I shook the snowflakes off my clothes and followed the sound into a backyard. Mu Yanxue, holding a bamboo flute, stood there gracefully, her fur as white as a sable coat and her hair as black as raven feathers, a picture of elegance and tranquility against the backdrop of snow and red plum blossoms.
The rustling sound of shoes crunching through the snow reached my ears, and I darted to the side, hiding behind a tree branch.
Shen Ran walked up behind Mu Yanxue, watching her from afar as her skirts fluttered in the wind. Shen Ran watched her for as long as Mu Yanxue blew, until night fell.
Although Shen Ran's appearance was not as handsome as Lin Yi's, he was still a refined young master, dressed in a blue robe and serving as the young master of Qingshan Pavilion.
After finishing her song, Mu Yanxue turned around, a hint of melancholy in her eyes. Upon seeing Shen Ran, she immediately smiled and said politely, "Young Master Shen, why don't you join the others in enjoying wine and admiring the plum blossoms? Although my estate's Beauty Brew cannot compare to the Seven Steps Intoxication, it is still a fine wine."
Shen Ran looked at her, shook the wine pot in his hand, and smiled, "I've come to invite Master Mu to have a drink with me."
Mu Yanxue lowered her eyes and declined, saying, "Yanxue is not feeling well today and has no appetite for drinking."
Disappointment filled Shen Ran's eyes, and she sighed, "The Master of the Manor announced this to the world only to let one person know. Now that he hasn't come, are you really planning to choose a husband through a competition?"
Mu Yanxue's eyebrows furrowed, and she looked up at Shen Ran, "How did you know?"
Shen Ran smiled bitterly and sighed softly, "I know everything about you."
Seeing Mu Yanxue's astonished expression, he said softly, "Young Master Lin has disappeared from the martial world for four years. You still want to wait for him?"
Mu Yanxue's expression hardened, and she retorted, "Nonsense! Who said I was waiting for him? He betrayed my Muxue Manor, showing no regard for the bond between my father and him as master and disciple, abandoning the brother-sister relationship we shared for three years, and stealing my sword manual. If I don't avenge this, how can I face my father's spirit in heaven?"
Shen Ran chuckled, "If it weren't for waiting for him, why aren't you married yet? If it weren't for letting him know, why would you announce your marriage proposal to the world and invite everyone to join? Mu Yanxue, how long are you going to deceive yourself?"
Mu Yanxue seemed slightly angry and said coldly, "Young Master Shen, what you say is untrue. This matter concerns my Muxue Manor. What right do you, an outsider, have to interfere?!"
After saying that, she turned to leave.
Shen Ran reached out to stop her, and said firmly, "I don't want to see you casually marrying some random man tomorrow."
A resolute look appeared between Mu Yanxue's brows as she raised her eyebrows and asked, "What gives you the right?"
"I, Shen Ran, have waited for you for four years," Shen Ran said in a deep voice, his tone filled with sorrow.
Mu Yanxue was startled and looked up at Shen Ran with an incredulous expression.
Shen Ran gazed intently at her, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "Lin Yi didn't come today. Look carefully and understand clearly. Four years ago, he stole the 'Mu Xue Sword Manual' and never returned. Can't you tell whether his feelings for you are genuine or not?"
Mu Yanxue was slightly moved; her hair fluttered, brushing against her fair face, bringing a touch of desolation.
Shen Ran continued, "If Lin Yi truly cared about you, why hasn't he appeared all these years? Where was he when your father passed away, when you were heartbroken? Where was he when you were wounded while wielding your sword? When you single-handedly supported Muxue Manor, did he show even the slightest concern for you?"
Mu Yanxue lost all color in her face, lowered her eyes, and tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
After a long silence, she spoke, her voice icy, "I just want to kill my enemy with my own hands."
Shen Ran gazed at her, his eyes filled with tenderness, as if trying to pierce through the armor that Mu Yanxue was putting on.
He looked up and drank the wine from the pot, then wiped the wine from his lips with his sleeve, a half-smile on his face. "Mu Yanxue, do you remember when I saved you in Luoyang?"
His voice was gentle, as if it could melt snow. "At that time, we were both wounded and destitute. We shared a bowl of boiled bamboo shoots in the mountains. It was bland and tasteless, but we still found it quite delicious."
Mu Yanxue didn't answer, turning her face away from Shen Ran. The wind rose, the snow fell, and the red plum blossoms swayed on the branches, as if they were about to fall.
Shen Ran poured the remaining Beauty Wine from the pot into the snow, looked at Mu Yanxue, and stood silently.
Finally, as the plum blossoms drooped, he turned and left, leaving behind the words, "Tomorrow, I will not let go."
I hid behind a tree, the north wind was blowing and the snowflakes were falling. I had just been drenched in snow by Lou Xiyue, and I couldn't help but shiver.
Mu Yanxue said softly, "Qi Xiang, come out."
I stopped abruptly. I hadn't moved an inch while spying; even as snowflakes fell on my neck, I stood firm against the biting wind, the red flag unyielding. Had I been exposed so easily?
Thinking of this, I continued to remain petrified behind the tree.
Mu Yanxue said helplessly, "I saw you just now."
I coughed lightly, stepped out, stamped my feet to warm myself, breathed on my palms, and said with an embarrassed smile, "Master Mu, I was just eavesdropping unintentionally. I was just passing by and was drawn in by the sound of the flute. I happened to run into Young Master Shen here as well."
Mu Yanxue breathed a sigh of relief and said to me kindly, "It's alright, I see you're terribly cold. Would you like to come to my palace? There's a warm jade there that can warm you up."
I nodded in agreement, "Then thank you very much, Master Manor."
Mu Yanxue led me into the inner hall and handed me a piece of purple, translucent, warm jade. I held it in my palm, and a warm current spread out from it. She picked up the wine pot and filled it, saying, "Drink this wine; it will warm your heart and soul."
I thanked them, took the glass, and drank it down.
Mu Yanxue looked at me and gave a dejected smile. "You look a lot like my senior brother. He looked just like you four years ago."
I really couldn't bear to tell her that Lin Yi had passed away, but seeing her so obsessed with the past and not trying to make the most of the promising young man in front of her, it would be a disgrace to the medical ethics of us doctors from Medicine King Valley.
So I spoke frankly with her, “I just overheard Young Master Shen and Master Mu’s conversation. Is the person who resembles me the culprit who caused the loss of the ‘Mu Xue Sword Manual’?”
She hesitated for a moment, neither confirming nor denying, then looked me over and said, "Qi Xiang, do you have any brothers? Why do you two look so alike?"
I covered my mouth and laughed awkwardly, "No, perhaps it's just that I have a special connection with this young master Lin."
I began to earnestly advise her, "Just now I saw how deeply Young Master Shen was in love with Master Mu. Master, you must not make a mistake that will ruin your life. I travel the world with my master, and many lovelorn men and women only realize what they have lost after experiencing life and death."
Afterwards, I told her the examples of Lu Xiaoyue and He Tingzhi with great conviction. I said: "Master Mu, a young man who is not reckless is not a good young man. But after being reckless, how many people will still be there waiting for you?"
I also said: Fate waits for no one; even a moment's delay could mean missing out for a lifetime.
She listened quietly as I finished speaking, her eyes darkening and her brows furrowing.
I thought that Mu Yanxue had been enlightened by me. She was captivated by the poignant love story I told her, so she frowned and sighed, and together with me, savored the sorrow of "This love can only be recalled in retrospect, but at that time it was already a regret."