Chapter 258: Cao Cao’s Confusion

Chapter 258: Chapter 258: Cao Cao’s Confusion

"Go away--"

After a fit of weeping, Gu Nuan Nuan finally composed herself. She easily wrenched herself free of Luo Hongyi’s grasp and, as he watched in astonishment, she took a few steps back. Wiping away her tears, she sneered, "Tell me, what can you do besides pressure me like this?"

"..."

Luo Hongyi stared at her in surprise. He’d always known she’d gotten stronger after her rebirth, but he was still astonished that she could actually break free from his grip. However, he soon made a connection to all the tropes described in the web novels she loved reading in their past life—novels he had specifically looked up. He immediately asked, "Nuannuan, have you had some other kind of lucky break? Er, a golden finger or something?"

"That’s right. If I can be reborn, how could I not have a few other golden fingers? But I’m certainly not going to tell you what they are. Just know this: if you try to get too close again, teaching you a lesson would be child’s play for me." Gu Nuan Nuan lifted her chin to look at him. "Don’t you have a golden finger? Oh, that’s right. I forgot you’re such a scumbag. Just being reborn was probably the limit for you. It certainly wouldn’t be easy for any other golden finger to bless you."

"...Alright, I won’t pressure you. At least, I won’t pressure you to make a decision right now. But can you please not shut me down so completely? Nuannuan, just think about it. Please, just think about it again, won’t you?" Luo Hongyi stared at her for a long moment. The look in his eyes, one of utter helplessness yet forced restraint, suddenly delighted Gu Nuan Nuan, giving her a strange sense of satisfaction.

"No."

Seeing him like that, she suppressed the other, unfamiliar feelings stirring in her heart. With a resolutely firm tone, she once again forced herself to shake her head and refuse. "It’s no use, no matter what you say. I thought it all through in my past life. There’s absolutely no chance for us in this life, so don’t waste your breath. And don’t come looking for me again." With that, she ignored his reaction and turned to leave. She deliberately used Shrinking Ground into Inches, and before Luo Hongyi even had a chance to call out, she was already far away, having vanished without a trace.

Watching the direction she disappeared, Luo Hongyi slumped against a tree trunk, a bitter smile on his face. ’Rome wasn’t built in a day. It seems Nuannuan’s grudge against me runs deep. But then again, who can I blame for that?’

Luo Hongyi felt no jealousy or dissatisfaction at the fact that Gu Nuan Nuan had other golden fingers and might even be stronger than him. On the contrary, he was secretly pleased that she now had the ability to protect herself. ’In their past life, the whole reason I pushed her to practice her Kung Fu was so she could save herself if a day ever came when I couldn’t be there for her, wasn’t it?’

’Still, being weaker than his own wife wasn’t exactly flattering for a man...’

Leaning against the tree trunk, Luo Hongyi frowned slightly. ’It seems I’ve been taking it too easy on myself. That’s why my Cultivation speed is still too slow.’

--

"You get back up where you fell down. Darling, don’t you want to finally hold your head high in front of them in this life? To show them all?" the man whispered, leaning close to the woman’s ear, his voice laced with temptation.

"You’re being that kind?"

The woman took a wary step back, refusing to fall for it. "They aren’t just strangers. Aren’t they your dearest parents and siblings?"

"Darling, I know what my priorities are. From now on, you and the children are the ones who matter most to me." A pained look flashed in the man’s eyes—

...

Gu Nuan Nuan sat up, her eyes open, staring blankly as moonlight streamed through the window. The darkness was no hindrance to her vision. She just sat there, stunned, before covering her face as tears began to slowly, slowly stream down...

"Master..." Cao Cao popped out and floated opposite Gu Nuan Nuan, looking at her. Its chubby face was full of worry. "Did you... did you have a nightmare again?"

"Yes. Some people just refuse to stop haunting me." Gu Nuan Nuan wiped away her tears. She held out her hand, letting Cao Cao settle into her palm, and lifted it to her eye level. She asked hopefully, "Is there a potion formula that can make me forget everything that happened in my past life?"

More than half a year had passed since her last conversation with Luo Hongyi. In that time, Cao Cao had finally finished upgrading and awakened.

Cao Cao had changed immensely since waking up. The most obvious difference was that their bond had deepened. Now, they could communicate and sense each other’s emotions even when Cao Cao was in the Companion Space and she hadn’t projected her consciousness inside. Cao Cao could even take on the form of a small doll and, for short periods and over short distances, leave its Companion Space to appear before her on its own.

For instance, unless she deliberately suppressed them, Cao Cao could sense her nightmares perfectly.

’A nightmare. For her, it truly was a nightmare.’

During the past half-year, Luo Hongyi hadn’t contacted her at all, as if he had vanished from the face of the earth without a single word. But she found that she still hadn’t managed to truly let go, as she’d hoped. Instead, she had started to dream from time to time about her past life and the scene she’d just dreamt of—

"Master, it’s not difficult to temporarily forget what happened in your past life, but you really shouldn’t try." Cao Cao looked at Gu Nuan Nuan worriedly. "Because if you do, Master, those memories will become your Heart Demon. I’m afraid you’ll never have a chance to get rid of it then."

"A Heart Demon?"

Gu Nuan Nuan gave a helpless smile. "Didn’t you say the Spiritual Energy here is scarce and I can’t cultivate? Since I can’t continue my Cultivation anyway, what does it matter if I have a Heart Demon?"

"Master, whether you can continue your Cultivation or not, once you have a Heart Demon and it takes hold, it won’t just affect this life, but your next life, and the one after that... as long as your soul exists, it will haunt you endlessly." Cao Cao was getting anxious. "It’s true that you probably can’t continue your Cultivation in this life. But afterward, you have so many lives to come! It doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to cultivate again. Are you really willing to be tormented by this Heart Demon forever?"

"..." Gu Nuan Nuan’s eyes widened. "You mean, if I don’t resolve this in this lifetime, it will become a Heart Demon and haunt me for all eternity?"

’That can’t be, can it?’

’It can’t be what I’m thinking, right?’

Gu Nuan Nuan watched Cao Cao nod gravely and felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. It all felt surreal. "How can that be? Can’t I just choose to get rid of this lifetime’s memories?"

"You can’t do that. Master, the truth is, you’ve never let go. Since that’s the case, why not try facing it one more time? What are you so afraid of?" Cao Cao looked at its master with pity. ’It didn’t understand why its master, who clearly still had feelings for a certain someone, would so stubbornly refuse to admit it.’