[Old Cold Wood] Her senior brother also had such a past
Many days later.
The aroma of medicinal herbs still lingered in the bamboo hut, but the sky was already bright outside the window. After several days of recuperation, coupled with the medicinal decoctions brought by her master, Zhou Suyao felt that her nearly depleted spiritual energy was slowly recovering like a thawed stream.
She tried to circulate a small circle of energy. Although the circulation of her spiritual power was still a little sluggish, her movements were no longer affected.
Just as she was thinking about how to kill the boring time of recuperation, there was a knock on her bamboo door. The voice of her third brother Zhou Zonglan came through the door, still as nonchalant as before:
"Junior Sister, are you feeling better?"
As he spoke, he pushed the door open and walked in, carrying a finely woven medicine basket and a small hoe in his hands. Unlike the tight clothes he wore when he practiced in the past, he was only wearing an indigo blue coarse cloth shorts that were convenient for traveling in the mountains, which made his posture look taller and more agile.
His gaze paused for a moment on Zhou Suyao's pale face, and his brows furrowed. "Why do you still look so bad?"
"I'm much better now..." Zhou Suyao said unconvinced.
"Alright, alright, as long as you say it's okay." The third brother waved his hand. "It just so happens that Master told me that since you're able to get out of bed, you should come with me to the back mountain to pick some herbs. This will help you stretch your muscles and bones to help you recover, and it will also help replenish the pharmacy's stock. I've been treating your injuries for a while now, and we've lost quite a lot."
"Okay." Zhou Suyao had been asking for it but couldn't get it, so she nodded in agreement immediately after receiving the approval.
After all, going out for some fresh air is better than staying in this bamboo house facing the beams and thinking about random things, letting those nagging problems make her feel suffocated.
The mountains behind Chengxiandao were shrouded in mist and ancient trees. While spiritual energy was abundant here, the terrain was also treacherous. Ordinary people wouldn't dare venture in. But for Zhou Suyao and Zhou Zonglan, it was a familiar path.
Zhou Zonglan led the way, occasionally swinging his sword to cut through the vines and thorns blocking the way. Zhou Suyao followed behind him, carefully searching the crevices under the rocks for any usable herbs.
At first, the two of them were just collecting herbs in silence. The wind blew through the forest, making a rustling sound. It was so comfortable that Zhou Suyao couldn't help but get distracted.
But in this moment of distraction, her fingertip was scratched by the fine teeth on the edge of a mint leaf, and blood oozed out. Zhou Suyao subconsciously put her finger into her mouth.
Zhou Zonglan in front seemed to have eyes on his back. Without turning his head, a voice came over: "Focus more. When you return with scars and injuries, I will be chopped into pieces by your master and second brother."
Zhou Suyao curled her lips and said impatiently, "I know, Third Brother, you are so nagging."
After saying that, she straightened up and pounded her aching back. When she looked up, she saw clouds that looked like peach trees in the distance. That was exactly the direction where her senior brother Zhou Shanyuan was practicing.
Looking at that place, Zhou Suyao felt her heart become even heavier.
She lowered her head and fiddled with the herbs in the medicine basket with her uninjured right hand, but her heart was flying somewhere far away.
Silence. Only the mountain wind blew through the gaps in the trees.
Suddenly, Zhou Zonglan seemed to recall something, and with a hint of reminiscence in his tone, he broke the silence and said slowly, "Speaking of which, when I first started practicing, my foundation was unstable. When my spiritual power allowed me to get out of breath or lose my focus, it was always Senior Brother who patiently guided me."
Zhou Suyao's hand that was picking herbs paused slightly, and she raised her head to look at Zhou Zonglan's back.
Since she entered the sect, she rarely saw the Third Brother and the First Brother together. If they were together, the Second Brother would definitely be there. So in her mind, she always thought that the Third Brother and the First Brother had a feud.
Today was the first time she heard her third senior brother mention the eldest senior brother's past.
Zhou Zonglan didn't turn around. He continued, still bending over his medicine stick, identifying an orchid hidden under the moss. He continued, "Master back then... well, his health wasn't as good as it is now, but he was also less reliable. He was often elusive. Back then, I had just joined the sect, and the basic training was almost entirely handled by Senior Brother."
His tone was filled with respect as he said, "Big Brother is a man of few words. When he demonstrates the exercises and explains the key points, he never says much. If you do it right, he'll just nod. If you do it wrong, he'll gently point out the mistake with a stick. He won't show any impatience, but he won't express any extra emotion either. At most, he'll demonstrate it again at a slower speed."
The third senior brother's voice was very calm, but it made Zhou Suyao recall a completely unfamiliar picture in her mind: a still young Zhou Shanyuan, perhaps not as thin as he is today, standing silently in the training ground with his hands behind his back, watching the newbie Zhou Zonglan clumsily wielding a wooden sword, practicing the sword technique that he had not yet memorized.
"He's actually not that nosy..." Zhou Zonglan said, a hint of a smile creeping into his voice. "To me, I often feel like he's less like the eldest senior brother and more like a statue to be looked up to. Later, when the eldest senior brother discovered that I was more talented in swordsmanship, I turned to the second senior brother for advice."
"As for your second senior brother," he chuckled and said, "Your second senior brother's swordsmanship is sharp and fierce, which suits my personality better."
Zhou Suyao listened quietly, feeling a sense of bitterness in her heart.
The next moment, Zhou Zonglan suddenly changed the subject, his tone instantly becoming serious: "It's just that last time, when you were trapped in the Imperial City, Senior Brother was in seclusion, and there happened to be a locust plague down the mountain, so Second Brother went to help. I originally planned to rush over first and then send a message to Second Brother."
"But before I even left the mountain gate, I felt a surge of turbulent spiritual energy erupting from the retreat of my senior brother in the back mountain. The next moment, my senior brother appeared before me. He hadn't even changed his underwear. His lips were as pale as paper. Upon seeing me, he asked directly, 'Where are you?' As soon as I answered, 'Imperial City,' he vanished."
The mountain wind seemed to stop at this moment.
Zhou Zonglan's tone was flat, as if he was narrating a trivial matter, but Zhou Suyao felt that every word spoken by the third senior brother was like a hammer hitting her heart, making a dull sound.
"I've never seen Senior Brother like that... He looked practically lost. He usually values his demeanor and dignity, but at that moment... Moreover, he was forcing his way through the barriers, so the consumption of his spiritual energy was naturally enormous."
"Um……"
Zhou Suyao opened her mouth, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something. After a long while, she uttered an extremely dry voice: "...Is that so."
Apart from these two words, she had no idea what else to say. Doubt? Gratitude? None of them seemed appropriate, none of them could accurately describe the chaotic mood in her heart at that moment.
Zhou Zonglan looked at her complex and inexplicable expression and shrugged. Having grown up in a common family, he naturally understood the complex emotions behind the inexpressible feelings. He said no more, but turned around and said calmly while searching for herbs, "Big Brother always pretends to be deep and profound. No one can guess what he's thinking. But since he's protecting you, just accept it and don't feel guilty. If Big Brother were in danger, you, me, and Second Brother would definitely help him."
These words were meant to comfort her.
Zhou Suyao nodded and followed her third brother silently. The two of them didn't exchange any more words for the rest of the journey.
Perhaps because she was absent-minded, or perhaps because she was exhausted after being seriously injured, Zhou Suyao slipped and almost fell when she was going down a long slope.
"Be careful." The third brother quickly supported her arm.
"Thank you, Third Brother."
Zhou Zonglan released his hand, looked at the sky, and rummaged through the medicine basket a few times before saying, "It's almost done, let's go back. Your injury hasn't healed yet, so there's no need to overwork yourself."
The two walked down the mountain along the same path they came. The back mountain was even quieter in the evening, with towering ancient trees on both sides and birds flying and insects chirping all around.
As soon as he reached the mountain gate, Zhou Suyao saw from afar a thin figure standing quietly among the ginseng trees, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
The man's wide robe fluttered slightly in the mountain breeze, making him look even thinner. There was no expression on his pale face, only his deep and beautiful eyes, piercing through the clouds and mist, fell on her face.
It’s Zhou Shanyuan.
Zhou Zonglan paused immediately. He quickly glanced at Zhou Suyao, then naturally took a step forward and bowed respectfully to Zhou Shanyuan, saying, "Big Brother."
Zhou Shanyuan nodded slightly, but his eyes never left Zhou Suyao.
Zhou Zonglan took over the conversation with great insight, saying, "Big Brother, I've collected all the herbs. I'll send them to the pharmacy first."
After saying that, without even waiting for Zhou Shanyuan's response, he quickly and naturally took the medicine basket from Zhou Suyao's hand. Almost in the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared in the winding mountain road.
Only Zhou Suyao and Zhou Shanyuan were left there.
The clouds and mist flowing in the mountains isolate the hustle and bustle of the world and prolong the silent gaze at this moment.
Zhou Suyao felt that her mood, which had been disturbed by her third senior brother's words on the mountain, was now even more difficult to deal with. She subconsciously avoided Zhou Shanyuan's gaze, hurriedly lowered her head, and stared at the tip of her shoe.
She could feel the elder brother's gaze still on her, calm, yet making her almost breathless.
But what should she say?
Ask him why he wanted to break through the barrier to save himself?
Ask him what his connection is with Bai Jiazi.
Ask him how sincere his waiting and companionship are now?
Thousands of words were stuck in her chest, but she couldn't ask a single word.
The mountain breeze blew by, and her nose seemed to be enveloped by an invisible, faint, clear and ethereal cold fragrance of peach blossoms.
That was the scent of the eldest brother brought by the breeze.
Finally, he moved.
Zhou Shanyuan walked slowly towards her, stopping just one step away. He didn't say anything, but slowly raised his hand.
Zhou Suyao was frightened by his movement and her body tensed instantly. She subconsciously wanted to step back, but she forced herself to hold back.
However, the pair of bony fingers did not actually touch her, but only brushed slowly over her injured left shoulder. In an instant, a gentle spiritual power slowly flowed over, seeping through her clothes and bringing a burst of warmth.
"Your spiritual energy is still stagnant, and the blood circulation in the injured area is not completely smooth."
He withdrew his hand, his voice as usual without any emotion: "Master is still worried. I shouldn't have let you go up the mountain today."
After saying that, he gently rubbed Zhou Suyao's head.
Zhou Suyao raised her head and saw his eyes that were like deep waters. There seemed to be a lot of things in them, but also nothing.
But this face is as beautiful as a fairy.
She inexplicably thought of a poem written by someone she had forgotten, which was about an immortal stroking my head and me saying I wanted to tie my hair together with his and live forever.
"I'm fine..." Zhou Suyao heard her voice tighten a little, "I'll move around a bit...it's actually...feeling better."
Zhou Shanyuan looked at her quietly, listening to her stuttering, and suddenly smiled lightly, and even Zhou Suyao didn't react.
She even almost foolishly asked her senior brother if he was laughing.
But she didn't ask.
Until Zhou Shanyuan slowly said: "After returning, ask Zong Lan to add some herbs that can promote blood circulation and dissipate blood stasis to your medicine for the next few nights."
"Yes..." Zhou Suyao agreed.
The conversation seemed to end there, and a strange silence fell between the two again.
Zhou Suyao felt that every second she stood here was torture. She desperately wanted to escape this panic-inducing atmosphere, so she made an excuse: "Big Brother... if there's nothing else... I'll... go first..."
"Walk with me."
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