Twin Lotus Flowers (Nine)
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Half a month later, in Anzhou.
"Master, is this the place where you lived when you were a child?"
On the long street, two young men and women, each holding a long sword, walked through the bustling city.
The pretty and bright girl in red at the front looked very young, but her temperament made her impossible to ignore. Beside her, a girl with a high ponytail and wearing the same red dress always lagged behind. The extremely handsome and beautiful boy seemed much more lively, looking around curiously.
Xie Yuan had been reborn for so long, yet she had never seen Song Ling use Gu in front of her, and he had always used the swordsmanship she had taught him.
If she hadn't died back then, she might have actually planned to announce to the world in a grand manner that she had taken on a disciple.
In the past, I always saw other disciples having masters to back them up, just like she used to have the sword immortal Zhu Qi standing behind her.
Back when she was ranked among the six great sword immortals, her master even returned to the martial world because of this.
Song Ling's existence was unknown to others, but the original work only briefly touched upon the tragedy of his life.
In her eyes, he was still that little boy who didn't believe in fate.
He considered his own life worthless, but he would never let his life be in the hands of others. Even if it meant death, he would keep his life firmly in his own hands.
"Yes, but this is just a place where I used to sneak down the mountain to play when I was a child. I used to be an orphan. My master adopted me in a bamboo forest in Chu Mountain, which is not far from here."
“My master and senior brothers treat me very well. I have two senior brothers. My second senior brother is named Xie Jue. I have never met my eldest senior brother. If there is a chance in the future, we can go and meet him together.”
“”
“”
Returning to her homeland, she became very talkative.
Although many years have passed and many people and things have changed, Xie Yuan still has a faint smile on her lips when she talks about the past.
Those carefree and joyful days are truly unforgettable.
“Ancheng is a very livable small town with spring-like weather all year round. The people live and work in peace and contentment. The farthest you have ever been is the village at the foot of Luoqi Mountain. I haven’t had a chance to take you to see any further places. Ah Ling, look, this is the sugar painting I told you about before.”
"Boss, I'd like two of these, one little rabbit and one little fox."
Xie Yuan pulled Song Ling to stand in front of a small stall.
"Alright! Here you go, miss!"
The shop owner deftly handed her two sugar paintings.
Xie Yuan paid for them and took them. She turned to look at Song Ling, only to find that he had been quietly watching her, with an emotion in his eyes that she couldn't understand.
"Here you go, what are you spacing out for?"
Xie Yuan handed him the little rabbit, took the little fox for herself, and couldn't wait to stuff the sugar painting into her mouth. At this moment, she didn't have the temperament of her master when he was scolding her. She was just like an ordinary teenage girl, overjoyed because she had eaten what she wanted.
"Ah Ling, are you unhappy again?" Song Ling's moods were so unpredictable that she was already used to it.
“No, I was just thinking, Master used to be doing so well, so why did you choose to leave these things that made you happy? You seem happy when you bring these things up…” Song Ling said, mimicking her by gently putting half of the sugar painting into her mouth.
Sugar paintings are very sweet, but he doesn't like the cloying taste.
But Master liked it very much.
so.
He doesn't dislike it.
"Hiss, that's a really insightful question. I'm sure I'll be asked that same question when I meet them."
Xie Yuan finished the sugar painting in a few bites, then licked her lips with a lingering sense of satisfaction.
"To be honest, I don't know either, but when I went to find you, it certainly wasn't to take you as my disciple, but rather..."
Xie Yuan didn't know whether she should say this, after all, she had gone there to complete the mission back then.
This is the task.
"Kill me."
"Huh? You know?"
Now it was Xie Yuan's turn to be surprised.
Song Ling shrugged indifferently and said, "I've always known that before my master, there were many more people who tried to kill me. I'm used to it. Anyway, they all died in the end."
“Ah Ling”.
Hearing him speak so casually about the past only made Xie Yuan feel even more uneasy.
She had no idea what he had experienced before he was three years old, because when the mission began, he had already been locked in that sunless cave.
He definitely won't tell her.
Harmful.
"Then why didn't Master kill me? In the end, he chose to take me as his disciple. Back then, Master was the strongest person I had ever met."
His words reminded Xie Yuan of Song Ling when they first met.
He was a truly handsome little monster back then, but he was also incredibly fierce...
"Ah Ling, do you think it's possible that you were so cute when you were little that I couldn't bear to kill a child, so I took you as my apprentice!"
Xie Yuan looked at Song Ling expectantly, her eyes asking him what he thought of the answer.
“My master has never liked trouble, but I’ve always been trouble.”
Song Ling said nothing, yet it seemed as if she had said everything.
Xie Yuan sighed softly.
Apprentices are hard to fool when they are young, and they are even harder to fool when they grow up.
"Perhaps it's because I see my own reflection in you."
“Ah Ling, we were once one person.”
I hope you're no longer alone.
——
Chu Mountain.
Jingyu Mountain Villa.
A handsome young man in blue robes with white hair was sitting under a crabapple tree in the courtyard, while opposite him sat a man in black robes with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, looking impatient.
On the stone table were two small jugs of wine and a white jade chessboard.
There was a tombstone next to them.
“Aqi, if you hadn’t given me that letter at the very end, I would definitely have been able to find her, and your precious disciple wouldn’t have died somewhere unknown, and you still can’t find her body to this day.”
The man in black, seemingly bored, picked up a black jade chess piece and casually placed it on the black and white chessboard.
The man in blue robes and white hair remained expressionless. He simply picked up the troublesome black chess piece and placed it in a different, more accurate position, saying calmly, "Yuan'er is not someone as willful as you. She must have her reasons for doing this."
Li Shui remained silent, crossed her arms, and scoffed, "How have I acted recklessly? It's just that..."
Zhu Qi glanced at him lightly and said in a calm voice, "Shut up."
"There is no winter in Chushan, so the crabapple blossoms can bloom forever. The crabapple is still there now, but I wonder if it is doing well."
"This was planted by her and me back then."
"She has a lively personality, loves freedom, loves the world of martial arts, and loves red clothes, just like this crabapple, which remains beautiful forever."
Zhu Qi chuckled softly, seemingly lost in thought. "She also said that crabapple blossoms have no fragrance, just like longing is silent. If I miss her, I can look at the crabapple blossoms, and when she travels and sees them, she will think of me."
Li Shui sighed, "Every year on the anniversary of her death, you're like this. You're so stubborn. You call yourself my disciple, but I think you've raised her like a daughter. Now look at you, tsk tsk."
"You talk too much. Today is the anniversary of A-Yuan's death. Go to the back mountain and pick some irises for me."
"A-Jue sent me a message. He said he was busy with sect affairs and only set off today. He's already on his way and will arrive later."
Li Shui casually got up and walked towards the back mountain: "Got it, I guarantee I'll complete the task, I'll pick enough, I promise you'll be satisfied."
Zhu Qi watched the man leave, shook his head helplessly, and lowered his eyes to continue playing chess with himself.
——
Li Shui went to the back mountain of Jingyu Manor. After her junior sister died, the mountain was covered with white irises.
They were all planted by Aqi himself.
It's quite an eye-opener that someone who's never lifted a finger and only knows how to wield a sword would one day be doing these kinds of work.
He hadn't even had a chance to meet this junior sister he'd never met before.
That's a real shame.
However, she is indeed an interesting person.
The rumors about his actions are not entirely untrue. His unconventional behavior is understandable and should not be tolerated by the world. However, he does not care about what the world thinks, only what A-Qi thinks.
But he probably will never understand.
So be it.
That's fine.
For someone as principled as him to abandon his family, country, and the world for him, and live in seclusion, isn't that another form of breaking the rules?
They could have killed him back then.
Tsk tsk.
——
At the foot of Mount Chu.
"Master, there's a very strong formation here, I..." Song Ling said, about to draw her sword, when Xie Yuan gave her a light tap on the head.
"Are you stupid? There's no surprise in breaking it directly. Besides, this isn't an ordinary formation. It incorporates Yin and Yang, Bagua, and Qimen Dunjia. An ordinary person who accidentally enters will be led to the exit. Someone like you who draws his sword without saying a word will be torn to pieces in a moment."
Song Ling covered her head and mumbled an "oh".
"Come with me. I used to sneak down the mountain all the time, so I know this formation very well. Come with me." Xie Yuan smiled slyly and furtively pulled Song Ling away to another place.
But when they reached the so-called secret passage for sneaking down the mountain, Song Ling fell into a rare silence.
Isn't this just a dog hole...?
While suppressing a laugh, Xie Yuan said, "A Ling, this is one of the secluded and abandoned backyards of Jingyu Manor. I used to be quite playful, and in order to find ways to go out and play, I taught myself these Yin-Yang and Five Elements techniques. Although I am not very proficient, it is not a problem for me to open a small hole to go out and play."
"Master, are you serious?"
Song Ling took a deep breath.
Xie Yuan patted his shoulder and comforted him, "It's alright, your master will set an example for you."
Her slender and petite figure was naturally no problem in the past, but it was indeed a bit of a stretch for Song Ling.
"Alright, I'll do as Master says."
If outsiders knew that the fearsome Pavilion Master of the Unknown Spring Pavilion crawled through a dog hole here, it would probably shock the world.
After all that trouble, Song Ling finally arrived.
The boy sat somewhat aggrievedly on a stone bench, his high ponytail askew, and his once neat red clothes were now covered with weeds, making him look rather disheveled.
Xie Yuan was laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight, while she was picking weeds from his hair and brushing the dust off his back.
This was the first time she had seen him so disheveled over such mundane matters.
"Master..."
"It's alright, it's alright. Master will buy you some beautiful new clothes, they'll definitely look better than what you have now," Xie Yuan said, unable to suppress a smile.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com