AWB Chapter 568 He desperately wanted to know what would happen to them on this journey.
Chapter 568 He desperately wanted to know what would happen to them on this journey.
The thought had just surfaced when Xu Longxiang himself paused for a moment, then forcibly suppressed it.
impossible.
It is absolutely impossible.
He knew better than anyone what kind of person Su Xin was.
She has a cool and aloof personality and doesn't like to get close to people.
She wasn't the type to fall in love easily, and he had been with her for so long, they had been through so much together, how could she suddenly fall for Zhao San, whom she had only known for a short time?
That can't be true.
Xu Longxiang kept telling himself that it couldn't be like that.
She agreed to go with him, perhaps only because of Zhao San's special status, or perhaps simply because she wanted to further develop her relationship with him.
His gaze fell on a vine on the courtyard wall that was trembling slightly in the wind, his eyes somewhat unfocused.
The voice from inside the room rang out again; it was Qin Mu: "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Suxin."
outside the window.
Xu Longxiang stood by the half-open window.
He neither went in nor left.
He stood there like a tree that had been bent by the wind but never fell.
A breeze blew from the end of the corridor, causing the withered vines on the wisteria trellis to sway gently, casting a dappled, swaying shadow at his feet.
His gaze fell on the warm yellow halo shining through the window paper, neither focusing nor looking away.
He heard it.
Every word was clearly audible.
"it is good."
When that word fell, it was as light as a leaf falling into water, but the moment it reached Xu Longxiang's ears, it was like a stone being smashed into a deep pool.
He froze completely.
He stood there, his fingers still resting on the window frame, his fingertips touching the old paint worn smooth by time, but he could no longer feel it.
His breathing paused for a moment, then slowly resumed, as if afraid of disturbing something.
He could hear his own heartbeat ringing in his ears, muffled and deep, like a drum being struck.
it is good.
She agreed.
So quickly, without the slightest hesitation, without even asking "why," "when will you come back," or "is Northern Mang dangerous?"
She simply said "okay," as if she had known this problem would come sooner or later.
Xu Longxiang stood there, feeling something slowly sinking down.
That feeling was very unfamiliar.
He had experienced war, betrayal, and the pain of losing loved ones, but never before had he felt so clearly a weight slowly descending—not a sudden crash, but a gradual descent, inch by inch.
He considered many possibilities.
I thought she would refuse, I thought she would hesitate, I thought she would say, "Beimang is too dangerous, I don't want to go."
He had even prepared a reason for her to refuse in his mind—"It's too far away."
"I still have things to do here."
"I'm not used to rushing"—he had thought of everything for her.
But he never expected that she would agree so readily, so readily that he didn't even have time to convince himself.
At that moment, a thought suddenly surfaced: Did she really fall in love with Zhao San?
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Xu Longxiang was stunned.
He instinctively wanted to deny it, to suppress the thought, but it was like a pebble falling into water; it sank, but left behind ripples that never faded.
impossible.
He told himself, "Impossible."
Su Xin is not that kind of person.
She was cold and didn't like to get close to people. They had been through so much together, how could she possibly develop any special feelings for Zhao San in just a few days?
She agreed to go along only because it was part of the plan, because she wanted to gain Zhao San's trust, and for the sake of the great cause in the North.
He repeated these words over and over again, as if trying to nail them into his brain.
But with each repetition, the sound weakens, like a drum that is repeatedly struck, becoming thinner and hollower with each strike.
Then, just as that heavy feeling was about to completely crush him, a very fine crack suddenly appeared in his mind.
A glimmer of light, which he had never expected, shone through the crack.
He suddenly realized that if Su Xin could really get close to Zhao San, and if she could really gain Zhao San's trust, then he would have the opportunity to learn more about this mysterious man.
He will know his true identity, his hidden strength, and why he suddenly appeared in the Northern Territory.
Along the way, Su Xin would keep an eye on Zhao San's every move and collect things for them that they could never collect in any other way.
This thought, like a flame suddenly ignited by the wind, leaped in a corner of his heart that he had never touched before.
At that moment, Xu Longxiang suddenly felt an inexplicable excitement.
The feeling came very lightly, so lightly that he didn't even notice it at first. By the time he realized it, it had already spread throughout his chest, like a slowly flowing underground river, its origin and destination unknown.
He began to deduce the results.
If Su Xin really went to Northern Mang with Zhao San, then he would know more about Zhao San.
He will know the extent of his power, his purpose, and whether he is friend or foe.
This was far more direct than him standing in the North waiting for news, and far more reliable than sending others to investigate.
He even started to wonder—what if he went there too?
He didn't wear a python robe, didn't lead a large army, and didn't reveal his identity; he simply followed at a distance, like an ordinary passerby.
He wanted to see with his own eyes what Zhao San would do along the way, to hear what they would talk about, and to know what Su Xin was like when she was with Zhao San.
This idea grew wildly, almost completely overshadowing the heaviness he had just felt.
He had even begun to mentally rehearse the route—how far was Beimang from the Northern Border, what places they would pass through along the way, whether Zhao San would encounter danger, whether Su Xin would be injured, and if anything happened, whether he could appear immediately.
But just as this thought was growing stronger, his gaze fell on his dark black cuffs.
The cuffs were embroidered with the dark silver patterns of the Xu family of the Northern Border, which gleamed faintly in the twilight.
At that moment, it was as if he had been awakened from an overly realistic dream, and slowly, inch by inch, he returned to reality.
He is the Lord of the North.
He has hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the north who need his advice, the situation in the Northern Barbarian Lands is not yet clear, and the eyes of the court have never left the north.
He can act impulsively once, but he cannot gamble the safety of the entire North on a momentary impulse.
His eyes slowly dimmed.
The newly lit flame flickered and shortened like a candle flame blown by a gust of wind, but it did not completely go out.
It simply retreated to a deeper place, to a place where it could hardly see itself anymore.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes again, the expression on his face had returned to its usual calm.
Inside the room, Chen Ruoyao's voice rang out softly again, as if confirming something: "When are we leaving?"
Qin Mu's voice was calm and steady: "Tomorrow."
"So fast?"
"Yes. The matter in Northern Mang cannot be delayed for too long."
Chen Ruoyao didn't ask any further questions, but simply nodded: "Then what do I need to prepare?"
"We don't need to bring too much," Qin Mu said. "We're just traveling."
Xu Longxiang stood outside the window, listening to the sounds coming intermittently from behind the window paper.
He heard them discussing the route, mentioning the potential dangers, and heard Chen Ruoyao occasionally respond with an "um" or "okay," each word as clear as if carved in stone.
He wanted to listen, yet he didn't want to listen.
I want to know what they said, but I'm also afraid of hearing things I don't want to hear.
He just stood there, like a tree that had taken root on the shore but didn't know where to grow.
Suddenly, the conversation inside the room stopped.
Then, the door was pushed open.
Xu Longxiang's body stiffened slightly.
He instinctively wanted to back away, but his feet seemed nailed to the ground, and he couldn't move an inch.
The moment the door opened, Qin Mu saw him.
The air fell silent for a moment.
If it were anyone else, they would probably be so embarrassed right now that they wouldn't know where to look.
But at that moment, a perfectly timed smile naturally appeared on Xu Longxiang's face, as if he had just been passing by.
He smiled and asked, "Mr. Zhao, are you finished talking?"
His voice was steady, without any hint of anything amiss, as if he had simply been taking a stroll in the corridor and happened to have wandered over there.
Qin Mu looked at him and smiled, "Has Your Highness been waiting here all this time?"
Xu Longxiang's smile remained unchanged: "Just passing by."
After he said those two words, he realized that the excuse was rather clumsy. He had walked down this corridor countless times today, but the words were already out and couldn't be taken back.
Qin Mu didn't expose him, but just smiled lightly, then looked at him and said, "Your Highness, I would like to take Miss Suxin with me on this trip to Northern Mang."
He paused for a moment. "What do you think?"
Xu Longxiang felt his breath catch for a moment again.
He heard himself answer, "Of course."
The voice was very fast, almost without any pause, as if the answer had been prepared long ago.
Qin Mu looked at him and suddenly smiled: "Your Highness is quite at ease."
Xu Longxiang smiled gently, "Sir, you are trustworthy."
Qin Mu didn't say anything more, but simply cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Then it's decided. Farewell."
"Take care, sir."
Qin Mu turned and left.
His steps were unhurried, the hem of his gray robe swaying gently with each step. He walked through the corridor, past the wisteria trellis, then turned a corner and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Xu Longxiang stood there, watching the gray-clad figure gradually disappear into the distance.
He didn't turn around immediately, but stood by the pillar for a while longer, as if giving that figure enough time to walk away, or as if giving himself enough time to regain his footing.
Then he turned around and pushed open the door.
Inside, the light of the setting sun shone through the paper windows, bathing the room in a soft, warm yellow hue.
Chen Ruoyao was still sitting on the chair by the window, holding the closed book in her hand, her profile outlined softly by the light.
She looked up and saw him walk in. She wasn't surprised; she just waited quietly for him to speak.
Xu Longxiang walked over and sat down opposite her. On the table was a cup of tea that had gone cold.
He looked down at the cup of tea; the tea was clear and reflected the sunlight streaming in from the window, like a small mirror.
He gazed at it for a long time, so long that the light shifted from his shoulder to his knee, so long that the reflection on the teacup was rippled for a moment by a gentle breeze before returning to its calm state.
He heard himself speak, his voice softer than he had expected: "I was outside just now... I heard it."
Chen Ruoyao didn't look away: "Mm."
"I didn't expect..." he paused for a moment, "...that you would agree so quickly."
Chen Ruoyao looked at him, as if waiting for him to continue.
He didn't continue. He lowered his head, his gaze returning to the cup of tea: "Didn't you want me to get close to him?"
As he finished speaking, Xu Longxiang's fingers twitched slightly inside his sleeve.
He felt something gently pressing on his chest, not heavy, but definitely there.
Of course he remembered; it was his arrangement, his plan.
But when he actually heard her say those words, he suddenly realized that he wasn't as calm as he had imagined.
He was silent for a moment before speaking, his voice even lower than before: "Northern Mang is dangerous. You..."
He stopped there.
He wanted to say "Don't go," but when the words reached his lips, he found himself unable to say them.
Because he knew he had no right to say those words.
He was the one who made her go.
He told her personally, "We need his strength."
He was standing at the entrance of that tavern, watching her walk in.
He can regret it, but he can't take it back.
After a moment of silence, he said softly, "Be careful."
Chen Ruoyao looked at him calmly, without reproach or comfort: "Don't worry."
Xu Longxiang nodded.
They didn't say anything more.
He stood up and walked towards the door.
He took one step, then two, and stopped in front of the door without turning back.
He stood in the doorway, his voice coming from the direction his back was to her: "Then... take care."
Chen Ruoyao's voice came from behind, softly, like a pebble falling into deep water: "Mmm."
The door closed behind him.
Xu Longxiang stood on the porch outside the door, gazing at the setting sun slowly sinking in the sky.
The orange-red glow of the sunset spread across half the sky, casting the outline of the eaves into a deep silhouette, like a painting with its edges soaked in water.
Standing there, he realized for the first time that waiting for someone to return was longer and more agonizing than waiting for the outcome of a war.
At this moment, the idea of secretly following Su Xin and Zhao San inevitably resurfaced in Xu Longxiang's mind.
He was so eager to know what they would experience on this journey...