"..."
Half an hour later, she washed herself, put on her Taoist robe, and went out.
"Junior brother, junior brother." The parrot is still there.
She lifted her hairband and tied it as she walked.
"Junior brother, junior brother, I finally have a junior brother!" The round-faced Little Eleven excitedly followed behind her.
"Wow, junior brother, you're even prettier than Xiao Hong down the mountain."
"Junior brother, junior brother, you're even taller than me."
"Junior brother, junior brother, although you are two years older than me, you are still my junior brother."
Walking through the dilapidated corridor, she picked up a broom and began sweeping the practice area.
"Junior brother, junior brother, how can I, as your senior brother, let you clean up alone? Let's do it together."
"Junior brother, junior brother, your surname is Yu, the same as that great hero."
The little hand paused, and the sweeping sound gradually subsided.
"A great hero?" she asked.
"Junior brother, you spoke to me!" Eleven exclaimed excitedly, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Is that great hero also surnamed Yu?" she asked casually, but her fingers clenched tightly together.
"Yes, Master took us down the mountain this time to see that great hero."
"Then why did you come back again?"
"Sigh, we've only gone halfway when we heard that the great hero died."
"Really... dead?" She heard people talking about it on the way, but she still couldn't believe it.
“He’s definitely dead.” Eleven nodded emphatically, afraid that his junior brother would doubt him. “The great hero Xu, who came back with us, was at Tiger Leap Cliff at the time. The four major sects, a hundred or so sect leaders, and thousands of martial arts practitioners witnessed the great hero and the great demon perish together.”
"Four major sects, a hundred or so sect leaders, and over a thousand martial arts practitioners, huh?" she murmured as she gently swept the floor.
"That great hero also has a wife from a demonic cult."
"Oh?" she replied casually.
"I heard that the witch looked like Guanyin, with a red mole between her eyebrows, and was incredibly gentle and beautiful. It's a pity she died too, otherwise we could have seen what Guanyin looked like."
The winter sun shone softly, like a cup of light wine, warming her memories. Ignoring the noise of Eleven, she thought carefully, so carefully, as if she were exhausting all her strength.
No, it wasn't her father; he was a pragmatist who would run away at the first sign of trouble. Nor was it her mother; her mother was anything but gentle, a powerful tigress.
No, it can't be, because she remembered what her mother said before she left home...
"My dear girl, your aunt is sick, and I'm going to visit her."
Aunt? Oh, so she had an aunt.
"You must stay home and behave yourself. Your mother will be back in a few days."
No, no, in a few days A-Gui will grow up. What if Mother doesn't recognize A-Gui then?
"Silly child, even if I haven't seen you for ten years, I can still recognize you at a glance."
Really?
"Of course, because Agui is my good daughter, and I'm watching over you with all my heart."
Um!
She nodded emphatically at the time, unaware that it was time to part, and even less aware that ten years would pass.
She slightly lifted her eyes and saw that the dark curtains blocked the candlelight, and several figures were faintly visible near the bed.
"This young lady..."
He said he could recognize her at a glance, but now he acts so distant. In this person's eyes, she's just a girl, an unknown girl.
Thinking of this, she trembled slightly, unable to suppress it.
"I've been carrying you for days, and I'm exhausted." The voice was soft and gentle, like a breeze. At that moment, the owner of the voice was sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand reaching under the covers and firmly gripping her wrist.
Shangguan Yi, Shangguan Ziyu.
“Zigui? Agui?” the woman murmured, each word making her heart race. “It sounds just like our Ahui’s name.”
Ah Hui? So the person just now wasn't calling Ah Gui.
Disappointment welled up in my heart, and a sweet, metallic taste spread in my throat.
"Just now, I heard you mention that your surname is Yu. May I ask which character it is?"
"I'm afraid we'll have to ask her herself." The curtain was lifted slightly. "What do you think, Zigui?"
The candlelight was warm and soft, and a pair of handsome eyes gazed at her quietly, seemingly with a deep meaning. Her wrist was held tightly, making her forget her trembling and forget to look at the others.
“Naturally, it is to go to the ‘to’.” Her voice was a little hoarse.
“Yu Zi Gui, Yu Zi Gui.”