Chapter 745: Chapter 747: Stubborn Love
Nian Shutong walked a little slower, she didn’t want to crowd with those people from before, and she was also a bit curious about the white-clothed City Lord behind her.
When the whole square was left with only Nian Shutong, the white-clothed City Lord spoke.
"Would the brave warrior please come forward."
Nian Shutong, out of curiosity, followed the white-clothed City Lord’s word and walked forward, standing at the foot of the altar.
However, after standing for a moment, Nian Shutong felt it was too tiring to look up, so she simply jumped up and sat beside the white-clothed City Lord, even having time to remark, "Nice view."
"Hehe... indeed, it is."
The white-clothed City Lord, not sure why he suddenly felt like talking, pointed ahead and said, "I plan to plant some flowers in there, and it would be best to have sunflowers on both sides."
"Do you know about sunflowers? In that Little River Live, there are yellow flowers and even fruits."
"She would definitely like it."
Nian Shutong didn’t speak, just quietly listened.
The white-clothed City Lord also temporarily lacked the strength to leave this place, so he fell into his own memories.
Sometimes people are strange like that; they won’t open up their hearts to those they are familiar with nor share their stories but might tell their deepest tales to a stranger.
Perhaps to each other, they were just passing strangers.
I spoke, and you listened.
That’s all, with no consequences attached, no causality to dig into. After hearing the story, you and I pass by each other, and when we meet again, we are still strangers.
The white-clothed City Lord, who had been sitting up straight, finally lost his support; he leaned slightly, finding the most comfortable sitting position.
"I was once the finest young man in Border City, and she was the most naïve and romantic young lady. We grew up together but were never childhood sweethearts."
"We were a pair of bickering foes, always quarreling and playing pranks whenever we met, saying all sorts of nonsensical things to each other."
"But at some point, it seemed she grew up before me; she stopped fooling around with me, stopped the witty banter. I, being oblivious, just thought she no longer wanted to be friends or play with me."
"Then one day she suddenly disappeared; I was even angrier, but when I saw her again, there was something on her face that I couldn’t recognize, and I spewed cruel words, calling her a monster."
"She wasn’t sad, just quietly told me she had to go to the Insect Clan Battlefield, which was something every family had to go through. I didn’t pay any attention."
"But before she left, she confessed to me, and I just thought it was a prank, saying she was too ugly and not worthy of me."
"Just like that, she was gone, never to return."
"But how could I forget her? I searched frantically for her, with no news."
"When I finally understood, I wished I could kill myself, but I still kept looking for her."
"At first, I spent money, then I gave blessings to everyone, just hoping someone would really find her, bring her home; I wanted to tell her: I like her, she’s not ugly at all."
The white-clothed City Lord got to this point, supported himself with one hand on the ground, stood up, and took out a photo from his chest, showing it to Nian Shutong as he said, "Look, this is her, she has the most beautiful smile, her name is Hua Rong."
The white-clothed City Lord left, and Nian Shutong listened to a story with an unknown ending for free.
Youthful arrogance had hurt the person he liked.
For the rest of his life, he was trying to make amends with his very life, which may have been futile, but who could say he wasn’t mending his own heart?
Nian Shutong stood up and walked towards another large gate in Border City, the gate that led to the Insect Clan Battlefield.
"Master, what’s wrong?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking, have I become much more sentimental?"
Nian Shutong continued walking, speaking to Daodao in her Divine Sense, "The old me would have just treated it as a story, and even after listening to it, I’d find it boring, but now, I’m different."
"I actually begin to appreciate such stories, more as a reminder to myself not to do such foolish things."
"I’m wondering if I should be a bit gentler with Fu Yunhe."
In the Sea of Consciousness, Daodao couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of a gentle master. What would that be like?
He did think, though, that Xiao He might not be able to handle a gentle master.
But Daodao said nothing.
This was his master’s own path of cultivation.
Nian Shutong had reached the city gates and strode boldly towards the Insect Clan Battlefield outside.
"This battlefield is quite interesting."
Nian Shutong observed the clear division, a different world at every step, on both sides.
Inside Border City, aside from the contrived standard of ugliness and beauty, it was just an ordinary border city.
But just outside the city gates was a green, primal forest.
Even upon first entering, one could feel the hot, humid air attacking the senses, with trees blocking out the sky and irregular shrubs surging up, alongside huge leaves from plants unclear whether grass or tree.
Everything was so different from any battlefield she had been to before.
Nian Shutong took a step back and asked the guards, "Do you have a map?"
"No, there are no maps of this Insect Clan Battlefield, I wish you safe passage."
Nian Shutong rather understood that it must be quite impossible to draw a map of this place.
She picked a direction and headed inside.
Daodao came out too, as Nian Shutong needed a dagger to hack through the obstructing vegetation ahead.
Along the way, various insects were incessant, prompting Nian Shutong to wrap herself from head to toe in Spiritual Power.
She wasn’t afraid, but she definitely didn’t like it.
She disliked the feeling of those insects landing on her with their sticky, greasy sensation.
"Master!"
"Got it!"
Nian Shutong swung her hand back with a knife, dividing a pink, arm-thick snake above its vital seven inches behind her, though its head and body still trembled on the ground.
With a backward kick, Nian Shutong crushed its head, collected the snake gall behind her, and continued forward.
On this path, she didn’t encounter any large Insect Beasts, but countless small, poisonous creatures nonetheless.
Nian Shutong actually quite liked it because there were so many toxins here,
As she walked, she practiced with the toxins and not only that, but she also used the Spiritual Power in her body to counteract the Heavenly Tribulation within.
In short, she was busy.
As she walked, she arrived in a sea of flowers.
Enormous stems and huge blooms, several the size of human heads.
"Master, there’s something off about these flowers."
"Definitely off, they’ve grown teeth in their mouths! But they haven’t brushed well, have they?"