Chapter 00196: Forgetting Each Other in the Jianghu
# Forgetting Each Other in the Jianghu
Chapter 196
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 196: Forgetting Each Other in the Jianghu
Lan Xiaobu once again entered the Cosmic Dimension Matrix and found himself outside the Listening Rain Hall on the third floor of the Grand Festival Teahouse.
He stood at the door for quite a while, suddenly feeling a bit lost.
Su Cen had her own life now; did he really want to disturb her?
What would he say to her? Should he tell her that they were once husband and wife in a past life? When he left Earth, he thought he would never see Su Cen again, believing that this life had nothing to do with her.
Yet here he was, standing just a few meters away from her.
"Sir, who are you looking for?" While Lan Xiaobu hesitated at the door, a waitress approached him and asked politely.
"Oh, I have a friend inside, and I was just about to knock," Lan Xiaobu replied, calming himself.
"Sir, this..."
The waitress hesitated, glancing at Lan Xiaobu.
He looked unkempt, as if he had traveled a long way.
Just then, the door opened.
Su Cen stood there, astonished as she gazed at Lan Xiaobu.
After a moment, she said, "Lan Xiaobu, is that really you?"
Lan Xiaobu noticed the diamond around Su Cen's neck, polished to a shine, and an indescribable emotion welled up inside him.
His mouth felt dry; he realized Su Cen must be married now, or else she wouldn't be wearing that diamond.
He had once given this diamond to Luo Caisi and told her that if Su Cen got married, she should pass it on to her.
Yet he had later dismissed that idea and never expected this Blue Wing Star would end up around Su Cen’s neck.
"It’s me. I happened to pass through Tiger Yi City and didn’t expect to see you here..."
Lan Xiaobu chuckled weakly.
Su Cen didn’t speak; she knew this was no mere coincidence.
"Su Shijie, why don’t you talk first? We will go check out the market while you catch up with Lan Xiaobu," a considerate-looking woman suggested with a smile.
Before Su Cen could respond, another man interjected, "We should stay with Shijie; we wouldn’t want to miss anything."
"Ge Shixiong, Fang Shimei, Quan Shimei, Ding Shidi, why don’t you all go ahead? Lan Xiaobu is my friend, and we haven’t seen each other for a long time. I just want to talk to him for a bit," instructed Su Cen.
Upon hearing this, the others nodded politely and turned to leave.
Ge Shixiong cast a meaningful glance at Lan Xiaobu as they departed.
Su Cen took Lan Xiaobu into the tea room and closed the door again.
Lan Xiaobu wasn’t sure how to begin.
If he set aside their past life as a married couple, they were merely classmates, just ordinary ones who hadn’t seen each other for many years.
"Lan Xiaobu, thank you for saving me," Su Cen said first, expressing her gratitude for his life-saving help.
After that, she sighed softly.
"I never expected you had already begun your martial training by then, while I was just drifting through life."
Lan Xiaobu remained silent, aware she was referring to the incident when he saved her from the Savage Crocodile Gang.
A distant memory flickered in Su Cen’s eyes.
"After I returned, some things happened, and I began looking for you but couldn't find you. Later, my family arranged a marriage for me..."
A sense of melancholy washed over Lan Xiaobu.
Perhaps in their past life, he and Su Cen were fated as a couple, but in this life, they were meant to never intertwine again.
Su Cen paused, noticing the sadness in Lan Xiaobu’s eyes.
She sighed, "I didn’t want that to happen because I always dream about you. It's strange, but it feels like we've lived together for a long time. Lan Xiaobu, do you feel anything like this?"
As she spoke, Su Cen fixed her gaze gently on Lan Xiaobu's face, believing he might understand something.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent that message.
Seeing he still remained silent, she asked, "Lan Xiaobu, is there something between us I don’t know? And this—did you send it?"
Su Cen lifted the Blue Wing Star hanging around her neck.
"I didn’t agree to the marriage, but I had no choice. My family forced the engagement ceremony on me, and I received this that day."
She chuckled bitterly.
"The day after my engagement, the beast wave happened. The man I was engaged to perished in it. I didn’t even know what he did for a living. Before I could wait for another engagement from my family, I left home. I wanted to clear my mind and find you. Later, I met my master and joined the New Yuan Sect. At that time, martial arts were flourishing, and everyone around the world practiced martial arts. Because of the mutated beasts growing ever stronger, city safety was sometimes compromised, and practicing martial arts became a trend. After I started my training, those dreams vanished," Su Cen appeared to recall something and turned to Lan Xiaobu, "Since then, I never heard anything about you. Where have you been all these years? You should have had better development potential since you entered martial arts before me. Why didn’t I hear anything about you afterwards? You also seem to be in a bad state. Did something happen?"
Lan Xiaobu had just healed from his injuries, his stubble and messy hair betraying his sufferings.
Though the wounds had healed, remnants still remained on his hands and face.
As he began his cultivation, they would gradually disappear.
But he visited Su Cen before starting any training.
From Su Cen's perspective, Lan Xiaobu seemed to be in trouble.
"I was wounded in my dantian, so I had to rest for a while..."
Lan Xiaobu’s thoughts drifted off.
"Ah... is it serious?" Su Cen stared at him in shock, fully aware of the terrifying implications of a dantian injury for a martial artist.
Lan Xiaobu shook his head, "It's nothing serious, just a small crack in my dantian..."
A small crack in the dantian? Su Cen regarded him with sympathy and understood Lan Xiaobu was likely out of hope now.
She had wanted to tell him that after training in martial arts, one could also pursue the Dao, which could even extend one’s lifespan.
Now that she was in the Golden Core stage, her lifespan was beyond that of ordinary people.
But how could she say that?
After a moment of hesitation, Su Cen asked carefully, "Lan Xiaobu, besides martial arts, forging has developed exceptionally. Some forgers are even more sought after than martial artists..."
She struggled to finish, knowing full well that shattered dantians meant endless troubles.
Not only would their martial path be severed, but their lifespans would be limited, usually not surpassing sixty years.
The two fell silent for a time.
Eventually, both Lan Xiaobu and Su Cen lifted their heads simultaneously, seemingly wanting to say something.
Lan Xiaobu smiled, "You go first."
"Um, Lan Xiaobu, do you still like me? You sent me a message saying you were sorry for going back on your words this life and can't accompany me anymore. What does this mean?"
Su Cen queried, voicing the feelings she had harbored for many years.
She had sought Lan Xiaobu to confirm this matter.
Did she really have a past life? Did she truly have connections with him in the past?
Lan Xiaobu took a deep breath and met her gaze, "Yes, I like you. I thought I would never stand before you again. I didn’t expect to be here in this life. I was indeed at a loss before. I didn’t know what to do, but now I understand that some things and some people are not easily forgotten. Also, that Blue Wing Star is indeed a gift from me. If you’re willing, I hope we can reconnect..."
"Lan Xiaobu..."
Su Cen seemed to realize what he was about to say and interrupted him.
Before speaking, she stood up and bowed to him, "Thank you."
Lan Xiaobu looked on in confusion as Su Cen sat back down, her tone dropping, "I don’t know if my dreams are real, but I can’t marry you..."
Saying that, she removed the Blue Wing Star and pushed it back to him.
"Lan Xiaobu, if it had been more than a decade ago, I wouldn’t have cared about what was real; I would have accepted this dream as true. But today, I have surpassed that age. I..."
Su Cen trailed off, unsure how to continue.
She understood her lifespan was several hundred years long, a shocking fact to say aloud.
Meanwhile, Lan Xiaobu’s dantian issue would likely limit him to under sixty years.
Would it only add to their sorrow if she voiced it?
And regarding those dreams—if her past life truly existed, she wished for all their suffering to have ended in that life.
Why bring their sufferings into this world? Plus, she felt confused; she had never loved Lan Xiaobu, so why would she marry him?
"Moreover, I have begun pursuing the Dao," Su Cen swiftly changed the subject without waiting for Lan Xiaobu to respond.
"Over a decade ago, a formation exploded on Kunlun Mountain, revealing many inheritance techniques. A lot of martial artists scrambled for them, but my master was fortunate enough to obtain a manual..."
As Lan Xiaobu listened, he observed the familiar yet distant expression on Su Cen's face.
He suddenly felt that perhaps she was right.
In his past life, he had loved, sacrificed, and shared a mutual affection with her.
In this life, he would just let their paths diverge.
Although he believed this life together would not be plagued by hardships, that hope belonged only to him, not to Su Cen.
As for why Su Cen dreamt of scenes from their past life—he chose not to dwell on it.
It did not seem strange that she might have the occasional dream of their previous life after starting her cultivation.
What surprised him was that Su Cen did not begin her training until after those dreams began.
Lan Xiaobu handed the Blue Wing Star back to Su Cen, his tone brightening, "Su Cen, let’s just think of ourselves as husband and wife in our past life. You endured hardships alongside me then, and I give you this Blue Wing Star as compensation. I must take my leave now; take care of yourself."
After saying that, Lan Xiaobu turned and left the room, choosing to leave nothing else behind.
Since Su Cen had chosen to forget each other in the Jianghu, leaving her more items would only complicate that path.
Su Cen stared blankly at Lan Xiaobu’s retreating figure, feeling a gust of desolation and loneliness swell in her heart.
She suddenly felt a pang of pain.
(End of this chapter)