Chapter Seven: First Promise of a Heart
When Zui Mochou saw Murong Hanchan approaching, he was about to compliment her, but to his surprise, Murong Hanchan ignored him and quietly went into her room. Zui Mochou, feeling helpless, shook his head and continued drinking. Just then, two waiters arrived, carrying the cooked food that Young Master Qiao had ordered earlier, and brought it into his room. The two waiters placed the dishes down one by one without saying a word.
Upon seeing this, Zui Mochou exclaimed in bewilderment, "Hey, hey, hey! Who sent you to deliver these things?"
One of the shop assistants replied, "It's that pretty girl who was drinking earlier!"
Zui Mochou immediately understood and went to Murong Hanchan's room.
He shouted loudly, "You brat, the food and drinks you ordered have been brought up by the waiter! Come out and eat!"
Murong Hanchan opened the door, looked at Zui Mochou, her sharp eyebrows twitching, and said boldly, "Old man! Those dishes and wine are on me, eat and drink as much as you like!"
Zui Mochou widened her eyes and said, "A guest should not overstep his/her bounds; let's eat together!" gesturing for her to come over.
Murong Hanchan hesitated for a moment, then moved on. Before the two of them could enter the room, Xiaoyao Lang and Yin Xiaosheng returned.
Upon seeing this, Zui Mochou hurriedly exclaimed, "You've come at the perfect time! Lunch has just been served!"
Xiaoyao Lang helped Yin Xiaosheng into the room. Upon seeing a table full of delicious food, Xiaoyao Lang exclaimed, "Old man! Where did you get the money to order this feast?"
Upon hearing this, Zui Mochou looked displeased and said with a tilted head, "So you mean I'm just an old beggar who can't afford these things? Then don't eat them, go cool off over there!" After saying that, he twisted off a chicken leg and started eating it, deliberately making a show of it for Xiaoyao Lang to see.
Zui Mochou: "Mmm! Delicious! So delicious!..."
Yin Xiaosheng was already wolfing down his food, paying no attention to the two bickering. He said, "Brother Xiaoyao! Sit down quickly, eat and drink! This pig's tongue is really good!"
Xiaoyao Lang stepped forward and sat down next to Zui Mochou. Zui Mochou looked at him and picked up a chicken butt for him!
...
Xiaoyao Lang, feigning elegance, asked, "Miss Murong! What brings you to Longyang City?"
Upon hearing this, Murong Hanchan smiled slightly and said, "When you talk to me, you don't need to talk about sages and saints. Just say whatever you like!"
Upon hearing these words, so soft and sweet, spoken slowly and gently, Yin Xiaosheng even began to doubt whether the person before him was his junior sister!
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyao Lang blushed and scratched his head, saying, "I have never studied since I was a child, and I am not very knowledgeable about etiquette and manners. Since you have said so, then I will speak my mind freely from now on!" After saying this, he stared blankly at Murong Hanchan.
Murong Hanchan nodded upon hearing this, and then replied, "We came to Longyang City because of the divine artifact that has recently been circulating in the martial arts world. Yin Qianqiu once told us that the divine artifact had appeared in Yuyang Village! Can you take me to Yuyang Village?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyao Lang was extremely excited and hurriedly said, "That's fine! I'll stay there. Old man! I'm leaving Brother Yin to you!" With that, he got up to leave.
Zui Mochou gritted his teeth and said, "Oh! You two go out and have some fun! I'll take care of your relatives for you!" After saying that, Zui Mochou pointed to himself and asked.
Upon hearing this, Murong Hanchan blushed, her bright eyes looking at Zui Mochou with amusement. Seeing her gaze, Zui Mochou quickly raised his hand to protect his short beard! He said, "Go! Go! It's best you don't come back!"
Murong Hanchan turned to Yin Xiaosheng and said, "Senior brother, please rest well. I will be back as soon as possible!"
Yin Xiaosheng said with concern, "Junior Sister! You must be careful on your journey."
"Um!"
After giving their instructions, Xiaoyao Lang and his companion went to the backyard of the inn.
Murong Hanchan said leisurely, "Senior Brother's horse was killed by Yin Qianqiu. Now, this is the only horse left."
Xiaoyao Lang pointed at the donkey and said, "I'll ride it!"
Upon seeing this, Murong Hanchan smiled and said sweetly, "It's too slow! Let's ride a horse instead!"
After saying that, she lightly stepped onto the horse and was already on its back. Then she reached out her hand to Xiaoyao Lang, who took her hand and they sat down behind her.
Murong Hanchan urged the horse onward at breakneck speed, and Xiaoyao Lang, worried about being thrown off, held her tightly around the waist. He felt how slender and soft Murong Hanchan's waist was, and a captivating feminine fragrance lingered in his nostrils. Murong Hanchan's face instantly flushed crimson at his embrace; she had never been held like this by a man before.
Murong Hanchan asked softly, "How much longer until we reach Yuyang Village?"
Xiaoyao Lang: "This place is already within the territory of Yuyang Village!"
Murong Hanchan immediately stopped and said, "Then why don't you let me go!"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyao Lang quickly let go.
Murong Hanchan: "According to Yin Qianqiu, they fought in a bamboo forest that day. Is there a bamboo forest here?"
Xiaoyao Lang exclaimed happily, "A bamboo forest! Behind where I live is a large bamboo forest. Just walk a little to the right and you'll reach that place!"
Upon arriving at the bamboo forest, she looked around at the vast expanse, wondering how easy it would be to find a place to fight.
He then said, "You wait here for me, don't wander off! I'll go upstairs and take a look!"
After saying that, she leaped from the horse and flew directly to the top of the bamboo forest. There she was, her figure graceful and ethereal, as if walking on flat ground. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared without a trace.
Upon seeing this, Xiaoyao Lang exclaimed that the lightness skill was an excellent technique!
Murong Hanchan stepped on the bamboo, surveying the area for a moment. She then landed to investigate. She saw that many bamboo stalks had been broken in the middle, and realized that this must be the place of the battle that Yin Qianqiu had mentioned.
She searched everywhere but found no trace of the divine object, and disheartened, she prepared to return. Just as she gathered her energy to ascend the bamboo, the cold poison within her body suddenly flared up. Instantly, an indescribable pain shot through her dantian, and her entire body felt unbearably cold. She knew it was the use of the Frost Qi that day that had triggered the cold poison. With the cold poison taking effect, she could no longer circulate her energy. Enduring the pain, she forcefully threw a bamboo stalk into the air. She thought to herself, no matter what, she had to hold on until he arrived before collapsing.
Xiaoyao Lang, worried about Murong Hanchan, kept looking up at the bamboo forest, searching for her. Just then, he saw a bamboo stalk fly up and fall back down, which piqued his curiosity, so he rode his horse to investigate. A moment later, he saw Murong Hanchan reclining against the bamboo.
He hurriedly dismounted and stepped forward to ask, "Miss Murong! What happened to you?" He was instantly surprised to find that her entire body was covered in ice beads.
When Murong Hanchan saw him, she smiled slightly, said nothing, and closed her eyes.
Xiaoyao Lang carried her onto his horse and took her to his thatched hut. He lit a large fire, and Murong Hanchan gradually recovered and woke up. Seeing that she was awake, Xiaoyao Lang hurriedly brought her hot water.
Murong Hanchan looked at Xiaoyao Lang, shook her head, and whispered, "Blood! I want to drink chicken blood."
Xiaoyao Lang: "Ah! Chicken blood?!" Seeing her in such pain, Xiaoyao Lang didn't ask any further questions, as he happened to have enough at home. He ran to the chicken coop, pulled out a large rooster, and was about to kill it with a knife when he was stopped.
Murong Hanchan weakly cried out, "No! No~ Don't kill it! Give it to me!" Xiaoyao Lang handed her the chicken, and then, she bit down on its neck, drinking mouthfuls of blood. Slowly, the chicken closed its eyes. Xiaoyao Lang was dumbfounded; he couldn't believe it—this was Murong Hanchan's doing! He recalled Yin Xiaosheng's words: "You'll understand eventually!" A chill ran through him.
Murong Hanchan drank the chicken blood, and a surge of heat immediately rose in her dantian, relieving the pain. Taking advantage of this moment, she forcefully circulated her qi to suppress the cold poison within her body, regulating her breathing. She knew that without using her icy inner strength, the mere cold poison posed no threat. But driven by her infatuation with her lover, she couldn't resist using it. She thought to herself, "Today, I acted as boldly as a man, and he happened to witness it; now, seeing me like this, he must look at me differently..."
Just then, Xiaoyao Lang picked up a beautiful blue cloak. Looking at the snow-white mink fur, he knew it was expensive and definitely not something he could afford.
Xiaoyao Lang said with concern, "Put this on, it should keep you warm!" After saying that, he put the cloak on Murong Hanchan.
Murong Hanchan smiled slightly and asked softly, "Where did you get such a beautiful mink cape?"
Xiaoyao Lang said happily, "This mink cloak was a gift from my sister Qingxue. I didn't want it at the time, but when I returned it to her, she got angry with me, so I kept it. I never thought I would be able to use it today!"
Murong Hanchan felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this and asked in a low voice, "It seems your relationship is quite special. If you don't want her, she'll be angry with you?"
Xiaoyao Lang suddenly looked sad and said slowly, "When I was a child, I was often bullied. I didn't have enough to eat during the day and had nowhere to sleep at night. Until one day, I met Sister Qingxue."
Murong Hanchan: "Cough...cough, cough."
Little did Xiaoyao Lang know that these words, "Sister Qingxue," were like a knife to Murong Hanchan's heart.
Xiaoyao quickly hugged her and asked, "Miss Murong, are you alright?"
Murong Hanchan: "Please continue!" I am Miss Murong, and she is Sister Qingxue. Murong Hanchan felt a little sour when she thought about it.
Xiaoyao Lang continued, "My sister Qingxue took pity on me and gave me food and clothes. When I was eleven, I finally found work at a noodle shop. The boss told me to chop two bundles of firewood for him every day, and in return, he would give me two meals. I was very happy at the time!"
Murong Hanchan: "Then who raised you when you were little?"
Xiaoyao Lang: "I don't know either. I vaguely remember that on a snowy day, someone threw me off a carriage. After that, I just kept crying and crying. I was probably only four years old at the time."
Murong Hanchan: "I never imagined that you, with such a miserable fate, would actually survive. This must be the will of Heaven!"
Xiaoyao Lang declared, "The past is the past. We live only to be carefree and unrestrained, taking each step with ease, caring nothing for the past or the future!"
Murong Hanchan was truly pleased to hear this, but also felt helpless. She then asked leisurely, "That Qingxue, you two are quite close, aren't you?"
Xiaoyao Lang laughed and said, "We have a very good relationship. She is kind-hearted, gentle and refined, and also very knowledgeable and reasonable! Her father, Lord Yi, is also very good to me and has asked me to be his apprentice many times."
Murong Hanchan: "Then why don't you agree to his request? Once you become the city lord's apprentice, your livelihood should be secure."
Xiaoyao Lang: "I don't agree because of Qingxue, because she doesn't like me. If I agree to become Lord Yi's disciple, he will betroth Qingxue to me."
Murong Hanchan hurriedly asked, "Then don't you like her?"
Xiaoyao Lang replied softly, "I don't like her. I treat her like a younger sister, and she treats me like a older brother."
Murong Hanchan said calmly, "If you don't like such a good girl, then who do you like?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyao Lang suddenly turned his head, looked at Murong Hanchan, and said, "I like... I like... I like..."
Seeing his expression, Murong Hanchan couldn't help but smile and said softly, "I understand!" She thought to herself, "You're such an idiot. There are only the two of us here, and you can't even say it."
Xiaoyao Lang: "Ah! You know?" He scratched his head, thinking, "Do you know who I'm talking about?"
Murong Hanchan: "I'm a little tired, I want to sleep for a while!" With that, she lay down on the grass. (Inside Xiaoyao Lang's room, there was only a wooden plank, so he didn't let her in.)
Xiaoyao Lang: "Then you go to sleep, I'll watch the fire."
In the middle of the night, Xiaoyao Lang saw Murong Hanchan trembling again, so he took two more thick clothes from his house and covered her with them (he had no blankets). Then, he built a large fire behind her.
Murong Hanchan woke up to find herself covered with two layers of clothing and smelling the aroma of roasting meat. Upon closer inspection, she realized that Xiaoyao Lang was roasting chicken. Looking back, she realized she had let her guard down and slept beside this strange man all night, without a shred of suspicion. Hearing the noise, Xiaoyao Lang turned and smiled, "Miss Murong! You're finally awake!"
Upon hearing this, Murong Hanchan said coldly, "Don't call me Miss Murong anymore!" Hearing "Miss" just made her angry! She thought to herself, "You can call me Sister Murong, that's fine too!"
Xiaoyao Lang looked bewildered. Seeing that Murong Hanchan was unhappy, he asked leisurely, "Then what should I call you?" He thought to himself that she had never spoken to him so harshly before.
"From now on, you can call me Chan'er! And I'll call you Brother Xiaoyao! What do you think?" She said with a sweet smile.
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyao Lang exclaimed happily, "Good! Good, Chan'er! Good, Chan'er! Are you hungry? Here!" With that, he handed the roast chicken to Murong Hanchan.
Murong Hanchan took the roast chicken, casually twisted off a small piece of meat, handed it to Xiaoyao Lang, and then took a large chicken for herself and began to eat it in small bites.
As she ate, she exclaimed, "Mmm! It smells so good! It's delicious!...Brother Xiaoyao, I never imagined that the chicken you roasted would be so much better than the ones at the inn!"
Xiaoyao Lang looked at the small piece of chicken in his hand, no bigger than an egg, and then at the large, plump chicken in her hand. He took a bite, and the small piece of meat was gone. Murong Hanchan saw this and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
She handed over the roasted chicken, saying sweetly, "Brother Xiaoyao! Here, have a bite! Just one bite!"
Xiaoyao Lang took a big bite, swallowed it, and immediately said, "Chan'er! I want more! Give me another bite!"
Murong Hanchan said playfully, "Alright! You can have as much as you want!" She turned around, tossing the chicken back and forth. Xiaoyao Lang reached out to grab it, and she laughed repeatedly, saying, "Over here, over here...hehe..."
Finding an opportunity, Xiaoyao Lang leaped and grabbed the chicken, but lost his balance and fell into Murong Hanchan's arms. If Murong Hanchan had used her internal energy to support herself, the two wouldn't have fallen at all, but she instead fell backward, with Xiaoyao Lang landing on top of her. (Straws below)
Xiaoyao Lang, up close, gazed at Murong Hanchan's beautiful face, blushing like a newly blossoming peach blossom, her rosy lips incredibly alluring. Unbeknownst to him, a sudden surge of desire compelled him to kiss her. Murong Hanchan, seeing this, blushed and slowly closed her eyes. Just as their lips met...
"Quick! Quick! Go see!"
Xiaoyao Lang stopped what he was doing when he heard someone shouting, and Murong Hanchan also opened her eyes.
Xiaoyao Lang: "Chan'er! It seems something has happened over there."
Murong Hanchan: "Then why don't you let me get up!" Murong Hanchan was so angry that she really wanted to kick him away!
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyao Lang quickly got up and pulled her up.
Xiaoyao Lang: "Chan'er! Let's mount our horses and go take a look!" He then went to pull the horses.
Murong Hanchan cried out, "Brother Xiaoyao! The horse is too slow!" As soon as she finished speaking, she grabbed Xiaoyao Lang with her right arm and they soared into the air.
Xiaoyao Lang: "Ah!~"
The two arrived at a lakeside, where a dozen or so villagers had already gathered, some of whom, including Xiaoyao Lang, recognized them.
Xiaoyao Lang: "Uncle Zhang, what are you doing?"
Grandpa Zhang said, "Xiaoyao Lang! You've come at the perfect time! Look at that, that, that thing is so strange!" As he spoke, he grabbed Xiaoyao Lang's hand and made him look into the lake.
Xiaoyao Lang asked, "Uncle Zhang, what kind of fish is that? It swims so fast!"
Grandpa Zhang: "That's not a fish! It's a very strange thing. People go down to catch it, but they can't catch it. They cast nets, but they can't catch it either. Isn't that strange? I've lived for decades, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like it!"
At this moment, Murong Hanchan leaped into the water, her movements as graceful as a dragonfly skimming the surface, utterly effortless. She flew alongside, chasing after whatever moved in the water, the two seemingly racing against each other, leaving the villagers on the lakeside dumbfounded. She appeared as if a fairy were dancing wildly in the lake!
Murong Hanchan seized the opportunity, striking the water with her palm. The divine object rose with the wave. Immediately, she channeled her icy energy, causing the water to freeze instantly on the lake's surface, forming an ice flower that encased the strange divine object. She shattered the ice flower, obtaining the ice that held the divine object, and returned on foot!
The villagers all exclaimed, "A fairy has descended to earth! A fairy has descended to earth!"
...
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