Chapter 955 Daoist Nun Huang Xuan
Moonlit night, third floor of the Red Dust Inn.
In a quiet room away from the street, moonlight streamed through the window, creating a somewhat strange atmosphere.
Ouyang Rong looked at the aloof young Taoist nun in the inner room with surprise, feeling as if an old acquaintance had disappeared in the blink of an eye and suddenly transformed into a graceful and beautiful young woman.
There's an old saying that's true: a girl really does change a lot as she grows up.
Ouyang Rong wholeheartedly agreed at this moment.
"What are you standing there for? This is Xiaoxuan, have you forgotten? Xiaorongzi, come in quickly, close the window, and be quiet."
Miao Si turned around with a displeased look on her face, gave a brief instruction to her "clueless follower," and then ran into the inner room.
The other young woman on the bed had already gotten out of bed, still holding her sword in her arms.
She had regained consciousness and could clearly see the appearance of the little fairy beside her, as well as the peach wood sword that Ouyang Rong had taken away... She had some guesses about what had just happened.
At that moment, seeing the strange little one running towards her calling out "Little Rongzi," she glanced at the "fierce-looking man" who was turning to close the window, and cautiously asked:
"Sir, may I ask who you are...Young Master Ouyang?"
It was a woman's voice that Ouyang Rong recognized.
"If it's not him, then who is it? All he does is wear that heavy, lifeless mask all the time..."
Miao Si pouted and complained, then skipped past the young woman who had just woken up and came to the cold and aloof little Taoist nun.
"Xiao Xuan, I missed you so much! Why are you dressed like this? I almost didn't recognize you, let alone that blockhead Xiao Rongzi..."
Before she could jump onto her knees, Huang Xuan had already bent down, cupped her hands together, and handed her to the ground to catch her.
Miao Si leaped onto her slender palm, placed her hands on her hips, and looked up at the vermilion dot between the cold, aloof Taoist nun's eyebrows, clicking her tongue in amazement:
"Not bad, not bad, this Taoist robe is quite nice. She's even wearing a lotus crown like me. It seems Xiao Xuan has really grown up. She knows how to be shy and knows how to dress up before going out to meet important people."
It's obvious that the important person Miao Si is referring to is her.
But Huang Xuan, a Daoist nun with an aloof air like moonlight, shook her head anxiously:
"This humble Taoist..." she first changed her words, "I am not dressed up. All the female Taoists in the Three Mountains dress like this."
As she spoke, she seemed to glance in the direction of the window in the darkness.
After confirming that it was not a dangerous trap and that the people were his own, Ouyang Rong closed the window again, shutting it tightly.
Before closing the window, he cautiously glanced around and found that no one seemed to be paying attention.
The noise from his misunderstanding and exchange of blows with Huang Xuan was quite small, though the resulting light and shadow were dazzling. However, in the darkness of the night, it was only fleeting, like a flash of lightning in a dark thundercloud.
After the moonlight outside the window disappeared, the room was plunged into darkness again.
Ouyang Rong did not immediately go into the inner room to meet them, but turned around and walked towards the door.
As he passed the peach wood sword on the ground, he casually flicked his right toe and hooked it into his hand.
Inside the inner room, Huang Xuan, Miao Si, and the others saw the "fierce-looking man" in the dark center of the room lower his head, pat the dust off his peach wood sword, and wipe it with his sleeve. Suddenly, his bowed figure spoke, asking a seemingly random question:
"Miss Fang?"
"Hey! It's me."
The young woman holding the sword was so happy she almost jumped for joy. After responding, she hurriedly ran forward to light the oil lamp on the table.
Fang Shengnan's loud and carefree voice is still easy to recognize.
Upon reuniting with two old friends in a foreign land, Ouyang Rong tried to suppress the smile on his face, walked to the door, and listened carefully to the sounds outside.
There were no unusual noises in the other guest rooms on the same floor, just the snoring and teeth grinding of some guests.
Ouyang Rong breathed a slight sigh of relief.
With a hiss, a candle flame was lit in the darkness.
Seeing Ouyang Rong's actions, Fang Shengnan put away the tinderbox and said in a low voice:
"Don't worry, Young Master Ouyang, the guest room across the street has been vacant. I check it every day. The guest room next door is occupied by the hair master."
Upon hearing this form of address, Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Okay, that's good."
He paused, then turned around and asked again:
"Miss Fang, did you, Xiao Xuan, and Xiu Fa come together?"
"That's right!"
Fang Shengnan smiled and corrected:
"It's just that Young Master Ouyang is missing someone. Hehe, how could I have come alone? My sister is definitely here too. She's most worried about me going out alone because I'm prone to impulsive actions. Although Little Fairy is with me..."
"However, my sister didn't come back tonight. We waited at the inn for too long, and she couldn't stand it anymore. This morning, she went out to find out where you were.
"She should be spending the night somewhere in town right now. I didn't expect you to return so suddenly tonight, Young Master Ouyang..."
Ouyang Rong nodded slowly. That makes sense.
He turned around, picked up the peach wood sword, and returned to the table.
The lights inside the room were now on, and everyone's figures appeared in the candlelight.
In the inner room, while Ouyang Rong and Fang Shengnan were talking, Huang Xuan and Miao Si seemed to have finished their private conversation and were catching up.
Miao Si sat affectionately on Huang Xuan's shoulder as the latter emerged from behind the curtains of the inner room.
"Next, Xiaoxuan."
Ouyang Rong, who was talking to Fang Shengnan, turned his head and tossed the cleaned peach wood sword to Huang Xuan without saying a word.
The young nun hesitated for a moment before raising her hand to take it.
There were no polite greetings, no courteous apologies, no tedious, affected introductions. Seeing the "fierce-looking man" act as if nothing had happened, returning her the peach wood sword, Huang Xuan turned to Fang Shengnan and asked with a curious expression:
"By the way, why did you all come together?"
"Um……"
At this moment, Huang Xuan, who was standing to the side, did not feel any sense of contrast or neglect. On the contrary, she felt a kind of inexplicable joy.
This is definitely her benefactor. Even without those innocent, bright eyes that could see right through the mask, she could still be sure it was him.
Fang Shengnan nodded, answering Ouyang Rong who was staring straight ahead:
"My sister and I volunteered for the mission, and we were also entrusted by Military Advisor Yan... Young Master Ouyang, didn't you send a letter to Master Xiufa of Donglin Temple incognito? As soon as he received the letter, he sent someone to find Military Advisor Yan."
“Military Advisor Yan was very worried about you. He originally wanted to come by himself, but Madam Pei persuaded him not to. Neither of them could leave Xunyang City, so they could only send someone. It just so happened that my older sister and I were outside searching for Jianze and Xiuniang without success, and we were almost arrested by the government of a certain prefecture.”
"Fortunately, we had the official documents from Jiangzhou given to us by my father, which proved our innocence. We were originally quite disappointed to return home empty-handed, but we happened to learn from my father that Military Advisor Yan was looking for candidates, so we volunteered..."
Her voice was clear and melodious as she spoke slowly.
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly:
“I see. Thirteen Sister did the right thing. Sixth Brother really can’t leave rashly. If he leaves, what will happen to the Jiangzhou Hall? He still needs to take charge for me. I don’t trust anyone else.”
"That's right, that's what Father said too."
Fang Shengnan smiled and said:
"This time, perhaps because they knew we were here to meet with you, our parents surprisingly didn't stop us sisters. They were quite supportive... Before leaving, they told us to make sure we found Lord Ouyang."
She mimicked her parents' tone when she addressed them, and she couldn't help but laugh as she said it.
Ouyang Rong smiled as well.
This female knight-errant was as enthusiastic and talkative as ever. This time, however, he wasn't impatient at all and was unusually happy. Perhaps it was because he had met an old friend in a foreign land, but her Xunyang accent sounded particularly pleasant to him.
Under the lamplight, after Fang Shengnan finished speaking, she waited for Ouyang Rong to process what she had said. She glanced at his "fierce" face with some curiosity and cautiously asked:
"Young Master Ouyang, is that a disguise mask?"
Ouyang Rong nodded, then suddenly turned to Huang Xuan, who was quietly waiting and watching him, and asked:
"When the curtains were just lifted, did Xiao Xuan see my face clearly? With those bright eyes of yours?"
Huang Xuan lowered her head slightly and looked at the floor beside her:
"Yes. I almost accidentally injured my benefactor..."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand and said:
"Xiao Xuan, I almost didn't recognize you either."
As he spoke, he strode over to Huang Xuan, raised his hand, and seemed to subconsciously want to pat her head.
Perhaps realizing that the little girl had grown into a graceful young woman, or perhaps because she had tied up her meticulously bound lotus crown, making it inappropriate to rub her hair.
Ouyang Rong calmly withdrew his outstretched hand and instead removed his mask.
Huang Xuan and Fang Shengnan saw that after the "fierce and burly man" removed his bronze mask, the air distorted, revealing a pair of handsome, familiar faces.
Ouyang Rong gestured with his mask and smiled at Huang Xuan:
"I almost didn't recognize Xiaoxuan either. Miaosi was right, she really has grown up. She's grown so tall, like a newly sprouted willow branch. She changes every year. And she's learned a lot of skills. I almost got caught by Xiaoxuan..."
He paused, then said with a touch of emotion:
"I immediately thought that the nun's eyes looked so familiar, like I'd seen them somewhere before."
The young nun looked up, her eyes fixed on the dashing young man before her, and said with unusual seriousness:
"No matter how many masks my benefactor wears, Xiaoxuan will always recognize him."
Ouyang Rong was taken aback for a moment, then sneered:
"I do envy your innocent and bright eyes."
Then he asked gently:
"Why is Xiaoxuan here too? Did Liulang call her?"
Huang Xuan nodded, then shook her head.
Girls who have gone through puberty naturally have a cool and ethereal voice.
Like a nightingale after a fresh rain in a secluded valley:
"I was observing and cultivating in seclusion at the Celestial Master's Mansion. After Senior Brother Lu went to the capital and Senior Brother Zhang returned to the Celestial Master's Mansion, he told me about my benefactor. So I sent a letter to Senior Brother Lu in the capital and came down the mountain to help. When I arrived in Xunyang, my benefactor was not there. It was Madam Pei and Brother Yan who took me in."
"After learning about my benefactor, I went to Donglin Temple, but I couldn't find you. It just so happened that Master Shandao received your letter and asked me to deliver it back to Xunyang and give it to Brother Yan... Later, the two Miss Fangs came to look for you, and I... I happened to be going the same way. I also wanted to travel around the mountains to digest the years of seclusion I had spent cultivating. We hit it off immediately, so I came along too."
Ouyang Rong listened attentively, nodding occasionally.
Fang Shengnan interjected with a smile:
“Young Master Ouyang, Little Fairy is really amazing. Luckily, she protected us the whole way, otherwise we would have been in danger several times.”
Huang Xuan turned to Fang Shengnan and said:
"I have little experience in the martial world. I am very grateful to Miss Fang and Sister Gui for taking care of me on this trip. I have gained a lot from this trip."
Fang Shengnan said somewhat embarrassedly:
"You're too kind, little fairy."
She dared not look at Ouyang Rong, because there was something she couldn't say... On this long journey to Taoyuan Town, most of the trouble she encountered was due to her impulsiveness, and every time she took action, although she was the one who rushed to the front, it was always this little fairy who cleaned up the mess for her in the end.
Ouyang Rong glanced at Fang Shengnan, who seemed a little uneasy, but didn't ask any more questions before exposing her shortcomings.
Perhaps they lack the ability, but the fact that they came all the way to deliver the message shows their great kindness.
After the Xunyang Grottoes incident, the Fang family father and daughter, who had made mistakes, have corrected their errors and returned to the fold. They are now wholeheartedly helping Ouyang Rong and working diligently under his command.
Even Fang Shengnan, who had originally been clamoring to become a Yue woman, stopped making a fuss. Perhaps she had come to realize the strictness and danger of Jianze, as well as the gap in her own talent.
Of course, it's also possible that after the strategic contraction of Yunmeng Sword Marsh, the two sisters, possessing the Yunmeng Token given to them by the Two Female Lords, had nowhere to turn and couldn't find an organization...
Speaking of which, there's another interesting story. After the Battle of Xunyang, the Fang sisters left even faster than Ouyang Rong, saying they wanted to take the Yunmeng Token and try to enter the Yunmeng Sword Marsh to help Ouyang Rong as an undercover agent to find Xiu Niang.
As it turns out, Ouyang Rong himself has disguised himself and infiltrated the area, while the two sisters are still wandering around outside... If we had relied solely on them back then, it would have been too late by then.
However, the two sisters did have the intention to help sincerely.
Ouyang Rong was aware of these things but kept them to himself.
"Did Liu Lang send you any message?"
"To deliver a message?"
Fang Shengnan was stunned for a moment, then realized:
"Yes, I brought it. But Yan Canjun and Shisan Niang only told my older sister. I'll tell you when she comes back during the day."
After a pause, she couldn't help but ask again out of curiosity:
"By the way, Young Master Ouyang, judging from your tone, are you not planning to come back with us?"
Ouyang Rong said softly, "There are still some things I haven't finished, let's wait a little longer."
Fang Shengnan wasn't stupid. She looked around cautiously and asked:
"Is there something else? Is there something strange about Peach Blossom Town? Could it be that 'they' are here...?"
Ouyang Rong simply said, "We'll talk about it when Miss Fang returns during the day."
"Okay, I'll wait for my sister to come back."
Huang Xuan suddenly asked, "Has my benefactor found that person?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at her.
Huang Xuan sheathed her peach wood sword, her slender hands hanging down her sleeves, her eyelids lowering slightly.
"I have been corresponding with Sister Xie. Senior Brother Lu wanted me to return to the capital to assist him, but Sister Xie refused. Instead, she asked me to come and find you. It's because the Prince's Mansion in the capital has repeatedly sent people to Xunyang to contact you, but there has been no response. Knowing that you are not in Xunyang, Sister Xie, the Prince, and the Heir Apparent are all very worried about you."
Ouyang Rong was quiet for a while.
He roughly knew what Yan Liulang and the others wanted Fang Juxiu to convey their message.
Miao Si, perched on Huang Xuan's shoulder with her arms crossed, glanced at the silent Ouyang Rong and let out a cold snort:
"Yes, Xie girl did the right thing. We should have come and looked for her, otherwise, I'm afraid someone might have forgotten all about her..."
(End of this chapter)
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