Chapter 19 Chapter 19 He is truly ill.
This question took her by surprise.
Li Xuanbai?
"Not really... but I was shot by an arrow in the woods, and Master Li seemed to live nearby. He happened to meet me, so he brought me back."
When she said this, her heart suddenly tightened again.
They met at Li Xuanbai's residence, not in the forest. I wonder if Li Xuanbai will cover up her lie.
"Is it just a chance encounter?" he asked again as if to confirm.
Nan Qiong Shuang thought to herself, is this suspicion that she has been colluding with the people in the mountains?
But suddenly I noticed the red tips of his ears.
Why is he blushing?
The next moment, Nan Qiong Shuang had an answer in her mind.
...No way?
But Gu Zhi lowered his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Nan Qiong Shuang was a little bit unbelievably obedient in that look. She sighed:
"That's good."
Nan Qiong Shuang tapped the medicine bowl twice with her fingernails.
Is he... a little jealous?
Because she came back with Li Xuanbai?
She lowered her head and scooped a spoonful of medicine into her mouth, thinking in her heart, not even noticing the bitterness.
Why blush if she's jealous? She's seen so many men, and they often try to make people jealous, but those with bad tempers often get angry right away, while those who are more capable of pretending will just let it go calmly.
No one has blushed just because of jealousy.
Could it be that... this famous young leader of the Tianshan Sect, a peerless gentleman with not a single flaw to even his hair, is still shy and innocent?
Nan Qiong Shuang gave Gu Zhi a strange look.
Gu Zhi's long hair hung down all over his body, his eyes were as calm as water, his forehead and nose were like jade, and he was as elegant as a snowy mountain with fallen petals.
Seeing her drinking the medicine, he asked, "Is it hot?"
It seemed a little, but Nan Qiong Shuang was used to enduring pain and heat, so she shook her head and smiled, "Not bad."
Gu Zhi continued, "I was not kind to the young lady. I brought her up the mountain to help her get rid of the poison, but I didn't expect that this would make her the target of jealousy. I was inconsiderate."
Nan Qiong Shuang's heart tightened at these words, and she quickly said, "Young Master Gu took care of me, so some people are upset because of it, which is human nature. However, it's also fortunate that it's because of your care that some people are wary of you." She added meaningfully, "If you had ignored me, I would have been a piece of meat on the chopping block."
Gu Zhi remained silent.
After a long time, he sighed.
He added, "Gu is sorry, young lady."
…
Nan Qiongshuang had heard Gu Zhi say this since the first day she met him.
She was silent.
Suddenly he said, "Actually, you don't have to apologize to me, sir."
Gu Zhi looked up in surprise.
She stirred the medicinal soup, her expression calm. "I upset the others, but it's not your fault. The reason is mine. I chose to go with Songmei, even though I knew the mountain was dangerous and that she disliked me."
"Even when Pujue Temple was poisoned that day, it was because I knew you were fighting, but I didn't stand far away and didn't stand there to watch. You really don't need to blame yourself."
Gu Zhi was stunned when he heard this and didn't know what to say for a moment.
She continued, "In fact, personal circumstances are personal choices, and everyone has to pay something for their original thoughts. You should bear the responsibilities you deserve, and you don't have to take on the responsibilities you don't deserve."
"I understand that you were trained to be the next Sect Leader, so you have to shoulder all the responsibilities since childhood. But in fact, this doesn't have to be the case."
She said softly, "Everyone has his own path. If you continue like this, you will exhaust yourself."
"You don't have to bear this responsibility, sir."
Gu Zhi was silent for a long time.
Outside the window, the birds that wake up in the morning are chirping among the branches, the shadows of the flowers are swaying, and a few rays of sunlight are filtered through.
A few petals blew in through the window, swirling and falling to the floor.
Gu Zhi silently watched the petals fall to her feet and to the side of the couch where she was sitting.
I don’t know what I was thinking, I was just in a trance.
No one had ever told him this.
Since he was born, everyone has had the same expression on his face, thousands of faces, all with the same expectation and eagerness.
He is the future leader of Tianshan. Even when he didn't have a name, he was already asked to become the popular master of the mountain.
He always had to shoulder more responsibilities than anyone else. Near and far, right and wrong, related and unrelated, all were his responsibility. He could be fined half a day for any offense.
He had no complaints, he accepted it.
However, this was the first time someone told him that this would exhaust him.
He'll exhaust himself.
Will it?
It never occurred to him that if something happened on the mountain that shouldn't have happened, the fault might not be entirely his.
Could he actually think like that?
Gu Zhi sat beside her couch, silent for who knows how long, as quiet as a wax figure.
His expression changed rapidly, and he looked dazed and confused.
Nan Qiong Shuang sighed softly and scooped another spoonful of medicine.
She never really talked to her targets. Why would she? It was easy for a man to fall in love with her; she didn't need to reveal even a little bit of herself.
Today, she spoke a little more, just to repay him for his public protection, the Huiyuan Pill, and the tear that fell on the back of her hand when he saw her injured.
He was so kind that even she was moved.
Gu Zhi came back to his senses, stood up, took out a few pieces of brown sugar from the small box on the table, and handed them to her palm.
He picked up a bright red apple from the table, peeled it for her naturally, and cut it in half.
Hand it to her.
"It's so bitter, let's use something sweet to make it better."
Nan Qiong Shuang was stunned and licked her lips hesitantly.
Is it very bitter?
She has no concept of suffering.
But Gu Zhi's face froze for a moment.
As if someone had kicked her suddenly, the next second, he forced the apple into her hand, turned around and stood up.
Turning his back to her, he said, "Miss Chu, take the medicine well. I'll be back to talk to you in the evening."
The tone was stiff and hurried.
Nan Qiongshuang looked up in confusion and stared at his back, very puzzled.
How did she displease him? His expression suddenly changed.
And... when she was lying on his bed with an arrow wound, hadn't he already started calling her "Jiaojiao"?
Why did it change back again?
But when he hurriedly turned around and left, I caught a glimpse of the tip of his ear stained red.
After crossing the threshold, Gu Zhi looked up at the swaying shadows of the trees.
He himself didn't expect that he would have such a big reaction.
Actually, it was nothing. But he said it was bitter and urged her to eat something sweet, so she stretched out the soft tip of her tongue and licked her lips lightly.
Although the medicine burned her lips and made them bright red.
Although the soft tip of the tongue is sparkling.
Although she licked it, her petal-like lips were immediately wet and shiny.
Although the upturned lip corners and plump lip beads look very suitable for...
Miss Chu would only stay in the mountains for three months. He didn't know what had happened to her, but she must have been sick.
So he almost ran away.
*
These days, Nan Qiongshuang has been waiting for Shannei's decision on how to deal with Song Yaojie.
Although Song Mei left a so-called suicide note, it was too clumsy. She didn't believe that the people from Tianshan Sect would believe Song Yaojie's words.
Moreover, Songmei was familiar with the mountain roads and the terrain of the traps. She had accompanied her under the pretext of protecting her and guiding her, but in the end, they were both injured by the traps on a path they shouldn't have taken. In this case, Songmei was no longer a suspect, but a sure thing.
Since Song Mei is a foregone conclusion, then Song Yaojie's instructions are also a foregone conclusion.
No matter how Song Yaojie fabricated her story, the fact was still clear - if Song Yaojie hadn't covered for her, Song Mei would not have had the courage to do so.
What Nan Qiongshuang understands clearly, the people in the mountains know Song Yaojie and Song Mei's personalities, so they will understand it even better.
How to deal with it depends entirely on Yamauchi's attitude towards Gu Zhi.
That day, Gu Zhi argued with Song Yaojie for her in front of everyone, and his position was so clear that even a blind person could see it.
If this is the case, Yamauchi's punishment of Song Yaojie is still insignificant, which means that Song Yaojie's faction is now suppressing Gu Zhi, and even if Gu Zhi favors her, he cannot reverse the situation.
In this case, she must think again about whether to kill Song Yaojie.
Seven days later, Yamauchi finalized the punishment for Song Yaojie: confinement at the foot of the Cliff of Repentance for three days.
Neither light nor heavy.
It seems that Gu Zhi is not just a figurehead as she thought.
However, what made Nan Qiong Shuang think again and again was this time.
The punishment, which was neither light nor severe, could have been finalized quickly, but it was delayed for seven days.
It was obvious that Yamauchi was in a very difficult situation at one point.
Given Gu Zhi's upright character, he would surely not allow this matter to be easily covered; but now that the head of the sect is in seclusion, the one in power is Uncle Huide, and Song Yaojie is Uncle Huide's first disciple. In addition, Uncle Huide has long been dissatisfied with Gu Zhi's excessive favoritism towards her. Presumably, both sides have been arguing over this matter for a long time.
In the end, both sides took a step back and settled the matter peacefully.
Nan Qiong Shuang took out the boiled red hawthorns from the pot one by one, put them in a bowl, and added rock sugar to the pot.
The bright red hawthorn juice was stirred into a vortex by the spoon, and the rock sugar melted instantly and disappeared.
She scooped up a spoonful and blew it to her lips, thinking to herself.
Now Song Yaojie is probably still difficult to shake. Taking the risk of getting rid of her may cause more trouble than it solves.
It is better not to kill.
Since Gu Zhi and Song Yaojie have a rift, she might as well ask Gu Zhi to take her to visit the mountains and see the Star Pavilion.
But suddenly he shuddered and frowned.
Looking at the hawthorn juice in the spoon, he said, "It's so sour."
*
Nan Qiongshuang sat on the steps, with a round paper lantern painted with osmanthus flowers at her feet, propping up her cheek and waiting for Gu Zhi.
It was late at night, and the stars were densely packed under the sky. The evening breeze brought the falling petals and the chirping of cicadas, and a lot of petals were piled up in the cracks of the steps.
There were too many mosquitoes. Nan Qiong Shuang stared at the bugs flying around the lantern in a trance, and kept slapping her legs and feet with her hands.
Not back yet.
I won’t be punished again, will I? It’s clearly Song Yaojie’s fault this time.
The hawthorn ice balls she made are almost melting.
After a while, the gate finally opened and Gu Zhi walked in with a lantern.
Seeing her, he was a little surprised, "Why is Miss Chu here?"
She propped up her cheek, her eyes sparkling with smile, "I'm waiting for you."
"Wait for me?" Gu Zhi smiled and handed the lamp to the maid. While letting the maid take off his coat, he took out a cushion and handed it to her, "The ground is cold."
Nan Qiong Shuang took the cushion, sat down, and said, "I've been in the mountains all day and there's really nothing to do. Young Master won't let me go out, so I can only wait for you to come back and talk to me."
Gu Zhi sat beside her and smiled, "Are you lonely?"
"Not really. My parents left long ago, and it's even better in the mountains." The lantern light was soft and warm, gathering around her face, making her eyelashes curl and thick like crow feathers. She pondered and said softly:
"At least there's still the young master on the mountain."
After saying that, I deliberately didn't look at him.
Gu Zhi was stunned, lowered his eyes, his Adam's apple rolled, and he didn't say anything.
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