At this moment, the concubines of the Murong Mansion were very conflicted, really conflicted. It was good to be able to hold a grandchild, but their stepdaughter was not married yet. What’s worse was, the future Guye was still nowhere to be found. If those savage and unreasonable devils and monsters men of jianghu knew that a little devil was growing in Yunshu's belly, what would happen!
What should they do? Ah, what should they do?
The nine concubines of Murong Mansion had been pacing back and forth in front of Murong Yunshu's study all morning. At one moment, they were looking at the sky and the other at the ground. At another time, they were seen mumbling to themselves. Those who didn't know would think they were performing a ritual of summoning the dead.
"Old Ninth, you go in and talk to her."
"Right, Old Ninth, you go."
……
All agreed that the Ninth Concubine should go in and discuss with Murong Yunshu.
"Why me?" The Ninth Concubine was a million times reluctant.
"Because you're the youngest."
"The older one should do this kind of thing!"
"There is a generation gap between the old and the young. It's easy for the young to talk together. If you go in, Yunshu won't give you a look."
"Of course she won't give me a look because she won't even look at me!" The Ninth Concubine was determined not to be the one who received the injustice. That Yunshu girl was a freak, and now she was carrying a combination of a freak and a devil in her belly, so the Ninth Concubine could not tell how eccentric Yunshu would be. She was adamant not to go in.
The concubines were torn again for a long time. They finally decided to go in together, enduring the misfortune as one.
When they pushed open the door, the room was empty.
The concubines' faces looked pale. "Where is she? Lu-er clearly said she was in the study!"
"I suddenly remembered that when Lu-er said Yunshu was in the study just now, her gaze flickered as if she was hiding something."
Could it be…...
One thought came to all the concubines' minds at the same time――had she run away from home again?
When they thought that it was possible, the concubines could not help but feel sad. Yunshu, Yunshu, how can we, the widowed mothers, live with you keep on walking away from problems? Although we did get a little bored of not worrying about food and clothing, we want to find little things to do. But you can't come back for three or five days and leave us with a mess that takes three or five months to clean up!
How could they cope with those boorish fellows of jianghu who come to their door from time to time to seek revenge?
Ai――! The concubines let out a long sigh. For them to have such a stepdaughter, if they expected the care of the elderly from her, it could only be done in the next life. In this life, if they could have a normal death, they would already be satisfied!
At that moment, Nie Qing walked into the courtyard and saw the concubines standing in front of Murong Yunshu's study, sighing long and short while the room was looking empty. He immediately realised that she had left the building and he had come back late again. Gazing at the empty courtyard, Nie Qing could still see a trace of her sketching with her brush, concentrating, but the person she sketched under her brush was not him.
After a long time, Nie Qing turned around and left in silence.
After months of waiting, only to rub shoulders with her was enough for him. He was relieved to know that she was all right. Next, he would go back to the capital and finish what he had to finish. [T/N]
He also wanted to continue to guard the vast Murong Mansion for her, but he had to leave since the world had become unsettled and his ambition was still unfulfilled.
This situation of his was perhaps the reason why he could only stand behind her. He had the world at heart, while Chu Changge saw her as his world, so he would never compare to Chu Changge. He had no qualifications to stand beside her forever, watching her smile like a flower, and cared for her tenderly when she weighed down by sorrow.
Silent vigilance was his last holdout. And now, he was going to let go of this persistence to help somebody turning the world to peace.
*
A wagon moves slowly forward on the muddy road, leaving long wheel marks on the ground as it went on. Every few metres, groups of refugees, old, thin, frail women and children, were seen walking and hobbling along the road.
"Miss, why are there no young, strong men among those refugees?" Lu-er looked out through the carriage window with a sympathetic look on her face.
Murong Yunshu guessed, "Either they have died or been arrested and taken away to work as able-bodied men."
"Oh." Lu-er lowered the curtain, pouted, and after a long silence, she suddenly asked, "Why do they insist on making war?"
Murong Yunshu replied, "Because there is only one throne, while there are many people who want to be Emperor."
"Why do so many people want to be Emperor?"
"Don't you want to?"
"Of course not. If I become the Emperor, then Miss surely will become my puppet master." Lu-er's face showed as if the matter was something natural.
Murong Yunshu chuckled. "That's true." It was a pity that many people were not as self-aware as Lu-er. They clearly could not be an Emperor, yet dreamed of being one.
Lu-er asked again, "Miss, why are we running away from home?"
"Because you have a talkative mouth, and I forgot to sew it shut." Murong Yunshu said.
"......Miss, I didn't go around spreading the word about your pregnancy." Lu-er felt aggrieved. She had obviously never said anything to anyone. How come the next day, everyone in the Murong Mansion knew that Miss was pregnant?
Murong Yunshu said, "I know. You were just talking to yourself when a bystander accidentally overheard you."
"Then…...in that case, you can't blame me. Since Miss wouldn't talk to me again, I had to talk to myself," Lu-er said sullenly.
"But you can just close the door and recite it slowly instead of running exclusively to crowded places." Thinking about how Lu-er had reacted yesterday when she guessed she was pregnant made Murong Yunshu couldn't help but laugh. Someone had been working so hard; therefore, wasn't it reasonable for her to be pregnant in the end? Lu-er had been jumping up and down as if she had heard the biggest shock of all while mouthing the words 'Miss is pregnant, Miss is pregnant......' For fear that the maids and page boys who were coming and going would hear her.
Lu-er shut up resentfully. It was just a coincidence. She was in a daze at the time, so she didn't know many people were around her.
Seeing Lu-er's face admitting her mistake, the corner of Murong Yunshu’s mouth hooked up, satisfied as she continued to read her book.
In fact, the real reason she left home was that the Four Guardians had heard the news about Chu Changge. It was true that she was a bit troubled by the spreading word of her pregnancy. After all, she was pregnant before she had gotten married. Moreover, their enemies outside were glaring at her like a tiger watching his prey. It would be troublesome if they knew that she was carrying Chu Changge's flesh and blood, but that was not enough to make her leave home, especially now that she was pregnant. Had she not learned that she was pregnant in the first place, she would not have personally given up her search for Chu Changge. After the physician told her that her fetal position was abnormal and was prone to miscarriage, she immediately left the Shaolin Temple area to return to Jinling to nurse her child.
During these days, when Chu Changge was away, she would wake up every night with nightmares. Yet, she had to remain calm and could not have too many mood swings. Such days when even fear is not allowed are simply suffering.
Luckily, South, East, North and West did not disappoint her when they sent her the Chu Changge's news. A cook had killed a fish and dug out a jade pendant from its belly. He then took it to a pawn shop when the Mojiao Sect’s spies discovered it. That jade pendant was not an ordinary jade pendant. It was actually the Black Wind Order of the Mojiao Sect. According to the cook's account, that batch of fishes were all from a fish trader of Qingshui Village.
*
Murong Yunshu met up with the Four Guardians at the South Province checkpoint. Led by them, they arrived at Qingshui Village. [+]
Looking at the busy fishermen in front of her, Murong Yunshu instructed Lu-er, "Go and ask them where they get all their fish from."
"Oh." Lu-er rushed over to ask and came back a short while later, saying, "They said the fish were all fished from the river. The river is just up ahead, about two or three hundred metres from here."
River? Murong Yunshu's heart sank a few notches.
When they came to the river that the fishermen spoke of, Murong Yunshu's heart completely sank to the bottom. Her slim hope sank in the vast waters of the river, unable to find ashore.
"This is not a river. It’s simply an ocean." East Guardian was frustrated and even a little desperate. Faced with the endless water with no source visible above or below, he suddenly lost his confidence. If a person fell into this vast ocean, what could be the person's chances of survival? He was not optimistic.
The three people South, North and West also stood still, not daring to say a word more. They even breathed carefully. They were afraid of revealing their inner pessimism.
Not far away, a flock of seagulls flew, wailing, and their cry sounded unusually bleak in Murong Yunshu's ears. Somehow, she seemed to hear Chu Changge's cry for help......no, no. He was a proud one. Even if he needed rescuing, his voice should be high, full of irrefutable arrogance. [T/N]
After gathering himself, Murong Yunshu said, "Go and find a place to stay, from a family. Give them some silver and tell them to stay elsewhere temporarily."
"Yes." The East Guardian immediately went to do it.
The fishing boats that went out to sea were berthed one after another. The sun slowly sank and fell on the horizon. The dim corner of the sky was swallowed up by the cloud little by little. The calm sea began to roar, churning out big waves, dragging the coastline.
Murong Yunshu went to the beach again and sat down on the rocks, which were still permeated with moisture, and listened to the sea weeping.
On the empty beach, there was no place for Soul Chaser and Sou Ming to hide. Both stood upright like two marble statues not far behind Murong Yunshu. For almost two months, there had been no sign of that particular signal they were familiar with. Hence, this showed that their other seven brothers were boding ill rather than well.
Fists clenched, the two men secretly swore in their hearts: I will not be a man until the murderer is cut into pieces!
*
Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
The heavens did not disappoint him. Chu Changge used Qinglong as a shovel to dig in the ground and finally dug up food that could replace the flower petals――some kind of unknown tuberous fruit.
Chu Changge gleefully washed it clean and nibbled on it. It was very sweet. Then he gobbled it up. He truly wanted to swallow the whole huge fruit. Having eaten and drunk enough, Chu Changge could not help but smile bitterly. If he continued like this, he would surely become a wild man.
After a few days, when Chu Changge washed his face by the stream, he suddenly noticed that his hair seemed to have darkened a bit.
After a few more days, his hair had all turned black. Not only that, but Chu Changge also felt his qi and blood flowing freely. His body became as light as a swallow, and his internal strength had improved a lot.
Just as Chu Changge wondered where this change had come from, the ever-cold and aloof Qiu Shuiyin suddenly snapped.
"You slyly ate my anther!" Qiu Shuiyin roared angrily at Chu Changge, who had just returned from testing the terrain by the stream.
Chu Changge looked puzzled. "What anther?"
"The medicine I planted in the back! I've worked so hard for three years planting it. This year it's just about to reach harvest time, and you've dug up every last one of them!" Qiu Shuiyin felt like her head was about to explode. In more than ten years of living, she had never been so annoyed before.
"Uh......" So that thing had not only a name but also an owner. Chu Changge grew up without ever stealing anything――he always borrowed things, and now that he was accused of stealing by Qiu Shuiyin, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. "I won't eat your stuff for nothing. You name a price, and I'll give you silver." Chu Changge had the backbone to say that he was willing to compensate her for the loss.
"You......you......" Qiu Shuiyin was so angry with him that her body trembled, "What else are you capable of besides crushing people with silver?! "
"Killing people." Chu Changge answer indifferently.
Qiu Shuiyin was so mad at him. Stealing food from her and still being so open about it was......simply shameless. "You have to leave. I don't want to see you again!" Qiu Shuiyin growled.
"Just in time, I do have to go." Chu Changge turned and walked out a few steps, then turned back and said, "So far, I have only ever repaid one person for saving my life, in the most primitive way. She is now my wife, my only wife." After a few seconds, he added, "Although I am not a man who knows how to repay kindness, I am grateful for the help you gave me. Because of you, I have a chance to be reunited with my wife. So if you have any wish, I can help you to fulfil it."
Qiu Shuiyin muttered to herself for a long time before saying, "You take what is in the woods with you." After speaking, she turned and went into the house, closing the door behind her, with her eyes full of loneliness.
She was brought here by a strange granny at the age of five and had not left for twelve years. What wish could she have? If she had to name one, she thought, it would be to have someone by her side when she died. Since the strange granny passed away, no one had ever come into the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. The day she found him by the stream, she did everything she could to bring him back to life, thinking that she would have a companion. Even if he could not speak, it was good to know that there was someone who was equally lonely as her. [+]
What was to be done? He was not lonely. He hissed in despair while he was in a coma, but it was because he had a deep love in his heart and was afraid of losing the woman called 'Yunshu'.
She thought that between living in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and dying on the way to find his wife, he must have preferred the latter. So she decided to give him the things in the woods, the things she had originally intended to keep for herself. She had no more attachments to the outside world for a long time anyway. The only reason she had not died over the years was that she was unwilling to be stuck here for the rest of her life.
In fact, her body simply could not stand wandering outside.
*
Chu Changge came to the woods and found a raft and a bundle of sun-dried anthers. It dawned on him that it was no wonder she did not allow him to go near the woods.
But what did she need a raft for up the mountain? She couldn't just paddle up the waterfall.
The anther was a good thing. Not only could it fill one's hunger, but it also had medicinal effects. But it seemed like these things were saved for Qiu Shuiyin's own preparation. If he took away, he did not know how many three years would it take for her to raise enough dry food to leave here.
Chu Changge turned around and left without taking anything. His heart was limited. He could only afford to owe one woman.
Tags:
Black Belly Wife