Chapter 120: When the Wind Arrives (End) The Finale...
The voice was extremely familiar. Xun Shu turned around and saw that it was Fang Yan, whom he had not seen for a long time.
He was dressed in black, with a Tai Chi Bagua pattern emblazoned on the collar, rustling in the early spring breeze. His hair was neatly tied back, his face considerably thinner, and a hint of scholarly air lingered between his brows. A hint of his former self lingered, but more of a fierceness and indifference, a look Xun Shu had never seen before.
The last time I saw Fang Yan was the day Jiang Zheng left, at the gates of the capital. She wanted to escape from everything, and he stood at the gate, trying to stop her. After that day, everything rushed forward like a rolling river, towards an unknown direction, with no possibility of stopping.
Xun Shu once thought that she knew Fang Yan quite well. Although they were adopted by different families, the coffin shop and the funeral clothing store had a close relationship. She and Fang Yan had also known each other for many years and would occasionally get together to play. Unexpectedly, it was all an illusion.
She suddenly recalled the scene at the beginning of the year in the coffin shop's backyard, Uncle Jiang preparing a delicious meal, and dining with Li Xuanhe and Fang Yan. Back then, Li Xuanhe was still He Xuan, an orphan adopted by Uncle Jiang, and Fang Yan was the most studious and ambitious child in Chaozhou City. Looking back now, the three of them, each wearing a mask, somehow managed to be so happy together... It was also fascinating.
Fang Yan stopped in front of the two men and sighed, "I received news the day before yesterday that someone had returned from the coffin shop, and I guessed it was you. I anticipated your return and rushed over, and luckily you made it in time."
Chi Xiao, Yu Chang and several disguised guards surrounded them quietly, holding their swords at their waists, ready to draw them at any time.
Li Xuanhe's face darkened as he stood in front of Xun Shu and asked, "Did you know that the Dali Temple is searching for you?"
The atmosphere was tense, alarming the nearby treasure hunters. Amidst the crowd's curious gazes, Fang Yan remained calm and said with a smile, "How could I not know? But since I dared to come looking for you, I must be able to leave safely. Besides—" He lowered his voice, "You probably don't want the relationship between Ah Shu and Si Tian Pavilion to be known to everyone, right?" He paused, then returned to his usual composure, "I came here just to have a few words with Ah Shu."
Seven or eight treasure hunters in Taoist robes emerged from the ruins. They had sharp eyes and nimble movements, staring at Fang Yan with a fierce look. They were obviously masters of martial arts, ready to rush forward to protect him at any time.
Fang Yan was right. With such a group of people protecting him, he could indeed leave smoothly.
Li Xuanhe frowned, pondering a countermeasure. Xun Shu's voice was cold, and he clenched his fists. "I have nothing to say to you. Although Uncle Jiang wasn't killed by you, in the final analysis, you still caused his death. You and I are no longer friends, but enemies."
It's been so long since Jiang Zheng's incident, and everything that needed to be investigated has already been investigated. There's no need to hide or disguise anything. Fang Yan tacitly agreed with Xun Shu's words, the sadness on his face not seeming fake: "I'm sorry about Uncle Jiang. After I took him away, I thought that if he told everything, the Palace Master would treat him well and give him a high position. But I didn't expect him to refuse to say anything, insisting that he knew nothing. Later, the Palace Master lost his patience, and that's when... Ah Shu, it was my fault for taking Uncle Jiang away, but what about you? You let Uncle Jiang assume your identity, causing his death. Don't you have any fault at all?"
Li Xuanhe's face darkened and he was about to speak when Xun Shu grabbed his arm, stopping him from saying anything.
Xun Shu took a few steps forward and looked at Fang Yan, her eyes filled with hatred and disgust, no longer the gentleness and gentleness of the past. "My only mistake was not seeing you clearly in advance and advising Uncle Jiang to stay away from you." She paused, as if with regret, "Fang Yan, you've lost your mind. Since you ask if I'm wrong, I also want to ask you, have you ever regretted it? Uncle Jiang treated you like a nephew, entertaining you with delicious food and fine wine, but you used him, trying to use him to exchange for power and status, and ultimately took his life. Do you ever feel that you have done something wrong? Do you ever regret it?"
Fang Yan lowered his eyes: "Why should I regret it? Of course I won't regret it."
Xun Shu looked at him steadily, then looked away after a while: "I hope you really won't regret it."
Dusk descends, the sunlight less glaring than it had been a moment ago. The three friends from last year now stand on either side, a scene that even the wind sighs.
Fang Yan seemed to be genuinely just saying sorry, and then he was about to leave. Xun Shu stared at his back and suddenly shouted, "Your departure from Chaozhou for the capital must have been planned long ago, right? Why did you suddenly want to take Madam Zhao with you? Why did you make up this lie, as if you resigned and left Chaozhou for her?"
Fang Yan paused.
A strong wind blew, lifting his robe and causing it to flutter wildly in the wind. Fang Yan looked toward the distant mountains, where lush forests covered the hills. A government road snaked southward through the forest. He knew that after crossing the mountains ahead, he would see the main gate of Chaozhou City.
The place he wanted to go back to so much.
A warm courtyard, adoptive parents who treat him as their own son, the girl who grew up with him, and his superior who appreciates him.
Leaving Chaozhou with Lady Zhao Er was just an excuse to go home. He had thought that after she died, when everything was settled, he would carry the coffin back to Chaozhou and then return to the funeral shop, as if nothing had happened... But, things in this world are never as expected.
He lowered his eyelashes, his voice softer than the wind: "It's been so long, how can I still remember it clearly?"
Xun Shu's heart choked. "Mrs. Zhao Er died in a foreign land, alone and helpless, with no one to accompany her... Do you ever regret it? Do you ever feel that you did something wrong?"
This time, Fang Yan didn't answer, nor did he turn around. He waved goodbye and walked down the mountain in the sunset glow. The scattered treasure hunters followed him, and soon the ruins on the mountaintop were deserted by more than half.
It was as if they had never been there, as if nothing had happened.
Xun Shu stood there, not knowing whether to feel more hatred or regret. Li Xuanhe looked into her dejected eyes and suddenly said, "I've heard some rumors about the Changsheng Palace recently. It's said that after the death of the Palace Master, the Palace was leaderless and in chaos. There's a young man in the Palace who has become famous in the past two years. He has helped the Palace Master with many things and is very much loved by the Palace Master. Few people in the Palace have seen him until after the Palace Master's death. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere, convinced everyone, and became the new Palace Master of the Changsheng Palace... I guess that person must be Fang Yan."
Xun Shu was stunned: "How could it be him?! He is just an ordinary scholar!"
"Didn't you also not expect that he entered the Hall of Eternal Life many years ago?" Li Xuanhe touched the top of her head and said softly, "Don't think too much. It's getting late. Let's go down the mountain."
Xun Shu turned around and took one last look at the place where she grew up, then nodded gently: "Let's go."
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After that day, the two returned to the coffin shop and stayed there for a while.
It was as if we were back to the first six months when we met.
When the weather was good, they would go together to set up stalls at the market entrance. The shop that Li Xuanhe had bought to deliver messages had been sold to someone else, so he could only sit with Xun Shu in the old place, setting up a stall under the thousand-year-old locust tree to tell fortunes.
The bamboo table from that time has long disappeared, leaving only the patched white banner with the words "Divine Calculation" written on it fluttering in the wind.
With Li Xuanhe in charge, his eloquent speech had those seeking divination beaming with joy. For the first time, Xun Shu had heard the meaning of "a crowd of people." She sat aside, studying diligently, as if she were back in her school days.
When the weather was bad, they would sit in the yard to enjoy the wind and rain, sometimes reading quietly without saying a word, sometimes chatting about interesting things, or calling Chi Xiao and Yu Chang to play cards.
In the evening, Li Xuanhe and Xun Shu climbed onto the roof and watched the sunset in the warm spring breeze.
The roofs of distant houses shimmered in gold, and the leaves on the treetops gleamed. The river shimmered, and birds fluttered past, leaving behind a few joyful chirps. Xun Shu snuggled against Li Xuanhe's shoulder, watching the sky darken, the smoke from cooking fires curl, and the daily life of the people.
In the gentle sunset, Xun Shu grabbed Li Xuanhe's clothes and leaned forward to kiss his lips. It was rare for Xun Shu to take the initiative, so Li Xuanhe held the back of her head and let go when she was out of breath.
Xun Shu raised her eyes, and in the setting sun, they shone with a myriad of colors, as if encompassing the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, and everything in the world. She looked at the person before her and whispered, "I heard that after the young lady was born, her parents would prepare a dowry for her. If she didn't have one, she would be looked down upon by her husband's family. I have no parents, and no one to take care of me... The coffin was my dowry prepared by Uncle Jiang, and those night-shining pearls can be considered my dowry prepared by Master. I heard that night-shining pearls are quite valuable, so should these be enough?"
On the day they left the Sitian Pavilion and descended the mountain, Xun Shu had taken Li Xuanhe to the book cave at the foot of the mountain and looted all the night-shining pearls used for lighting, taking them away. At the time, Li Xuanhe had assumed she didn't want the night-shining pearls to be covered in dust and easily stolen by future thieves, but now he realized it was for this very purpose.
In fact, the Grand Princess had already begun preparing her dowry. Li Xuanhe caught a glimpse of the uneasiness and caution in Xun Shu's eyes and swallowed the words he hadn't said.
"That's enough." He kissed her forehead lightly and smiled broadly, "That's enough for you to marry me eight or ten times."
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The author has something to say: First of all, there are several thousand words of extra chapters to follow~~ They are all sweet extra chapters with similar emotions~
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Xun Shu is a very ordinary, even miserable girl.
She has no complicated background, no noble family background, no extraordinary wisdom, no stunning beauty, and even all she wants in her life is just a small home.
She is a very insecure person and will not ask for anything. When encountering problems, she will just keep them in her heart and is too weak to even argue or get angry.
Fortunately, she met Li Xuanhe.
The relationship between the two of them is a plain and simple teenage friendship, without any melodrama or ups and downs, only the most sincere boy learning to protect and love his beloved girl.
Only Li Xuanhe would take seriously every word of Xun Shu and every seemingly insignificant temper. Only he would take her joys and sorrows to heart and put her first in everything.
The boy's feelings were the most sincere and passionate. Fortunately, the girl he met, although clumsy, did not dare to waste a penny and accepted it with great cherishment.
Their relationship is a bit dreamy, because I blocked all the difficulties for them, such as their parents' opposition, not being a good match, etc. These are not important in this story, so you don't have to worry too much.
…
I really can't write about such delicate emotions, especially for a delicate and introverted girl like Xun Shu.
Halfway through writing, I was completely overwhelmed and didn't know how to continue... but I finally persevered and finished it.
There are a lot of things stuck in this article, some of which are very obscure and almost indistinguishable from the case... There are too many things I want to write about, but too little that can be clearly expressed, unless I add another 300,000 words...
In short, thank you all for reading this far and for accompanying Xun Shu on this journey.
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At this point, the main story related to the main plot has been completed, but the relationship between Xun Shu and Li Xuanhe is obviously not complete. There will be a follow-up extra chapter to clarify their story line, which should be about many years after their marriage.
Xun Shu has many wounds in his heart that require a long time and companionship to heal, so they can only be put in the extra chapter.
The extra chapter will be finished as soon as possible!
Thank you all again!! Thank you all for reading this messy post written late at night～～
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