Chapter 138 It doesn't matter, I'll run away!
Inside the main hall.
Before Ouyang Rong's expression could even change.
Xie Lingjiang silently offered her hand, on which lay a red string. Her eyes shifted elsewhere, and she said casually:
"Right, my senior brother also thinks it's unbelievable, and so do I, but we're already here, and the fortune has already been interpreted, so let's give it a try."
"Wearing two red strings on my wrist feels strange, I think Senior Brother feels the same way... So, like the skirt knife, Senior Brother, you can wear one for me and keep it safe until later... When we meet that person again, Senior Brother, you can give it to him for me."
“…???” Ouyang Rong.
The atmosphere suddenly became quiet, and no one spoke for a moment.
On the smooth jade hilt of the skirt knife at Ouyang Rong's waist
One of the hands that had been easily clenched was quietly lowered, and the right hand hung down at the side.
The previous signs were all suspicious, like pearls of varying sizes.
At this moment, my thoughts are like a long thread going back, stringing all the pearls together like a needle and thread.
He instantly realized the seriousness of the problem.
Before the ancient Buddha in the main hall, the junior sister and Master Shandao faced the unspoken truth.
Ouyang Rong suppressed the change in his expression.
A smile returned to his face, and he spoke in a serious tone:
"Two are not too many. Junior sister, wear one on your foot as well, for good luck and to ward off disasters."
Xie Lingjiang maintained the gesture of extending the red rope, but kept her head down, her eyes fixed on the embroidered shoes on the ground where the instep was subtly arched.
"My feet are ticklish, no. Senior brother, please... put one on for me."
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"I'm not used to wearing it. I'm always fiddling with things, and it would be bad if I accidentally broke the red string."
Xie Lingjiang added:
"It's alright, if it falls off, we'll just replace it with another one. No matter how many, as long as Junior Sister is willing to replace it, Senior Brother can just wear it."
Ouyang Rong remained unmoved, speaking in his usual tone:
“It’s still not appropriate. This is my junior sister’s marriage red thread. I am the senior brother, and you… are the junior sister. I promised our teacher that I would take good care of my junior sister. I cannot take this thing with me.”
Xie Lingjiang stretched out her right hand, palm open, and curled her fingers slightly.
"Amitabha."
Even Master Shandao, who had arranged countless marriages, couldn't stand it anymore.
He clasped his hands together, stepped forward, gently twirled the prayer beads in his palm, his long, snow-white eyebrows furrowing slightly as he solemnly advised Ouyang Rong:
“Your Excellency, the lady is right. If she wears the red string alone, the search area for her ideal husband will be too small and it will be very difficult. If you wear a red string for her, the search area will be much larger when the two of you search together. It is better than one person searching foolishly. What if she finds him while searching?”
After a pause, the old monk with white beard and eyebrows stroked his beard and sighed:
“The lifelong happiness of this female Bodhisattva is very important. As her senior brother, you should be a little more considerate and put the ornament on her first. We can talk about the rest later.”
Master Shandao patiently and skillfully tried to enlighten a blockhead who seemed to have lost his mind.
Hmph, he's been striking the wooden fish under the dim light of the ancient Buddha for so many years, and there's not a single wooden fish that can't make a sound!
After Master Shandao finished speaking, the atmosphere became somewhat silent.
Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but raise her eyes, her gaze filled with barely suppressed anticipation as she looked at her senior brother who remained silent for a moment.
Ouyang Rong looked at the red rope lying quietly in the fair little hand that his junior sister had extended, and a look of hesitation appeared on his face.
Beneath Master Shandao's pair of white eyebrows, a glint of shrewdness flashed in his slender old eyes as he pressed his advantage, saying:
“Magistrate, you are not young anymore. You will eventually have to get married and have children to carry on the family line. Perhaps one day your elders will bring you to this temple to ask for a marriage match.”
"Look, isn't this perfect? You can first tie a red string around your junior sister's neck to find someone, and another day, well, another day your junior sister will also tie a red string around your neck to find someone, helping you settle your life's most important matter."
"Helping each other solves the problem once and for all, isn't that wonderful?"
Unexpectedly, Ouyang Rong seemed to be touched by certain words in Master Shandao's words.
Without further hesitation, he looked up but not at his junior sister, and instead gazed at Master Shandao, saying:
"Master, you're overthinking it. I'm not thinking about marriage for now. I'm used to being lazy. I'll think about it later."
"Isn't your family urging you to hurry up?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
Master Shandao asked with a strange expression:
"Why is that? I remember your aunt came here a few times when she was at the temple to draw lots for you. She seemed quite concerned about the magistrate's marriage. How come she suddenly seems as indifferent as you?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent, offering no response to Master Shandao's probing questions.
In fact, he was not speaking to Master Shandao from beginning to end.
The words were spoken to another person.
There appear to be three people on the field, but in reality there are only two.
Ouyang Rong kept his eyes on that side, and she kept her eyes on him too.
The superfluous Master Shandao is merely a middleman who relays messages.
Some things were just short of being stated outright, but Ouyang Rong felt that these were things he should absolutely not state outright.
When it comes to decency, one must also consider dignity.
After all, my junior sister is such a proud person...
Inside the main hall with its doors wide open, a young county magistrate stood silently facing the abbot of Donglin Academy, turning his head to look north towards the direction of Beitian Charity Home.
The gaze seemed to pierce through the walls of the ancient Buddhist temple and see a dry well, beneath which lay a tranquil underground palace and a stone inscription of the four characters "归去来兮" (Return Home) on a lotus-shaped stone base.
Xie Lingjiang, who was closely watching her senior brother's every move out of the corner of her eye, was stunned for a moment.
Their gazes followed his, and they both looked north towards the palace gate.
This direction is also the direction of the morning meal hall of Donglin Temple. On that day, her father, Xie Xun, was at a morning meal table when he helped her politely refuse the marriage proposal from her senior brother and Zhen Shi.
Xie Lingjiang misunderstood someone's thoughts, seemingly subconsciously attributing the cause to those events.
Xie Lingjiang's face flushed instantly, like fiery red rouge melting into clear water.
It dyes red, dyes red, but is immediately diluted with water.
The blush on her face was dispelled by some indescribable emotion, leaving her looking quite pale.
Ouyang Rong, preoccupied with his own thoughts, did not see the fleeting look of regret that turned from red to white.
When he turned around, Xie Lingjiang had already lowered her head.
Ouyang Rong glanced at Xie Lingjiang, who was still holding out her hand, and out of the corner of his eye he could even see the glistening sweat between her knuckles. He forced a smile and said:
"Junior sister, put it away. Just listen to the talk of the red thread, we're disciples of a sage, how can we believe such things? It's getting late, let's go..."
Xie Lingjiang suddenly raised her head, revealing a charming and smiling face:
"It's alright, senior brother. Junior sister is silly, she just believes in it and in the Guanyin divination sticks... If you feel uncomfortable, then... I'll tie a red string for you, okay?"
As she spoke, the woman, seemingly having nothing to lose, eagerly reached out and grabbed Ouyang Rong's right arm, wanting to tie a red ribbon around his neck.
Ouyang Rong subconsciously took a small step back.
Xie Lingjiang's hand froze in mid-air; she had grasped nothing.
Upon noticing his junior sister's subtle reaction, Ouyang Rong felt a pang of regret.
But he opened his mouth and took a breath, and in that instant, as if dispelling something, he forced a smile and said:
"Junior sister is being naughty again, Master Shandao, please don't be offended, it seems to be getting late."
Ouyang Rong glanced quickly at the sky outside the door behind him, and when he turned back, his expression had returned to normal. He calmly said:
"Oh right, the Beitian Nursing Home is still waiting for me. I have to go there. Junior Sister... Junior Sister, please pray to Buddha for a while longer. Remember to change your clothes after you're done. Wearing a skirt isn't appropriate. I have important business to attend to this afternoon..."
Ouyang took a deep breath. This time, it wasn't just that he didn't want to leave any ties, but also because he had just seriously recalled the events.
Actually, a long time ago, when his junior sister jokingly asked him to discipline her, Ouyang Rong had already noticed that his junior sister had some feelings for her "elder".
His feelings for his junior sister might have been impulsive; he didn't want to take advantage of that.
Love is different from infatuation and dependence... Ouyang Rong murmured to himself.
"Come find me after you've changed your clothes."
After leaving those words behind, Ouyang Rong turned around and hurriedly left the main hall.
Left standing there, Xie Lingjiang and Master Shandao stared blankly at his retreating figure.
It looks like they're running away in a panic.
Even the Jade Cup Fairy, who had been lurking and watching from the doorway, changed her expression and stared blankly at the young county magistrate's figure that flew past her like a whirlwind.
The Jade Cup Fairy never expected to stumble into such an awkward situation.
As she watched, she almost thought she wasn't tracking an enemy, but rather watching a spectacle.
The Jade Cup Fairy's lips twitched slightly.
Seriously, you're about to fall into a trap and beheaded, can you please stop jumping around like that and putting on such a show? Just give in already, okay?
She remained silent for a long time, then turned around and caught a glimpse of Xie Lingjiang standing stiffly in the main hall, her mouth slightly agape.
The fairy with the jade cup looked on with a hint of curiosity.
Aren't you going to give her a try...? Is this a failed attempt to express your feelings, a sign of shamelessness?
Wait a minute.
It seems like... a good opportunity.
In the next instant, a flash of inspiration seemed to pass through the Jade Cup Fairy's mind, which she immediately seized by the tail.
Let's get right to it.
The Jade Cup Fairy, disguised as a wealthy woman, raised her eyebrows, immediately turned around, and stepped out of the palace gate.
She arrived at the square outside the main hall and subtly waved in a certain direction.
Not far away, among the pilgrims in the square, two servants of the Liu family, who were waiting quietly, received the signal and immediately stepped forward silently to the side of the Jade Cup Fairy.
These two servants of the Liu family were of different builds: one was as strong as a bear, and the other was tall and thin with a pointed head like a monkey.
The latter seemed more astute and spoke first, cautiously asking:
"Fairy, how is it? What happened inside? We saw Ouyang Lianghan just run out and were about to chase after him. What about that female advisor surnamed Xie?"
The Jade Cup Fairy, her face cold, pointed her index finger at the retreating figure of Ouyang Rong, who was quickly disappearing from sight. She gave a stern order:
“It’s an opportunity; you should go and talk to him now.”
“Ouyang Lianghan is probably going to the Beitian Nursing Home. After he goes in, you should wait outside for about 15 minutes until things settle down before you go in to collect the body and clean up the scene.”
"The plan was to stage it as a suicide out of guilt, and then reveal the truth after the wedding ceremony in the afternoon."
"Yes, fairy."
The burly servant of the Liu family and the skinny servant of the Liu family exchanged a glance, then clasped their hands in a fist and bowed to receive the order.
However, even after responding verbally, the two still looked with some concern towards the direction of the main hall behind the Jade Cup Fairy.
They seemed to have known about Xie Lingjiang's prowess for a long time.
Compared to the burly servant who was more obedient, the skinny servant hesitated, paused slightly halfway around, and mustered his courage to say:
"Immortal, it seems the original plan wasn't like this. What if that female advisor surnamed Xie arrives later? If she sees us, we're sure to die..."
"Do you all think I don't exist? Are you just sending me to my death?"
The fairy with the jade cup retorted.
Upon hearing this, the two servants of the Liu family looked somewhat puzzled.
The Jade Cup Fairy ignored them and turned to leave.
She walked with a hurried pace, heading straight to a secluded, shady spot behind the main hall.
The Jade Cup Fairy lowered her head and skillfully removed something from her face.
Immediately.
She changed into a mirage beast mask.
In the blink of an eye...
The surrounding space seemed to distort, like a mirage, appearing and disappearing like a dream.
Not long after.
A young county magistrate emerged from behind the main hall and returned to the veranda outside.
The two servants of the Liu family who hesitated and did not leave immediately were stunned when they saw this. They turned their heads to look in the direction where Ouyang Rong had left not long ago, as if they thought they were seeing things.
When the young magistrate cast that familiar, cold gaze their way, he snorted and said sharply:
"Hmm? Aren't you going to chase after them?"
The burly servant and the skinny servant immediately realized what was happening, their faces showing awe and fear, and they hurriedly nodded.
They quickly retreated and turned to chase after a certain real person...
Inside the main hall.
Master Shandao sighed softly.
That's all he can do to help.
It's not that I'm not good enough, this is a high-level game.
The wooden fish was struck hard, but it was solid.
So this isn't a wooden fish at all; it's clearly just a stone disguised as one, which will never make a sound even in death!
Seemingly sensing the silent atmosphere around him, Master Shandao's eyes showed some fear and worry, and he couldn't help but look at Xie Lingjiang.
The Xie family noblewoman still wore a beautiful smile, but her once bright eyes had long since become dull and lifeless.
A glimmer of hope is gradually fading away.
Xie Lingjiang faced the empty space ahead, her outstretched right hand still in the extended position.
The red string lying flat in the palm of the hand has lost its owner.
The woman closed her dry, red lips, buried her hair, and her expression became unreadable.
A moment of silence is more powerful than a broken heart.
She slowly closed her slender fingers, withdrew her right hand, and made a gesture as if she were about to turn away.
Master Shandao stopped spinning the prayer beads in his hand, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
But just then, a familiar figure suddenly appeared outside the palace gate.
Ouyang Rong stepped inside.
He raised his hand to touch his chin, as if touching his face, and looked around the main hall.
Upon seeing Xie Lingjiang and Master Shandao, they walked straight towards them.
"Huh? This is..."
Master Shandao, who was about to comfort Xie Lingjiang, caught a glimpse of the commotion at the door and stared in surprise.
Xie Lingjiang, who was looking away with her head down, did not see it. At this moment, she was not interested in Master Shandao's reaction at all, as if she had lost all senses.
until……
Ouyang Rong calmly approached Xie Lingjiang and, without hesitation, took her cold right hand in his.
He unfolded his stiffly closed fingers and picked up a red rope soaked in sweat with two of his fingers.
Under the astonished gaze of Master Shandao, who almost ripped his beard off.
Ouyang Rong grabbed his junior sister's right hand, lowered his head, and silently tied the red rope around her fair wrist.
After tying the red string, he casually extended his right hand, indicating to his junior sister that she could "do whatever she wanted with it."
The atmosphere in the main hall immediately fell silent.
Xie Lingjiang was stunned.
...
I suddenly realized that Xiao Rong hasn't taken a single day off in the three months since he started writing this book! Waaaaah, what a workaholic author... Feel free to use this as a benchmark to put pressure on other authors! (doge)
(End of this chapter)
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