Rare times
It had been several days since Song Qingyun had been seen. The manor lord was in his prime and had already planned to delegate authority, requiring Song Qingyun to personally handle all matters, big and small.
So busy that he barely had time to breathe, he kept putting off returning to the mountain.
Madam Song died in childbirth, and Song Kang kept more than a dozen concubines on his estate to alleviate his loneliness. Song Qingyun, having finally returned home, naturally abandoned his duties and went off to seek pleasure.
She bumped into Song Qingyun at the villa, and he looked at her with a face full of shame.
She didn't really care, but the days were going on and on, which inevitably made her a little annoyed. After being frustrated for a long time, she wanted to kill a little demon to vent her anger.
On this day, Song Qingyun knocked on the door and waited anxiously outside.
She slid the door open to both sides and said calmly, her expression unreadable, "Senior Brother."
"Something's happened." He pulled out a communication paper crane from his sleeve, which still bore the sect's emblem.
Lin Yueyao stood inside the room, calmly accepting the gift, listening intently, and when she looked up, the indifference in her eyes was replaced by a chilling coldness.
Flames leaped up, burning the paper crane carrying messages to ashes.
"Did you push her? Tell the truth."
Rong Yan knelt on the prayer mat, his thin figure appearing weak and insignificant, as if he could be easily strangled.
His disciples' robes were stained with blood, which dried and congealed into a grayish-brown color.
"I didn't..." He trembled, his eyes closed, his voice trembling at the end, his body curled up into a ball.
"You keep saying you didn't, but someone saw it with their own eyes that day. You pushed Lingfang down the stairs and activated the talisman, trying to destroy the scripture pavilion." The guard asked coldly, his long whip whistling through the air. "Do you admit it or not?"
“...I don’t acknowledge it…” The tragic words escaped his lips. Rong Yan bit his lip tightly. Before he could finish speaking, the whip lashed his back, tearing through his flesh.
Blood seeped through the back of his clothes, spreading from the back of his neck down to his waist, a horrifying sight.
As the guard raised his long whip and was about to strike again, a domineering sword aura cleaved open the gate, directly knocking the long whip from the guard's hand, and the flying spirit sword pierced the ground.
Wenqing broke free from the ground on its own, spun in the sky, and shattered the chains binding Rong Yan's feet.
"Who gave you permission to use torture?" Lin Yueyao slowly appeared, finished questioning and handling the matter, and transformed into a ray of spiritual light that merged into the top of her head.
When the torture was interrupted, the guard said, "The Discipline Hall has the power to conduct fair trials; this has been the rule since ancient times."
"Do you kill someone just because the rules tell you to?" Lin Yueyao's gaze fell on Rong Yan's dying body. She lifted his blood-stained clothes and saw the shocking wounds.
She remembered her master's instructions before he went into seclusion. If the old man knew, he would not only be worried, but would also blame her for being negligent as the senior sister.
Even without the master's influence, no one could tolerate their junior brother being bullied like this.
She stepped forward, picked up Rong Yan, and was about to leave when the disciples of the Discipline Hall saw her about to leave, brandished their magical artifacts, and tried to stop her.
Sensing that its master was threatened, Wenqing rushed out and surrounded her.
“There was once a demon who was slain by this sword, dying without a burial place. Do you all want to try?” She didn’t fight, but threatened verbally.
The group remained in a stalemate, none daring to act rashly.
Lin Yueyao stepped out the door with a cold and arrogant air, carrying the person in her arms, and rushed towards Medicine King Valley with Wenqing on her feet.
Rong Yan was knocked unconscious. When he woke up, he was in his own small room.
He opened his eyes, feeling a little breathless, and turned his head to the side, half of his face buried in the pillow, sleeping in a prone position.
I remember now, he was whipped and has injuries on his back.
With his head turned towards the inner room, he struggled to turn his head and saw a person sitting upright in the room.
The moment I saw it clearly, tears instantly streamed down my face, soaking my pillow.
“Senior sister…” Rong Yan choked up.
Lin Yueyao looked at him calmly, her eyes expressionless, and said, "Don't you know how to fight back?"
"They outnumber me and I can't beat them," Lin Yueyao explained, her brows furrowing slightly.
To be humiliated like this is a disgrace to my master.
The old man is still in seclusion and has not yet learned what happened. He has not yet reported back to the sect leader on his return to the mountain.
"Senior Sister, are you leaving?" Rong Yan struggled to get up. "Senior Sister, don't go..."
Knowing she disliked being close to people, Rong Yan carefully grabbed her sleeve, "I'm scared..."
Even at this moment, he was still thinking of her. Lin Yueyao's mind was slightly disturbed. She directly pulled away that hand and immediately turned to leave.
"Senior sister—" He propped himself up and went to pull her up.
Lin Yueyao impatiently shook off his hand and said coldly, "If you want to die, I won't stop you."
The people of Medicine King Valley spent a great deal of effort to clean up his wounds. His disregard for his own body was utterly foolish.
She walked out the door with pride, but upon hearing the mournful cries from inside, Lin Yueyao stood still, her heart softening instantly.
When his senior sister returned, Rong Yan stopped crying and pleaded, "Senior sister, please stay with me."
"I'm scared to be alone, can you stay with me for a while?"
My junior brother cried so hard his tears fell like raindrops, a sight that evoked pity in me. Lin Yueyao's attitude softened considerably.
"You sleep, I won't leave," she said.
The junior brother smiled, hummed in agreement, and obediently lay back down under her sharp gaze.
Lin Yueyao dragged over a bamboo stool, sat down on the edge of the bed, and just sat there quietly.
Rong Yan lay there for a while, then said, "Senior sister, come up and sleep with me."
He rushed back from Wanjian Manor, and because of his injury, he went straight to Yaowang Valley without resting for even half a day.
She was indeed a little tired, and sat on the edge of the bed. "No need."
The bed is a bit small; it's too cramped for two people. Although my junior brother is still young and doesn't understand the boundaries between men and women, it's still best not to overdo it.
She closed her eyes, seemingly exhausted.
After all this commotion, Rong Yan hadn't had a good night's sleep. Now that the person who could stand up for him and support him had returned, he could finally close his eyes in peace.
The medicine from Medicine King Valley was quite effective; in a drowsy state, it seemed as if the pain had been forgotten.
Zhan Tingyu stood in the courtyard, taking in the scene inside the small house. He carried the food box, hesitated for a long time, and decided it was best not to disturb them.
As he was about to leave, he bumped into someone behind him.
"Senior Brother." Zhan Tingyu subconsciously hid the food box behind his back, his intention too obvious, and hurriedly asked to cover it up, "When did Senior Brother return?"
"You came back early this morning. Did you come to see your junior brother too?" Song Qingyun asked gently when she saw what he was holding.
“My junior brother was punished and beaten, and I wanted to come and see him.” Zhan Tingyu lowered his eyes and looked at his hands.
Knowing it was his message crane, and that the two people inside were still napping, Song Qingyun gestured for him to follow him.
The two arrived at a bamboo forest, a secluded and lush green forest with winding paths.
"Luckily I received your message, otherwise I wouldn't have known that such a big thing happened in the sect." Song Qingyun patted his shoulder with relief, trying to close the distance between the two.
Zhan Tingyu lowered his head and remained silent, unsure whether what he was doing was right or wrong.
“I came back in a hurry today, and I don’t know the details yet. Can you tell me what happened?” Song Qingyun comforted him, put his arm around his shoulder, and sat down on a stone stool.
He hesitated, and Song Qingyun took the food box from his hand and put it aside. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you told me."
After much persuasion, and with Song Qingyun's approachable nature and high reputation within the sect, Zhan Tingyu finally revealed the details.
"I know nothing about what happened in the Sutra Repository. It's just that on that day, I happened to go to the Sutra Repository with Senior Brothers You Rong and You Ruo, and we did see Junior Sister Ling Fang fall down the stairs and a fire broke out."
"Just a coincidence?" Song Qingyun inquired for details.
Zhan Tingyu dared not be too absolute, nor dared to make a hasty conclusion. "It was not a coincidence. At that time, Junior Brother was punished to clean the Scripture Pavilion. You Rong and You Ruo were Senior Brothers who insisted on going. Moreover, I did not know that Junior Sister was present."
The implication is that the junior sister colluded with Xu Yourong and his brother, deliberately making him a witness.
Based on Song Qingyun's understanding of his junior sister, she was jealous, prone to tantrums, and, in addition to being excessive, would also sabotage others behind their backs.
Especially regarding the hostility towards Junior Sister Yueyao, he was caught in the middle, finding it difficult to please both sides, so he turned a blind eye.
What he couldn't understand was, if this really was the junior sister framing the junior brother, what was her reason?
What is there to fear about a child who has only recently begun learning and can't even hold a sword properly?
Song Qingyun understood most of it in his heart. He appeared kind and magnanimous on the surface, but deep down he was filled with anger.
Knowing his sins, Zhan Tingyu lowered his head and knelt before Song Qingyun, saying, "It was I who hurt Junior Brother. I shouldn't have followed Senior Brother Yourong's instructions."
Song Qingyun quickly helped him up, saying, "To know one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue."
"Will my junior brother forgive me?" he asked with concern. Song Qingyun comforted him instead, "Junior brother is young, but his character is excellent. He is not someone who does not understand right and wrong, otherwise Uncle Xuantong would not have accepted him as a disciple."
Zhan Tingyu felt a little relieved. It was getting late, so the two talked for a while. Song Qingyun understood the whole story and made further plans in his mind.
"Senior Brother, will you forgive Junior Sister?" he asked tentatively.
"That's not important. Even if she is my junior sister, I will not protect her because of that relationship. Once the truth is found, the outcome will be left to Master and Sect Master to decide."
Zhan Tingyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately, his senior brother was a reasonable person.
"It's getting late, you should go back now."
"Alright, I'll come visit my junior brother again later." Zhan Tingyu said goodbye, carrying the food box.
Song Qingyun returned to Fangfei Palace. His master and mistress were not there; they were probably still discussing the matter of his junior sister.
The disciples lived in separate quarters for men and women, which were quite far apart.
Song Qingyun flew to the outer perimeter of the Women's Residence on his sword. The disciples of the Women's Residence greeted him with confidence and allowed him to come and go as he pleased.
He entered the residence, made several turns, and headed straight for the courtyard where his junior sister lived.
The commotion in the courtyard carried from inside the house to outside, and Song Qingyun found her way to the doorway from the pile of shattered porcelain shards.
The junior sister was smashing things in the room, throwing things around in a fit of rage, and hit Song Qingyun on the head.
It was a sword tassel, and there was no bleeding.
Upon seeing the newcomer, the junior sister exclaimed with delight, "Senior brother, you're back!"
Song Qingyun, abandoning his usual gentle demeanor, took a step back and refused her embrace, saying, "I heard you were injured. Why haven't you been resting?"
Lingfang jumped up, but failed to catch him. Instead, she missed and fell over amidst the debris. She couldn't get up for a long time.
Song Qingyun simply looked on coldly and distantly.
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