Chapter 556: Extraneous branches?

Chapter 556: Extraneous branches?

The night enveloped the entire city, and the moonlight sprinkled on the magnificent building of the Debo Hotel, covering it with a layer of silver gauze.

At this time, there were several people standing at the door of the restaurant. They were Paimon, Chizhi and Ailov who had just finished dinner, and Navia who generously donated money to treat everyone to dinner.

Paimon contentedly stroked his belly, which was as round as a ball, and let out satisfied sighs from time to time.

"Wow! I'm so full... Thank you Navia for your hospitality. Burp~ I feel like my stomach is about to burst. I feel like I won't be able to fly anytime soon."

Qianzhi on the side gently touched her slightly bulging belly. She and Ailufu also enjoyed a sumptuous meal.

However, as it was getting dark, Qianzhi felt that it was getting late, so she smiled and said goodbye to Navia.

"Then I will take Ai Luofu back to Qianzhi House first. Thank you again for your treat, Navia."

Having said that, she prepared to leave with Ailov.

Navia waved at them enthusiastically and said loudly, "You're welcome. Goodbye. I'll come and play with you again if I have the chance."

At this time, Paimeng raised her head and looked up at the deep and mysterious night sky above her head. She saw a bright moon hanging high in the sky, dotted with a few twinkling stars. She said casually:

"Well... now that dinner is over, shouldn't we all go back to our homes?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly seemed to have thought of something, turned her head and looked at Navia with a concerned look, and asked carefully: "Um... Navia, do you need us to take you home? After all, it's dark now."

However, Navia smiled and shook her head, waved her hand gracefully, and replied softly: "Haha, don't bother you, I'm not a timid child, it's no problem for me to go home alone."

Suddenly, Navia's originally lively expression froze.

"Besides..."

Before she finished speaking, her eyes involuntarily glanced towards the corner of the street not far away.

Seeing this, Paimon, who was standing nearby, was filled with curiosity and hurriedly looked in the direction of Navia's gaze.

However, the corner was empty and nothing special was seen.

Paimon turned his head in confusion, looked at Navia and asked, "Navia, what are you looking at?"

Navia came back to her senses when she heard Paimon's question.

A trace of panic flashed across her face, but she quickly concealed it and replied calmly, "Nothing, just a look. Oh, by the way, will you go to the trial tomorrow?"

After saying this, she also deliberately observed everyone's reactions.

After hearing this, Shao Yun pondered in his heart.

He thought that Yan Fei was there to handle the relevant matters, and even if he went, he probably wouldn't be able to help much, so he said casually: "Well, I'm not sure about this yet."

"Maybe I'll take Ying and Paimon out for a picnic tomorrow. After all, haven't we already done what we need to do? Watching the trial probably won't do much."

After hearing what Shao Yun said, Navia's face instantly became a little embarrassed.

She obviously didn't expect Shao Yun to be so indifferent to watching the trial. She nodded reluctantly and said, "So that's how it is. Okay then..."

However, a hint of disappointment could still be seen in her eyes.

Ying, who had been observing silently from the side, caught the change in Navia's expression.

Then, Ying suddenly had an idea and said with a smile: "Who can say for sure what will happen tomorrow? Let's not draw conclusions so early. Maybe we will really change our minds and go take a look at it!"

Navia showed a subtle smile and said softly, "Yeah, that's right. Then I won't bother you anymore. Go to bed early!"

Looking at Navia's receding back, Paimon couldn't help but frown and mutter to himself.

"Why do I feel like Navia is acting strange today? She seems to be hiding something. Why don't we secretly follow her and have a look? Maybe we can find some clues!"

Shao Yun, who was standing by, quickly reached out to stop Paimeng who was eager to try, and volunteered: "Let me go, Paimeng. You and Ying can just go home and wait for the news. Don't worry, leave it to me, there will be no problem!"

After saying that, he quickly chased in the direction Navia left.

At the same time, in a narrow corridor between two apartment buildings, in an extremely hidden corner that few people would notice, Clorinde was hiding here, not daring to breathe.

However, she still couldn't escape Navia after all.

Navia suddenly appeared in front of her like a ghost, and Clorinde trembled all over with fear.

But soon, she calmed herself down, took a deep breath, and tried to keep herself calm.

Then she pretended to be calm and asked, "Navia, how did you find out where I was?"

Navia's eyes were fixed on Clorinde, with an indescribable expression on her face.

After a moment's silence, she slowly began to explain, "I noticed you yesterday. At that time, I felt like someone was following me, so I turned around and saw the brim of your hat was exposed because you hadn't hidden it well."

Clorinde recalled what happened last night, shook her head helplessly, and said, "I thought I hid it well..."

Navia also shook her head gently, with a hint of concern and confusion in her eyes, and asked softly: "Okay, don't think about those things for now. Clorinde, tell me, how do you feel now? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"

Hearing Navia's sudden question, Clorinde was stunned and confused for a moment.

She blinked her beautiful and confused eyes and asked, "What do you mean by how am I now? Navia, what do you mean?"

Navia folded her hands across her chest, her expression showing concern and complexity.

She moved a little closer to Clorinde and said in a low voice, "If you wanted to follow someone normally, you would definitely not reveal your whereabouts easily."

"But looking at your performance yesterday, you seemed like someone who was worried and absent-minded. That's why I was worried that you might have encountered some trouble."

At this point, Navia paused and continued to ask: "I was very curious about what happened. When I read the newspaper today, I found that it was you who lost the duel yesterday. Is this the reason?"

Clorinde didn't expect that Navia already knew about this.

But she still pretended to be calm and replied casually: "Navia, you think too much. In a duel, there will be winners and losers. This is normal."

"I've won a lot before, so what if I lose once in a while? It doesn't mean I'll never recover from this!"

Although Clorinde spoke so freely and even tried to hide her inner loss and frustration, only she knew that this failure was a big blow to her...

The humiliation of having her weapon knocked out of her hands in public was too much for her to accept.

Since yesterday until now, Clorinde has been hoping that Shao Yun would decisively shoot her at that time, so that she can at least retain the last bit of dignity and decency.

Navia, who was standing by, looked at Clorinde's still tense face and asked, "Are you sure you're okay? But looking at you, it's hard to believe..."

Before he could finish his words, Clorinde shook her head violently and interrupted him, denying, "I told you! I'm really fine! Don't ask anymore! I'll take you back to the Thorn Rose Club first."

"After all, Myles and Silver are not with you now. It would be bad if something unexpected happened. Your safety is of utmost importance!"

However, after hearing what Clorinde said, Navia refused without hesitation and said that she didn't need her to see her off.

"No need, I'm not a child, I can walk this short distance by myself. That's all, I'm leaving now."

The reason why Navia rejected Clorinde's kindness so resolutely was, on the one hand, because she felt that she was fully capable of returning alone; on the other hand, it was because she could not get over the fact that her father Carres died at the hands of Clorinde.

Although she knew in her heart that there might be something else going on, the emotional gap and awkwardness still made her feel extremely embarrassed when facing Clorinde, so much so that she was unwilling to communicate any more.

So, Navia turned around and left in a hurry, and before Clorinde could ask her to stay again, she had disappeared out of the alley.

Looking at Navia's receding back, Clorinde sighed helplessly and could only silently sort out her confused emotions.

After finally adjusting her state, she crawled out of the alley.

Who would have thought that as soon as I came out, I would run into Shao Yun head-on.

Shao Yun didn't expect Clorinde to come out of the alley right after Navia, and thought she would fly away...

Shao Yun knew that he had no way to retreat. It would be too embarrassing if he just turned around and left in disgrace.

So he gritted his teeth, pretended to be calm, and greeted Clorinde with a smile.

"Hey, what a coincidence, we meet again!"

Looking at Shao Yun, Clorinde's pupils suddenly dilated slightly, and her face was full of disbelief.

"It's actually you..."

She was staring at Shao Yun, as if she was seeing her mortal enemy.

Being stared at by Clorinde with such hatred, Shao Yun couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, but on the surface he pretended to be relaxed and lied.

"Wow, don't look at me like I'm your enemy. I'm just passing by here wanting to buy a few pairs of slippers."

However, Clorinde seemed to have no intention of caring about why Shao Yun appeared here.

She mentioned the thrilling duel that took place in Hailu Port yesterday.

"You humiliated me in front of so many people! To me, we are now absolute enemies!"

When Shao Yun heard this, he thought, is this woman more resentful than Eula? I haven't caused any trouble to the Water God yet, so you can just be happy!

Thinking of this, Shao Yun said sarcastically: "At least your head is still on your shoulders."

"Besides, who says you can always win? You should have knocked down many people's weapons during duels, right? Why can you insult others but I can't insult you? I'm not going to strip you naked and throw you on the street, so why is that so?"

Shao Yun's words choked Clorinde. "If the enemy can go, I can go too. Clorinde, why do you think you are an invincible general? Can't you afford to lose?"

Clorinde was awakened, and gradually calmed down from her anger and unwillingness.

She began to silently recall the fierce duels she had experienced in the past. Whether she was holding a long sword or holding a musket, she had shot down her opponent's weapon and won the final victory.

These past glorious achievements kept emerging in her mind, causing her to fall into deep thought...

Finally, Clorinde slowly raised her head and said with relief: "Well, you are right. 'There is no father and son in a duel', not to mention that we are just strangers."

"I've already lost the duel, so there's nothing to complain about or hold a grudge about. This is the realization that a Shadowhunter should have."

However, just as she finished speaking, Clorinde began to mutter inexplicably.

"But...the words you used at the end really accurately described the indescribable feelings I had at that time..."

Finally, Clorinde took a deep breath and tried to calm her chaotic mind.

She looked up at the night sky. The stars were like bright gems inlaid in the black sky, giving people a feeling of tranquility and mystery.

Under the cover of night, Clorinde slowly walked up to Shao Yun, bent slightly, bowed respectfully to him, and thanked him sincerely.

"Thank you for enlightening me! Without your words, I don't know how long I would have been trapped in my emotions."

Seeing that Clorinde was so sensible, Shao Yun, out of the "mutual admiration" among the gunmen, a bit like Langdon's attitude towards Xiao Ma Ge, said with some emotion.

"The willingness to accept defeat is a virtue next to piety, punctuality, or cleanliness."

"To be honest, I really like your frank personality. After all, I have seen too many people who can't stand losing and are unreasonable."

After saying this, Shao Yun turned around and prepared to leave.

But before leaving, he suddenly said something polite to her.

"Maybe when we meet by chance in a few days, I can buy you a cup of coffee. Then we can have a good chat about how the continent of Teyvat is moving, haha!"

"But now, I have to go home quickly. My wife and children are still waiting for me at home."

Although Shao Yun's words were merely polite remarks, and even a bit joking, Clorinde kept them firmly in mind at this moment.

She stared at Shao Yun's back as he walked away until he disappeared into the night.

"Please buy me coffee? Yes, I'll remember that..."

……