Chapter 141 Childhood Sweethearts, True and False Fairy
Ouyang Rong was in a good mood.
One of the four great joys in life is meeting an old friend in a foreign land.
Although he only knew the slender mute girl and the old Taoist priest in the crane-cloak for one night, and their interactions were superficial, consisting of handing over water and chatting.
However, this was the first person Ouyang Rong's main consciousness saw and recognized after arriving in this world.
Or rather...
He once thought that the mute girl, the old Taoist priest, and the unknown master were "fellow villagers" who had fallen into the well with him.
From the moment I climbed out of the Pure Land Palace until now, time has passed in the blink of an eye.
Ouyang Rong's eyes seemed to be looking at someone from another world.
In front of the stone table where the slender mute girl was, there was only one intact stone bench, while the other two were overturned on the lawn.
After entering the inner courtyard, the young magistrate did not have Xiu Du and the other stewards follow him, and wandered around here alone.
He rolled up his sleeves, bent down and straightened both stone benches, wiped the bits of weeds off the benches with his sleeves, and then sat down on one of the stone benches.
Ouyang Rong's face showed concern as he softly asked the seemingly shy and mute girl opposite him:
"The girl can simply nod or shake her head."
"How is the food and clothing in this courtyard?"
"Has anyone been bullying you?"
Are the managers within the hospital competent?
The slender, mute woman, whose face was obscured by her lowered head, let out an "ah" sound, neither nodding nor shaking her head.
I don't know if I was even listening to someone.
Ouyang Rong waited for a while, but there was no response.
An awkward silence fell over the table; no one responded to her enthusiasm.
He didn't seem embarrassed at all; he remained calm and composed.
Since it was a rare opportunity to meet, I had intended to exchange a few more pleasantries and inquire about the old Taoist priest in the crane-cloak.
But seeing the slender, mute girl's somewhat aloof and unapproachable demeanor, Ouyang Rong closed his mouth, which he was about to open.
He smiled and couldn't help but glance at the slender, mute girl a few more times.
Judging from her behavior inside the Pure Land Palace, she shouldn't be deaf.
Deafness and muteness are usually symbiotic.
Because he became deaf in childhood, he lost the ability to learn language; his vocal cords are not the problem.
The slender, mute woman in front of me, since she can understand speech, is naturally not one of those types.
He looks like he became mute later in life, possibly due to vocal cord damage or something.
Ouyang Rong sat beside him, basking in the sun for a while, then glanced at the sky, got up and took his leave.
Before leaving, he turned back and muttered a few words of advice:
"The girl seems pretty good, so I probably don't need to do anything to help her."
"However, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can go directly to Steward Xiudu or Monk Xiufa. I will tell them about you before I leave..."
The slender, mute girl buried her head and strained her ears, writing down every word he said, even the slightest hint of concern in his words.
She couldn't speak, but she had an excellent memory since she was a child.
At this moment, behind the slender mute girl, beside another stone table, A-Jie's figure had disappeared.
It turned out that during the brief moment when Ouyang Rong was talking to the mute girl, A-Jie, who was sweating profusely, silently got up and backed away from the stone table that was very close to the slender mute girl.
Although her vital energy was still locked in for a moment.
However, A-Jie felt that the best way to strike from close range was to stay away from the opponent's "absolute territory" (a strategic area where the opponent could easily engage in combat).
Moreover, the farther away the better, at least it can buy you a little bit of reaction time.
Especially the first sword strike.
Sometimes, when sword cultivators with similar spiritual cultivation levels engage in a sword duel, the biggest advantage or disadvantage lies in the first strike.
Asking for swords is like a business with an extremely low margin for error.
Besides the abundance of capital, how to allocate and utilize it rationally is also extremely important. The latter two will determine the winner in this very first encounter.
Ah Jie understood the ins and outs perfectly.
They are becoming increasingly meticulous and even penny-pinching about this.
Can……
Ahead, the slender mute woman remained oblivious to everything.
She sat upright on the stone bench without moving an inch, showing no intention of turning around to stop them.
Ah Jie's face grew increasingly pale.
At this moment, the stone bench where the slender mute woman was sitting was located under a small patch of shade.
I heard the sound of the person getting up and leaving, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.
The mute girl raised her head and uttered a seemingly meaningless syllable towards his retreating figure in the bright sunlight:
"ah."
Just like when Ouyang Rong climbed up the well in the Pure Land Palace, she looked up at him with a blank stare.
Perhaps it was from hearing the response from behind.
Without turning his head, Ouyang Rong raised one hand above his shoulder, the sleeve slipping down as he waved his slender wrist.
We left the inner courtyard.
The slender, mute woman silently watched Ouyang Rong's relaxed figure disappear.
She stared straight ahead, while in the distance behind her, the swordsman named A-Jie silently retreated, sword in hand, until he slowly came to a stop in a corner of the inner courtyard.
They've already created a ten-zhang (approximately 33 meters) gap; any further and they'll be crashing into the wall.
Ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) is roughly enough to escape the greatest danger.
However, A-Jie was not happy at all.
Because it was only now that he realized something.
The slender, mute woman, who wasn't carrying a sword, seemed to be locking onto his aura not as a means of attacking with her sword, but rather as... a warning and a way to stop him.
Furthermore, what made A-Jie's expression even more serious was that before the slender mute girl was exposed, A-Jie had no idea that he had been targeted.
It wasn't until he was about to take Ouyang Rong's life that this sharp aura finally appeared, albeit belatedly, yet dazzlingly clear.
Throughout the entire process, she showed no intention of launching a sneak attack or gaining the upper hand.
Or rather, as long as a young county magistrate was present, the slender mute girl's attention was not on A-Jie at all.
This is... such contempt and humiliation.
The inner courtyard was completely silent.
Of course, this silence is relative and belongs to a certain type of person.
In the courtyard, about a dozen elderly and disabled patients from the Beitianji Nursing Home were sunbathing and waiting for their meals, along with a group of childhood friends who were occasionally disturbing them.
The atmosphere was anything but quiet; it was unusually lively.
However, the atmosphere between the mute girl and A-Jie, who sat and stood at opposite ends of the inner courtyard, was deathly silent.
They didn't move an inch, like two statues.
A-Jie felt that the afternoon wind blowing in her face was very cold.
A slight chill emanated from my sweat-soaked temples, scalp, and neck.
After watching the young magistrate leave, the slender mute girl calmly turned around.
Finally, he caught a glimpse of the one-armed swordsman.
The two stared at each other silently for a while.
A-Jie gently shook her head at her.
He took the "Moon Maiden" down from his bosom and put it on his waist instead.
His remaining left hand rested on the hilt of the sword.
Then, she quietly turned around, took a detour to avoid the stone table where the mute girl was, and followed Ouyang Rong as he left.
However, the slender mute girl blocked A-Jie's way.
The atmosphere froze instantly.
The slender, mute woman lowered her eyes and glanced at the sword at the waist of the one-armed youth.
She turned her head slightly and waved to a pair of childhood sweethearts who were orphans passing by.
It was the two armless little boy and the snotty-nosed, deaf-mute girl who played riding bamboo poles and ran all over the yard.
The slender, mute woman took out several pieces of mung bean cake from her bosom, wrapped in a handkerchief, and slightly opened her mouth to say "ah".
If Ouyang Rong were still here, he would recognize the familiar shape of the mung bean cake at a glance, and even from a distance, he could taste the lingering sweetness in his mouth...
The deaf-mute little girl wiped her runny nose with the back of her hand and looked up at this unfamiliar yet endearing older sister.
As if they were both mute girls and shared a telepathic connection, the deaf-mute girl understood her meaning.
A moment later, the deaf-mute little girl with a runny nose and the little boy with a missing arm ran off happily, holding mung bean cakes in both hands.
The slender, mute girl remained where she was, but now she held a bamboo pole in her hand.
She vaguely remembered that the children in the countryside seemed to like calling it "bamboo horse".
Having just experienced the unexpected and dangerous situation, regardless of what she was thinking at the moment, A-Jie calmed down and her face returned to normal.
He glanced at the ordinary thin bamboo stick that the slender mute girl was casually holding in her left hand, where she had no missing fingers.
He's also left-handed.
A-Jie shook her head at her.
He silently placed his left hand on the hilt of the "Moon Maiden" sword at his waist.
Then the one-armed youth turned his head and looked in the direction Ouyang Rong had just left, as if he were gesturing something to the slender mute girl ten steps away.
He is a swordsman, and he must draw his sword on this journey.
The slender, mute woman's eyes remained calm and unmoving.
She lightly pinched one end of the bamboo pole with her left hand, as if holding it, while the other end of the pole gently dragged on the ground without making a sound.
To others, this scene appeared as if an innocent young girl were casually playing with a peach branch, relaxed and natural.
But the one-armed youth dared not take it lightly. He slowly closed his five fingers on the hilt of the sword and quietly exhaled.
In the bustling inner courtyard, a childhood sweetheart stands at the gate, glancing sideways at the swordsman.
At a certain moment.
Inside the courtyard, moonlight shines brightly during the day.
...
After leaving the inner courtyard, Ouyang Rong used the excuse of resting to send away the stewards, including Xiu Du, who had followed him.
He then went to the dry well where the Pure Land Palace was hidden.
I revisited the place and met Master Buzhi. I gave him some food and then went to confirm the "Return Home" stone inscription.
Ouyang Rong breathed a sigh of relief.
It's not entirely about feeling relieved, but rather a pure and firm resolve after reaffirming one's direction, free from distractions, leading to natural ease.
A short while later, he climbed out of the underground palace, left the dry well, found Xiudu, and asked for a monk's room by himself.
Ouyang Rong changed into the official robes he carried with him. After inspecting the Beitian Aid Home, he was now going down the mountain to pick up his superior.
He strode out of the room and asked Xiudu:
"Miss Xie hasn't arrived yet?"
The latter shook his head: "No one has come looking for the adults."
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly, then a look of worry appeared on his brow. On his way out, he couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Was my previous reaction... a bit too much... In this day and age, is it useless to play dumb when someone confesses their love to you? Will it hurt the self-esteem of a traditional, conservative woman?"
Now that he had calmed down and thought about it, Ouyang Rong felt a little guilty. He sighed, "Is Junior Sister still angry and sad...? Maybe when we get back, I should have an open and honest talk with her... My impulsive decision to run away earlier was definitely not a good thing..."
Without further ado, Ouyang Rong bid farewell to the enthusiastic Xiu Du and quickened his pace, leaving the Beitian Nursing Home.
Ouyang Rong walked out of the courtyard gate, checked his bearings, and prepared to leave.
He had only taken a few steps when he paused, suddenly turning back:
"I almost forgot about my junior sister's skirt blade."
Before entering the Beitian Nursing Home,
He left the skirt knife with Xiufa. Since his junior sister hadn't come looking for him, Xiufa must still be carrying the skirt knife, waiting for someone at the guest pavilion in the bamboo forest nearby.
Ouyang Rong nodded and took another ten steps or so forward.
He turned past a bamboo grove and headed towards the waiting pavilion directly in front of him.
However, before Ouyang Rong could get close, he saw a strange scene inside the pavilion.
Inside the waiting pavilion, a burly man and a skinny man were bending over and carrying something on the ground towards the depths of the bamboo forest behind the pavilion.
Inside the waiting pavilion, the young novice monk with flowing hair was nowhere to be seen.
"Uh, where did you go to slack off again? Did you see the female bodhisattva and, like your master, go to have your dream interpreted and your palm read?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent, but continued walking forward. He organized his thoughts and spoke politely:
"Excuse me, did you not see it...?"
Inside the waiting pavilion, before Ouyang Rong even approached, the burly man and the skinny man who were busy carrying things heard the noise and turned around warily.
When they saw Ouyang Rong walking towards them alive, they were all stunned.
As Ouyang Rong was speaking, he walked to the pavilion and suddenly caught a glimpse of what the two people were carrying, which looked like... people!
Ouyang Rong hesitated, then looked again.
That shiny little bald head, that yellow monk's robe... it's definitely beautiful hair, there's no arguing about it.
It's just unknown whether the young novice is dead or alive.
Outside the pavilion, Ouyang Rong's heart skipped a beat, and he slammed on the brakes.
"It's alright, everyone, please continue." He nodded without changing his expression, then turned and made his way to escape, about to engage in a life-or-death race against time.
A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years. Wait for me to send men to fetch my junior sister and Liu Lang!
However, what Ouyang Rong never expected was...
These two men, who didn't look like good guys, didn't immediately rush down to kill and silence the witnesses. Instead, they suddenly dropped the hair they were carrying, stood still, and bowed respectfully, saying:
"Fairy, why have you returned..."
"Ouch!"
The hair that had just been thrown to the ground suddenly cried out in pain, interrupting the conversation between the burly man Liu Qi and the skinny man Liu Liu, and also breaking the daze on Ouyang Rong's face as he paused his escape.
Ouyang Rong, Liu Liu, and Liu Qi all turned their gazes to the little bald man who was now motionless and "unconscious" on the floor of the pavilion.
"..." beautiful hair.
The atmosphere inside and outside the pavilion was slightly awkward.
However, the next second, Liu Qi stepped forward with a cold face, ending everyone's awkwardness.
With two cries of "Ah~" and "Ah!", Xiu Fa was struck twice more with a hand chop and completely passed out.
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched violently.
Inside the pavilion, Liu Qi and Liu Liu, having finished dealing with the minor matter, stood respectfully bowed and clasped their hands in greeting, asking:
"Immortal, what happened to that female advisor surnamed Xie? Did you send her away?"
The two servants of the Liu family couldn't help but glance again at the familiar Jade Cup Fairy dressed in the official robes of "Ouyang Lianghan." Liu Liu cautiously asked:
"Was the female immortal afraid that she would suspect something later, so she came to retrieve the knife first?"
"???"
Ouyang Rong felt as if his feet were rooted to the ground. He slowly turned his head and looked silently at the two unfamiliar, burly men in the pavilion who were showing him unusual respect.
"The knife is here, it's here."
Liu Qi scratched his head and smiled ingratiatingly, then pointed to the table next to him:
“Fairy, it’s in the tray. When we came here just now, this little bald monk was overestimating himself and wanted to protect it with his life.”
Liu Liu added:
“We plan to knock the little bald monk unconscious and hide him first. After we go into the courtyard and move Ouyang Lianghan’s body out, we’ll deal with it together. We’ll see if we should kill him too. But if he didn’t witness anything, I think we should try not to disturb Donglin Temple.”
"..."
Ouyang Rong, who had been addressed by his full name, silently observed them.
His right eyelid twitched suddenly.
Something's not right.
Actually, even a gentleman has a little bit of a "gold digger" element (just kidding).
(End of this chapter)
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