Chapter 14
Mawei Post Station.
A young man dressed in a black robe stood atop a mountain opposite Fufeng County. The black robe covered his entire body, and the hood was pulled up over his head. From a distance, he looked like an eagle with its wings folded, staring at the peddlers coming and going, as if they were delicious food, ready to pounce and capture whoever he set his sights on.
The wind was strongest on the mountaintop, causing the boy's robes to flutter constantly, yet it didn't reveal a single bit of his body.
"Is everything taken care of?"
The boy spoke, his hoarse voice escaping from his throat.
Suddenly, a man dressed in Ming Cult Confucian attire appeared behind him, kneeling on the ground with his head down. He was not as tall as the man in the dress, and had two curved swords at his waist. He was not wearing a hood.
When he stood up, a handsome and approachable face was revealed beneath his black hair.
A face exactly like that of Alulingyi.
"Everything has been taken care of, please rest assured, Master."
The voice of 'A-Lu' came from behind, and the man in black robes looked down at Fufeng County. In the distance, several crows hovered among the withered branches, cawing uncomfortably.
"Was the zither also changed?"
“Of course,” the man said. “When the two of them were in Chengdu, I had already secretly switched them. I don’t think they would ever guess that the zither in that little girl’s hand had been replaced by Yang Yin’an’s Dongxian Yin.”
The boy in black robes turned around, revealing a pale and youthful face.
The boy walked down the hill, and the man followed behind. They walked down the hill, where a black horse was tied up in the woods, wearing simple horse ornaments, and looking down at the withered grass in the ground.
The young man leaped onto his horse, took out a jade pendant from his pocket, and tossed it to the man.
"Find some quick-witted people to clean up those cats in Longmen. I don't want the Hidden Yuan Martial Society coming after me." The young man gripped the reins tightly, his palms turning white and making a hissing sound.
The man bowed and asked another question.
"And what about Chengdu?"
"You should know what to do even if I don't tell you."
The boy glanced at him sideways, then looked away.
"Let's find an opportunity to deal with them all at once, and not let them delay our plans."
"besides."
The boy suddenly reached out, his gloved fingers bringing close to the man's face and lifting his chin.
Although the face resembled Ah Lu's, upon closer inspection, it didn't look quite like her. It was like the most beautiful carp in a school, whose skin was so smooth that even with gloves on, one could feel its silky texture.
"Go and change it, so as not to arouse suspicion."
The man curled his lips into a gentle smile, captivating the heart.
"Yes, Master."
"Don't pull me!"
In the ravine next to Mawei Post Station, there was a thatched hut with smoke rising from it. A fence surrounded the yard, and next to it was a field where vegetables were planted. Several ripe cabbages had their leaves gnawed by cabbage insects.
"No way! I absolutely cannot let you go!"
A man dressed in coarse cloth rushed out of the thatched hut carrying a bundle. The women in the house, still wearing aprons, rushed out and grabbed the man's hand, preventing him from moving an inch.
"What do you, a woman, know? I'm doing this to make a living, to earn money! You don't want the money anymore? Huh?!"
The woman gripped the man's arm tightly; though not as strong as him, she held fast to his crook and wouldn't let go.
"We've finally managed to live a few peaceful years in these mountains. And you're willing to commit murder and arson for that androgynous monster? Don't you value your life? Are you going to drag me and the child down with you?!"
The man was taken aback. He noticed the tears welling up in the woman's eyes and released his grip on her.
"Don't be angry. I've finally got this peaceful life, and I want to spend it with you. But I used to work for the Ye family. Back when I escaped from Chang'an, if it weren't for them giving me a meal, I don't know where I'd be now, a wandering ghost. I have too many old grudges against wronged souls on my hands. Even if I wanted to leave, where could I go?"
"Yes, back then I threw two steamed buns at you from Chang'an, and you risked your life for me. But who knows what kind of coward you'll be now!"
Upon hearing the sound, the man immediately drew the knife from his robes and turned to block, but with a 'thud,' the sword pierced his abdomen and went through his body.
Before he could react, the newcomer kicked the man off the sword, the sword emerged from the wound, and slashed his neck again, causing the man to stumble and fall to the ground.
"ah!!!!"
The man collapsed to the ground, and the woman, her legs giving way, fell to the ground. Seeing this, she quickly crawled over to help him up, but as soon as she cupped his head in her hands, her hands were stained with the blood flowing from his mouth.
"Husband! Husband... Husband, don't die, don't die! Husband..."
The newcomer took a square handkerchief from his waist and used it to wipe the blood off the sword.
This man had his black hair tied up with a Taoist hair ornament, and he wore a white robe with blue cloud patterns on the hem. The sleeves were wide and long, and there were gold ornaments on his shoulders and arms, which made him look like a handsome young man.
He looked like a Taoist priest from a temple, but his complexion was ruddy, his features delicate, and his eyes sparkled. It was as if he had just killed someone, and it wasn't even his doing.
“If my master hadn’t asked me to take care of these trivial matters, I wouldn’t know what you all were thinking.”
"You...you..." The man's eyes widened as he stared intently at the Taoist priest. His trembling hand was about to rise when he breathed his last.
The Taoist priest stroked his own face, looking at the man's unseeing corpse.
"I... you mean this face, is it pretty?"
The Taoist priest took a few steps forward, pointing his sword at the trembling woman behind him. Seeing her fear, he smiled and said:
"What did you just say? You androgynous monster, let me cut off that mouth and have a look?"
Ming Cult.
Two days have passed since A-Lu was injured.
During this time, Ye Min and Yang Yuan took care of him. Ye Min was quite skillful and could cook, although the meals weren't very fancy, they were enough to fill his stomach. Xue Hua took on A Lu's responsibilities, staying outside the door the whole time, never leaving his side.
Although the caravan members didn't know the identities of these people, they knew that A-Lu was a disciple of the Ming Cult. The two newcomers were dressed in expensive orange-yellow robes, with jade pendants at their waists, and looked quite respectable, suggesting they were well-educated individuals. They didn't say much.
Ah Lu's injuries are gradually healing under careful care.
That night, after settling A-Lu in, Yang Yuan left the room and gently closed the door.
Turning around, she saw Xue Hua standing behind her, his hands hanging by his sides, his fingers clenched into fists, looking at her, at a loss.
The two stared at each other for a long time, and finally Yang Yuan lowered her eyes and asked softly:
"You still came."
Xue Hua had been holding back his thoughts for a long time before finally letting out a muffled sigh.
"kindness."
Yang Yuan didn't dare to look up, her heart filled with anxiety and irritation.
Xue Hua stared at the top of her head. This little girl, who was not even as tall as his waist, was a bit thinner. Through her hair, he could see her face. Her eyebrows and eyes had grown a bit more, and her lips were tightly pursed, as if she wanted to say something.
"I won't cause you any trouble! Really!"
Xue Hua suddenly remembered what Yang Yuan had said before: she was short and stood in front of his horse, her eyes seemed to be able to soften the hardest ice.
He steeled his resolve, reached out, and pulled her into his arms.
The desert night was chilly, and if it weren't for this embrace, Xue Hua wouldn't have known that Yang Yuan's arms were so cold.
Yang Yuan rested her face on Xue Hua's neck, remembering his embrace.
The first time they met, he was wearing black armor. She fell from a tree and didn't expect him to catch her—she was prepared to fall onto the bluestone slabs. But when she was firmly in his arms, she was stunned, and tears streamed down her face.
Yang Yuan stood there for a long time, then finally reached out and hugged him.
"Xue Hua... Xue Hua... I'm so scared... I'm so scared..."
Hearing a sob in her ear, Xue Hua couldn't utter another word. He simply deepened his embrace, holding her tightly in his arms.
Thankfully, I haven't lost you yet.
A-Lu lay in bed and looked out the window, where she saw two people embracing in the moonlight.
Ye Min leaned against the dressing table, arms crossed. He noticed every subtle change in A Lu's expression. He reached out and slowly closed the window, then walked to A Lu's side and straightened the blankets for him.
"Sigh, stop looking. It's not yours anyway," Ye Min sighed.
“He made her cry.” Ah Lu uttered these two words with her pale lips, her eyes still fixed on the doorway.
"Tch... She cries so often, you can't see it all."
A-Lu looked at Ye Min sitting on the edge of the bed and asked in a low voice, "Does he always make her cry?"
Ye Min was taken aback and scratched the back of his head.
"Well... there's a reason for this, there's a reason for this! Besides, girls are more sensitive, what can we grown men understand?"
“I have never made her unhappy since she came here.”
Ye Min let out a breath and smiled as she played with the rouge box on the dressing table.
"Hey bro, do you really know her?"
Ah Lu lowered her eyebrows.
Ye Min then asked, "Do you know who she is, what she does, and why she was abducted here?"
Ah Lu turned her face away and looked at the bed curtains.
"You don't know, I don't know, and that person outside doesn't know either. It's precisely because none of us know that we must protect this little girl. As the saying goes, a woman..."
He turned around, but A-Lu had already turned to her side and fallen asleep, ignoring his nagging.
Ye Min pursed her lips, got up, put the rouge box back on the dressing table, and walked to the table where the golden seven-stringed zither was placed.
"Sigh, another day has passed. What's next?"
He propped his head up with his hand, gazing at the instrument, his eyes scanning its entire surface. He stretched his neck.
Do you know?
The zither remained silent, only radiating a faint glow. The azure phoenix spread its wings, as if trying to escape this place.
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