Chapter 827 Where did Junior Sister go?
The sound of the zither echoed through the woods for an unknown period of time.
Over and over again.
Everyone in the camp who was still awake heard it.
This further emphasized the tranquility of the camp.
The Lady Historian was unusually lenient tonight, allowing Ouyang Rong to play the zither as many times as he wished.
Until the sound of a zither drifted through the woods.
The cloth straps came undone and the fabric slipped off.
A moment later, a girl's voice, tinged with a mixture of gritted teeth and suppressed embarrassment, echoed from the woods:
"Why did you steal another one? Didn't I give you one last time?"
The man did not answer, but instead tucked the object into his pocket as a keepsake and kept it safe.
Rong Zhen bit his shoulder hard, then seemed to bury her face in his chest again, her voice muffled, as if she were saying resentfully:
"Without it separating us, aren't you afraid I'll get pregnant?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Don't worry, he didn't go in."
Rong Zhen asked in a puzzled tone, "Go in?"
She suddenly stopped speaking.
Immediately, Ouyang Rong felt her face burning hot against his chest.
Rongzhen reached out and pinched him angrily.
"hiss."
Ouyang Rong gasped.
"Pfft..."
Unsure what tickled her funny bone by his tilting his head back to inhale, Rong Zhen couldn't help but chuckle and reached out to pinch his nose. But when Ouyang Rong looked at her smiling face with some interest, the girl's expression turned cold again, and she snorted and turned her head away.
After the two playfully wrestled for a while, Rong Zhen's black hair was loose. She had just noticed that Ouyang Rong liked to run his fingers around her hair, so she took out the jade hairpin with mandarin ducks for him to use.
At this moment, nestled in his arms like a kitten, Rongzhen brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead behind her ear, leaving a lock between her fingers. She then used the tip of the hair to tickle his chest. When he reached out to stop her in frustration, she dodged away, lowered her head, and quietly played with the hair for a while. Then she asked softly:
"Lianghan, haven't you grasped the sword technique yet?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
Rong Zhen frowned:
"I will play it again."
"No."
Ouyang Rong shook his head. "I had memorized this melody long ago, but my dantian didn't react. I had secretly learned a fragment of the melody that the old musician taught you before, and I suddenly understood half of its true meaning and advanced to the early stage of the seventh rank. I thought that now that I have obtained the complete sword technique of the Lotus Boat Melody, I can master it in one fell swoop... But now it seems that my current comprehension is not enough to immediately understand it."
Upon hearing this, Rongzhen couldn't help but feel happy for him:
"A seventh-rank swordsman is already very powerful. A swordsman who does not wield the traditional sword of the fake Ding is one in a hundred years. During the reign of the two emperors, so many young talents flocked to Luoyang from all over the world, and only Mr. Yu emerged."
"Liang Han is already very remarkable, not to mention that he has already reached the initial stage of the seventh rank, far surpassing Mr. Yu at the same age."
"The sword wielder is born with the ability to kill people of higher ranks. According to the secret archives of the Imperial Observatory, without any other assistance, the sword wielder holding the Ding Sword is invincible among people of the same rank and can kill people of a higher rank and then threaten people of the next rank."
"A swordsman at the peak of the seventh rank can kill anyone below the upper rank! He can even pose a subtle threat to an upper-rank Qi cultivator."
"With Liang Han's current cultivation level, most sixth-grade Qi Refiners would have to avoid you, and even high-grade Qi Refiners would have to be a little careful of your all-out sword strike... If you can comprehend the complete sword technique of the [Emperor Wen] and advance to the seventh grade perfection, then you will be even safer. You can kill anyone below the high grade, no matter what kind of sect prodigy or Qi Refining genius you are, you can destroy them all with one sword strike."
At this point, Rongzhen added with some worry, "It was so close, did I drag you down...?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head and suddenly said, "Get dressed first. It's getting late. Would you like to come with me?"
Where to?
Ouyang Rong retorted, "Did you just make another pot of soup?"
Rongzhen lowered her head: "Hmm, how did you know I had a smell?"
Ouyang Rong smiled:
“Yes, I smelled it. There’s a firewood smell in your hair. Next time you squat down to tend the fire, be careful. You’re not even as tall as the stove when you’re squatting down, cough cough…” He coughed and changed the subject, suddenly saying, “Fish soup, you can serve three bowls. Come with me to find my junior sister, okay? She’s not asleep yet. It’s chilly at night, let’s have something hot together.”
Rong Zhen immediately fell silent.
Ouyang Rong looked down and saw that the Lady Historian had her face buried in his chest, motionless, like a quiet kitten.
Ouyang Rong waited a moment, then raised his hand to gently stroke her back and whispered in her ear:
"OK?"
Rong Zhen suddenly said, "Don't move."
Ouyang Rong stopped moving.
Rongzhen leaned forward and hugged him tightly with both hands.
Ouyang Rong felt the strength in her arms, as if she wanted to meld her petite body into his chest.
She didn't speak for a long time.
Ouyang Rong was about to speak.
Rongzhen suddenly broke free from his embrace, lifted her slipped dress, covered her chest with her slender arms, picked up her shoes, and ran away.
Ouyang Rong was taken aback.
After a short while, he looked around.
He was the only one left around the campfire.
Ye Weilai and Bai Shu were nowhere to be found. Ouyang Rong hadn't seen them since he started accompanying Rong Zhen, but he wasn't too worried.
Ouyang Rong looked towards the spot where Rong Zhen had disappeared, unsure whether she had agreed or not.
He wanted to resolve some family disputes before parting ways. "A great man who can't even sweep his own house, how can he sweep the world?"
Ouyang Rong touched the small teeth marks on his shoulder; they were barely visible, but she must have bitten him red. He straightened his clothes to cover the hickeys on his neck and prepared to get up. It seemed the Lady Historian really enjoyed giving him hickeys—a trend Ouyang Rong had recently noticed, and it was starting to become a little fetish of hers…
Just then, he felt a chill on his chest. He touched his chest and found a large wet patch, which must have been there for a while. Now, the cold wind made it feel icy cold to the bone.
Was she secretly crying while tightly hugging him just now...? Ouyang Rong pursed his lips and prepared to go find Rong Zhen.
Just then, a beautiful figure emerged from the woods and returned to the campfire.
Ouyang Rong was stunned:
"Rong Zhen..."
Her beautiful figure passed by Ouyang Rong with swift and decisive movements:
"Come on, Ouyang Lianghan, stop dawdling."
Ouyang Rong's gaze shifted downwards, and he noticed that Rong Zhen was carrying a food box, inside which there seemed to be some soup sloshing around.
Ouyang Rong realized what was happening and quickly followed.
He was somewhat surprised and turned to look at Rong Zhen's still-cold profile.
He asked cautiously, "How many bowls of fish soup?"
"both."
Before Ouyang Rong could ask, she added sternly, "None of yours."
"..."
Although she choked, Ouyang Rong smiled broadly, immediately stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and took her arm, leading her to the tent ahead.
A short while later, Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen arrived at Li Guo'er's tent with a box of fish soup.
Rong Zhen looked reluctant and raised her voice a little:
"If you hadn't begged, I wouldn't have come. Tell her to come out on her own..."
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to speak, Li Guo'er emerged from the tent, followed by Cai Shou, who was rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Young Master Ouyang? Lady Rong, what brings you here?"
Ouyang Rong saw that Li Guo'er was also yawning, her eyes looking sleepy, it seemed that she had also been woken up by them.
What are you doing here?
Li Guo'er glanced at Rong Zhen, who seemed a little grumpy upon waking up.
Rongzhen had already placed the food box behind her back, out of sight of Guo'er and Caishou.
Ouyang Rong immediately asked:
"Is Junior Sister asleep?"
"Sleep? She left a long time ago, on horseback. I don't know if she was angry. She waited for me for ages after I got back. I told you to come earlier, but instead you stayed so late and even brought someone else with you..."
Rongzhen took a step forward: "Who are you talking about, 'other people'?"
Ouyang Rong blocked her with his hand, frowning as he asked:
"Riding a horse? Where did Junior Sister go?"
"I don't know," the girl with plum blossom makeup said irritably. "I'm sleeping. You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"
Li Guo'er glanced sideways at the couple in front of her, their sleeves draped together: "Maybe they were angered and left. Alright, I need to catch up on my sleep. Go after them yourself."
Li Guo'er raised her head, turned around, and returned to the tent.
Cai Shou secretly waved goodbye to Ouyang Rong, stuck out her tongue, and followed him back to the tent.
Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen remained where they were.
Rong Zhen looked away and said, "Alright, that saves us the trouble."
Ouyang Rong looked around and said, "Wait a moment..."
Just then, Rongzhen suddenly left, leaving behind the words:
"Someone's here, I'll be leaving now."
Ouyang Rong turned his head and saw a familiar figure appear.
"Tanlang?"
Li Dalang walked over from a distance and asked curiously:
"What are you doing here? What are you doing near A-mei's tent?"
Ouyang Rong coughed: "I was on night duty just now, and it's almost dawn. I was looking for my junior sister."
Li Dalang said, "Looking for her, Miss Xie just left."
"Where to?"
“I just ran into her. It seems someone from the Xie family came looking for her. She’s in Hanyang County now, and she must have gone there to meet them. She told us not to wait for her.”
Li Dalang was halfway through his speech when he noticed that Ouyang Rong had quieted down.
Subconsciously:
Are you alright?
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "It's nothing, I'll be going now."
Li Dalang said regretfully:
"Wait, Tanlang, it's probably a letter from home or something urgent. Why don't you stay during the day and come with us to wait for Miss Xie?"
Ouyang Rong hesitated for a moment, then shook his head:
"No, it's not possible. The time has already been set and you're all ready. It can't be changed. Actually... I've already told my junior sister everything I needed to."
Li Dalang didn't notice the subtle somberness in his friend's voice, and sighed:
"Well then, that's a real shame."
Ouyang Rong strode forward, and Li Dalang, seeing this, quickly followed.
The two walked side by side.
"My dear, my parents were arguing just now, and I went to try to mediate, so I didn't go to sleep."
Ouyang Rong asked instinctively, "What's all the noise about?"
“During our conversation that night, your mother disagreed with you staying, saying she was worried about you encountering danger. Your father, however, told her that he respected your decision. Your mother felt that your father was wrong and hadn’t considered your safety, so they started arguing.”
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong fell silent.
Li Dalang scratched his head:
“Your mother and father rarely argue. It’s not that they are particularly harmonious and loving, but mainly because your father never dares to argue with your mother, so there are no fights. But this time, your father is surprisingly supportive of you, which your mother probably didn’t expect. They even started complaining to each other in the middle of the night.”
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
The two walked forward for a while.
Li Dalang whispered:
“My dear, I actually think Mother is right. I’m always worried that you might encounter danger on your way to find the embroiderer. Didn’t we agree to share the good times and the bad? Although you and my sister are both very confident that we can turn things around when we return to the capital, it would be quite meaningless if we really have this good fortune but you’re not there.”
"Besides, you and Liulang have always been my best friends. Now you two are both staying in Xunyang, and I'm the only one going to Luoyang. What's going on? How did I end up all alone on my journey..."
At this moment, Ouyang Rong turned his head and said with a smile:
"Are you sure you can't actually visit Yunshui Pavilion?"
Li Dalang was stunned for a moment, then laughed and cried at the same time: "What are you saying, Tanlang? How could that be the reason? Besides... besides, I have already met a woman I like."
Ouyang Rong suddenly said:
Why do you feel like you're not alone?
Li Dalang asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"In the end, everyone is alone." He said casually, smiled easily, and then asked, "Big Brother, do you know what fate is?"
"edge?"
"Yes, it's fate."
Ouyang Rong, with his sleeves tucked in his sleeves and eyes fixed ahead, walked forward in the wind that was about to break the dawn, his back view long and slender.
He walked quickly, and Li Dalang could only jog to catch up, hearing his calm voice:
“Since that night when I rode away from Xunyang City to find you, I have often found myself having random thoughts, thinking about many people and many things.”
Li Dalang felt that his friend's voice was as fleeting as the music he had heard not long ago:
"Buddhists often say that all things arise from causes and conditions and are empty of inherent existence. All connections between people in the world are empty; they only meet each other because of a cause and condition."
“I actually knew this principle a long time ago, but after the embroiderer left that day, when I saw the empty courtyard, saw Banxi crying, and saw all your eyes looking at me, I suddenly understood it more deeply, or rather, this is the true understanding.”
"What did you truly understand?"
Ouyang Rong turned around with a smile:
"Actually, no one is obligated to stay by your side, and no one is obligated to be together forever. This includes parents, spouses, and children. There will always be separations due to life and death. At that time, you will find that all the relationships between husband and wife and blood ties are empty and not taken for granted. The most important thing is the bond between you, the bond between parents and children, and the bond between spouses."
"But fate isn't something you can just wait for; you have to fight for it."
Ouyang Rong said softly:
"If I go to Luoyang with you now, it will be as if I am waiting for the embroiderer to arrive by my side."
“Brother, in the past, when I didn’t know she existed, I waited for her for a very long time without realizing it, so long that I forgot. Every time, I was the one waiting for her to come to me. But this time, I finally caught her, but she left again. This time, I really don’t want to wait anymore. Brother, this time, I’m going to find her too.”
Li Dalang remained silent for a while, then heard Ouyang Rong's murmur:
"The arising of all things is emptiness, the arising of all things is emptiness. Is there nothing between me and the embroiderer? No, even if there is nothing, I will still reclaim a share of our destiny. I will take her away in front of her senior sisters. I will take her to Luoyang to see the most prosperous place in the world and hear the so-called sound of a golden age. So what if she is blind and mute? I will take her."
"No one can stop me, no one can stop me."
A white sturgeon emerged from the dark forest, illuminating a radius of three zhang (approximately 10 meters) like a lantern.
Ye Weilai followed behind.
The white sturgeon swam up to Ouyang Rong, who was muttering to himself, and, as always, frolicked around the silent youth.
Ouyang Rong's gaze fell on it, and he looked it over.
Li Dalang and Ye Weilai, who emerged from the nearby woods, saw that the dark eyes of the young man in the scholar's robe were illuminated by the light of the white sturgeon, clear and bright, twinkling.
He spoke to the white sturgeon, his murmurs drifting over, which Li and Ye could not quite make out clearly or with certainty.
"You miss her too, don't you? I know, I know... Ever since you started circling around me at the Xunyang Grottoes, I've sensed it... And the whereabouts of the new sword technique that Mr. Tao revealed... And the hesitation and inability to grasp the true meaning of your cultivation while completing the full melody of the Orchid Boat Song, you've also become attached to appearances..."
He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps to the white sturgeon.
"This is fate. If there really is a God, this is destiny. It has almost shown me my destiny... Alright, stop wandering around aimlessly. I will take you to find her now. Stay with me."
Li Dalang and Ye Weilai looked at each other in silence, then turned their heads in a daze, watching the departing figure of the young man in the scholar's robe and the fish. They stood there for a long time.
In the distance, before the young man in the scholar's robe, the sky was white.
A red sun slowly rises.
A new day.
It's time to set off.
(End of this chapter)
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