Ich bin ein Gott in der Chatgruppe aller Reiche

Kapitel 34

Before he could finish speaking, Yue Ruzheng interrupted, "Uncle-Master! Are you asking me to steal?!"

"Nonsense!" Yu Hezhi retorted angrily, "I haven't even explained the past yet, and you're already so impatient?"

"I've never heard of that divine pearl before. How could it be a treasure of Yinxi Xiaozhu? And how could it be on Seven Star Island?" Yue Ruzheng asked anxiously.

"So this is a past your master is unwilling to mention," Yu Hezhi said in a deep voice. "More than twenty years ago, the Venerable Hai Qiongzi of Shenxiao Palace on Mount Luofu forged the Youth-Preserving Pearl. This object can play a great role in the cultivation of internal energy, and can even preserve the appearance of the deceased for many years. Your master's father had a good relationship with Venerable Hai Qiongzi, so he obtained a pearl and used it as a treasure of Yinxi Xiaozhu. Later, when your master, Shao Yang's father Shao Jingshu, and I were adventuring in the martial world, we offended Seven Star Island. Lian Haichao was arrogant by nature and wanted us to disappear from the martial world forever. We were young and impetuous at the time and refused to submit. So, our eldest brother Shao Jingshu stepped forward and made a pact with Lian Haichao. If we were victorious, he would give us the Lian Family Forget-Love Sword Manual. If we were defeated, he would hand over the Youth-Preserving Pearl with both hands."

Yue Ruzheng asked in astonishment, "Could it be that you were ultimately defeated and gave the divine pearl to Lian Haichao?"

Yu Hezhi sighed and said, "At that time, Lian Haichao was already famous, while the three of us were just starting out. Therefore, when we made the agreement, both sides stipulated that we could send two of us to fight him alone. However, our senior brother was worried that our swordsmanship was not good enough and that we would injure ourselves. On the other hand, he was also somewhat arrogant and thought that he could take advantage of Lian Haichao's underestimation of him and defeat him in one fell swoop. So he secretly moved up the time of the decisive battle and fought Lian Haichao one-on-one. As a result, we were defeated by him."

"But not only Master, but even Shao Yang has never mentioned this!" Yue Ruzheng exclaimed in surprise. "Doesn't even he know?"

"At that time, Shao Jingshu had only been married a short time, and his wife was pregnant. After his defeat, he felt ashamed before his sect and actually... committed suicide." Yu Hezhi's eyes turned sorrowful, and his voice lowered as he spoke. "Madam Shao passed away a few years after giving birth to Shao Yang. Your master and I were afraid that Shao Yang would be traumatized when he grew up and learned the true cause of his father's death, so we kept it a secret, only saying that he died of a sudden illness. Fortunately, although Lian Haichao obtained the Divine Pearl, he did not spread the news in the martial arts world. Ruzheng, do you now know that when I asked you to retrieve the Divine Pearl, it wasn't out of malicious intent to steal it?"

"But, but according to the contract, that divine pearl already belongs to Seven Star Island!" Yue Ruzheng said with difficulty. "Although Senior Shao changed the rules without authorization, you gave the divine pearl to Lian Haichao at the time. Why do you want to take it back now?"

Yu Hezhi's brows furrowed with hidden dissatisfaction as he said, "If we wanted to prove ourselves, we wouldn't have given him the Divine Pearl over twenty years ago. Now we want it back, isn't it all for Yinxi Xiaozhu? Your master is aloof by nature, and besides Mo Li, there are others who have had conflicts with her. She doesn't want me to stay in Luzhou for long, fearing criticism. But in her current state, how can she possibly deal with those shameless scoundrels? I want to retrieve the Divine Pearl so that it can help her recover quickly and improve her internal strength. Don't you want that?"

Yue Ruzheng lowered her head helplessly and said, "Of course I hope Master can improve his internal strength and become invincible. But, Uncle-Master, can't we try a different way to get it back? Or tell Lian Haichao about the current situation; he's already incredibly powerful, why should he care about this mere divine pearl?"

Yu Hezhi sneered, "You don't understand Lian Haichao at all. He has never had any pity, so why would he listen to your pleas? Going there would only bring you humiliation and expose our weaknesses." He suddenly looked at Yue Ruzheng and said, "Ruzheng, why are you making all these excuses? Are you afraid of being captured if you go to Seven Star Island? Don't worry, I will come to meet you. Once you succeed, return to Luzhou immediately. If you fail, I will definitely rescue you; your life will be safe."

Yue Ruzheng remained silent, many thoughts flashing through her mind, but she couldn't speak them directly to Yu Hezhi. Yu Hezhi kindly advised, "After you go back now, be careful not to give anything away. First, get along well with Tang Yanchu. Then find an excuse to have him take you back to Seven Star Island. Before you leave, remember to find a way to inform me. I will follow you so I can make further arrangements."

"Senior Uncle!" Yue Ruzheng frowned and looked up at Yu Hezhi, unsure of what to say. She could only choke out, "I really don't want to do this!"

"I've been explaining this to you for ages, why are you still so cowardly and afraid of trouble?!" Yu Hezhi couldn't hold back any longer and scolded, "Are you just going to stand by and watch Yinxi Xiaozhu be ruined by someone else?"

With tears in her eyes, Yue Ruzheng remained silent, staring fixedly at the mountain path. Yu Hezhi shook his head and sighed, saying, "You should go back for now, lest he become suspicious. If anything happens, come to Bei Yandang to discuss it with me!" With that, he pushed Yue Ruzheng and escorted her out of the woods.

Yue Ruzheng stood blankly on the mountain path. Yu Hezhi gestured to her repeatedly before she turned around and slowly walked up the mountain with a bamboo basket on her back.

Yue Ruzheng found the journey extremely difficult. The problems she had long avoided were now staring her in the face. With each step closer to the secluded courtyard deep in the mountains, her heart grew heavier. Yue Ruzheng almost didn't want to go back; she didn't know how to face Tang Yanchu. But as she stood lost in thought by the bamboo fence outside the courtyard gate, Tang Yanchu had already seen her. He quickly came out and called through the fence, "Ruzheng, why don't you come in?"

Yue Ruzheng snapped out of her daze, pushed aside the bamboo fence, and went inside. She didn't reply or look at him, but instead walked past him towards the kitchen. Tang Yanchu paused, following behind her. Seeing her silently pouring rice into a bag, he couldn't help but ask, "You didn't get into another argument with the people in town, did you? Didn't I tell you…?"

"No." Yue Ruzheng interrupted him, picked up the bamboo basket, and left the kitchen. She sat in the yard, gazing at the large tree with its pure white pear blossoms. Tang Yanchu stood at the kitchen doorway, neither following nor speaking again.

Yue Ruzheng finally managed to calm her thoughts, but when she looked up, Tang Yanchu was nowhere to be seen. She searched the entire courtyard, but to no avail, until she left the courtyard and finally spotted his figure in the woods behind it. He sat before the grave, head bowed, motionless, and from this distance, his back looked exceptionally thin. Yue Ruzheng bit her lower lip, held her breath, and walked up behind him. He didn't turn around, still staring blankly at the lonely grave covered in mottled grass.

Yue Ruzheng took a deep breath and said, "Xiao Tang, I'm sorry for neglecting you just now."

Tang Yanchu said in a low voice, "I don't mind."

"Then why did you come here alone?" She crouched down sadly, looking at his profile.

He took a deep breath and said, "I want to be alone."

"You still mind? Why won't you admit it?" she said bitterly.

He turned his head, looking at the ground diagonally in front of him, and said, "You misunderstood... I was just wondering if what I said to you before made you feel bad."

Yue Ruzheng was taken aback. She hadn't expected him to think in this direction. She forced a smile and said, "Why do you always take the blame yourself no matter what happens? Even if it has nothing to do with you, you always feel it's your fault? Do you know how anxious and exhausted I feel because of this?"

Tang Yanchu stared blankly at him, his dark eyes filled with a deep sense of defeat.

"Because I've always felt like a useless person." He said this with deep eyes, a low voice, and no expression on his face.

Yue Ruzheng felt a pang of sadness, and his vision blurred. He struggled to sit up straight, facing her directly, and said, "I want to stand before Master's grave and ask myself, how should I go on living?"

"Have you thought it through?" Yue Ruzheng looked at the lonely grave with misty eyes, not daring to look him in the eye.

He lowered his head somewhat dejectedly and said, "Not yet..."

For some reason, Yue Ruzheng felt a sense of relief upon hearing his words. In this situation, she truly couldn't imagine how she would respond if Xiao Tang asked her to stay.

She didn't ask any more questions, but simply sat silently with him in front of the lonely grave, looking at the overgrown weeds and listening to the rustling of the pines.

Chapter Twenty-Four: A Separate Path, Bitterly Unfettered by Green Willow Branches

The two sat there together, but their thoughts were completely different. Yue Ruzheng didn't know what Tang Yanchu was thinking, nor did she care. Looking at the handsome yet withdrawn young man beside her, she simply couldn't bring herself to do what her master had suggested: deliberately approach him and then use the opportunity to return to Seven Star Island with him. Her master didn't understand how humiliating and painful returning to Seven Star Island was for Tang Yanchu. Yue Ruzheng also couldn't exploit his trust to reclaim the so-called treasure, even though it concerned her master and Yinxi Xiaozhu. She still felt it was deception, it was betrayal.

Xiao Tang might feel he said something wrong just because of her slight coldness. But what would happen if he knew what she was hiding in her heart?

Or, rather than ending up with both sides hurting each other, it would be better to sever all ties completely and avoid any further involvement. Yue Ruzheng felt that although doing so would return Tang Yanchu to a lonely life, it was better than being needlessly dragged into the conflict between Yinxi Xiaozhu and Qixing Island, and being used as a tool...

She hugged her knees, thinking for a long, long time, before finally glancing at Tang Yanchu. He seemed to snap out of his distant thoughts as well, looking up at her.

"Ruzheng..." he said, as if gathering his courage, wanting to say something to her, but Yue Ruzheng stood up and made a decision.

"I'm leaving, Xiao Tang."

Tang Yanchu stopped abruptly, his words hanging in the balance. His eyes dimmed instantly, as if veiled by a thick fog.

Yue Ruzheng couldn't bear to look into his eyes, so she turned away and whispered, "Actually, I ran into my senior uncle when I came down the mountain. He told me that Master is unwell and I have to rush back to Luzhou."

She told this lie with surprising calmness. Tang Yanchu sat for a while, then slowly stood up and said, "Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I was planning to talk about it tonight..." Yue Ruzheng said softly, her head lowered.

Tang Yanchu watched her retreating figure and said, "In that case, you should set off first thing tomorrow morning. Don't waste time."

Yue Ruzheng's heart skipped a beat, and she turned to look at him. He forced a smile and said, "I'll take you tomorrow. This time, I won't let you go down the mountain alone."

Yue Ruzheng nodded silently, her eyes stinging with tears. She suddenly wanted to tell him that this departure meant never seeing each other again, and that she would never again flutter into these deep mountains like a joyful butterfly.

Tang Yanchu stood beside her for a while before walking towards the courtyard. Yue Ruzheng returned to the courtyard a while later. Hearing some noise from the kitchen, she went to the door and saw him sitting in front of the stove, using his feet to carry firewood into the firebox.