Chapter 15 What grudges remain, yet memories of the midnight lamp in the Red Chamber linger?
Zhou Ziheng and Huo Qin returned to the room together. Zhang Yuanhan saw the two men covered in blood and let out a scream. He quickly called for the doctor who was already prepared.
They were both covered in blood, but their expressions were very calm, and it was impossible to tell where they were injured.
"Check on Zhou Ziheng. His left shoulder and calf are more seriously injured. Treat them first," Huo Qin calmly instructed, tossing Jian Gui to Xi Bingyi. "I'm fine."
Zhang Zihan stuffed the medicine into the doctor's hand as if it were free, his voice trembling and his eyes filled with tears. He tried to help Zhou Ziheng sit down, but the other party brushed him aside lightly.
Zhou Ziheng took the medicine from the doctor without giving Zhang Yuanhan a single glance.
Xi Bingyi leaned against the bed, somewhat puzzled: "What's wrong? Why do you both look like you're dead?"
Zhou Ziheng closed his eyes. The curse of winning the laurel wreath on his left forearm was still burning hot. He took a deep breath to calm his complicated emotions.
Seeing his trembling arm, Xi Bingyi seemed to have found the key to the matter. She leaned closer and asked, "The curse has taken effect? No wonder you have such a cold face, it doesn't look good at all."
Huo Qin was also familiar with the curse of winning the laurel wreath, knowing that it was a curse that could erode emotions, but at this moment he shook his head and his gaze slid over Zhang Yuanhan.
Zhou Ziheng had no intention of exposing him, so naturally he wouldn't say anything more.
So Huo Qin simply said, "Your senior brother is too badly injured."
Unexpectedly, the competitive Zhou Ziheng immediately opened his eyes, glared at Huo Qin, as if denying his statement.
Huo Qin: "..."
It's hard to imagine someone being so concerned about saving face that it's childish.
The doctor prepared to apply medicine to Zhou Ziheng, but he sighed, ignoring his own wound, and instead slowly raised the sword blade, wiping the blood on the edge with his fingertips.
The sword reflected half of his face, and the cold light of the steel flowed into his eyes.
Xi Bingyi thought he had something important to say, but after holding back for a long time, her senior brother finally said:
"I won our bet."
Xi Bingyi: "?"
What bet?
She was still a little dazed, but Huo Qin reacted faster, taking the medicine from the doctor and pouring it all over Zhou Ziheng's wound.
He recklessly poured the liquor, ignoring Zhou Ziheng's painful cries, and sneered, "Still thinking about that bet on the number of enemies killed? If you weren't so arrogant, would you be in such a sorry state?"
Xi Bingyi then realized what was happening and said speechlessly, "Senior brother, you're really too unreliable!"
Zhou Ziheng was in so much pain that tears streamed down his face. He gritted his teeth and said, "What are you saying? Am I the only one who's arrogant?!"
Huo Qin's move was too ruthless; he's really afraid of pain!
Huo Qinxi Bingyi, who was also involved in the bet: "..."
Xi Bingyi awkwardly touched her nose, pretending to be busy, and grabbed Zhang Yuanhan to change the subject: "How much longer until we reach our destination?"
Zhang Yuanhan roughly calculated the time: "I estimate it will be two or three days."
Xi Bingyi made conversation: "Your ship is quite well-equipped, with medicine and doctors for injuries."
Upon hearing this, Huo Qin squinted at Zhang Yuanhan, unsure whether Xi Bingyi's words were intentional or unintentional.
But based on his understanding of Miss Naïve, he thought that this was most likely just a casual question.
Zhang Yuanhan remained silent for a moment, seemingly pondering the meaning behind Xi Bingyi's words.
But he ultimately reached the same conclusion as Hochin, and said, "It's just a normal configuration."
While the others were still talking, Zhou Ziheng had already fallen asleep from exhaustion, emitting soft snores.
He lay face down on the table, avoiding the area where he was injured, and was already fast asleep.
A rare moment of peace. The room was quiet, free from the damned pirates and the uncertain future. Only Zhou Ziheng's peaceful snoring could be heard. He no longer had to think about what would happen from now on.
Huo Qin looked out of the cabin. Under the sky, fine snow fell silently, a blanket of white, fluttering down like celestial maidens scattering precious blossoms.
The snowflakes are tiny yet incredibly dense, dancing silently between the sea and sky. They land on the deck, instantly turning into damp patches, into blood-like stains; drifting into the waves, they blend into the inky blue, indistinguishable from snow or sea.
"It's snowing," Huo Qin murmured softly, his voice carried away by the wind, almost inaudible.
Winter is coming.
-
The incident with the pirates was fraught with danger but ultimately ended without serious harm. Only Xi Bingyi and Zhou Ziheng sustained more serious injuries, but fortunately, Zhang Yuanhan had brought enough medicine, and before long, none of them were in any major condition.
In the past few days, only Xi Bingyi couldn't resist the loneliness and went for a stroll on the deck. The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and only a vast expanse of gray and white remained between the sea and the sky.
Zhou Ziheng remained drowsy, which worried Huo Qin, but Xi Bingyi was carefree. She held a snowman and didn't care about her senior brother's life or death at all.
"Oh dear, it's an old problem. As long as I'm not dead, that's all that matters."
As she spoke, she placed the snowman next to Huo Qin and said happily, "The snow is falling heavier and heavier. Look, I made a snowman."
Huo Qin was very supportive: "Quite cute."
Zhou Ziheng, who was woken up by Xi Bingyi, was not so happy. He was a bit grumpy when he woke up. Seeing the snowman that was about to melt, he said irritably, "What's the use of being cute? It's still going to die."
Xi Bingyi curled her lip, secretly cursing Zhou Ziheng for his lack of class.
Just then, Zhang Yuanhan, who had been missing for several days, finally appeared, knocked on the door, and whispered, "We've arrived."
Zhou Ziheng thought of his old friend, perked up, and his eyes lit up.
They stepped out of the cabin, snowflakes falling on their heads like goose feathers, and in the distance, a city was faintly visible amidst the swirling snow.
The towering church and silent lighthouse are transformed into the faint brushstrokes of an ink painting, appearing and disappearing through the gaps in the snow, like a huge and quiet mirage floating on the sea.
Zhang's ship slowly approached the harbor. Xi Bingyi, somewhat curious, pointed to the lighthouses and churches she had never seen before and asked, "What are those?"
Zhang Yuanhan explained, "Those are local buildings, very distinctive."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw a silent figure on the harbor, seemingly waiting for someone, glancing around from time to time.
"Brother Xu Yi!" Zhang Yuanhan waved excitedly at the man in black, "We're here!"
The man in black looked toward the direction of the sound and saw the second young master of the Zhang family waving his hands on the huge deck, and the man in red fluttering beside him.
Xu Yi narrowed his eyes, sensing the other party's unfriendly gaze.
Zhou Ziheng had excellent eyesight and naturally saw Xu Yi's current appearance.
An unremarkable face, weathered and worn, bearing the marks of time and silence, with only a pair of sharp eyes. The man's right ear looked as if it had been cut off, revealing a flat profile.
Is Xu Yichang like that?
For the first time, Zhou Ziheng began to doubt his own memories.
Even Xi Bingyi was surprised: "Is this Xu Yi? The destruction of his family has changed him so much."
As they were talking, the boat had already reached the shore.
Xu Yi slowly walked over and assisted Zhang Yuanhan in unloading the goods, but his eyes remained fixed on Zhou Ziheng.
Zhou Ziheng took a closer look at the man and found that apart from his eyes, the man was not handsome at all. His missing right ear added to his fierce appearance, making him very different from the arrogant and domineering young master in his memory.
Zhang Yuanhan mistakenly thought that Xu Yi hadn't recognized Zhou Ziheng, his "old friend," and quickly reminded him, "Brother Xu, this is your old friend, have you forgotten?"
"An old friend?" Xu Yi repeated in confusion.
Zhou Ziheng laughed and said, "Brother Xu Yi, you really have a bad memory. I am Zhou Ziheng."
He stared at Xu Yi openly and frankly, making it unclear whether he was testing him or not.
Immediately afterwards, the arrogant Zhou Ziheng turned to Xu Yi and brought up his "sad matter": "Brother Xu, have you found the other half of the Broken Goose Saber Technique?"
As soon as he finished speaking, even Huo Qin, who was completely uninvolved and didn't care, cast a surprised look at Zhou Ziheng.
Who in the martial arts world doesn't know that Xu Yi's family was destroyed and he died because of the missing half of the Broken Goose Saber Technique?!
Legend has it that the Xu family became famous throughout the land for half of the Broken Goose Saber Technique, which restored their family's glory. However, they also lost their entire family because of the other half of the technique. No one even knows who did it or what their motive was. All that is known is that Xu Yi's parents said before they died:
"The lack of the complete Broken Goose Saber Technique is our fate."
It's not true that half of the sword technique was lost.
—Because that half of the poem is located in the Holy Mountain, and when the Sword Tomb reopened back then, it was Zhou Ziheng who refused Xu Yi's request!
If Zhou Ziheng were to relent and allow Xu Yi to enter the Sword Tomb, wouldn't a tragedy be averted?
But Zhou Ziheng also had his reasons, and he said confidently: "Sword Tomb, Sword Tomb, there are only swords, no sabers, let alone saber techniques and manuals?"
Of these people, only Xi Bingyi knew the truth. She frowned and glared at Zhou Ziheng, wondering if he had lost his mind and had to bring up this matter of all.
Xu Yi's expression was cold, and the missing part of his right ear made him look even more ferocious.
Although Zhang Yuanhan wasn't very familiar with these matters of the martial arts world, he keenly sensed the strange atmosphere. He chuckled and said, "Oh dear, it's cold. Let's not look at the harbor and feel the wind..."
Xu Yi didn't want to get entangled in public. The heavy snow blocked his view of Zhou Ziheng, and he also missed the other's interested gaze.
After a long pause, he said coldly, "I have lost hearing in my right ear, so I really can't hear what you are saying."
After saying that, he turned and left, his black clothes flapping in the wind, showing no sign of "not being able to hear".
Zhang Yuanhan glanced at Zhou Ziheng with a troubled expression, then quickly cupped his hands and said, "Good brother, wait for me for a moment, I'll come right after I've appeased Brother Xu."
As she spoke, she chased after Xu Yiyuan. Only then did Xi Bingyi walk to Zhou Ziheng's side, poke his waist, and mutter, "Are you crazy? Why did you have to bring the Broken Goose Blade?"
Zhou Ziheng raised an eyebrow: "So you also think it was my fault?"
Xi Bingyi immediately surrendered with her hands clasped: "How could that be! I know who you are and who Xu Yi is!"
"Besides, do you think I don't know if there's half a sword technique in the Sword Tomb? Who knows what Xu Yi'an was thinking back then, insisting on entering the Sword Tomb, even going so far as to fabricate such a lie..."
Xi Bingyi stroked her chin, then looked at Zhou Ziheng, her mind unusually sharpening: "Is it just to smear you and disgust you?"
Listening to their conversation, Huo Qin became somewhat curious.
"It seems there's more to this 'old friend' of yours than meets the eye?"
What exactly is the grudge between you two?
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