Chapter 44

Lu Huaying focused on writing, finished another sheet of paper, and placed it next to the inkstone.

The person behind her reached out and picked up the paper she had just written on; as the sleeve of her green robe swept across the paper, the white linen wrapped around her arm was revealed.

Lu Huaying was surprised again: Wei Mingsu hadn't left yet.

Bloodstains were visible beneath the white linen. When was he injured?

Lu Huaying didn't look up, but secretly glanced at Wei Mingsu out of the corner of her eye.

Wei Mingsu lowered his eyes to look at the alchemical text on the paper, remaining silent and with a serious expression.

Lu Huaying couldn't help but recall four years ago at Luyuan Temple, when Wei Mingsu sat in the west hall writing sutras. She pulled back the curtain and walked behind him to watch him write. The blue robe he was wearing had been washed many times, and the color had faded a lot. The collar was a little wrinkled, and the cuffs were worn and frayed, but it was still very clean.

He was writing, and she was watching, but unlike Wei Mingsu, she was not quiet. Sometimes she would go to the yard to pick a flower and throw it on the desk, and sometimes she would catch a cricket from the grass and put it in the brush washer. Wei Mingsu seemed not to notice, writing the sutra with a pure mind, his cursive script flowing like dragons and phoenixes.

Lu Huaying snapped out of her reverie, picked up a piece of paper to continue writing, but after tracing the ink on the paper a few times, she realized she was out of ink. The ink in the inkstone was almost gone. She put down her pen, picked up the ink stick, and gently ground the ink.

The room was eerily quiet, and even though she moved very quietly, the sound of the ink block made the atmosphere even more awkward.

Lu Huaying had no choice but to stop.

Wei Mingsu put down the paper.

Lu Huaying stared down at the blank paper in front of her, silently reciting the alchemical texts in her mind.

Wei Mingsu looked at the top of her head.

She was uneasy and dared not utter a sound or move an inch. She even held her breath and dared not exhale.

It was never this quiet before.

Now, I hide whenever I see him; if there were a crack in the ground, I would have crawled right into it.

He wouldn't speak to her, so she wouldn't say a word.

She remembered so clearly what he said when they broke off their relationship four years ago.

Several figures flashed past the window, and Afu and his attendants carried a box through the corridor.

Wei Mingsu raised his head and looked at the snow-capped mountains under the distant, gloomy sky.

She's going back to Liucheng.

He is about to leave Xizhou, and his future is uncertain.

Life is unpredictable.

If he never comes back, she might still remember that sentence from four years ago.

Wei Mingsu lowered his head and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk: "Take a break...go change your clothes."

Lu Huaying looked at her clothes, then raised her head in a daze. Did she need to change clothes to write the alchemical text?

Wei Mingsu said, "Come with me to a place."

He turned and left.

Tong Jin carried the prepared clothes into the house and said, "Third Sister, these clothes are all new and no one has worn them."

He put down the clothes and left, closing the door behind him.

Lu Huaying was completely confused. When she opened the clothes, she found that they were those of a servant, complete with a sword and headband.

She remembered that on her first day in Xizhou, Wei Mingsu had also asked her to dress up as a follower.

Lu Huaying closed the window, changed her clothes, tied on her headband, and opened the door.

Wei Mingsu stood in the corridor, his back to the door, his eyelids slightly lowered. A gust of cold wind blew by, and the turban strap on his shoulder fluttered.

Lu Huaying walked out, her gaze sweeping over the silver strands at his temples, lingering for a moment.

Wei Mingsu heard her footsteps, but didn't turn around; his eyes...

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, saw that she had changed her clothes, and then stepped down the stairs: "Let's go."

Lu Huaying followed him.

She was tall and slender, dressed in men's clothing, with her hand on her waist knife, walking beside Wei Mingsu. She was about the same height as the other attendants.

Afu walked through the corridor carrying a bundle. When his gaze passed over Lu Huaying, who was following Wei Mingsu with her head down, he didn't notice her.

A horse-drawn carriage was parked outside.

Wei Mingsu boarded the carriage, and Tong Jin pulled back the curtain, glanced at Lu Huaying, and gestured for her to get on as well.

Lu Huaying lowered her head and sat down in the carriage.

The carriage was not large.

A blanket was laid out, and bags of tightly sealed books were piled up under the car window. Wei Mingsu sat at the table, took out a book from the bag, untied the ribbon, and looked down at the book.

Lu Huaying sat down at the door of the carriage, her gaze inevitably sweeping over the book, which was covered with large and small marks and lines of varying lengths drawn in red ink.

Wei Mingsu unfolded a piece of parchment with a map drawn on it and laid it on the scroll, seemingly comparing the markings on the parchment and the scroll.

The carriage entered the familiar north-south avenue.

Wei Mingsu lowered his head and said, "It's a bit far, you should get some sleep."

Lu Huaying was taken aback, then responded.

She had been relaxed these past few days, writing alchemical texts without feeling tired, and was in good spirits. She wasn't sleepy, but she didn't know where to look. Wei Mingsu's words suited her perfectly, so she closed her eyes.

The carriage swayed slightly.

Lu Huaying fell asleep without realizing it.

The carriage suddenly shook violently and then began to lurch and jolt.

Lu Huaying was jolted awake. She opened her eyes, still groggy, and stared blankly at Wei Mingsu, who was reading a book across from her at the desk. "Wooden head?"

Wei Mingsu remained silent.

Lu Huaying looked up and saw the silver strands at his temples. Suddenly, she snapped out of her daze, straightened her back, coughed to cover it up, and lifted the carriage curtain to look out.

The carriage left the north-south road and entered an extremely narrow alley. Outside the carriage window was an earthen wall, which could be touched with a reach of the hand.

This is the eastern part of the city, a place where ordinary people live.

Lu Huaying was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened.

She recognized the road, but it still felt unbelievable.

The carriage slowed down and stopped in front of a courtyard.

Wei Mingsu finally put down his book and looked up.

Lu Huaying looked at him.

Their eyes met.

Wei Mingsu remained expressionless and said calmly, "I bought this place."

Lu Huaying's heart skipped a beat.

They jumped off the carriage shaft and lifted the curtain.

It was very cold outside, and a cold wind suddenly blew into the carriage.

Wei Mingsu tied the ribbon around the scroll, tucked it back into the book, and calmly said, "Go in and take a look."

Lu Huaying felt uneasy and jumped off the carriage.

Wei Mingsu followed him down. The courtyard gate was unlocked, so he pushed it open and went inside.

Lu Huaying stood at the door for a while, then followed him.

Wei Mingsu walked ahead at a moderate pace, and she followed behind him, her legs feeling as heavy as lead.

The yard had probably just been swept; there was no snow on the ground, but there were signs of repair on the walls, and a fresh layer of mud hadn't dried yet.

Wei Mingsu walked up the steps, then suddenly stopped at the entrance.

This was originally a very abrupt action, but when he stopped, it was with a natural ease, as if he had stopped at this doorway many times before and it had become a habit.

He turned his head and looked at Lu Huaying.

A scene flashed before Lu Huaying's eyes.

The room was dark because it had no windows, and she had fallen several times there. After that, every time she came back from outside, Wei Mingsu would stop and wait for her when she entered the room, worried that she might fall again.

After she noticed, she deliberately jumped around at the doorway, pretending to fall.

Wei Mingsu knew perfectly well that she was teasing him again, but he still turned around and looked at her nervously.

"Feifei, be careful."

Four years later, Wei Mingsu arrived here and stopped again.

Lu Huaying was lost in thought for a moment, then walked up the steps and stopped at the doorway.

Wei Mingsu looked up at the empty courtyard and asked, "Do you remember this place?"

Lu Huaying nodded and whispered, "I remember."

Wei Mingsu took out a few sheets of paper from his sleeve and handed them to Lu Huaying: "Here you go."

Lu Huaying instinctively caught it. The yellow hemp paper had the location of the house, its size, and the number of rooms written on it. Below were the official seal, the signatures of the neighborhood head and the broker, and several red fingerprints.

Wei Mingsu said, "The house deed is in triplicate. You keep this one. According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, although you cannot leave Xizhou, you can purchase property."

Holding the property deed, Lu Huaying felt a mix of emotions, a bittersweet feeling.

She had a premonition when she walked into the courtyard, but when she saw Wei Mingsu take out the house deed, she was still greatly shocked.

Is Wei Mingsu going to give this courtyard to her after buying it?

Lu Huaying composed herself, shook her head, and said, "I can't..."

“Four years ago, I made a promise to you.” Wei Mingsu interrupted her, his expression indifferent. “This courtyard happened to be empty, so I bought it… to settle things.”

Upon hearing the word "severance," Lu Huaying fell silent.

Wei Mingsu remained silent for a while before saying, "Let's go back."

He walked down the steps without looking back.

Lu Huaying followed him.

They boarded the carriage one after the other and returned to their quarters at the temple. Wei Mingsu opened the sheepskin and continued to look at the map on it.

The carriage stopped in front of Lu Huaying's courtyard.

Lu Huaying looked up at Wei Mingsu, then turned and lifted the carriage curtain.

"Third Sister".

Wei Mingsu's voice came from behind.

He now calls her Third Sister.

Lu Huaying turned around.

Wei Mingsu looked at her and said, "Seeing you makes me feel less annoyed."

Lu Huaying was stunned.

Yesterday, she told him, "I'm afraid you'll be upset if you see me."

After Wei Mingsu finished speaking, he lowered his eyes and looked at the sheepskin.

"Let's go back."

He said softly.

Tong Jin stood outside, lifted the curtain, and smiled as he invited Lu Huaying to get out of the car.

Lu Huaying jumped off the carriage.

The curtain was lowered, and Tongjin sat back down. The carriage then departed.

Lu Huaying held the house deed and watched the carriage drive away.

Inside the carriage, Wei Mingsu looked up and gazed at the spot where Lu Huaying had just been sitting for a long time.