Five Miles of Fog (Part Two)

Chapter Twelve

“Ah Ling, Cang Yue said in his letter that Xiao Tao Su can still be cured. He has taken her to find medicine first and will meet us at the next stop.”

The carriage swayed along the mountain path. The young man sat outside the carriage, holding the reins in one hand. The red ribbon on his high ponytail fluttered behind him in the wind, and one of his long legs hung lazily down. His red and black outfit made his figure look even taller and more elegant.

The morning sun rises over the mountains, its rays bursting forth on the horizon, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty.

The girl inside the carriage finished reading the letter in a light and melodious voice. Seeing that the boy outside the curtain ignored her, she simply lifted the curtain and sat down next to him. She put her hands together in a circle near his ear and said loudly, "Did you hear me clearly?"

"I heard you clearly."

Song Ling then spoke in a calm voice.

Her skirt fluttered and lightly brushed against his fingertips. He twitched his brow slightly and glanced at her sideways.

“We still have a day and a half to go to reach Jingzhou. I saw there’s a dilapidated temple nearby. We can rest there tonight. Look, we’ve been traveling all day. Have something to eat.” Xie Yuan reached behind her and pulled out a package, then pulled out an oil paper packet, broke off a large piece of meat pie, and held it to his mouth.

Song Ling tilted her head slightly to look at her, "I don't want so many." She didn't loosen her grip on the reins, showing no intention of taking them.

"Alright, since I'm your older sister," Xie Yuan understood, broke the pancake into a small piece, and held it back to his mouth.

Song Ling took the pancake from her hand, and her warm, soft lips inadvertently brushed against her fingertips, causing a slight tingling sensation.

He turned around as if nothing had happened.

Xie Yuan felt as if the warmth of his lips still lingered on her fingertips. Her heart stirred slightly, and she nervously rubbed her fingers together. Strangely, why did she have such thoughts? It was like being gently scratched by a kitten's soft paws.

Forget it, she decided to stop thinking about it since she couldn't figure it out anyway. She'd find out sooner or later, so there was no rush.

Xie Yuan turned her gaze back to the flatbread in her hand, took a big bite, her mouth puffing out as she chewed. It had been a long time since she'd had her meat pie. This thing was indeed delicious. She had eaten all kinds of delicacies while wandering the world. Even though her cultivation level was high enough that she no longer needed to satisfy her appetite, she had always been a glutton since she was a child. However, her cooking skills were truly indescribable.

After becoming a mentor, the only thing she could barely learn was how to cook porridge, and that was because Song Ling was sick, and she had to learn it by sheer willpower to take care of him during that time...

——

This was the first time Xie Yuan had suffered from insomnia since her rebirth.

She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, so she simply stared blankly at the top of the carriage. Fortunately, the carriage she had bought was spacious enough that she wouldn't disturb Song Ling, who was sleeping next to her, if she turned over.

This also consumed almost half of the original owner's savings. With other miscellaneous expenses, her wallet was now pitifully empty. With the future uncertain, this was the first time she truly realized the importance of money.

It seems we should find an excuse to ask her junior apprentice for advice on martial arts as soon as possible. If she has martial arts skills, she can take on some jobs and earn some money.

The plot says that Song Ling is born with a Gu body. Even though she sealed her Gu control technique, she is still fatally attracted to Gu insects. I used to see her often cutting her wrists to bleed behind her back. I asked her why she did that and if it hurt.

He said that even insects need to eat.

To be honest, Xie Yuan really didn't like insects at all. This was like a modern-day flying cockroach from the South, baring its teeth and claws as it "rushed" towards you. If it actually jumped on her, she was afraid she would die on the spot.

However, there are exceptions. For example, the red butterfly raised by the young apprentice has beautiful and dreamy wings, as if covered by a thin veil, which will gracefully hover and dance around her when she dances with her sword.

The peach blossoms on Luoqi Mountain are in full bloom all year round. Xie Yuan would get up early every morning to practice her sword. The little boy, who was not even waist-high to her, would sit on the threshold of the bamboo house, quietly watching her direction without saying a word. But red butterflies would always flutter over when she raised her sword.

As Xie Yuan pondered, her gaze unconsciously fell upon Song Ling's face.

Across the long table, the faint moonlight from the car window gently shone on the boy's jade-like forehead, causing him to break out in a fine sweat. He frowned slightly, as if enduring some great pain, yet he bit his lip until it almost bled, without uttering a sound.

Xie Yuan's delicate face was filled with unconcealed worry as she quietly got up and tidied up the long table between them.

She moved closer to him and sat down, taking out a soft handkerchief from her waist to wipe his sweat. Just as she was about to touch his forehead, her wrist was gripped tightly. "What are you doing?" He instantly snapped awake, looking up at her warily, his eyes still heavy with lingering sleepiness. But when he saw it was her, his pupils contracted, and he murmured instinctively, "Master... has it been you who came back to see me?"

Xie Yuan was taken aback. Had he remembered something and recognized her?

She calmly took his pulse, but in an instant, her face turned deathly pale. Why was his pulse so chaotic? This was no longer a simple sign of demonic possession, but a deep one. And where did his Gu go? Wasn't he born with a Gu body?

Could it be that nothing actually changed in the story, and Ah Ling will still go mad...?

"Ah Ling?"

Xie Yuan tentatively waved her other hand in front of his eyes, but there was no reaction.

The boy gripped her wrist tightly, so tightly that she couldn't help but frown slightly, but Xie Yuan didn't pull away. His behavior this time seemed different from the last time when he was conscious; this time it seemed unconscious...

He appeared to be awake, but he wasn't actually talking to her at all.

Xie Yuan decided to remain still. The one who tied the knot must untie it; she might as well take this opportunity to see why Song Ling was so obsessed.

Song Ling sat up to face her, his eyes filled with flickering, broken light, a deep and unyielding sorrow. He was in so much pain; it felt like someone was gripping his neck tightly, making it hard to breathe. Was this the backlash that thing had mentioned?

She had been in so much pain, but none of that could compare to the pain he felt when he witnessed her death.

He suppressed his pain, breathing heavily, his lips moved, cold sweat trickled down his forehead, dripping onto the back of her hand, his dark eyes fixed on her with a stubborn and obsessive gaze, "Master, I love you, I love you so much..."

"Please don't hate me..."

"sorry......"

"I........"

Song Ling's throat tightened, and that annoying voice in his head came again. He tried to swallow it, but in the end he couldn't hold it in and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Xie Yuan didn't even have time to be shocked to discover that Song Ling liked her. Then, she was so frightened by the blood he coughed up that she cried out, "A-Ling!"

Countless questions piled up in Xie Yuan's mind, but she had no time to care and quickly supported his swaying body.

“A-Ling, how could Master dislike you?”

There's no right or wrong in liking someone.

"Don't think too much about it..."

The signs of going astray cannot be awakened by external forces; one can only rely on oneself. Xie Yuan tried her best to answer in accordance with his words, hoping to soothe him.

"You're lying, you don't like me at all." The boy's peach blossom eyes were wet, but they couldn't hide the twisted madness inside. His cold, white, slender fingers went up her wrist until they forcefully dug between her fingers. The action was forceful, and the tears were serious.

Xie Yuan was amused by his antics. "Trying to act fierce, huh? Anyone can do that. So what if I don't like you?" she said, trying to break free from his grasp. But his grip was incredibly strong, and she couldn't budge an inch.

"Master, don't go... You said you wouldn't leave me."

"I only have my master left, and they all want me dead..."

Before Xie Yuan could speak, the boy leaned over and hugged her tightly. She was completely enveloped in his embrace. He held her very tightly, and she could clearly feel his body trembling, as if he was afraid that if he let go, she would disappear. This forbidden love between master and disciple, judging from the normal development in the dream, must have been met with harsh words from "her".

"Master, it hurts..."

The boy's chest heaved violently; he was clearly in excruciating pain, almost unable to breathe, yet he still tried to speak.

He nestled his head in her arms, snuggling against her affectionately. In the past, when he was upset or sulking, she would coax him, and he would habitually act coquettishly to appease her.

Xie Yuan sighed helplessly, "I really can't do anything with you..."

She raised her hand and gently rubbed his hair. Seeing how uncomfortable he was, and knowing that she, as his teacher, could do nothing to help him, she felt guilty and heartbroken.

"Master, please comfort me..."

The boy murmured softly in her arms.

Xie Yuan gently stroked his back and softly sang a mysterious and ancient ballad she had heard about during her travels...

After an unknown amount of time, the boy in her arms finally calmed down.

Xie Yuan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

She leaned against the carriage, letting Song Ling rest his head on her lap to make him more comfortable. She then took the water bag next to her, wrung out a damp handkerchief, and carefully wiped the blood from the corner of his lips.

The boy's face was already pale, and now, after all this, he looked almost sickly, frighteningly pale, with not a trace of blood in his lips.

This time, he suffered a severe blow to his health, a complete loss of vitality.

She thought it was just a simple nightmare, but she never expected that he had gotten himself into such a state without even realizing it.

It seems that all the promises I made to her before, that I would obey her, went in one ear and out the other.

"Master, please don't abandon me..."

Xie Yuan pulled the snow-white fox fur coat from the side and covered him with it, finally having the peace of mind to think about what Song Ling meant by "like"...

But does Ah Ling really understand what it means to like someone?

Or was it just a simple attachment to her? After all, in A-Ling's eyes, her master was the first person to be kind to him.

It's understandable that he can't let go.

Xie Yuan wasn't the type of person who would find it hard to accept a master-disciple relationship. Even knowing her little disciple's feelings for her today, she was only a little surprised and didn't resist.

But she herself only talked about liking someone in theory.

In both her past and present lives, she has never considered marriage, nor does she want to be bound by so-called marriage within the confines of a large, secluded mansion.

When she heard him say he liked her, her breathing involuntarily became a little erratic...