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"Hey, Xiao Jing? Back in the fields again?"
"Um... Uncle," Ji Jingsi greeted him somewhat awkwardly. He couldn't understand why he had agreed to sign that contract with Song Ling to come back and farm...
Qin Jiu stood to the side, his face expressionless. He couldn't understand why he had to come back to help this young master farm...
Ji Jingsi returned to the farm in a state of existential crisis, while Yu Baizhou stared at the person entering with a tense and confrontational expression.
"Young Master Shi, why have you come all this way here instead of seeing a doctor at the clinic in Guangping County?"
Yu Baizhou stood halfway in front of Song Ling, like a big wolfhound protecting its master.
"General Yu is too kind," Shi Yu said gently. "I have been with Seventeen for many years. I have come here only because I am worried about her health, and I have taken the liberty of visiting you."
He understood Yu Baizhou's mindset, but Shi Yu knew that Song Ling was a calm and mature girl who couldn't stand seeing people around her being foolish and reckless.
If it weren't for some divine mandate, Song Ling probably wouldn't have been able to assist such a somewhat uncouth military general.
What a shameless person! Yu Baizhou gritted his teeth. They've been together for so many years, how utterly shameless!
“She’s been in good health lately—” But before she could finish, she was interrupted by a sentence.
"You must be tired from your journey, General. Why don't you... go and rest first?"
Yu Baizhou turned back to look at her in disbelief, "You're kicking me out?!"
Song Ling did not give him a direct answer. "I have something to discuss with him. Would it be alright for the time being, General?"
He stared intently at her face for a long moment, then strode away with a dark expression.
Shi Yu, who was originally in the distance, bowed slightly to signal, but Yu Baizhou clearly saw the smile in his eyes when the two turned to the side.
Laughing with schadenfreude.
What Young Master Chu said is quite right. At this moment, Yu Yuan is not as harmless as he seems... He is truly a villain.
When Song Ling saw him leave the courtyard dejectedly, a strange feeling flashed through her mind for a moment.
Coming to her senses, she saw Shi Yu staring intently at her and gestured for her to sit.
"May I take your pulse?" Shi Yu asked, her face full of worry and pleading. "Seventeen, you can't always avoid me."
"I've been avoiding you?" Song Ling suddenly chuckled for some reason. "So it wasn't you who'd been avoiding Zhao Yan all this time?"
"Shi Yu... I had no idea you had learned divination and fortune-telling." Song Ling's tone was somewhat gloomy, but her tone suddenly changed, becoming ruthless as she said, "You even resort to evil arts like trying to alter someone's fate!"
This was accompanied by a loud "bang" as a teacup shattered on the floor.
Song Ling stood up, her eyes red and filled with disappointment. "You know perfectly well that we at Huai Lai treat every disciple like family. You know perfectly well that Sui Yan loves you, so why did you deliberately send her to Wuya Peak to gather herbs?"
"That's forbidden territory! There's no turning back!"
She was so angry that her lips trembled. "I don't believe you don't know, Shi Yu... You're not a child. Even Qi Man and Shi Jiu know that those places are off-limits."
"I know!" Shi Yu frowned and looked up. "So Sui Yan must have known too. I just sent her away. Who would have thought she would actually go without thinking?!"
When Huai Lai was in trouble, Shi Yu saved almost half of his disciples, so Chu Zhao Yan could not kill him.
The fate chart can be changed... If Suiyan's fate chart had not been maliciously altered, Song Ling would not have only now figured out her whereabouts, nor would she have been kept in the dark for three whole years.
Aside from the Pavilion Master, quite a few of Huai Lai's disciples had gone down the mountain to travel, and Sui Yan was a lively and unrestrained person. Song Ling had wondered why she hadn't informed her of this trip down the mountain, but because of her trust in Shi Yu, she didn't suspect anything.
It was her dereliction of duty.
"Seventeen, I believe I've never done anything wrong. Suiyan's affections have always been a burden to me." Shi Yu gazed intently at her, her tone filled with deep affection and humility. "You clearly know now how I feel about you..."
"Shi Yu!"
Song Ling looked at him calmly, "You should still remember."
“My master left when I was five years old, and I was all alone. My disciples took good care of me until I was able to take over Huailai.”
"What exactly is Huailai to you? I don't know."
"But I always firmly believed that we were a family, and I tried my best to do better. But later, I found out... I was wrong."
"Just as I was powerless to stop Suiyan's death, I can neither blame you nor catch Zhaoyan."
"But ultimately, her death is inextricably linked to you."
She took a deep breath. "From now on, you won't have to go back to Huailai."
"Why?!" Shi Yu clenched her fists and stepped forward. "Just because Sui Yan died? Just because I learned the evil magic you mentioned? You've completely rejected me? Are you going to expel me from Huailai?"
"Seventeen, when did you become so arbitrary!" His gentle expression vanished, replaced by resentment in his eyes. "What about the countless lives I've saved?! Are they worth less than one life?"
His once jade-like face was now contorted with rage. "Why are you banishing me from Huailai!"
Song Ling turned around and looked at him calmly, "Because I am the Pavilion Master, and because you broke the rules."
"Shi Yu, you should leave Southern Xinjiang as soon as possible. You shouldn't have stayed here in the first place."
But what he got in return was a slamming door. This man, usually so gentle and polite, had lost all his composure. He didn't respond; given his temperament, he certainly wouldn't have agreed.
The room was somewhat messy and felt empty.
Song Ling had never felt more lost and confused than she did now. Such feelings should never have been present in the Pavilion Master of Huailai.
But no one knew that she had actually foreseen Suiyan's death long ago.
That day, she punished Suiyan by confining her to her room for violating the rules of the sect.
But fate is fate. No one can interfere.
Even without Shi Yu, there would have been someone else. They were all being pushed forward, even if there was an abyss ahead.
Just like how she knew perfectly well that her disciples would die one after another, yet she still foolishly wanted to be their savior...
It's utterly ridiculous.
Song Ling reached to pick up the broken pieces from the ground, but suddenly her wrist was grabbed. "Aren't you afraid of getting hurt?"
His tone was worried.
Song Ling shook her head. "General, you are overthinking it." Without turning around, she knew where the voice came from, and besides Yu Baizhou, she couldn't find anyone else so rude.
She struggled to pull her wrist away. "Why didn't you go to rest?"
Yu Baizhou cracked his knuckles, a touch of melancholy in his heart. "Not tired."
How could he possibly leave the two of them alone? He simply went around in circles and hid in the courtyard again.
They were quite far away, so all I knew was that the two had a rather unpleasant conversation. Even when Shi Yu left, his face was grim.
"Is the young lady angry?" Yu Baizhou asked tentatively. "Would you like to go out for a walk to clear your head?"
Song Ling didn't respond to his question, but suddenly asked, "If something is almost impossible to achieve, but it is of utmost importance to you, would you still do it, General?"
Seeing her furrowed brows, Yu Baizhou suddenly asked her, "If I no longer wish to rebel, would you be willing, young lady?"
"No way!" Song Ling suddenly raised her head, her tone displeased. "This kind of thing can't be treated so lightly..."
"Isn't that right? Does the girl think it's so easy for me to grab that position?" Yu Baizhou lowered his head slightly. "I often doubt myself, whether I'm really capable or not."
"I would also toss and turn at night, unable to sleep, thinking about what to do tomorrow... I would also worry about how I would face the 100,000 soldiers and their families if I were to lose..."
"How am I supposed to face my brothers who have given me such strong support..."
How am I supposed to face you...?
The air suddenly fell silent. Yu Baizhou then said, half-jokingly, "Miss, don't feel guilty. I just feel really bad because you support me so much and have done so much for our soldiers and the people of our Southern Region..."
The gloom in Song Ling's heart dissipated somewhat. "What is the general thinking? What should we do if we really lose?"
“What a defeat… The young lady is intelligent and knowledgeable in the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams. She should leave with her men as soon as possible and find a more suitable person to assist her.” He seemed to be thinking of something and felt a pang of heartache. “But if you ask me, sometimes strategists are always thankless and hard-working. They might just run into an unreasonable lord.”
Song Ling's lips curled slightly. "Didn't the general just say that Ling is skilled in divination? Can't we first divine the person's temperament before deciding what to do?"
“That’s true…” Yu Baizhou’s mood suddenly dropped. “You still need to take good care of yourself and take enough gold and silver with you when you leave, otherwise your health will suffer.”
Seeing that he had originally intended to comfort her but had now gotten himself into trouble, Song Ling raised her hand and waved it in front of his somewhat absent-minded eyes, "What are you thinking about?"
"You..."
“No,” he smiled sheepishly, “I was thinking of leaving you some gold and silver.”
"Why does the general lack confidence in himself? Does he only think he will lose?" Song Ling frowned slightly. "I've never seen the general so easily give up before, especially since we haven't even started fighting yet."
"With you here, how could I possibly lose?" Yu Baizhou glanced at her furtively. "The book you gave me says that I must prepare a foolproof plan and always have a way out, right?"
He was already pondering in his heart that since war was about to break out soon, raising the flag was probably not far off either. At that time, he would definitely be surrounded by dangers, so he had to make sure he had a foolproof plan, at least to prepare the gold, silver and medicine she needed in advance.
Song Ling saw through his thoughts, and the words she wanted to say to stop him were stuck in her throat and she couldn't say anything.
Song Ling's tone softened slightly, "General, do you have anything else to do tomorrow?"
"Training troops." Yu Baizhou paused for a moment. "Nothing else..."
"Then General, please come and spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with Zhi Ning tomorrow night."
Mid-Autumn Festival?
Song Ling smiled slightly, "Yes, tomorrow is the fifteenth. Will the general come?"
“Okay…” Yu Baizhou met her smiling eyes and was momentarily stunned. “Come on.”
I want to spend the holiday with Zhi Ning, and I also want to spend the holiday with her...
***
Night
Qi Man took the medicine bottle that Shi Jiu had brought to Song Ling. "Shi Jiu repeatedly told me that you must remember to take this medicine sparingly, otherwise it will harm your health. You must also not use violence, otherwise it will backfire."
Song Ling took it, opened it, smelled it, and said with a smile, "The medicinal properties are indeed quite strong. If I didn't know medicine, I would have really thought that kid was trying to harm me."
"He wouldn't dare!" Qi Man waved his fist. "Even without my parents lifting a finger, I'll be the first to not let him off the hook."
"What's wrong, young lady..." Qi Man asked with some concern, seeing her lowered eyes in thought. "Are you feeling unwell again?"
"No..." At this moment, Song Ling's mind was a jumbled mess, and she suddenly wanted to find someone to answer her questions. "Qi Man, what do you think is the meaning of love and affection?"
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