Upon hearing this, the young guard immediately stared at the face of the older guard beside him. The older guard was taken aback and quickly stepped forward to block Ruoxi, saying sternly, "Hmph, what is the status of a maid who brews tea? Why would we care? Is this a place for you to come? Get out of here now, or are you waiting for me to call for help?"
"Don't shout, don't shout, I'll leave right now, I'll leave right now," the woman pleaded as she hurriedly turned and walked away.
But the woman had only taken a few steps when she suddenly stopped and turned back to take a closer look at the woman in the pale yellow dress under the long black veil, and asked, "Miss, have we met somewhere before?"
"Hurry up and leave!" But before he could finish speaking, he was stunned by the even more serious and angry rebuke from the older guard, whose face turned ashen and eyes narrowed. He had no choice but to put on a serious and preoccupied expression and quickly retreat.
Undoubtedly, this person was Lanxiang, who had spent the whole night searching for Yan'er's whereabouts. She had promised the aloof man that she would no longer wander around, but she still couldn't help but come to the West Garden to try to see him. However, she waited for a long time but did not see him come out.
Lanxiang and Yishangyun haven't spent much time together, so she doesn't yet have the same sense of familiarity that Yan'er has with Yishangyun.
Otherwise, Yan'er wouldn't have sensed her master's presence as soon as she arrived. If it were Yan'er at this moment, even without seeing her face, she would still be able to recognize her nagging master at a glance, and she would fearlessly step forward and hug her tightly, never letting go.
If Yi Shangyun had sprinted a little slower during the last dive, and Yan'er had focused her attention a little more on his front, perhaps none of what happened afterward would have occurred.
At this moment, because of Long En's instructions before leaving, the two guards protected Ruoxi like a national treasure, fearing that she might be harmed in the slightest. Therefore, she didn't pay much attention to Lanxiang's unintentional bump and their reaction. When she saw Lanxiang's figure finally disappear, Ruoxi simply said, "Alright, let's go quickly."
So the three of them continued walking hurriedly toward the Xiaolong Society's stables.
Little did they know, a great disaster was quietly brewing near that ten-mile peach grove.
Since the invention of kites in human history, they have been a special sight in springtime, in every era and in every corner of the world, and have given rise to many romantic stories and beautiful tales.
In the vast and resource-rich land of Western Qin in the Lingkong Continent, there is a saying: "On the third day of the third lunar month in spring, kites fill the sky."
However, whether it's flying a kite or watching it unfurl in the wind and soar high in the clear sky, it's a unique and enjoyable experience.
At this moment, in that seemingly forgotten village on the southern border of Western Qin, the sun shone warmly and brightly, white clouds drifted lazily, the river flowed clear and gurgling, and a flock of mallards floated on the water, singing merrily while vigorously paddling their feet underwater. Dressed in their brownish-red coats, they chased each other, seemingly searching for some fun somewhere. Everywhere was filled with the vibrant colors of spring.
At the west end of the village, on a vast expanse of green grass, many people of all ages, playing with kites, all wore joyful smiles, breathing in the fresh air, running and shouting freely, letting themselves go.
Meanwhile, the good mood of the people watching the eagles soaring high, the butterflies dancing gracefully, and the dragonflies soaring in the clear sky, all adorning the blue sky above them with vibrant colors, instantly spread with the gentle spring breeze, infecting one another.
However, in a house at the east end of the village, the old woman was not infected by this joy in the slightest.
After breakfast, supported by her maid Huan'er, she went for a walk in the courtyard. She looked up at the colorful kites of various shapes in the sky for a long time with a serious expression, and suddenly asked, "Has Wang Er not returned yet?"
"Not yet!" Huan'er replied weakly.
Upon hearing this, the old woman sighed softly, lowered her head, remained silent for a while, and finally said weakly, "Help me inside."
Huan'er knew that ever since Ruoxi disappeared, the old woman had been depressed and listless all day long. Apart from asking about the matter once or twice a day, nothing else seemed to concern her. Now, she stayed indoors all day long, and Huan'er was really worried, afraid that she would get sick from being so bored.
As for the old woman, she thought that after enduring hardship and biding her time here, she had finally fulfilled her mission and could finally see the person she had longed for for eight years. However, she had lost Ruoxi again. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have ignored Huan'er's advice and insisted on going to the City God Temple to find Master Xuankong that day, which led to this disaster. Now, fearing that Ruoxi might suddenly return, she dared not go out again.
The Buddha said, "All that is lost will be regained in another form." So, what will she regain from all that she has lost over the years? The guardians of Western Qin throughout the ages have only protected the emperor of Western Qin. She has never understood why, instead of having his birth mother, the current Empress Dowager, help him with this task, Master Xuan Kong insisted that she be the one to protect the realm of Emperor Jing of Western Qin.
Unable to figure it out no matter how hard she tried, she simply gave up. Supported by Huan'er, the old woman entered the house, rubbing her eyes and wondering, "I wonder how they are doing now? Has Wang Er found Ruoxi? Has that Young Master Lu found out anything? These past few days, my eyelids have been twitching non-stop; could something bad be about to happen?"
"I wonder which eyelid is twitching, madam?" Upon hearing this, Huan'er quickly let go of her hand and stepped forward, blocking the old woman's path. She stared wide-eyed at the old woman's face and asked carefully.
The old woman, frustrated and stopped, paused to think for a moment, then pointed to one eye and said, "It should be this one, right?"
Huan'er thought for a moment and then said happily, "There's a saying that 'a twitching left eye means good fortune, a twitching right eye means bad luck,' so this means the old lady is going to have some good news!"
"Nonsense! What joy could I possibly have?" The old woman glared at her, then walked around her and sat down.
Huan'er nudged behind her, perhaps trying to break the silence of the past few days. A thought flashed through her mind, and she blurted out, somewhat lost in thought, "Madam, you must believe Huan'er! Huan'er's words are always very accurate! Have you forgotten the last time Huan'er stopped you from going to the City God Temple, and you wouldn't listen, and then..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that something was increasingly wrong, so he stopped abruptly, pursed his lips, and fell silent.
However, after only a short while, Huan'er went over to make a cup of tea for the old woman, but then seemed to remember something and spoke again: "By the way, these past few days, Huan'er has sorted out all of Ruoxi's belongings and thought it would be better to give them to the old lady for safekeeping. Huan'er will go and get them now."
A moment later, Huan'er came in carrying a bundle.
The old woman gently put down her teacup and opened the bundle on the table beside her. Inside were just some tattered clothes and headdresses that Ruoxi had with her when she rescued her by the river that day.
Suddenly, a small vermilion wooden box inside caught her eye. She slowly picked it up and turned it over. Sure enough, as she expected, the bottom of the box was clearly marked with the three characters 'City God Temple'. The old woman immediately looked up and asked Huan'er, "What is this? Where did you get it?"
Huan'er thought for a moment and quickly explained, "This was given to Ruoxi by a Taoist priest she met at the 'Dream Pavilion' on the night of the Lantern Festival. He said it was called a 'Resurrection Pill' and would be very beneficial to Ruoxi's amnesia, but Ruoxi didn't take it."
"A Taoist priest? How could there be a Taoist priest in the City God Temple? Are you sure you're not mistaken, that the person who gave Ruoxi this item was really a Taoist priest?" the old woman asked again to confirm.
Huan'er nodded vigorously at him.
The old woman stared at Huan'er for a while, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Do you remember what that Taoist priest looked like?"
Huan'er shook her head again and suddenly lowered it.
At this moment, a look of anger appeared on the old woman's face. She looked coldly at Huan'er and said sternly, "Didn't you take her out that day? Weren't you inseparable from her?"
Seeing Huan'er's head hanging low, silent and terrified as if she could never lift it again, the old woman thought to herself, "I've seen this kind of box before. It was made by Master Xuankong himself. Could it be that Master Xuankong already knows about the appearance of the Purple Light and has already been to Peach Blossom Village? But if this pill can restore Ruoxi's memories, why won't she take it?" For a moment, she was extremely puzzled.
Just then, the woodcutter stumbled in, shouting as he ran, "Madam, Huan'er, something terrible has happened! Something terribly bad has occurred! The sky is falling..."
Upon hearing the sound, Huan'er suddenly turned around and ran into the courtyard. She rushed forward and caught the woodcutter who was about to fall, anxiously asking, "What happened? Has Wang Er returned? Did he bring Ruoxi back? Where are they now? Where are they?"
Little did Huan'er know, the woodcutter had just run a long way from the far east end of the village to the far west end, and was already out of breath. Yet Huan'er still stared intently at his face, urging him on and on, "Hurry up and tell me, hurry up and tell me..."
Inside the house, the old woman, whether because Huan'er had suddenly become so excited or because she had been startled awake by the woodcutter's shouts, quickly came to her senses and hurried into the courtyard.
Upon seeing the old lady emerge, the woodcutter rushed forward and grabbed her arm, stammering, "Old...old lady, please go...go to the ancestral hall! A group of people have come outside, and they say they're going to...going to massacre the village!"
"What? A village massacre?"
"A massacre of the village?"
The old woman and Huan'er looked at each other and said in unison.
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