Lan Yin Bi Yue

Chapter 84

Qiu Hengbo, whether she is smiling or not, is indescribably beautiful.

As for Ming Er, Young Master Ming Er went to the Northern Palace and has not returned.

Those who knew about the poem and clothing gift at Changtian Villa, though momentarily puzzled upon hearing the news, quickly smiled and gracefully congratulated both families.

"I never imagined that silly boy Yuwen Luo would be so lucky," Rong Yue remarked with emotion. Then, she thought of the deceased Yuwen Feng and herself, and a sense of sadness washed over her.

“Sister Hengbo wouldn’t misjudge someone,” Hua Fushu said. “Let’s go to the street and see if there are any nice things we can buy for her as a congratulatory gift.”

So the two went out the door. As soon as they stepped out of the inn, they saw Mei Hongming coming out of the inn next door. As soon as Mei Hongming saw them, he immediately turned around and walked back.

"Stop!" Hua Fushu uttered two words softly, but it made Rong Yue next to her tremble, wondering what her young lady was angry about.

It seems that ever since Dongming Haizhong's "hug", Mei Hongming has avoided Hua Fushu whenever he sees her. They live in the same courtyard, but this seems to be the first time they have met.

Mei Hongming had no choice but to stop, turn around, and look down at his feet.

"Brother Mei," Hua Fushu said with graceful steps, her demeanor and tone as gentle as water, "weren't you staying at the same inn as us? Why did you come out from that side?"

Mei Hongming, his eyes still fixed on the ground, replied, "I just went to find Master Lie."

"Oh?" Hua Fushu was somewhat surprised.

After Lie Chifeng's words on the South Peak, the heroes didn't do anything, but they clearly had many complaints in their hearts. As a result, their former respect for him had faded by more than half. And Mei Hongming was the one who had personally refuted him that day. It was really unexpected that he would take the initiative to find him.

Although Mei Hongming did not look at Hua Fushu, he seemed to know what Hua Fushu was thinking at this moment, and said, "What Master Lie said that day was not entirely unreasonable. Everyone has their own thoughts. To be as loyal to oneself and to the martial arts as Master Lie is admirable. Moreover, Master Lie's achievements in martial arts are beyond even my master's reach. It is only natural for me to ask him for guidance."

"Oh?" Hua Fushu exclaimed in surprise again.

"What brings Miss Fushu to my residence?" Mei Hongming asked, clasping his hands in greeting.

"It's nothing," Hua Fushu replied frankly.

Huh? Mei Hongming looked up in surprise, his gaze meeting Hua Fushu's. A blush immediately rose on his handsome face, and he lowered his head again.

Looking at his embarrassed appearance, Hua Fushu felt a sudden release of the pent-up frustration she had accumulated over the past few months, and her whole body relaxed.

"Rongyue, let's go. We still need to pick out a gift for Sister Hengbo."

"good."

And so, Hua Fushu and Rong Yue gracefully departed, leaving behind only a faint fragrance.

Mei Hongming stood there stunned for a long time, seemingly unable to understand why this girl Fushu had called him out of the blue. Unable to figure it out, he let it go and walked back to the inn, intending to practice the moves that Lie Chifeng had just taught him.

However, since then, they have often run into each other. Whenever they do, Hua Fushu stands there until Mei Hongming hesitantly comes forward and greets her as "Miss Fushu" before she leaves.

After several attempts, Hua Qinghe, the eldest brother of the Hua family, began to see some clues. So he said to his younger sister, "I think that boy from Taoluo Sect is quite good. He has good looks, good character, and good martial arts skills. Sister, you shouldn't miss him."

Upon hearing this, Hua Fushu was first taken aback, then glared at her brother, stomped her foot, and left.

So Hua Qinghe wondered whether it would be better to go and talk to Senior Nan Wofeng about this now, or to go home and tell his parents first, and then have them go to Taoluo Sect to talk to him.

32. The Desire to Forget and the Longing (Part 2)

In the small town, ten days passed in this manner.

Although the heroes were eager to return home and still harbored resentment towards Dongming, they could only wait and suppress their anger because they could imagine the great kindness that Young Master Lan had shown them.

Furthermore, Dongming had been quite polite and hospitable to them these past few days, which made them feel a little better. They were just hoping that Lan Qishao's injuries in Beique Palace would heal quickly.

Seeing Ning Lang's constantly absent-minded demeanor, and noticing that even Liu Mo's warm greetings went unanswered, Yuwen Luo immediately understood the reason. Therefore, that day, he suggested that the two of them go to Beique Palace to visit Lan Qi. Actually, he himself also longed to see the magnificent palace perched atop the mountain.

Ning Lang immediately responded to this.

So the two left the town and headed towards Beique, only to be stopped by guards at the foot of the North Peak. This was the royal family's most important territory, not to be entered by just anyone. As they stared in dismay, they encountered Qu Huailiu, who was coming down from the South Peak on his way back to Beique Palace. Qu Huailiu had a deep impression of Ning Lang, and upon hearing that they were going to visit Lan Qishao, he readily agreed. With him leading the way, the guards naturally let them pass.

The two followed him uphill, where a guard stood every ten feet and a palace tower every hundred meters, adorned with green pines and cypresses, simple yet exuding an ancient solemnity. Finally reaching the summit, they looked up at the North Palace up close. The palace buildings rose in layers, seemingly reaching the sky and connecting with the clouds. The green tiles, glazed windows, and vermilion windows were magnificent, the carved railings and jade steps were adorned with exotic flowers and rare herbs, and countless valiant guards stood watch before the many palace gates, making it appear incomparably magnificent, beautiful, majestic, and rich.

"The royal palace is indeed extraordinary," Yuwen Luo exclaimed.

Qu Huailiu led them to Yunming Palace. Unfortunately, upon arriving at Yunming Palace, the people there told them that the Seventh Young Master had been invited by the Northern King to Haiwei Palace for tea.

Although Lan Qi, Ming Er, Bei Wang, and Yun Wuyai were originally eager to kill each other, they temporarily put aside their grudges and past grievances. Personally, they all greatly admired each other. Each of them was a man of great talent and elegance. Watching each other fight on the chessboard was a meeting of equals, chatting over wine cups was a meeting of like minds, and sparring with swords was a meeting of unbridled enjoyment. Therefore, they had been living quite harmoniously in the Bei Que Palace these days.

So Qu Huailiu led them to the highest peak, Haiwei Palace. They climbed up step by step and passed through palace gates until they finally arrived at the most magnificent Haiwei Palace, where the Northern King resided.

In front of the palace, Qu Huailiu handed the two men over to a palace servant and then withdrew. The servant led them to a side hall and asked them to wait in front of the main hall while he went in to report.

The two stood in front of the palace gate and could clearly hear laughter coming from inside.

"Seventh Young Master, since you can be a woman, why not marry me? It would be a perfect match between a hero and a beauty," Yun Wuyai said.

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Luo immediately took out a piece of paper and wrote it down, saying, "This young master Yun is definitely not giving up and is still plotting against the martial arts world of the dynasty. You should know that the Lan family's power in the martial arts world is now immeasurable."

Then another person said, "A woman? Why not marry her to me? It would be a marriage alliance between our two countries, enhancing our friendship." This was the voice of the Northern King.

“You already have several princesses,” Yun Wuyai said.

“I can appoint another as empress,” the Northern King retorted.

"Hehe...Being a queen, huh? That seems like a good thing." Lan Qi said with a charming smile. "However, I have one condition: if you agree, I can marry both of you at the same time without any problem."

Yuwen Luo, who was listening outside the door, broke out in a cold sweat. He thought to himself, "As expected of Lan Qi Shao, only she could say such things with such ease and composure."

"Oh? What are the conditions?" Yun Wuyai and the Northern King asked at the same time.

"Give me your Eastern Sea Imperial Seal as a betrothal gift," Lan Qi said with a smile.

"As expected of Lan Qishao," Yuwen Luo praised again. "He actually wants to hold Dongming in his hands; he really isn't willing to suffer any loss."

"Seventh Young Master has so many women he wants to marry." Then, the gentle voice of the Second Young Master Ming could be heard.

"Heh, Second Young Master, if you use the Ming family as betrothal gifts, I wouldn't mind marrying you off to another family," Lan Qi laughed again.

Even in the dead of winter, Yuwen Luo couldn't help but break out in a sweat.

As Ning Lang listened, a wave of bitterness washed over him, and he felt a deep, uneasy unease.

Just then, the palace invited the two people inside.

Ning Lang stood there blankly, desperately wanting to go in, but his feet wouldn't move.

“Ning Lang?” Yuwen Luo nudged him.

Ning Lang suddenly turned around and left.

"Hey! Ning Lang, what's wrong with you?" Yuwen Luo shouted.

Ning Lang didn't turn back, but just kept rushing forward. Seeing this, Yuwen Luo had no choice but to abandon his original intention of visiting the Northern King's Palace and turn around to chase after Ning Lang.

The Northern Palace complex is filled with numerous palaces and winding roads. Ning Lang was rushing around aimlessly, so the two of them quickly got lost in the maze of palaces.

"Ning Lang!" Yuwen Luo finally managed to catch Ning Lang. "Stop! Where are you going?"

Ning Lang stopped once he was pulled away, and remained silent with his head down.

Yuwen Luo tried to turn Ning Lang around by his shoulders so they could talk face to face, but Ning Lang refused to turn around no matter what. So he jumped in front of Ning Lang, but Ning Lang lowered his head and turned around again. After this happened several times, Yuwen Luo suddenly understood. He stood quietly behind Ning Lang and after a while, he pulled Ning Lang to sit down in a nearby pavilion. He didn't say anything, but just looked at the white clouds in the sky.

The sun was shining brightly, but the mountain breeze was chilly. The warmth of the sun on my skin was instantly blown away by the mountain breeze, leaving only a chill.

They sat there for an unknown amount of time before Qu Huailiu finally found them and took them to Yunming Palace. There, they met Lan Qi, Ming Er, and Feng Yi, who had already returned.

Looking at Lan Qi, Ning Lang opened his mouth several times, but finally only asked, "Is your injury healed?"

"Yes, that's about it," Lan Qi replied.

"Oh." Then Ning Lang lowered his head and remained silent.

Ning Lang was so sullen that they had never seen him like this before, so they were all a little surprised. They looked at each other and then looked at Yuwen Luo.

Yuwen Luo turned his gaze to Lan Qi without saying a word.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't you go and eat first?" The Second Young Master Ming was more understanding.

So he summoned palace servants to serve them a meal. Ning Lang walked in front, and Yuwen Luo walked behind. After they went out the door, he deliberately slowed his pace.

"You're just beginning to taste sorrow. You've committed quite a sin." Sure enough, Ming Er said.

"Sigh..." It was rare to hear Lan Qi's soft sigh. Then she said, "I have done a lot of bad things, but I have always taken them lightly. Only when it comes to him... I always seem to feel a little reluctant."

But then Feng Yi said softly, "Ning Lang is a rare kind and virtuous person. It wouldn't be a bad thing for you to marry him."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Luo, who was outside the door, was moved and quickly walked a few steps to catch up with Ning Lang, so he did not hear what was said afterward.

“Brother, we knew we didn’t need that kind of thing when we were five, didn’t we?” Lan Qi said, turning to look at Ming Er as she spoke.

Ming Er lifted the teacup lid, and a wave of steam immediately filled his face, blurring his expression, though a slight smile played on his lips.

On that day, Ning Lang and Yuwen Luo settled down in Yunming Palace.

Yunming Palace was originally the residence of Yun Wuyai, but after Lan Qi came here to heal his injuries, he moved to another palace. Later, Ming Er came, and Ming Ying, Ming Luo, Lan Long, and Lan Tong also came, so this place became the residence of the Ming and Lan families.

That night, Ning Lang tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The next day, early in the morning, after breakfast, Yuwen Luo took Ning Lang to tour the Beique Palace. The green peaks and white clouds seemed within reach, the blue sea and sky were incredibly magnificent, and the palaces were layered and beautiful. Yuwen Luo was delighted and pleased, but Ning Lang still did not smile.

So Yuwen Luo lost interest. Seeing his expression, he pulled him to sit down in front of a pavilion. After sitting quietly for a while, Yuwen Luo suddenly said, "Ning Lang, Seventh Young Master is definitely a woman."

He thought Ning Lang would be overjoyed to hear this, but to his surprise, there was no reaction for a long time.

“Ning Lang?” Yuwen Luo nudged him.

“I know,” Ning Lang said softly.

"Huh?" This time it was Yuwen Luo's turn to be surprised. He thought to himself, when did this silly boy figure it out? He only became certain after hearing Feng Yi's words yesterday.

“I just felt in my heart that she was a woman,” Ning Lang murmured in reply.

"Oh." Yuwen Luo looked at him, but he was just staring blankly at a spot, not understanding. Following his gaze, she saw a cluster of small purple flowers, blooming exceptionally beautifully even in the cold weather. Looking at him, she thought for a long while before cautiously asking, "Ning Lang, you... like Seventh Young Master, right?"

Ning Lang did not answer, but stared at the purple flower in a daze.

Seeing his expression, Yuwen Luo knew without a word that he was deeply in love. Then, for some reason, he thought of his brother and felt a pang of sadness. He made up his mind and said, "Ning Lang, after you return to the dynasty, go find your parents and your master immediately and tell them that you will marry no one but Lan Canyin in this life. Then, with drums and gongs, carry the bridal sedan chair straight to the Lan family in Yunzhou. As long as Seventh Young Master is willing to marry you, then she will be your wife for life and will always belong to you."

"Huh?" Ning Lang stopped being in a daze and turned to look at Yuwen Luo with wide eyes in utter surprise.

Yuwen Luo, however, spoke to him with an unprecedented seriousness: "Although Seventh Young Master is wicked and willful, and sees everyone as worthless, you are different in her heart. Ning Lang, she herself admitted it. She can't bear to hurt you, because of that one unique difference in the world. Ning Lang, that is your advantage! No matter how much she disdains promises, once she marries you, she will never go back on her word. She will be your wife for life. So, Ning Lang, you must hurry, before everything changes, before your engagement is dissolved, and marry her!"

Ning Lang, although his reluctance may not necessarily be love, since she can treat you differently, feelings will naturally develop over time. Marrying her is better than you being depressed for the rest of your life because you can't marry her. Yuwen Luo didn't say these words.