The road stretches on endlessly, the campfire flickers, tearing a patch of brightness in the deep night.
Yin Tingxue raises her arm to wipe the sweat off her forehead. She just finished practicing her sword, huffing and puffing.
Throughout this journey, Master Zhou said he would take her to Sword Town. The journey was long and far, with intermittent pauses, neither in haste nor sluggish, as if waiting for the most suitable auspicious hour to reach the destination.
Little Fox didn’t quite understand, but she followed Master Zhou’s arrangents anyway. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t traveled with Master Zhou before; oftentis she indeed preferred being by Master Zhou’s side rather than Chen Yi’s.
As for Chen Yi... she didn’t think much about him.
Not only did she not think about him, but there was even a hint of mischievous delight in her heart.
Chen Yi was most annoying, tolerable for brief monts of intimacy, but unbearable when it dragged on endlessly. Moreover, his bullying nature, though sowhat restrained, had not changed, and occasionally he would... sleep with her...
Sheathing her sword, Yin Tingxue walked back to the fire and saw only the one-ard woman sitting alone by the fire. "Where is Senior Sister Lu?" she asked.
"Resting." Zhou Yitang glanced sideways, "Finished practicing the sword?"
Yin Tingxue instinctively shook her sore arm and nodded, "Yes, finished, I’ve practiced nine tis tonight."
Since departing Dragon and Tiger Mountain, Chen Yi and Master Zhou seed to have resolved many of their inner conflicts, their relationship grew increasingly harmonious. Yin Tingxue saw this and felt happy inside.
But contrary to her wishes, her own situation wasn’t as carefree as before.
Zhou Yitang’s demands on her grew stricter.
Yin Tingxue felt sweat in her palm. She initially thought to matchmake the two, to make Chen Yi happy here and satisfy Zhou Yitang there, diating in between, to live her days peacefully. But unexpectedly, as their relationship improved, her little life grew more challenging day by day...
"What are you thinking?" Zhou Yitang suddenly asked.
Yin Tingxue jolted, hurriedly answered, "Nothing... I’m thinking of Huang Niangniang..."
"That dog?"
"It’s called Huang Niangniang, quite well-behaved."
"Indeed, more well-behaved than you."
"..." Yin Tingxue was montarily speechless, nodded with a hint of grievance after a while, "Master Zhou, why do you scold ?"
The one-ard woman remained silent for a mont.
Indeed, she had been quite harsh with the disciple lately.
"If you don’t want to hear it, I won’t say it anymore." She said quietly.
Yin Tingxue quickly shook her head, "No... that’s not good either. The master disciplining the disciple is proper, just... just don’t be unreasonable."
"I’m unreasonable?" Zhou Yitang raised her brows.
Yin Tingxue hesitated, nodded, "Uh... like Chen Yi, that’s not good. Actually, I don’t like him being like that, but I can only endure."
"You endure his unreasonable ways but won’t endure mine?" The one-ard woman raised her tone slightly.
Little Fox was imdiately rendered speechless, unable to speak.
Though similar situations had occurred in the past, today’s Master Zhou... seed exceptionally... impatient?
"Could it be... sothing happened to him?" Yin Tingxue’s heart tightened, nervousness in her voice. Though claiming indifference, she occasionally worried. Especially since Chen Yi went to the Southern Border—it’s rumored to be a place mired in miasma, with venomous snakes running rampant, a stronghold for the Demon Sect, and there’s the Prince of Annan... The more she thought, the more troubled Yin Tingxue felt.
"He’s fine, no need to worry." Seeing Yin Tingxue in such a state, Zhou Yitang’s eyelids lowered slightly, realizing she was indeed unsettled earlier, sowhat losing composure.
This ripple wasn’t caused by Chen Yi but by Min Ning. Both were worrying, the latter sotis even more-so than the forr.
Since ancient tis, Bashu has been isolated from the Central Plains. Since Great Yu equaled Western Jin in power, Bashu nestled in between had enjoyed three hundred years of peaceful respite, with countless Cave Heaven Blessed Lands among them. In the face of impending chaos, a truly profound opportunity lies dormant, hard to seize and easily lost.
This was the key to Min Ning’s entry into Bashu. In the previous life, without this opportunity, she wouldn’t have gained the na as the "Spring and Autumn Sword Master." Along the way, she complied with her own guidance, acquiring nurous opportunities, yet compared to this particular one, they’re far inferior. It could even be said that the opportunities Min Ning gained were rely preludes to that final opportunity.
Min Ning wasn’t unwilling to gain this opportunity; quite the contrary, she lately had been obsessed with it around the clock. However, this female knight privately said, if she truly secured this opportunity, it wasn’t to properly retreat for nurturing through refinent or to hone her sword in battle...
But rather to seize the mont for... stealing a wedding?
Zhou Yitang’s expression turned complex and enigmatic. Even with long companionship, she couldn’t comprehend this bull-headed act, attributing it to Min Ning’s impulsive childishness.
Yin Tingxue remained uneasy, "Really... no need to worry?"
"Practice your sword, no need to think of him." Zhou Yitang paused briefly, then slowly said, "He... always has a backup plan."
"Oh... right, I’ve been practicing for quite a while..."
"Practice for another half hour."
"Huh?"
"Go," the one-ard woman spoke calmly, "practice your ntal state."
.........
The attempted assassination at the Ancestral Temple wasn’t a dual act.
The confrontation before the temple, however, was a ticulously choreographed dual act.
Firstly, Qin Xuzhi, as a forebear, delivered a reproachful dream to Qin Qingluo, using the authority of ancestral rule to overwhelm; followed by Chen Yi stepping in to "protect" Qin Qingluo, even risking "offending" the forebear.
Thus, even if Qin Qingluo wanted to argue, she wouldn’t have a chance to speak.
Qin Xuzhi was aware that no matter how eloquently Chen Yi spoke, it was ultimately one-sided claims. Yet, the most taboo in family matters is defining things too clearly, insisting on distinguishing right and wrong. Forcibly clarifying family matters often even splits the family apart.
If Qin Qingluo laid everything bare, arguing based on reason, it would play right into Chen Yi’s hands. He had long communicated with the forebear, making Qin Xuzhi not only dismiss her words but also severely reprimand her further.
User Comments
0 comments from readers