Zhao Shuning turned her back.
She didn't want to see the desolation on Mo Bai's face.
It would make her feel that the decision she made had hurt him.
But not loving was not loving. Forcing herself wouldn't lead to a good outcome. She couldn't wrong herself just to fulfill what was called deep affection.
"You're always like this," Mo Bai said.
"I thought that after you came back this time, things would be different."
"Ningning, it was clearly you who pulled me out of the darkness. You showed me what light was like, but then you pushed me back into the darkness again."
Mo Bai said these three sentences in succession, his voice full of deep affection and desolation.
Zhao Shuning simply replied, "You've said similar things more than once, Mo Bai. I've long told you that we're not the same kind of people. If you insist on going down this path, our fate ends here."
"From now on, when we meet again, you don't need to consider the kindness I once showed you. I won't regard you as that innocent fool who used to follow me around. We'll be complete strangers. I can't stop you from doing what you want, and similarly, I don't need to be determined by your feelings when I do something."
These two sentences of Zhao Shuning shattered all of Mo Bai's expectations over the decades.
However,
No matter how heart - broken he was,
No matter how much his heart felt like being stabbed by a knife,
She wouldn't even look back.
He knew that.
When it came to matters of the heart, she was always so decisive and never left the other person the slightest bit of hope.
"Ningning, you're so heartless," Mo Bai said.
But why, even though you're so heartless, can't I let you go?
I was once living a hard life in that dark and sunless cave, like a caged beast.
You shouldn't have appeared.
Once you appeared in my world, I could never drive you away.
"Mo Bai, I'll only ask you one thing. Are you willing to give this up or not?"
Mo Bai sneered.
He also found it ironic.
Ningning's stance was different from his.
She naturally couldn't understand that on his shoulders lay the hopes of the Loulan people for hundreds of years, his father's expectations, and the decades - long seclusion of the people in the Ghost Domain.
How could he possibly give up?
"I knew you wouldn't give up," Zhao Shuning said.
From the moment she knew that Mo Bai was Mo Yan's child,
Zhao Shuning knew.
Both father and son,
Were not the kind of people who liked peace.
Moreover,
Back then, Mo Bai's body was pierced by the transparent dragon bone, the bone of an ancient fierce beast. Since childhood, there had been a blood - thirsty and arrogant factor hidden in Mo Bai's bones.
When he went down the mountain,
He even went crazy for a while and bit off the necks of many cultivators.
All those scenes were still vivid in her mind.
However,
Zhao Shuning put aside these thoughts. She always thought that Mo Bai was just lacking love, so he was a bit extreme. She took him with her and was willing to give him a chance.
Mo Bai's answer,
Although within her expectation, still made her feel disappointed.
"Yes, I have no right to ask you these questions. You can't control me, and similarly, I, Zhao Shuning, can't control you, the Lord of the Ghost Domain."
Her tone,
Was somewhat sad.
Regarding Mo Bai,
During the days when they got along,
Zhao Shuning really regarded him as a friend. She carefully taught him how to conduct himself in the world.
He became like this,
It wasn't his fault.
It was probably because of the environment.
Zhao Shuning took a few steps forward.
Mo Bai's voice continued to ring out.
"Ningning—"
It was a bit urgent,
A bit nervous.
Zhao Shuning stopped in her tracks.
Mo Bai said, "I've missed you so much over the years."
He had long wanted to say this to her.
Zhao Shuning looked back.
Clearly,
Mo Bai was standing right in front of her. But she felt that this man was as far away from her as the stars in the night sky.
She just smiled faintly.
"I know."
If they weren't on opposite sides,
Maybe,
She should be very happy to see this old friend.
Maybe,
They would drink and chat, talk about everything under the sun.
Maybe,
They would become friends for life, confidants for a lifetime.
But,
There were no so many maybes.
Mo Bai's stance and her own strength were completely different.
Moreover,
Mo Bai's feelings for her, she already knew clearly. Since he couldn't completely give up, she had to cut off this relationship with her own hands.
"You may want to think it over carefully. I don't want to force you," Mo Bai's voice was a bit gloomy, hiding a special meaning.
Mo Bai wasn't the kind of person who would pester others.
When he said this,
He must have had some kind of consideration.
However,
Before Zhao Shuning could ask her question,
Seeing that she didn't answer, Mo Bai said sinisterly again, "Is he really that good? I haven't been with you for all these years, but he wasn't by your side either. But I've never given up looking for you."
During the years when she was missing,
Mo Bai really never gave up looking for her.
Wasn't Yan Ruyu the same?
But Mo Bai was wrong.
He thought that during these decades, Zhao Shuning had been alone.
He didn't know that,
During this period,
She had lived a colorful life, just with a different name and a different appearance.
Moreover,
During this time,
Bu Ran, he had always been by her side.
"Mo Bai, you don't understand."
"Isn't it just because he's the millennium imperial tutor and the founder of this Nine - States Continent? Do you think he can always dominate everything? Do you think he'll always be your savior?"
"Mo Bai, you're being extreme!"
"Yes, when I first knew that you and Yan Ruyu were in love, I felt bad. I also wondered why, why the one you liked was him? At that time, I lacked confidence and felt lost. But Ningning, you've overlooked many things. You've also underestimated my feelings for you. For you, I'm willing to take a risk."
"Enough!"
"Ningning! I'm telling the truth!"
"Mo Bai, think about it carefully. You came to the Eastern Continent and took the spiritual soul. Was it really for me, or for your own ambition? Ask yourself, if I conflicted with your great ambition, what would you choose?"
Mo Bai was speechless.
"This is different."
"What's different? Mo Bai, you can't have both."
"Do you mean that if I give up activating the stone soul, you'll choose me, right?"
This time,
It was Zhao Shuning's turn to be speechless.
Mo Bai's heart,
Sank again.
He stepped back several steps in great disappointment and said self - deprecatingly, "Look, you're the same."
"No matter what choice I make, Ningning, you've never thought of choosing me."
"Mo Bai."
"Forget it." He suddenly stopped Zhao Shuning from explaining sharply.
Then he said, "Just now, just now, I even wavered for a moment. I actually thought that this Nine - States Continent wasn't that important. But Ningning, you can't lie. Sometimes I really wish you could lie to me. Then I could follow your lie and deceive myself, making me think that I could get you for the so - called righteousness."
"Matters of the heart can't be forced."
"Whether it can be forced or not, no one can draw a conclusion until the last moment."