Chapter 41 Farewell Day, I'll do whatever you say.
The rain pattered softly, and the sound of water hitting the roof tiles never ceased all night long, from last night until dawn the next day. Water droplets trickled down the gutters, forming lines that dripped into the small puddles under the eaves.
Standing in front of the temple gate, Yu Nie gazed at the damp mountain scenery in the rain. Perhaps influenced by the farewell he had experienced today, a sense of melancholy suddenly arose in his heart.
Ah Hui came out of the house carrying a rabbit cage. He picked up the cage and said to her, "Just now, Xue Nu escaped from the cage again and crawled under your bed. She wouldn't come out no matter what. I had to lie on the ground and coax her with a carrot for a long time before I finally caught her. It seems I'll have to repair the cage again to prevent her from 'escaping' again."
"
Looking at the fluffy little creature in the bamboo cage, her mood improved a bit. She squatted down and gently poked its pink nose: "Your leg injury hasn't fully healed yet, but you're running faster than anyone else. Just wait, when you come back from the city later, I'll definitely get you a new iron cage."
"Is an iron cage alright?" Aunt Liu came out carrying two bags of pastries tied tightly with money rope. Hearing this, she shook her head: "If we really replaced it with an iron cage, this little thing wouldn't be able to get out at night. It would gnaw on the cage and make a creaking noise, making it impossible for you to sleep."
The rabbit's leg hasn't fully healed yet, so its kennel is temporarily placed near her door so she can keep an eye on it.
As Aunt Liu spoke, she deftly tied up the oil paper package, urging, "It's getting late, let's not linger here any longer, let's hurry up and go. Langxi is still waiting in the carriage. Let's get to the south of the city quickly. In this rainy weather, if we delay our journey, we might cause that junior officer to set off earlier."
As she spoke, she grabbed Yu Nie's sleeve with one hand and pushed A Hui's back with the other, rushing down the stone steps like a whirlwind.
Ah Hui boarded the carriage with Aunt Liu. Neither Lang Xi nor Aunt Liu could handle the new horse. Among the group, he was the only one who got along well with the new horse, so the task of driving the carriage naturally fell to him.
He sat cross-legged at the front of the cart, with a rabbit cage beside him. There was limited space in the cart, so he let the rabbit see the misty, rainy scenery along the way.
Yu Nie stepped into the stirrup and nimbly mounted the horse.
She held up an oil-paper umbrella made of cotton paper and rode her chestnut pony on the right side of the carriage.
She didn't like being cooped up in the carriage, finding it stuffy and unsettling, and she preferred walking in the rain, so she said she wanted to ride alone.
Unlike Cui Miaochang, who was very strict, Langxi and the others were free to do as she pleased.
Fortunately, thanks to the two horses that Zijing had given them yesterday, they had spare horses to pull the carriage. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had the chance to enjoy this moment of comfort.
Compared to places like Liangzhou, Huaiyuan is one of the few areas in Northwest China where mountains and rivers coexist, with lush vegetation and shady trees.
A light drizzle fell like smoke, shrouding the mountains in a misty haze. Yu Nie let the damp wind caress her cheeks, and in a daze, the scent of moss overlapped with memories of her homeland.
Her early hometown was originally in the south, west of present-day Lingnan, and was called Qianzhong in ancient times.
The area has few mountains but many rivers and waterways. It now belongs to the territory of Nan Yin and has always been a strategic location fought over by military strategists, with heavily fortified passes.
Now, she is from Beiye, and without the royal decree of the Southern Yin Dynasty, she, as an outsider, cannot even pass through the border checkpoints, let alone go to see them.
She remembered clearly that at the end of the alley in front of her house, there was a camphor tree that was two thousand years old, and its trunk required seven or eight adults to barely encircle it.
The tree's canopy provides ample shade, so even during the hottest days of summer, one can find shade under its branches without letting in a single ray of sunlight. The town's elders often say that the tree is two thousand years old.
She always felt that two thousand years was a lie.
If that tree truly lived for two thousand years, by now it would already be a magnificent canopy.
But she had no chance to verify whether the tree was truly old or not.
Her most important task right now is to quickly go to Longdao to buy saltpeter and make gunpowder so that she can save her own life and the safety of her relatives and friends when chaos comes.
Aunt Liu lifted the curtain of the carriage, and suddenly remembered something, and called to Yu Nie, "Didn't you say yesterday that He Renzhi would be beheaded today? After we've seen off the junior officer and the others, do you want to go to the market too?"
Langxi also sat by the window, glanced at Yu Nie and said, "How about... Qiqi waits for us somewhere further away? She's afraid of this."
Everyone has fears. Yu Nie is afraid of watching murders. Besides being timid, she had seen someone commit a knife attack outside her school before.
The man was only about two meters away from her when he had a mental breakdown and killed a passerby.
Perhaps because she was so close, it caused her considerable psychological trauma, and she had nightmares for over a month afterward. From then on, she couldn't bear to see scenes of blood flowing freely.
Lang Xi and the others only knew that she was timid, but they didn't know the deeper reason. However, even if it was because of her timidity, they wouldn't insist on taking her to see it.
Aunt Liu replied, "Qiqi doesn't need to go see it. She can find a restaurant to sit in. After we finish watching the execution, we don't need to rush to cook. We can all go to the restaurant to eat."
The death of a good person is heartbreaking, but the death of a wicked person, even if hushed, brings a smile to one's face—it's incredibly satisfying. Aunt Liu's tone of voice made everyone feel much happier.
Yu Nie never put on a brave face. She replied with a smile, "Okay, what dishes would you like to eat? I'll go to the restaurant and order them while I wait for you to come back."
She originally planned to have a meal at Saibeilou, but she was worried that people would find out that she had actually accepted a gold coin from the Rong family.
Previously, she only said that she had received a thank-you gift of ten taels of silver, and she also wanted to give all the money she had saved before her allowance was reduced to Langxi as a hardship fee from the Rong family.
Langxi knew that she hadn't earned this money easily, so he didn't accept the silver, but told her to save it carefully.
Everyone in the temple had put in a lot of effort to make the peacock blue, and she still tried her best to distribute the money as a temporary reward. When she returned from Longdao, she planned to distribute the remaining money again, making sure everyone got their share equally, including her martial uncle Cui Miaochang.
Not wanting to give herself away, she swallowed the words "go to Saibei Tower" that were on the tip of her tongue. She simply changed the subject casually.
"We're going to eat our fill today, and order as many dishes as possible. We were just talking about how we'd have a big celebration when He Renzhi gets beheaded a few days ago."
"Qiqi is right," Aunt Liu said. "Let's splurge on lunch today and eat our fill."
After finishing her sentence, Aunt Liu made sure to list the dishes she wanted to eat.
Langxi also mentioned two dishes, saying he wanted to eat "Five-Flavor Almond Milk and Jade Branch".
Having noted down what they wanted to eat, Yu Nie spurred his horse forward a few steps and asked Ah Hui, who was driving the carriage and listening to their conversation, "Junior Brother, is there anything you'd like to eat?"
Ah Hui shook his head and gestured to her, indicating that he could eat anything.
Yu Nie insisted that he had to order some dishes before he would stop.
The group walked along, chatting idly.
The south gate of Huaiyuan City soon came into view.
The rain poured down, and the heavy black iron armor worn by the three hundred Xuan Ce Army cavalrymen seemed to reflect a chill after being washed by the rain. All the tall horses were also covered in iron armor, looking majestic and imposing.
These cavalrymen, arranged in rows of five, escorted twenty three-horse carriages, standing orderly on the official road.
Judging by its weight, it was so heavy that it seemed it could crack the blue bricks beneath its feet.
It's obvious without even guessing that the carriage must contain the ill-gotten gains that the He family and the prefect's office have plundered from the people over the years.
Yu Nie rode forward on horseback and informed the officers and soldiers standing at the front of the formation of his identity and purpose. After hearing this, the latter turned their horses around and went back to report.
She craned her neck and peered towards the south gate, where she found a crowd of people gathered.
Because she was a little far away, she couldn't hear what the people were saying.
Before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea was up, the soldier returned through the rain and said, "Young Taoist priest, my master is waiting for you all at the gate. Please follow me."
After expressing their gratitude, Yu Nie and his group followed behind the soldiers.
She hadn't walked far when she spotted Zijing, who was wearing a black hammer-shaped armor and had his hair flying high.
Just like when we first met, he carried a quiver full of arrows on his back, and a sword hung at his left waist.
She saw him speaking to the people who had come to see him off, urging them to go back because of the heavy rain.
Presumably because he had rid Huaiyuan City of a great scourge, the people stood by the roadside with umbrellas, refusing to leave even as the rain soaked their clothes. Only after he patiently persuaded them repeatedly did the crowd reluctantly disperse.
Hearing the sound of hooves, he turned around and tugged at the reins: "Young Taoist priest, you came in the rain, you are truly punctual."
He spurred his horse forward and rode up to her.
Both of them were sitting on their horses, their eyes meeting, and she suddenly didn't know what to say.
Aunt Liu and the others from the carriage lifted the curtain and came down, smiling at him and saying, "Little Captain, thank goodness, we didn't miss the time."
Seeing this, the two of them dismounted.
Aunt Liu carried the magnolia flower pastries she had made that morning and walked briskly to Zijing and Yunie, handing them the pastries: "These are pastries I made early this morning, in case you get hungry on the way, you can take them with you."
Zijing said, "How can I trouble Aunt Liu like this?"
Aunt Liu stuffed the magnolia-shaped pastry into his hand: "What's there to be embarrassed about? To put it simply, the captain once lived in the Taoist temple, so we're practically family. And to put it more broadly, you've done such a great service for Huaiyuan, so sending you a pastry is only right and proper."
Faced with Aunt Liu's overwhelming hospitality, Zijing no longer declined, accepted the pastries, and handed them to his attendant Lu behind him.
Langxi stepped forward and said, "The journey to Jian'an is long and arduous, so Commandant Huan and Attendant Lu must be extra careful on the road."
"Thank you for your concern, Daoist Shen." Zi Jing replied politely, "I have already had the gift you gave me yesterday packed into my luggage. When we arrive in Jian'an, I will definitely send a jar of it to Xu Zuolang. I imagine this jar of wine, which came unexpectedly from a thousand miles away and was personally selected by an old friend, will be much better to him than the wine in Jian'an city."
Upon hearing this, Lang Xi was taken aback, wondering how he knew that he knew Xu Jingyang.
She subconsciously looked at Yu Nie, who chuckled sheepishly: "A while ago, I was chatting with the young master and casually mentioned your relationship with Brother Jingyang."
This wasn't something worth keeping secret, and Langxi didn't pay it any mind.
She turned to Zijing and said gently, "In that case, I thank the captain on behalf of Jingyang. I should have bought a few more jars."
"It's not about the quantity of the gift, but the sentiment behind it."
After Zijing finished speaking, Ahui also made a few gestures.
Knowing he was gesturing too slowly and not wanting to waste time, he shortened the expression of his meaning.
Zijing thanked him sincerely, without being perfunctory.
After the three people in the temple finished speaking, they waited for Yu Nie.
Aunt Liu glanced at her and tried to signal her to talk more to the person in front of her.
Yu Nie maintained a smile on the surface, but his heart was full of doubts.
Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Liu, is your eye twitching?"
Aunt Liu almost choked on her breath. Fortunately, experience counts, and she wisely pulled Langxi and Ahui in front of Attendant Lu, saying that they also had something to say and asked the two of them to go aside and talk.
Even though she was slow to react, Yu Nie understood what she meant and was at a loss for what to do.
Left with no other choice, the two of them moved to the edge of the tunnel.
Under the rain, Zijing, who understood the meaning behind Aunt Liu's actions, watched her calmly, as if waiting for her to speak.
Yu Nie scratched his temples, unsure of where to begin.
"With the new emperor on the throne, the court is in turmoil." She remembered reading a sentence like that in the book. It was precisely because of the power struggles among various factions in the court that Huan Xun was transferred back to the capital from his position as commander-in-chief.
Knowing that the court was uneasy, and thinking that Huan Xun was also going back, she hesitated for a long time, but still couldn't help but say something bad about his superior in front of him.
She looked at him solemnly and said in a serious tone, "Young master, you must be careful this time in Jian'an. Your superior is actually a great villain. Be careful that he doesn't harm you."
After all, that was a colleague he had spent every day with, and Yu Nie knew that saying these words might make him seem like he had hysteria.
But she didn't want to see him become a potential sacrifice in the court struggles, so she said defiantly, "I don't know how Huan Xun is in front of you. As far as I know, he kills people like cutting melons, his heart is like a snake and a scorpion, and he has no respect for the law. You are of pure and kind nature, so you must not dare to offend him."
She finished speaking her sincere and concerned words.
Upon hearing this, Zi Jing raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "What you're saying, young lady, is something you've heard from the streets?"
Yu Nie shook his head and said seriously, "Anyway, don't worry about it. I'm telling the truth. Huan Xun is really bad. He's like a bloodstained knife, extremely cold-blooded. You have to believe me."
She said worriedly, "Young master, you are so naive. You must stay away from dangerous people like Huan Xun and not let him take advantage of you."
This wasn't the first time Zijing had heard these words.
He knew in his heart that she had long harbored deep resentment and hatred towards him.
But she was so ashamed of herself, speaking of it with gritted teeth, that he truly didn't know where her hatred and malice came from.
However, none of this matters.
He didn't care whether it was hatred or evil.
That's not what he wanted from her.
Seeing that he was staring at her, she assumed that he doubted her claims and that they were slander.
She was about to explain when she saw him smile gently, like a clear breeze and a bright moon, and he replied softly, "Okay, whatever you say."
His voice was gentle: "What you say, young lady, I will always remember."
Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, Yu Nie asked, "Doesn't my lord suspect me?"
Zi Jing replied earnestly, "I have no doubt."
Why?
Before he could speak, Attendant Lu strode over, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "My lord, it's getting late; it's time to set off."
The unfinished words came to an abrupt end. A faint smile appeared on Zi Jing's lips, but she ultimately did not continue.
After dismissing Lu's attendants.
He turned around, his gaze falling on her face. He stared at her for a moment, then suddenly called out softly, "Qiqi..."
Yu Nie was slightly taken aback, seemingly not quite catching up with the sudden affectionate address, and after a long while, she softly uttered "Hmm?"
Rainwater meandered down the damp city wall.
The rain poured down, splashing countless silver beads on the ground with a crackling sound.
His smile deepened, and his voice, mingled with the sound of rain, rang out: "Take care."
A gust of wind swept through, carrying raindrops that clung to her face.
Before she could ponder those two words and the deeper meaning in his expression, he did not.
He turned around and, together with Lu Jinshi, mounted their horses in the stirrups and rode towards the city gate.
In the rain, he sat upright on horseback, his armor instantly soaked through, making him look dark and solemn.
Amidst the rumbling thunder, he said to Yu Nie and the others, "Years will pass, and we may never meet again. This farewell, though a thousand miles of farewell, must come to an end."
He cupped his hands and said, "Gentlemen, the green hills remain unchanged, and the clear waters flow forever. We will meet again."
"Have a safe journey, junior officer."
"Sir, please be careful on the road."
Before Yu Nie could finish speaking, he glanced at her, then turned his horse around, whipped it, and rode away.
Before long, she watched as that tall figure disappeared into the torrential rain.
Only after the person who had just been in front of her had walked away did she whisper and slowly utter those words:
"Zijing, take care too."
"Zijing, take care too."
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