Chapter 9 Chapter 9 What a kindhearted person who cannot bear to see others cry...
Everyone in the Tianshan Sect knew about it. The young leader went down the mountain to gain experience, and when he came back up the mountain, he brought back a weak woman of unknown origin.
On the first day, worried about the woman's injury, Mr. Qu Shu came late at night to take her pulse and prescribe medicine for her.
On the second day, she had a quarrel with her senior sister, with whom she had been in the same school for ten years, and the senior sister was heartbroken.
On the third day, the eldest sister said that she had treated the woman harshly, so she took her directly into her own courtyard and lived with her under the same roof.
The young master has always been kind, gentle and decent. He is a pure and kind person who no one can find any fault with in the past twenty years. At such a young age, he surpassed Huide and took the position of young master, and no one was dissatisfied.
Until the woman went into the mountains.
In the past few days, not only did Nan Qiong Shuang notice that the already subtle attitude of the people on the mountain became even more subtle, but even Gu Zhi found that everyone's whispers were always about him.
One day, Master Huide was finally alarmed and was summoned to the Bodhi Pavilion for a lecture.
Huide closed his eyes, the large, round beads of the Buddhist buddha beads spinning quietly in his palm, the fragrance of peace wafting in the air.
He lowered his eyes and said, "I called you here today because you have caused a lot of rumors about the woman you brought into the mountains some time ago."
Gu Zhi remained silent.
"I've already punished you for bringing an outsider up the mountain without permission. I didn't expect you to be so unrestrained as to let her live in your courtyard in public."
"To take the position of Young Sect Leader, you must convince others. When you succeed your father and lead the entire mountain, you must command everyone's respect. The reputation and prestige you've accumulated over the past seven years as Young Sect Leader are not easy to come by, and you can't let a woman destroy them. You must understand this."
"Junior understands."
"What is the origin of that woman that makes you care so much about her?" Huide opened his eyes and slowly chanted incense seals.
"She doesn't have a very special background. She's just a boat girl on the river. Her parents passed away long ago. Her name is Chu Jiaojiao. Miss Chu is just a little weak and superficial. Uncle knows my temper. I can't stand seeing people cry, so I'll take good care of her."
"That's your private matter." Huide slowly pressed the incense ash. "You are a kind-hearted child, but no matter what, Yaojie has been with you for over ten years. You shouldn't let my disciple's heart be chilled because of outsiders."
"Master uncle is right. I will go and apologize to Yao Jie someday."
Huide waved his hand, allowing him to leave, muttering softly, "Back then, your eldest brother was also a man of pure and kind nature, but he was wiser than you and his methods were more ruthless. Unfortunately... I, Tianshan, was not so blessed."
The slow and long tune, just a casual mention of the distant past, made Gu Zhi clench his fists.
His eldest brother was excellent in every way and was his father and uncle's favorite choice for the next head of the sect. Unfortunately, he passed away too soon.
It has been more than ten years, but my father and uncle still can't let it go.
He doesn't speak.
"You've caused so much trouble. Go down and receive your punishment. Kneel in the ancestral hall for three hours."
In the ancestral hall for three hours, punishing ordinary disciples would be too much, but punishing him would not be too little.
Gu Zhi was already used to it. He accepted the order and turned to leave, but was suddenly stopped. "That kid Li Xuanbai has been in seclusion with the Sect Master for nearly half a month, right? He should be out in a few days."
"That kid."
Gu Zhi turned around and listened quietly to Huide's indulgent and doting tone, tinged with pride, as he said, "That kid is a good practitioner, but he can't sit still. Ten days or half a month, he'll be bored out of his mind. Prepare a coming-out banquet for him, after you finish kneeling in the ancestral hall."
He remained silent, his eyes hidden in the shadow of his brow bone: "Yes."
My father loves Gu Zhi, and my uncle loves Li Xuanbai and Song Yaojie.
Then what is he?
I ask myself this question every day, but I never get an answer.
He pushed aside the bead curtain and went out, and a handful of beads hit the door frame, making a crackling sound.
*
When we returned to Muxueyuan, Nan Qiongshuang was resting in the house.
The window was propped up, and through the carved lattice, she could be seen.
The tree was covered with clusters of flowers. Beneath the flowers, she slept peacefully with her long eyelashes closed. Her breaths were long and shallow, as if she was having a peaceful and beautiful dream.
Miss Chu had always been different from the people on this mountain. Some of them, because of the title "Young Sect Leader," both respected and feared him, some saw the emptiness behind him and pretended to respect him but actually despised him, and some expected him to practice martial arts and swordsmanship day and night, ideally forgetting to eat or sleep.
Only Miss Chu has nothing to do with all this.
Perhaps only an outsider can give him a moment of comfort and ease on this mountain.
He looked out the window quietly for a long time. A gust of wind came and shook the petals off, so he closed the window for her.
Nan Qiong Shuang opened her eyes, her eyes clear and cold.
Wu Dao, hiding somewhere, chuckled in her ear using a telepathic voice transmission: "The window is still closed. The Wangsheng Sect made the right choice by sending you this time. You are such a kind-hearted person who can't bear to see others cry."
"It's not necessarily that he can't stand seeing people cry, but in his eyes, I'm a weakling." Nan Qiong Shuang stood up. "A gentleman like him, who appears to be humble on the outside but is actually aloof on the inside, seems to treat everyone well, but in reality, no one can get close to him."
"If it was someone as skilled in martial arts but as cold as ice as him, the two of them would probably be at odds for a year or two. If it was someone that evil and charming, she would definitely be wary at first sight, and it would be even more difficult to capture her."
"The greatest weakness of a gentleman, a man of pure goodness, is the tears of the weak."
"Fortunately, I have plenty of tears."
Wu Dao: "This is what they call good people being bullied."
Nan Qiong Shuang laughed and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Have you checked what I asked you to check?"
Wu Dao: "The mountain-guarding jade tablet seems to be in the Xingchen Pavilion on Sanqing Peak."
She took out a wooden comb with a wonderful fragrance and carefully combed her long hair.
"It's a pity that there are so many mountains, and I don't know which one is Sanqing Peak. Right now, no one on the mountain wants to see me, and Gu Zhi and Song Yaojie have told me not to hike alone. Going out like this rashly is really too suspicious."
Wu Dao: "That depends on your own plan. Since you have never taken me as a mentor, don't expect me to give you any ideas at this time."
After saying this, he disappeared with a gloating smile.
Nan Qiong Shuang rolled her eyes.
She got out of bed and went out to look for Gu Zhi, asking him to accompany her to hike in the mountains. She found the servant and asked him, but Gu Zhi came back, glanced at her and left, saying that he was punished by his uncle to kneel in the ancestral hall.
There was no need to think about it. It was because of her that she made her uncle unhappy.
He punishes people when he says he will punish them. He punishes those who deserve it and those who don’t deserve it. Even if he is the young leader, he never punishes people less.
She thought to herself that Gu Zhi, though he seemed bright and cheerful and everyone obeyed him, might actually be just an empty shell behind the scenes.
Even if it is not an empty shell, life in this mountain must be uncomfortable.
She lowered her eyes and curled a little hair between her fingers, twirling it.
This situation was too ideal and perfect for her to win his heart.
In that case, let's not take any risks for now.
So she went back to her room, propped up her cheeks, and stared at the fallen flowers on the tree in a trance.
*
When Gu Zhi came out of the ancestral hall, it was already dark.
The birds returned to the forests, and everything became eerily quiet, with only the incessant chirping of insects remaining.
When I walked out of the ancestral hall, I saw a cold figure standing under the only lamp outside the courtyard.
At first glance, I thought it was Chu Jiaojiao, but when I looked closely, it was Song Yaojie.
His heart couldn't help but tighten.
"Huai Jin." The woman followed, her disciple's clothes fluttering like white mist. Those were the clothes of the first disciple of Master Uncle Huide.
"I heard you were punished by the master again, so I came to see you. Are you okay?"
Looking at her concerned expression, he suddenly recalled the day when Chu Jiaojiao came to pick him up in a boat. They were both being punished, so why didn't she come today?
I forgot. I didn't tell her about what happened today. She probably doesn't know yet.
"Not bad." He smiled easily, "Doesn't my uncle always punish me?"
"Master has indeed been particularly strict with you. You are the future headmaster, and everyone has higher expectations of you. Huaijin, you should thank Master for this kindness."
Gu Zhi smiled and took two quick steps.
"Senior Sister, what are you doing here so late? You can't be worried about me."
"A simple punishment of kneeling won't hurt you. I'm not worried about you." Gu Zhi just smiled and said nothing. Song Yaojie continued, "You should know what I'm worried about."
Gu Zhi naturally knew. But after kneeling for so long, his temper was not good. He said, "I know, Senior Sister, there is no need to say it."
Song Yaojie didn't even notice the emotion in his words. She just thought they had a tacit understanding, so she continued, "Think about it, you went down the mountain to do some business, but you were chased twice."
"It's understandable that the Tianshan School's pearl-controlling technique has attracted the envy of outsiders and led to plots against them. But coincidentally, Miss Chu was present during both attempts."
"In fact, she was innocently implicated twice, and both times you saved her. How could the assassin have chosen to threaten her among such a vast crowd of people? Was it really just bad luck?"
"The last time, by sheer coincidence, I was poisoned by a poison that only Tianshan herbs can cure. The most important thing is—"
"If they really wanted to kill you, why didn't they choose a poison for which there's no antidote in Tianshan?"
This made Gu Zhi silent for a while.
He really couldn't find any reason to refute the last sentence.
If they really came for him, why did they use You Hongchun? How would they know that he didn't bring the herb of immortality when he went down the mountain?
Using other poisons would obviously be safer.
unless……
Unless it was intentional and a poison was chosen that only Tianshan had an antidote for.
Unless she deliberately poisoned herself with the intention of going up the mountain.
He didn't want to think about it, but he had to force himself to do so. However, if he really thought about it, it would be too scary.
So he pinched his eyebrows in pain.
Gu Zhi began to feel a slight headache and sighed, "I know. I'm afraid there's something else going on here. Senior Sister, let me think about it."
Song Yaojie patted his shoulder gently to comfort him, "Huai Jin, don't force yourself, and don't trust her blindly. There are countless people who covet the art of controlling the pearls. Don't take it for granted just because she is a weak woman."
These words vaguely reminded him of what Uncle Huide had said: "Your elder brother is wiser than you, and his methods are more ruthless."
He felt even more dizzy.
"Miss Chu is a guest, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to take good care of her, so I brought her to my courtyard a few days ago. I had no other intentions. I heard that Senior Sister was upset about this, so I beg for your forgiveness."
"Everything else is trivial. However, her origins are unknown, so the mountain's affairs must not be revealed to her, especially the mountain map, the mountain-guarding jade plaque, and the Tianshan Heart Sutra."
"I know." Such detailed instructions made him feel very incompetent.
After Song Yaojie finished her instructions, she nodded and turned around.
Only she herself knew that what she said out loud was that "Xiao Hongchun has doubts", but what she didn't say out loud was that every time she saw Chu Jiaojiao, she intuitively saw a future that she was unwilling to accept -
The unattainable man whom she had vaguely admired for ten years but never made his heart beat for a moment, might one day, in just a few days, be completely captivated by a woman of unknown origin and no merits.
She couldn't stand seeing this.
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