Twin Lotus Flowers (Part 1)
Chapter Twenty-One
Xie Yuan had always harbored doubts about the human trafficking and disappearance incidents.
During her stay in Wuli Town, she conducted numerous investigations, but for some reason, whenever she made a lead, the clue always ended abruptly, as if deliberately blocked by someone...
Most locals are very reluctant to talk about this, and their faces change drastically when it is mentioned, followed by a call to drive people away.
Xie Yuan had a gut feeling that there must be some connection between missing persons and human trafficking, otherwise those people wouldn't have shown such expressions.
And the reason for her rebirth remains completely unknown.
——
She knew that Song Ling was hiding something from her; he had always been quite preoccupied with his own thoughts. At least in her eyes, Song Ling seemed much more mature than her, his mentor, most of the time.
It's just that she doesn't want him to be like this.
Xie Yuan loves a free and unrestrained life; she yearns for a life where she can do as she pleases and ride the wind with passion.
Heaven gave her a chance to be reborn.
She did it.
Doesn't she value her life?
She had struggled against her inescapable fate, and she had even died.
Although she is not superstitious and does not believe in ghosts or gods.
But sometimes we have to admit that everything is preordained.
Just like she could have ignored Song Ling's life or death.
Just like the fate her master had predicted for her.
Alone, without worries.
Actually, not paying is not a good thing.
——
Many years later.
“Ah Ling, if you had been even a little uglier back then, I probably wouldn’t have taken you as my apprentice.”
The boy in red was as beautiful as a ghost. He had a white jade bone flute hanging at his waist, the tassel of which swayed as he jumped down from the tree. The tassel was a copper coin knot with a crooked red rope on it, which could barely be made out to form the character "鸢" (yuan). It was extremely mismatched with the bone flute, but he liked it very much.
Song Ling, holding a newly woven peach blossom bracelet, smiled and her eyes crinkled as she walked towards her.
"Don't worry, Madam. You will never find anyone like me anywhere in the world."
Xie Yuan rested her chin on her hand and watched him fiddling with his other wrist.
The boy's profile remained as white and jade-like as a god, showing no signs of the passage of time.
Xie Yuan smiled and said, "Yes, there really isn't another Song Ling in the world."
——
Xie Yuan was unaware of the ins and outs of the mission that Song Ling mentioned.
He genuinely had no intention of having her interfere.
They're both adults; he has his own things to do, and she understands that.
After all, she also had things she wanted to know and investigate.
He stayed in Wuli Town for almost half a month, appearing and disappearing like a dragon all day long. Aside from meals with her, he would suddenly appear when "outsiders" were talking to her, scaring her half to death...
The "outsiders" mentioned here are worth mentioning.
To the original owner of this body, he was indeed an outsider, but to her in her previous life, he was an old friend she hadn't seen for many years.
Years have passed, and old friends meet again. Many words are on the tip of her tongue, but she still can't bring herself to say "long time no see."
She was only seventeen when she became famous throughout the martial arts world in her previous life.
The friends she made during that time were all forged through life-and-death experiences, true friendships.
After all, in the martial arts world, one doesn't care about background, only strength.
She had a good relationship with four people.
One of them was Jiang Mu, the seventh prince of Bei Zhao, whose courtesy name was Jin'an. He was the most favored seventh prince of Bei Zhao. His mother was just a courtesan who had the good fortune to have a one-night stand with the emperor.
His mother died shortly after giving birth to him. A kind midwife wanted to adopt him, but she also died of old age when he was three years old. After many twists and turns, Jiang Mu was adopted by a kind old beggar and grew up in the countryside. Later, he was noticed by a martial arts master and became his disciple, where he learned to use his silver spear skill.
Jiang Mu lived a life of hardship with his master, until the emperor, traveling incognito, came to Qingzhou and unexpectedly bumped into Jiang Mu, whom his master had asked him to buy steamed buns.
The emperor felt something was familiar, and after an investigation, he discovered his lost royal bloodline. Here, we must mention Jiang Mu's birth mother.
Xie Yuan had heard about it from some folk tales. In the capital city of Beizhao, there was once a top courtesan named Liu Fuxu, whose beauty was unparalleled in the city. She was indeed as beautiful as a willow swaying in the wind.
And indeed, this emperor had never forgotten his birth mother for many years.
However, out of consideration for the royal family's reputation, they tacitly approved of the empress's secret act of driving her out of the capital.
In the end, Jiang Mu regained his title of prince at the age of eight. Perhaps feeling indebted to Jiang Mu, the old emperor also showed him considerable favor. In addition, Jiang Mu had no interest in the struggle for the throne, and at the age of twelve, he requested to leave the palace to travel the world.
Xie Yuan was also traveling down the mountain on her own for the first time at that time. She met Jiang Mu when she saw someone in need and drew her sword to help.
She and Jiang Mu did indeed have a lot in common. They were about the same age, and when they appeared together back then, they were always said to be a perfect match, a match made in heaven.
He also possesses a calm and gentle youthful spirit that is different from others his age, and he considers the overall situation.
Jiang Mu has come a long way through hardship.
Her master had also met him and, when mentioning him to her, said that he was a man of great talent and bearing, and that given time, he would surely achieve great things.
Xie Yuan naturally understood the unspoken meaning in her master's words.
Jiang Mu liked her; his affection was subtle and gradual.
He is also a bit stubborn. Given his status, he often has no choice but to make decisions, but it is his choice, and Xie Yuan respects it.
He has a strong sense of national duty and cares about the people's suffering; he will surely become a great ruler in the future.
She was not destined to be an empress.
Her ambition was to rule the world, not to be the mother of the world.
She was also destined not to be the beautiful woman who could stand by his side and share in the prosperity of the world with him.
Ten years have passed, and he has changed quite a bit; well, she was referring to his demeanor.
Indeed, being an emperor makes all the difference.
He has completely shed his youthful naiveté, and his appearance has become even more handsome and extraordinary.
He shattered her preconceived notions about emperors, because emperors are generally perceived as elderly men, imposing and dignified even without anger, as depicted in ancient dramas.
He's the kind of person who, even if he came to the countryside incognito, people would probably think he was a gentle, noble young man from a scholarly family.
"Young master, is there something you need?" Xie Yuan lazily raised her eyes and glanced at him indifferently before quickly looking away, her hands still slowly cracking sunflower seeds.
A handsome young man in a purple robe with cloud patterns gently placed the blue and white porcelain wine pot with lotus patterns on the table in front of her.
"I just feel a connection with you, so I'm offering this pot of peach blossom wine to you. I apologize for disturbing you."
He put down the wine, left without hesitation, and stepped into the bustling crowd behind him. The hem of his robe, which had been fluttering, fell back down and quickly disappeared from sight.
Xie Yuan shook her head with a wry smile. He still remembered one of her few hobbies from her previous life.
She stretched out her slender, white fingers, pinched the fermented rice wine, and brought it to her nose to smell it.
Yes, it's excellent peach blossom wine, it must have been aged for some time.
They were only twelve or thirteen years old when they were wandering the world. Now, everything has changed, and it's all just a fleeting memory.
The youthful arrogance and high spirits of those days have become a romantic tale passed down through generations...
However, the time is not yet right.
——
Xie Yuan, believing that it was a waste not to drink it, uncorked the bottle. It had indeed been a long time since she had tasted this.
In terms of brewing techniques, Jiu Yao is absolutely unparalleled. I wonder if my master and senior brother are doing well, and whether Bai Yuxi still likes to wear his bright red theatrical costume to perform on stage.
When she came back, she actually had many things she wanted to do, but she also had reasons for having to investigate.
There's also Song Ling, her troublesome apprentice.
She had no idea what he had gone through in the ten years she was gone.
He picked up the white porcelain cup on the table, filled it to his heart's content, and was about to drink it all in one gulp.
But when he smelled a familiar, cool fragrance of lotus blossoms, as serene as snow falling in a bamboo forest, his hand paused slightly.
Then, a clear and gentle voice suddenly came from behind her: "Master, what are you doing?"
Xie Yuan: ...........
It's like Song Ling installed a surveillance camera on her. Why is it that every time he asks her what she's doing, even though she's her master, it feels weird and awkward, like she's been caught doing something wrong?
"Nothing much, just a little wine."
Xie Yuan nonchalantly downed the wine in one gulp, her eyes lighting up. "Good wine!"
Song Ling sat down opposite her, and in the instant he passed by, she caught a faint, almost imperceptible whiff of blood amidst the cool fragrance.
"Are you injured again?" Xie Yuan put down the porcelain cup, her brows furrowing slightly.
This is why she didn't want Song Ling to get involved in this line of work; anything tainted with blood made her constantly worry about his safety.
Perhaps this is the inescapable fate of being a teacher.
She seemed to understand a little bit too.
When she made that decision.
The master's expression was calm yet filled with such sorrow.
The moment the life tablet shattered.
She didn't even dare to imagine what her master would think.
Later, she became her own mentor.
Only then did I realize that being a master was not so easy.
The responsibility he bears goes beyond simply being called a master.
"Where are you hurt?"
Faced with Xie Yuan's question.
Song Ling's eyes darted away slightly: "Master, I... I'm not injured." He looked a little annoyed, as if he hadn't expected her to see through that, and thought he had hidden it very well.
"Hand." Xie Yuan said succinctly, gesturing for him to extend his hand.
"Master, I also want to drink this wine."
"Don't change the subject. You used to sneak drinks from me, and every time you went in standing up and came out staggering."
After several unsuccessful attempts to argue, Song Ling still reached out her hand.
Xie Yuan took his pulse, and her brow furrowed more and more.
His internal energy was in complete chaos; anyone else would have died from bursting out of their body long ago.
As if she had done something wrong, Song Ling secretly glanced at her expression. After meeting her calm and indifferent gaze, she lowered her trembling eyelashes guiltily, and a few smiles flashed across her face as she looked down.
"I want to see your sect leader."
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