Chapter 773 Breaking the Delusion
"Embroiderer, where have you been! We've been looking for you for so long, the mistress is so worried."
As soon as Zhao Qingxiu returned to the residence in Huaiye Lane, Ye Weilai came to greet her, tightly grasping her hand, her eyes slightly red.
The silver-haired girl's gaze passed over Zhao Qingxiu's shoulder and looked at Wang Caozhi, who had returned with Zhao Qingxiu.
Her eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes sharpened, as if she were questioning someone.
Wang Caozhi avoided eye contact, pretending he knew nothing, and walked to the side, instructing his servants to pack their luggage.
Calling someone "sister" isn't a trick that works on all the women around her brother-in-law, and Wang Cao was well aware of this.
This tactic works best on the lady Rongzhen, but it won't work on this thoughtful and deep-thinking Miss Ye.
Zhao Qingxiu gently tugged at Zhao Qingxiu's sleeve:
I ran away on my own; he was sent by Danlang to take me home. He has nothing to do with this.
Ye Weilai then looked away, grabbed Zhao Qingxiu's two small hands, her face showing a hesitant expression.
Zhao Qingxiu wrote softly:
I went to find my beloved to settle a matter that weighed on my mind. I'm doing well now, so please don't worry.
Ye Weilai sighed.
In fact, she had already guessed what the embroiderer had gone to do.
The embroiderer is usually very quiet. Who else in the world could make her risk her life for him besides Tanlang?
“Madam was really worried about you, so she went out to look for Madam Pei. Madam Pei has a lot of people on her side and is familiar with Xunyang City... They haven’t returned yet, and they should still be in the city anxiously looking for you.”
Zhao Qingxiu's face showed a hint of guilt.
Ye Weilai shook her head:
"It's alright, it's good that you're back. I'll go and tell the maid to call Madam Pei back."
Zhao Qingxiu nodded, preparing to write down Tanlang's instructions to "evacuate," but as she raised her hand, her fingertips touched a small sword at Ye Weilai's waist, and she paused.
Ye Weilai also noticed this and comforted her:
"It's nothing, just in case. Yan Canjun just came by. He said there's been a change at Xunyang Ferry and there might be danger at Xiushuifang. He told us to take this opportunity to pack our bags and leave quickly, to carry out Tanlang's previous contingency plan, to find Madam Pei, and to leave the city as planned."
“Military Advisor Yan left some men to protect the house, and then left in a hurry, saying it was his duty to mobilize the remaining manpower of the government office to try to maintain order in the city. I heard that Xunyang Ferry was occupied by a group of water bandits of unknown origin, and the water repair workshop was on fire. Now the people in the city are in a panic, so when Madam found out that you ran out without permission, she was very anxious.”
Zhao Qingxiu wrote an apologetic letter:
I'm sorry, I've made things worse.
Ye Weilai immediately shook her head:
"Don't say sorry. It's good that you're back. Come on, let's pack our luggage and go to Yinbingzhai first."
Zhao Qingxiu nodded emphatically.
The two women headed towards Yinbingzhai together, but as they approached, Zhao Qingxiu suddenly stopped.
"What happened to the embroiderer?"
Ye Weilai asked curiously.
He looked back at the blind and mute girl who was standing still.
The girl tilted her head slightly, her eyes, covered by a ribbon, seemed to be looking at a certain part of the wall of Yinbingzhai.
"Longling—"
The midday wind blew, causing the icy white jade hairpin on her head, which stood motionless, to make a crisp sound.
"jingle……"
At the same time, whether it was her imagination or not, Ye Weilai vaguely heard a faint bell sound coming from somewhere.
Ye Weilai turned her head with some confusion, looking in the direction Zhao Qingxiu was facing:
"What is the embroiderer thinking..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Qingxiu had already grabbed her palm and written words on it:
I'm a little hungry, Wei Lai, could you make something to eat? I'll go inside and tidy up my things.
"Okay, you go and rest, I'll come find you later."
Ye Weilai nodded, escorted Zhao Qingxiu to the door, and then turned and left.
Zhao Qingxiu stood outside the courtyard gate without moving, waiting for Ye Weilai to walk away and for no other maids to pass by before facing the gate, straightening her clothes, and pushing the door open to enter.
In the courtyard, everything remained the same.
Only at the swing, there was an extra person dressed in white.
The woman in white sat barefoot on a swing, with small bells tied to her ankles with red ropes, sometimes silent and sometimes jingling.
Zhao Qingxiu walked to the swing.
Yu Nianyuan touched the ground with his toes and stopped instantly.
The white robe transforms from stillness to movement.
Zhao Qingxiu turned her head away, seemingly frowning, and faced the study.
"Don't worry, it's just me."
Yu Nianyuan was somewhat helpless:
“I just arrived and you haven’t given me a reply yet, so I’m a little worried about you. Don’t overthink it. I didn’t go inside. I’m a clean freak, and I have no interest in going into your love nest with Tong Fu.”
Zhao Qingxiu turned around, and Yu Nianyuan tacitly reached out, flattened his palm, and handed it to her to write.
Where are the Fang sisters?
Yu Nianyuan said calmly:
"They didn't come. I sent them to do some things in Xingzifang."
She sighed again and said:
"Let's talk about serious matters, let's not talk about these things."
Unexpectedly, Zhao Qingxiu, who was on the other side of the face, nodded in agreement and wrote:
Yes, we need to talk about serious matters.
Yu Nianyuan frowned slightly, unable to resist taking another look at the small face of his seventh junior sister in front of him.
Whether it was just her imagination or not, the second lady of Yunmeng vaguely noticed that her seventh junior sister's demeanor and words seemed to have changed somewhat when they met again this time.
I don't know how to describe it.
He seemed quite calm and composed, without any attempt to evade the issue.
Without much thought, Yu Nianyuan asked directly:
"Xiao Qi, I asked you to ask Ouyang Lianghan to be honest with him. Did you deliver the message? Or are you still hiding something...?"
Zhao Qingxiu suddenly lowered her head to write, interrupting Yu Nianyuan's words.
Yu Nianyuan felt something was amiss and looked down at his palm.
A sentence written on her palm made her, who was usually calm and composed, twitch her eyelids again and again:
Yes, I delivered it. Tanlang also asked me to pass on a message to you senior sisters, asking you to make your own selection as well.
"..."
...
"Father, Mother, Sister, Master Lu, what are you doing here? Where is this? Um, why are you all staring at me?"
Li Dalang opened his eyes, touched his body, and found himself sitting on the stone bench unharmed, except for a sore chin, as if a few hairs had been forcibly plucked.
He saw a scene of ruins all around him, the familiar yet unfamiliar inner courtyard, now reduced to scorched earth.
Li Dalang looked surprised, but what surprised him even more was the staring gaze of the people around him.
Suddenly, I felt a lot of pressure.
"Master Lu, why are you crying?"
After looking around, Li Dalang noticed something was wrong and asked somewhat guiltily.
Normally, this young Taoist priest with a stoic expression is always "cold and emotionless," so it's unprecedented for him to cry.
Lu Ya remained silent, his eyes filled with a sense of loss.
Li Dalang lowered his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly asked in a low voice:
"Has the Old Celestial Master just left? Father, Mother, what's the situation now?"
Everyone remained silent.
They seemed to still be immersed in a certain atmosphere.
Xie Lingjiang spoke first:
"After you used the divination technique to summon the Celestial Master, you lost consciousness? According to Senior Brother, you should have been fully conscious and even able to regain control of your body."
Li Dalang scratched his head and recalled:
"At first it was a bit... When I was hiding under my skirt and was captured by the Wei family's assassins, I recited an incantation. I felt a familiar yet unfamiliar old man appear beside me. He seemed to tell me not to follow him while I was too awake, and that I should take a nap to reduce the energy drain. My head was heavy, and I vaguely agreed and fell asleep. I had a very long dream, but it wasn't very clear. I forgot about it after I woke up..."
Wei Mei immediately caught the key words: "Under the skirt? Wei clan assassins?"
"Yeah, that was close."
Li Dalang nodded subconsciously, then his expression changed and he turned and ran away.
Because the shrewish woman in front of them had already picked up a piece of wood and was about to hit someone with a dark expression.
"You unfilial son, get over here!"
Previously, Wei Mei was most worried about her son, but now she has transformed into a ruthless killer, chasing after Li Dalang and beating him mercilessly, but the latter dares not fight back at all.
Li Xian's face was grim, his hands trembling, he was furious. If Wei Mei hadn't made the first move, he probably would have already kicked her.
Everyone watched this scene in silence.
Xie Lingjiang hesitated, not wanting to persuade them to reconcile, but rather wanting to remind Aunt Wei to stop pretending to hit him and to give Uncle Li a good beating so he could vent his anger. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to hold back and would have to fight back, which would waste even more time.
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Lingjiang suddenly turned around, looking somewhat surprised and delighted:
"Senior Brother!"
Then Ouyang Rong appeared amidst the ruins.
Dressed in a blue robe, holding a zither case, his face was calm and he was unharmed.
Everyone immediately turned their attention to her and rushed forward.
Wei Mei and Li Dalang also stopped immediately and rushed to greet Ouyang Rong.
Everyone put down what they were doing and focused all their attention on the young man in the scholar's robe.
Xie Lingjiang took the sword box from Ouyang Rong's arms, looked him up and down at his frail body, and asked in a slightly trembling voice:
"Is Senior Brother alright? That zither music that made people reveal themselves just now..."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand, not speaking immediately.
He glanced at Li Dalang, then at the surrounding ruins and the corpses on the ground, exchanged a look with Li Guo'er, and asked directly:
“Tell me what happened while I was away.”
Li Xian, Wei Mei, and the others immediately recounted in a concise manner what happened after Ouyang Rong left, including the unexpected incident of Lu Ya insisting on staying and the rescue by Master Yuan.
Li Dalang recounted in detail what had happened at Xunyang Ferry.
No one dared to hide anything.
Ouyang Rong listened silently without saying a word immediately.
He seemed to be pondering something.
Lu Ya had already come to his senses. Facing Ouyang Rong, he felt somewhat ashamed and couldn't lift his head. He whispered with remorse:
“Young Master Ouyang, I was wrong. From now on, I will never question your strategies…”
Ouyang Rong waved his hand, his expression remaining calm, and asked about other details... He glossed over Lu Ya's matter as if nothing had happened.
The expressionless young man was somewhat moved and couldn't help but take another look at the composed Ouyang Rong.
Li Dalang pointed to the circle of corpses on the ground and said:
“My lord, those bandits from Hukou County were all Wei's assassins in disguise. I was hiding in Anhui's carriage and heard everything. They were acting on the orders of the Prince of Wei's mansion, using the name of the bandits from the southern rivers and lakes to try to slaughter us. They are truly despicable and vile.”
Ouyang Rong glanced at him and nodded slightly: "I understand. It's good that you're alright."
Upon hearing this, Li Dalang, who had been feeling guilty, couldn't help but observe Ouyang Rong's calm face.
In fact, it wasn't just him who noticed; the others on the field also vaguely sensed that Tanlang seemed to have changed something since returning from Xunyang Grottoes.
It gives people a feeling that's hard to describe.
It's like... a heart as still as water.
After observing the scholar-robed youth returning with his sword for a while, Li Guo'er suddenly recalled a phrase often mentioned in a Buddhist scripture:
Break through illusions.
“My love.”
Li Dalang broke the silence, asking somewhat involuntarily:
"You're not angry with me at all?"
Lu Ya was also moved and couldn't help but look over.
In full view of everyone, Ouyang Rong asked in return:
"What's it to blame you for?"
Li Dalang replied with melancholy:
"It's my fault for not being able to resist and going to find her on my own, risking my life and almost ruining things."
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
“You did a great job. You confided in Wei Anhui and received a satisfactory answer. You also summoned the Old Master in the time of crisis and solved the problem of the water bandits besieging the Prince’s Mansion. Why should I blame you?”
Li Dalang carefully searched for subtle expressions on his friend's face, but found nothing, which made him increasingly disappointed.
“But I ran away on my own, disobeying your orders. I didn’t stay in the ice cellar and drink ice, and I made my father and mother anxious and worried. Later, at Xunyang Ferry, I almost lost my life because I had to use my magic. It would have been much safer and more secure to stay in the ice cellar.”
Ouyang Rong reached out, grasped Xie Lingjiang's slightly cold hand, rubbed it, breathed on it, and calmly said:
"Perhaps, but after what happened with the embroiderer, I'm no longer in a position to criticize you."
"To be honest, if I were you, I would do the same thing, and I might not do it much better than you."
"Young Master, you have exceeded the expectations of the Prince and Princess. You are already somewhat different."
Li Dalang was somewhat stunned, seemingly not expecting Ouyang Rong to speak so casually.
However, after waiting for a while, I still received a "but".
"But next time, you can improve. For example, before you act willfully, you can discuss it with the Prince, the Princess and the Little Princess. If you insist on going to see her, that's fine, but it's okay to tell your family first."
"If you don't even have the confidence to persuade the few people closest to you in the world, how can you expect to go out and accomplish anything else? Your family will be even less at ease and will think you are still a child, stubborn and willful."
"Family is not a wall that keeps you at home; family is a door that can open wide and send you on your journey."
Li Dalang's face turned bright red, unable to express his emotions, and finally his expression turned into a mixture of crying and laughing, as he lowered his head and kept wiping away his tears with his sleeve.
The atmosphere was somewhat quiet.
Li Xian turned his head, his previously stern face softening slightly, and his father's back appeared slightly hunched.
Li Guo'er stood silently, glancing sideways at Ouyang Rong, who was speaking calmly, her pink lips pressed into a thin line.
Wei Mei glanced at her husband and daughter's expressions, then quietly hid the charcoal stick behind her back.
"Good! My love!"
The bearded young man wiped his face, smiled broadly, and nodded emphatically.
Ouyang Rong patted him on the shoulder.
Then he turned to Xie Lingjiang and said:
"No need to look for the embroiderer anymore. She went to Shuangfengjian to find me. I have brought her back to the city. She went back to Huaiye Lane and packed her luggage with her aunt. She will go to Shisan Niang's house later. We will go there too. After we meet up, we will leave the city together."
Xie Lingjiang breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
Li Guo'er turned to Lu Ya and said a few words. Lu Ya, along with Cai Shou, Shun Bo, and the others, temporarily withdrew. The young woman in plum blossom makeup turned around and asked directly:
"Leave the city together? Where to? Without the emperor's order, it's not safe for us to leave. Why not use these pirate corpses to impeach them? That way, even if we leave, we can do so with a clear conscience, saying we're seeking refuge."
Ouyang Rong glanced at her and spoke directly:
"Rongzhen and the others already know that I am the sword wielder and possess a mythical cauldron sword."
The air fell silent.
Ouyang Rong looked around the room and recounted the events that had occurred at Xunyang Grottoes that morning.
(End of this chapter)
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