It's mid-autumn again, and the autumn rain is fine and continuous. Some of it falls along the eaves, gently hitting the bluestone bricks below which have a deep pit. Some of it sprinkles on the somewhat withered lotus flowers in the pond in front of the house. The needle-like raindrops quickly condense into beads on the petals. Some of it falls straight into the shallow pond water, creating ripples.
At this moment, the white-robed teacher in the school had just finished saying "school dismissed" to the little kids sitting below him. The children were fine in front of him, but as soon as they stepped out of the room, they couldn't help but cheer and jump for joy.
After all, tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it's wonderful that the teacher is willing to let us out of school early so that we can enjoy sweet mooncakes and admire the moon with our families. Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating, with continuous autumn rain, and we may not even see the moon tonight.
Thinking of this, several students even began to pray silently in their hearts that the autumn rain would stop as soon as possible.
After the students had all left, the entire school suddenly became quiet and deserted. Coupled with the autumn rain falling outside the window, it unconsciously evoked a sense of loneliness and desolation.
He hadn't been sitting at the desk for long when a cool breeze mixed with rain blew towards the white-robed gentleman. In just one breath, it irritated his throat, and then a heart-wrenching cough echoed through the school.
He didn't know how long he had been coughing before he finally felt a little better. He glanced at the water clock beside him and knew that if he didn't go out soon, it would be too late. The man hurriedly stood up, packed some things inside, grabbed an oil-paper umbrella, and stepped into the lingering autumn rain.
"Mr. Fang, you're still going out in this heavy rain?"
He encountered several village women on the road. Upon seeing him, they immediately greeted him warmly. The man in white smiled and nodded in response. However, because he had been teaching the village children for free for some time, and even refused to accept payment from some poor families, these women, without thinking, took out several mooncakes wrapped tightly in oil paper from their baskets and stuffed them into his arms as soon as they met him.
They didn't even give him a chance to refuse, and left after stuffing the mooncakes in his mouth. The man in white could only shake his head and accept the mooncakes before continuing on his way.
As soon as his figure disappeared into the misty autumn rain, the women who had run a short distance away turned back to look at the spot where the man had just stood and immediately began to whisper among themselves.
"Alas, this Mr. Fang is also a man of misfortune... Not only did he have no parents, but when the village matchmaker wanted to arrange a marriage for him, she found out that his wife had died three years ago. He even told the matchmaker that he only loved his wife in this life, so he would never marry again and would betray her good intentions."
"Yes, I've heard that too. I even heard from that matchmaker Jin that she's lived forty or fifty years and has never seen such a devoted man. Men in this world are so fickle. It's probably hard to find another man like Mr. Fang, who is both handsome and virtuous and whose affection remains unchanged!"
"How lucky that woman is to have met such a wonderful man as Mr. Fang..."
"That's right, that's right."
...
Unaware that the women he had encountered had such a conversation after he left, the man was walking slowly alone on a mountain path. When he reached the middle of the mountain, a small grave appeared before him. Beside the grave were two small loquat trees, which were only half a person tall. It would probably take several years for them to grow into a tall and shady tree.
Upon seeing the small grave, Fang Yunyang's heart trembled uncontrollably. Even if he didn't want to face it, Ningning had been gone for three whole years.
For the past three years, he didn't even know how he got through them. For the first two years, every day was a blur, he couldn't tell time or direction, and sometimes he couldn't even distinguish between dreams and reality. He always felt that Ningning was still there, but unfortunately, he traveled all over the country, from the ocean in the far east to the plateau in the far west, from the dense forest in the far south to the wild desert in the far north. He traveled alone to all the places he had promised Ningning, and in every place he went, he left her name.
The longer time passed, the clearer he realized that Ningning was truly gone, and that even if he searched to the ends of the earth, he would never find a single piece of her clothing again.
On the day he came to this realization, Fang Yunyang got himself completely drunk, and in the end, his face was covered with something he couldn't even tell was tears or alcohol.
After waking up, he found himself rescued by villagers in a village. He then discovered that the village didn't even have a schoolteacher. Seeing that the village was extremely similar to Qingye Village, he inexplicably decided to settle down there.
For the past three years, he has made a trip to Yunwu Mountain every year on the fifteenth of August to see Ningning.
It is often said that on the anniversary of someone's death, the deceased will meet with their loved ones in spirit form.
Unfortunately, he hadn't seen her in the past three years, and he hadn't even seen Ningning in his dreams once.
She probably doesn't want to see him, ha.
Thinking of this, the man chuckled softly.
Just then, a familiar voice rang in his ear, "You've come..."
Fang Yunyang looked up and saw Ye Xiao, dressed in black, standing at the door of a wooden house next to the grave, holding a plate of plump white pastries. Without getting closer, he knew they were sugar triangles.
Over the years, every time he came here, he would see sugar triangles made by Ye Xiao himself placed in front of Ningning's grave, although he didn't know why the boy was so fond of such simple pastries.
But it's ultimately inseparable from Ningning.
After all, it was on the day of Ningning's burial that he learned that the black-clad youth who had always been by Yan Xingzhi's side, the number one assassin, was also in love with Ningning, and his feelings for her were no less than his own.
After thinking this through, Fang Yunyang let out a soft sigh, held up his umbrella, and began to walk uphill with heavy steps.
He walked all the way to Tang Ning's grave, arranged the offerings he had brought, and then reached out to touch the two characters "Tang Ning" on the tombstone. He was so engrossed in touching it that he didn't even notice when his umbrella fell to the side.
It was only after getting caught in the rain and coughing again that Fang Yunyang finally realized his umbrella was gone.
Upon hearing the cough, Ye Xiao, who was standing nearby, also snapped out of his daze. He quickly picked up the paper umbrella the other man had dropped and held it up for him. "Your health hasn't been very good, you still need to be careful..."
Upon hearing this, Fang Yunyang nodded slightly. "Mm."
Then he looked up at Ye Xiao beside him, "Do you have any wine? I'd like to have a drink today..."
"you……"
Ye Xiao was about to refuse, but seeing the other party's silent gaze, he couldn't bring himself to say it and slowly nodded.
The two then drank together in the cabin until the autumn rain stopped, the full moon appeared, and the cool moonlight spilled all over the ground, as if covering everything with a layer of silver frost.
It was at this moment that Fang Yunyang directly announced his departure.
Ye Xiao didn't try to stop him, and the man picked up the umbrella beside him and walked down the mountain with a smile.
After walking down only a few bluestone steps, the man couldn't help but cough twice again because he had been rained on and the night wind was too cold.
Hearing this, Ye Xiao's voice suddenly rang out behind the man, "The night is deep and the dew is heavy. Remember to wear more clothes next time you go up the mountain, and remember to take good care of yourself... Brother..."
Upon hearing Ye Xiao address him in such a way, Fang Yunyang couldn't help but tremble. However, he didn't turn around. He simply responded softly, "Take care of yourself," and continued walking slowly down the street.
The way the two recognized each other was actually quite similar to the original story. Before sending his two sons away, Fang's father, fearing they wouldn't recognize each other in the future, broke a gold locket in half, heated it until it was very hot, and then carefully embedded it in a hidden spot on each of their bodies. After all, things are easy to lose, but this mark can never be erased.
It was by recognizing this mark that Fang Yunyang recognized Ye Xiao.
At that time, his mind was too confused, and he didn't tell Ye Xiao, so he wasn't sure how Ye Xiao knew about their relationship.
As the man walked down the mountain, he quickened his pace, the cool autumn wind after the rain constantly blowing into his throat. He endured it until he could no longer bear it, and finally let out a deafening cough.
The man forcefully covered his mouth with his handkerchief, seemingly worried that the cough might reach the boy's ears on the mountain. Once the coughing stopped, he expressionlessly tucked the blood-stained handkerchief back into his sleeve.
His frail body doesn't know how much longer he can endure, so to avoid getting upset, it's best not to make a special effort to acknowledge Ye Xiao. This way, it's fine.
He just hoped that Tang Ning could walk slowly on the road to the underworld, and that he could catch up with her.
Thinking of this, Fang Yunyang raised the corners of his mouth and continued to walk slowly down the mountain.
On the other side, watching Fang Yunyang's figure disappear behind the bushes, Ye Xiao turned his head to look at the tombstone behind him, which seemed to be covered with a layer of fluorescence. Before he could look at it for a while, he grabbed a long sword from the side and began to dance in front of Tang Ning's grave.
Because the poison from the thorns had not been completely eradicated, whenever Ye Xiao used his internal energy in his dantian, his whole body would ache with a dense, persistent pain. He liked this pain; it made him feel alive, not just a mindless walking corpse.
The more pain he felt, the faster Ye Xiao's sword movements became, quickly creating afterimages.
Only when he was in so much pain that his face turned pale and he was covered in cold sweat did Ye Xiao finally support himself on the ground with his sword and kneel down on one knee.
Looking at the familiar characters on the tombstone, "Tomb of Tang Ning, wife of Ye Yu," I saw eight large characters.
Suddenly, a wave of grievance welled up in his eyes, so heavy that it directly reddened them.
He's a liar, Brother Yan is a liar.
He had clearly told himself that as long as he came and helped him get rid of Yan Wuyai, he would have a thousand ways to keep Tangtang here.
But in the end...
Looking at the tombstone, Ye Xiao couldn't help but recall that Mid-Autumn Festival three years ago.
Tangtang died; she was killed right in front of him by Yan Wuyai with a single palm strike.
Before he died, he couldn't even touch her warm hand.
Brother Yan didn't know what was going on. He was agitated for a while at first, but after he finished humming that unknown tune, he calmed down completely.
He acted as if Tangtang's death was nothing more than a trivial matter. He could even laugh, inviting the righteous martial arts practitioners present to attend the funeral of his wife, Tang Ning.
Enraged, Ye Xiao immediately engaged in a fight with him. Since one had lost all his internal energy and the other had not yet cleared the poison, neither of them used their internal energy or martial arts skills. They simply exchanged punches, and in the end, the two were evenly matched. Yan Xingzhi had suffered severe injuries because he desperately protected his face, while Ye Xiao's face was completely swollen like a pig's head.
Ye Xiao was even angrier afterward, because Yan Xingzhi was really preparing for Tang Ning's funeral. Not only did he not shed a single tear, but he also held a three-day funeral feast at Yangyue Manor, inviting all the villagers from the foot of the mountain to come and eat.
For three whole days, he noticed that Yan Xingzhi's smile never stopped, as if he were not holding a funeral, but a joyous wedding.
This made Ye Xiao increasingly disheartened towards him.
At the same time, he felt sorry for Tang Ning. She died because of him. Why... why did he do this?
That's all. Yan Xingzhi wouldn't even allow him or Fang Yunyang to get a single step closer to Tang Ning's corpse. Not even a single step. He made a scene, and Fang Yunyang made a scene too.
But at this moment, Yan Xingzhi was as determined as if he had swallowed a weight. In addition, due to the martial arts he practiced, his internal strength was gradually recovering. He also had countless poisons given to him by the Poison Hand Medicine Saint to protect him. For three whole days, he and Fang Yunyang really did not see Tang Ning again.
Three days later, Tang Ning's body will be buried.
However, because the coffin was nailed tightly with 108 fine black iron nails, they couldn't open the coffin lid at all, and they really didn't even get to see Tang Ning one last time.
Yan Xingzhi, who had been very active for the past three days, has not appeared today, probably because of Tang Ning's burial. He has finally started to grieve.
What's the point of being sad now? What were you doing before?
This was Ye Xiao's first reaction as he watched shovel after shovel of soil being poured onto the coffin.
It was at this moment that Ye Xiao, who had never understood the love and hatred of normal people, felt resentment towards Yan Xingzhi for the first time in his life.
Until the coffin was completely buried and the tombstone was erected.
He and Fang Yunyang then stood guard at the grave for three days and three nights before finally collapsing from exhaustion.
During these three days, Yan Xingzhi did not appear at all.
Enraged, Ye Xiao went straight to Yan Xingzhi's room after waking up to confront him.
But there was no one in the room. Ye Xiao searched everywhere, including the study, music room, kitchen, armory, alchemy room, and even the medicinal spring at the top of Cloud Mist Mountain, but he still couldn't find Yan Xingzhi.
At that time, most of those so-called righteous people had not yet left, so they helped him search everywhere, but no one had seen Yan Xingzhi.
He seemed to have vanished into thin air; there was no trace of him left in the entire Yangyue Manor.
Just then, Ye Xiao, trembling uncontrollably, got up from the ground and ran frantically toward Tang Ning's grave.
As he ran, the conversations of several junior disciples from the Kongshan Sect on the day of Tang Ning's burial kept echoing in his mind.
"How many items were buried here? How can it be so heavy?"
"That's right. But Yan Xingzhi has always been good at making money, and his wife died because of him. It's only right to bury more things with her so that she can have a better life in the afterlife."
"But this is too heavy, it's like...like carrying two people..."
Having arrived at Tang Ning's tomb, Ye Xiao immediately slammed his palm onto the small mound of earth without hesitation, instantly kicking up a cloud of dust.
"What are you doing? Ye Xiao..."
Fang Yunyang, who was following closely behind, immediately stopped him. During the shoving, the gold locket marks on his back were even revealed.
Ye Xiao completely ignored his attempts to stop him and continued to strike Tang Ning's grave with his internal energy.
Tears streamed down his bloodshot eyes, one after another.
It was his desperate look that made Fang Yunyang slowly, slowly stop trying to stop him.
The members of the six major sects stood before the grave, watching Ye Xiao's actions. They watched his face turn deathly pale from exhaustion, watched him use his sword and bare hands to dig at the soil in front of him until he reached the coffin. They watched him use his mud-covered sword to pry open the black iron nails on the coffin one by one, and watched his trembling hands slowly lift the coffin lid...
Looking inside the coffin, Tang Ning's body was covered in something, and her face still looked as if she had just died. Apart from being almost transparently white, there were no other flaws.
She was dressed in a bright red wedding gown, with an exquisite phoenix crown on her head, and was lying quietly in the arms of Yan Xingzhi, who was also dressed in red and seemed to have tear stains on his eyes.
"ah!"
Several women surrounding the coffin immediately covered their mouths upon seeing the contents, though gasps still escaped their throats.
Upon seeing Yan Xingzhi like this, Ye Xiao, who was in the mud pit, couldn't help but feel a buzzing in his mind. He trembled as he raised his hand and placed it under Yan Xingzhi's nose. Not feeling the slightest fluctuation of airflow, he began to tremble even more violently.
Tears fell drop by drop onto Tang Ning and Yan Xingzhi in the coffin. Soon, the thin boy in the pit could not help but let out sobs, like a small animal abandoned by its mother in the forest, its voice mournful and helpless.
As the memory ended, Ye Xiao looked at the tombstone in front of him, then raised his hand and forcefully wiped away the tears in his eyes. He then raised his sword and began to dance again.
To this day, he still doesn't understand what Brother Yan was thinking during the three days after Tangtang's death. He can tell that the reason he held the three-day banquet was to give him and Tangtang a formal wedding.
But then, after he was laid in the coffin, when one hundred and eight black iron nails were driven into it, when he was buried in the soil, when he and Fang Yunyang guarded the grave for three days and three nights without making a sound, what was he thinking during all that time...?
What are you thinking?
He wasn't thinking about anything.
Inside the pitch-black coffin, Yan Xingzhi held Tang Ning tightly in his arms; he was simply fulfilling his promise.
He had lied to her so many times, and he just wanted to stop lying to her one last time.
He hummed that song, and that meant they would be together forever; he should have kept his word.
He didn't want her to be alone and lonely underground; he couldn't bear to.
Thinking this, Yan Xingzhi gently pressed his warm lips against Tang Ning's already icy lips.
In his entire life, except for his childhood, after the age of nine, he had never experienced a single day of happiness, nor had he ever lived a day for himself. Now that his great revenge had been achieved, he had no regrets. He only wanted to make one decision for himself...
The feeling of suffocation slowly crept in, and Yan Xingzhi's consciousness began to gradually blur.
I've often heard people say that before a person dies, they will see what they most want to see.
He seemed to have seen it...
It was a narrow alley.
He was lying on the roof sunbathing when he saw a ragged little girl run in and hide under a dirty basket.
Then a man dressed in the clothes of the Eastern Depot (a secret police agency) found her and grabbed her by the neck.
Dressed in a bright yellow sword-fighting uniform, he rescued her from the man's grasp, gave her the chicken leg he had hidden in his bosom, and helped her onto the donkey he had bought, watching her head towards Luozhou.
Before they had gone far, the little girl suddenly turned around, her eyes reddening, and asked him loudly—
"Hey handsome, what's your name? How can I find you later?"
Upon hearing this question, the boy suddenly fell silent, then raised his head and looked at her with sorrowful and pitiful eyes.
"Ye Yu, my name is Ye Yu, Ye as in leaf, Yu as in reputation, do you understand?"
"Um!"
He looked at the little girl on the donkey and nodded vigorously, then waved to him, smiling as he walked further and further away into the white light...
Almost instantly, the boy lifted his foot and chased after her, shouting as he ran, "Remember this, my name is Ye Yu, Ye as in leaf, Yu as in honor, never forget... No... Don't go, don't go... Ningning... Ningning..."
Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to chase after her, he couldn't stop the little girl's figure from getting further and further away from him until she disappeared completely.
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