Chapter 51 Today is an auspicious day for marriage.
Back to the present moment, Shen Guitang stared intently at the sky, waved her hand to refuse his roast chicken, and said, "It's the smell of your roast chicken that drove my geese away. Go eat it ten feet away from me."
Black Wind, feeling slighted, twitched his lips and retreated ten feet away. He tore off a chicken leg and started gnawing on it with his hands. As he viciously chewed the tender chicken meat in his cheeks, he muttered to himself: I'm too lazy to serve him. Isn't it wonderful to eat chicken all by myself?
As another sunset was about to completely sink into the lake, and Shen Guitang still hadn't gained anything today, Hei Feng wore a regretful expression on his face, but was secretly overjoyed. Finally, it was his young master's turn to suffer.
Shen Guitang glanced at him, and was about to say something when she saw a flock of geese flying in from afar. First, the two geese that acted as sentries patrolled around, and after seeing that there was no danger, they called the rest of the flock that was still hovering in the sky to come down and drink water.
At this moment, Shen Guitang, who had already hidden behind the rock, selected two paired geese, drew his bow and shot the arrows in one smooth motion, and "whoosh," the two blunt-tipped iron arrows flew through the wind, each hitting a goose's wing.
The two geese were in pain and tried to fly back to the sky, but their wings were struck and they fell back down while still at low altitude. As for the other geese, they had already been frightened and flown away when the iron arrows arrived.
Hei Feng hurriedly stepped forward and caught the two geese, while Shen Guitang had already turned around to pack his luggage.
"Young master, shall we leave now?" It was getting dark, and the road down the mountain was not very safe.
"Do you want to stay on this mountain for another night?" Shen Guitang asked him in return.
Black Wind shook his head. There were so many mosquitoes on the mountain that he couldn't sleep well for two nights. If he were alone, he would naturally want to leave immediately.
Since Shen Guitang was also determined to go down the mountain, he didn't say anything more, but asked, "Young master, what should we do with this incense burner?"
This incense burner is not expensive but it is heavy, and it is obviously one that Shen Guitang casually picked out from the stockpiled storeroom. He had never even seen it before in the mansion.
“This,” Shen Guitang pondered for a moment before finally deciding, “Take it back as a family heirloom.” After all, it wasn’t him who was going to carry it away.
Black Wind: ...I really want to release these two geese, but I don't dare.
Hengbo naturally refused the young master's offer. She was burdened with a blood feud and had finally learned the truth of what happened back then, so how could she be willing to give up at this time?
The young master knew her stubbornness, so he could only keep quiet for the time being. Besides, he was still here and could try his best to protect her...
Upon learning of his thoughts, Ah Cai posed a thought-provoking question: "Young Master, why do you think we are capable of protecting Miss Hengbo?"
The young master clenched his fists in anger, but looking into Ah Cai's sincere eyes, he couldn't bring himself to curse him. In the end, he could only tell him to stop wandering around in front of him, it was an eyesore!
Ah Cai, who had just been kicked out of the house, happened to run into Er Gou, who was leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance. The two looked at each other and sighed heavily in unison.
So, the people perched on the railing became two people—no, two poor dogs who couldn't fathom their owner's thoughts.
The next morning, after having breakfast, the group was discussing their day's itinerary in a room when a slow, deliberate knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
Because of the urgent letter from Hidden Sword Manor, the young master has been very vigilant lately. "Who?"
A slightly amused voice came from outside the door: "Brother, it's me."
Both Hengbo and Ergou, recognizing the voice, were astonished, and Ergou was almost moved to tears. There had been no news for the past few days, and she had almost thought she was really going to go down to Jiangnan with them.
Upon hearing the familiar "Brother Shen," the young master remembered that Shen Guitang had mentioned coming to visit. He asked Ah Cai to stand guard at the door while he got up and opened it.
There was nothing dangerous; just outside the door stood Shen Guitang's handsome face, a face few in this world could rival. But… why did the young master feel that this person seemed even more handsome and younger than when they met a few days ago?
He glanced at the blindingly bright light outside and comforted himself: it must be the light that's giving me this illusion.
The black wind behind Shen Guitang didn't miss the moment when the young master lingered on Shen Guitang's face. He sighed inwardly, thinking that the extra effort his young master had put into his face that morning hadn't been in vain.
Although Shen Guitang was exchanging pleasantries with the young master, her gaze swept over the people in the room. When she saw Er Gou, she was clearly taken aback, obviously not expecting to see her here. At that moment, Er Gou was also muttering to himself about Shen Guitang.
Why does this old dog look a little different today? She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it just felt very similar to a kind of brightly colored bird she had seen before.
Shen Guitang's gaze finally landed on Hengbo, and after noticing the surprise on Hengbo's face, he smiled reassuringly at her.
The young master welcomed the two of them in. Seeing the stacks of gift boxes that Hei Feng was carrying, he politely said, "Brother Chen, there's no need to be so polite. Your presence is enough. There's no need to bring gifts."
As soon as Shen Guitang arrived, Er Gou immediately fawned over her and gave up his seat. Shen Guitang then sat down next to Heng Bo, while the young master sat opposite them.
He first poured a cup of tea for the young master before correcting him, saying, "This is not a gift, but a token."
A token? The young master was puzzled. Could it be that this man surnamed Shen wanted to form an alliance with him? But what kind of alliance could the two of them form?
Shen Guitang noticed the confusion on his face, but instead of telling him, she said something completely unrelated:
"I checked the almanac before leaving home today, and it is an auspicious day for marriage."
The young master had a bad feeling: "What do you mean by saying this, Brother Shen?"
Although Shen Guitang was answering his question, his gaze was fixed on Hengbo. "Young Master Chu and Cuihua are close friends, even closer than family. Now, you could say that Chu is Cuihua's family." He then pointed to the object covered with red silk that Heifeng had been carrying. When Heifeng uncovered it, a pair of geese, also tied with red silk, were revealed to everyone.
"Therefore, I have come today to ask for Miss Cuihua's hand in marriage."
Young Master: !!!
He doesn't want to form an alliance with him; he wants to arrange a marriage between them!
The young master jumped to his feet: "You, how could you... how could you say you wanted to marry her in front of me?"
"Absolutely not! I will not agree to this!"
Seeing the young master's face turn red with anger, Er Gou shook his head with pity: Didn't he know the price of accepting Shen Guitang's tea? Didn't he even consider that Shen Guitang would be so kind?
Shen Guitang's expression finally turned cold: "This is probably not something you can decide. Why don't we ask Miss Cuihua?"
He turned to Hengbo, his voice hoarse and tinged with a nervousness he himself was unaware of: "Will you marry me?"
Even though Hengbo was the most important person in this matter, her expression was the calmest among everyone present, as if their verbal and physical exchanges had nothing to do with her.
Hengbo swept his gaze across the faces of everyone in the room: the young master's anger, Ah Cai's worry, Er Gou's shock, and the inexplicable...excitement on Hei Feng's face.
And the barely perceptible unease and anticipation on Shen Guitang's face.
She had seen that expression on the faces of those little rascals on the mountain before. Whenever Ruan Wangshu came back from down the mountain, they would line up and ask her hesitantly what she had brought.
Hengbo pursed her lips: Can we talk alone?
Shen Guitang smiled gently, a smile that softened his sharp features: "Of course."
Now that the two parties involved have spoken, it's no longer appropriate for the others to stay inside.
Only the young master wanted to stay and say something more to Hengbo, but Ah Cai picked him up and took him outside. He struggled and cried, "Put me down! I want to be with Hengbo..."
Ah Cai glanced at the two who had become their own world, and said with a bitter face, "My young master, don't you have any sense of propriety?"
The door was thoughtfully closed from the outside, shutting out all the noise and commotion.
Finally, only the two of them remained in the room. Hengbo hesitated for a moment: Is this what you wanted me to agree to?
On the carriage to the imperial mausoleum, Shen Guitang said he could help her avenge herself, but the price was that she agree to something. On the way back, he offered to find a miraculous medicine to repair her heart meridian. So, is it finally time to negotiate?
Upon hearing this, Shen Guitang's smile slowly faded, and he stared intently at the fair face before him. From the moment he uttered those words until now, this face had been too still, showing neither resistance nor joy; the only fluctuation could probably only be described as doubt.
He knew exactly what she was asking, but because of that, his heart sank.
However, he still wanted to make a desperate attempt: "What if I say no?"
Hengbo could guess that he might have feelings for her, but she didn't understand.
She was too young, her love life was innocent but unremarkable, she had never even been moved by anyone, and naturally she didn't understand what it meant to be in love with someone.
"What truly constitutes loving someone?" Shen Guitang repeated.
Hengbo was taken aback; it turned out that she had just asked what was on her mind.
He must really like her, because the answer is already etched in his heart.
“Perhaps,” Shen Guitang gazed into her questioning eyes, but also saw his own mottled and bloodied flesh exposed in her eyes. “I have suffered a lot, bled a lot, resisted the darkest nights, and traversed years of rivers of blood, and I firmly believe that this is my fate.”
"But after meeting that person, I realized that I didn't accept my fate. I was unwilling to die like this, nor was I willing to live like this. I wanted to ask her to marry me. I wanted to ask for a ray of light for my dark and uncertain life."
So, would you be willing to take pity on me?
Shen Guitang knew she was shameful, trying to gain Hengbo's pity by showing her bloody wounds. She didn't even understand what liking someone meant, let alone distinguishing between pity and love.
However, looking at Hengbo, whose eyebrows were tinged with sadness, Shen Guitang couldn't bear it. This child was too soft-hearted; even though she was the one who was to be rejected, it was as if she had ripped a piece of her own heart out first.
He was about to take a step back when he saw Hengbo grit her teeth and slowly but firmly shake her head: she was unwilling.
Shen Guitang froze, a bone-chilling cold sweeping over her entire body, even freezing her tongue.
She wasn't even willing to pity him.
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