An old friend returns (Part Two)

Chapter Thirty-Two

After three rounds of meals.

Xie Yuan was summoned to her master's study, and by the time she came out, it was already late at night.

Are you waiting for me?

When Xie Yuan pushed open the door, she paused slightly, then leaped onto the roof. She sat down next to Song Ling with a smile, propping her left hand on her cheek and glancing at him sideways.

“Master, I have come to this point by doing many things that are intolerable to the world.”

"Throughout this journey, I still felt like I had nothing left, until you came back to me, and that made it all worthwhile."

"I won't be upset if anyone says anything bad about me."

"I only care about how I am in your eyes."

Song Ling smiled with a childlike innocence.

Xie Yuan knew what he was talking about.

During dinner today, she openly discussed their relationship.

"Now I not only have an apprentice but also someone I like. It's both unexpected, but I think it's pretty good."

Although her master and senior brothers didn't say anything, which was considered tacit approval, it was normal for them to find it hard to accept at first. But she knew that because of her, they would treat Song Ling well.

But she also knew that Ah Ling wouldn't think that way...

When he mentioned her, his smile was always so pure and innocent, without a trace of scheming or calculation.

In her original plan, Song Ling was indeed like that.

He could finally escape the mire of darkness. She had been there for him as he grew up, accompanied him on his adventures, helped him with countless things, and even helped him find his own destiny...

Although.

Things don't always go as planned.

But old friends will eventually meet again.

This time, she wanted to stay with him until the very end.

"In my eyes, Ah Ling is naturally incomparable to anyone else, she is unique."

Xie Yuan smiled and beckoned to him, and Song Ling obediently brought his face close to hers.

They were only inches apart, their breaths mingling in an ambiguous embrace.

Her eyes held the beauty of spring, the drifting clouds, the passion of the martial world, and a bright, free spirit...

He is still there.

Just like many years ago.

Because she loved storybooks, she would later travel back to a different world each time.

He would also buy a few to read.

However, without exception, all the stories of master and disciple ended badly.

Despised by the world, violating morality, abandoned by all...

They spent very little time together, only six short years.

But those short six years became his lifelong obsession.

In fact, he had already made the worst-case scenario plans many times.

Even when facing the worst possible outcome each time, I still stubbornly keep trying to find the answer.

But thankfully.

His master always surprised him.

But Master certainly doesn't know.

He really, really loved her.

Although in her eyes he was probably an extreme person who would always be stubborn and inflexible and would never change, she was still willing to tolerate all his good and bad qualities.

But he was willing to change for her.

Song Ling subconsciously closed her eyes when she approached.

A gentle kiss landed on his trembling left eyelashes.

It has nothing to do with whether you are good or bad.

You are my one and only Song Ling, nothing more.

The bright moon remains the same.

With you in this world, I have everything I need.

——

Xie Yuan decided to take advantage of this rare period of leisure to let Song Ling experience the life she once had at Jingyu Manor.

Doesn't he always feel like he doesn't feel involved?

I haven't had a chance to take him out to play properly before, but it's not too late to make up for it a little bit now.

When Xie Yuan was young, her life was very simple. Every day at dawn, she would get up early to go to the bamboo forest to practice swordsmanship with her senior brother. After practicing for less than half an hour, she would start to find an opportunity to run up a tree to be lazy and take a nap. At dawn, she would find an opportunity to sneak down the mountain. Cultivators have very little appetite. Like her master and senior brother, their diet was very light. Warm tea and porridge were enough for them.

But that's far from enough for her.

The world is meant to be explored, and all the delicious food must be tasted.

As a child, she loved to wander around the streets and alleys, and she visited almost every food stall in Ancheng.

The night before each trip down the mountain, she would sneak into the little vault behind the bookshelves in her master's library, grab a few silver ingots, stuff them into her purse, and then quietly go back to sleep soundly.

Therefore, her first plan was to take Song Ling to visit her master's library, which they hadn't done in a long time.

——

When he heard his junior sister dare to say to Aqi's face that the young man named Song Ling was both her disciple and the person she loved, he was shocked.

Li Shui deeply admired this junior sister who had such courage on their first meeting.

This is clearly even more reckless and unruly than him...

He could tell that Aqi's inner self was not as calm and composed as he appeared on the surface. Born into the royal family, he had been famous for his talent since childhood. He was a handsome young man and a dashing swordsman in a blue robe, but in reality, he was a person who adhered to the rules. The world and the righteousness of the country once took a great place in his heart.

Even though he refused the hereditary title of King Guangzhao, and even though he chose the Jianghu (martial arts world), he was still dragged down by the useless Northern Qi royal family, and his family members all died on the battlefield.

He had told him this long ago, but he was always too soft-hearted.

The nation and the world that he cared about were nothing more than using him as the sharpest sword.

The power struggles within the royal family, the rights and wrongs, never cease. He is deeply entangled in it, and since he cannot escape, someone must see things clearly for him.

What utter nonsense about "with great power comes great responsibility."

He only wanted to live for himself and do what he wanted to do when he was away from the water.

It was worth it for him to give his life to regain his senses.

He couldn't have been unaware of how terrible he had become back then.

Everyone was pressuring Zhu Qi to make a choice, but no one ever asked him if he wanted to make that choice.

They were only two years apart in age. When he met Zhu Qi, he was fifteen. However, due to years of malnutrition and wandering outside, he was extremely short and looked like a child.

He never acknowledged that he was his master.

Back then, it was Zhu Qi who insisted on letting him live in the palace legitimately, fearing that he would be looked down upon by others, so he publicly claimed that he was his disciple.

However, after years of wandering, he no longer cared about such so-called reputation.

The master-disciple relationship, passed down from person to person, could never be erased.

So be it, he's used to it after all these years. It's just a name; he can call me whatever he wants in private.

It's difficult to define the relationship between him and Zhu Qi without water.

If one insists on using the phrase "both teacher and friend," it could be used to describe them, albeit somewhat haphazardly.

In their youth, when they were still young and their wings were not yet fully grown, they had experienced life and death upheavals and joys and sorrows together in the martial arts world, but they still could not let go of the righteousness in his heart.

This outcome is actually quite good.

That's enough.

He, however, was not as fearless of anyone's opinion as his nominal junior sister.

Her apprentice didn't seem like a good person.

Perhaps this is the reason why like attracts like. The moment Li Shui saw Song Ling, he instinctively felt that such a person with outstanding appearance and boundless charm was like him.

No, his potential is far greater than his...

Li Shui sat on a treetop not far away, watching the two figures on the rooftop heading towards the library, and clicked his tongue twice.

Is this the joy of gaining one's master's approval?

Such emotions would undoubtedly bring the ultimate pleasure and joy to a madman.

Without exception, madmen need to be restrained and shackled.

His constraint was Zhu Qi, but his "master" was also bound by rules. He willingly allowed himself to be bound by him, and over the years he has been law-abiding and living with him day and night, so he is no longer so attached to him.

Song Ling's master is her "junior sister," who hates rules and regulations, cherishes freedom, and disregards conventions. Her disciple is even worse, rebellious and disloyal to her master, yet she receives her master's open indulgence and favoritism...

His "junior sister" is clearly a madwoman too.

It's understandable that Aqi and his "junior brother" are having a hard time recovering. For someone as rule-abiding as them, this is quite an eye-opener. I wonder how Aqi will view his "junior sister" now. Thinking about it is quite interesting.

Despite the fact that this ending was unacceptable to the world, he sincerely hoped that they could ultimately achieve their wishes.

After all, he is that kind of person at heart.

——

Library.

Xie Yuan led Song Ling into the third floor of the library with practiced ease.

“Master, I’m very curious why you’ve stolen so much silver and your master has never caught you once.”

"Foolish, Master naturally saw it but pretended not to know."

"Is it like you treat me?"

"Yes, you can understand it that way, but I think it's still a little different." After all, when it comes to indulgence, no master could be as absolute as her.

This was the first time Song Ling had entered this magnificent nine-story pavilion, which he had only ever been able to observe from the outside countless times.

As a "passerby," the closest he could get to her was by "unintentionally" brushing past her a few times. After all, it was something that had already happened, and he couldn't change it.

The magic he used imposed too many restrictions, preventing him from fully participating in her life. He couldn't enter any buildings; he could only wait each day on the path she was sure to take, silently following her through the streets and alleys, keeping her company while she lazed around, watching her fish, and her clumsy slip and fall into the water. Her joys and sorrows, everything about her, were incredibly vivid in his eyes...

Seeing her with her mentor and childhood friend, enjoying herself to the fullest, living a carefree life.

He was envious and jealous of everyone who could be around her.

It turns out that her world wasn't just about him.

The bright moon hangs high, but it does not shine solely on him.

She'd be better off without him.

But how could he accept such an ending?

He was unwilling to accept it.

Shouldn't she just be his bright moon?

But he was also very scared.

Yes, even someone as wicked and burdened with karmic obstacles as him could feel fear.

She was his mentor, his lover, and also the last line that bound him.

He couldn't let her go, not even in death.

If he really has to die, besides dying at his own hands, dying at her hands would also be a good ending.

That way, she will remember him forever.

No, she should remember him for all eternity.

Even in death, he would still occupy an indelible place in her heart.

However.

Reincarnation a hundred times.

Goodbye, old friend.

She said.

I will only be my own bright moon.