Old people are afraid of the cold, and Dr. Sun is no exception. So even though winters in Lingnan are not exceptionally cold, Dr. Sun still stored charcoal early in autumn, and now it has finally come in handy.
Ban Lan ran all the way back.
She tugged at her sleeve, wiping the sweat from her face repeatedly, glancing every now and then at the charcoal brazier in the room, seemingly suppressing the urge to run over and kick the brazier out the door.
"You haven't taken your medicine yet." Doctor Sun turned a page and continued reading.
"Oh," Ban Lan replied casually, but remained seated.
Dr. Sun didn't urge her, and continued reading his book.
After some time, Doctor Sun suddenly noticed that the girl in red opposite him seemed to have not spoken for a long time, so he looked up at her.
This sight piqued his curiosity.
Ban Lan was staring blankly at the charcoal fire, her thoughts racing, her expression strange, as if she was puzzled, yet also a little shy and hesitant.
Doctor Sun put down his book and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Startled, Ban Lan's expression shifted, and she blurted out, "It's nothing."
After saying that, she frowned: she was clearly thinking about something, so why deny it so vehemently? It only made her seem guilty.
"What are you thinking about?"
Seeing that she changed her tune so quickly, Doctor Sun was slightly surprised, but he gained a lot of goodwill towards this woman's straightforward nature.
Seeing that Doctor Sun had stopped looking down at his book, Ban Lan said, "Um...aren't married couples supposed to live in the same room? Why...uh...Cen Qi...is living alone?"
Dr. Sun was taken aback.
Wen Moyin considered this a major taboo, and no one in Kongshan Ridge dared to mention it. Now that this girl had suddenly asked about it, he was truly in a difficult position.
After pondering for a while, Doctor Sun said, "If he wants to regain his sight, he needs a quiet place to recuperate in peace."
Ban Lan straightened up and asked in confusion, "What does that have to do with sharing a room?"
Dr. Sun could only say, "Since you can't see, it's more convenient to live in a place you're familiar with."
Ban Lan understood.
"A young girl who hasn't even married yet, and all she thinks about all day is this." For some reason, Doctor Sun was in a good mood and, for the first time ever, started joking with Ban Lan.
But he was so rigid and eccentric his whole life that once he said the joke, it lost its meaning.
Ban Lan raised her chin slightly and said, "What's wrong with thinking about this?"
Then she leaned back and curled up in the chair, like a little animal about to fall asleep.
After curling up for a while, she felt uncomfortable again, so she turned to her side and lay on the table, only her eyes showing, staring blankly at something.
This child shouldn't have been in a place like Kongshanling in the first place. Doctor Sun glanced at her and sighed inwardly.
Ban Lan didn't even know what she was looking at.
She just felt upset.
She wondered if she had put Cen Ji in a difficult position, which was why Cen Ji was hiding from her.
She wouldn't doubt a single word Cen Ji had ever said to her, but she knew that a man like Cen Ji wouldn't abandon his wife for her, and besides, she didn't want Wen Moyin to be divorced because of her.
Betraying Wen Moyin is tantamount to betraying Kongshanling.
Ban Lan had considered the consequences of betraying Kongshanling for Cen Ji.
Ban Lan sighed softly.
Perhaps once I recover, it really will be time to go back.
two,
The bright moon sank in the west, casting its slanting light on a clear pool in the valley.
The pool is not large, but it is very deep. If you don't look closely, you might think that the surface of the water is frozen, as smooth as a mirror.
A person was sitting by the pool.
From a distance, the icy water seemed to accentuate the figure's loneliness. But upon closer inspection, it appeared that the solitude emanating from the person overshadowed the icy pool before him.
The moonlight reflected off the surface of the pool showered him all over.
The man was wearing very ordinary coarse cloth clothes, which had probably been washed many times, as the original color of the clothes had gradually faded, revealing a faint grayish-white color under the moonlight.
A sound came from beside him, and the person looked up at the sound.
When Cen Ji opened the door, he realized that he seemed to be at the bottom of a cliff.
He was filled with suspicion and doubt from the moment he woke up.
When he opened his eyes, he found that his previously blurry vision had become much clearer. Although it had not returned to its former clarity, he could vaguely see the things around him.
He felt a sharp pain in his head and neck, as if he had been hit hard, but when he reached out to touch it, he found no wounds.
Perhaps it was the blow before he fainted that unexpectedly dissipated the blood clot in his skull, allowing his vision to gradually return. However, that blow was truly forceful, and Cen Ji still felt intense pain in the back of his neck.
The surroundings were cold and damp. By the dim light of a single lamp, he looked around and saw that he was in a circular stone chamber with four or five bronze doors, seemingly connected to other stone chambers. The chamber where Cen Ji was located was almost sparsely furnished, with only the bed behind him and the stone table beside him.
There was a door in front of me, with more than ten door studs the size of bowls. The door seemed to be cast in bronze and iron, and it was very heavy, but when you put your strength on it, the door slowly opened.
Cen Ji pushed open the door and saw the person sitting by the pool.
"It's you?"
"It wasn't me."
"Who else could it be but you?"
The man smiled at Cen Ji and said, "I haven't left this place for ten years, how could it be me?"
Cen Ji was startled and walked towards the person.
As he got closer, he realized that it was a middle-aged man.
Cen Ji couldn't help but ask, "If you didn't ambush me, then who are you?"
“Rongfu”.
When Rong Fu speaks, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes lift slightly. He has a angular face that suggests he should be a shrewd person, but his eyes reveal a relaxed and lazy demeanor, as if he finds it difficult to muster the energy to do anything.
Cen Ji turned around and stared at the mirror-like blue pool for a long time, but still felt completely unfamiliar with it. He could only ask, "Where is this?"
Rong Fu said, "Kongshan Ridge."
Cen Ji asked, "Why have I never been here before?"
Rong Fu smiled and said, "Kongshan Ridge is so vast, there are many places you haven't been to."
Cen Ji said, "That's true, but I wonder why I'm here?"
Rong Fu stroked his chin and said, "You're the seventh secret guard of Kongshan Ridge, aren't you?"
Cen Ji nodded.
Rong Fu turned to Cen Ji and slowly said, "I am the first secret guard of Kongshan Ridge."
Upon hearing this, Cen Ji glanced sideways at the middle-aged man.
"You haven't left this place for ten years?"
“Yes,” Rong Fu said. “The first secret guards in the history of Kongshan Ridge have always been responsible for guarding this place.”
Cen Ji was somewhat confused and asked, "Is there anything important here that needs to be guarded?"
Rong Fu shook his head slightly. "No."
"No?"
"It used to exist. But it's gone now."
Rong Fu stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked forward to face the Bi Tan with Cen Ji. He continued, "Since Kongshan Ridge is the largest organization in the martial arts world, it must have something different about it."
That's certainly true. Cen Ji agreed.
Rong Fu continued, "Seventy years ago, Kongshan Ridge claimed to have collected the martial arts manuals of various sects in the world. As soon as this was said, the martial arts world was in an uproar."
Cen Ji pressed further, "Is it true or false?"
Rong Fu said, "Of course it's true."
Cen Ji looked slightly surprised, but remained silent.
Rong Fu raised his hand and pointed to the cave where Cen Ji had just been, "The secret manual is hidden there."
"If you want to see it, feel free to look, just don't take it out," Rong Fu patted Cen Ji on the shoulder.
Cen Ji smiled faintly, "Thank you."
The "thank you" was said indifferently and casually, as if he didn't care at all.
"And then?" Cen Ji asked.
“Where there are secret manuals, there will inevitably be people who want to steal them. But if you want to come to this place, you either have to jump down from here,” Rong Fu said, pointing to the towering cliff above, “or be brought in by Master Kongshan.”
"So everyone spent over a decade searching for the secret manual, but they didn't even find half a page. As a result, the idea that 'Kongshan Ridge has a secret manual' was naturally considered a rumor, and no matter what Kongshan Ridge was all about, it was regarded as a joke by people in the martial arts world. I really don't know what Master Kongshan was thinking back then; he didn't seem to care at all about the consequences of his success attracting attention." Rong Fu said, shaking his head unconsciously.
It seems this is what they call 'it once existed, but it no longer does.' Cen Ji frowned slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.
"Since no one covets those secret manuals anymore, why is it still necessary to have guards protecting them?"
Rong Fu took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, and said, "Not every Master Kongshan is like the one from seventy years ago, who was arrogant and unrestrained throughout his life, looking down on the world and disdaining such plundering."
“Actually…” Rong Fu paused abruptly, gazing at the sky for a long while before saying, “Actually, the current Master Kongshan once asked me to leave this place, but I was unwilling.”
Cen Ji glanced sideways at Rong Fu. His eyes were full of scrutiny. He didn't understand the person in front of him, but he didn't intend to. So he just sighed softly and said nothing more.
Neither of them spoke, and for a moment, the vast mountain range was eerily quiet.
After a moment, Cen Ji suddenly spoke up: "So, it was Master Kongshan who brought me in?"
“No.” Rong Fu raised an eyebrow. “It’s Ying Shu.”
"Shadowless?"
“The Ninth Dark Guard of Kongshan Ridge, a mute,” Rong Fu said calmly.
Cen Ji fell into deep thought.