Xuan asked, "Who is standing under the pavilion?"
Although Pei Hanzhou went against her conscience to fight for her son, she was prepared to be rejected from the beginning and never expected that she would agree so readily.
He immediately said, "You are still engaged to your Senior Brother Yu, this matter..."
Yan Huanyue lowered her head and stroked the veil on her knees, saying in a muffled voice, "This disciple has never liked Senior Brother Yu. This disciple is also aware that the Yu clan has many complaints about this disciple's background. Since that is the case, marriage is a union between two families, not something to be endured. This disciple has already proposed to Senior Brother Yu that the engagement be called off."
Pei Hanzhou thought she had just had another argument with Yu Zhao and was about to offer some words of comfort when he caught a glimpse of the quietly floating gauze curtain out of the corner of his eye.
A struggle flashed in his eyes, but he finally looked away, glancing at Yan Huanyue's messy hair, which was sticking up from the rain, and sighed, "Go back. Don't tell anyone about what happened today."
That's what the sect leader said in the previous life too.
It turns out that even if she agreed, the sect leader would think it over again. He probably said this so that when others learned the young man's identity after today, they wouldn't gossip that she was attached to the prosperity of Yunjing and didn't remember the kindness of the past.
Only if she becomes a Daoist couple with the young man from the sect leader's family will Madam Yu not feel ashamed of losing face after being jilted and continue to pester him. On the contrary, she might even gain a lot of face from this, making the annulment of the engagement smoother.
The woman whom Yu wanted to marry to repay a debt of gratitude, but out of gratitude and loyalty, chose to give up the prosperity of Yunjing and marry a sickly young man. Yu could only suppress her tears and let it go.
Where else in this world can one find such a thing that can double the kindness and happiness of the Yu family?
Judging from their style, they might even send a nice gift, ha...
She remained seated in the chair, glancing back at the gauze curtain before turning back to look up at Pei Hanzhou, her face full of innocence as she said:
"Sect Leader, even if you hadn't asked today, I would still have canceled the marriage with the Yu family. Now that you have the power to save people, why not let me do it?"
Pei Hanzhou turned and walked to a row of chairs opposite him. Yan Huanyue couldn't see his expression, but she heard him say in a low voice, "He was born weak, his lifespan is unknown, and he has half-demon blood..."
"This disciple is willing."
Pei Hanzhou turned his head in surprise, and after a long while, asked, "Really?"
Yan Huanyue nodded very sincerely.
Pei Hanzhou pondered for a long time, then suddenly smiled sadly and said, "I never thought that I, Pei Hanzhou, would be so selfish... Don't worry, after we get married and form a heart contract, you can use your heart contract to nurture him. If you regret it in the future and want any compensation, as long as it doesn't violate the law, I will offer it to you with both hands."
Pei Hanzhou immediately stepped out of the hall, saying as he walked, "I'll go discuss this matter with Elder Feng and Senior Sister first, and then I'll explain it to you in detail. You can rest here for a while, and I'll have your Senior Brother Xianqing take you back later."
A gust of wind swept by, and Pei Hanzhou was no longer in the hall.
The gloom of a rainy dusk pressed down, making the hall much darker, with only the faint light emanating from the candle behind the gauze curtain on the east side.
Yan Huanyue stood up and turned to face the gently rippling gauze curtain, just as a low cough came from there.
She walked step by step to the front of the gauze curtain, looking at the hazy figure inside. Although she understood what was going on, she still asked softly, "Is the sect leader talking about you?"
After a long while, a clear and melodious voice, like a stream flowing gently under the moon, slowly emerged, "It's me. The wind is strong outside, please help me close the door."
He was still wearing an autumn cloak in this season when people should be wearing spring clothes, naturally because he was afraid of the cold. At this moment, a cool breeze was blowing in the hall, and his cough just now was probably because of this.
Yan Huanyue subtly conjured a magic spell with her fingertips, and the carved narrow door inside the gauze curtain closed silently.
She had just turned around and taken a few steps when several suppressed coughs echoed through the empty hall behind her.
She had seen him twice in her past life, but now she could hardly remember what he looked like. She only vaguely remembered that the first time she saw him was when she saw him from afar and heard others talk about his identity. The second time she saw him was before she left her sect for Yunjing.
That Mid-Autumn Festival, most of the sect's disciples returned to their hometowns to visit relatives. Under the moonlit night by the lake, she took two river lanterns she had made to release, but she happened to see a slender figure sitting alone under the wooden pavilion, bathed in the moonlight.
The wind chimes made of bamboo joints tinkled and jingled.
She released the river lanterns, and he remained silent, yet he seemed to have turned his head to look at the lake under the bright moon and stars, and the candlelight reflected in the two river lanterns.
As she left, she finally couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked, "Who is under the pavilion?"
He replied softly, "Pei Xuanzhi."
She didn't know which of the two men was older, or whether she should address him as "brother" or "sister," so she simply used the terms of address from Chang'an and asked, "Young master, how have you been lately?"
In the bright moonlight and gentle breeze, still weak from his illness, he said softly, "I'm fine, thank you for your concern, sister."
Fragile, weak, exactly the same as it is now...
Yan Huanyue walked out of Changqing Palace and saw that the sky was dark and gloomy, and it was almost impossible to see the outline of the outside world. The rain was getting heavier, and the raindrops were splashing into the eaves, which was very cool.
Su Xianqing stood under the eaves outside the palace gate, holding an umbrella in one hand and a bright bamboo lantern in the other. He said to a few disciples who were still studying in the Zhijing Hall and were passing by on the jade steps, "If you are late for evening class, be careful not to be punished by Elder Feng."
One of the disciples said cheerfully, "Senior Brother Su, it was Elder Feng who set aside the evening lessons in the hall and ordered us to recite the texts. Tomorrow, the senior sisters and brothers from each dormitory will check on us. We're on our way to the library!"
Su Xianqing said knowingly, "Then let's go quickly."
He turned to look at Yan Huanyue, his eyes filled with a hint of anticipation, but said calmly, "Yan Baoying, then... I'll send you to the library as well."
Yan Huanyue nodded in agreement.
She nodded, but Su Xianqing felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Given her past personality, she would have undoubtedly been hesitant and evasive, dragging her feet and making a fuss about wanting to play or be lazy. She would never have agreed to go to the library to read so quickly.
Since she had already agreed, Su Xianqing couldn't bring himself to discourage her, so he could only offer a reluctant encouragement: "Alright, then go and make a name for yourself."
After passing through a cluster of buildings and arriving at the entrance of the library, Su Xianqing, having fulfilled his master's orders, turned and left.
The library is sixteen zhang tall and has five floors. On the dome of each floor, a huge Xuan Tian Bagua (a symbol of the Eight Trigrams of the Illusion) quietly radiates light.
But that radiance was related to the moon and stars in the sky, and now that the sky was overcast, the library was also somewhat dim.
On both sides of the long hall on the first floor, dozens of rows of bookshelves, each three meters high, are arranged in succession to the east and west.
The bookshelves were spaced far apart, and several disciples, holding candlesticks, floated up and down in mid-air, searching for books.
Yan Huanyue received a candlestick and two envelopes from the duty officer by the door, and lit the candlestick with a small flame from her fingertips by performing a magic spell.
Walking to the east side of the long hall, following my memory, I passed by the bookshelves for talismans, hydrology, astronomy, worldly affairs, and divination, and finally found Han Shuangying searching for scriptures in front of the Cave Heaven Shelf.
Han Shuangying, as the third disciple of Elder Feng of Zhijing Hall, was more rigorous and mature in her conduct than her two senior brothers, and was therefore highly regarded by Elder Feng.
Since the beginning of this year, she has been providing supplementary explanations for the lessons taught in the morning and evening classes at Zhijingtang.
Knowing that evening classes were canceled, Yan Huanyue usually wouldn't go back to her room to rest, but would come here to read instead.
Han Shuangying took out the book she had found and put it into her treasure pouch. When she turned around and landed, she saw Yan Huanyue standing properly by the tall bookshelf, holding a candlestick and looking up at her in the dim light.
Seeing her looking over, Yan Huanyue smiled at her rather shyly.
Han Shuangying found it rather strange. Yan Huanyue, who was used to being lazy, would have run away as fast as a mouse seeing a cat in the past when she saw her. She would never have stood obediently to the side and wait like this.
Thinking of this, Han Shuangying gathered her breath and landed silently.
Elder Feng was a strict man, and Han Shuangying surpassed him in every way.
Yan Huanyue had always been afraid of her, and now she suppressed her deep-seated fear of her even more, and asked softly, "I heard that Elder Feng ordered us to memorize books. I wanted to ask Senior Sister which book and which chapter our Xinzizhai is required to memorize."
Han Shuangying blinked secretly, and saw that the person in front of her was indeed the well-behaved and shy Yan Huanyue, who was just hard to get going. She had been in the Zhijing Hall for fourteen years and had five spiritual roots, but her cultivation was still not as good as that of someone who had been in the hall for six years and had five spiritual roots.
Yan Huanyue roughly knew what Han Shuangying was thinking, and she also knew how deeply ingrained the image of her wasting her time was in Han Shuangying's eyes.
He couldn't help but lower his head and say, "Senior Sister Han, I suddenly realized today that I regret the time I wasted in the past..."
Han Shuangying paused for a moment, looking at the swaying white jade hairpin at Yan Huanyue's temple.
She usually wore a hairband and only had a few clothes, so she rarely had spare money to spend on herself. She didn't know where she found this hair ornament.
Han Shuangying reached out and smoothed her jade hairpin, saying expressionlessly, "It's good that you know your mistake. It seems you're just lazy, not stupid."
Yan Huanyue choked up.
Han Shuangying continued, "The five spiritual roots are not entirely without a way out. Lingwei Zhenren, with only four spiritual roots, is one of the supreme weapons of the human race. Although you have a pure spiritual body, you are most suitable to utilize the five spiritual roots, but you need to work hard."
As he spoke, he casually patted her head lightly, then placed his hand on the top of her head.
After a long silence, he said coldly, "You haven't been possessed. If you're just saying this on a whim to deceive me, I'll hang you on the library door and beat you for three days."
Before Yan Huanyue could even look up, an old book was stuffed into her arms, titled "The Lower Mystery Classic".
Han Shuangying said, "You haven't been able to memorize the 'Spiritual Restraint Chapter' for many years. If you truly repent, stay in the hall tomorrow afternoon, recite it for me, and practice it once. Now go to the second floor."
Yan Huanyue held the book in both hands, and a fragrant breeze of magnolia blossoms wafted by her. Han Shuangying then flew up to the top of the bookshelf to find another book.
Yan Huanyue bowed slightly to the person in the air, then turned and continued walking eastward with the book and candlestick in her hands.
On the way, I opened this old book with one hand and saw many annotations written in ink of varying ages.
All of these are in Han's handwriting. Judging from the four different shades of ink and the completely different perspectives, Han must have read this book at least four times.
When I first entered the Zhijing Hall for cultivation, when I became an apprentice under Elder Feng, when I was about to assist my master in managing the new disciples, and before I became a tutor for the morning and evening classes.
Yan Huanyue knew the book was precious. She thought to herself that Senior Sister Han hadn't really discouraged her. Perhaps teachers are generally willing to support their students' choices to repent and understand.
As she approached the wooden steps leading to the second floor, she looked up and saw Xue Jingnian, dressed in a red robe with cloud patterns, smiling as he walked down the steps with a group of male and female disciples.
The three bloody scratches on his face, inflicted by her underhanded tactics during their fight earlier that day, were still visible.
Upon seeing her, Xue Jingnian paused in his steps, and his smile vanished instantly.
He glanced at her only once, then continued walking as if he hadn't seen her at all, and the group followed him past her in a flurry.
Xue Jingnian was the same age as her and came from the Xue family of Chang'an. He entered the Zhijing Hall about two years later than her. When he was five years old and still clueless when he entered the Xinzizhai, it was she who helped him get familiar with the sect.
However, as more and more people gathered around him, she, a nobody, just wanted to stay quietly and no longer had the leisure to go up and join in.
Even now, she can't recall when they started to dislike each other.
After Xue Jingnian became a disciple of Elder Yin of Qingxu Peak, he not only grew up and improved his cultivation, but also learned how to destroy someone's heart.
At first it was just fighting, but later when he provoked her, he would make sarcastic remarks about her mismatched marriage with Yu Zhao to provoke her into making mistakes.
If this were in her previous life, given the extent of her mutual dislike for Xue Jingnian, she would have been somewhat disturbed by the scene in the library today.
A furtive glare or a silent curse would be perfectly normal. But seeing the seventeen-year-old Xue Jingnian again now, she felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she were witnessing a brush with death.
Someone I used to hate so much, now that they've died, I think about them again...
Yeah, it's still really annoying.
A note from the author:
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