Chapter 145 Delivering Food "Look, now you can go help them..."
The story begins a few hours earlier.
After exchanging a few words with Simmons, Shen Lixia set off for Guyu Peak to find Lu Changqing. Always a woman of action, she went to Cangling Palace and asked Tang Huairou, only to learn that the two had grown distant recently, and with one under house arrest and the other in seclusion, they hadn't spoken for a long time.
But given Lu Changqing's personality, even if he couldn't get out, he would definitely send a messenger to deliver the message.
I haven't received a single letter; the two kids must be having a cold war.
As the senior sister, it was naturally her responsibility to help the two of them speak frankly. Having long been cared for by her senior sister and guided by Yan Xueya, and with Xi Mengsi, a seasoned veteran of the martial world, by her side, Shen Lixia had always felt she was being looked after. Even when she could occasionally do something for them, it felt insignificant. Now, finally having the chance to give them a share of the warmth she had once felt, she felt an overwhelming surge of joy, as if even her non-existent tail feathers were about to bristle, and she excitedly headed towards Lu Changqing's residence.
Crabapple trees lined the edge of the courtyard, their soft pink and white petals bursting forth with fragrance. In a pool of water, its surface a vibrant green reflected from the leaves, the fish swam peacefully, seemingly intoxicated by the floral aroma. Further in, however, lay many unnamed wildflowers. The crabapple blossoms seemed planted for someone cherished, a distant glimpse from the window enough to evoke a longing for home; while these wildflowers were the homeowner's true love, placed in front of the house so their delicate fragrance could permeate the interior.
Shen Lixia sent a wisp of spiritual energy into the barrier, and soon a soft sound was heard. When the barrier opened, a young man in a pink shirt ran out to greet the guest. Her clothes were as gorgeous as ever, even more spring-like than those of Guyu Peak, but a wooden hairpin was inserted in her hair, making her simple yet eye-catching.
"Senior Sister Shen!" she called out with a smile, "You're finally back!"
As she spoke, Lu Changqing quickened her pace and threw herself into Shen Lixia's arms. Like a playful little animal, she rubbed against Shen Lixia's shoulder, spreading her sweet floral scent onto her.
When Shen Lixia hugged her back, she thought to herself that the two of them were like fire and ice. One was as enthusiastic as pollen in early spring, which could make people sneeze; the other was as cold as snow in the dead of winter, which could also make people sneeze.
The two figures separated, and Lu Changqing asked, "Why did Senior Sister Chen come to see me? You should have sent a message in advance to let me know if you wanted to catch up. I'm currently in seclusion and haven't even prepared tea."
She seemed to be complaining, but her eyes were smiling and crinkled.
Shen Lixia said solemnly, "Let's go find Junior Sister Wu." Any further thought about whether it was worth it or whether they should go would only be a hindrance; they might as well make a decision in an instant and set off immediately.
Ignoring Lu Changqing's surprise, she grabbed her hand and ran down the mountain. Liu Huo transformed into a black shadow and caught them both as she and Lu Changqing jumped down the steps.
Between high and low, only a chaotic and ever-changing shadow could be seen. Lu Changqing had no time to think; his body suddenly felt light, and when he came to his senses, he was already standing on the sword.
She belatedly realized she had been "kidnapped" and exclaimed urgently, "Senior Sister Chen, I don't want to see her!"
"If you can convince me, I won't take you." The sword continued flying forward, and Shen Lixia didn't turn her head. "Did you two have a fight?"
Lu Changqing sighed. "No. It's just that Xiao Wu has been avoiding me ever since she came back from that mission. She took an attack for me that time and almost died..."
She choked up for a moment before continuing, "I think she might be upset that I haven't been cultivating hard enough, and that's why she has to protect me, so she went into seclusion. But a while ago I heard that her cultivation was crippled by Master Yi—that's when I started to think about something: was her coldness towards me because of my own inner demons? I always seem to be so far away from her, and I don't understand what she's thinking at all!"
Shen Lixia listened quietly. The wind was strong around them, and the boy's tearful outpouring was like a long-held grievance, which surged forth like a torrent of water.
"When did her inner demons arise? Why didn't she send me a single letter after her cultivation was destroyed? She just went into seclusion like that. Does she think it's shameful to tell me all this? She once said she would fight me in the Grand Competition and told me to cultivate hard and catch up quickly, but now she's acting like she never said that. Xiao Wu won't tell me anything, so I can only figure it out myself..."
Thinking back to our first encounter, I recall her impatient expression and all the awkward details of how the boy acted around me. Perhaps I had overlooked them before, but upon closer reflection, I suddenly realized that many traces pointed to one-sided forbearance and tolerance.
"Everything you have is something she could only dream of, Junior Sister." Shen Lixia turned to continue her sentence, "You thought of that, didn't you? So—"
Lu Changqing nodded emphatically, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "So I can't think of how to face her. It's as if my very existence is a form of harm to her. I only just realized how much she hates me!"
Shen Lixia lowered her eyes, and after swallowing the bitterness that welled up inside her and calming her breathing, she said, "Therefore, you must go see her."
Lu Changqing blinked in confusion, her nose red and her eyes moist.
“Because Junior Sister Wu may not think that way. Even if she does, we need to hear her admit it herself.” Shen Lixia looked earnestly into the boy’s wet eyes. “Junior Sister Lu, is she important to you?”
"I...I don't want to see her. I really don't. Her actions have already said it all."
“No, I’m asking, is she important to you?” Shen Lixia repeated, “Answer my question.”
Lu Changqing fell silent. A flood of emotions surged within her, her heart, barely a few inches wide, unable to contain such deep and heavy pain, even suppressing the smile in her eyes. She pursed her lips, realizing that the flowing fire had stopped sometime earlier, and the two of them were still on Guyu Peak, just a turn away from their courtyard.
"If she's not worth you taking another step, then we'll go back. I won't mention this matter again, and everything will continue as usual."
Does it matter?
But she was really sad.
After a long pause, Lu Changqing nodded gently again, and tears fell from her eyes.
“Important,” she said. “She is the most important person to me besides my mother.”
In an instant, Lu Changqing saw the true nature beneath the surface. It was because he liked Wu Zhuyue that he felt longing and sorrow. To like someone like her, who wasn't good at expressing her true feelings, was perhaps always a mix of pain and joy. But Wu Zhuyue had also given Lu Changqing something that no one else could replicate.
I still want her to be happy.
Shen Lixia laughed, "Sigh, it seems that the senior sisters are still no match for Xiao Wu."
Lu Changqing's face suddenly turned red. She wiped away her tears and smiled, "My senior sisters are important too. My affection for you is different from my affection for Xiao Wu."
-
Wu Zhuyue turned her gaze slightly away and met Lu Changqing's eyes.
She saw the unease in the boy's eyes and was momentarily at a loss. There was no disgust, no contempt; she had always been this way. But this one moment of eye contact stopped the snow that had been falling on her heart for more than half a month, turning it into a soft, damp patch that was hot and itchy, causing tears to fall.
Lu Changqing had already reached the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage and was about to form her Core. However, she had lost most of her cultivation and was now barely at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, even worse than when she first started. With her foundation damaged, restoring her original state would only be more difficult.
They are worlds apart.
But when they met again, Wu Zhuyue still heard the sound of something struggling to break through the ice. A thought sprouted within her—
She misses Lu Changqing very much.
All the resolve vanished, leaving only joy.
Her face, which had been cold for so long, finally regained a glimmer of light. Wu Zhuyue blinked as if in disbelief, tears still wet on her face, and called out in a hoarse voice, "Lu Changqing."
Upon hearing her call, the boy immediately ran over. He wanted to open his arms and hug Wu Zhuyue, but then asked hesitantly, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Why don't you write to me?
The question came out almost simultaneously, startling the two of them. Then, Lu Changqing couldn't help but hug Wu Zhuyue tightly.
She was still using that hairpin; she hadn't thrown it away. Wu Zhuyue closed her eyes and said in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry." She had nothing more to say, afraid that if she said another word, she wouldn't be able to hide anything anymore.
Lu Changqing didn't need to know, and neither did Shen Lixia. The atmosphere gradually warmed, as if there was a possibility of reconciliation, but Wu Zhuyue gently pushed Lu Changqing and whispered, "You—"
Don't come to see me again.
Before she could finish speaking, her body suddenly felt light, and in an instant she was several feet off the ground. Wu Zhuyue looked up blankly and realized that a huge shadow had appeared above her at some point, and the shadow was still flickering, like a pair of flapping wings.
Crimson came into view.
No, it's wings. Her pupils contracted slightly, and she called out, "Senior Sister Shen!"
This loud shouting and yelling brought back memories of when she first joined the sect. Shen Lixia smiled and responded, grabbing one person on each side and nimbly spreading her wings to fly out of the house.
When Yi Xiaohan gave her the token to enter and exit the barrier, he certainly hadn't considered this. As she left the courtyard, the warmth of the sunlight mingled with the scent of Shen Lixia's wings. Spring turned to summer, burning away all the melancholy into a raging fire, and the world brightened once more.
"Let's get some fresh air," Shen Lixia said. She led the two of them toward the edge of the barrier, gradually flying higher and higher, until the people and things below became tiny shadows.
Taihuizong was located on the edge of the Sixth Domain. After leaving the barrier, it would take another half an hour to fly to see the plank road. Shen Lixia grabbed the two of them and swooped down, landing in the forest at the border.
A mouthful of wind got into Lu Changqing's mouth during flight, and she only found a chance to speak when she landed. She excitedly asked, "Senior Sister Chen, what kind of technique is this? How can you grow wings?"
Shen Lixia folded her wings and smiled, "It's a secret." Then she gave each of them a wink, signaling them to keep it a secret.
Wu Zhuyue was shocked, and almost immediately connected it to the matter of the divine fire. She remained silent and did not say much. She should have kept it safe—no matter what, she should not have revealed it to outsiders, instead of releasing it just to take them out.
But on the other hand, perhaps Shen Lixia never considered them as outsiders at all.
"The imperial court has sent grain carts to deliver food to the refugees as part of disaster relief efforts. The carts will depart at dusk, and we need to find them before then—and then—hide them inside." Shen Lixia said succinctly, "This batch of grain will be transported along the original route, and instead of reaching the refugees, it will be used by others to line their own pockets."
She asked Simmons in the morning and got the information from her. It took her most of the day to finally find this hidden place by following the clues.
However, this was truly strange, prompting Shen Lixia to ask how the other party knew. Simmons smiled mysteriously as usual and said, "The master observes all beings in the world and knows where good karma lies."
Having said that, he burned the paper in his hand, only telling Shen Lixia to trust him. Shen Lixia glanced at the familiar handwriting on the paper and immediately knew who had sent the message. The master really had good connections; he was acquainted with the people of Jialan on one side, and could also communicate with the emperor of the Southern Kingdom, knowing about the relief efforts for the refugees.
Refugees.
Upon hearing those two words, Wu Zhuyue instinctively shrank back, glancing uneasily at Lu Changqing before turning to look at Shen Lixia, her eyes meeting his golden gaze. The implication was clear: this farce was obviously meticulously orchestrated by Shen Lixia for her.
What is she going to do?
Even after finding a grain truck parked by the roadside and hiding inside one of the carriages, Wu Zhuyue still couldn't figure it out. They huddled together in the prickly hay, their low breaths mingling. A little sweat seeped out, but Wu Zhuyue, who was always very clean, didn't feel dirty at this moment, only very nervous.
The light filtering through the tattered cloth covering the carriage gradually dimmed. Soon, two men approached, talking amongst themselves; they were clearly horsemen, and the subtle creaking of their bodies indicated they carried swords.
If it were interpreted as a defense against robbers, it would be plausible, but the conversation between the two didn't seem to convey that meaning.
"Once we reach the first intersection, we'll switch to the second road and be able to transport the grain to the warehouse."
“How could refugees die from hunger for a few days? They’re just a group of women fleeing a famine. The prefect is too kind.” One of them said disdainfully, “But the grain she sent is all good stuff. The price she sells for will definitely be worth the trip.”
“Someone will come to meet us later. This operation will be absolutely secretive,” another person said. “As long as we don’t make a big fuss, we won’t attract any bandits. After all, there’s a gathering place for cultivators not far away…”
Wu Zhuyue listened silently from inside the carriage, her fists clenched. Outside, the two men, seeing that it was getting dark, mounted their horses and began to drive. The journey was desolate, with a biting wind blowing, startling Lu Changqing so much that he quickly grabbed the tattered cloth to prevent it from being overturned.
The wheels creaked as they rolled over the road. After some time, a voice rang out again from the outside: "This is it, turn right. The group of refugees should be waiting on the left side of the road."
The three exchanged glances, and Wu Zhuyue moved first, leaping onto her horse with her long sword in hand. Hearing the commotion, one of them didn't even have time to turn around before a chill ran down his neck, and his head was severed. Hot blood splattered, covering the other's face.
The man panicked instantly and actually tumbled off the horse, rolling twice on the ground.
Wu Zhuyue kicked aside the corpse on the horse, glanced back at Shen Lixia who was controlling the horse, and heard the other party call out:
"Kill them!"
The young man immediately drew his knife and swiftly killed the man on the ground. Shen Lixia and Lu Changqing gripped the reins tightly, barely managing to restrain their horses before letting out a sigh of relief and dismounting to destroy the evidence.
Back in the car, the two sat in the carriage and heard Shen Lixia say with a smile, "Alright, now it's up to you to distribute the food."
"Isn't Senior Sister Shen afraid that others will come knocking on her door?" Lu Changqing clapped his hands and brushed off the dry grass clippings from his clothes. "Cultivators can't interfere too much in mortal affairs. My master specifically told me that."
“This belongs to them. These two just said they were stealing the disaster relief grain.” Shen Lixia, sitting in front of the carriage, suddenly tightened the reins, causing the horse to turn onto another mountain road. “If Heaven is going to strike, it will strike those two first, condemning them to eternal damnation, before it strikes me!”
As soon as she finished speaking, a muffled clap of thunder sounded at the same time as the horse's neighing.
The boy paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Spring thunder brings life to all things! A good omen!"
As they spoke, the vehicle, with its connected carriages, sped along the mountain road. Wu Zhuyue felt she was doing something absurd, but when she turned her head, Lu Changqing's brightly smiling face was right next to hers.
Wu Zhuyue let the other woman hold her, raising her hand to brush away the dry grass from her hair and clothes, then wiping the dust from her face with her sleeve. It was dusk, and the twilight was falling heavily, casting a magnificent afterglow that was no less brilliant than the sun. Fiery clouds drifted across the sky, gradually blurring the figures into indistinct black shadows.
After traveling for a while, they finally heard a bustling crowd. Wu Zhuyue stood up from the carriage and saw a lively scene all around, with a throng of people, including teenagers, young adults, and many women, their faces beaming with joy as they welcomed them as they arrived.
Shen Lixia patted the neck of one of the horses, tied the rope of another horse to it, and said, "Walk by yourself for a while, it will be over soon."
After saying that, she jumped onto the carriage and was the first to lift up the grain tightly wrapped in burlap and carry it down. These people were just people who had lost their home due to the famine. Even though they had left their hometown and traveled for several days, they did not lose their conscience like the others. They tacitly made way for the carriage and reached out to take the grain bags handed to them by the boy.
It was heavy.
Shen Lixia extended her hand to Wu Zhuyue and said with a relaxed smile, "Come on, it's your turn now."
Wu Zhuyue looked up, meeting her burning eyes. The dazzling sunset made this golden expanse so bright, so incredibly bright, while the surroundings were so dark, that the colors seemed to steal the entire world away. Beads of sweat dripped from the boy's forehead, glistening along with her radiant smile.
It was almost blinding. Wu Zhuyue heard herself say, "Senior Sister Shen, they will be implicated." However, she still held Shen Lixia's hand.
“So we need to take the carriage away before they come and destroy the evidence,” Shen Lixia said. “People often say they should be kind and generous, but why can some people have the power to decide the life and death of others, while others have to wander for days and have their life-saving food stolen? Junior Sister Wu, there are many injustices in the world.”
—To change the injustice in this world. In that instant, Wu Zhuyue recalled the words she had solemnly uttered to Si Liuhua long ago, amidst the bitter steam.
It is also her "Daoist heart".
“So we can start with the smallest things to change it,” Shen Lixia said gently. “Look, now you can go and help them.”
The piles of grain sacks were handed to the refugees, who cheered as they saw the boys off. Wu Zhuyue saw a boy run past, and in that instant their eyes met. The boy smiled at her, his dark eyes shining brightly.
She took the hand of the woman in front of her and called out in a clear, crisp voice, "Mother!"
Wu Zhuyue's breath hitched. She raised her hand and waved to the boy with a smile. She saw the girl pick him up, hold him in her arms, and kiss his cheeks several times.
Senior Sister Shen said that they would be met by someone later, and when they reached the Fifth Domain, they would join the soldiers from the Fourth Domain and settle down in the Southern Kingdom. The emperor there was a good man who would lead the women in rebellion and would not allow anyone to oppress them again.
Naturally, there will be no more mass graves, and no one will need to sacrifice themselves.
When the carriage turned and came to a stop in the woods, Shen Lixia lay down on the hay inside the carriage and let out a long sigh. By then, it was completely dark, with shadows of trees swaying in the breeze, and the surroundings were pitch black.
She sat up abruptly, shook off the bits of grass covering her, and laughed, "They've all been delivered! They'll definitely make it to the South safely."
Lu Changqing stretched his arms, as if remembering something, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Someone's dream is about to turn into a bubble."
They chatted, one sentence at a time, while Wu Zhuyue looked up at the moonlight, her hands clasped together to steady her trembling fingers. An absurd thought swirled in her mind, growing sharper and clearer.
Why is life always so full of coincidences? Fate treated her cruelly, yet kindly, allowing Wu Zhuyue to meet Si Liuhua when her life was hanging by a thread, and then letting her encounter Lu Changqing when she was alone.
Finally, just as his Dao heart was about to sink, Shen Lixia pulled him back up.
Now she can also help people like she used to be.
The boy following his mother among the refugees was like another version of her, just an ordinary girl who had found happiness and no longer had to be separated from her mother.
Thus, Wu Zhuyue's precarious wish seemed to be strengthened once again.
It just so happens at this critical juncture.
She was clearly just an insignificant person, yet she had to bear this overwhelming surge of emotions, chewing on excruciating pain amidst contradictions. She lacked the courage to seize someone else's pen to write about her own life, let alone take her own life.
Just then, the two people next to her seemed to be talking about something interesting and burst into laughter. Wu Zhuyue paused, turned her gaze away from the moon in the sky, whose light was like spilled water, impossible to contain, and laughed along with them.
The boy's laughter echoed through the desolate forest, startling the birds in the trees. Lu Changqing, a little tired from laughing, subconsciously turned to look at Wu Zhuyue. From the almost breathless laughter, she vaguely felt that for a moment she seemed to understand Wu Zhuyue, and was able to get a little closer to her.
But the next moment, Lu Changqing was stunned again.
She saw two lines of glistening liquid slide down the boy's cheeks and fall onto his white clothes.
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The author's note: The news was mentioned by Qin Shiying to Xi Mengsi in a letter. Originally, Xi was the person entrusted with the task, but after considering the timing, location, and circumstances, she decided to have Xia work for her.
Wu's feelings might be inexplicably complicated (?), but she has indeed been fluctuating. Hopefully, it won't seem too cumbersome.
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