I tried my best to open my eyes wide, holding back my tears. I thought to myself, be strong. Don't shed a single tear.
"Lanlan..."
The moment he called out "Lanlan", all the mental defenses I had built crumbled. I finally couldn't hold on.
Two teardrops as shiny as pearls fell directly onto the back of my hand and shattered, just like my heart at this moment.
I quickly averted my eyes, not daring to look at Gu Yuan's face. I raised my hand to wipe away the tear stains on my chin, then sniffed hard and turned my face back.
"Master Gu, what do you want?" My voice was cold and distant.
Gu Yuan's deep eyes never left my face.
"I'm sorry about Bai Qi..."
I lowered my head, biting my lower lip hard. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I had to keep myself calm. I was no longer on the same path as this man in front of me.
"If you're here to apologize, you don't have to. I won't accept it."
"That day, it wasn't what you thought." Gu Yuan tried to explain.
"I saw with my own eyes that he was lying in front of you, and you were holding a sword, about to kill him. You say it wasn't what I thought. Then what was it?"
Now, no matter what he said, it sounded so feeble. I didn't want to listen to his explanation. Before he could say anything, I continued,
"Your mother only wanted revenge. She used me, Bai Qi, and even you as pawns in her revenge. Instead of stopping her, you helped her. Bai Qi didn't die because of you, but because of me. If he hadn't blocked that white silk for me, it wouldn't be me standing here confronting you now..."
"Do you think a simple 'sorry' can atone for your mother's sins? You're wrong. You're completely wrong. From the very beginning, you never had the intention to manage the gang well. So from today on, the gang will be disbanded. This small temple of mine can't hold a great god like you."
Saying this, I pulled the door open and stepped aside, indicating that Gu Yuan could leave.
Gu Yuan remained silent. His eyes trembled as he stared at me. He could tell that this time, I was really serious.
If he stayed here any longer, things might get worse.
He heaved a heavy sigh and was about to leave when I called out to him.
"Wait..."
Gu Yuan stopped beside me and turned to look at me.
Looking at this charming face, I remembered how I had once been so infatuated and lost myself in it.
I slightly raised my left hand. The silver bell tied to my wrist swayed from side to side. Although it made no sound, it was very lively.
Gu Yuan understood what I was going to do in an instant.
He said before I could, "I gave this to you. You can't take it off."
I curled my lips into a casual smile.
"Master Gu, you're joking. There's nothing that can't be taken back after being given away, just like this one I gave you."
I took out the bell I had given Gu Yuan and placed it in my palm.
"I picked this up on the Stone Bridge in the City That Never Sleeps."
Gu Yuan looked at the red string with the silver bell on it. His face was filled with indescribable disappointment.
He reached out his hand to take it from my palm, but I quickly clenched my hand. The red string instantly turned into a pile of black ashes and scattered on the ground.
Gu Yuan frowned tightly and stared at the pile of black ashes. He couldn't say a word.
I swallowed hard, my throat feeling blocked. I said coldly, "Since we've broken up, let's just cut off all ties."
Saying this, I reached out my hand to grab the red string tied to my left hand.
This string could be taken off before, but for some reason, today it seemed to have grown into my flesh. No matter how hard I pulled, I couldn't get it off.
The silver bell tied to the red string kept swaying and even started to make crisp sounds, as if it were saying, "Please don't abandon me."
Listening to the familiar sound of the bell, I remembered my past with Gu Yuan. I remembered the day he tied the red string on me, and I remembered how angry he was when I took it off and got into danger.
The past scenes kept replaying in my mind like a movie.
Tears welled up in my eyes again, blurring my vision. I couldn't even see the red string clearly.
I couldn't grab it, and I couldn't pull it off.
"Gu Yuan, untie this red string for me!" I shouted angrily at Gu Yuan because I couldn't break the red string.
Gu Yuan was completely unmoved by my words. He just stood beside me, letting me pull as hard as I could. He didn't want to untie the red string. His face was full of complex expressions, and his eyes were filled with heartache.
"Fine, if you won't untie it, I'd rather cut off this hand."
After saying this, my right fingernails dug into the flesh above my wrist.
I pulled the red string with four fingers, and bright red blood dripped down the silver bell, staining my white clothes.
Gu Yuan didn't expect me to do this. The surprise on his face was obvious.
Just as I was about to use more force, the red string that was tightly tied to me suddenly broke. The blood - stained silver bell fell from the red string and made a crisp sound when it hit the ground.
I endured the pain and bent down to pick up the silver bell. I put it together with the red string in my palm.
"Master Gu, here's your stuff back." My face was as cold as ice, just like my heart, which had already been frozen solid. Being frozen solid meant being completely heart - broken.
Gu Yuan frowned tightly. His phoenix eyes were dull. He reached out his hand and took the silver bell.
"And this." I also gave him the wooden phoenix feather he had given me, then stepped aside to make way for him.
Gu Yuan looked at the blood on my wrist, which was still dripping onto the ground.
I subconsciously hid my hand behind my back, not wanting him to see the hideous wound on my wrist.
I lowered my head and didn't look at him. I didn't know what his expression was at the moment, but I could clearly feel his body trembling.
Just when I thought he was about to leave, he suddenly stood in front of me. I was a bit flustered and took a step back until my back was completely against the cold wall.
He reached out his hand and pulled out my injured hand, pressing his palm tightly on the wound.
"What are you doing? I don't need you to heal my wound."
"Don't move around." Anger suddenly flashed in Gu Yuan's deep eyes. This intimidating look scared me. I immediately bit my lip and didn't say a word.
The slightly cool feeling on my wrist was so familiar. After a while, he removed his palm. The wound that had been turned outwards was now healed.
Gu Yuan's well - defined palm was pressed against the back of my hand. The slight coolness spread throughout my body, making my tense nerves relax a lot. At this moment, my emotions were a bit more stable.
The external wound had basically disappeared. Except for the bloodstains on my wrist, I couldn't feel the pain anymore.
Gu Yuan let go of my wrist, took a few steps back, and stuffed the wooden phoenix feather into my hand.
"This wooden phoenix feather was what I gave to my wife a thousand years ago. If you want to repay, please return her to me as well."