Ich bin ein Gott in der Chatgruppe aller Reiche

Kapitel 61

Yue Ruzheng frowned slightly, puzzled and wondering what had happened. But since she was in Tingyu Manor, she couldn't inquire further and could only return to the courtyard along the same path.

The next morning, before Yue Ruzheng even opened the window, she heard a rustling sound outside. She went out of the room and saw fine snow falling and drifting in the air above the courtyard, with a thin layer of snow already on the ground.

After seeing Shao Yang, Yue Ruzheng did not tell him about what happened the previous night. After breakfast, Qi Yun came to the villa and led the two to the main hall.

The hall was filled with offerings, white curtains hung low, and incense and candles swirled, creating a solemn atmosphere. When Wei Heng arrived, he had already changed into plain clothes. After he finished performing the full kowtow, Shao Yang and Yue Ruzheng also knelt down to offer their respects.

After the ceremony, Shao Yang noticed that Wei Heng looked somewhat haggard and asked, "Brother Wei, is there anyone else coming to pay their respects today?"

Wei Heng thought for a moment and said, "No one has come up the mountain yet, but some people came a few days ago. There's hardly anyone else in the manor now."

Yue Ruzheng was surprised, but seeing his calm expression, she didn't interrupt.

As Shao Yang and Wei Heng were exchanging pleasantries, Qi Yun hurriedly entered from outside the hall. He whispered a few words in Wei Heng's ear, and Wei Heng frowned, saying to Shao Yang, "Brother Shao, we have a guest, so I'll have to leave for a moment. You and Miss Yue go back to the villa first; I'll be back shortly."

Shao Yang readily agreed, and he and Yue Ruzheng headed towards the other courtyard. As they walked, Yue Ruzheng kept turning back. Noticing her unusual expression, Shao Yang couldn't help but ask her after the servant left, "Is something on your mind?"

Yue Ruzheng pondered for a moment and said, "It's not exactly a worry, just a little strange." She paused, then shook her head and said, "Never mind, we're guests, let's not meddle."

"Ruzheng, your personality is quite different from before," Shao Yang said involuntarily. Seeing the wistful look in Yue Ruzheng's eyes, he stopped talking.

The snow hadn't stopped; in fact, it seemed to be intensifying. Yue Ruzheng tightened her clothes and hurried towards the other courtyard. The two had just returned when they suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps outside the wall, followed by a girl's panicked cry: "Senior Sister! Senior Sister! Fifth Sister has fainted again!"

The author has something to say: I went to work today, but the internet was down, so I didn't go online during the day. Moving offices like an ant carrying food was exhausting, and I'm still feeling dizzy.

Chapter Forty-Two: Nights of Silence and No News

Upon hearing the exclamation, Shao Yang rushed out without thinking, with Yue Ruzheng in hot pursuit. Just as they reached the door, they saw a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old, looking flustered, hurrying towards the front yard.

She hadn't run far when a woman in white came running up to her. The woman grabbed the girl's arm, whispered "Go back," and pulled her back quickly.

They passed through a round stone gate and disappeared into a secluded courtyard. A moment later, a mournful cry echoed from the courtyard, the sound tinged with pain. At that moment, several more women rushed in from the front courtyard. Shao Yang frowned upon seeing them; they were the same group he had encountered at the inn the day before. The girl in green, who was leading them, hurriedly led them into the courtyard, her expression anxious, and she didn't notice Shao Yang and Yue Ruzheng standing in the side courtyard.

"They really did come to pay their respects to Elder Master Wei..." Shao Yang said, gazing at the small courtyard with a hint of confusion, "But why didn't Wei Heng mention at all that there were injured people staying here?"

Just as Yue Ruzheng was about to tell Shao Yang about what had happened the night before, Wei Heng arrived in a hurry. He was taken aback when he saw the two of them standing there, then smiled faintly and said, "Brother Shao, I'm so sorry I took so long to get here."

"Brother Wei, it seems someone is seriously injured. Has something terrible happened?" Shao Yang, being straightforward by nature, couldn't help but ask.

Wei Heng looked somewhat embarrassed, glanced at Yue Ruzheng, and said helplessly, "I didn't want you to know, but the people living in that courtyard are disciples of the Emei Sect. Something happened to them on their way to Tingyu Manor, and two of the girls were injured, so I let them rest here."

After hearing his explanation, Shao Yang understood that the girls were indeed from the Emei Sect, but he still had some doubts. At this moment, a few words of arguing came from the courtyard. Yue Ruzheng frowned and looked at Wei Heng. Upon seeing this, Wei Heng clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two of them and quickly walked towards the courtyard.

Shao Yang and Yue Ruzheng followed. When they arrived at the gate, they saw the girl in green standing on the stone steps, her face filled with anger, shouting at the woman in white who had appeared earlier, "How did I do anything wrong? Junior Sister was seriously injured. Shouldn't we have called them over to settle this score?"

"Xiurong, I don't blame you for making a mistake. But it's best if our Emei affairs don't involve Tingyu Manor." The woman in white was about twenty years old, with dignified features and a gentle voice, but it also revealed a hint of seriousness.

"It's all the same wherever we go, we can't let them get away with this! I went down the mountain the day before yesterday and already had someone send the letter back to Emei by fast horse. I believe Master won't object to this." The girl in green said indignantly, then glanced at Wei Heng out of the corner of her eye and turned back to say, "Master Wei, if you don't want to get involved, we can go down the mountain immediately and won't implicate you."

Wei Heng quickly said, "Miss Yin, I never said I was afraid of being implicated. You should rest here first. I will arrange for someone to treat the two injured girls with utmost care."

Yin Xiurong relaxed slightly, but then she saw Shao Yang and Yue Ruzheng. She was taken aback at first, then frowned and said, "So you're here too."

Wei Heng, unaware of their previous conflict, said to Shao Yang and Yue Ruzheng, "This is Miss Yin Xiurong from the Emei Sect." He then pointed to the woman in white, "This Miss Liang is the eldest disciple of the Emei Sect; I believe Brother Shao has already heard of her."

The woman in white bowed to the two and said, "My name is Liang Yingxue. May I ask who you two are?"

"Yinxi Xiaozhu Shao Yang, she is my junior sister, Yue Ruzheng," Shao Yang returned the greeting.

"So you're a disciple of Senior Jiang, my apologies." Liang Yingxue was slightly surprised, but didn't say much, only glancing at Yue Ruzheng casually. Yin Xiurong turned her head to look at Yue Ruzheng, whispered a few words to her junior sister behind her, and then walked into the house with her lips pursed.

Even though Yue Ruzheng kept her head down and remained silent, she could still feel the strange looks she was getting from the girls around her. She whispered to Shao Yang, "Senior brother, I'll go back first."

Just as Shao Yang was about to leave with her, Wei Heng gave him a wink. Shao Yang paused for a moment, then turned to Yue Ruzheng and said, "Alright, Brother Wei and I will go check on those two injured girls."

After Yue Ruzheng left alone in the light snow, Liang Yingxue led Wei Heng and Shao Yang into the courtyard. Inside the house were two young girls. One was still able to sit up, but her face was pale, and she was leaning against the couch. The other was lying on the bed with her eyes closed and her breathing rapid.

Yin Xiurong and several other girls stood by the bed. Liang Yingxue walked to the bedside, gently patted the girl's shoulder, and turned back to say, "Fifth Sister fainted just now, disturbing everyone."

Wei Heng said, "This young lady has injured her internal organs due to falling from a height. You will likely have to wait here for some time."

Looking at the girl on the bed, Yin Xiurong said with heartache, "I'm afraid even if Fifth Sister recovers, she won't be able to practice martial arts anymore." She paused, then suddenly frowned, "Senior Sister, what do you think we should do when they arrive?"

Liang Yingxue frowned, glanced at her, and said softly, "I originally planned to bring those troublemakers back to Emei and ask Master to resolve this matter, but you rushed to tell them to come to Tingyu Manor."

"It won't take more than seven days to get here from Seven Star Island. How long will it take us to get back to Emei?" Yin Xiurong still argued unconvinced. Hearing this, Shao Yang, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but gasp.

Seeing this, Wei Heng moved to the doorway, with Shao Yang following closely behind, asking in a low voice, "What exactly is going on?"

"That's why I didn't want to tell you about this." Wei Heng stepped out of the house with a sigh, standing with his hands behind his back on the stone steps, and continued, "When they came to Tingyu Manor, they encountered people from Seven Star Island. A fight broke out over a mere word, resulting in injuries on both sides. Several of Seven Star Island's subordinates were captured by Liang Yingxue and her group. When Yin Xiurong caught up with the other two, she told them to go back and tell Lian Junqiu to come to Tingyu Manor to resolve the matter. Those people are now imprisoned in the dungeon, waiting for Lian Junqiu to arrive."

Shao Yang stood silently behind him. At this moment, snowflakes were flying, gradually scattering the world, and the ground and tiles were covered with a thick layer of snow.

After a long silence, Shao Yang finally spoke, "No wonder you kept it from us. Are you worried that Ruzheng will be reminded of the past if she finds out?"

"I'd heard some things about Sister Yue from my late father before, and the first time I saw her last night, I felt she'd changed a lot over the years." Wei Heng said, his handsome eyebrows slightly raised, his eyes seemingly filled with memories of the past. "She wasn't like this before; I still remember how she used to argue with me!"

Shao Yang smiled bitterly, gazing at the snow-covered ground, and slowly said, "Once many things happen, there's no going back."

The cobblestone path was covered in snow, and when Shao Yang returned to his lodgings, he was covered in snowflakes. He glanced at the room where Yue Ruzheng lived, saw that the window was open, and went over.

Behind the carved window, Yue Ruzheng stared blankly into the distance, seemingly looking at something.

"Like a zither."

Shao Yang stood by the window and called out softly.

Yue Ruzheng turned her head to look at him and said calmly, "You talked with Wei Heng for a long time. How badly were the Emei Sect disciples injured? What exactly happened?"