Chapter 247: Xiang Ling’s First Love
Chapter 247: Xiang Ling’s First Love
The forest was blanketed in a soft layer of fresh snow, each flake glistening under the dim light of the crescent moon peeking through the canopy. The night air was crisp and still, the silence only broken by the gentle rustling of leaves and the occasional crack of a branch under the weight of the snow. A faint, icy mist lingered close to the ground, adding a touch of mystery to the surroundings.
In a small clearing, Xiang Ling and the group was huddled around a modest fire, its warm glow casting flickering shadows on their faces. The fire crackled and poped, sending tiny sparks dancing upward before they disappeared into the dark sky. The light reflected off the snow, creating a soft, ambient illumination that contrasted with the deep darkness of the forest beyond.
"We have spent the entire day walking, and yet, we are nowhere near making our way out of this place. I don’t think we will be able to find our way out of this place on foot." Su LiangLin complained as she huddled closer to Wu Tian who seemed ready to flee from the place if that could help him put some much-needed space between himself and the woman.
"We don’t have much of an option here." Xiang Ling responded as she took the roasted sweet potato that Wei Guang handed her after carefully roasting it especially for her. "Thank you." She gave the man a warm smile that he immediately returned with a little nod of his head.
"We can always use our powers to get out of this place." Mo Li offered but before anyone else could have responded to him, Wu Tian spoke up first, "Using our powers inside the array will activate it. Since we don’t know what type of array it is and how powerful, we can’t really forsee what will happen. Most importantly, there are some people who will become our liability if we ended up inside a powerful active array." As he spoke the last sentence, his gaze landed on Wei Guang who too noticed the Crown Prince’s gaze.
Before anyone could have spoken, Xiang Ling was already on her feet, glaring at the Crown Prince as she spoke. "Wei Guang isn’t a liability here. Not for me, and not for you either. I’m more than capable of keeping my man safe. You should worry about your own people. If you have already forgotten, then let me remind you - we are in this mess because of you. If there’s anyone who should be blamed for our current situation, then you should look for the right person. Moreover, if you are that tired of trying a mortal approach to get out of this place, you are more than welcome to try your chosen way. We have no issue against it."
She didn’t give the stunned Crown Prince even a single chance to utter a word and grabbed Wei Guang’s arm to pull the man while she walked away from the group.
She continued walking and dragged Wei Guang along with her until the two of them were already quite far from the others. She was trying to take in deep breaths to calm herself down when she heard the man beside her speaking in a barely audible voice.
"I’m sorry, Xiang’er."
Confused by his sudden apology, Xiang Ling turned her attention toward the man and asked, "Why are you apologizing?"
Wei Guang kept his gaze fixed on the snow covered ground as he replied, "I’m not as capable as you and the others. I’m proving to be a liab-"
"Ssshh!"
Xiang Ling didn’t allow him to finish speaking and placed her index finger over his lips to silence him. The action surprised the man and forced him to look up at her face. Once he was looking at her, she removed her finger from his lips and cupped his chin and stared deep into his eyes as she asked, "Did you not hear what I just told the Crown Prince?"
When Wei Guang didn’t speak, she continued with a little edge in her tone. "Wei Guang, let me tell you this, and you must listen to it loud and clear. You are not a liability. You might not know cultivation, but that doesn’t make you inferior from anyone. You are calm, kind, caring, knowledgeable, generous, and respectful. You help me in handling the matters of the Chen Manor. You have been handling the servants of the manor perfectly for months. Haven’t you noticed how all the servants respects you the most among all my husbands? Have you not noticed how the rest of the five listens to your every word and actually takes your advices into consideration? Have you not noticed that every time I need closure and support, I seek your company? Haven’t you noticed any of these?"
There were several emotions filling Wei Guang’s eyes as he listened to her words. It was almost like he hadn’t been aware of these facts until she voiced them out and forced him to acknowledge them. The moisture in his eyes almost made Xiang Ling worry for the man.
"Ah Guang?"
She called him when the man didn’t speak or move at all. Yet, the man just kept standing there while looking at her as if he was trying to carve her image in his brain for eternity.
"Am I really that good?" He finally asked in a soft voice as if he was scared of even thinking about this moment being a dream.
With a bright smile on her lips, Xiang Ling held his face between her palms and answered, "If all these are not enough to make you realize how special you are, then let me remind you of another fact. Wei Guang, you are the first man I fell in love with in my life. You were the one who made my heart flutter first and won me in every way possible."
A single tear finally escaped the confinement of the man’s eyes and rolled down his cheek...