The second poem: The Oriole in the background
A blush, like the glow of sunset, quietly crept onto Shin Ye-eun's cheeks.
"At a time like this, how can anyone say such a thing?" Xin Ruien thought to herself. "Shouldn't they be giving a grand speech, saying something like 'being the first to worry about the world's troubles'?"
There are men like that who, even if the world were to collapse, would put their feelings before everything else.
Shin Ye-eun was in a state of confusion and couldn't answer for a moment.
On the hilltop, there were already sounds of commotion.
This was definitely an unexpected turn of events, but it suited Zhao Zheng's wishes perfectly.
Judging from Li Letian's behavior, a future with the Xin family's daughter is definitely his top priority. If this marriage can be arranged, everything will be back under Zhao Zheng's control.
“A talented man and a beautiful woman are rare finds in this world.” Zhao Zheng laughed, then looked at Xin Ruien, who was standing there in a daze, and said, “Miss Xin, do you understand Alliance Leader Li’s intentions?”
"Let's be together!" someone shouted at the top of their lungs, eliciting a burst of laughter from the crowd. After laughing, the crowd joined in the commotion.
"Today is an auspicious day. If you two are mutually attracted, I, Zhao, am willing to offer a gift to our new leader and Miss Xin," Zhao Zheng said, bowing towards the northern horizon, "and request the Emperor Yongqing to grant you a marriage decree on your behalf."
Zhao Zheng's words caused an even greater stir on the mountaintop.
"An imperial marriage? Really?"
"In this way, the Xin family truly soared to great heights."
Zhao Zheng listened to the crowd's discussion with satisfaction, but his face remained calm, always wearing a warm smile.
Xin Ruien held He Zian's wrist with her left hand, while her right hand remained on his back.
She looked at the pitiful man before her; his eyes had lost their former luster. The entire Black Mountain was immersed in the joyous atmosphere of the anticipated celebration, but he stood out as an outsider.
To be honest, Shin Ye-eun had fantasized about such a scenario. It's just that in her imagination, it wasn't in Black Mountain, and the person wasn't Li Letian.
So many changes have happened in the past six months.
Now that moment has finally arrived, and the key to unlocking her shackles has been handed to her. Instead, it brings her pain.
Her resolve never wavered. She simply didn't know whether to be selfish and choose herself, or choose her family.
Looking into Li Letian's sincere eyes again, Xin Ruien's thoughts were in turmoil.
He Zi'an's lips trembled as he stood between the two, as if he wanted to say something. Li Letian spoke first, just as Meng Jizhen had once woken him from his reverie, he softly called out again, "Miss."
The sound was perfectly timed, striking He Zian's eardrums like a thunderclap.
He Zi'an's last struggle was also interrupted. After his chest heaved a few times, he deflated like a punctured balloon and fell completely silent.
The shouts of the crowd continued, like waves crashing relentlessly against the soft sand.
At the mountaintop, there were onlookers who were part of the wave itself, Zhao Zheng and his group enjoying the wave, and Li Letian, whose heart was only for each other and who had blocked out all the sounds of the outside world. There was a girl who was about to change her fate, and a man whose fighting spirit had been crushed.
"I'm sorry." Xin Ruien said with a sigh of relief, "I'm sorry, Leader Li. I'm also very happy to meet you, but Brother Zi'an is not in good condition right now, and there are many things I haven't had time to think about."
A sense of desolation welled up in Li Letian's eyes.
"It's alright." Li Letian lowered his head and said, "I'm already satisfied with knowing you."
*
Yunxia Peak.
Even though they were still some distance away, Xiang Wu could hear cheers coming from the direction of the main peak.
“Miss Lin,” Xiang Wu said, leaning closer to Lin Zhenna, “it seems to be over.”
Nana stopped breathing and answered Xiang Wudao very seriously: "Yes, I heard it too."
"Tell me, who won, the little blacksmith or the young master of the He family?"
"Of course I hope the Palace of Eternal Life loses," Nana said with a smile.
“That makes sense.” Xiang Wu twisted his body as he sat, trying to keep his eyes level with Lin Zhenna on the curved stone surface.
He called out again, "Miss Lin."
"Um?"
How is your recovery going?
“The Pavilion Master said,” Lin Zhenna said softly, “that the Qi I absorbed was insufficient, only enough to support me in using one type of sword intent from the Misty Rain Pavilion.”
"What a pity," Xiang Wu sighed. "He went through so much hardship to finally comprehend all the sword intent."
"Which one do you think is better?" Nana stretched out her arms and relaxed her body. She changed her question: "Wind, smoke, rain, snow, sunshine, evening—which one do you think suits me better?"
*
Southwest of Montenegro, thousands of miles away, lies a rare and hidden paradise.
The tall, sturdy trees are too numerous to count; they can be seen in rows when viewed horizontally and arranged vertically. They grow neatly and orderly in a pure, verdant landscape.
The woods were filled with the calls of birds of all different colors.
This emerald green is quite unusual, unlike ordinary grass. If you look closely, you can see the "emerald green" of the large trees swaying slightly. Unlike the grass that sways from side to side in the wind, this extreme green ripples in all directions—like water.
What kind of grassland was it?
Then, look at that bamboo raft traveling through the woods, and you'll have your answer.
This is a water forest.
The slender girl was using a long pole, and looking at the effort she was putting into it, one couldn't help but worry that the rough bamboo pole might cut her palm.
Cormorants stood at regular intervals on both sides of the bamboo raft. They had long, glossy black feathers with distinct layers, long beaks with curved tips, and a pair of bright green eyes that alertly observed their surroundings.
The girl exerted force downwards with her hands, and the bamboo raft left a long trail on the emerald green duckweed.
The outer edge of the forest is lined with slightly taller bald cypress trees. The leaves of the bald cypress are spirally shaped, like a string of jewels hanging from the branches.
Atop the bald cypress trees stood several white herons. Their necks were bent. In flight, they stretched out their bodies, their legs trailing far behind their tails. The herons flapped their black and white wings, revealing their slender figures. They floated upwards, like fairies soaring to the moon.
The girl paddled along with practiced ease. As they ventured deeper into the forest, the trees became shorter bald cypresses. On the branches of the bald cypresses grew opposite, feather-like leaves.
Continue forward, through the fog. Finally, the girl's destination is reached.
Nestled in the heart of the jungle is a series of brightly lit buildings.
Before the bamboo raft had even come to a complete stop, the girl hurriedly leaped ashore, startling the cormorants around her.
Several senior female disciples on the shore came to greet her, but she didn't have time to greet them. She simply walked through the crowd and headed straight for the deepest pavilion.
Above the entrance to that attic hung a grand plaque, its brushstrokes as sharp as iron hooks.
The inscription reads: "The Misty Rain Pavilion."
*
"What should we do next?" Li Letian asked.
It was completely dark. Inside the tent, the shadows of Li Letian and Chen Changji swayed with the flickering candlelight.
"This morning, someone saw Miss Pei descend the mountain." Chen Changji sighed, looking as if he had lost his soul. "She's probably on her way back to Wuling City now."
Inside the tent, two people suddenly lost their leader.
"Then what should we do?" Li Letian asked again.
Chen Changji then came to his senses and said, "We just need to do our own thing."
"Just do your own thing?" Li Letian looked at Chen Changji with a puzzled expression.
“That’s right,” Chen Changji replied. “I’ll go back to my Wenqu City and continue my restaurant business. As for you, you can go to the capital and become the leader of the martial arts world.”
That being said, Li Letian was completely unaware of the affairs of the Central Plains martial arts world.
Chen Changji was too exhausted to answer his questions. "Get some rest. We can discuss it again tomorrow."
After leaving Chen Changji's tent, Li Letian returned to his own tent with unease. Everything that had happened during the day felt like a distant memory, as unreal as a dream.
"sorry."
Xin Ruien's words echoed in his ears once more. A stabbing pain in his heart reminded Li Letian that everything had already happened.
He lit the lamp in the tent and sat down forlornly at the table. He sighed, wanting to confide in someone, but there was no one by his side.
He suddenly began to miss life in Sword Forging City. Although he didn't have any great skills or future prospects, most of the memories he had were of happy days.
Back then, he had a respected master, adorable juniors, and an unyielding hope in his heart. Now, he has achieved his wish, but he no longer has a master, and even the hope that sustained his dream has been extinguished.
The deeper one dwells on memories, the more depressed one becomes.
"I wonder how You'an is doing," Li Letian muttered to himself.
His hand was resting on the table when he suddenly touched something. Looking closer, he saw it was a brand new envelope.
Li Letian opened the envelope with a belly full of suspicion. It read:
"Young Master Li, please acknowledge:"
"When I inquired about you during the day, I did have an inconvenience. It was not my wish to put you in an awkward position."
"I felt ashamed, as if I had a thorn in my back."
"I humbly request that you spare some time to meet me again at Yunxia Peak at midnight today. I sincerely apologize for my impudence earlier today."
*
Liu Shi'en leaped across the threshold of the Misty Rain Pavilion and strode towards the spiral staircase leading upwards. In the end, he almost climbed to the top floor using both hands and feet.
The top floor of the Misty Rain Pavilion has only one room. Outside the room is a spacious, open-plan foyer.
The door was tightly shut, and forty-two disciples of the Misty Rain Pavilion knelt before it.
In the first row, a young girl in her prime was kneeling.
In the second row, seven young women, nearing the age of 18, were kneeling.
Further back, thirty-six disciples dressed in identical robes knelt.
The wind gathered from all directions, filling their robes and ruffling their hair.
As the saying goes: A storm is brewing!
The girl in the lead heard the noise on the stairs and was the first to turn around.
"Qian Shu!" Liu Shi'en's hair was a tangled mess. Ignoring the hair she had swallowed, she asked in a disheveled state, "Has Master not yet emerged from seclusion?"
"Senior Sister Liu!" Qian Shu shook her head, both surprised and delighted, while remaining kneeling.
Liu Shi'en moved forward on her knees, finally stopping behind the thirty-six people. She calmed her breathing and said loudly, "Master! This disciple has found out where Junior Sister is."
The door was flung open instantly, and a gust of wind nearly overwhelmed everyone.
The woman's expression remained calm as she stepped out of the room without making a sound. She placed a hand on Qian Shu's head and said, "Your mind is unsettled; you're too easily disturbed by external influences. Look at your senior sisters; how many of them have been distracted?"
"Disciple knows his mistake." Qian Shu lowered his head.
"Welcome back, Master!" the seven people in the second row shouted in unison.
"Welcome back, Master!" The thirty-six people, along with Liu Shi'en, bowed their heads and shouted respectfully.
Outside the Misty Rain Pavilion, all the disciples heard the calls from within. Facing the pavilion, they stopped everything they were doing, knelt down, raised their arms, and shouted, "Welcome back, Master!"
The shouts continued, startling a flock of birds among the leaves.
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