Encounter (II)
"laugh--"
He Shu looked at the other person with a somewhat cautious expression, and the anger in his heart caused by being deceived suddenly disappeared without a trace and could never be revived again.
He loosened his grip and gently patted the back of the man's hand, speaking in a soothing tone:
"I'm not angry, don't be afraid."
As he spoke, he looked carefully at the person sitting opposite him. The closer he was, the more deeply he felt that the person in front of him was no longer the Qingshan of the past.
He was much taller and stronger than the Qingshan in his memory, and his skin was the wheat color from years of exposure to the sun and rain, revealing a vigorous vitality.
In previous lives, no matter who Qingshan was reborn, his brows always had a similar sense of elegance and illness, and his personality was mostly calm and gentle. But in this life...
It seems that the karma between them has really been resolved, and everything is going back to what it should be.
"Not afraid."
The young man was obviously relaxed by his comfort, and even held his hand in return. He lowered his head and laughed softly in his throat, looking very happy.
"What's your name? Where do you live? Why are you here in my yard?"
He Shu asked gently.
"Ah, yes, yes, fairy, wine jug."
The man seemed to be suddenly enlightened, and quickly untied a wine jug from his waist and handed it to He Shu.
It was the wine jug that he had accidentally lost when he was drinking alone by the stream that day.
He Shu lowered his head and took it, his mind filled with thoughts.
This thing is actually in his hand? It turns out...
Is he the son that Fu Qingle mentioned who picked him up from the stream and brought him home?
If this is true, the coincidence is too amazing.
The scene of Fu Qingle’s poor and simple thatched hut in his memory suddenly appeared before his eyes.
It's a pity that the old mandrill is still out hunting the shadow demon, otherwise he would definitely come to the house immediately to ask for clarification and settle the account!
"My name is Qingshan, my home is by the Yangchun River, and I'm here to return the wine jug and find the fairy."
The man answered the question honestly and word by word.
He Shu came back to his senses, and the familiar name hit his eardrums. He subconsciously repeated it:
"Qingshan?"
Hearing him call out his name, the young man's smile instantly became brighter, and he nodded repeatedly, his tone affirmative and full of joy:
"Yeah, Qingshan, Qingshan!"
He also imitated He Shu's behavior just now and gently patted the back of He Shu's hand, then tilted his head and asked:
"What's the fairy's name?"
Qingshan...
Even the names were the same? This coincidence added a layer of fateful meaning.
He Shu looked at the person in front of him.
The bright sunlight was just right, clearly outlining the other person's young and energetic features.
The corners of his mouth curved slightly in a gentle smile, and his eyes, focused and clear as a stream in the forest, looked at him...
Even though his appearance was slightly different due to reincarnation, every subtle expression and every similar movement of his slowly overlapped with the unforgettable appearance deep in He Shu's memory.
In a trance, time seemed to flow backwards, as if the old friend had never left, and was still sitting opposite him under the peach tree, talking and laughing.
But precisely because the illusion before my eyes was too beautiful, the despair rooted deep in my soul, which had already known that everything was lost, pierced my heart's defenses even more sharply.
A huge amount of sadness surged up silently, and my vision was quickly blurred by water vapor.
Before He Shu could react, a warm tear escaped from his eye socket, slid down his thin cheek, and silently sank into his clothes.
The young man sitting opposite suddenly looked panic-stricken and at a loss.
Without hesitation, he instinctively reached out his hand. His fingertips, rough from working in the mountains, gently brushed across the wet mark, coaxing softly:
“Don’t cry, don’t cry…”
His tone was filled with sincere yet blank concern.
This pure tenderness, this familiar gesture, was like the sharpest blade, cutting through the hard shell that he had forced himself to endure.
Not only did He Shu's tears fail to stop, but instead they burst out like a dam breaking, with more tears pouring out continuously.
He suddenly closed his eyes and turned his head away, trying to avoid the heartbreaking temperature.
His Adam's apple rolled violently, suppressing all the sobs that were about to burst out within his chest, and he couldn't make a single sound.
Why...why did he have to encounter these things again when he finally made up his mind to let go...
Her thin shoulders couldn't help but tremble slightly amid the falling petals.
The more tenderly the young man caressed, the more painful the loss became. The more concerned and flustered he became, the brighter and more vivid the blurred outline overlapping with the old shadow in the sunlight became, and the more...
Out of reach.
Seeing He Shu crying, the other party hesitated for a moment, then leaned over, opened his arms, and tentatively, gently embraced He Shu in his arms.
One hand was around his shoulders, and the other hand was patting his back awkwardly and clumsily, as if comforting a child who had been wronged.
He Shu took a deep breath and adjusted his breathing:
"My name is... Wuming."
He tried his best to sound calm, raised his hand to wipe away the tears on his face, and gently stepped away from the other person's warm and nostalgic embrace.
At this moment, he had already made up his mind.
Since I can meet Qingshan's reincarnation again, it is fate. So, accompanying him to live out his life peacefully may be the last thing I can do.
As long as you keep your mind guarded, stop indulging yourself too much, and stop interfering in worldly affairs, it should be... fine.
But the most urgent task is to find out why Qingshan is in such a mentally incompetent state.
The grudges between them have clearly been settled. Even if he is not rich and powerful in this life, he should at least be an ordinary mortal with a sound mind.
The current situation must be that something unexpected has gone wrong...
It seemed that we had to find Xuantongzi as soon as possible to ask him for the truth. Perhaps Chengguan, the Earth God in the temple, would know the whereabouts of this old mandrill.
He Shu lowered his head and secretly sorted out his confused thoughts.
"Nameless, nameless..."
Qingshan was completely unaware of the twists and turns in Heshu's mind, and his smile remained as bright as before.
He repeated the name in a low voice, and for some reason, his eyes suddenly lit up with an extremely bright light, and he said happily:
"Qingshan, finally found Wuming!"
He Shu was brought back to reality by his voice and forced a bitter smile.
"Why did Qingshan call me 'Fairy' before?"
As he asked, he took the other person's hand and stood up, intending to send him home first.
"White hair, white hair."
Qingshan followed Heshu out of the courtyard obediently and pointed at his long gray hair draped over his shoulders.
He Shu's eyes dropped and he suddenly realized that he was careless.
After coming out of seclusion, he thought he would no longer have frequent contact with mortals, so he didn't bother to dye his hair black, and didn't even use any tricks to deceive his eyes. Who would have thought that by chance he would meet Qingshan's reincarnation.
Fortunately... he is mentally ill now and will not pursue the matter.
Just as I was thinking about how to give a simple explanation, I caught a glimpse of the young man beside me, who suddenly looked a little guilty and quietly hid his other hand behind his back.
But he was obviously a poor "disguiser". When He Shu looked at him like that, he immediately lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong and obediently handed over the thing hidden behind him.
It was the crane feather pendant that had just fallen from the branch.
"I'm sorry... Qingshan, I shouldn't have taken..."
He murmured softly, as if afraid of being blamed.
He Shu looked at his appearance and felt it was ridiculous and funny for a moment, and his heavy heart felt a little relieved.
He suppressed the upward curve of his lips and reached out to pick up the feather ornament. Under Qingshan's eager and reluctant gaze, he raised his hand and spoke gently:
"Thank you Qingshan for saving me just now."
As he spoke, he gently tied the white feather ornament to a strand of the young man's hair that had fallen loose on his shoulder due to his previous fall.
"I'll give you this feather ornament. Just consider it... a token of my appreciation."
"Thank you, Wuming!"
Qingshan raised his hand in surprise and carefully touched the feather ornament in his hair, his eyes full of cherishment.
The two smiled at each other and walked towards Yangchun Creek together.
——
The meditation room of Dingyun Temple.
Twenty years have passed, and Master Chengguan has not changed much, but he has rigorously added a few wrinkles between his eyebrows and eyes, which are the result of time, and it does not seem strange.
I just sent Qingshan home, but didn't see Fu Qingle, so the matter of conveying the message had to be put on hold for the time being.
After leaving the stream, He Shu flew directly to Dingyun Temple and blocked Abbot Chengguan, who was about to have a vegetarian meal, in the meditation room.
"Master, do you know where Xuan Tongzi is now?"
He got straight to the point.
Chengguan supported his round belly. Seeing that Heshu had no intention of letting him go to eat, he had no choice but to sit back on the couch.
"Didn't he receive orders to pursue the fugitive? Logically speaking, you should know his whereabouts better than I do."
"I only know that the Shadow Demon seems to be lurking in the northern region, but its exact location is unknown."
He Shu sighed helplessly and sat down beside Cheng Guan.
"Alas, every time we need the old mandrill's help, he always disappears."
"What's the trouble again?"
Chengguan picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it in front of Heshu, speaking in a calm tone.
"Tell me slowly, there's no rush. I might be able to help you."
Upon hearing this, He Shu looked up at Cheng Guan, his heart slightly moved.
This Earth God is the most familiar with Xuan Tongzi, and they have a deep friendship. He has been stationed in the mortal world for many years. He has witnessed his entanglements with Qingshan for several lifetimes, and he must know a lot of inside stories.
"If a grown man... has the mind of a child, is there any chance of recovery?"
He Shu asked carefully.
“…”
Chengguan's hand holding the cup paused imperceptibly. He suddenly fell silent and didn't answer immediately. He simply picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and then slowly spoke with a sigh of understanding:
"Young donor, have you already... seen Qingshan's reincarnation?"
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