Chapter 60 Nobody's Here "Where did you go?" Mu Zao...

"Where are you going?" Mu Zao turned her head and shouted at Feng Huaihe.

Feng Huaihe didn't even turn his head: "Looking for someone."

He was in abdominal pain and walked slowly. Mu Zao caught up with him in a few steps, grabbed his sleeve and said, "Let's eat first. My mother has prepared some food."

"No need, thank you."

Feng Huaihe brushed Mu Zao's hand away and walked away.

Having both grown up in Qingxi Village, Mu Zao understood Feng Huaihe's stubborn temperament and didn't pursue the matter further.

He watched Feng Huaihe limp away, wondering why someone who was far away had suddenly returned, and why he was injured and lying in Zhu Qing's house.

Aunt Mu brought over some congee and side dishes, but found that the person had already left. She frowned and asked, "Why didn't you stop him? That child is still injured!"

Mu Zao scoffed, "You've known him since we were kids, haven't you? How could I possibly control him?"

“That’s true,” Aunt Mu pondered for a moment, then advised, “But he’s not feeling well, how can we let him go out alone? We’re neighbors, after all, you should go with him and check on him, just in case something happens.”

Mu Zao thought it made sense, put the touch-up paint brush back, and followed Feng Huaihe.

Feng Huaihe returned to Zhu Qing's home.

The fenced yard was spotless after being washed by the torrential rain, and the ground was covered with jujube leaves that had fallen in the autumn rain. Feng Huaihe pushed open the door to the main room.

A hunting knife and an embroidered shoe lay scattered on the ground. Feng Huaihe hung the hunting knife back on the wall, picked up the embroidered shoe, and measured it in his palm. It belonged to Zhu Qing. She had indeed vanished into thin air right here in the main room.

He had clearly grabbed Zhu Qing's hand, but she still disappeared.

Feng Huaihe arrived at Zhu Qing's boudoir. The window was open, and the small table beneath it was piled high with autumn leaves. A gust of wind blew in, lifting a few leaves into the air, one of which swirled towards Feng Huaihe.

He opened his palm and caught it.

It was hard to describe the feeling; the room was filled with Zhu Qing's scent, but it felt empty.

Feng Huaihe suddenly felt a heart attack, his throat felt dry, and he felt like crying.

He actually had a vague idea of ​​where Zhu Qing had gone.

Knowing where Zhu Qing came from, Feng Huaihe could naturally guess where she was going.

But he dared not face it, because he could not find the way to the moon, nor did he know how to reach the space-time where Zhu Qing was.

Feng Huaihe was powerless to help.

He only asked to see Zhu Qing one more time, and he made this wish every day. Buddha was merciful and gave him a chance to see Zhu Qing.

However, because Zhu Qing died young in her previous life, she had one more reincarnation than Feng Huaihe. She did not belong to this reincarnation time and space. Since Buddha had fulfilled Feng Huaihe's wish, he naturally had to send her back.

Feng Huaihe understood everything, but why at this time?

Was it because at this moment, Zhu Qing's desire to leave him reached its peak?

Feng Huaihe didn't know; in fact, he wasn't even sure if Buddha existed. Everything was a fabrication he made up to comfort himself.

He gripped Zhu Qing's embroidered shoes tightly, and suddenly felt like crying. He covered his throat and coughed violently, trying to cover up his sobs with the cough.

Even his intermittent coughs sounded choked with sobs.

"Feng Huaihe?" Mu Zao's voice sounded from behind: "Have you caught a cold? You're coughing so badly."

Mu Zao followed Feng Huaihe to his side, supporting his body which was trembling violently from coughing, and frowned with concern: "You look terrible."

He helped Feng Huaihe sit down and went out to pour him a bowl of water. "How strange, even though no one has lived here for a long time, there is still clean water in the kettle."

Feng Huaihe took the bowl of water handed to him and looked at his reflection in it. His face was pale, his appearance was haggard, and his eyes were dark.

As things have turned out, Zhu Qing once said that this was the only good-looking thing she had, and if things continued like this, she would lose even that one thing.

He wanted to drink some water to moisten his chapped lips, but he didn't even have the appetite for it.

Feng Huaihe put the bowl of water aside.

Mu Zao asked in confusion, "What's going on? You said you were looking for someone, who? Qingqing? Her family moved away a long time ago."

Feng Huaihe was speechless, clutching Zhu Qing's embroidered shoes tightly, staring at the pomegranate tree outside the window.

How long will she be gone this time? When will she come back? When she does, will she still remember him?

No matter what Mu Zao said, Feng Huaihe didn't react, he just kept holding the embroidered shoe.

Mu Zao felt that his soul was wandering to another world. Apart from the year his adoptive mother passed away, Mu Zao had never seen him like this before.

Mu Zao was worried, so she took him home. Feng Huaihe did not resist and followed Mu Zao like a puppet.

Food was laid out on the peeling table in the house. Mu Zao called to Feng Huaihe to eat some, but Feng Huaihe didn't react and just sat on the stool without moving.

Mu Zao had no choice but to eat it himself, and then went to get the lacquer repaired. After joining the army, he followed Emperor Xizong of Tang to Xingyuan, and now that Huang Chao had been defeated, he followed the army back to Chang'an.

He took a short trip home to help his mother repair the tables and chairs in the house before he had to return to the army soon.

Emperor Xizong of Tang fell ill on his way back to Chang'an from Xingyuan. It was uncertain whether he would survive. If he did not, his younger brother would ascend the throne.

At that time, the court would be in chaos again, and Mu Zao worried that there would be another war that would invade Chang'an.

While preoccupied with her worries, Mu Zao repaired the chipped paint. After cleaning up the paint bucket, she saw that Feng Huaihe was still sitting at the table in the same position as before, unchanged.

Mu Zao almost thought the person in front of her was a mannequin. She couldn't help but step forward and poke Feng Huaihe's face. It was soft and warm.

"What are you doing?" Aunt Mu, who happened to be at the door, saw this scene and scolded, "Still as disrespectful as ever!"

Mu Zao withdrew her hand and went outside. "Mother, look at him like this, isn't he acting a bit strange? Could he be possessed?"

Aunt Mu also thought it looked somewhat plausible. "How about we find a shaman to perform a ritual for him? But we don't have that much money!"

Mu Zao stroked his chin. "After the army pays their salaries in two days, I'll think of a way to find a cheaper expert."

“Alright, we’re all neighbors from the same village, so close, separated only by a river. It wouldn’t be right to ignore it.” Aunt Mu sighed with pity as she looked at Feng Huaihe, who was so dazed as if possessed by a ghost.

Who knew that the person who was sitting upright and motionless just a second ago would suddenly stand up.

Mu Zao and her son were both startled, their eyes rolling back in surprise. "What's going on?"

Feng Huaihe thought of that river. He had heard Zhu Qing mention that she had come to this place because she had been drowned in the river.

He hurriedly stuffed the embroidered shoes into his bosom and rushed to the riverbank.

The Mu and Zhu families both lived near the river, and Feng Huaihe arrived at the riverbank not long afterward.

It was an autumn afternoon, the golden sun shining brightly, and the river surface shimmered.

Feng Huaihe didn't want to wait for Zhu Qing to return; he wanted to go there and punish the person who wanted to drown her.

Despite his injuries, Feng Huaihe jumped directly into the river.

Mu Zao, who had followed, was so shocked her heart almost jumped out of her chest. "I knew it! You were trying to kill yourself! With the hunting knife and the river jump, what were you doing!"

Mu Zao quickly took off his shirt, jumped into the river, grabbed Feng Huaihe, and swam towards the shore.

Feng Huaihe initially struggled and refused to leave, but his wounds reopened and he was in excruciating pain. He was no match for Mu Zao and was forcibly dragged ashore.

Feng Huaihe was soaked to the bone, his hair clinging tightly to his face. Looking at the still rippling river, he wanted to climb over again.

"Again?" Mu Zao, panting heavily, could no longer bear it and slapped Feng Huaihe on the back of the neck.

Feng Huaihe's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

It took Mu Zao a great deal of effort to get Feng Huaihe home, change his clothes to dry ones, and change the medicine for his wounds before he could rest.

In the evening, Mu Zao and her mother sat in the courtyard, enjoying dinner under the starry sky.

As long as it doesn't rain in autumn, there are just as many stars in the sky as in summer.

After finishing his meal, Mu Zao leaned back in his chair, gazing at the starry sky, and pondered, "Today I thought he was possessed, but now that I think about it carefully, something doesn't seem right."

Aunt Mu snorted but didn't say anything.

"Mother, could it be that something happened to Qingqing?" Mu Zao frowned. This was his biggest worry. Today, he discovered that Feng Huaihe had taken the embroidered shoe and gone to Zhu Qing's room. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious he felt.

Why would someone who left Chang'an suddenly return, and why would they be like this upon their return?

When it came to Zhu Qing, Aunt Mu became serious: "But we haven't seen Qingqing come home, nor have we seen her brothers come home."

"Maybe I should ask someone to inquire about her," Mu Zao said. "I'm worried about her."

Mother naturally supported this: "Alright, no matter what, we haven't heard from you in a long time, it's good to ask."

-

In this era, travel was slow and long, so even though Mu Zao tried very hard to find out about Zhu Qing, she couldn't hear from him for a long time.

Nearly half a month later, Mu Zao returned home from his military leave and saw Feng Huaihe squatting by the river from afar. Behind him stood another man. Mu Zao carefully examined him and recognized him as Bao Fu, Zhu Qing's former colleague.

Mu Zao was worried that Feng Huaihe was going to commit suicide again, so she rushed up to stop him. Before she got close, she heard Feng Huaihe say, "Are you sure he went to Zhu Wen's side?"

Mu Zao stopped walking.

Bao Fu said, "Yes, Sister Jiuzhu's information is definitely correct."

Feng Huaihe remained silent.

His previous plan was to send Zhang Yin to Zhu Wen's side so that he could experience the same suffering of suspicion he had endured in his previous life.

But Zhu Qing interrupted the plan and sent Zhang Yin to Jinyang.

He then considered killing Zhang Yin, but unexpectedly Zhang Chengye protected him. After going around in circles, he returned to the path he had initially taken.

Now there is no Zhu Qing, only them, two people whose circumstances have been completely reversed in two lifetimes.

Normally, Feng Huaihe would have immediately resorted to tricks to deal with Zhang Yin. But now, he didn't have the energy for it.

He stared at the rippling river, wondering why Zhu Qing hadn't returned yet.

During this period, Feng Huaihe came here every day to wait, and he almost turned into a waiting stone, but he still did not see Zhu Qing.

Bao Fu then said, "When are you going back to Jinyang, sir? It's difficult to explain to the heir apparent."

Feng Huaihe did not answer.

Seeing the wind blowing the water's surface open, and then open it again, it seemed as if Zhu Qing's smiling face could be vaguely seen in the clear river water.

Zhu Qing is gone, but this dark era has not ended, and Feng Huaihe's path continues unabated.

If Zhu Qing were to return one day, Feng Huaihe hoped that she could witness a slightly more peaceful era.

Feng Huaihe was stunned for a long time. He had thought about everything he needed to think about and searched everywhere he needed to search, but he still couldn't find her.

All she left behind was that embroidered shoe, which he has kept perfectly to this day.

Feng Huaihe said calmly, "Prepare the horses and return to Jinyang."

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A message from the author: Wishing all the babies a wonderful new year.

If things go smoothly and it's difficult, then I wish the babies good health!