Aqing gripped her chopsticks tightly, trying hard to suppress the bitterness in her heart so as not to embarrass herself in front of Qi Guze. Qi Guze noticed her behavior, but just smiled, his expression not revealing anything. Fortunately, Aqing did not continue to cause trouble during the rest of the meal, and the meal proceeded relatively peacefully.
After finishing their meal, Xu Yuehuai headed towards the Second Elder's mountain peak. Qi Guze was an unrelated person here, so it was naturally inappropriate for him to participate. After realizing this, Qi Guze seemed to be shrouded in gloom, exuding an aura of displeasure.
Xu Yuehuai naturally noticed this, and she tentatively asked, "Why don't you come with me?"
Although these words were a test, they also carried a hint of sincerity. Qi Guze didn't even glance at Xu Yuehuai and replied directly, "It's alright. Go and come back soon. Today I'll sit at home like a 'waiting-for-my-wife' rock, waiting for my wife to return."
Qi Guze spoke with a smile, as if he didn't care at all, but only he knew that the time he could spend with Xu Yuehuai was getting shorter. He had already extended the maximum time he could stay here. If he stayed any longer, the people above would find out, and then Xu Yuehuai would have no chance to grow. She might even be hurt by those people. He couldn't afford to gamble, nor did he want to. For Xu Yuehuai's safety, he would rather endure the pain of separation.
Qi Guze thought to himself.
Seeing that he truly showed no reluctance on his face, Xu Yuehuai left the sect leader's peak, turning back every few steps. Behind them, A Qing and Shi Mu watched all this with mixed feelings. One couldn't hide the smile in his eyes, while the other looked at Xu Yuehuai with restrained eyes.
As members of the mountain, it was their duty to do this, and naturally they should go.
So all the people on the sect leader's mountain peak left at once, leaving an even emptier feeling than usual. Qi Guze was used to being alone; he had been alone for so long. Although people would occasionally join his life, he was still alone most of the time.
So, this is like going back to where things started, nothing's changed, he thought.
But when the mountain peak truly quieted down and there was no one around, sitting alone on a rock, Qi Guze suddenly felt a sense of loneliness. This loneliness came from afar. He warmed a pot of tea for himself and sat in the spot where they had eaten the night before, sipping it slowly.
They sat in the same spot Xu Yuehuai had sat in yesterday, wondering what view Xu Yuehuai could see from that spot yesterday.
...
On the Second Elder's mountain peak, Zi Sangyi was still there. He wanted to see what was going on in the Second Elder's head. Why was he so persistent? His body wasn't fully recovered yet, and he was already causing trouble like this. He was really courting death.
Despite his inner grumbling, he still deftly helped stabilize the broken body. He hadn't gone home last night, having been busy all night, and now seeing the Second Elder's face made him angry.
Two hours before the funeral began, Zi Sangyi stopped what he was doing, one hand supporting himself on the edge of the bed, his face slightly pale. Old Su came in and saw this scene, and quickly went over to help him off the bed, "What's wrong? Are you alright? Do you want to take some medicine to calm down?"
"No need, I just ran out of spiritual energy, I'll be fine after a rest," Zi Sangyi said, shaking her head to show her determination.
Old Su's lips parted slightly, "You are the sect leader, you still have a lot to do later, don't worry about the second elder now, he won't die anytime soon."
The Second Elder also opened his eyes. Hearing Old Su's words, he teased, "Old Su, you didn't treat me like this before. You used to be worried that I would die, but now you can't wait for me to die."
Hearing this, Old Su looked up. The two of them had known each other for so many years and were very familiar with each other, to the point that they would know what the other had for lunch just by farting. "Don't give me that, or I'll start cursing you outright instead of beating around the bush!"
The Second Elder chuckled and coughed twice. "Alright, Sect Master, Old Su is right. You'll be making an appearance later. As the face of the entire sect, you can't appear so weak and shivering. If others find out, they'll think you've been mistreated."
The second elder spoke with a teasing tone, trying to ease the tense atmosphere in the room.
His health hadn't improved much, so everyone's mood remained somber. Now that he was about to do something like this, it was hard to be happy. If it weren't for this, Zisangyi would probably have asked him to go into seclusion with her for a few days, so that most of the side effects from his previous burning of his essence blood would disappear.
But now the Second Elder is like this, which is tantamount to burning his own life, and he himself seems to care nothing at all.
Zi Sangyi's mood was heavy and did not improve at all because of the two people's words. He had been in this room for a day and a night and felt a little stuffy. He opened the door and went out. "I'm going out to rest for a while. Don't follow me."
The first sentence was an explanation to the two of them, and the second sentence was a message to Lao Su, telling him not to follow.
Old Su and the Second Elder exchanged a glance, both seeing a different kind of emotion in each other's eyes.
Old Su didn't dare to follow Zi Sangyi out when she was in a bad mood, so he obediently sat on the stool and stared at the Second Elder.
The Second Elder knew what Old Su was thinking, and he said, "Don't worry, he'll adjust himself and understand me. I believe in him."
Old Su pursed his lips and agreed.
...
To be honest, Zisangyi had never seriously explored the elder's mountain peak, nor had she ever looked at it carefully. Each time, she felt that the scenery was pretty much the same, and she never had the mood or leisure to do so.
But today, under these circumstances, he became interested. Looking at the bamboo forest that was exactly the same as the one on his own mountain, but in a different place, for some reason, his attitude and mood changed when he saw these things.
He simply couldn't understand why the Second Elder would make himself look so disheveled. Could it be that the matter was really that important? More important than his own life?
Zisang didn't understand.
Wildflowers are blooming by the roadside, and there are also many weeds. The people on this mountain have been very busy lately. These flowers and plants have become like this because no one has taken care of them. If the houses near the Willow Tree were left unattended, would they also become like this?
Zisangyi suddenly let her thoughts wander.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com