Chapter 42
A biting wind howled through the air, and Yin Qiu broke out in a cold sweat, clinging to the wall, too afraid to move.
Her heart pounded like a drum as she cautiously watched the figure. But as the figure drew closer, it seemed to sense something and looked up, its gaze meeting Yin Qiu's.
In a flash, Yin Qiu jumped over the wall without thinking and fell to the ground with a thud.
A petty thief has come to the palace. It seems he stole something, and since he discovered I witnessed everything, he might kill me to silence me!
With a pounding heart, Yin Qiu scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he could, not knowing where he had gone. After a short while, he saw an archway ahead and rushed over. But as he entered, everything went black, and he bumped into someone.
"Ouch!"
"Ouch!"
Two low shouts rang out at the same time, and two more figures fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
In an instant, the two of them sat up simultaneously. Yin Qiu panicked and realized it was too late to escape, so she quickly put her arm in front of her eyes and said, "I didn't see who you are, don't kill me!"
At this moment, Yin Qiu imagined countless possible scenarios in her mind. If this person wanted to harm her, she would shout "Help!" at the top of her lungs. If this person listened to her and ran away, she would keep it to herself and never mention it again.
If Yin Qiu were to inform others, she would be asked why she was wandering around outside in the middle of the night, which would only bring her unnecessary trouble.
A moment later, a familiar voice was heard saying, "Why would I want to kill you... Why are you climbing over the wall in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qiu was slightly taken aback. She gently moved her arm away a few inches and saw a young male disciple sitting in front of her. He was handsome with delicate features, regular facial features, and a clean and gentle profile. His eyes were dark and bright, like a deep lake, even clearer and more beautiful than a girl's eyes. However, his complexion was not good, and he looked somewhat haggard, as if he had been ill for a long time.
He was holding a set of clothes in his hands, looking at Yin Qiu with a silent expression.
"How could it be you?" Yin Qiu looked him over again, surprised and uncertain.
Meng Jing, with a look of utter despair, said, "I should be asking you that too. Why did you run away just now?"
Yin Qiu finally breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down, saying, "I thought you were a robber who had broken into the palace to steal things. I was so scared."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jing frowned: "Who are you calling a robber?"
Yin Qiu said irritably, pressing her rapidly beating chest, "Who told you to sneak around like that? You were carrying something in your hands, and it was so dark I couldn't see anything. I just saw you sneaking over here, and I was scared out of my wits."
"I was going to..." Meng Jing seemed to be trying to defend himself, but then suddenly paused and looked at Yin Qiu, "Then why did you climb the wall before?"
Yin Qiu reacted quickly, realizing that Meng Jing hadn't finished speaking, and said, "Tell me first, what are you doing in our female disciples' courtyard?"
Meng Jing clearly didn't want to speak, and after stammering for a moment, said, "I don't want to talk about it."
Yin Qiu immediately said, "I don't want to say either."
Meng Jing looked her over, but then spoke, his face expressionless, "My clothes were thrown away in the girls' quarters, and I only came to get them secretly after nightfall."
Yin Qiu's eyes flickered, and she couldn't help but laugh: "I don't believe you. You'd better not lie anymore. It's so fake."
Meng Jing did lie, but when Yin Qiu exposed him, he still kept a straight face and said, "Believe it or not, those guys from the boys' college have been trying to bully me. This isn't the first time this has happened."
Yin Qiu initially didn't believe it, but after hearing him say that, she believed it to some extent.
"Alright then, I climbed the wall because I lost something here and planned to come back to look for it after nightfall."
Meng Jing rolled her eyes: "So fake."
"It's true," Yin Qiu said confidently.
Meng Jing said, "This is a men's college. Don't tell me you were bullied and someone deliberately threw you here."
Yin Qiu wandered here by chance; how could she know that this place was a men's college?
Yin Qiu said, "Do you think you're the only one who gets bullied? I get bullied too."
Meng Jing snorted, "Boring." He stood up and then lifted Yin Qiu up with a hint of disdain. "Since neither of us is willing to tell the truth, let's not. Let's hurry back to our rooms so that we don't get caught and face another disaster."
Yin Qiu wholeheartedly agreed: "You're right, let's run!"
The two brushed past each other and went in different directions. Meng Jing took two steps, then suddenly stopped, turned his head and said, "Yin Qiu."
Yin Qiu turned around: "What?"
Meng Jing clutched the clothes in her hands, hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Thank you for what happened during the day...."
Yin Qiu looked at him and smiled, "You're welcome."
Meng Jing stood still, looking somewhat awkward. He seemed to want to say something more, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.
"Is there anything else?" Yin Qiu asked.
“…That’s all.” Meng Jing glanced at her.
Yin Qiu looked back at him and felt that Meng Jing's face looked very gentle in the dim light. She said for no reason, "Meng Jing, I haven't looked at you closely before, but now I realize that you really look like a girl, and you're quite pretty."
Meng Jing was stunned, her face instantly flushing red. She gritted her teeth and said, "What did you say?!"
Yin Qiu instantly remembered that many disciples had been gossiping about his effeminate appearance, and immediately regretted saying it. He quickly said, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I was just complimenting your good looks. I'm leaving now."
After she finished speaking, she dared not look at Meng Jing again, fearing that he would get angry at her again, and she ran away quickly.
Seeing Yin Qiu leave, Meng Jing's eyes were filled with complex emotions. He lowered his eyelashes and remained silent for a long time before finally getting up.
·
After the two parted, Yin Qiu was even more cautious, walking with extra care along the way. When she arrived at the grove, Gongzi Fan had been waiting for her for a long time.
Upon meeting, Gongzi Fan did not ask Yin Qiu why he was late, but simply said, "Bring me your sword."
Yin Qiu then took out a bamboo branch from his sleeve and began practicing swordsmanship with Gongzi Fan. Yin Qiu imitated Gongzi Fan's movements, and the two of them used bamboo branches as swords to conceal their voices. They continued to change their moves in the forest until dawn.
Judging that the time was approaching, Gongzi Fan stopped and said, "That's enough for today. As usual, I won't come again until the day before the monthly exam. You must not be lazy in the next few days. I will come to find you again after the New Year. At that time, I will start teaching you lightness skills."
Yin Qiu was exhausted and her back ached, but her eyes lit up when she heard this: "Lightness skill!"
Gongzi Fan smiled and patted her head: "Let's go."
Upon hearing that she would be learning light-body skills after the New Year, Yin Qiu was filled with anticipation. Her steps became much lighter on the way back. It was not yet time for the bell to ring, and there was hardly anyone moving around in the courtyard. Yin Qiu tiptoed back to her room, changed her clothes, and washed her face with ice water. After the bell rang, she went to the canteen for a meal and then went to the classroom to study as usual.
Soon, the students arrived one after another. They greeted each other and returned to their seats to read. Meng Jing, as usual, was the last one to arrive. He was still sleepy and looked unwell. After exchanging a glance with Yin Qiu, the two seemed to have forgotten about last night. Neither of them mentioned it, nor did anyone take the initiative to speak.
Before long, the teacher entered, and the students bowed in unison as usual and began their morning reading.
The sound of reading aloud filled the air. Ever since Yin Qiu was punished last time, he dared not show any signs of being sleepy. Perhaps he had taken Yin Qiu's words to heart that day in the library, because Meng Jing had obviously been studying much harder these past few days and was much more focused than before.
The two sat side by side, muttering to themselves, their eyes fixed on the books, but their thoughts drifted far away.
Yin Qiu thought: No wonder Meng Jing always dozes off in class, he must be busy with something at night, but what is he secretly busy with? Why did he come to the girls' college?
Meng Jing thought: No wonder Yin Qiu has been getting sleepy in class lately. It turns out she's been busy with other things at night. But why did she climb the wall? What is she doing at the Running Man Academy?
The two were preoccupied with their own thoughts, each trying to think about the events of the previous night. Then, they would secretly glance at each other out of the corner of their eyes. When their eyes met, they would pause for a moment, then casually look away.
At noon, the teacher announced the end of class, and the students left the classroom one after another. Meng Jing remained motionless, waiting for everyone to leave before getting up.
Yin Qiu glanced at him, and seeing that he had no intention of bringing up the events of the previous night, she remained silent. As she walked to the door, a person rushed in, shouting, "I'm starving! Xiao Qiu! Hurry up!"
As the night passed, Fu Xiang, just as she had said, returned to her usual cheerful self. Seeing her smiling face, Yin Qiu consciously stopped mentioning Fu Cen's remarriage and happily exclaimed, "She's here!"
After dinner, Yin Qiu suggested going to the training ground to practice swordsmanship. Although Fu Xiang was reluctant, she complied. The two returned to their room to retrieve their swords. Just as they reached the courtyard gate, they heard a lot of people laughing and talking outside, as if a group of people had arrived. Fu Xiang peeked out the door and exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no, it's Senior Sister Ding! I'd better get out of here!"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qiu saw Fu Xiang abandon her without hesitation and run into the courtyard. She quickly started running after Fu Xiang, shouting, "I'm the one who should be running away now!"
As Fu Xiang sped along, she turned back and said, "Your martial uncle already warned her for you, do you think she'd dare come looking for you? She'll definitely come looking for me again!"
Yin Qiu exclaimed, "You can't just leave me alone!"
Fu Xiang laughed heartily, turned around and grabbed Yin Qiu, pulling her along as they ran. Just as they entered the corridor, they heard Ding Lianzhen's voice calling from afar, "Junior Sister Yin!"
"Looking for you! Looking for you!" Fu Xiang was overjoyed, nimbly darting around the corner, looking at Yin Qiu with schadenfreude. "When disaster strikes, everyone flies away. Take care!"
Ding Lianzhen had already led a group of female disciples over from behind. Yin Qiu couldn't very well run away in front of them. Seeing Fu Xiang moving with incredible speed, as if she had suddenly mastered the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique), Yin Qiu thought to herself that this guy was really disloyal. So she deliberately raised her voice and said, "Hey! Fu Xiang, why are you running? Senior Sister Ding is here, aren't you going to say hello?"
Unexpectedly, Fu Xiang ignored her words and ran away without even turning her head, disappearing without a trace.
·
"Junior Sister Yin," Ding Lianzhen said with a smile as she quickly walked to the corridor, "It's been a long time. How have you been?"
Seeing that she didn't mention Fu Xiang, perhaps she hadn't heard what she had just shouted, Yin Qiu felt quite frustrated and could only force a smile and reply, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister, I'm fine."
When Ding Lianzhen saw Yin Qiu, she couldn't help but admire how beautiful her younger sister was. Every time she saw her, her eyes would light up. She looked Yin Qiu up and down and said, "I saw you running around happily as soon as I came in. Perfect timing, our Tianyin Peak Sword Forging Pavilion is short of manpower. Why don't you come with me?"
Yin Qiu inwardly groaned, and said carefully, "I'm really sorry, Senior Sister, why don't you find someone else? I... I have something to do and can't get away."
How could Ding Lianzhen not see that she was unwilling? However, after Man Jiangxue warned her last time, Ding Lianzhen had been holding a grudge. She thought to herself that she only had some affection for the younger disciples and had not done anything out of line. So what if she was her martial uncle? Did her martial uncle have the right to interfere with who she befriended? That was too arbitrary and domineering.
"What do you want?" Ding Lianzhen asked calmly, smiling kindly.
"The Master told me to help him organize the files later," Yin Qiu said, having unknowingly learned to lie calmly. "I was in a hurry just now because I was going to find the Master. I'm afraid I won't be able to go to my senior sister's place."
“It’s easy to talk to the Master. I’ll have someone inform him,” Ding Lianzhen immediately said to a female disciple beside her. “Go and tell her that the Grand Elder of Tianyin Peak has asked Junior Sister Yin to come and help out.”
Upon hearing this, the female disciple was about to leave when Yin Qiu quickly stopped her, saying, "No! This...this is not good. I promised the Master, how can I suddenly not go?" Fearing that the female disciple would actually go to the Master and expose her lie, she earnestly added, "I'll go and tell the Master myself."
Ding Lianzhen smiled and said, "I noticed you don't look well and seem a bit tired. There's no end to sorting through those files. How can you not be exhausted? I'm worried about you, but don't worry. When we get to Tianyin Peak, I won't ask you to do anything else. Just rest well. All the other new disciples are eager to come and play with me."
Why don't you just go find someone else? Yin Qiu thought to herself.
"Alright, stop standing there," Ding Lianzhen pulled Yin Qiu's hand. "The Sword Forging Pavilion is really short-handed. The elder ordered me to come and pick people. But don't worry, I'll bring you over to make up the numbers. It'll be a way to give the elder an explanation. I won't let you get tired. Just think of it as helping me out, okay?"
Although Tianyin Peak is in charge of the palace's weapons, they never go down the mountain to buy swords from blacksmiths. They always produce their own swords at the Sword Forging Pavilion. Forging weapons is no joke; it's arguably the most tiring job in the entire Yunhua Palace. Tianyin Peak does need more people to help out. In the past, many disciples from the New Disciples' Courtyard were called over to do their work. So Ding Lianzhen's words weren't entirely untrue. However, it was nothing new for her to use this to curry favor. Yin Qiu had heard many rumors about her later and felt quite disgusted.
But Man Jiangxue wasn't there, and most of the disciples were taking a nap in their rooms. Ye Zhilan was nowhere to be seen either, so Yin Qiu had no one to ask for help. Ding Lianzhen always brought a bunch of people with her when she came to the disciples' courtyard. After all, she was a senior, and it wouldn't be good to offend her in front of everyone. No matter how much Yin Qiu resisted, she had no choice but to accept her fate.
Seeing that Yin Qiu remained silent, Ding Lianzhen took it as a tacit agreement and happily pulled Yin Qiu away. Just as the group reached the gate, they heard someone call out from behind, "Yin Qiu!"
Hearing someone calling her name, Yin Qiu felt a glimmer of hope and hurriedly turned around.
Under the snow-covered eaves, Meng Jing, holding a thick stack of books, said impatiently, "You, Yin Qiu, the teacher told us to work together, and you're out there slacking off! I'm going to tell the teacher right now!"
Yin Qiu had never seen Meng Jing so happy before, and rushed towards him, saying, "I didn't slack off, don't talk nonsense!"
"I saw it with my own eyes, and you're still trying to deny it!" Meng Jing scolded. "These files are what Master Man urgently needs. Don't think you can get away with it just because she's biased towards you. If you mess up Master Man's business, I won't take responsibility for you!"
Yin Qiu stopped abruptly halfway through her run, looked at Meng Jing with a troubled expression, and then turned to look at Ding Lianzhen.
"Senior sister, this..."
Even a blind person could see that Meng Jing had come specifically to help out, and had even brought up Man Jiangxue. Ding Lianzhen saw through it all. She looked at Meng Jing and Yin Qiu, and the friendly facade she usually put on vanished in an instant.
Ding Lianzhen sneered and immediately turned and left.
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