Chapter 676 I'm just collecting clothes, you guys continue! [Seeking monthly votes!]
"Oh, where is the young master?"
As soon as Fang Shengnan returned to the quiet courtyard, she went to the kitchen to get a hot towel and bent down to wipe her face and wet hair.
He looked around the courtyard and asked curiously.
Fang raised his sleeves and walked out of the house:
"That Mrs. Pei took her shopping again."
"shop?"
Fang Shengnan looked curiously at the sky covered with dark clouds.
"It looks like it's going to rain, why bother going shopping today?"
Fang raised his sleeves and pondered:
"They'll probably be back before it rains, let's wait a bit longer."
Fang Shengnan couldn't help but mutter to herself:
"I don't know what this Madam Pei is thinking. It's one thing to help her lover support his mistress, but to do it so enthusiastically, eating her food and using her things... If it were me, I wouldn't be able to stand it."
Fang raised his sleeve and said softly:
"You'll get jealous if it's a young lady, but not if it's a mature lady. You'll understand later."
"How does my sister know so much?"
Fang raised his sleeves and shook his head without answering.
Fang Shengnan's expression grew increasingly curious. As if she'd just thought of something, her eyes lit up, but she immediately switched back to a serious expression, leaned closer to her sister, and whispered:
"Sister, do you think it's because Brother Ouyang is truly too skilled in that area, so vigorous and energetic, that he genuinely captivated this Mrs. Pei, making her so obedient? But isn't it said that women are like wolves in their thirties, tigers in their forties, and can suck that stuff while sitting still at fifty...?"
"This Madam Pei is probably close to it. Brother Ouyang, with your young and frail appearance, is he really that vigorous? Actually, sister, I noticed this a long time ago. Do you know when? I'm sure I didn't see wrong. Last time, he was secretly with the young master... mmm mmm."
Fang raised his sleeve to cover his sister's incessantly muttering mouth, flicked his finger, and gave her a light tap on the forehead.
"What nonsense are you spouting? If you keep gossiping about the young master behind his back, I'll tear your mouth apart."
Fang Shengnan remained defiant: "That's true, it's just that you, my dear sister, are a heavy sleeper..."
"Alright, let's get down to business."
Fang raised his sleeve and waved his hand, somewhat helplessly rubbing his forehead, saying:
"Has the item been delivered?"
"Yes, it was delivered to that senior, but this Master One Finger really doesn't like to talk."
Fang Juxiu's eyes narrowed slightly:
“What do you know? That’s probably the Zen practice of keeping silent. You can’t speak until you’ve attained enlightenment.”
Fang Shengnan's expression grew increasingly curious as she pressed for an answer:
"Master Yizhi is so powerful, why does he need to remain silent and seek enlightenment? What enlightenment is there to seek? I see Master Yizhi preaching Zen and resolving doubts for those lost and confused guests every day. Shouldn't he have attained enlightenment by doing so?"
"It's hard to help others but difficult to help oneself; this has been true throughout history..." Fang shook his head, "Alright, stop guessing. These are things that great people can't fathom."
"All right."
Fang Shengnan stroked her chin and muttered to herself:
"Sister, who do you think is more powerful, Master Yizhi or our father? And if we compare him to Her Majesty the Second Lady, what percentage would he be..."
Fang Juxiu's eyelids twitched higher and higher as he listened, and he interrupted:
"Alright, stop overthinking, it's broad daylight. Shengnan, there's something strange about the two ladies' replies today, did you notice it?"
"What's strange? I didn't understand a lot of what you said, what's with this 'Dream Abyss'... Could it be that you understand, sister? Tell me quickly."
"I don't understand either, but that's not what I meant."
Fang raised his sleeves and gazed at the distant dark clouds, his brows furrowing.
"In her letter, the Second Lady instructed you to try your best to break through your cultivation level before the Donglin Buddha lands. What does this mean? Before the Buddha lands..."
"But shouldn't the Queen and the others be the ones to try their best to prevent the Buddha from landing, just like they did at Xingzi Lake last time? So why not say that they should break through their cultivation level before Jianze's obstruction?"
"Hmm, that seems to make sense. What does the Second Lady mean by this..."
Fang suddenly raised his sleeve straight up in front of his mouth:
Shh, don't speak!
"What..." Fang Shengnan paused, lowered her voice, and squeezed out two words: "...What happened?"
Fang Juxiu had already squatted down, her palms outstretched as if touching the ground, yet it seemed as if she wasn't touching it at all. She closed her eyes, as if she were sensing something.
Fang Shengnan was puzzled,
"Boom!"
The sound of rolling thunder echoed from the sky.
The two women couldn't help but look up.
Large patches of dark clouds and a bluish-gray sky began to drizzle.
At first it was just one or two drops, but then it became more and more.
That's how spring rain is; it just keeps getting heavier and heavier, and you can't stop it.
Fang Shengnan, who was in the courtyard, immediately turned around and hid under the eaves, only to find that her sister was still in the same spot.
"Sis, what are you doing?"
Fang Juxiu frowned more and more. He glanced at the thunder and rain overhead, hesitated for a moment, and then got up and came to the eaves.
She frowned and spoke:
"The ground was shaking just now, like a large group of people moving, not far from here... but we can't hear it anymore now."
"Are they those constables patrolling the streets?"
Fang raised his sleeves and shook his head without saying a word.
Fang Shengnan pondered for a moment, her eyes shining: "Sister, you know this trick too? You can detect movements on the ground?"
"My father taught me that."
"Father is indeed a master, but why didn't he teach me? Oh, he's keeping it for himself! That's so unfair! I'll tell Mother when we get back that he's hiding money from me..."
Fang Juxiu couldn't help but glance at Fang Shengnan, who was waving her fist. She didn't tell her sister that when her father taught her this move, he repeatedly told her to run away immediately upon hearing such noises.
Because this is probably the sound that people in the martial arts world least want to hear... the movement of cavalry formations.
Just as Fang Juxiu frowned and pondered rapidly.
"Knock knock knock".
Someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
Fang Juxiu turned his head in shock.
Unaware of her sister's worry, Fang Shengnan asked casually, "Who is it? The door isn't locked."
Fang tried to cover her mouth with his sleeve, but it was too late.
"Knock knock knock".
The person knocking was still knocking, but did not push the door open to enter.
Fang raised his sleeves and frowned deeply.
Fang Shengnan and her sister exchanged a glance, then stepped forward and braved the rain to reach the courtyard gate.
She opened the courtyard gate from the inside.
Two unexpected figures appeared in the rain at the doorway.
A middle-aged man with a square face, dressed in the clothes of a wealthy man.
"father?"
"father!"
After Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan clearly saw the face of the person who came in the rain, they both exclaimed in surprise.
Fang Yiwu, the head of the Fang family in Xunyang, stood alone outside the courtyard gate, his hands empty and his face stern.
His temples were wet, and his forehead was covered with water droplets. It was hard to tell whether he was soaked by the thunderstorm because he hadn't brought an umbrella, or it was his own sweat.
Fang Shengnan immediately took two steps back, feeling a little guilty, and said:
"Father, what brings you here?"
Fang Yiwu ignored him and strode into the room with his head down.
At her sister's prompting, who had quickly calmed down, Fang Shengnan turned around and closed the courtyard gate.
A father and two daughters entered the main hall.
Fang Yiwu first looked around and took a deep breath.
Before he could speak, Fang raised his sleeve, picked up a bowl of hot tea, and handed it to him with lowered eyes:
"Father knows everything. It was Master Yizhi who told you?"
Fang Yiwu waved his hand, and the tea cup landed with a "crash" and shattered into pieces.
"Who gave you permission to steal my things and run away? And you even dared to go find Master One-Finger! You two girls didn't even tell me when you got back? Are you two courting death?!"
Fang raised his sleeves, lowered his eyes, and remained silent.
Fang Shengnan fell silent, clutching the sword tightly to her chest.
Fang Yiwu was furious when he saw his second daughter's sword. He snatched it from her arms and was so angry that he tried to break it in half with his bare hands.
Fang Juxiu then spoke up: "Father, this is the young master's courtyard, it would be better if we didn't smash it up..."
Fang Yiwu held it in, his square face turning a deep purplish-red:
"You all, you've caused a terrible disaster! Where is that young master? Where is he?"
Fang Shengnan muttered to herself:
"Father, don't be afraid. The Second Lady has made arrangements. The letter says that our Fang family can evacuate as soon as possible. Before Jianze and the righteous heroes of Tiannan make their move, we can temporarily leave Xunyang. Anyway, our house is in the suburbs, so we don't need to go through the city gates. We can leave at any time. We'll just say that the whole family is going to Yangzhou for a trip..."
Fang Yiwu was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage:
"I'll swim your head!"
After saying that, he raised the sword he was holding high, and in his anger, he smashed the sword, scabbard and all, toward Fang Shengnan's head.
The latter was so frightened that he stood frozen in place.
Fang, who is usually carefree and full of a sense of justice in front of outsiders, seems to have met her nemesis when she meets Fang Yiwu. She is completely different from the fierce woman she is in front of Ouyang Rong.
"Father, please calm down."
Fang Yiwu realized his hand was frozen in mid-air. He turned around and saw that Fang Juxiu had grabbed the scabbard to shield his sister.
Fang raised his sleeves and pleaded, then lowered his voice and said:
“Father, we have caused a great disaster and may have implicated you, but it is too late to say anything more. There is no way out. Moreover, my sister and I have been with the young master for so long that we are more than accomplices. We can only continue to protect the young master, stand on Jianze’s side, and continue down this path.”
"Moreover...moreover, we have already received the Second Lady's assurance that once this matter is over, my sister and I can directly enter Jianze and become one-in-a-million Yue Maidens. Jianze has also agreed that they will protect our Fang family during the upcoming turmoil. Father, this is Jianze's promise, and you know its weight."
As Fang Juxiu finished speaking, under her father's wide-eyed gaze, she calmly said:
“Sometimes, a great disaster can also be a great blessing. In peaceful times, the Yue women are rarely seen, so where would they get such an opportunity to join Yunmeng Sword Marsh? Isn’t this what you and my sister dreamed of when you told us stories of the martial arts world when we were little…”
"You, you two beasts..."
Before Fang Yiwu could finish speaking, Fang Shengnan, who had been bowing her head and admitting her guilt, suddenly pushed her sister's hand away.
She grasped Fang Yiwu's hand, pressed the cold scabbard against her forehead, and gently pushed it down with her palm.
"Sister, get out of the way! Dad, hit me! Hit me all you want! Kill me!"
Fang Shengnan tilted her head back, her eyes brimming with tears:
"Just pretend I was adopted, not born from you. Hurry up and hit me! Kill me! But don't move, sis. I dragged her here. It's not her fault, it's all my fault for instigating it."
“You’ve always said how powerful Yunmeng Sword Marsh is, how wonderful Yue Nu is, and how many miraculous medicines are in Yunmeng Marsh. Don’t think I don’t know about my mother’s illness. I was at the door that day and heard the doctor say that the medicine that can save her might only be found deep in Yunmeng Marsh.”
Fang Shengnan became more and more agitated as she spoke, her neck stiffening:
“I don’t care if Father is a master or not, or if he has retired from the martial world and washed his hands of it, but you clearly know this, yet you haven’t done anything about it. My sister and I are unfilial, we are the wicked creatures you gave birth to, but we are definitely not cowards! We’ve grown up and can make our own decisions. If you won’t go to get the medicine to save him, my sister and I will. We won’t blame you, but please don’t yell at us!”
Fang Yiwu's mouth gaped open, his old face turned bright red, and he raised his long sword high, but never brought it down.
Fang Shengnan looked up, closed her eyes and wept, her head pressed against the sword sheath, refusing to admit defeat or beg for mercy.
Fang Juxiu lowered his head slightly, his expression somewhat sorrowful; every family has its own troubles.
Just as the three people in the lobby were locked in a stalemate.
Squeak—!
Someone pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in.
"Who?" The three of them turned around instantly, their faces showing surprise.
Fang Juxiu instinctively called out, "Young Master Ouyang?"
"Good afternoon." Ouyang Rong put away his umbrella, placed the zither case in his arms on the counter by the door, and strolled leisurely into the lobby.
With red eyes, Fang Shengnan turned around, her back to Ouyang Rong and the door, and secretly wiped away her tears.
Fang Yiwu, who was standing to the side, had put down his sword at some point and put his hands behind his back. He looked around, first at his composed daughters, then at Ouyang Rong who was walking leisurely, and suddenly felt a little thirsty.
Ouyang Rong politely asked, "I hope I haven't disturbed the three of you?"
The Fang sisters noticed that his expression was very calm.
Fang raised his sleeve and shook his head: "No...no."
Fang Shengnan prepared to introduce them: "Yes, Young Master Ouyang, and this is..."
Ouyang Rong walked straight past them to the clothes rack in the backyard, seemingly not paying attention, and spoke politely:
“It’s nothing serious, you can continue. I was busy with a small matter nearby. I heard from Thirteen Sister that the embroiderer didn’t collect the clothes before she left. Thinking of that, I came back to collect some clothes. I won’t bother you. Just pretend I’m not here. Hmm, where were you just now? Let’s continue.”
The Fang sisters were speechless. Could this kind of thing continue? Once the emotions in an argument are interrupted, it can't be continued.
Behind the two women, Fang Yiwu lowered his head deeply, refusing to look at Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong calmly put away the clothes, folding them neatly before the rain intensified, and placed them in the embroiderer's room. Only after leaving the room did he let out a sigh of relief.
It was as if they had completed an important task.
A moment later, without even glancing at the three of them, he went to the courtyard gate, picked up the violin case again, shook the water droplets off the umbrella, and acted as if the Fang father and daughter didn't exist.
The three people in the hall couldn't help but turn their heads. At this moment, Ouyang Rong, who had been packing his things, paused for a moment. Without turning around, he suddenly uttered a somewhat cold sentence:
"Remember, don't make a mess of the embroiderer's courtyard, thank you."
It's unclear who he was saying this to, but he left the courtyard.
Fang Shengnan, who had initially thought that Brother Ouyang was a good man for coming back to collect the clothes, suddenly became furious: "Why do you treat us like three-year-olds?"
Fang Juxiu also frowned as he looked at the back of this young master Ouyang who was hanging high.
The two women didn't see it, but the usually imposing old father suddenly shivered.
Fang Yiwu hurriedly bent down and used his bare hands to pick up the sharp porcelain shards from the broken teacup on the ground, cutting his hands and causing them to bleed.
The Fang sisters glanced at them sideways.
...
——————
(PS: My good brothers, please vote for me with monthly tickets~ or 2)
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
