Chapter 7: Going Down the Mountain
Feng Jingluo paused and turned to look at Yun Ruchen, his gaze drawn to the mole on the side of his nose. "The marriage can be canceled between you and me." He looked away, meeting his eyes. "But you shouldn't be forced to cancel it in front of so many people." Yun Ruchen was stunned, then realized belatedly that she was trying to protect his dignity. When everyone thought he was an insignificant speck of dust, she just wanted to brush him off as an eyesore, but she was the only one who cared whether he was insulted. Yun Ruchen's lips trembled as she couldn't help but laugh, covering her face with her hands, her body shaking with laughter. Through the cracks between her fingers, she could see his bright, curved eyes. Feng Jingluo was puzzled, a little embarrassed. "...What are you laughing at?" "Nothing," Yun Ruchen waved. "Thank you." He pulled a handkerchief from his bosom and handed it over. "I wanted to return it, but I ran into Bai Yuge on my way out... and it delayed my return." Feng Jingluo didn't take it. Instead, he raised his hand and pointed with his sword, carving a formation pattern on the handkerchief. A blue light gradually faded into the handkerchief. "I've preserved the power of a sword within this handkerchief. If anyone bothers you again..." She paused, her voice icy, "Kill him." She'd forgotten that she was a swordsman, naturally ruthless and decisive. "...Okay." It was summer, the evening breeze cool, yet for some reason Yun Ruchen felt a gradual increase in heat. Feng Jingluo, escorted to the courtyard, turned and left. Just as he entered the house and sat at the desk, a familiar figure stepped across the threshold. "Father?" Before he could ask, Yun Jing grabbed Yun Ruchen's shoulder and gently squeezed, sending him into a coma. Yun Jing lifted her son, patted his head, and walked out of the courtyard with a teasing smile. Meanwhile, Feng Jingluo ran into Ying Yueke, who had come looking for her. "Elder," Feng Jingluo saluted. "Good boy." Ying Yueke held Feng Jingluo's arm. "I have a favor to ask of you." "Please tell me." "I want you to take Ruchen down the mountain for training. We've prepared the flying boat." She said, "There are still three months before the forbidden area opens, and we'd like to trouble you for a few months." Feng Jingluo didn't refuse, but instead asked, "I'm afraid the Young Master wouldn't agree." Ying Yueke's eyes were sharp. "Don't ask him. Ruchen is already on the flying boat." On second thought, Feng Jingluo realized Yun Ruchen had probably been on the flying boat against his will. "I will accompany the Young Master down the mountain," she agreed. "Good boy." Ying Yueke was moved. "Thank you." She held Feng Jingluo's arm. "I hope you can help Ruchen, and you don't have to protect him all the time, even if he suffers a little..."
Feng Jingluo stopped and turned to look at Yun Ruchen, but was attracted by the black mole on the side of his nose.
"The marriage can be canceled when you and I discuss it." She looked away, meeting his eyes. "But you shouldn't be forced to cancel it in front of everyone."
Yun Ruchen was stunned, and only later realized that he wanted to protect his dignity.
When everyone thought he was an insignificant speck of dust; they just wanted to get rid of him because he was in the way, but she was the only one who cared whether he was insulted or not.
His lips trembled as Yun Ruchen couldn't help laughing out loud. He covered his face with his hands and laughed so hard that his body trembled.
Through the gaps between his fingers, you can see his bright eyes.
Feng Jingluo was puzzled and a little embarrassed: "...What are you laughing at?"
"It's okay." Yun Ruchen waved his hand. "Thank you."
He pulled out a handkerchief from his bosom and handed it over. "I wanted to return it, but I ran into Bai Yuge on my way out... and it delayed my return."
Feng Jingluo did not take it, but raised his hand and pointed his sword, carving a formation pattern on the handkerchief.
The blue light gradually faded into the handkerchief. "I've left the power of my sword within this handkerchief. If anyone bothers you again..." She paused, her voice icy cold: "Kill him."
I forgot that she is a swordsman and is decisive in killing.
"...Okay." It was summer and the evening breeze was cool, but for some reason Yun Ruchen felt his body gradually getting hot.
After being escorted to the courtyard, Feng Jingluo turned and left. Just as he entered the house and sat down at the desk, a familiar figure stepped across the threshold.
"Father?"
Before he could ask, Yun Jing grabbed Yun Ruchen's shoulder and squeezed it gently, and he immediately fell into coma.
Yun Jing carried his son, touched his head, and walked out of the yard with a teasing smile.
On the other side, Feng Jingluo also met Ying Yueke who came to find her.
"Elder." Feng Jingluo saluted.
"Good boy." Ying Yueke held Feng Jingluo's arm, "I want to ask you a favor."
"Please go ahead."
"I want you to take Ruchen down the mountain for training. We've already prepared the flying boat," she said. "There are still three months until the forbidden area opens. We'd like to trouble you for these few months."
Feng Jingluo did not refuse, but asked: "I'm afraid the young master will not agree."
Ying Yueke's eyes were sharp, "Don't worry about him, Ruchen is already on the flying boat."
On second thought, Feng Jingluo realized Yun Ruchen hadn't come on the flying boat willingly. "I'll accompany the Young Master down the mountain."
She agreed.
"Good boy." Ying Yueke was moved. "Thank you."
She held Feng Jingluo's arm and said, "I hope you can be humble and not have to protect him in everything, even if he suffers some injustice."
"He always hides in the mountains, like a bird with broken wings, landed here because it can no longer fly." She looked distressed, her hands trembling. "This child...is hard to catch. He always gives us the feeling that he will disappear in the next moment."
"I want him to have more nostalgia, to have a certain obsession with the things in the world. Try to hold on to something, to cling to someone."
Ying Yueke looked at Feng Jingluo expectantly. She did not give a positive response, but pulled back her arm.
"Please rest assured, Elder. I will take good care of the Young Master." She was not used to being too close to others, nor did she like others touching her.
Ying Yueke took a half step back and said with a smile, "It's better to hurry early than late. The flying boat is parked at Yutai. You guys can go ahead."
She had no luggage to pack, so she nodded and flew directly to Yutai.
It is called a flying boat, but a giant spaceship with towering pavilions has occupied half of the jade platform.
Yun Jing and others were waiting below, nodding to her and watching Feng Jingluo board the flying boat, then sail away from the jade platform and disappear into the night.
The flying boat was controlled by a formation, and spiritual stones provided energy. There was no need for Feng Jingluo to steer the boat. She pulled up a map and set it to enter Qinzhou.
It was a rich land, and there were no ferocious monsters in the nearby mountains, making it suitable for Yun Ruchen to explore.
Feng Jingluo searched for Yun Ruchen in the pavilion on the boat, and finally found him in a bedroom with the door open.
He was thrown casually on the bed in an uncomfortable position, with his head tilted against the pillow and one leg hanging over the edge of the bed.
Feng Jingluo laughed, thinking that the sect leader was too casual with the young sect leader.
He raised his fingers, and with his spiritual power, he lifted Yun Ruchen's body and laid him flat, resting his neck on the pillow. He then moved the quilt to cover him, and then left to find a room to stay in.
When Yun Ruchen woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar room and the pain in his shoulder had not yet subsided.
He picked up the blanket covering his body with a puzzled expression.
Where had his father sent him after he fainted? A thought flashed through his mind, and he hurriedly stood up and ran out. The stars in the deep night came into view, and the flying boat was slowly moving through the misty clouds.
The bright moon hanging high in the sky seemed very close, emitting a soft and hazy light. Yun Ruchen subconsciously raised his hand, wanting to touch it.
The moon seen in the sky is indeed different from the one on the top of the mountain. It is rounder and more dazzling.
He walked to the edge of the deck, resting his hands on the railing. He watched quietly for a moment before remembering that he might not be alone on the flying boat.
Turning around to look for the figure, I saw her lying on the rubble of the building in black clothes, her tied hair spread out and blowing in her face with the wind.
The white moonlight fell on her, as if the bright moon was willing to favor her.
"Young Master." Seeing him looking at him, Feng Jingluo, who had been watching him silently since he walked out of the pavilion, jumped onto the deck.
"I'm..."
Feng Jingluo told Yun Ruchen what had happened, and he shook his head helplessly.
"I'm sorry for causing you to leave the sect with me."
"No, this is fine."
Yun Ruchen was stunned.
"If I stay in the sect, there will always be people who want to cause trouble for the young sect leader." The ribbon tied around her waist danced in the wind. She always had a reassuring and steady temperament, as if nothing could break her peace.
"Maybe it's better to come out."
Yun Ruchen looked away, reaching his hand into the wind. "I don't mind their dislike for me," he said with a carefree smile. "It just delayed your cultivation."
"The Tao is at our feet. No matter where we are, we can still practice cultivation." She explained, "It's just that the Sword Tomb is quieter."
"Has Young Master ever walked down the mountain?"
Faced with Feng Jingluo's proactive questioning, Yun Ruchen wanted to touch the tip of his nose again, but he held himself back in time.
He never thought that one day he would have the opportunity to chat with Feng Jingluo, just like meeting old friends again, without any awkwardness or embarrassment.
"No, my mother and father have always forbidden me to go down the mountain."
"I'm only at the foundation building stage, maybe they're afraid that I'll be killed easily."
Feng Jingluo avoided the topic. She could see the loneliness on Yun Ruchen's smiling face.
"We are going to Qinzhou, a prosperous and wealthy place. The main city has many entertainment things for mortals." She introduced the destination of this trip.
"Please be my bodyguard." When he smiled, his eyes narrowed, and the mole instantly became vivid, inadvertently drawing Feng Jingluo's gaze away.
She paused before saying, "I will protect Shao Zong."
This serious look seemed too distant, as if he was really asking Feng Jingluo to protect him.
She assured him in a serious manner, as if trying to soothe his anxiety about going out for the first time.
A sense of inexplicable awkwardness arose. Yun Ruchen was about to say something when his stomach growled.
He then remembered that he hadn't eaten dinner since his father knocked him unconscious. He hadn't reached the stage of fasting yet, and Yun Ruchen didn't like fasting pills.
"I have some fasting pills here." Her cultivation level did not require the consumption of grains, but she forgot that Yun Ruchen also needed to eat.
Yun Ruchen waved his hand to refuse: "I don't want to eat the fasting pill. There is food in the storage ring. I will go and cook."
He walked quickly, searching for the kitchen inside the pavilion. He lit the fire with a fire starter, expertly took out the vegetables, washed them, cut the raw meat, and then stir-fried it with spices.
Feng Jingluo did not leave, but followed him to the kitchen and stood at the door watching him cook.
Although his movements were fast, he was not flustered, and his happy expression showed that he enjoyed doing these everyday things that ordinary people do.
His eyes sparkled from the smoke, and he leaned forward to take in the aroma of the food. Feng Jingluo's gaze drifted towards his thin waist, like a small patch of purple bamboo beside a bamboo forest.
She could just stretch out her hand and break it. Feng Jingluo's fingers trembled and she lowered her head with a puzzled expression. Why was she paying attention to Shaozong's waist?
Perhaps it was because he was a little thin compared to the strong bodies of other practitioners.
It was just a brief moment of distraction. When he looked at Yun Ruchen again, he had already served the food and was cooking the next dish.
His busy figure reminded Feng Jingluo of what ordinary people say: a good husband and a good father.
Yun Ruchen, who was cooking, looked up in surprise. Feng Jingluo was shocked to realize that he was the one who said it, and the panic on his face disappeared in an instant. He stared at Yun Ruchen steadily, as if that sentence was just his illusion.
He lowered his head in retreat and stir-fried the food faster. Perhaps it was the rising steam from the food that made his earlobes red.
Sweat had formed on his forehead, and he wiped it away with his wrist guard. He stepped over the threshold, his posture somewhat stiff, carrying a few dishes on a tray.
Feng Jingluo went to the deck and took out the wooden table, and Yun Ruchen took out the bowls and chopsticks.
She hadn't eaten in a long time. She picked up the chili pepper in front of her and put it in her mouth. The light spicy taste invaded her taste buds, followed by the aroma of the seasoning.
This is a simple stir-fried pork with chili peppers.
Next, Yun Ruchen saw Feng Jingluo pick up peppers and put them into his mouth several times. He rarely touched meat, but he tried several vegetarian dishes.
"Young Master's cooking skills are very good." Feng Jingluo put down his chopsticks and took out a handkerchief to wipe his lips.
“Call me by my name,” he said. “Not many people recognize this identity.”
Feng Jingluo thought for a moment and said, "Ruchen." She heard the sect leader and the elders call him that, so she thought it was okay for her to call him that.
Yun Ruchen clenched his chopsticks tightly, and his hands trembled a little as he picked up the food.
It was just a name being called, and her gaze was calm without any extra thoughts, so why was he a little shy?
The wind is too hot tonight.
After dinner, everyone went back to their own rooms. After being knocked unconscious by Yun Jing, Yun Ruchen didn't know how long he slept, but he was not sleepy.
I tossed and turned in bed. As soon as I closed my eyes, I could hear the sound of Feng Jingluo falling without any ups and downs, and then it would enter the dust.
He sat up suddenly, covering his mouth and nose, his eyelashes fluttering.
She was so gentle when she said her name.
Covering his face with his hands, Yun Ruchen rejected his chaotic thoughts at the moment.
Could it be that he had been ignored by everyone for a long time, which led to him developing inappropriate delusions despite Feng Jingluo's well-intentioned protection?
As expected...my mind is still not calm enough.
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