Chapter 114 Yinglong's Second Visit to Xuanyuan Hill
Now there were only three people left in the back row, making the second half of the journey much more relaxed and comfortable.
Once it wasn't so crowded, Feng Feng was able to sleep soundly for days on end.
Finally, they reached the main road and headed towards Kongtong. Driving alone was quite tiring for Fengmian, so they kept stopping and starting, often stopping at service areas to rest. They even happened to find a place where they could take a quick shower.
Feng Feng leaned against Xia Zhu, and in his half-awake state, he would notice the car had stopped, and then he would mumble something incoherently.
"Xiao Chou, what time is it now?"
Previously, when Ji Wuchou was driving, she would whisper to Feng Mian in the passenger seat to prevent him from falling asleep. As a result, Feng Feng would always ask her to confirm the time and location of their journey when he woke up.
"It's four o'clock," Xia Zhu said, taking out her phone from her pocket and glancing at it.
Feng Feng rubbed his eyes, changed his position and lay on his back on her lap. The afternoon sun was still a bit dazzling. Xia Zhu looked down at her, her hair falling down to block some of the light.
The car was parked in a less crowded service area. Fengmian went to walk the dog, and the other two got out of the car as well, leaving only the two of them inside.
The group slept for only a few hours in the mountains before heading straight for Kongtong. No one asked about Ying Huo; it was as if his arrival and departure were as natural as a passing breeze.
"You said, did she get to that place?" Feng Feng's voice sounded a little soft, and Xia Zhu knew who she was talking about.
"We should be here by now." She thought seriously for a moment, then glanced out the window. In the distance, mountains rose and fell, the sun casting a dim glow. She asked Feng Feng, "Do you miss her?"
Xia Zhu felt that she was right. She was born with a deep appreciation for every relationship she had with people, whether they were close friends or just casual acquaintances.
Feng Feng twirled her hair with his fingers. "I really miss her." She muttered, "Although Xiao Chou doesn't talk much, and we haven't known each other for very long... but when you habitually look to the side, she's always there, as if she should be there."
"So now that I can't see it all at once, I'm still not used to it."
She grinned and said, "But it's okay. Rather than wanting her to always be with everyone, I'd rather she be more relaxed."
Sunlight streamed through the car window, illuminating Feng Feng's chocolate-colored face. She squinted, and the freckles on her cheeks seemed to sparkle.
“No worries, no worries… People often say that a person’s name reflects their character, right? I hope Xiao Chou can really be like her name.” She seemed to have thought of something, and their eyes met. “My mother told me and Fengmian a long time ago. She said that a gentleman’s friendship is as light as water. In previous years, I did not agree with this view. I didn’t want to be a gentleman. I thought that liking or disliking should be as intense as liking and disliking each other.”
"But Ah Zhu, do you know, I only suddenly understood what Mom said after I met Xiao Chou. I just want to treat her like water."
"What should water be like? Free, indifferent, formless. Where it goes and where it goes are entirely up to it. I don't want to embellish it; those things might be a burden for Xiaochou."
Xia Zhu pondered, thinking of the boy named Jiang Qushui, Jiang Qushui who would forever remain 18 years old. She understood Feng Feng's meaning; love and hate were both too heavy a burden for Ji Wuchou.
In her youth, she only learned about order and how to calmly and decisively kill her targets. She may have seen snow-covered rivers and icebergs, but she did not know how vast and turbulent the sea of love and hatred was, making it difficult to sail.
"A-Zhu." Feng Feng suddenly spoke, interrupting her thoughts. She gently tugged at a strand of Xia Zhu's hair that was wrapped around her finger, her honey-colored eyes fixed on her. "And you?"
"Me?" Xia Zhu didn't know what she was referring to.
"Is your relationship with Ying Huo also a gentleman's friendship?"
She heard herself ask such a question, and the fragmented words of the sentence flashed through her mind one by one, but she could not immediately understand their meaning.
This was the first time Xia Zhu had heard about the connection between the two people from someone else, and it was also the first time she had to face it squarely and rationally define the relationship that existed both overtly and covertly.
Even a fleeting encounter in a vast sea of people can lead to being referred to as a "passerby," leaving only a faint impression. Any connection inevitably creates a relationship, and two people are precisely the smallest unit in such entanglements.
Ying confused.
Just hearing the name made her heart race and her head spin.
If, after much thought, one were to try to find a reasonable explanation for this reaction…
Xia Zhu's eyes widened slightly, and her whole body felt light, as if she had finally solved a century-old problem after much contemplation. She only had this feeling when she won her first math competition.
"I like him." Once she was sure of her feelings, she blurted out, staring intently at Feng Feng.
"Huh!?" Feng Feng reflexively sprang up from her knees, and with a muffled thud, their foreheads collided. Xia Zhu immediately felt dizzy and was somewhat impressed by the hardness of their two iron heads.
"You, you, you just said that!?" Feng Feng covered his head, staring at her in horror.
"Isn't it wrong to say it like that?" Xia Zhu asked, somewhat confused. "He's good-looking, and I do like him."
After hearing the second half of the sentence, Feng Feng suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. She pointed to the passenger seat and asked, "Ji Yinxiu, Ji Yinxiu is also good-looking. Do you like him?"
Xia Zhu nodded honestly, and just as Feng Feng was about to relax his expression after a close call, she thoughtfully added a sentence.
"But it's not a kind of liking."
Feng Feng was completely devastated. In her eyes, Xia Zhu's affection for Ying Huo was like planting a withered flower that was already rotten and beyond saving in fertile soil. She simply couldn't understand the logic behind it.
"Why, why, why?!" She almost wanted to shout to the heavens.
"What? Why?" Feng Mian suddenly opened the car door and got in, holding two hot grilled sausages in his hand and handing them to the two people in the back seat. The aroma instantly filled the entire car, and Miao Miao, smelling the fragrance, pounced on Feng Feng.
"Brother, Azhu said she likes Ying Huo!" Feng Feng immediately relayed this devastating news to Feng Mian.
Unexpectedly, Feng Mian merely glanced at Xia Zhu, who was enjoying her meal, and then turned to look at her oblivious younger sister. "What's so surprising about this? Isn't it obvious?"
"What!?" Feng Feng's worldview was about to collapse. She didn't expect Xia Zhu's feelings to be so obvious, even her own brother had noticed it long ago.
"However, I am indeed very curious." Feng Mian stared at Xia Zhu with a sly look, "What exactly do you like about him? Is it just because he's good-looking?"
“Looking good is very important.” Xia Zhu said very sincerely, chewing her words continuously. After a moment’s thought, she added, “He looks very pitiful.”
"Pitiful??" Feng Feng almost screamed. "He's rolling in money, worth over a hundred million! He's a nasty, foul-mouthed person! How is he pitiful?!" Besides, who would like someone just because they're pitiful?
Xia Zhu took the last bite of the grilled sausage, took the tissue Feng Mian handed her, wiped her mouth, and said, "It's normal. If you also feel sorry for him, then it means you probably like him too."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Feng Feng wanted to cover her mouth. "Some metaphors don't need to be said." She looked like she had swallowed a fly.
Xia Zhu didn't say anything more, thinking that it was true. Ying Huo looked like a dog abandoned by its owner, running around alone in the bustling world, longing for someone to pat its head, but awkwardly rejecting other people's kindness because of its inexplicable loyalty to its former master.
Over time, all it could do was bar its teeth and yell to scare away everything, whether it was malicious or kind. It both feared and longed for it. Every piece of land that had just warmed up under its feet did not truly belong to it. It could only chase the sun and wander towards its destination.
She felt that the two of them were actually somewhat similar, but Xia Zhu herself was perhaps suffering from not being sharp-witted or visually appealing, and not being particularly attractive, so she needed all sorts of lucky breaks to find someone like her who was willing to accept her.
Now that she has friends, she doesn't seem so pitiful anymore; Ying Huo is all alone now.
She suddenly thought that if he really was Chi You, would there be ten thousand years of suffering over time? She didn't know where to begin, or who to tell this story to.
Perhaps she can ask him next time she sees him.
As the car started and the temperature rose, Xia Zhu fell asleep again.
Two days later at noon, they finally arrived at Mount Kongtong.
It was still the same as when she came before, with lush green mountains and misty greenery.
Because his courtyard couldn't accommodate so many people, Ji Yinxiu had booked rooms in advance at a hotel used as a cover. After checking everyone in and taking their luggage to their respective rooms, he hurriedly entered Xuanyuan Hill.
After eating something casually in the room, Xia Zhu took a hot shower and crawled into bed, sleeping until late the next day.
I slept so well that my meridians felt clear and I felt refreshed. When I woke up, my stomach was rumbling non-stop.
The curtains in the room were very good at blocking out light. If it weren't for the clock on the bedside table showing that it was already 1 p.m., she would have thought it was still midnight given the dim light.
She sprang up from the bed with a somersault, walked barefoot to the window, and drew back the curtains, revealing a wall of greenery. Xia Zhu's room faced a forest, the floor-to-ceiling windows framing the view, allowing her to enjoy the beautiful scenery of floating mist and warm greenery simply by sitting in bed.
Nature always makes people forget all their troubles, and they feel that just being able to see such scenery is enough to make them feel satisfied. She sat cross-legged on the bed, staring blankly at the view outside the window, watching the smoke and clouds drift through the forest, clearing all the distracting thoughts from her mind, leaving only the most primal desires.
That's hunger!
After fussing around for a while, she ordered a sumptuous meal using the landline and special menu by the bedside. After devouring it all, she squinted her eyes contentedly and patted her belly.
After returning home and having a full meal at dusk, I rest my head on my arm and wander around with a full belly.
Two days passed idly, with Feng Feng occasionally calling him to the next room to play cards and chat. On the afternoon of the third day, Xia Zhu's door was finally knocked on.
Ji Yinxiu stood outside the door with an apologetic look on her face, saying that she had been delayed for quite a while and asking if she was free now so that she could take them for a stroll around Xuanyuan Hill.
Xia Zhu recalled a face that resembled his own nine-tenths but was also more indifferent and aloof, and patted his shoulder with great understanding.
"I have a request, I don't know if it's possible," she said, looking at Ji Yinxiu.
"What request?"
"I would like to visit your teacher, Yinglong." She had so many questions and felt that perhaps she could find the answers from Yinglong.
Ji Yinxiu chuckled lightly, "I guessed so. I asked the teacher beforehand, and she seemed to be in a good mood today and was willing to meet with younger friends."
Xia Zhu excitedly rubbed the hem of her clothes.
"Why don't you change your clothes and tidy up first? I'll go call Feng Mian and the others."
She looked down at her pajamas; the coat she had washed a few days ago was ready to be worn again.
The group gathered outside the gate. Xia Zhu had already walked the road to Xuanyuan Hill once. Feng Feng and Ying Ya were very supportive, exclaiming "Wow!" all the way, constantly huddling together to whisper and point at things they saw.
Passing through the Gate of Hanging Robes and taking the elevator down, as the doors in front of you slowly open to the sides, the otherworldly Xuanyuan Hill is finally revealed after a long time.
Ji Yinxiu led the way, and the group followed the central path led from Xuanyuan Terrace straight towards the great lake. The lake surface shimmered with silver light, dazzling the senses. A gentle breeze blew, the sky seemed high and the lake vast, and the clear, melodious chirping of birds could be heard from time to time. All that could be seen when looking up was shrouded in a layer of colorful clouds.
A small wooden boat was moored to a willow tree by the lake, drifting gently. But the vast lake stretched as far as the eye could see, offering nowhere to stop and linger.
Feng Feng brushed a strand of hair that had blown into his eyes, pointed at the lake, and asked Ji Yinxiu, "Teacher Yinglong isn't at the bottom of the lake, is he?"
Seeing Ji Yinxiu nod, Feng Feng excitedly leaned closer, "Then we have to go into the water too? Should we take some kind of water-repelling elixir or some kind of miraculous medicine that allows us to breathe underwater?"
"Ah..." Ji Yinxiu suddenly realized, "None of them."
He pointed to the small boat under the willow tree, then to the center of the lake.
"We'll take a boat to the center of the lake, where a floating island will appear. We can then board the island and wait for the teacher to appear."
"I see, I see... I thought they'd at least make a giant bubble and have everyone sit inside it and go into the water."
"You don't necessarily want to see an underwater dragon palace, do you?" Feng Mian joked.
Xia Zhu stood to the side listening silently, wanting to tell them that there were no palaces made of seashells and pearls underwater, only damp caves.
One stroke, two strokes, the small boat swayed gently, filled with passengers, and Ji Yinxiu, acting as the dashing and charming boatman, rowed swaying towards the center of the lake.
A gentle spring breeze caresses my face, willows line both banks like wisps of smoke, peach blossoms float on the flowing water, and silvery waves ripple around me, like silk and satin. My body sways from side to side with the small boat, as if floating on clouds, and my heart feels light and carefree.
The farther away from the shore, the more excited Xia Zhu became. Only when the view was vast and his whole being was carried by a small boat could he realize how insignificant a person is. Yet, it was precisely because such a small life could stand between heaven and earth that he could not help but admire the tenacity and resilience of humankind.
"It's like a picnic!" Feng Feng raised his hands, feeling the wind flowing through his fingers.
The small boat traveled for a while longer before stopping and gently swaying with the current.
"This is probably it." Ji Yinxiu put away the oars and sat down. Xia Zhu noticed that he wasn't carrying a sword today; it was probably hanging at the front door like last time.
As soon as he sat down, the lake water in front of the bow began to ripple outwards, so densely that it looked like a double-petaled lotus flower was rapidly blooming. The ripples were broken up, and a patch of lush green grass emerged from the lake.
The exposed portion grew larger and larger, and soon a floating island appeared before everyone.
Once the commotion had completely subsided, Ji Yinxiu stood up and said, "Let's all go ashore."
Feng Feng happily jumped onto the island first, followed by Xia Zhu.
The soft grass felt gentle and fine under her feet, and these newly emerged green grasses were neither damp nor covered with water droplets. She squatted down and touched the tips of the grass with her hand, only to find them dry and warm.
The island has several oddly shaped rocks, each just the right size to sit on, seemingly designed specifically for guests.
“This feels more like a picnic! Why didn’t you tell me sooner? If you had, I would have packed a small backpack and brought out a whole bag of snacks!” Feng Feng said, noticing her brother looking at her seriously. She touched her nose and added, “Maybe Teacher Yinglong also likes snacks.”
Xia Zhu walked to the water's edge, wanting to use her all-powerful fingers to examine the basic structure of the floating island. She had just squatted down, and before she could even put her hand in the water, she suddenly heard several birdsongs overhead, each one high-pitched. She looked up and saw three colorful phoenixes, head to tail, circling a few times before scattering. The entire floating island was trembling slightly, as if some enormous creature was churning underwater. Seeing the lake water in front of her suddenly forming whirlpools that were getting bigger and bigger, she subconsciously stood up and took a step back.
The whirlpool was so large that it almost covered the entire lake. The poor little boat was struggling, tied to the wooden stakes of the floating island. If the ropes hadn't been so strong, it would have been swept into the water long ago.
The next second, a giant shadow burst out of the water, like a silver lightning bolt striking the clear blue sky, splashing water several feet high. A giant dragon hovered overhead, its oppressive aura slanting down.
This was the first time Xia Zhu had ever seen a real dragon.
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