Extra 1
Extra 1
"Yang Yuan, Yang Yuan, come quick! It's snowing!"
As soon as Zhu Qing opened her eyes early in the morning, she was immediately drawn by the chilly smell emanating from the doorway and quickly got out of bed. Without even combing her hair or washing up, she threw on her coat, jumped out of bed, and rushed to the door to open it.
The crystalline snowflakes swirled and danced in the air. Clouds obscured the sky, but sunlight peeked through its plump surface, casting slivers of light onto the still-sleepy face of Xiangzhi Mountain Villa. Though the snowflakes didn't fall in large flakes, they were like delicate hexagonal icicles adorning a maiden's silver ornaments, shimmering in the sunlight.
Zhu Qing cheered and stepped into the snow, feeling its coolness. The chill seeped into her soles, creeping up her calves, and she hopped and skipped, leaving footprints in the snow.
"Yang Yuan, come quick! Hahahaha~"
Yang Yuan quickly got dressed, grabbed her cloak, and ran out.
"Zhuqing! It's snowing and so cold, put on some warm clothes before you go out!"
The little girl in the green dress was completely oblivious to the approaching winter chill. Snow was rare in Jiangnan. Except when she accompanied her senior sister to Yangzhou, seeing the disciples of Cangjian Manor and the senior brothers and sisters returning from Kunlun, she would wear thick winter clothes and a warm shawl. Only then did she feel a slight sense of winter.
Good morning, senior sisters and brothers!
The Hall of Worthies began organizing books and miscellaneous notes early in the morning.
This is a daily task; even as newly initiated disciples, Zhu Qing and Yang Yuan have to clean up for Old Man Zheng every day, not to mention the senior disciples who have already graduated.
"Ah...so tired, my hands are about to break," Zhu Qing muttered as she picked up the book and put it on the bookshelf.
Hearing this, Yang Yuan went over and massaged her shoulders, took the books from her hands, and neatly arranged the titles and numbers of the books before placing them on the cabinet.
"Yang Yuan, you're so kind, and you're so diligent in tidying up." Zhu Qing grabbed Yang Yuan's hand as she massaged her shoulders, walked over to the bookshelf, glanced at the senior brothers and sisters behind it, and stuck out her tongue. "Look at Third Senior Brother, he only asked Senior Sister Jiang to supervise him, and he's already ordering people around as soon as he arrives. He's really taking a trivial matter for granted!"
"Third Senior Brother has a short temper, but he's doing it for our own good. Just let it go in one ear and out the other, don't take it to heart!"
Yang Yuan was naturally slow-paced, but she was meticulous in everything she did. Seeing her earnest attitude, Jiang Lixue would always personally teach her the art of understanding each other, whenever time allowed. Others were envious and always tried to make things difficult for her. Only the little girl Zhu Qing was always with her, as close as sisters.
Zhu Qing reached out and poked her forehead with her finger. "You have such a good temper! Everyone bullies you, but you never talk back or fight back."
Yang Yuan blinked, and the two girls burst into laughter.
"Yang Yuan, Zhu Qing, what are you laughing at!"
The third senior brother heard a giggling sound coming from the corner and peeked over.
The two little girls immediately covered their mouths, looked at each other and laughed, and quietly walked to the other side.
"Sigh, Yang Yuan." Zhu Qing tugged at her shawl and said while holding the book in her hands, "When can we go out? Every time I go to Yangzhou with my senior sister, we have to come back in less than half a day. We haven't had enough fun yet."
Yang Yuan hugged the book to her arms and covered it with her cloak, afraid that the snowflakes would wet the paper.
"You, all you ever think about is playing. Have you even memorized the lessons the teacher taught yesterday? He's going to quiz you today!"
"You kept talking about it in your sleep last night, how could I forget!"
The two girls walked toward the academy, chatting and laughing, but before they passed the tree with its branches covered in snow, they were stopped at the entrance.
Suddenly, the range of sound expanded, and the notes of Gong and Zheng resounded in the ears. Zhu Qing, with her sharp ears, immediately took the zither from her back, flipped her five fingers, and the three notes of Yu, Shang, and Jiao were transmitted from her fingertips to the strings with the internal energy gathered at her fingertips, and played towards the place where the notes originated.
Before the other party could react, Zhu Qing immediately pointed again, a cold aura flashing in her eyes. The strings in her hand emitted harmonics, and a figure sitting and playing the guqin appeared twenty feet in front of her, along with another figure appearing beside Yang Yuan.
Do not inquire about the inner workings of the Changge Sect; the sparse shadows lie obliquely.
"I'm not fighting anymore!"
A richly dressed young man appeared from behind the tree. His hair was white with a slight golden tinge, and he had handsome features and gleaming eyes.
He came out carrying his zither, looking somewhat disheveled. It was clear at a glance that he had been injured by Zhu Qing's zither music.
The mental cultivation methods practiced by the Changge Sect are all Yin in nature. Although there may be no visible changes in appearance, the sound of the zither can damage one's spleen and lungs, injure one's vital energy, and in severe cases, even damage one's physical and mental well-being, making it incurable.
Zhu Qing put away her zither, looked at the man, took Yang Yuan's hand and walked over, saying sternly to him:
"Apologize."
The boy raised his eyebrows and said, "Isn't this just testing whether this girl can take a beating? There are plenty of senior brothers and sisters in the sect who spar and challenge each other. Are we going to apologize to them all?"
Zhu Qing crossed her arms and looked down at him.
"Although there is such a rule, Senior Sister Jiang and even Senior Brother have said that duels and duels are only permitted at Huishan Academy and in front of Lady Zhang Wanyu. If you cause trouble here, aren't you afraid I'll tell the sect leader and charge you with bullying your fellow disciples!"
Upon hearing the words "Sect Leader," the boy's eyes widened, and without even acknowledging the zither he was holding, he immediately rushed forward to attack.
"You brat, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
The boy immediately pounced on her, grabbing Zhu Qing's hair and wrestling with her. Yang Yuan couldn't stop the two entangled, and just as she grabbed the young master's hand, she was pushed away and fell to the ground in the snow. The thick snow covered the pebbles under the tree, and Yang Yuan's elbow hit one of them, her head hitting the tree root, the pain excruciating.
Zhu Qing became even angrier upon seeing this, grabbed the young master's braid, and buried him in the snow. Senior brothers and sisters from afar heard the commotion and immediately came over to pull the two apart.
"What's going on? Why did they suddenly start fighting?"
The young master tugged at his clothes and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"I just tried out the new instrument, and this brat pounced on me like a dog and started biting me!"
Zhu Qing wiped her mouth, and her senior sister beside her straightened her skirt. The young girl spat and said:
"Pah! I wonder who it is that looks like a dog, but is actually no different from a street scoundrel!"
"Say that again, you brat!"
"What will you do if I tell you!"
After a while, Yang Yuan finally came to her senses and quickly got up, pushing through the crowd to check on Zhu Qing's injuries.
"Zhu Qing, Zhu Qing, how are you?"
"It's you again, Yang Yuan!"
The little girl was startled, unable to see the people around her clearly, her head spinning as she listened to the sounds around her.
"Hmph, a newly initiated disciple, causing trouble here by violating the sect rules, how could the sect leader accept her!"
"She is the orphan whose father went to Nanzhao and never came back. Alas, she is pitiful."
"Every time something happens, she's involved. I think we should just get rid of her as soon as possible!"
"That's right!"
...
Yang Yuan's ears were filled with the voices of various people. She wanted to speak up and argue, but her head was getting dizzier and dizzier. Suddenly, everything went black and she collapsed to the ground.
It's so cold...
It's so cold...
It felt as if I were lying alone in the snow, the darkness having shut out the light from the snow. There was no sound around me, only the quiet of my own heartbeat and breathing.
So, this is the kind of person I've always been.
So that's how they see me.
Father, Mother.
Yuan'er is so tired... I'm so tired of living in other people's eyes every day.
I really want to see you all. I don't want to live such a tiring life anymore.
The ethereal sound of a piano, like the gentle flow of flowing water, drifted in from afar, its melody soft and serene. Yang Yuan felt as if warmth spread from her cool fingertips to her fingertips, palms, arms, and heart.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw everything around her.
Zhu Qing held her hand, her eyes brimming with tears, but she didn't cry out; Jiang Lixue sat in a chair playing the zither, "Ying Que" (盈缺). Seeing that she was awake, she also played the zither and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Waaaaah! Yang Yuan, you're finally awake! ... Waaah... You scared me to death..." When Zhu Qing saw that she was awake, she immediately covered her face and started crying. The loud crying startled her so much that she quickly sat up.
"Lie down properly." Jiang Lixue got up and walked over, sitting beside her and taking her hand to check her pulse. After confirming it was alright, she looked at her and said:
"It's nothing. You just injured your head and suddenly felt a surge of anger, which caused you to faint. You vomited some blood, so you should rest now."
Yang Yuan nodded and was about to speak when Jiang Lixue interrupted her.
“I know what you want to ask. Senior Brother has already reprimanded those onlookers. That blond young master is the son of a court official and is usually spoiled. Now that Zhu Qing has bullied him like that, his family is making a huge fuss and they are demanding an explanation from the sect leader.”
"What did the sect leader say?" Yang Yuan asked.
"You little brat, wearing the clothes of a Changge Sect disciple, are you afraid the sect leader will bully you?" Jiang Lixue tapped her forehead.
Zhu Qing wiped away her tears and smiled through her red eyes.
"The master will punish me by making me guard the gate at Huishan Academy from now on. The sect leader has taken care of everything else, so you don't need to be afraid."
Jiang Lixue smiled and shook her head.
“Yang Yuan, don’t be afraid of what others say. Your father is a very brave man. You are also a very brave girl. Some people take advantage of the situation to say things that are offensive to get your attention. But it’s just that they themselves are not cared about by anyone, so they do this.”
She took Yang Yuan's hand and, like an older sister, said kindly:
"The world is so vast. Once you leave Changge Sect, you'll be all alone. No matter what happens in the future, no matter the difficulties or dangers, remember not to be defeated by your inner demons. Stay true to what you believe in. Never waver and never betray your original aspirations."
Yang Yuan, her face streaked with tears, tightly grasped the hands of Jiang Lixue and Zhu Qing.
Night slowly descended, draping the snowy landscape in a veil of darkness. The lights of Changge Gate flickered dimly, the moon shone brightly, and the breeze was gentle.
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