Chapter 807 Am I some kind of despicable person?
Rongzhen knew about the embroiderer's affair.
Back when Ouyang Rong secretly hid the embroiderer in a quiet courtyard.
Rongzhen probably didn't know that Xiu Niang was a virgin before, but now she should know.
During the Battle of Xunyang Grottoes, Ouyang Rong took a string of cash and went to Xue Zhongzhu to buy a Yue maiden.
Everyone understood, and Rongzhen understood the reason even more.
Considering the immense responsibility for the collapse of the Donglin Buddha, and the fact that Ouyang Rong left the city that very night without a word, seemingly intending to abandon her and the others... it's understandable that Rong Zhen would have such an extreme thought at first.
The sounds of small animals could be heard coming from the bushes not far away.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and glanced over there, then changed the subject:
"I'm going to hunt two rabbits. You go back and start a fire; we'll have to spend the night here."
Rongzhen suddenly shouted:
"Are you deaf? Answer me!"
Ouyang Rong looked up.
Rongzhen's cheeks puffed out:
"You're always like this. My words are like farts to you. You always try to change the subject."
This was the first time Ouyang Rong had ever heard this noble and courteous lady-in-waiting utter such vulgarities.
He was silent for a moment, then answered truthfully:
"I don't know how to answer. The more I say, the more mistakes I'll make, so it's better to say nothing."
Rongzhen stared at him, who had finally given a direct answer, and fell silent for a moment.
She gave a cold laugh:
"I thought you were going to spout some profound, sage-like wisdom, like how the silence of adults is the answer. Why did you stop there?"
Ouyang Rong was at a loss for words again.
Rongzhen asked again:
Are you going to see her?
Ouyang Rong glanced at the white sturgeon floating beside him.
He nodded, then shook his head:
"But not now."
Before parting ways with the Xunyang King's family, his junior sister, Daoist Lu, and others, Ouyang Rong made an appointment to meet them in Longcheng after the Xunyang City matter was settled.
They will wait for Ouyang Rong in Longcheng for a day, and then reconsider their plans based on the situation in Xunyang...
Rong Zhen's eyes suddenly stung, she turned her face away, reached out her hand, and spoke sternly:
"Give me the hairpin, and get out of here."
Ouyang Rong continued to shake his head:
"Hold on, hairpin. I still need to study some things..."
"Give it back to me!"
The Daoist patterns on that hairpin can only be removed by opening it with the Kui Xing Talisman, and Ouyang Rong is not yet sure if it is dangerous.
He paused for a moment, preparing to explain, but the girl in palace attire couldn't take it anymore. She pushed Ouyang Rong aside and ran out of the woods.
Ouyang Rong asked subconsciously:
Where are you going?
Rongzhen did not answer, and ran out of the forest.
Midway through, she accidentally stepped on the hem of her trailing skirt, stumbled forward, fell to the ground, and lost one of her embroidered shoes.
Although she was a Qi cultivator, she was seriously injured in the Battle of Xunyang and had no time to receive treatment. That night, she seized a fast horse and followed Ouyang Rong. After traveling for a long time, she was severely exhausted. This sprint aggravated her wounds...
The fall was quite hard.
Ouyang Rong immediately chased after them, and halfway there helped pick up the dusty embroidered shoes.
Rongzhen struggled to her feet, the ribbon tying her hair fell to the ground, and her long black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. She stood up again, lifted the hems of her skirt on both sides, and limped away, trying to escape.
In the next instant, Ouyang Rong grabbed her wrist.
He pulled hard, and the palace-dressed girl's black hair flew wildly as she was forcefully turned around.
She noticed that Ouyang Rong seemed concerned and said:
"Don't wander off. If we're close to Xunyang City, we can go back. But we're in the middle of nowhere right now, and you're injured. It's dangerous for you to wander off alone... You should come with me. We'll make plans when we get to Longcheng."
After hearing the last sentence, Rongzhen tried to shake off him, but couldn't.
Whether out of spite or not, she sneered:
"Ouyang Lianghan, what's it to you? You hypocrite, don't pretend to be pitiful. Let go, and you can forget about the sword manual. I'd rather die than give it to you!"
Ouyang Rong shook his head firmly:
Whether you give it to me or not is your business, and I've never asked you for it, but you can't just wander around like that, those are two separate things.
"I am very sorry about what happened to the Buddha statue. I will do my best to make it up to you and ensure that you are not punished by Luoyang..."
Rong Zhen suddenly turned her head and said angrily, "Let go of me! I don't want your pity. Give your hypocritical kindness to the cats and dogs on the street. I don't care about it."
Ouyang Rong ignored her and continued to grip her wrist, trying to stop her:
"That day you took me to the grotto. Although you kept it a secret, you always kept me safe, including when you deliberately sent me up as a hostage later... I know all of that, so I will keep you safe as well. It's my principle. Whether you appreciate it or not is irrelevant, but I will definitely do it."
Rong Zhen's eyes were red and glistening with tears. After listening, her body seemed to go limp. Ouyang Rong suddenly felt that the girl's wrist had lost its strength.
She held her head high, her eyes gradually losing their light, and asked, word by word:
"So, you're paying off your debts, right? Just paying off debts? Ouyang Lianghan, you've got it all figured out. Paying off debts, huh, paying off debts."
Ouyang Rong didn't know how to answer.
After a moment of silence, he pulled Rongzhen away. She struggled, but couldn't overpower him.
Finally, Ouyang Rong brought the exhausted Rong Zhen back to where the horses were parked.
Ouyang Rong picked a suitable spot for a fire and barbecue, then turned and gave instructions:
"Wait for me, don't move. The rabbit is about to run away. I'll go get some more branches."
Rongzhen didn't answer, but simply sat down listlessly.
About half an hour later.
Ouyang Rong returned carrying two wild rabbits and a bundle of branches.
They prepared to start a fire for a barbecue, only to find that Rongzhen was not there.
But she didn't leave.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ouyang Rong noticed that not far away, a girl in palace attire was sitting alone under a tree, already quiet.
I just distanced myself from him.
After calling out several times to no avail, Ouyang Rong had no choice but to start a fire on the spot and roast the rabbit.
In the distance, Rongzhen buried herself in starting a fire, using the firewood she had gathered to create a bonfire in front of her.
However, it was clearly her first time doing something like this, and she was a bit clumsy; she didn't even dig a fire pit.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, temporarily refraining from forcing the clumsy palace-dressed girl to continue. He quietly roasted two rabbits.
After a stick of incense had burned, he brought a roasted rabbit to Rongzhen's campfire, stuck the rabbit meat stick in front of her, and roasted it at an angle over the flames.
Rong Zhen remained silent, staring intently at the fire in front of her, ignoring him.
Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, then took out a bag of water, placed it beside her, and said in a low voice:
"Here's the rabbit meat and water. Drink some; you're still injured..."
Rongzhen suddenly looked up:
"You said you'd pay back the debt, huh? You still have the nerve to talk about paying back the debt!"
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong heard a hint of desolation in her voice, a self-deprecating tone:
“Ouyang Liang… no, you beast, let’s settle the score. Let’s not talk about the distant past, just the night before last. Do you know how many people saw me come out of the city to find you? I am a princess officially appointed by the Great Zhou Dynasty, a lady-in-waiting of the Imperial Observatory, not some lowly prostitute who lacks self-respect and seeks out wild men. Tell me, how did they all see me when I chased after them out of the city? Hmm? Have you ever thought about it? You never have. You only think about yourself every time, and you always play dumb at crucial moments, never facing me directly… Ouyang Lianghan, I will never forgive you, never! Don’t even think about paying back my debts, don’t even think about it!”
The woman's voice, filled with shame and indignation, came from behind. Ouyang Rong lowered his head, quickened his pace, and walked back to his campfire.
The girl in palace attire tilted her head, and in the deep night, she seemed to be staring straight at his back, like a creditor looking at a particular enemy.
The look in a woman's eyes is beyond words.
Ouyang Rong returned to the fire, sat cross-legged, and stared blankly at the flickering flames in front of him.
There was some silence.
Unlike his usual silence, he couldn't calm down this time.
The rabbit meat gradually cooked in the flames, but the young man in the scholar's robe hesitated to touch it.
Just then, a little ink spirit, smelling the aroma of meat, poked its head out from its sleeve.
"Huh, rabbit meat? Little Rongzi, you're so barbaric! Rabbits are so cute, why would you eat them? Give them to me, this fairy will help you process them!"
A young woman in a scholar's robe and a headdress jumped out from her sleeve.
She grabbed a rabbit leg with both hands, tore it off, and squatted down next to the crispy rabbit leg, gnawing on it with relish.
Like a little mouse that comes out to steal food in the middle of the night.
Ouyang Rong didn't move, letting her eat.
After a long silence, just as Miao Si was about to finish eating, Ouyang Rong spoke softly:
"Miaosi, Tao Yuanming is gone. Why didn't you try to persuade him to stay? You've known him for so long, surely you have some feelings for him? Why don't you seem to feel any reluctance at all?"
The little ink spirit, having eaten until she was about 80% full, sat on the ground, playfully patting her little belly. Although she mainly ate ink, she could still enjoy the delicacies of the human world.
Upon hearing this, Miaosi lazily turned over and said:
"I may be reluctant to part with it, but this fairy doesn't want to live a poor life. I love the extravagant life of high-class families. It would be great to be as plump and wealthy as Xie Yatou. There's so much ink that I can't even finish it all. Just thinking about it makes me happy."
"When I am rich, I am lustful; when I am poor, I am fickle; when I am powerful, I am submissive; when I am tempted, I will give in; when I am tired, I will sleep; when I am hit, I will confess; when I am lazy, I will steal; when I am suffering, I will not endure hardship... This fairy maiden is here to enjoy life! Otherwise, if I were to become a demon and come to the human world, I would be poor and just passing through, what a pity."
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
An insulator of all good virtues.
You're not ashamed, but proud of it, huh?
Just then, the little black spirit, having finished gnawing on the rabbit meat, suddenly gestured with its mouth towards another campfire;
"Hey, why aren't you going to comfort her? Although I'm half on Xie's side and half on Xiu Niang's side, I can't stand seeing you bully me."
At this point, she threw off her bare leg bone and shouted angrily, "Xiao Rongzi, you're the biggest womanizer, without a doubt!"
The sound was a bit loud, and even Rong Zhen seemed to have noticed it. Ouyang Rong quickly covered the little black spirit's mouth and said righteously:
"I didn't bully anyone."
"Mmm..." Little Mo Jing bit his finger, and after he let go, she said with a straight face, "Then you should keep your distance."
Ouyang Rong said with a troubled expression, "I have already paid my respects..."
Miao Si suddenly waved his hand to interrupt:
"Alright, alright, stop explaining to me. Put your hand on your heart and ask yourself, why are you explaining so much to me?"
Ouyang Rong frowned as he listened.
The little ink spirit jumped back into its sleeve and went to take a nap.
She doesn't suffer any of the hardships of the world, but she also... can't bear to see young women suffer from the pain of love.
All living beings possess a sense of compassion.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and noticed that Rong Zhen's clothes were rather thin and cold.
The campfire she chose wasn't as good as his; it was in an open, windy spot.
The evening wind howled, and her purple dress was somewhat tattered and dirty. She sat by the fire, hugging her knees, her two small hands silently reaching out to warm themselves.
Ouyang Rong noticed that the rabbit meat he had just given her had been thrown away.
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, then picked up the remaining rabbit meat and walked away.
The girl who had been quietly warming herself by the fire suddenly spoke up:
"roll!"
The tone was stern.
Ouyang Rong seemed not to hear her, stuck the rabbit meat skewer stick in the ground in front of her, and turned to leave.
After walking a few steps, Ouyang Rong noticed out of the corner of her eye that this time she didn't throw away the rabbit meat. Perhaps she was really hungry, or perhaps... she had calmed down.
Seeing that it seemed to be a tacit agreement, Ouyang Rong breathed a slight sigh of relief, stopped in his tracks, took off his scholar's robe, and returned to Rong Zhen's side.
He bent down and draped the thick scholar's robe, hand-sewn by Aqing, over Rongzhen's shoulders.
The palace-dressed girl, who had previously been "rebellious" by hitting and scolding him and showing no sign of forgiving him, suddenly leaned forward and opened her arms.
She was petite, and her movement was like a swallow nestling in his arms, as she rushed into his embrace.
Caught off guard, Ouyang Rong was tightly embraced by Rong Zhen.
She held him tightly with both arms, giving him an immediate feeling of being restrained.
After a moment, it took my brain to process what this was.
Even with a thousand ideas in mind, Ouyang Rong never expected this to happen, and was momentarily stunned.
Immediately, he felt Rong Zhen tugging at his belt.
He had already taken off his scholar's robe, leaving only a thin, moon-white undergarment underneath. Now, with his belt undone, his abdominal muscles and chest were easily revealed.
Rong Zhen's purple palace dress looked large and cumbersome, but it was a classic double-breasted style. She also had a petite, loli-like figure. Perhaps it was a skill unique to delicate women, but Rong Zhen simply lifted her slender waist and shrank her narrow shoulders, and emerged from the noble purple palace dress like a white snake shedding its skin.
In the darkness, her snow-white back shone brightly, and her black hair was as smooth as satin.
Ouyang Rong felt that Rong Zhen's small body in his arms, after she took off her skirt, was soft and hot, like a small furnace that was about to roast him in an instant.
She was only wearing a faded, thin purple undergarment.
For some reason, Ouyang Rong's gaze was immediately drawn to this familiar object, which also delayed him for a while.
The girl in the purple bodice, who had just crawled out of her cage, nestled into Ouyang Rong's arms like a tender white lamb, close to his bare chest exposed beneath his inner garments.
In the blink of an eye, the two were almost face to face, completely exposed.
Just as his inner garment was about to be completely removed, Ouyang Rong suddenly woke up and instinctively pushed his arms forward.
Rong Zhen leaned back and was about to fall when Ouyang Rong quickly grabbed her arms and steadied the girl in the purple bodice.
Although she didn't fall, Rong Zhen's eyes were red, and she stared blankly at the scholar-robed youth who refused to hug her.
Ouyang Rong sensed something was amiss and subconsciously explained:
"I……"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw the girl, who had her arms crossed, giggle, shake off his hands, and take a few steps back.
Her smile seemed both joyful and sorrowful.
Two lines of tears streamed down Rong Zhenqing's face as she gave a bitter laugh and tilted her head.
"Ouyang Lianghan, am I some kind of lowly person?"
Even the night wind in the pitch-black world seemed to quiet down.
(End of this chapter)
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