want to know more. Tell me, what’s wrong with the lake? Are you hiding something? Is it really poisoned?"
"It is not poisoned."
If it wasn't poisoned, why would her "Little Scorpion" stop her? Chu Ruo tugged at Nan Muxue’s arm relentlessly, her behavior bordering on acting like a spoiled child. "My dear Xue'er is the best. Just tell me, what’s going on?"
Nan Muxue poked at the fire. "I’m not telling you for your own good."
"I don't care. If it’s for my own good, you should tell me. Are you going to say it? If not... if not, I’ll go jump in the water right now and drink my fill!"
Her chin was instantly seized. "Shall I help you then? It is exceptionally cold tonight."
Chu Ruo shrank back. "No... no thanks. Then... then just tell me."
Nan Muxue felt both exasperated and amused by this woman’s cowardly yet stubborn persistence. "You truly want to know?"
"Mm-hmm."
"How did we end up here?"
"Your mother forced us, obviously. We were driven to a dead end and jumped into the lake. I didn't expect there to be an undercurrent at the bottom. Even though I couldn't see, I remember a massive whirlpool sucking us in the moment we hit the bottom. It must have been an opening that led here. It’s a good thing you held onto my hand so tightly, or we really would never have seen each other again."
"At that moment, I truly intended to die. However, once we were under, I caught a glimpse of something strange at the bottom of the lake and pulled you toward it. I was merely gambling on a single chance. I couldn't bear to leave you, Ruo'er."
Those few simple words were so difficult for a woman like Nan Muxue to say. In that moment, they leaned their foreheads together in silent understanding, their lips eventually meeting in a soft, lingering touch. Chu Ruo gripped her hand tightly. "Me too. Even though we promised to live and die together, I finally managed to be with you. I don't want to die so soon. I want to be with you forever. Year after year, age after age. I want to walk through many springs, summers, autumns, and winters with you. I want to grow old with you."
"I promise you, we will."
"Mm."
Nan Muxue gazed at the person before her. In this moment, the rest of the world vanished from her eyes, yet she possessed everything. Her entire world was right here. Uncharacteristically, she closed her eyes and tilted her head up, intending to take the initiative for a kiss...
"But you still haven't said it! What’s wrong with the lake water? What does that have to do with not letting me drink?"
...Chu Ruo truly had a talent for ruining the mood without even realizing it. Nan Muxue’s eyebrows arched in irritation, and a small sense of playfulness—or perhaps petty revenge—took hold. "Do you remember when I was forced to marry Xiong Feng, and many sects from the martial world attended? Among them were the leaders of several major sects."
"Wife, just say it all in one breath, will you? Why the suspense?"
"Then do you know that they are all dead?"
"Of course I know. Your mother drained their internal energy and killed them to silence them."
"No one knows where those bodies went. Back then, the Hundred Flowers Palace didn't feed them to the dogs."
"Then she must have disposed of them... wait." Chu Ruo suddenly felt a wave of nausea. "Are you saying she threw the bodies into the lake...?"
"Precisely."
*Retch—* "You... you..." So all this time, I’ve been drinking...
"What? Do you still find the water 'sweet and refreshing' now?"
"Stop it!" *Retch—* She hadn't eaten in days, so there was nothing to throw up, and since it was all water anyway, retching did little to help. "You... you... you’re so mean!"
Nan Muxue, on the other hand, found herself in a much better mood. "You were the one who insisted on asking. I told you it was for your own good, but you wouldn't listen. What could I do? Since you wanted to know, I simply fulfilled your wish."
"Don't say another word! Not one word!"
*Retch...*
"Alright," Nan Muxue said, patting Chu Ruo’s back. "You haven't eaten anything; does vomiting make you feel any better?"
"I’m going to die of disgust!"
"You’re overreacting. Serene Lake is vast. Over the years, even if there weren't human remains, there would be others. You’re being quite dramatic."
"How is that the same? These... these were people! Don't talk about it anymore, *retch*—" After another bout of dry heaving, Chu Ruo finally calmed down a bit. "I’m telling you, it’s your fault for not telling me sooner."
"I only saw the corpses at the bottom when I jumped into the lake with you. I suspect some of them were swept through the undercurrent as well. However, this lake is quite large, and as you said, the water is flowing. It’s fine."
"I’m warning you, Nan Muxue, that’s enough!"
"What did you call me?"
"Wife."
"Get lost."
Chu Ruo shamelessly clung to her anyway. "I’m dizzy. I’m tired."
"Shall I splash some lake water on you to wake you up?"
... "The most poisonous thing is a woman's heart."
"Hmm?"
"Alright, alright, no more bickering." Chu Ruo wrapped her arms around her. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have ended up like this."
Nan Muxue gently stroked her hair. "And if it weren't for me, why would you be in this state?"
"At least I still have my martial arts. But you... your martial arts were your greatest pride."
Nan Muxue shook her head and turned to look at her. "My greatest pride is you."
"But..."
"Enough. We agreed not to mention these things."
"Is it... is it possible for you to practice martial arts again in the future?" Chu Ruo asked, though she knew the answer was likely bleak. With her dantian destroyed, it would probably take a miracle pill to save her.
Nan Muxue kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about me."
"Right, the Love Flower Drunk... didn't you say before that to practice it, one must first discard their cultivation? Then you—"
"Practicing the Love Flower Drunk requires one to sever all emotions and love. The further one goes, the more ruthless it becomes. You saw what my mother became. Why? Do you wish for me to be like that?"
"Of course not. You’d better not practice it then, or what if you don't want me anymore?"
"Idiot."
"Why call me an idiot?"
"Actually, the Love Flower Drunk isn't exactly a demonic art. It’s just that my mother was too impatient for success and added her own modifications, which led to that result. This technique is inherently contradictory. The practitioner must sever all love, yet the final form is named 'Love'."
"Love?"
"Yes. The final form has no fixed mental mantra or moves. It requires personal enlightenment. Therefore, for everyone who practices the Love Flower Drunk, the final form is different."
"Everything about your Hundred Flowers Palace is strange, except for you."
Nan Muxue tapped her on the head. "Aren't you a bit of an oddity yourself?"
"True. I remember when I first arrived, everyone called me that behind my back. Sigh, I wonder how Xiao Guo'er and Wotou are doing."
"Since you’re worried, get some rest early. We’ll look around tomorrow and find a way out."
"Mm. Xue'er."
"Yes? What is it?"
Chu Ruo simply interlaced their fingers and repeated the words she had said before. "Year after year, forevermore."
***
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Master, Spare My Life: A Disciple's Sweet Rebellion | Chapter 173 | Year After Year | Novela.app | Novela.app
