"There's nothing much to tell after that. I returned to the Yan Yue Sect and waited until our sect had established a foothold in the Beiliang Kingdom. Then I slipped into the Yue Kingdom to look for you once more. But the news I got was terrible — all I knew was that you seemed to have been hunted down by the Ghost Spirit Gate a second time. The specifics, I couldn't learn. Before long, I was discovered by the Demonic cultivators and had no choice but to return to the Nine Nations Alliance. After that, I heard nothing of you. I assumed you had most likely perished. The Heart Demon related to you gradually faded as well. Later, by sheer luck I successfully condensed my Nascent Soul and became an Elder of the Yan Yue Sect, where I've remained ever since." Nangong Wan spoke with a calm expression.
Han Li listened to Nangong Wan's unhurried account, his expression shifting several times in the process. Back then, this woman had done so much for him, and he had been completely unaware of it. As he gazed at Nangong Wan, a trace of warmth crept into his eyes.
"And what about Wei Lichen?" After a long pause, Han Li couldn't help but ask.
"Wei Lichen! Years ago, during a trip outside the sect, I happened to encounter an Elder of the Huayi Gate. I don't care for this man. He's practically a textbook hypocrite — refined and elegant on the surface, but underneath he's full of depravity. I've heard that he has seven or eight so-called female disciples, and moreover, I've learned that he secretly cultivated the technique of absorbing yin to supplement yang. His proposal to me was almost certainly motivated by impure intentions. So when he first proposed marriage, I rejected him outright." Nangong Wan said with a cold smile on her face.
"Rejected him? Then how did it end up like this?" Han Li asked with a puzzled look.
Nangong Wan did not directly answer the question. Instead, she suddenly asked:
"Do you know about the three great Nascent Soul cultivators of Tiannan?"
"Of course I do. The Righteous, Demonic, and Nine Nations Alliance factions each have one cultivator at the late stage of Nascent Soul, just a single step from entering the Deity Transformation stage, correct? Otherwise, the major powers couldn't have maintained the balance until now. As for our Nine Nations Alliance, there's a husband-and-wife pair at the mid-stage of Nascent Soul who are skilled in combined techniques. Working together, they can barely hold their own against a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. What — is Wei Lichen connected to one of them?" Han Li asked darkly, a vague sense of foreboding stirring in his heart.
"That's right. Wei Lichen's great-uncle is none other than Wei Wuya, one of the three great cultivators. Wei Wuya serves as a Supreme Elder of the Nine Nations Alliance and cultivates a rare and obscure poison-dao technique. With a mere gesture, he can take another's life without leaving a trace. His abilities far exceed what ordinary cultivators can imagine." Nangong Wan said in a low voice, her ten slender fingers intertwined with one another, a bitter smile on her face.
"Could it be that Wei Wuya himself has been pressuring you?" Han Li's mouth twitched slightly, and a flash of killing intent crossed his eyes as he spoke in a frigid tone.
"Not exactly. But Wei Wuya did indeed intervene in this matter. Do you know that the Grand Elder of the Yan Yue Sect is no longer the same person as before? It's been replaced by a former senior sister of mine. Although her cultivation isn't low, she is extremely ambitious, and she and I have never gotten along. Despite another Elder attempting to mediate, our relationship is terrible!" Nangong Wan said with a flash of anger.
Han Li's expression darkened, realizing that Nangong Wan was getting to the crucial part.
Sure enough, after gritting her pearly teeth, Nangong Wan continued:
"After I rejected Wei Lichen's proposal several times in a row, I don't know what methods he used, but he personally recruited Wei Wuya to approach my senior sister. I don't know what the two of them discussed, but merely half a year later, during the reincarnation cycle of my Maiden's Reincarnation Technique, she suddenly struck and restrained me. Then she forced me to marry Wei Lichen."
"Your senior sister — is she out of her mind? Using such methods against a fellow sect's Nascent Soul cultivator?" Han Li was stunned for a moment, finding it hard to believe.
"You're right! I never expected her to be this insane. But the conditions Wei Wuya offered were indeed difficult for her to refuse. I later learned that as long as the Yan Yue Sect agreed to this marriage, not only would the Yan Yue Sect — even the entire Six Great Sects — be allowed to expand beyond the Beiliang Kingdom, but Wei Lichen was also willing to leave the Huayi Gate and join the Yan Yue Sect after marrying me. A double benefit like that — no wonder she resorted to every手段. She didn't even care whether I agreed or not; she went ahead and spread the news that I had accepted Wei Lichen's dual cultivation marriage, and even prepared to hold a celebration ceremony, intending to make the matter a fait accompli so that even if I wanted to back out, it would be impossible." Nangong Wan raised the corner of her lips with a mocking smile.
"So you never actually agreed to the marriage! And all that talk earlier about marrying someone made my heart skip a beat!" Han Li exclaimed with great relief upon hearing this.
"I was actually going to ask you — if you formed your Nascent Soul years ago, why didn't you come find me sooner? If you had come even one year earlier, perhaps all this trouble could have been avoided." Nangong Wan shot Han Li a glare, speaking with a touch of reproach.
"It's not that I didn't want to look for you, it's just that I—" Han Li faltered, opening his mouth to explain, but upon thinking more carefully, he realized it was indeed a bit strange.
Although he had always vaguely sensed that Nangong Wan was the person he truly cared for, he had never mustered the courage to directly confront that feeling. Had it not been for the sudden news that Nangong Wan was getting married, there would likely still have been a trace of hesitation in his heart, too afraid to face his emotions directly.
While Han Li's expression wavered, Nangong Wan rose to her feet with a radiant smile. She took a few steps toward Han Li, looked straight into his eyes, and said:
"Actually, my situation is much the same as yours. Although our experience and abilities far surpass those of mortals, when it comes to matters of the heart, it's a first for both of us — we're both unfamiliar and somewhat fearful of it. Even though you and I have both left deep imprints in each other's hearts, after all, we are not ordinary men and women of the mortal world. We can't simply burn through all our emotions in a single dazzling moment and release them freely like they do. For the optimal cultivation mindset, we cultivators are forced to suppress and bury most of our emotions deep in our hearts. What remains after passion has faded is more likely the quiet, enduring mutual respect of a lasting companionship. So when I learned you were still alive, though I was overjoyed, I still deliberated for two full days and nights before finally deciding to follow my heart and accept you."
Speaking these gentle words, Nangong Wan extended her slender, delicate hand and clasped one of Han Li's palms.
Han Li fell silent for a moment, then, without a word, placed his other hand on top of hers, feeling the tender, silky softness of her hand. A warm feeling rose in his heart.
Nangong Wan's cheeks flushed red. She quickly withdrew both her hands and shot Han Li a reproachful glance.
Han Li didn't take it to heart. Instead, he smiled faintly and suddenly said:
"Wan'er, even though you're confined here, judging by how calm you seem, you must have already come up with a way to escape. Otherwise, you wouldn't be free of anxiety even now after all this time."
Upon hearing this, Nangong Wan covered her mouth with a smile, a hint of slyness glimmering in her starry eyes.
"You're quick on the uptake! Indeed, although I've been placed under house arrest in my cave dwelling, only a handful of senior figures know about it. The ordinary disciples have no idea. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to receive Senior Nephew Tang's voice transmission talisman directly. But to prevent my escape, they placed several types of restrictions on me. The other restrictions are nothing — they don't realize that once my Maiden's Reincarnation Technique reached the Nascent Soul stage, it granted me many extraordinary abilities. These ordinary restrictions simply can't hold me. I could recover my original magical power at any time I choose. But the Heart Confinement Technique placed by that senior sister of mine is truly difficult to break. She prepared this technique to use at the grand ceremony — in case I continued to refuse the marriage, she would use it to temporarily control me. She planted it using her own essence blood. And the key to this restriction lies in a restriction command token. Unless that artifact is destroyed, I'll remain under its control as long as I'm within a hundred-li radius. Fortunately, our cultivation levels aren't too far apart. This control can only compel simple physical movements — she cannot manipulate any of my magical power."
"Then your original plan was...?" Han Li asked curiously.
"Hee hee! My original plan was to wait until a few days before the ceremony, catch them at their most relaxed, and suddenly recover my magical power, then immediately flee as far as possible. As long as I'm outside the range of that restriction token, she can't do a thing to me. But since you're here now, this problem naturally becomes yours to handle. After all, you're the man who's going to marry me. And I hear you easily defeated a fellow Nascent Soul cultivator. You must have some tricks up your sleeve." Nangong Wan laughed softly, speaking with a sense of ease.
"Heart Confinement Technique? That restriction is indeed troublesome. Short of destroying the token, there's no simple way to undo it." Han Li frowned, muttering thoughtfully.
"If there's really no way, then forget it. The two of us will just leave the Yan Yue Sect far behind," Nangong Wan said lightly, her bright eyes流转, seemingly unbothered.
"It's fine! It's just a restriction token, isn't it? It should be in your senior sister's possession. I'll go retrieve it. And while I'm at it, I'll settle the score on your behalf!" Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, a sliver of cold light flashing past, and declared with bold confidence.
"I was only testing your intentions! I don't actually mean for you to go steal the token. My senior sister has already cultivated to the mid-stage of Nascent Soul. Her techniques and abilities are far beyond what we初期 cultivators can match. The two of us should just slip away quietly. At worst, it'll take me another ten-some years to gradually refine away this restriction." Nangong Wan shook her head with a smile, a hint of playfulness showing on her lovely face.
Han Li fell silent, and in that moment was reminded of the eccentric, spirited young woman he had first met all those years ago!
(End of chapter)