Chapter 69 Pretending to be someone's partner will hurt you.
Upon receiving confirmation of a treatment for his eyes, Zhou Yongyin was visibly overjoyed. He even hummed a tune while cooking and tending the fire. He looked older than before these past few days and no longer had the leisure to dress up. The heavy dark circles under his eyes showed that he hadn't slept well for several days.
Shen Jiuxu heard everything clearly outside. He deftly put away the dagger, simply wrapped the wound on his wrist with a strip of cloth, and after about half an incense stick's time, he got up to blow out the lamp and lay down with Jiang Yu.
The birdsong outside continued, intertwining with Zhou Yongyin's aged yet deep and powerful voice. Jiang Yu's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and Shen Jiuxu, unwilling to close his eyes, simply turned to look at him.
The yellowed leaves of the ancient tree on the distant hill behind fell to the ground, and the half of the branch with knife marks gradually sprouted new buds. One after another, flower buds emerged from it, crowding and filling that small area.
——
"Madam, this is the place."
Lu Buwen pointed to the hillside in front of him, "I just asked a few disciples there, and they said that Quesheng just came back from down there. He's been busy for many days, so he's probably tired."
Was Jianqing buried here?
Lian Chisu looked around and felt a pang of sadness. The once vibrant and beautiful woman was now buried in this obscure place, without leaving a single word. She felt it was a waste of her life.
Lu Buwen knew that her initiative to come this time was definitely not just for Jiang Yu. Ye Jianqing's death had always been a knot in her heart, and if she couldn't see him in person, he estimated that she would never be able to let go of Chisu.
The wind ruffled Lian Chisu's hair, as if someone were embracing the body of her long-lost friend. Two lines of clear tears streamed down her face as she gazed at the rampant weeds growing wildly after the rain.
"This is a place she likes."
Lu Buwen took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, "Besides, wasn't Jianqing's previous wish to find a secluded place to live a peaceful and tranquil life?"
"I was just wondering if she was injured when we went out together, and if so, could the toxins in her body, like mine, have been passed on to the fetus, leading to what happened later?"
Lian Chisu knew that after giving birth, she immediately went out to find a way to save her life. There were so many doctors in Bailuzhou, but they could only bring Lian Quesheng back to life by half. They said that it could not be completely cured and there was a possibility of recurrence in the future.
She couldn't even imagine how Ye Jianqing could have gone to find someone all by himself with just a sword. Ever since she learned that Jiang Yu was Ye Jianqing's child, Lian Chisu transferred all her feelings for her friend to Jiang Yu. They were so alike, their facial features and even their expressions were almost identical.
Those beautiful, equally dark and deep eyes always revealed the same compassion and divinity. Even before Chi Su arrived, she brought along the portrait of Ye Jianqing that she had hidden in Bailuzhou. As soon as she arrived, Jiang Yu and Ye Jianqing would be able to see each other.
Ye Jianqing would definitely be very happy that his child was born so well, becoming the Jiang Gongzi who is praised by the world for his profound cultivation and outstanding talent.
"Let's go, let's hurry over there and see what's going on. Hopefully it's nothing serious."
Lian Chisu pushed Lu Buwen onto the wheelchair, leaving a long trail on the wet ground, followed by a series of clear footprints.
Smoke slowly rose from the chimney. Zhou Yongyin pulled out a few pieces of firewood that were burning fiercely and placed them on the ground to let them go out. Seeing that the fire in the stove had shrunk considerably, he lifted the pot lid and glanced at it. He estimated that the food would be ready in about half an hour, so he moved a stool and sat down outside to wait.
The paper crane, which was squatting in front of Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu's room, saw him sitting alone and ran over excitedly, burying its body under his palm. The warm skin penetrated the paper, making the paper crane limp.
"Uncle Zhou, do you remember me?"
Lu Buwen spotted the person from a distance. He turned to Lian Chisu and said, "This is the person who helped Jianqing raise her child. His surname is Zhou. He's old, but he looks quite healthy."
"He also helped arrange Jianqing's grave."
Zhou Yongyin's eyesight was poor; he only heard the voice but couldn't see the person. He was puzzled, but still shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey, they're here!"
After a while, he finally saw Lu Buwen and Lian Chisu. He had a very pleasant conversation with Lu Buwen, but they only stayed for one night. Zhou Yongyin still felt regretful when he thought about it!
Last night, he was still complaining to Lian Quesheng about why his father hadn't come back, and today his wish came true. He saw this friend who could be considered a "friend despite the age gap," and his already excited mood became even more thrilled.
"Uncle Zhou, let me introduce you. This is my Daoist partner, Lian Chisu, who is also Jianqing's friend."
"Uncle Zhou," Lian Chisu said politely. Zhou Yongyin smiled from ear to ear. "Alright, alright, Quesheng and the others should be waking up soon. I'll go call them now."
"No need, Uncle Zhou, they should be out in a bit. The three of us can chat here alone for a while, it's fine if we ignore them," Lu Buwen said with a smile, pulling up a stool for Lian Chisu to sit down.
"Oh dear, look at my memory! I'll go pour you some tea!" Zhou Yongyin quickly brought out a few teacups from the kitchen. The group sat around the table, and everything seemed harmonious and pleasant.
"I just don't know what happened to Jiang Yu, what kind of injury he suffered. I heard from Quesheng that we should bring more doctors over, so Chisu and I rushed over. How is he now? Is it serious?"
"Thank you, thank you." Zhou Yongyin pushed the teacup in front of them, inviting them to drink water. He took a small sip himself before saying, "I can't see anymore, but Quesheng found someone to take a look and said that I can get better, it will just take a few more days."
"How could I suddenly go blind?"
Lian Chisu was, after all, an elder, and had met more people than Lian Quesheng and Jiang Yu. Moreover, as the head of Bailuzhou, she was not so easily fooled. She immediately felt that this matter was definitely not as simple as Zhou Yongyin had said. However, since the children were still sleeping, she was too embarrassed to disturb them. She just waited anxiously for Jiang Yu and the others to come out.
"That Lian Quesheng is really something. He said something happened, but he didn't tell us what happened. It's such a big deal that he lost his sight, and he didn't say a word. I'll beat him to death."
Lian Chisu's voice rose considerably in anger. Lian Quesheng, who was half asleep inside, sneezed. The sudden goosebumps jolted him awake, and he had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Sure enough, not long after, he heard that familiar voice that was constantly muttering in his sleep. Wasn't that his parents who were far away in Bailuzhou?
Are dreams this real?
The sound seemed to ring right next to his ear. Lian Quesheng yawned, unable to sleep. He realized it was almost time for dinner, so he pushed open the door and went out.
"Father, Mother—"
He was stunned, feeling something was very strange. He couldn't help but rub his eyes and pinch himself, but the two people still appeared in front of him in a very real way.
Did the dream come true?
"You brat! Jiang Yu can't see, and things are so serious, yet you didn't even mention it in your letter. You only care about your little bit of money!" Lian Chisu immediately picked up a board to beat him.
Before Lian Quesheng could even figure out where the board came from, his survival instincts, ingrained in his body, had already kicked out before his mind could even process it.
One person chased another, over and over the mountain, still relentlessly pursuing him. The pebbles on the ground were kicked aside, making a soft, crunching sound.
Jiang Yu woke up with a start, panting heavily. He reached out to find Shen Jiuxu, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he touched him.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Shen Jiuxu looked at him, who was covered in sweat, and wiped it clean for him bit by bit. He then wrapped his long arm around him and pulled him into his arms. "It's okay, dreams are always the opposite of reality."
"Someone was chasing me."
Jiang Yu whispered, "But I didn't see his face clearly, and he ran very fast, but I couldn't muster any strength."
“Dreams are all just illusions,” Shen Jiuxu comforted her. “I’m here. The flower bud is watching over you the whole time, so don’t worry.”
"Um."
Jiang Yu felt a bitter taste in her mouth, mixed with a faint smell of blood. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I cut my finger while cutting something, but it's fine now."
Shen Jiuxu made up an excuse. After all, if he said nothing had happened, the smell of blood in the air wouldn't be able to fool him. Jiang Yu's nose was always very sensitive.
Even though she knew Jiang Yu wouldn't believe her, this was the only way at the moment.
He couldn't see, and his spiritual power was gone. He couldn't stop himself. He just wanted Jiang Yu's eyes to recover. Shen Jiuxu felt that by then, it would be worth it even if he beat and scolded himself.
"Let me see."
Jiang Yu didn't believe him, but she didn't say it directly either. The two of them understood each other implicitly, knowing that the other was lying to them, but they were both powerless at this moment.
"It's all better now." Shen Jiuxu let Jiang Yu touch his hand. He had made a small cut on his index finger beforehand, just in preparation for the current situation.
Jiang Yu found the spot, put his finger in his mouth, and a hint of heartache showed in his eyes, which couldn't see anything. He knew it couldn't be this small wound, but Shen Jiuxu refused to tell him the truth.
A profound sense of powerlessness overwhelmed Jiang Yu. His mind was like a tangled mess, devoid of order and structure, lying there haphazardly, impossible to untangle.
"Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
Both of them carried a hint of bitterness, yet they both put on a perfect act in front of each other. Jiang Yu appeared nonchalant and said gently, "Be more careful next time, your Daoist partner will be worried."
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Author's note: Two little bitter gourds will soon turn into little sweet gourds [crying emoji]
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