"She was willing to be expelled from Kongshan Ridge for your sake, but you rejected her because she was the young lady of Kongshan Ridge. Don't you think you are very cowardly?"
Upon hearing this, Rong Fu straightened up, and under the dim light, the curve of his lips appeared even more mocking.
"Yes, I am indeed a coward. And what about you?"
Cen Ji was startled and fell silent.
Rong Fu's lips curved into a smile again: "I know everything about you."
Cen Ji said calmly, "But you probably don't know how I'm going to handle my own affairs."
"Haha, good, it's good that you know what to do. Just don't let yourself regret it, like me, who spent a lifetime repenting for his cowardice."
Cen Ji didn't respond, but a flash of determination crossed his eyes so fast that no one noticed.
"Silence." After a long while, the person on the stone chair softly uttered two words.
"Um."
"Actually, Wen Moyin can be quite assertive, unlike most girls, but you have to understand her."
Cen Ji was somewhat puzzled.
"Don't you think Moyin is a child who lacks a sense of security?"
Cen Ji frowned, deep in thought.
"She wanted everything, not because she was too ambitious, but because she was afraid—afraid of ending up like her sister, helplessly choosing to lose. Jinlan's life had a profound impact on her; she always believed that only what she truly grasped belonged to her. But little did she know that there are too many things in the world that are beyond her control, how could she possibly hold onto them all?"
Rong Fu sighed silently and said nothing more.
Cen Ji raised his eyes and glanced at Rong Fu, who was hidden in the shadows, and suddenly said, "So, does she think that by holding me in her hands, she has truly obtained me?"
Rongfu turned to look at him.
"I want to leave here."
"Once the day of the Empty Mountain Festival arrives, you can leave."
Why must we wait until that day?
"Because from that day on, you became the new Master Kongshan."
Note:
"A gathering and a parting, a joy and a sorrow. A bed to lie on, a lifetime in a dream."
Excerpt from "Wild Geese Falling" by an anonymous Yuan Dynasty playwright.
Lishan
one,
When the night passes by very slowly, it seems to stretch the brief silence many times over.
After Rong Fu finished speaking, a long, deathly silence fell over the room.
What if I say 'no'?
"random."
Cen Ji's eyes twitched.
Rong Fu chuckled: "You can say 'no' to me as many times as you want."
"Yes, he's not exactly a decision-maker either." Cen Ji paused.
"Isn't Kongshanling not asking anyone to do something so unreasonable?"
"That's Master Kongshan."
Who is Master Kongshan?
No comment.
Cen Ji's gaze slowly shifted to the countless paintings on the wall. He narrowed his eyes, as if deep in thought.
"Who will become Master Kongshan? Is it up to Moyin?"
"Exactly."
Cen Ji was taken aback, and after a long while said, "Isn't that Master Kongshan just a name without substance?"
Rong Fu waved his hands and said, "If even Master Kongshan doesn't mind, why are you surprised?"
Cen Ji truly couldn't understand. Having served as a secret guard at Kongshan Ridge for twelve years, this was the first time he had heard that Master Kongshan was nothing more than a figurehead.
Rongfu gently patted the armrest of the stone chair, slowly and rhythmically.
"In fact, Master Kongshan himself did not want to sit in this position, but he was forced by Jinlan's father's wishes. So later, the master promised Miss Moyin that if she found a suitable candidate one day, he would step down."
So that's how it is. Cen Ji wanted to expose Master Kongshan's true colors even more, but he didn't know where to start.
"Actually, there's nothing wrong with being a hermit."