Doppel-Box-Schallplatte

Kapitel 49

After leaving the city gate, Ru Feng whistled in the grove outside the gate, and her horse Jing Feng came running out. Ru Feng affectionately patted its head. If she wasn't afraid that others would recognize it as her horse, she wouldn't want to be separated from Jing Feng. After all, back at the academy, she had always kept it in the academy's special horse-breeding area, and she could only see it during archery or riding lessons. This time, Jing Feng was overjoyed to be home and galloped all the way.

In a small town not far from Yuezhou City, Rufeng waited for Hanshan and Zuiyue.

"Senior brother, what exactly did you do when you went back?" Han Shan asked repeatedly.

Unable to bear the disturbance, Ru Feng said, "It's nothing, I just taught someone a lesson. It's not a big deal." He spoke so casually, ignoring the rumors that were spreading like wildfire in Yuezhou City.

Having been rebuffed, Han Shan could only shrug and ride up to Zui Yue, saying ingratiatingly, "Zui Yue, remember to wear a veil when you go into the city later, okay?"

Zuiyue, also impatient, replied, "I know, aren't you annoying? How many times have I told you? Do you think I have dementia or that I'm still a three-year-old?"

Ru Feng laughed heartily, looking at Zui Yue's gloomy face: "Haha... Zui Yue, have you noticed that you're gentle to everyone, but lately you've been getting angry at Han Shan all the time? And Han Shan..." Ru Feng turned to Han Shan and said, "And you, you're said to be very charming and shrewd, but you can never handle Zui Yue. Is your relationship what people call a 'lovable bickering couple'?"

As a result, Zuiyue fell silent, while Hanshan began to giggle foolishly.

After a while, Zuiyue suddenly said, "Senior brother, I think you and Young Master Yuxuan are the real enemies." Her tone was no longer gentle and elegant, but full of teasing.

Ru Feng scratched his head, thought of Yu Xuan, and said, "Go to hell! Yu Xuan and I? We're enemies!"

Zuiyue simply smiled, but Hanshan was confused: "But Young Master Yuxuan and Senior Brother are both men."

Ru Feng roared, "Get on your way and stop talking!" With that, he spurred his horse forward, and Zui Yue and Han Shan quickly followed.

At noon, Ru Feng and his group finally returned to Yuezhou City.

Ru Feng's return to the city was ostentatious. Dressed in a light blue brocade robe, she rode slowly on her horse. With her inner strength protecting her, she no longer looked as bulky as others in winter, and appeared even more slender and elegant.

The sky was clear today, and Ru Feng, bathed in the winter sun, shone with golden light, appearing like a celestial being descended to earth. Her beautiful face was captivating. A smile graced her face as she greeted others. Although it had been a year, some still recognized her. Thanks to Ru Feng's reputation at Fengxian Academy, even if she didn't know them personally, others recognized her—the red mole on her forehead being the best proof.

So Rufeng was very busy at the moment, and the smile on her face never stopped. Some girls kept throwing fruit at her, probably because they had read the story of throwing flowers and fruit. It was winter now and there were no fresh flowers, so the girls threw fruit and handkerchiefs at Rufeng.

At first, Ru Feng thought he was being attacked, but then he saw that the people throwing things were all young women, and they all seemed excited. Ru Feng's name was being called out. Ru Feng's eyes lit up and he understood.

Thinking of this, Ru Feng opened the folding fan in his pocket, leisurely waved it a few times, subtly raised the fan to half-cover his handsome face, smiled slightly, looked at Han Shan next to him, and winked.

The crowd on the street grew larger and larger, and many young women were captivated by the sight, following Ru Feng's horse with abandon, throwing fruits, vegetables, and handkerchiefs at him. Ru Feng dared not accept them, and could only dodge them constantly, elegantly using his fan to deflect the oncoming fruits and vegetables.

At first, Ru Feng was enjoying herself, but later she realized she was moving too slowly. So, without making a sound, she subtly shifted her body on horseback to avoid the tomatoes hurtling towards her temple, and laughed, "Han Shan, you clear the way, I want to go faster!" As she spoke, several pieces of fruit flew towards her. Ru Feng dodged them, but then a girl behind her threw an apple, almost knocking the silver crown off her head. She quickly straightened it, inwardly sighing. These fruits were flying everywhere like stray bullets; the girls' enthusiasm was simply terrifying—no, weren't they a little too thirsty? Truly, "the hardest thing to bear is the kindness of a beautiful woman," Ru Feng now truly understood.

Han Shan, standing to the side, gripped the reins tightly and whispered, "Senior brother, you're amazing!" The fruits also hit him, so he had to dismount and lead Ru Feng's horse ahead. Zui Yue, who had been following closely behind, simply dismounted and walked, deliberately keeping her distance from Ru Feng to avoid being crushed by the girls; after all, she didn't have the martial arts skills to protect herself like her senior brother and Han Shan.

Finally, Ru Feng returned to the Yuchi residence. Seeing the large characters in the distance, both Ru Feng and Han Shan breathed a sigh of relief. A little while later, Zui Yue caught up, beads of sweat on her forehead.

Zuiyue wiped his sweat and said, "Senior brother, you are indeed very popular."

Ru Feng smiled wryly: "I now realize that being too popular isn't a good thing. Just now, it was really difficult to move an inch."

Han Shan looked at Ru Feng suspiciously: "Senior brother, I feel like you're doing this on purpose?"

Ru Feng smiled smugly and said, "Now I guess the whole city knows that I, Yu Chi Ru Feng, only returned from the academy at noon today."

Zuiyue and Hanshan were suspicious, but a problem before them made them even more anxious.

"Senior brother, we're almost home. What should we do?" Han Shan asked. This was the first time he had met his senior brother's family. He wondered if they would be easy to talk to, and whether the legendary, strict, and imposing general would be fierce. What would their attitude be towards him and Zui Yue?

Looking at their tense expressions and then at the dense crowd in front of the Yuchi Mansion, Ru Feng rolled her eyes and comforted them, "You're not like ugly brides meeting their in-laws, what are you afraid of? Besides, they know you exist. I wrote to them a long time ago to tell them. You're all my junior brothers and sisters, what's there to be afraid of? And it's only right that you spend the New Year at your senior brother's house!"

Zuiyue wiped her sweat again: "Senior brother, I'm still nervous. Do you think they'll look down on us as people from the martial arts world?"

Ru Feng was speechless: "How could that be? You know I'm practically a江湖人 (jianghu person, a term referring to people who live in the martial arts world) myself. If I look down on you, it's the same as looking down on myself. Don't overthink it. Let's hurry back so they don't have to wait too long." With that, he rode off on his horse first.

When Yu Chi Huaiyang and the others saw Ru Feng, they were indeed very happy and asked him about his well-being. Han Shan and Zui Yue were warmly welcomed by everyone.

Chapter Sixty-Three: Baby

The welcoming banquet lasted for two hours. Ru Feng was surrounded by Lin Yilan, who asked her about the academy. Han Shan was surrounded by Yu Chisong, and the two chatted and laughed together. Zui Yue and Ru Xue were also whispering to each other with smiles on their faces.

Looking at the scene before him, Yuchi Huaiyang stroked his beard and found it exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

Ru Feng, unable to resist Lin Yilan's persistent pestering, could only say, "Mother, don't worry, how could your son like me suffer a loss? If you have any questions, I can go to Songlin Courtyard and talk to you about them slowly when I have time."

"You think I'm nagging?" Lin Yilan covered her mouth, looking at Rufeng with hurt in her eyes.

Ru Feng sighed again and said, "Mother, what are you thinking? Alright, I'll talk to Grandpa now. Look how lonely he is sitting there all by himself." She thought to herself that it was a failure that her family didn't have the "no talking while eating" rule. Look how lively the dinner table is.

Yu Chi Huaiyang smiled slightly: "You two can talk now. After dinner, Ru Feng can come to the study again. I have something to say to you."

Ru Feng nodded, wondering what her grandfather would say to her.

After a lively meal, Ru Feng followed Yu Chi Huaiyang into the study.

After the two sat down, Yuchi Huaiyang looked at Rufeng for a while before asking affectionately, "Are you doing well at the academy?"

Ru Feng smiled and said, "Very good, Grandpa."

Yu Chi Huaiyang nodded: "I know you did well at Fengxian Academy, and I've heard about your work, but Grandpa thought you would go to Luolin Academy."

Ru Feng slightly pursed her lips, knowing that Yu Chi Huaiyang still held a grudge about this matter. After all, he used to be a student at Luolin Academy, but he joined the army before finishing his studies.

"Grandpa, if there's ever a need for me while I'm studying at Fengxian Academy, I'm ready to go to the battlefield anytime." Of course, it would be even better if I weren't needed.

Yu Chi Huaiyang was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "When you were at Fengxian Academy at night, did you... did you notice anything amiss?"

Ru Feng looked at him in surprise: "Grandpa, what do you mean by this?"

Yu Chi Huaiyang seemed to find it difficult to speak, frowning as he thought for a long time, but still did not answer.

Ru Feng felt a little uneasy, wondering what her grandfather would say to her. Yu Chi Huaiyang was deep in thought, and Ru Feng didn't dare disturb him, so she casually browsed the study's layout. Most of the books inside were about military strategy, much like a typical study, except for the abundance of swords and bows on the walls.