The young man's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said, "Mr. Mu, I didn't mean to..."
Liu Ye sighed, "Although you don't eat garlic and chili, I do. It's such a waste to just throw them away. These dishes look delicious."
Mr. Mu stood there for a while before taking a deep breath. When he faced him again, he had regained his composure. "So, what do you like to eat now?"
The young master noticed the word "now" in her words, and a hint of doubt flashed through his mind. He pondered for a moment, then raised his head and said, "I apologize for offending Mr. Mu earlier."
"What do you mean?" Before Mr. Mu could understand, Liu Ye suddenly realized what was going on and looked at the young master with a surprised expression.
The young master smiled slightly, "This time, I'll cook to thank you for keeping me company until late at night."
He's going to cook?!
Now it was Mr. Mu's turn to be incredulous.
"Actually, it's not just women; some men can cook too." The young master turned and left, pushing his wheelchair, and Liu Ye immediately followed him closely.
The corridor was quiet, a gentle breeze was blowing, and moonlight shone through the window lattice onto Mr. Mu's eyes, making them appear somewhat moist. Suddenly, she shuddered, covered her mouth, and a few streaks of blood dripped from between her fingers. When the pain in her chest subsided slightly, she opened her hand, and the bruises on her hand had gradually turned black.
Is it still not working? Can't you even hold on for a few days or a few months?
"No, I don't believe it!" Mr. Mu looked up at the sky and said calmly, word by word, "I don't believe it, I don't believe I will lose to you! Heaven, if you want me to die, I will not die. I have finally waited for this opportunity, and if I lose at this moment, I will die with my eyes open in disgrace!"
Yes, she had been waiting for this opportunity for far too long.
I waited for a full six years.
The ornate carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the vermilion gate. The driver leaped up and stood gracefully before the gatekeeper, reaching into his robes to pull out a card, saying, "Young Master Ye Mufeng of Wu Liu City has come to pay a visit."
The guards at the gate quickly stepped aside to welcome the carriage inside. The four white horses were well-trained and obediently followed the guide. When they reached the front hall, they stopped on their own without anyone having to call them.
Gu Yucheng greeted them with a smile, saying quickly, "You've finally arrived! A few days later and the chrysanthemums would have withered!"
The car door opened, and two children helped a man in white slowly get out. He was pale and coughing softly, but he seemed to be in good spirits, especially his eyes, which were dark and clear, full of wisdom.
This man is none other than the renowned Sickly Young Master Ye Mufeng. When he was ten years old, doctors predicted that he would not live past fifteen; when he was fifteen, doctors predicted that he would not live past twenty. But now he is nearly thirty and still lives on tenaciously. His tenacious vitality has created another legend in the martial arts world.
"With the invitation from Young Master Wushuang and Young Master Gu, how could I dare not come?" Ye Mufeng smiled gently as he was helped into the front hall by two servants.
Gu Yucheng said happily, "That would be even better! With the autumn winds just beginning to blow, the four-gilled perch and water shield are at their plumpest and most delicious. Combined with your culinary skills, it would be the finest dish in the world!"
"Young master is exceptionally intelligent and excels at everything he does."
Gu Yucheng's face fell after hearing this, and he sighed, "Yes, I thought no one is perfect, at least he can't play the flute. Who knew that the day before yesterday, he tried to play the flute for the first time and immediately stopped playing 'Remembering the Flute on Phoenix Terrace'? Isn't that infuriating? Some people spend years learning a skill, while others are born with extraordinary abilities and learn it without learning."
Ye Mufeng asked in surprise, "Young Master can play the flute?"
"Unexpected, isn't it?" Gu Yucheng said with a wry smile, "It was all instigated by that Mr. Mu..."
"Oh, you've managed to invite Mr. Mu?"
"Speaking of which, I actually have something to ask you. How did you know that this Mr. Mu's medical skills are so superb?"
Ye Mufeng said, "It was quite a strange encounter. Six years ago, when I passed through Meishan, my old illness flared up and I was on the verge of death. I never expected that there would be such a reclusive master living on the mountain. It was thanks to his help that I was able to save my life. However, he has an eccentric personality. I later sent people to deliver many gifts of thanks, but he refused to see me. When I heard that Miss Gu had contracted a strange illness, he was the first person I thought of."
Gu Yucheng frowned and muttered, "It's really hard to believe... This woman's behavior is so strange; it's hard to believe she has such a compassionate heart..."
Ye Mufeng raised an eyebrow and said, "What? A woman?"
"Isn't Mr. Mu a woman? It's strange that a woman would have such a name."
Ye Mufeng stared at him in utter shock and said, "But—Mr. Mu isn't a woman!"
"What? Are you sure?" Shun Yucheng jumped up from his chair.
Ye Mufeng sighed and answered firmly, "The reason why Mr. Mu is called Mr. Mu is because he wears a wooden mask on his face. Although I can't see his face, his figure, his hands, and his voice are clearly those of a man, and if I'm not mistaken, he is also a first-class master."
Gu Yucheng's brows slowly furrowed, and after a long while, he said in a sinister tone, "Then it seems that we really need to invite this 'Mr. Mu' to have a talk."
The glow of the sunset reflected in the water, creating a shimmering expanse, which then shimmered brightly on the paper.
The young master gazed at the words on the paper and exclaimed, "I always thought your handwriting was sharp as a knife, but I never imagined you could write Lady Wei's delicate and elegant calligraphy."
Mr. Mu slightly curled the corners of his lips, and with a flick of his wrist, he produced a completely different style of calligraphy.
"The Shu Su Tie from Mi Nan Gong," the young master said.
Mr. Mu's eyes lit up, and he wrote another line.
"Ouyang Xun's Jiucheng Palace".
Ms. Mu, in a burst of enthusiasm, would write down the name and origin of each character she wrote, one for each character, and the recitation was flawless. Finally, Ms. Mu smiled and gently wrote the three characters "Cai Sang Zi" (采桑子). The young man stared at it blankly for a long time before letting out a long sigh and saying, "This is my handwriting. If I hadn't seen you write it with my own eyes, I would have thought it was mine."
Mr. Mu, holding a calligraphy brush, glanced at him sideways. This was the first time in so many days that the young master had seen her so gentle and kind. For some reason, he felt a slight stirring in his heart. "It's unbelievable. I've not only invited back a divine doctor, but also a talented woman."
Don't you think I'm deliberately showing off?
"If you were deliberately trying to show off, why would you still be unknown?"
"Perhaps it's because I disdain seeking fame and fortune like you," Mr. Mu said, but his tone was clearly joking.
Upon hearing this, the young master couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Have I offended you? Why do you keep belittling me like this?"
Mr. Mu looked at him, then suddenly asked seriously, "Young master, are you happy?"
The young master paused slightly, then remained silent. Mr. Mu stared intently at him, his autumn eyes unfathomable. "Do you like this kind of life now?"
"There's a deeper meaning in your words, and I don't know how to respond for a moment."
Mr. Mu sighed softly, "Such frankness makes me, the one who asked the question, feel ashamed."
So the two of them smiled together.
Since that day when they played chess, his relationship with her has changed drastically. The young master discovered that Ms. Mu was extremely knowledgeable, proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy, painting, medicine, divination, and astrology. It could be said that she was almost incapable of anything except martial arts.
How could someone be so intelligent? While admiring her talent, he also felt a deep sense of kinship with her. Over the past two days, they had chatted like longtime friends, appreciating literature, paintings, books, and discussing chess—talking about everything from astronomy to geography. With each new discovery, his affection for her grew. It seemed as if heaven knew of his loneliness and had specially arranged for such a person to come into his life; how fortunate he was!
Mr. Mu took another sheet of Xuan paper, and his brush began to move freely as he wrote, saying, "Actually, there's a question I've wanted to know for a long time. I wonder if you would be willing to answer my question?"
"Mr. Mu, please speak."
"There are so many famous women in the martial arts world, why did you choose Gu Mingyan as your wife?" Mr. Mu raised his head, his expression calm, but his eyes were bright. "Do you love her?"
Although her question was unexpected, the young master did not find it abrupt. He thought about it seriously for a while and replied, "I think she has some qualities that are very attractive to me."
"oh?"
"I don't know why, but when I first saw her eyes, it was like I was falling into a dream. The dream was very gentle and warm, and it had a sense of fulfillment that I had been searching for but had never found. She was proud and willful. Everyone said she had a bad temper, but I found her very cute. Even the way she smashed the vase was beautiful to me... I think this is what it means to fall in love, so I chose her."
After the young master finished answering, he looked at Mr. Mu and noticed that her eyes had become darker, brighter, and deeper.
"Anything else? I'd like to hear more details. Could you tell me?"
The young master found that when she spoke so softly, he simply couldn't bear to refuse any of her requests.
"Actually, there weren't many reasons needed. For a long time after my legs were crippled, I became very depressed and refused to let anyone near me. One day, I went out of my room, and she was standing under a swaying plum tree in the courtyard. She was completely devoid of her usual flamboyant and spoiled demeanor; her gaze was very, very gentle, and also very, very sorrowful. She said to me:"
"If you won't treat yourself well, then let me treat you well." The young master smiled at this point, then continued, "People are easily moved sometimes. That sentence had such a powerful impact on me; I had absolutely no power to resist it."
Mr. Mu lowered his head. He couldn't see her expression, but he could see her hand holding the brush tremble slightly. Finally, the brush slipped from her fingers and rolled to the ground.
"Mr. Mu?"
Mr. Mu was startled and looked up abruptly, "What?"
"What’s wrong with you?"
“Young Master…” Mr. Mu called out to him, but when he looked at her, her gaze darted away. “If, I mean if, I can’t cure Miss Gu’s illness and can’t save her, will you… hate me?”
The young master was somewhat surprised. "Why?"
Answer me, will you or won't?
The young master sighed softly, "So it is fate. Fate cannot be forced, so how could I blame you? You did your best."
"What if... I didn't do my best?" Mr. Mu's voice suddenly became very strange.
The young master was stunned, staring at her in surprise. He saw a variety of complex expressions flash across her pale face, some seeming to be testing, some serious, some in pain, and some even wicked.
She's no ordinary woman! The young master suddenly realized this.
From the moment she appeared, she carried a hint of disdain and ill intent. Her actions after arriving at Emerald Manor were even more bizarre and unpredictable, blurring the lines between good and evil. Did she not want to save Mingyan at all? Did she really come with ill intentions? Countless thoughts raced through her mind in an instant.
Just then, a voice broke the silence: "Young Master, Mr. Mu, the young master of the manor invites you both to the front hall for a chat. He has something to discuss."
The young master turned around and saw a servant standing respectfully outside the waterside pavilion. Mr. Mu immediately resumed his indifferent expression and walked out first.
A gust of wind blew, scattering the papers on the stone table. The top sheet drifted to the ground, landing right at his feet. On it was a poem from the *Book of Songs*, specifically the section on the *Airs of Qin*.
"The morning breeze is bleak, the northern forest is lush. I have not seen my lord, my heart is filled with sorrow. What can I do? I am so lost in thought! On the mountain grows the oak, in the marsh the six-lobed tree. I have not seen my lord, my heart is filled with sorrow and joy. What can I do? I am so lost in thought! On the mountain grows the cherry, in the marsh the elm. I have not seen my lord, my heart is filled with sorrow, as if drunk. What can I do? I am so lost in thought!"
As soon as Mr. Mu stepped into the hall, he sensed something amiss. After Liu Ye pushed the young master in, a soft cough came from behind the screen. Gu Yucheng and another person slowly emerged, staring at her with a cold smile.
Mr. Mu's expression changed drastically when he saw Ye Mufeng.
"Well, Brother Ye, is this Mr. Mu?"
Ye Mufeng stared at her intently, seemingly frozen in place. Gu Yucheng, receiving no answer, asked again. This bizarre scene stirred a turbulent feeling in the young master, leaving him unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow.
The reason Ye Mufeng was invited here in the first place was because he had doubts about Mr. Mu and wanted to confirm them. However, after spending a few days together, although there were conflicts, he respected her talent and pitied her weak nature. It was understandable that a woman would be a little eccentric if she was abandoned by her husband. Unconsciously, he had become accustomed to having her by his side.
This habit is truly terrifying; it comes silently and without warning.
Mr. Mu suddenly turned around, and Gu Yucheng gave him a look. Immediately, several guards slammed the door shut, blocking his way.
"You think you can just leave like this? Mr. Mu—oh, no, perhaps I should ask you—who exactly are you?" Gu Yucheng walked up to her, his face darkening. "If you don't tell the truth, don't blame me for being impolite."
Mr. Mu didn't look at him, but turned to look at the young master. His eyes flickered as if he had something to say, but in the end he didn't say it.
The young master sighed softly and asked gently, "Tell me, who are you?"
"I..." She lowered her head, her body trembling like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, almost unable to stand. When she raised her head again, her gaze was burning and unusually bright, as if it could penetrate one's soul. When the young master met such a piercing gaze, his heart suddenly ached.
She suddenly grabbed the young master's hand and said urgently, "Tell me! Tell me..."
"Tell you what?"
"You—you—" Tears welled up in Mr. Mu's eyes, his expression turning incredibly sorrowful. "As the successor of Qingyantai, one of the three holy lands of the martial arts world, admired by all as a young master, from a distinguished family with a prestigious status, and with a beautiful and charming wife, would you fall in love with me? Would you fall in love with me? Would you fall in love with me!"
She asked the question three times in a row, shocking everyone in the hall.