Chapter 149 No Crying

Inside the bumpy carriage, Ouyang Rong's skirt-shaped sword rested horizontally on his knees.

His face showed a focused expression as he listened intently.

Inside the carriage, apart from the sound of horses' hooves hitting the ground and the shouts of the drivers, there was nothing else.

All that remained was Xie Lingjiang's clear and melodious voice as she softly spoke.

Xie Lingjiang did not hide anything from Ouyang Rong.

Apart from the incident in the main hall of Donglin Temple that morning, where her sudden confession and revealing of her true intentions scared someone away, the two of them tacitly avoided asking about it or mentioning it, pretending that nothing had happened.

Other things.

The two gradually returned to the normal tone and atmosphere of their previous interaction as senior and junior brothers and sisters.

It seemed that the profile of a man she recognized—a man listening intently and attentively—was encouraging to her.

Xie Lingjiang continued to recount and review the day's events in the tone of her junior sister.

She revealed even the secrets of the skirt-knife, leaving nothing hidden in her heart.

As Ouyang Rong listened, his somewhat rough hands unconsciously lowered from the smooth white jade hilt of the knife and withdrew them.

In response, the noble lady Xie, who was speaking with her lips slightly parted, looked straight ahead, seemingly unaware of what was happening.

I don't know how much time passed.

Inside the carriage, the woman's clear and melodious voice gradually subsided.

Only the occasional glimmer of streetlights from outside the car window illuminated the two men's silent gazes and their faces, now in shadow.

"It seems that my junior sister has been wronged today."

Ouyang Rong looked somewhat guilty: "If I hadn't left back then, none of this would have happened..."

Xie Lingjiang suddenly shook her head and interrupted, saying:

"It's because you've been wronged, senior brother. I...I'm sorry, senior brother."

"Why is that? Besides, if you hadn't intervened at the last minute this afternoon and stopped that imposter, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Ouyang Rong shook his head with a serious expression, then smiled wryly: "Junior sister's performance this afternoon... I'm too busy praising you to say anything about apologizing."

Xie Lingjiang bit her lower lip, her eyes silently fixed on the man in front of her who was unharmed and comforting her.

Hearing her senior brother's laughter, she slowly shook her head. After a long while, she finally spoke, her lips trembling.

Unfortunately, the light was dim, and the person lacked spiritual cultivation and night vision, so they couldn't see the rich expressions and genuine emotions that flashed across her face in that instant.

"Junior sister is still so naive. Before, she only had suspicions. It wasn't until she watched the fake ship leave at Penglangdu Wharf and belatedly sensed the movement of the skirt knife on your side that she suddenly realized that the person on the ship wasn't you. At the moment of complete certainty, she was completely... completely..."

The woman in the car made a sound, then closed her mouth tightly; her lips were somewhat pale.

When I suddenly realized this, I felt a sudden tightness in my chest, as if someone was choking me. I felt like I was standing in the bright sunlight of the day, but everything was dark, and the world seemed to be collapsing.

Coupled with disbelief, regret, and even fear flooding her mind... even after it was confirmed that her senior brother was actually alright and still alive, and that the skirt knife was still responding, her heart still felt as if it were being cut by a dull knife.

Xie Lingjiang never wants to experience that again in her life.

Even though most of the day had passed, a deep sense of lingering fear still remained on her face.

What's wrong with him?

Seeing his junior sister suddenly fall silent, Ouyang Rong couldn't help but ask, then shook his head:

"This can't be blamed on Junior Sister. No one would have thought that the Liu family would resort to such underhanded tactics. Who gave them the audacity?"

His brows furrowed, his eyes fixed on the dagger on his knee.

"Nothing much." Xie Lingjiang forced a smile, not going into details of her emotional breakdown at the time. She looked at the pensive Ouyang Rong and continued to murmur softly:

"I'm a little worried about my senior brother... However, I sensed that he killed people with his skirt knife; at least two people died by it."

"I then sensed that my senior brother was running with his skirt-shaped knife, heading towards Penglang Ferry where I was at the time. He was getting closer and closer, and his footsteps were hurried..."

"The senior brother's hand gripping the hilt of the knife was extremely strong, and he seemed to be in a great hurry... but then the direction changed again, and it seemed to be heading towards Di Gong Gate upstream."

"I guessed... and even became somewhat certain that my senior brother had already seen through the conspiracy, but was too far behind to catch up with us, so he had to go directly to Di Gongzha to stop the imposters."

At this point, Xie Lingjiang took a deep breath. The night wind that slipped in through the open car window felt slightly cool in her throat, making her feel as if she were drinking ice on a summer day.

Ouyang Rong looked at her with shining eyes, and upon hearing her words, he couldn't help but praise her:

"Junior sister is clever, hmm, she still trusts her senior brother me quite a bit... So at the dock, you had Liu Lang take people back to Da Gu Shan to find me, and you decisively turned around to chase after the ship, using the scheme to stay by the imposter's side, wanting to see what kind of conspiracy the person behind it had set up at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and then destroy it in one fell swoop, right?"

Faced with her senior brother's questioning, Xie Lingjiang neither nodded nor shook her head. She stared at the man's face and asked:

"Senior brother doesn't blame junior sister? You might still be in danger, possibly being hunted down, and I didn't go to you immediately, I was absent from your side..."

She paused, then silently lowered her eyes to look at the dagger on her skirt, and, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, added:

"Doesn't this feeling of not being valued by the other party make you feel even a little bit uncomfortable, Senior Brother?"

Ouyang Rong no longer held the jade hilt of the sword, but instead placed both hands on the white sandalwood scabbard.

He sat upright, his eyes as bright as stars, looking at her.

These days, Xie Lingjiang, who often sits on the rooftop and keeps watch until dawn, feels that the pair of bright eyes in front of her are more like the morning star on the dark blue sky before dawn.

Ouyang Rong said softly to Xie Lingjiang:

"Junior sister, it would be a lie to say that I felt no disappointment, but I am mostly understanding and happy, which is also true."

“I understand the choice you made back then, and I’m glad that you didn’t let your emotions cloud your judgment and turn around to look for me in vain. Instead, you calmly considered the situation and chose to catch up with the ship, keep an eye on the imposter, and protect Lord Shen and the others.”

"If you choose the former, I will feel upset and angry..."

"So now, I'm really happy, junior sister, you've really grown up."

Ouyang Rong sighed, a slight smile appearing on his face.

Xie Lingjiang stared blankly at her senior brother's somewhat gratified expression, then suddenly asked:

"What if? What if you encounter danger on the way? What if it's because I didn't turn around to find you immediately and stay by your side that you, Senior Brother, are still killed by villains..."

"Would my senior brother be happy if I made that so-called rational choice? Would he also want me to make that choice?"

Ouyang Rong was taken aback. He lowered his head, gripped the scabbard tightly, and pursed his lips.

He lowered his eyes and said seriously, "Junior sister knows what the answer is."

Yes, Xie Lingjiang knew the answer, but she still asked.

Sometimes, meaningless nonsense doesn't make the world stupider, but rather more complicated.

During Xie Lingjiang's moment of silence, Ouyang Rong suddenly looked up, his face beaming with a bright smile, and said to her:

"If I die, you must chase after the ship without looking back. Don't cry. Do this yesterday, do it today, and do it tomorrow. Understand?"

Xie Lingjiang saw that the man in front of her was pointing out the car window towards the Zheyi Canal and Digong Gate, and he said earnestly:

"You must take good care of our unfinished business. This is not only my unfinished business, but also your unfinished business, as well as the unfinished business of Liulang, Ashan, and all those who are dedicated to the flood control of Longcheng."

"It should be, and always has been, more important than me."

"Even if I die, leave, and am no longer in this world, as long as the disaster relief camp is still there, the Di Gong Sluice Gate is still there, the Zheyi Canal is still there, the people of Longcheng will still rely on them to live a life of plenty, to work and create, and to thrive."

"Then your eldest brother will still be here, forever, and not just a few drops of ink casually mentioned in that big county annals in the government office."

Inside the dark car, Xie Lingjiang, still dressed in fiery red, opened her mouth, staring blankly at her senior brother with a bright and sunny smile.

She remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, he turned his head and glanced at the night sky above the carriage.

Tonight, the moon is pale and the stars are hidden, and the sky is pitch black.

It's easy to imagine that even if she climbs onto the roof to keep watch the next morning, she probably won't see the morning star.

However, Xie Lingjiang felt that was not the case.

It's right in front of you.

Not long after.

"Junior sister?"

The carriage came to a halt with a clatter, the inertia that caused the people inside to lean forward, and the senior brother's call, all of which snapped Xie Lingjiang out of her daze for the rest of the journey.

"Ah," she replied, snapping back to reality.

Ouyang Rong glanced at his junior sister, whose pretty face was slightly blank, and couldn't help but chuckle:

"We've arrived. What are you daydreaming about? Get out of the car and go back to rest for a bit."

On Luming Street, Liu Ashan's carriage stopped in front of the unassuming gate of the Su family mansion, which had no stone lions.

"oh."

Xie Lingjiang glanced outside, but didn't move. She turned and asked:

"What about you, senior brother? Are you busy tonight? I won't leave, I'll stay with you. I can't be negligent anymore, I have to protect your safety outside."

Ouyang Rong sighed helplessly, thought for a moment, glanced at Xie Lingjiang who had matured considerably, and said truthfully:

"I need to settle Lord Shen and Lord Wang into their lodgings first, and then go to the county office to finish up some things left over from today."

"Oh, right, there's also the matter at Dagushan; we need to send someone there..."

"In addition, there is the county-wide public trial tomorrow. We must strike while the iron is hot and completely nail the coffin lid to the Liu family."

"Then Senior Brother will be busy again tonight. Will he have to make the bed in the county government hall again?" Xie Lingjiang couldn't hide the heartache and reluctance in her eyes.

Without a second thought, she said, "Then let's go together. Perfect timing. I'll go to the prison to keep an eye on that sorcerer. Sealing his spiritual energy and cultivation isn't enough to guarantee safety."

Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Okay, but let's go back and tidy up first, have a meal and rest for a while. We'll meet up in half an hour and go together."

"good."

Xie Lingjiang nodded vigorously.

Meilu Garden and Su Mansion were adjacent to each other, and the two got off the carriage together.

At the gate of the Su residence, Xie Lingjiang did not move her feet immediately.

Two large red lanterns hanging in front of the gate cast the glow of red candles onto the slightly tired young magistrate standing quietly not far away.

Xie Lingjiang turned her head and carefully looked up and down at her senior brother who was watching her enter.

The latter seemed to understand her gaze.

He shrugged helplessly, rolled up his sleeves, and spun around in place under the sharp gaze of his junior sister:

"I'm really fine. I don't have any serious injuries. I'm not trying to find an excuse to send you away, and then quietly lick my wounds like a cat or dog in a corner."

Xie Lingjiang glanced at the bitter smile on his tired face, nodded slightly, and turned to go inside.

"Wait, Junior Sister." Ouyang Rong seemed to remember something and called out, silently unfastening something from her waist and presenting it to her with both hands. "You forgot your skirt knife..."

"Senior Brother." Xie Lingjiang suddenly interrupted Ouyang Rong.

The latter looked up. "What's wrong?"

Under the red lanterns, a woman dressed as a man in red said without turning her head:

"What you were saying to my junior sister on the way here, that our unfinished business is more important, even more important than... a person's life, junior sister thinks senior brother is right, but..."

"Maybe it's because I'm still not very smart. I can barely manage the 'don't cry' option, but the 'don't look back' option is actually quite difficult to do."

She paused, sniffed, pursed her lips, and pretended not to care, saying:

"Senior Brother, don't overthink it. It's not that anyone is special, but I'm just naturally sentimental. When my fellow disciples and close friends are in trouble and their lives are uncertain, I can't help but feel impulsive and worried."

Ouyang Rong frowned slightly: "Junior Sister, actually we..."

Xie Lingjiang tilted her head slightly as she interrupted, saying, "However..."

"But what?" Ouyang Rong asked, bewildered.

"However, it's not unsolvable. Like today, you carried my skirt knife with you, and I could vaguely sense your presence, which made me feel a little more at ease, and I chased after the ship without looking back..."

"Whether it's life or death, at least I can confirm it, which is better than being lured by some vague hope, losing my composure, and ruining my important plans... What do you think, senior brother?"

Ouyang Rong opened his eyes, not quite understanding his junior sister's logic, but that didn't stop him from agreeing, feeling that what his junior sister said wasn't entirely wrong:

"That's... not bad either."

Xie Lingjiang nodded directly: "Keep that skirt knife with you, just consider it... as a safety net. You are not allowed to let it leave your side in the future."

Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, then reluctantly fastened the skirt knife back to her waist: "Fine."

What he didn't see was that the junior sister in front of him, who had her back turned, slightly curved the corners of her mouth.

Having fastened his sword, Ouyang Rong looked up and called out to Xie Lingjiang, "Wait, there's one more thing. That red string Master Shandao gave me this morning..."

Xie Lingjiang suddenly asked, "Red rope? What red rope?"

Before Ouyang Rong could speak again, she raised her hand without turning her head, shook off her wide red sleeve, revealing a section of her lotus-root arm, and raised her fair and delicate wrist in a gesture.

Xie Lingjiang was still holding a marriage fortune stick in her hand.

Her curious voice came through:

"Didn't we only draw one fortune stick for Su Xiaomei this morning? What nonsense are you spouting, Senior Brother?"

"..."

"They're gone."

The woman in red waved and entered the room with a flourish.

Ouyang Rong stared blankly as he saw him off.

A moment later, he rubbed his face, turned and left, leaving behind a muttered remark:

"They're getting better and better at playing dumb..."

(End of this chapter)