By the time Huo Yan arrived, it was already completely dark.
He shone the lantern on it, "Su Ruanruan?"
Su Ruanruan raised her eyes, which were swollen from crying, and said in a choked voice, "Huo Yan, let's go back to Qingshan County tomorrow morning!"
"Huh? What happened? Aren't you going to look for him?"
Su Ruanruan closed her eyes. "I'm so tired."
That night, Su Ruanruan developed a high fever again. The doctor diagnosed that the previous cold had not healed and that her blood and qi were attacking her heart, causing depression and mental confusion. He prescribed medicine and advised her to rest.
It seems they won't be able to set off for a while.
It was four days later when Su Ruanruan fully recovered.
Su Ruanruan was having breakfast downstairs when she heard others mention that ancient temple again.
She suddenly felt a strong urge to go and take a look.
She begged Huo Yan, and Huo Yan readily agreed.
...
At the foot of the mountain, Su Ruanruan could clearly see the two powerful characters "Ancient Temple" on the plaque.
She and Huo Yan followed the worshippers inside. The temple was small and located in a very remote area, but there were quite a few worshippers.
Su Ruanruan came out of the main hall after offering incense and looked at the towering steps on the mountain peak.
Those must be the 1,088 steps the tea stall owner mentioned.
She had already seen several people at the bottom of the steps kneeling every three steps, kowtowing devoutly upwards.
Su Ruanruan thought, Mu Bai must have been like this before, no wonder his forehead was a bit bluish.
Su Ruanruan looked at those people thoughtfully.
A young novice monk approached and said, "Benefactor, do you have any wishes or unfulfilled desires? You can do the same as them."
"Does it work?" Su Ruanruan asked with a wry smile.
Sincerity will naturally bring results.
Su Ruanruan shook her head, "I don't believe it."
The young novice monk shook his head. "Even scholars believe it, but you don't."
"A scholar?"
"Yes, it is a scholar. A few days ago, a scholar from out of town who was going to take the exam came here specifically to pray for good fortune."
"However, the weather changed that day. When he was halfway through his kowtow, it started to rain heavily. He did not give up halfway and climbed to the top step by step in the rain."
"His request will surely be granted."
Su Ruanruan suddenly grinned and laughed so hard she bent over, tears welling up in her eyes.
The young novice was dumbfounded, shook his head, and walked away.
Huo Yan frowned as he looked at Su Ruanruan, "What's wrong?"
Su Ruanruan's eyes were filled with tears. "Do you know who he's talking about? The scholar he's talking about is Mu Bai."
Did his wish come true? No, no!
If Mu Bai hadn't come here to pray for blessings, he wouldn't have encountered the bandits, nor would he have abandoned her out of guilt.
Su Ruanruan walked down step by step when a gentle breeze suddenly blew by, and the wishing tree next to her rang with a clear, crisp bell sound.
She stopped and looked up at the tree covered with red ribbons and wishing cloths.
For some reason, my heart ached faintly as the bell rang.
Su Ruanruan seemed to be drawn by a force, and couldn't help but walk towards that tree.
Standing under the tree, watching the red ribbons flutter, a gust of wind blew by, and Su Ruanruan's vision was obscured by the falling red ribbons.
She reached out and took it off her head. Seeing the familiar characters on it, her heart, which had been swaying gently, was thrown into turmoil once again.
"Mu Bai and Su Ruan Ruan, loving Chang Ning, will never be separated for all eternity."
"May our love endure forever, for all eternity..."
Su Ruanruan clutched the red silk tightly in her hand, murmuring softly, "Brother Mubai..."
...
Su Ruanruan never saw Mu Bai again in Lingzhou City. She didn't know where his wife was from or where they had gone.
Su Ruanruan took one last look at the place that had saddened her, and then she and Huo Yan embarked on their journey home.
Little did she know that even worse news awaited her.
As soon as they arrived at the city gate, they saw Ziwu waiting anxiously at the gate.
Two days ago, her master's cousin came to the tofu shop to find her, but she didn't know where her master had gone. She only knew that her master and Constable Huo had left the city, and that Bai Ruan was delivered to the tofu shop by the clinic's employee.
Finally, she found out the address of Fang Ru, Mu Gongzi's classmate, went there to ask, and learned that Mu Gongzi had not returned.
But he didn't say why he didn't come back.
She thought, "That master must have gone to Lingzhou City to find Young Master Mu."
She then sent someone out of the city to look for her, but they probably got lost on the way.
Seeing her master's haggard face, she had a bad feeling that Young Master Mu would not be coming back.
As for the reason, she didn't dare to ask any further questions.
In a short period of time, the master's eyes had lost their luster, and he had become noticeably thinner.
If her master found out... I wonder how desperate she would be.
When Ziwu saw Constable Huo leading a horse to the side, she swallowed back the words of concern that were on the tip of her tongue.
He raised his voice and said, "Do you still want to work at this tofu shop? You left without saying goodbye. Do you know that your aunt's family has come looking for you many times!"
Su Ruanruan turned her head to look at her, "Looking for me?"
"They're looking for you. You should be prepared..." Seeing how haggard she looked, Ziwu was afraid that she wouldn't be able to bear the bad news if she told her.
Just as she was about to speak, a gloating voice rang out from the side, "Oh, isn't this Su Ruanruan?"
Su Ruanruan recognized the dog's barking all too well; it was that bastard Su Xiaoqiang.
She looked up and followed the sound, seeing Su Xiaoqiang dressed in silk clothes, looking even more respectable than before.
Standing next to him was someone she knew very well, Su Fangfang. The cloying, sweet scent of perfume wafted into her nose; it smelled awful.
She changed out of her coarse clothes, her head adorned with pearls and jade, her face powdered white, and her figure became even more voluptuous, giving her a certain charm.
Su Ruanruan frowned slightly and looked at the purple mist.
What happened while she was away? Weren't those two arrested for owing money to the casino? How did they turn from chickens to phoenixes?
Compared to the matter between these two, Ziwu wanted to tell her something else more important. She had just opened her mouth when she said, "Hurry back..."
"Su Ruanruan, your brother is dead, and you're still here seducing men. Have you no shame?!"
Ziwu was interrupted again, and she angrily scolded Su Fangfang for interjecting, "Shut up."
Su Ruanruan stepped forward, grabbed Su Fangfang's collar, and raised her hand.
"Smack!"
A stinging slap mark landed on Su Fangfang's cheek.
The sudden slap stunned Su Fangfang and startled Su Xiaoqiang, who was standing next to her.
He had never seen Su Ruanruan so fierce before. Was this still the timid Su Ruanruan from before?
"You, you dare to hit me?"
Su Ruanruan raised her hand and slapped her again. "Why wouldn't I dare? Do I have to pick a day to hit you? You're an adult, yet you're cursing a little child. What are you up to?"
Su Fangfang touched her reddened cheek, stomping her feet angrily, "Brother..."
Su Xiaoqiang raised his head and said, "Do you know that my sister is now the seventh concubine of Master Zeng of Qianlai Gambling House? If you lay a finger on her again, I'll have him skin you alive."
He and Su Fangfang were originally staying at Master Zeng's house as lowly servants. Zeng Yuan, the only male in his household, was not only impotent but had also been exiled.
Master Zeng drowned his sorrows in alcohol every day, and it was precisely because of this that he and Su Fangfang had an opportunity to take advantage of him.
But after making all the plans, he discovered that Su Fangfang had been having an affair with Butcher Zhou and was no longer a virgin.
There are foreshadowing elements regarding Mu Bai later on.
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