Chapter 5: White Jade Song
Yun Jing looked at Ying Yueke dejectedly. "Madam, did we act on our own?" "Could it be that for Ruchen, a life as hectic as that of a mortal is more suitable?" "Forcing him to stay within the sect is like caged a free bird." Ying Yueke gazed blankly at Yun Ruchen as he left, muttering, "I don't know..." "I just want my child to be happy." But she never asked him what kind of happiness he wanted. Back in the courtyard, Yun Ruchen opened the window and leaned against it. Grass had already sprouted between the stone tiles. His lack of care had allowed the courtyard to fall into a state of gradual decay. Just like him. The corners of his mouth curled up, and he exhaled a sigh of frustration. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his handkerchief fluttering in the wind. He stood still, contemplating for a moment, then pulled a ribbon from his storage ring and threaded it through his hair. It was time to return the handkerchief. As his fingers touched the handkerchief, the jade token flashed again. The call was connected, and Sheng Lian's solemn face appeared before him. "Where are you now?" "In the lower courtyard." "Don't leave the courtyard yet. I'll come find you. Something's wrong." Yun Ruchen, arms folded and supporting his elbows, remained as carefree as ever, making Sheng Lian anxious. "What did they do?" Sheng Lian leaned back. "You know?" "You can guess," he said. "Feng Jingluo didn't break off the engagement, and there's been no news of a breakup since I left the clan leader's residence. They must have used some other method to force me to make a decision." Sheng Lian was puzzled. "Then why hasn't the engagement been cancelled?" His eyes dimmed, and his face tilted to one side. "Feng Jingluo refused my mother and father's request to break off the engagement to save my face," Sheng Lian stretched out his voice. "You're so kind, but it's a pity you don't have that kind of luck." "I wonder who spread the news..." He paused, sneering, "There's no need to guess who it was, it could only be those guys from Jiange." "They said you were going to enter the forbidden area to prove you were worthy of Feng Jingluo. Then news came out denying that, and the consensus shifted. If you don't enter the forbidden area, how can you prove you're worthy of standing by Feng Jingluo's side?" Sheng Lian pretentiously brushed aside the colorful string tied around his hair and said righteously, "Why don't you just go and explain to Feng Jingluo and ask her to break off the engagement?" "Respect is more important than life?" A figure of Sheng Lian passed through the void, staring at the handkerchief. "I'll go and tell her." He raised his hand to grasp it. "We're not from the same world." She was the prized child, the center of attention. And he, with his lazy nature, was destined to remain unknown. Sheng Lian's playful smile faded, and he looked at Yun Ruchen, suppressing the worry in his eyes. …
Yun Jing looked at Ying Yueke in despair: "Madam, did we act on our own?"
"Could it be that for Ruchen, a life as busy as that of a mortal is more suitable for him?"
"Forcing him to stay within the sect is like putting a free bird in a cage."
Ying Yueke stared blankly at the direction where Yun Ruchen left, muttering, "I don't know..."
"I just want my child to be happy." But I never asked him what kind of happiness he wanted.
Back in the courtyard, Yun Ruchen opened the window and leaned against it. Grass had already grown in the cracks between the stone bricks. He had rarely taken care of it, leaving the courtyard in a state of gradual decay.
Just like him.
The corners of his mouth curled up as he let out his anger, and out of the corner of his eye he saw his handkerchief being blown by the wind.
He stood still, pondered for a moment, then took out a ribbon from his storage ring and tied it up through his hair.
It's time to return the handkerchief.
As soon as his fingers touched the handkerchief, the jade token flashed again.
After the call was connected, Sheng Lian's serious face appeared in front of him. "Where are you now?"
"In the lower courtyard."
"Don't leave the house yet. I'll come find you. Something's wrong."
Yun Ruchen folded his arms and supported his elbows, still looking as careless as ever, which made Sheng Lian anxious.
"What did they do?"
Sheng Lian leaned back, "You know?"
"It's easy to guess," he said. "Feng Jingluo didn't cancel the engagement, and there was no news of the cancellation after I left the clan leader's residence. They will definitely use other methods to force me to make a decision."
Sheng Lian was puzzled, "Then why hasn't the engagement been cancelled?"
His eyes dimmed, his face tilted to one side. "To save my dignity, Feng Jingluo rejected my parents' proposal to cancel the engagement."
Sheng Lian stretched out his tone. "How kind of you, but it's a pity you don't have this blessing."
"I wonder who leaked the news..." He paused and sneered, "There's no need to guess who it was. It could only be those guys from Jiange."
"You said you were going to enter the forbidden area to prove yourself worthy of Feng Jingluo. Then news came out denying this statement, and the consensus turned. If you don't enter the forbidden area, how can you prove yourself worthy of standing beside Feng Jingluo?"
Sheng Lian pretentiously brushed away the colorful string tied around his hair and said righteously, "Why don't you just go and explain this to Feng Jingluo and ask her to cancel the engagement."
"How can face be more important than life?"
He looked at the handkerchief through the image of Sheng Lian in the void. "I'll tell her."
He raised his hand and grasped the handkerchief. "We are not from the same world."
She is a favored child who is the center of everyone's attention, while he is lazy and destined to be unknown.
Sheng Lian's playful smile disappeared, and he looked at Yun Ruchen, suppressing the worry in his eyes.
"Do you really plan to spend your life like this?" Even though he had known Yun Ruchen for many years, he still couldn't understand his thoughts.
"As the son of the sect leader, you have good aptitude. Why are you so unwilling to practice?"
"There are many Nascent Soul cultivators of your age. Even if they never advance, they can live for nearly two thousand years by taking elixirs regularly," he advised earnestly. "And you've only just established your foundation, so you can only live for a few hundred years at most. Are you willing to accept that?"
With his hands behind his back, he stood outside the window, his ponytail swaying in the wind. He looked unusually serious, like a young general returning from battle.
With bright eyes and a carefree smile, he said, "Shenglian, whether it's a few hundred years or a few thousand years."
"I only live one day."
"Born in the morning and dead in the evening."
He turned off the communication, stuffed the handkerchief into his arms, and Yun Ruchen pushed the door open and left.
Born in the morning, stepping on the sunrise, walking through the four seasons, along the way he experienced the seven emotions and six desires of the world. Died in the evening, sleeping at sunset, pillowed by the sunset glow, closing his eyes, the changes of time in the world no longer have anything to do with him.
He guessed that Feng Jingluo was still at the waterfall, but unexpectedly, not long after he left, Feng Jingluo had already returned to Jiange and watched the rumor grow stronger and stronger.
Her thoughts of reentering the Sword Tomb were abandoned. None of the Sword Pavilion disciples were inside, so she headed to the Jade Terrace to look for them. There, she happened to run into Lin Qiao, who was in a hurry.
After being called, Lin Qiao stood up straight nervously, ready to listen to his senior sister's teachings at any time.
Feng Jingluo got straight to the point: "Who spread the rumor?"
Lin Qiao stammered and couldn't say anything. He lowered his head and didn't dare to look at Feng Jingluo.
"You're forcing Young Master to take a risk." His voice was filled with emotion. "This matter has nothing to do with him, so why keep forcing him?"
"I rejected the Sect Master's request to cancel the engagement!"
Lin Qiao wiped the sweat from his palms. His senior sister seemed angry, and the spiritual power condensed around her made it hard for him to breathe.
"Sister... Senior Sister, it was my fault for sending the wrong jade token, causing you to marry for no apparent reason. We... just wanted to help you resolve this matter, and we have no other intentions."
He looked up at Feng Jingluo, but then quickly looked away. "But Yun Ruchen said he was going to the Sect Master to break off the engagement, but there's been no news since he left the mountain."
"He definitely doesn't want to cancel the engagement." His lips trembled, hesitating. "A fellow like him, content with being ordinary and unwilling to cultivate, has no right to stand by your side, Senior Sister!"
His eyelashes drooped and blinked, then slowly raised. The condensed air returned to normal and Lin Qiao breathed a sigh of relief.
"Everyone has his or her own choices. Is immortality necessarily better than a life of freedom?" Feng Jingluo's voice was still as calm as before, and his eyes were calm, but it made Lin Qiao subconsciously hold his breath.
"When did my Jiange teach you to behave like despicable people and achieve your goals by any means necessary?"
Lin Qiao's body trembled, and he waved his hands wildly, trying to explain himself.
“Who is involved in this?”
Under Feng Jingluo's gaze, Lin Qiao didn't even dare to raise his head, and in the end he could only whisper and tell everything.
"Find them and stop the rumors. Everyone, go to the front of the cliff and face the wall for seven days."
"...Yes!" Lin Qiao bowed and fled away in a disheveled manner.
After the communication was connected, it was found that Sheng Lian had contacted him more often in the past few days than in the previous year.
Avoiding the noisy sound of the waterfall, Yun Ruchen walked into the bamboo forest.
"Where are you?" He really wanted to install a locator for Yun Ruchen so that he could see his location on the compass at any time.
"Come to the Jade Terrace quickly, you really missed a good show."
Leaning his back against the green bamboo, Yun Ruchen asked, "What's the good show?"
"Feng Jingluo heard the rumors and actually went to the Sword Pavilion disciples to speak up for you, ordering them to stop the rumors and go to Broken Cliff Mountain to reflect on their mistakes."
Yun Ruchen swayed, holding onto a thick bamboo, his pupils shifting as he stared at the grass at his feet. "What did she... say?"
"I wasn't there. I was rushing to the Jade Platform when someone else brought me the news." Sheng Lian teased, "What did she say? Everyone has different choices. Longevity doesn't necessarily outweigh a life of leisure."
"Obviously speaking for you." He winked. "Why don't you give it a try? Maybe Feng Jingluo likes your type."
Yun Ruchen raised his eyes and stared at Sheng Lian. "How could a swordsman like her be affected by others?"
"Her beloved is a sword in her hand."
"Alright." Sheng Lian rolled his eyes and grumbled a few times. "I can't argue with you."
"She should still be near the Jade Terrace. Can you come over?"
Yun Ruchen didn't answer and hung up the phone directly.
Press your palms to your chest and smile.
"Thanks."
Xundao Sect
In the cliff cave, Bai Yuge finished his practice, stood up and pushed open the heavy stone door.
The sunlight streaming into the cave made him momentarily dazed. He wondered if he should go check if there were any new quests to take on in the past few days.
As the forbidden area is about to open, Feng Jingluo will definitely participate. This time he will not lose to her again.
Thinking of the graceful manner in which she had struck down a sword during her training at Qixia Mountain, he could not help but feel the excitement in his heart, and all the blood in his body rushed to his heart, making his body hot.
After flying down the cliff, Bai Yuge walked towards the mission hall and happened to meet his junior brother walking out.
"Senior brother, you've come out of seclusion." The junior fellow took two steps forward, eager to tell Bai Yuge the latest news.
"Brother, during the half month you were in seclusion, news came out from the Wentian Sect that Feng Jingluo was actually engaged to the Sect Master's son. The Sect Master of Wentian Sect has already announced the event and sent the invitation to the Sect Master."
Bai Yuge's smile froze. "...What?"
He has an outstanding temperament and as his name suggests, he often wears plain white. Standing there, he looks like a piece of flawless white jade.
When he meets people, he can only force out a humble and distant smile, which makes people stay away from him.
At this moment, his brows were furrowed, his facial features were out of control, and his panicked look had its own unique charm.
He turned around quickly, forgetting to respond to his junior brother, and left the sect and drove the flying boat straight to the Wentian Sect.
The two sects were far apart, and by the time Bai Yuge arrived at the Wentian Sect, night had already fallen and was chasing the flying boat.
He first handed over his identity jade token and entered the Wentian Sect under the pretext of communication. Then he went to look for Qifeng Jingluo's whereabouts, but heard various rumors along the way.
Bai Yuge paused, narrowing his eyes. He had heard of Yun Ruchen before: the son of the sect leader, yet he had no interest in cultivation, letting his talent go to waste.
Why does Feng Jingluo treat such a person differently?
Is there anything else to recommend it?
Feng Jingluo's vision couldn't be wrong. Bai Yuge rubbed his fingers together and turned to ask the others where Yun Ruchen was.
After hanging up the phone, Yun Ruchen didn't go to the Jade Platform. He was already at the center of the vortex, and if he went to see Feng Jingluo immediately, it would only spread rumors that were even more unfavorable to her.
It was not until the disciples of Jiange were punished and all went to Cliff Mountain that he took advantage of the dark night and planned to find Feng Jingluo quietly and return the handkerchief.
He stopped as soon as he walked out of the courtyard. Not far away, there was a man in white, looking at him coldly.
Yun Ruchen sighed.
His father really gave him a lot of trouble.
"The Young Master of the Wentian Sect has no interest in cultivation, let alone outside training or participating in competitions. Therefore, I've never met you before. It's a pleasure to meet you." Bai Yuge bowed. "I am the direct disciple of the Sect Master of the Xundao Sect, Bai Yuge."
Yun Ruchen returned the gift.
"What is it?"
Bai Yuge was silent and walked slowly towards Yun Ruchen. He was slightly taller than Yun Ruchen, and his eyebrows and eyes were deeper.
"I want to know...why Feng Jingluo defends you."
"I suppose there must be something extraordinary about you." His tone was calm, but not threatening. "I want to fight you in the ring."
"Are you willing to accept the challenge?"
"I don't want to." Yun Ruchen's decisiveness surprised Bai Yuge. He pointed at himself. "I've only just established my foundation."
Bai Yuge frowned as her gaze drifted over Yun Ruchen. Cultivators were wary of not fighting, and even if they couldn't win, they would still give it a try. It was rare for them to be so timid.
"I'll seal it myself."
Yun Ruchen still shook his head, "I'm not good at martial arts, and I have no intention of competing with others. Please go back."
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