Chapter 622 I'm Jealous of Him

Without saying a word, Song Chunxue had already taken out a handkerchief and placed it on the Taoist priest's wrist.

The Taoist priest and Xie Zheng exchanged a smile.

"If you insist on taking your senior brother's pulse, there's nothing I can do. But have you learned it? Can you explain the intricacies?"

Song Chunxue remained silent, focusing intently on feeling his pulse.

She could not analyze a patient's condition as precisely as a divine physician, but she could always tell if he had any major problems.

Fortunately, her senior brother hadn't lied to her; he was physically fine, except his heart rate was a little too fast, which might be related to the tea he had drunk.

She put away the handkerchief. "Senior brother, were you feeling unwell yesterday? How did you manage to get your uncle to come?"

The Taoist priest placed a white piece, looking relaxed. "It was just a coincidence. I didn't call him here. He's quite skilled and has a lot of dealings with those officials. Perhaps he heard the commotion and guessed that it was me."

Song Chunxue only had a vague understanding, but she didn't intend to delve into it further; there was still much she didn't know.

The room fell silent. Xie Zheng placed a black piece, and the Taoist priest quickly placed a white piece.

Song Chunxue wanted to ask about what happened when she fainted yesterday, but she didn't say it.

"By the way, I need to discuss something with you," the Taoist priest suddenly said.

"Please speak, senior brother." Xie Zheng stopped and looked at him.

Song Chunxue also perked up her ears.

“I can’t accompany my junior brother to Chang’an. Something big has happened on Mount Xuliang. My senior brother and master are in trouble. Although I left a long time ago, I have to go up the mountain this time. It would be best if you two went together to the capital.”

Sure enough, Song Chunxue's lips curled slightly, her eyes filled with bitterness.

After so many times, she seemed to have figured out a bit of her senior brother's temperament.

“Then I will go to Mount Xuliang with my senior brother.”

“You can’t go. Yunqiu will probably be here soon. Now that you’ve taken a master, they won’t let you get involved in the affairs of Xuliang Mountain. They’ll make things difficult for you in every way. You don’t need to do that.” The Taoist priest glanced at Xie Zheng. “If you don’t want to go to the capital, I’ll have someone send you home.”

Song Chunxue remained silent, looking at Xie Zheng and then at her senior brother.

These two have probably already discussed it.

If she were to say she wanted to go home now, Xie Zheng would probably show that pitiful expression again.

But she falls for it, and I won't ignore it for either reason or emotion.

But she didn't want anything to happen to her senior brother either. She always felt that, from some point onwards, they seemed to be forced to separate.

She once thought that the saying "all good things must come to an end" was meant for others, not for her fellow disciples.

Her senior brother was like family to her, a source of reassurance for all of them.

But senior brother shouldn't let people like them hold him back.

"How long will you stay in Xuliang Mountain, Senior Brother?" Song Chunxue asked gently. "I can go to the capital with Lord Xie, since it is too dangerous to go alone. But I am afraid that I will not stay in the capital for long. I want to go back to my hometown in advance."

Xie Zheng looked at her, and she smiled, "You'll definitely be staying in the capital for at least two months this time, right? I'm going to the capital to broaden my horizons and then I'll go back."

“Then I’ll go to the capital to find you after I come down from Xuliang Mountain,” the Taoist priest said helplessly. “If any rich young ladies or gentlemen in the capital bully you, they will have to send you back to your hometown.”

Song Chunxue and Xie Zheng had no objections.

The sound of rain outside is getting louder and louder, which is soothing to listen to; rainy days are perfect for sleeping.

But Song Chunxue felt a sense of powerlessness, as if she were standing at a crossroads of fate, unable to control her own destiny.

She went back to her room to rest early.

She vaguely understood her senior brother's intention, so she did not go to see him alone.

And so, I accepted his arrangement.

In the middle of the night, she sat on the bed meditating and regulating her breathing until the east gradually brightened and dawn broke.

Suddenly, the short sword beside the pillow flew slowly toward the door, hovering in the air, waiting for something.

Song Chunxue opened her eyes and could vaguely see a figure standing at the door.

He left something at the door and then left quietly.

As the figure gradually disappeared down the corridor, tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

The short sword, held between the paper window frames, moved with the figure from the doorway to the corner of the wall, then silently stopped in mid-air.

The soft footsteps descended the wooden stairs, so low they were almost inaudible, yet she could hear each step clearly.

Only when there was no more sound, tears blurred her vision, and the short sword quietly returned to her arms, did she take a deep breath and wipe away her tears and snot.

...

The senior apprentice rode away on Song Chunxue's chestnut horse, and sold his Akhal-Teke horse to the general who had saved them.

As Song Chunxue sat in the carriage, she could feel Xie Zheng's gaze occasionally falling on her before silently shifting away.

But she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep, acting as if she had never noticed.

Traveling with Xie Zheng meant she didn't have to worry about anything. People would call her when it was time to eat, and arrangements would be made for her stay at the inn. She just had to go to her room and wait for her meals.

But Song Chunxue didn't plan to eat in the room. Instead, she sat downstairs with Xie Zheng, listening to people with increasingly unfamiliar accents chatting, laughing, and arguing.

"Your leg still seems a bit off. I'll go with you to the clinic later. Don't delay. Your body isn't what it used to be. If you're not careful, it can leave behind lesions that will cause a lot of trouble."

She looked at Xie Zheng, who was engrossed in his meal, and spoke softly.

Xie Zheng picked up a piece of fish for her. "No need. It's just a sprain. You can't move freely in the carriage. You'll be fine after resting for a couple of days when we get to the capital."

"No, I'll go see them later." She took a bite of fish and asked, "I've never heard you mention siblings or anything like that. Do you have many relatives?"

“I have two older sisters, both of whom married well. Since I was first demoted in my twenties, they have gotten used to it. They know that I can’t shake the habit of offending the emperor. Gradually, my brothers-in-law’s families have advised my sisters to stay away from me to avoid being implicated. In recent years, my daughter has had contact with them, but almost no contact with me.”

"And what about your daughter? How many children does she have? Is she doing well in her husband's family?"

Xie Zheng remained silent for a moment, his expression complex, showing self-reproach and guilt.

“It’s not good. Without close relatives to support her, she’s bound to be bullied by some people. This time, I plan to visit my son-in-law’s family.”

"Want to fight?" Song Chunxue calmly suggested, "Just say that I am a female bodyguard you brought from Jincheng. You just happened to give me two sets of smart and simple clothes, so no one will notice anything amiss."

She was better at understanding interpersonal relationships than Xie Zheng.

She was afraid that people would dislike her accent and find it difficult to reason with her.

Xie Zheng lowered his head and chuckled, "I might not need you for fighting, but a female bodyguard is quite reasonable. But why can't she be my sweetheart? Actually, it's better to be frank. It can save me from a lot of matchmakers."

That makes sense. Song Chunxue had thought about it a lot before, but now she didn't care much.

"That's fine too. People will gossip eventually anyway. Before, no matter where I went, I was always misunderstood. Now it's not so much a misunderstanding."

The carriage swayed and rocked, but Xie Zheng often picked up a book to read.

Upon hearing this, he closed the book.

"Has anyone misunderstood your relationship with your senior brother?"

"Hmm?" Song Chunxue frowned. "Never. We're clearly just fellow disciples."

She leaned forward and asked, "So you haven't been talking to him these past few days. Are you jealous?"