Jinling script: wrong marriage
Chapter Thirteen
"Is there any other way?"
"Qingyun Sect, Five Elements Mountain, Marrow Cleansing Pool."
Zhou Yulin raised an eyebrow; coincidentally, she knew this place well!
When she was sixteen, one of the rewards for winning the Immortal Sect Grand Competition was to soak in the Marrow Cleansing Pool for three days. Unfortunately, she didn't care about this reward at all back then.
So in the final, they didn't even compete and simply chose to forfeit.
That year's champion made a name for himself with a single sword strike.
Zhou Yulin vowed she would never forget that person's name.
At that time, she was only a young man of fifteen years old. In a competition with her junior brother from the Qingyun Sect, who was extremely talented, she unleashed her sword intent and won the final victory with a broken sword. Amidst the gathering of distinguished guests, she heard the referee's resounding words, "The winner is Chen Muyao from Xiaobieshan."
That year, Chen Muyao won the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, where almost everyone had a divine weapon at the start, with only an ordinary iron sword.
It was almost impossible, but he did it.
Amid cheers, the two young prodigies met each other's gazes.
She assumed he would look smug or self-satisfied.
Unfortunately, the boy was frighteningly calm and composed, with only tranquility in his eyes.
At that time, she realized that this person would definitely become her strongest opponent in the future.
*
"Xiu'er, I heard that Yu'er vomited blood?"
The news of Zhou Yulin vomiting blood had reached Zhou Rong's ears long ago. As the third uncle, he felt he should show some concern. However, he happened to run into his second brother on the road. The second brother awkwardly instructed him to keep a close eye on Zhou Yulin. Zhou Rong didn't understand. She was just a young girl who hadn't done anything wrong. Why was he acting like he was preventing her from running around?
"Reporting to Third Uncle, my cousin has woken up. The doctor said that my cousin's vomiting blood was caused by poor blood circulation and blood backflow." Zhou Xiu'er was indeed worthy of her name; she could easily coax Zhou Rong by simply combining a few names.
"Ah...then you must get some rest."
After saying that, he left without even going to see Zhou Yulin. Zhou Xiuer pursed her lips. Her uncle loved to play the role of a fake good person. He was also very single-minded and did things without thinking or using his brain.
He's all talk and no action; that's exactly what I mean by him.
After the Zhou family declined, his father worried a lot about his younger brother because of his affair with a mistress.
Zhou Xiuer usually avoids Zhou Rong whenever possible and rarely speaks to her, so why is she making a special trip to comfort her cousin today?
Therefore, when answering the question, Zhou Xiuer deliberately did not reveal the real reason that caused Zhou Yulin to fall into a coma to Zhou Rong, but instead made up a sentence to fool him.
"Little girl, don't be sad. It's not difficult to get into the Qingyun Sect. As long as we cast a wide net, we're sure to catch some fish. As the saying goes, there are plenty of fish in the world, why be hung up on just one? You'll definitely come back to thank me when you become the pond owner."
Zhou Yulin heard the admonition in the voice and frowned slightly, "I don't practice dual cultivation."
"Whatever you want. Oh dear, someone's coming. Let's get out of here."
"father!"
"You came to see your mother?" Gu Ling was just looking for trouble and didn't mind making things worse. As a seasoned person who was obsessed with good looks, he loved to stir things up, even though Chen Mu had kicked him out of the door again.
A moment later, he bravely crawled back up. "Sister Yulin is awake. She probably fell asleep again a little while ago. Brother Chen, it's too hasty for you to leave tomorrow. We don't even have time to prepare a farewell feast."
Chen Muyao: "It will take more than a month for Jiang Ning to travel to Chang'an. Patriarch Zhou was afraid that I would miss the time, so he specially asked me to set off a few weeks earlier."
"That's true. If something goes wrong on the way, it will definitely delay us. Have you prepared your things for the trip?"
Gu Ling couldn't help but sigh at how quickly time had passed. It had only been half a month since they last spent together, yet the moment of parting suddenly made him feel a little reluctant to leave.
At first, Zhou Xiuer was surprised that she didn't even remember this handsome young man from a collateral branch. After spending a few days with him, she found that he was low-key and well-behaved, and it was hard not to like him. Especially when she thought that he was fighting for the Zhou family, she felt extremely honored and proud from the bottom of her heart.
"Young Master Chen, although I haven't spent much time with you, I sincerely wish you success in being selected." Zhou Xiu'er had delicate features and was the type of woman whose beauty grew on you. She had been looking at her cousin for over ten years and thought she would never see anyone who could amaze her at first glance.
Zhou Yulin felt that the atmosphere had been built up to this point, and it wouldn't be right for her not to wake up and offer a few words of blessing. So, she sat up abruptly from her deathbed.
No one realized that Zhou Yulin had woken up. When they turned their heads, they saw a woman stiffly sitting up from the bed and then turning her head to reveal a wicked smile.
It looks good, but how should I put it? It's like watching a female ghost in a horror movie sit up in bed, with disheveled hair, turn her head and smile at you.
Despite it being broad daylight and the world being clear, a chill ran down Gu Ling's spine. The pale-faced female ghost had a beautiful, serene face, like that of a Bodhisattva. "Chen Muyao, remember to bring enough money."
Gu Ling didn't understand what Zhou Yulin meant by those words until...
"Hello, fellow Daoist." Meeting Chen Muyao's raised eyebrows, Gu Ling felt a little guilty. Seeing Zhou Yulin beside him, he naturally picked up the pastries from Chen Muyao's carriage and started eating.
"No, Zhou, you're also going to participate in the Qingyun Sect's selection?"
Is this surprising?
Gu Ling pointed to himself, then to Chen Muyao, "We've already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, but you... do you think you can persuade the Qingyun Sect's examiners with your silver tongue, or do you want to buy your way in with your family's vast wealth?"
Zhou Yulin wanted to explain that she was actually quite capable, but she figured no one would believe her. She calculated that Chen Muyao had no interest in their family's affairs, so she simply boarded the carriage. The carriage traveled for ten days, arriving at the nearest city—Jinling.
"Wow." Gu Ling was immediately attracted by the quaint and charming town, which looked like a large-scale film set, as soon as he entered the city.
Today, he wasn't wearing the white veil covering his eyes. He leaned out of the carriage and introduced the place as he walked, "This is Jinling. This is the territory of the only prince of a different gender, and the only place not under the jurisdiction of the Xia Kingdom."
One of the three most famous treasures of Jinling is the Zuixianglou restaurant next door. Not only does it boast the world's number one delicacy—Seven Treasures Crisp Candy—but it also has beautiful and charming young ladies.
"Hey, look, the sign at the door says that double occupancy is half price!"
Gu Ling pointed in surprise at the sign of the small inn next to Zuixianglou, practically saying, "Let's stay here!"
Zhou Yulin glanced at the sign by the door and chuckled, "Look closely, there are two more words below: 'Couple.' Do you have a relationship with your grandmother, or with your dearest father?"
Gu Ling: ...to submit to the world.
Chen Muyao, who was mentioned, didn't even spare a glance, and sat in the corner with her eyes closed the whole time, resting.
Finally, the carriage stopped at a respectable inn, and the three of them booked two rooms. Only then did Gu Ling understand that Zhou Yulin's advice to remember to bring enough money wasn't because she was worried that Chen Muyao would go hungry and suffer outside, but because she was worried that she herself wouldn't have a good life.
"You'll have a room by yourself, and I'll share one with him."
Chen Muyao's assignment did not cause any controversy. The continuous journey had left everyone somewhat tired, except for Chen Muyao, who looked unchanged. Especially for Zhou Yulin, she was finally able to sleep in a warm bed.
Unexpectedly, halfway through her pleasant afternoon nap, she heard knocking and drumming outside the inn. The sound and the commotion reminded Zhou Yulin of the time she returned home with her toes digging into the ground.
When I opened the window, I saw that the people outside were getting married.
Logically speaking, shouldn't the common people follow the bridal sedan chair behind them in such a lively scene? But the vendors and ordinary people on the streets of Jinling seemed oblivious, continuing with their own business as if no one cared about the wedding.
The people playing the suona and drums were quite enthusiastic, but when they played the bridal sedan chair, the bride inside had these abstract facial features and a straw-like body. Good heavens, the bridal sedan chair wasn't carrying a bride at all, but a real scarecrow, and a scarecrow with a very abstract expression at that.
Zhou Yulin opened the inn door and the first thing she saw was Gu Ling's warm smile with his little tiger teeth, followed by Chen Muyao standing behind him, who was most likely coaxed by Gu Ling to come and watch the show. "Let's go, let's go see the famous second treasure of Jinling."
The second treasure?
After saying that, Gu Ling looked at Zhou Yulin thoughtfully, took out a hat, handed it to her, and said righteously, "You should take this with you when you go out."
After saying that, he turned his head and called out to Chen Muyao, "Muyao, here's your hat. You two should both remember to wear it properly, or I can't guarantee what might happen."
Zhou Yulin put the hat on her head. Although she was a little puzzled, she didn't ask any questions. She followed Gu Ling downstairs, just as the wedding procession was about to arrive.
A dashing young man sat on the lead white horse, his red wedding dress perfectly complementing the joyous atmosphere. If Zhou Yulin hadn't realized that the person sitting in the sedan chair was actually a scarecrow, she would have found it quite romantic. But now...
She watched indifferently as the carriage drove past. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew her hat off, catching her off guard. Instead, the young man on the white horse, who was about to leave, turned around.
Wearing a smoky purple silk robe, the woman had a red mole between her eyebrows, making her appear otherworldly and peerless.
Her loose, untied black hair fell casually over one shoulder, the strands soft and delicate, making her pearl earrings seem inconspicuous.
He paused for a moment, and the carriage came to a complete stop.
The vendors around noticed this and looked at the woman across the street, their eyes flashing with amazement.
"Damn, this face is just too..." too beautiful.
"I must be seeing a fairy."
Gu Ling knew that picking up the hat and putting it back on was pointless, so she and Zhou Yulin stared at each other, asking, "What should we do?"
"The wind blew my hat off," Zhou Yulin said innocently, shrugging.
The sound of something cutting through the air rang out, and a white book flew towards them. Luckily, Chen Muyao caught it first, otherwise it would probably have hit Zhou Yulin directly in the face. Looking down, the white book had two large, square characters written on it: Script.
Just as Zhou Yulin was about to turn to the first page, a golden light instantly enveloped her. The next second, when she opened her eyes again, she was already sitting in the bridal sedan chair.
At the same time, the timeline jumped back to a dozen seconds earlier, stopping at the moment when she lifted the car curtain and they were facing each other.
Gu Ling's eyes held a hint of mockery, while the other had already taken off his hat, holding a similar white script in his hand, his expression indifferent.
In Jiangning, far away, a woman rushed into her father's study with hurried and flustered steps. "Father, my cousin is missing!"
The patriarch, who was wiping the jade artifacts on the table, put them back in the center. "Fine, let the child go if she wants to."
Fortunately, he had already made an appointment with that person to escort her to Chang'an. As for what happens next, that's up to the child's fate.
"Go down and tell everyone that Yu Lin has returned to the temple for meditation."
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