Chapter 116 Face to face
Jueyan helped Jueyin to her secluded retreat, and as soon as they sat down, he asked worriedly, "How is she?"
Jueyin whispered, "It's nothing." But he reached out and removed two thin, cicada-wing-like membranes from his eyes, the back of which was already blood red.
Jueyan looked over in shock. Jueyin's eyes were no longer covered, and sure enough, two streams of bloody tears quickly flowed down his face. His red eyes and the two bloodstains made his temperament change, almost to the point of being demonic.
Jueyan was furious. "Why don't you cherish yourself? You've been acting strangely for the past six months. Now you're not even going to keep your eyes?"
Jueyin laughed and said, "If junior brother becomes blind, will senior brother despise me and kick me out of the temple?"
Jueyan had watched him grow up. Although they were called fellow disciples and both received their teachings from the same master, Jueyan had been the one to discipline and care for him more in daily life. Hearing these words, he felt a pang of pain in his heart and couldn't help but roar, "Nonsense! From now on, you're not going to leave until you're completely healed! Forget about leaving the mountain or the temple, you're not even going to step out of this stone gate!"
Jueyin knew he was angry, so she chuckled quietly, "Don't be so nervous, it's not like it's the first time."
"You still brought it up!" Jueyan's head was also aching.
He calmed his chaotic emotions and said, "You can rest here. I will bring you food every day. You can leave whenever you feel better. Just tell me if you need anything."
He went over to wipe Jueyan's eyes, applied the prepared medicine, and carefully bandaged them, his heart heavy.
Jueyin tilted his head slightly and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Senior brother, this time I will be in seclusion for a long time."
Jueyan nodded, "For ten or twenty years, your senior brother will stay with you and never leave the temple."
Jueyin wanted to laugh, but he didn't. He reached out and grabbed Jueyan's arm, just like when he had made a mistake as a child.
“You’ve been stubborn and willful since you were little. Once you’ve made up your mind, nothing can change it. Your master told you to meditate and practice your skills instead of playing around, but you insist on having fun before you come back. You’re even willing to be punished, and you’ll do it again next time.” He patted Jueyin’s hand.
The child has grown up now, but his personality hasn't changed.
On the other side, as soon as Jueyin left, Xiao Qing became restless.
Originally, she felt she had a lot to say to Fu Mingyi, but so much had happened today. Just considering that since taking control of this body, she had experienced a series of interactions with Ma Hong, Zhao Youchen, and Yu Zaiting, and her mind was already filled with many thoughts.
Just now, she went up to Tianyin Temple and sat with Jueyin for a short while. But in this place, at this time, it seemed that all the restlessness and noise brought from the foot of the mountain could return to boundless tranquility.
When you are completely still, you don't want to say anything. It's as if simply sitting quietly and watching the full moon hang low in the mountains is a complete enjoyment.
"Is Your Majesty tired?" Fu Mingyi asked.
"It's alright," Xiao Qing replied immediately.
Fu Mingyi nodded, "Then let's take a stroll. His Majesty can rest when we reach the side room."
Xiao Qing nodded, thinking that it would be more appropriate for the two of them to go back rather than sit here and drink tea.
Fu Mingyi told Ma Hong to go back to his room to prepare, and then led Xiao Qing slowly down the mountain path.
Night fell heavily, and moonlight, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow, spilled across the woods, the stone steps, and beside the roof tiles...
Xiao Qing childishly stepped on the nearby points of light, also trying to distract herself from the discomfort of the silent atmosphere.
"Is this cloak Your Majesty General Zhao's?"
“Ah, it’s General Zhao’s.” Xiao Qing paused. “Back in the palace, because it was cool at night near the water, General Zhao lent me his cloak. Hmm, I’ll return it to him when I get back tomorrow.”
She asked with some curiosity, "How did the Grand Tutor find out?"
Fu Mingyi smiled. "It's not hard to guess. There aren't many people who can get close to His Majesty and do such a thing. Besides, this is the standard robe of the Imperial Guard."
Xiao Qing nodded.
“Yu Zaiting will depart tomorrow, and I will see him off outside the city gate.”
He paused, then continued, "Did His Majesty promise him anything...?"
Xiao Qing stopped in her tracks when she thought of Yu Zaiting's deep bow.
Fu Mingyi turned around and looked at her, as if waiting for her to speak.
Xiao Qing knew that some things couldn't be avoided. Fu Mingyi insisted on coming to Tianyin Temple so late, and Jueyin had only said she would wait for her, yet she had placed two prayer cushions in front of her. Fu Mingyi had dismissed Ma Hong and wanted to walk back to their room together... It couldn't just be for a simple walk, could it?
What Fu Mingyi said before was just an appetizer. Rather than letting him speak first, she should speak herself. That way, she might be able to take more initiative.
"Grand Tutor, since we've come this far, I have some things I wish to confess to you. But may I also ask for your honesty?"
Fu Mingyi looked at Xiao Qing, who was two steps above him. Even so, he still had to lower his head slightly to see her eyes.
But in her eyes dwells a soul that is completely incompatible with her physical form.
He may have realized this a long time ago, but it was in the Spirit Tomb that he truly confirmed and faced this fact.
Compared to Xiao Qing's straightforwardness and frankness, what he could actually be frank about was probably extremely limited.
Xiao Qing mustered her courage and said, "To show my sincerity, I'll speak first."
“I am Xiao Qing, but I am neither the Xiao Qing of your land nor Xiao Yan. The country I come from is a place that you can't even reach here. According to your terms, I should actually be considered a wandering soul.”
She glanced at Fu Mingyi and found him calm. He didn't seem surprised at all.
She thought of the scene where he summoned Li Qinghe and that strange black bird while he was at Tianyin Temple, and she felt that it wasn't so difficult to confess.
Fu Mingyi clearly accepts this strange situation.
“I don’t know what happened to the soul in this body. When I woke up, I was in a strange palace with a knife stuck in my abdomen. It was so painful that I could barely breathe. And then, you came in.”
“I’m not lying when I say I don’t want to be emperor. We don’t have emperors, classes, or anyone who can decide the life and death of everyone in a country, at least not in terms of etiquette and morality. Whether it’s the level of economic development, the political system, or the people’s lives… it’s all different from here.”
She felt that Fu Mingyi's eyes were starting to change, and there seemed to be a kind of brilliance in his gaze that she could hardly describe.
Her heart started racing, but strangely, she gradually calmed down.
“I was just an ordinary person there. I got sick and stayed in the hospital for several years, which burdened my parents and my brother who was about to get married. In the end, I didn’t make it and died in that world.”
As she spoke in a low voice, Xiao Qing suddenly realized that she had actually been prepared for her death.
The more time passed, the more her family's warmth, tolerance, and willingness to do anything to win her back became an unbearable burden.
Her parents were an ordinary working-class family. Her brother was just about to find happiness in love, but because she fell ill, their lives revolved almost entirely around her. They spared no effort and sought help everywhere, hoping that she would get better.
Day after day, she watched as their smiles concealed their aging, weariness, and anxiety.
She is a burden.
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