When love draws near, it's like snow

Chapter 22

"Brother Qingyang, do you think my lamp is a little too simple?" Xiaofeng tugged at my sleeve and shook it, interrupting my thoughts.

"Really? Let me see." Seeing her competitive and charming demeanor, I couldn't help but smile. "Xiao Feng, go and get me the brushes and paints."

"Brother Qingyang, do you want to draw? Aren't you going to help me?" Xiaofeng pretended to pout and act coquettishly, but her eyes clearly shone with joy.

“Yes, little one.” I leaned down and affectionately pinched the tip of her nose. “Didn’t you say your lamp was missing something? I’ll draw it prettier for you, and I promise you won’t lose to Xiaoyu, okay?” — This little devil, she thought I couldn’t see through her little scheme.

"Really?!" Her eyes lit up, and like a happy little swallow, she darted inside.

"Tender feelings flow like water, a beautiful time like a dream, how can I bear to look back on the road to the Magpie Bridge! If love is meant to last, why should we be together every day and night?" As I wrote this, my right arm was already aching unbearably, and the last stroke of the character "暮" (dusk) became weak and powerless, a small flaw. I sighed softly, feeling sorry for Xiaofeng, and could only hope that not many experts would participate in such a trick for praying for skill.

"Wow! Brother Qingyang, this Cowherd is so handsome!" Xiaofeng hugged the lantern with great affection, pointing at the Weaver Girl in the painting with an admiring look. "Brother Qingyang, do you think there really are girls this beautiful in the human world? I'm afraid it's impossible, right?"

"Really?" I replied casually. "Maybe? Isn't it just a painting of a fairy? It can't be taken as real. Alright, brother, I'm tired. You should go back now."

She glanced at my arm, stuck out her tongue apologetically, and then turned and ran out of my yard.

After she had walked away, I slowly walked out of the house and strolled towards Mochou Lake. Whenever I felt depressed, I would go to the lake to walk, as if the cool lake water could cleanse my soul and soothe my restless heart.

A gentle breeze carried the sweet fragrance of lotus blossoms, and the weeping willows on the bank, bathed in the slanting sunlight, softly brushed against my shoulders. Three or five young girls, each carrying a variety of novel trinkets they had bought from the market, laughed and chased each other past me. Their joy and contentment were infectious, and I couldn't help but smile.

I smiled, my gaze unconsciously following their figures—then, I felt a sudden jolt in my head, my heart pounded wildly, and I froze, unable to move! —That person! Yes, it was him! He was the one who brought me to the Northern Song Dynasty, the one who plunged me into an abyss of eternal damnation!

He walked in a hurry and quickly disappeared into the twilight—clearly he hadn't noticed me, or perhaps he didn't even remember me?! —No, how could I let him slip away right under my nose? Since he could bring me to the Northern Song Dynasty, maybe he could send me back to the 21st century too! Thinking of this, I immediately changed direction and hurried after him.

Zuixianlou. He entered Zuixianlou. I followed him, about to go upstairs, when I heard an unexpected voice again: "Are you sure the message you received is true? Could there be a mistake? Don't waste my time!"—The tone was still arrogant and rude: It was Lu Rumei. I wonder if Liu Wufeng was also in this restaurant?

This really proves the old saying, "Enemies meet on a narrow road!" I frowned, really not wanting to have any more contact with them. So, I had to suppress my eagerness and find a seat on the first floor by the window, in the shade but with a good view of everyone coming and going in the restaurant.

"Hey, did you see that? That girl upstairs is Lu Rumei, the eldest daughter of the Lu family, one of the four beauties of the martial arts world!" I didn't expect that as soon as I sat down, someone tugged at my sleeve, leaned over and whispered to me.

I glanced at him sideways; he was a short, withered, and repulsive-looking thin man. At that moment, his face wore an unmistakable expression of lewdness.

"Hehe, that little wench, although she's a bit old, her face is so tender it's like you could squeeze water out of it! If I, Wu Qianshou, could touch her, I'd die happy, don't you think?" He leered, looking lecherous.

I felt nauseous, pulled out my sleeve, turned my face away, lowered my head, and refused to talk to him.

He was rebuffed and muttered awkwardly, "That kid Liu Wufeng really got a free lunch! But I heard Jiang Mohui has reappeared in the martial world, I wonder how this will end?"

"Tch! I'm telling you, Mr. Wu! This is none of your business! I think you should keep your mouth shut, or you'll get yourself into trouble!" A busybody nearby had overheard everything he said and couldn't help but mock him, "Those guys upstairs are all thorns! You might end up with your life cut short! You'll probably be a dried-up corpse by then!"

"Hahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter, causing Wu Qianshou's face to turn a deep purplish-red.

"Speaking of which, has the Heartless Swordsman Jiang Mohui truly reappeared in the martial world?" asked Guest A.

"No one has seen the person, but his Heartless Decree has reappeared, that's for sure!" said Guest B.

"Rumor has it that Jiang Mohui was ambushed and nearly killed six years ago. Now that he's returned to the martial world, he's even more ruthless. I heard that the massacre of over 150 people in Sunjiawan was the first major thing he did after returning to the martial world!" Drinker C said, his words flowing freely.

"Didn't I hear that Ye Gucheng, the third leader of the Weiyuan Escort Agency, escaped?"

"Your information is incorrect! Ye Gucheng's body was indeed not at the scene of the incident, but everyone found him in Li Village, seven miles downstream of the Han River. He was also killed by a single sword strike! If it weren't for the heartless swordsman Jiang Mohui, who else in the world could have killed the Third Master Ye without any chance to resist?!"

"Then tell me, why did Jiang Mohui do this?"

"Is that even a question? Of course, it's for that priceless birthday gift! And there's something else, do you know?" Seeing everyone looking at him blankly, the drinker Ding shook his head smugly and sighed, "Most importantly: Jiang Mohui's Heartless Decree was found at the crime scene, Sunjiawan Inn! It seems that the martial world is about to be engulfed in bloodshed again!"

"So, his return to the martial world this time is all for revenge?"

"Think about it, what kind of person is Jiang Mohui? To inflict such severe injuries on him, it's not something that just one or two people can do. I think this matter has far-reaching implications, and I don't know how many more people will die!"

A commotion erupted, and the hall was filled with chaos, like a pot of boiling oil.

No, no! That's all nonsense! Even though it was dark that night, I could see very clearly that the killer was quite tall. Huaiyuan, on the other hand, looked like a child of thirteen or fourteen. How could he be the murderer? I loudly protested in my mind—but even if he's misunderstood, what does it matter to me? Why should I worry about him?!

"Who's spreading rumors here? How dare they frame Young Master Jiang?! Are they tired of living?" A clear female voice rang out, and a beautiful woman in red appeared at the top of the stairs—it was Lu Rumei, Miss Lu. Her beautiful eyes widened as she coldly surveyed the crowd. "Who just said that the Sunjiawan massacre was committed by my Brother Jiang? If you have the guts, step forward!"

"Our Number One Manor has already sent people to thoroughly investigate this matter. First of all, the number of dead is fifty-three, not one hundred and fifty-four as you claimed!" Lu Rumei's eyes were sharp, and her expression was cold and stern. "Secondly, although my Jiang family cannot be said to be as wealthy as a country, we are still living in luxury. How could the great hero Jiang indiscriminately kill innocent people for a mere birthday celebration in Jiangling Prefecture?" Her demeanor clearly indicated that she was acting as the young mistress of the Jiang family.

"Then how do you explain the appearance of the Heartless Decree?" someone mustered up their courage and asked loudly in the crowd, "You can't just say the Heartless Decree is fake in front of Mr. Ye, can you?"

Lu Rumei's face darkened as she glanced at the old man in blue standing to her left—it was the very man who had sold me the jade! So his name was Master Ye? It seems he's a relative of Third Brother Ye? No wonder I had a feeling of déjà vu when I saw Ye Gucheng!

"What, are you going to shut up now? If it wasn't Jiang Mohui who did it, why would his Heartless Decree be at the crime scene?!" The man became even more unforgiving.

"Regardless of who did this, Jingyou Manor will investigate thoroughly and give everyone an explanation." The speaker was Liu Wufeng—he was indeed with her, and beside him was Yang Wanqing. Liu Wufeng's expression darkened. "But if I discover anyone spreading false rumors and slandering my sworn brother before the facts are clear, don't blame me, Liu Wufeng, for being ruthless!"

His icy, piercing gaze swept coldly across the hall—I silently shrank further into the darkness, resting my head on the table, feigning drunkenness. Suddenly, the room fell completely silent, as if someone had struck a nerve.

After saying this, the four of them went down the stairs and strode out of the restaurant...

This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Website. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume Two: Farewell Chapter Three: Random Chats]

After the four people had gone far away, the hall returned to its previous lively and noisy atmosphere. The crowd discussed amongst themselves, but no one could reach a consensus.

"What did Liu Wufeng just say about Jingyou Manor? Where is that?" I asked the people around me.

"This young man isn't a member of the martial arts world, is he?" The man smiled confidently at me.

How do you know I'm not?

"Jingyou Manor is actually the number one manor in the world. It's just that's a title given by people in the martial arts world; they don't say it that way themselves." He took a sip of wine and glanced at me with an air of nonchalance. "If you don't even know that, of course you're not a member of the martial arts world. I can also be sure that you're not from Jiangning."

"How do you know that?" I asked calmly, continuing to inquire.

"Jingyou Villa is right by Taihu Lake, only two or three days' journey from here. Besides, Jingyou Villa has a villa on the shore of Xuanwu Lake, and you've never heard of it, so you must be a stranger here." The mystery is solved. It turns out that I had been hiding and dodging, but in the end, I had stumbled upon his lair by sheer luck—what a twist of fate!