Chapter 45 The Promise of Youth
I haven't forgotten.
Lin Chengye was stunned for a while, rubbed his earlobe and rolled his eyes. Yu Guangzhong and Liu Zhenglin waited patiently, but he saw Yu Jiang frowning and tapping his fingers up and down faster and faster on his arm.
She quickly nodded, said "okay" before Yu Jiang got angry, and waved her hand to tell the two of them to leave so she could change her clothes.
Yu Jiang immediately complained that she was being unnecessary; it was the height of summer, a thin veil would suffice. Liu Zhenglin quickly pulled Yu Jiang outside, comforting her by saying that Cheng Ye and she were used to the wild ways of the martial world and were clearly well-mannered; how could she let her change clothes in front of others?
The two had just stepped out, and Lin Chengye hadn't even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief, when the wooden door creaked open again. Bian Yi, already knowing the two's purpose, entered the room with a new outfit draped over each arm, hung it on the rack, and asked Lin Chengye with a smile which one he liked.
"Where did you get these clothes?"
Lin Chengye asked curiously.
She wore a bamboo-green robe with a flared hip and a light blue short-sleeved shirt. Neither of them looked like what she would normally wear, and they certainly weren't bought by Bian Yi. The patterns on the robes were intricate and ornate, with silver thread embroidery that looked like stars from afar. The fabric was smooth and cool to the touch.
"The sect leader sent these over, saying she had prepared them for you a long time ago. Actually, there's more than that; she also sent some accessories, jewelry, and warm jade..."
"That's fine, that's fine."
Lin Chengye hurriedly picked out the light blue short-sleeved shirt. She then realized that, according to the style of the sect leader, this shirt would probably need to be paired with a warm white jade belt on the left and a silver beaded chain on the right.
"These two kids have come at just the right time."
Bian Yi smiled, then suddenly took out another food box from under her wide sleeves and placed it on the table. No one knew what she had been thinking about or when she had made it. She turned her back to Lin Chengye and waited for him to finish dressing before casually tying his hair into a half-updo.
She still used some of the accessories given by the gatekeeper; several silver threads with lustrous beads hung down from the hairband that matched the color of her clothes, appearing and disappearing among her dark hair.
Bian Yi patted Lin Chengye's shoulders with both hands.
"Have fun tonight, but don't drink too much."
...
As the three of them left, Yu Jiang looked back every few steps, sighing as he watched Bian Yi standing in the courtyard waving goodbye to them.
"What are you looking at?"
She turned around, and Lin Chengye looked back as well, but he couldn't figure it out either. She asked curiously.
"I was just thinking of asking Doctor Bian to come along."
Yu Jiang pursed his lips.
"But she said she was already thirty-seven, which surprised me. You couldn't tell from her appearance at all. What a pity, I was hoping to make a friend."
"Then why can't I pay it?" Lin Chengye asked, puzzled.
The two talked without delaying their journey. Yu Jiang led the group toward the octagonal pavilion by the lake that they had planned to visit.
Liu Zhenglin, who had been silently following behind the two, took the food box from Lin Chengye's hand at some point, and secretly opened it a crack, letting out a warm aroma mixed with the sweet smell of pastry.
She casually picked up a piece of white steamed bun, took a bite while it was still warm, and her eyes lit up immediately. She exclaimed in surprise.
"Hey, jujube and chestnut steamed buns? Delicious."
Unfortunately, neither of them paid any attention to her, Yu Jiang said again.
“We’re twenty years apart from her… at most, she could be my older sister. How can we be friends? Our perspectives are definitely very different. She’ll subconsciously take care of you, so… it just won’t feel like friendship.”
Lin Chengye thought about it and found he couldn't refute it, but he also felt that the matter was definitely not so absolute.
"arrive."
Liu Zhenglin suddenly interrupted, his words slightly muffled as he spoke, still swallowing the last bite of his steamed bun.
Lin Chengye looked up and realized that he was now in front of a lake that was shimmering with light.
The sun, about to set, cast a clear orange-yellow glow that blended into the clouds. The wind blew, scattering red petals across the mountains. Pink lotuses bloomed everywhere on the lake, and tiny green buds peeked out, catching the last rays of sunlight.
The three sat on stone benches in the pavilion, all dressed in light and loose clothing. Lin Chengye comfortably squinted his eyes. Yu Jiang wore a light green gauze dress, her long dark brown hair being tossed about by the wind. Liu Zhenglin even came wearing only a dark blue jacket, his arms bare.
I don't know what she's been up to these past few days, but there are burn marks on both arms from molten iron splashes.
"It's not very formal today. Yu Jiang heard from the teacher that you were back, so she hurriedly made a few dishes and some wine before coming over. It just so happens that Sister Bian made some sweet steamed buns and pastries."
Liu Zhenglin quickly brought out the food box, which contained cold snacks to go with drinks, such as pickled peanuts, cucumber salad, and smoked beef. Only the box that Bian Yi had given was still warm, and in addition to the pastries, it also contained several kinds of small steamed buns that Lin Chengye had never seen before.
Several wine cups, resembling clustered lotus leaves with curved edges, were translucent like solidified fat. Yu Jiang poured the wine to overflowing heights for the three of them and said...
Consider this a welcome-back dinner for you.
This time, Yu Jiang didn't hold back and picked out three or five pastries in a row, placing them in her palm. Last time, she was so upset that she didn't eat the pastries on the other side, and she was depressed all night alone.
"Then why are you in such a hurry? Why not wait a few days?" Lin Chengye smiled unconsciously.
"Wait a few days? Who knows where you'll go next?"
Yu Jiang snorted and said in a sarcastic tone.
"Young Master Lin is a very busy man, and we can't go down the mountain."
"Yes, if we can go down the mountain, we'll go to the restaurant we booked in Beichen City. We won't have to be so shabby."
After Liu Zhenglin finished speaking, he sighed, resting his chin on his hand, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. Suddenly, he noticed Lin Chengye's wrist, pointed at it, and asked.
"You didn't use your hidden dart?"
"If the places I go use it, it will be incredible."
Lin Chengye's expression suddenly became quite strange. She imagined the scene and realized that her wanted posters would probably be plastered all over Southern Qi by now.
The three of them raised their glasses in unison, the lotus leaf cups held high as if catching the last rays of sunlight of the day. The rims clinked together, and the wine splashed, a single drop landing lightly on a small patch of skin beneath Lin Chengye's eye, feeling strangely hot.
The three of them drank without any rules, and there was no need to find a reason to raise their glasses. When they were in high spirits and enjoying their meal, they could clink glasses with each other.
The sun hid behind the mountains, and night invaded the day. Fueled by alcohol, Yu Jiang awkwardly spoke.
"Does your return this time mean... your body can be healed? And that the sect leader can entrust the Bone-Growing Two-Headed Serpent to you?"
Liu Zhenglin's eyes also showed a rare hint of nervousness as he eagerly awaited Lin Chengye's answer.
"Um……"
Lin Chengye deliberately paused, drawing out his words. He spoke slowly just before Yu Jiang's face darkened and his patience ran out.
"Yes, and I will be staying at the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect for a while, so I will have to trouble you two... junior sisters to take good care of me."
The timeframe would depend on Wei Jingchen's situation. Lin Chengye's eyes were unfathomable. Now that he knew that person must have some connection with the Lai Kingdom's royal family, he was determined to venture into Lin Su, the capital, no matter what.
She hadn't forgotten what Wei Jingchen had written in the note he left her.
"The Tianji Sect's concept of master-disciple relationships is actually different from most sects, haven't you noticed?"
Liu Zhenglin asked.
Lin Chengye nodded, thought for a moment and said, "You don't have a fixed master, but everyone is a master, and any teacher is fine. So the boundaries between fellow disciples are not very clear."
“Yes.” Liu Zhenglin nodded. She liked talking to Lin Chengye; she didn’t have to bother explaining anymore.
"But it's nice, can you keep calling me senior sister? It sounds so comforting." Yu Jiang covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Well, that won't do. The title 'Senior Sister' that I used is very precious. I only used it to repay a debt of gratitude." Lin Chengye said seriously, but his eyes were smiling.
"Stingy." Yu Jiang realized Lin Chengye was joking, but wasn't annoyed. She just made a face at him.
"Chengye, we'll soon be able to go down the mountain and travel."
Suddenly, Liu Zhenglin spoke. Her cheeks flushed crimson. All three of them had drunk quite a bit, and the aroma of wine and lotus in the air intoxicated the idlers.
"When we turn eighteen, in November of the year, we will be able to take the entrance exam for the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect. If we pass, we can go down the mountain to travel and explore the world the following spring."
"Do you... want to come along?"
Yu Jiang took over the conversation, but clearly lacked confidence, and asked in a low voice.
Lin Chengye was taken aback, suddenly feeling a sense of unreality.
It turned out that she, too, had been placed in the hearts of other young people with a pure and innocent heart. Just like when she heard Bian Yi's name as a child, she imagined that they would travel the world together in the future, and these two had actually imagined the same thing.
This is already a very precious gift.
She had said something similar to Bian Yi before, but she couldn't remember if he had responded.
After a long pause, Lin Chengye finally spoke.
"If I successfully complete what I need to do and am still alive, I can stay with you all, but one more person must be added: Bian Yi must come along as well."
"Oh, that would be wonderful if you could persuade her. The important thing is that you can't back out."
Yu Jiang's face lit up with joy, and he exchanged a glance with Liu Zhenglin; both of them were somewhat excited.
"I will never go back on my word."
Lin Chengye stood up with a smile, filled her glass, and drank it all in one gulp. Perhaps the wine was truly intoxicating, for she felt a little impulsive, but she didn't want to think about anything else.
May this day last forever, leaving no regrets.
She spoke slowly.
"When I turn eighteen, and my personal affairs are settled, I will surely descend the mountain with my friends and roam the vast world."
This journey is not for fame or fortune. My only wish is to witness the plight of all living beings under heaven, and to observe the wonders of the world. To help the weak who have fallen by the roadside, and to punish the unjust and powerful in the world. With a clear conscience, I only seek to have a clear conscience before my eyes and the world above me.
When Lin Chengye was with Yu Jiang and Liu Zhenglin, he would occasionally have a moment of daze, thinking that she was no different from them, without the blood feud, only a hopeful future.
"Doesn't the legendary doctor Bian have a title called 'Kowtowing to the King of Hell'?"
Yu Jiang's eyes lit up as he looked longingly towards the end of the lake. The boy's eyes were brighter than the moonlight reflected in the lake, carrying a tiny spark of hope.
"I'm so envious. When will I be able to make a name for myself in the martial arts world..."
The matter was initially glossed over lightly, without any intention of getting to the bottom of it. The boy always managed to find another topic, and the one after that, and discuss it enthusiastically.
The promise was made without thinking, but no one dared to say whether it could be fulfilled, yet every word was spoken with utmost sincerity.
The boy rolled in the soil, experiencing angry and struggling growth, and finally broke through the soil to become a sapling. They were still confused about this world, not knowing whether to look down or look up, but simply looking straight ahead, yearning for the soft world of all living beings.
...
They drank quite a bit that night, and all three of them were so drunk they could barely walk. In the end, Bian Yi, who was a little worried, found them and carried them back, one by one, with one in each hand and another on her shoulder.
In a daze, Lin Chengye heard Yu Jiang talking incoherently to Bian Yi, seemingly mentioning the agreement between the three of them, and that Chengye said the four of them could travel the world together.
Bian Yi didn't say anything, she just smiled.
Bian Yi finally helped Lin Chengye back to their courtyard, tidied her up, and placed her on the bed. Whether it was real or not, she seemed to hear a soft sigh and a cold, helpless voice.
Feel sorry.
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