The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 70

After pausing for a moment, she rallied herself and said, "Alright, Flower, let's go!"

The thief was cowardly, fearing that if she went to Shuixing, she would discover that something was missing and send people to arrest her. So, although she continued along the lake shore, she chose to walk in sparsely populated and deserted places.

They walked forward to another place where the lake shore was rugged with towering rocks, and the water plants below the rocks were lush. Waves crashed against the shore, snowflakes splashed, and the water was wide. There wasn't even a boat on the lake, making it quite desolate.

Even ghosts wouldn't come to this place, and I doubt anyone who "went to Shuixing" will be able to find it anytime soon.

Zhu Huihui relaxed, and immediately felt that her injured leg was so painful that it went numb. She could no longer hold on and sat down with a thud.

The ground by the lake was damp, making her very uncomfortable. But she was too lazy to move, so she didn't care. She reached out and rolled up the cuff of her left trouser leg, gently massaging her skin in the moonlight. She felt that her leg was a little swollen again, and she couldn't help but curse a few times in her heart, but she didn't know who to curse, which made her feel very frustrated.

After rubbing for a while, he impatiently leaned back and lay down in the grass, gazing at the vast night sky. The moon was bright, the stars few; the empty night sky was dotted with only a handful of twinkling stars, which, under the moonlight, appeared dim and lackluster, possessing a fragile yet not decadent beauty—like the deep, dark, and boundless gaze of maple leaves in the snow…

Sure enough, as soon as he had some free time, Zhu Huihui started thinking about Maple Snow Colors again.

Soon it will be dawn. When the sun rises, will the old man set off for that Valley of Sorrow? Sigh! I wonder if the porcelain girl's miracle doctor mother can cure his eyes. If she can't, it'll be terrible. The old man has too many enemies and is too kind-hearted; if he goes blind, it won't be easy for him to survive in the martial world! But if she is cured… I'll be in big trouble! She ran away with his friend's things; if he catches her in the future, those two little thieving hands will truly be in danger!

But the world is so big, and we probably won't see each other again, so what's there to be afraid of...?

Although he felt there was a 99% chance his thief hands would be safe, the thought of never seeing him again filled Zhu Huihui with a sense of desolation, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Resting on the sound of waves crashing against the table, Zhu Huihui felt drowsy and slowly closed her eyes. In her hazy state, she suddenly heard a soft "ding" from a zither string, extremely faint yet extremely clear, as if it were ringing right next to her ear.

Having been chased for days, she was terrified and, before she could figure out what the sound was, she scrambled into a denser patch of grass. She held her breath and waited for a long time, but heard no other noise. So she carefully parted the grass and quietly peeked out.

Then, a black-robed man, as solitary and aloof as the rocks, appeared on the lake shore.

Black, black, black, men in black...

Zhu Huihui now turns pale at the sight of black; her first reaction upon seeing someone dressed in black is fear! However, upon seeing the handsome face of the man in black robes under the moonlight, she quickly calmed down.

The world is full of diverse people with varied appearances; no two faces are exactly alike, beautiful or ugly. While the saying "appearance reflects the heart" may not be entirely accurate, it certainly holds some truth. Some people have shifty eyes and a sinister look, revealing their wicked intentions at a glance; others have thick eyebrows and large eyes, possessing a dignified appearance that makes them seem like righteous heroes to everyone who sees them.

This man in black robes had such a heroic face.

Zhu Huihui felt a little relieved and looked in the direction the man in black robes was facing. There she saw the figure on the dragon boat in the lake, which looked both melancholic and beautiful in the moonlight.

Zhu Huihui's heart skipped a few beats.

It's Brother Liu Yue!

She hadn't seen him since he went to track down that witch. How could he be here? And who was that man in black robes? These two were staring at each other from a distance—what were they doing? Were they…having a tryst? Pshaw! That's not the right word. They weren't adulterers; what kind of tryst would two men have? Hmm, they must be preparing for a duel! These martial arts practitioners are so boring. If they don't like someone, they can just stab them in the back; why bother with this pretentious act…

However, in her experience, encountering such a fight scene is usually not a good thing; she might end up getting caught up in it for no reason. What's that idiom again? Right, "When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer as well." So, she'd better stay far away to avoid being implicated!

Although she understood, Zhu Huihui couldn't control her curiosity. She lay motionless in the grass, her eyes darting back and forth between Liu Yue and the black-robed hero.

At this moment, the black-robed hero frowned, looking at the black flute in his hand, seemingly quite troubled. After a long while, the flute slowly played a clear and melodious note.

On the dragon boat, Liu Yue's clothes rippled slightly, like the lake water under the moon. He gracefully sat down, holding an ancient zither at his feet on his lap. He seemed to blend into the night, his fingers gently gliding across the strings, producing a melodious sound.

The sounds of the zither and flute began to play simultaneously.

The flute's mournful and distant melody seemed to travel from the ancient border town under the setting sun, rustling all the way into the twilight of Jiangnan, into the frosty and dewy rivers and lakes, and towards the vast horizon. It was a poignant expression of unspoken emotions, like a longing and a lament, flowing across the empty lake and dissipating into the distance.

The music was crystal clear, like a cool breeze drifting through a sea of clouds, or a fleeting shadow passing through the bright moon—tranquil, gentle, free, unrestrained, and ethereal, untouched by the dust of the world.

Two different musical sounds intertwined, and Zhu Huihui vaguely recalled a clear, snowy night long ago.

She got lost in a silent, snowy field. The air was frigid, and her blood seemed to freeze. She trudged alone through the thick snow...

The flute suddenly rose several notes, as if the Milky Way were reversed, one layer, two layers, three layers, higher and higher, until it soared into the distant sky, where the Milky Way flowed, the wind howled, and the heights were unbearably cold.

The flute music seemed to carry a cold, sharp edge, piercing into Zhu Huihui's heart. Her heart immediately raced several times faster, and all the blood in her body rushed upward with the soaring flute notes. She couldn't help but reach up and press her ears; blood was already seeping from her mouth and nose.

Echoing the flute, the zither's melody abruptly shifted, becoming high-pitched and resonant, imbued with an ancient charm yet filled with a chilling atmosphere. It was as if an ancient battlefield was playing out, with two armies shouting and clashing, mountains and rivers crumbling, blood and flesh flying everywhere, and the deep, stirring beat of drums echoing through the valley…

Forced by the vast and lofty sound, the flute music gradually lowered, first like a clear spring flowing gently beneath a rock, then like the tender whispers of lovers, and then like the powerless sigh and silent sob from the deepest part of the heart of a wandering traveler, a soldier guarding the frontier, a passerby in the ups and downs of officialdom, and a beautiful woman in her secluded chamber, filled with melancholy…

Amidst the vast expanse of misty waters, the flute music grew colder and more ethereal, almost imperceptible, its low melody stirring a feverish passion within. Zhu Huihui felt as if an invisible rope had gripped her neck; her breath caught in her throat. Her heart sank, sank lower and lower until it could sink no further. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious, spitting out a mouthful of blood…

"The soldiers on the front lines are half dead and half alive, while beauties sing and dance in their tents."

Gao Shi's poem "Yan Ge Xing" describes a scene on the frontier battlefield, where soldiers fight to the death in the desolate desert, while the general indulges in pleasure in his brocade tent, surrounded by fine clothes, wine, and dancing courtesans...

As Zhu Huihui walked alone late at night, she inadvertently stumbled upon the scene of two masters clashing with their inner strength. As a result, she coughed up blood, was severely injured, and collapsed on the ground, her life hanging in the balance. Meanwhile, in the lakeside pavilion of Xuan Yue Water Island, the exquisite banquet had not yet ended.

As the maple leaves turned snowy and the wind began to dance, Xi Yeyan and Feng Jueya, the Thousand Miles Soul Chaser, casually discussed old stories of the martial world and the grudges of the Jianghu. Miss Chen Muwan of Beikong Valley listened quietly, without interrupting, but her charming smile and the sparkling eyes made everyone feel happy and the conversation flowed even better.

Just then, a subordinate reported that Miss Zhu, leading a pig and carrying a large bag, left the manor gate and rode away.

Inside the waterside pavilion, all was silent for a moment as everyone turned to look at Feng Xuese.

Feng Xuese lowered his head slightly, staring at the jade cup in his palm with a hazy gaze. After a long silence, he asked, "Brother Fang, which martial arts figures have been appearing near Yueyang recently?"

The area around Dongting Lake is within the sphere of influence of Jietianshui Island, and no movement in the martial arts world can escape Fang Jianwu's notice.

Fang Jianwu counted on his fingers: "Seven days ago, Meng Zhao, the Jade-Faced Swordsman from Luoyang, and his wife came to visit their old friend Dong Yuan and have been staying at Dong's residence; the Shaolin monk Huixin is staying at Dingjun Temple in Yueyang; Qu Jingcai of the Wuji Sect only entered the city three days ago; Tiesuo Ke Youliang and Beijian Tian Dabiao came at the invitation of Luo Laosan from Yueyang to congratulate him on his son's wedding; Huo Xiaoqing, who can control everything, is infatuated with the courtesan of Mianhua Tower and has been lingering there for several days without leaving..."

Feng Xuese felt slightly relieved, as they were all insignificant figures in the martial arts world and shouldn't pose any threat to Zhu Huihui.

Fang Jianwu continued, "In addition, this evening, Brother Yan Shenhan from the Deep Water Realm also came to Yueyang, but disappeared outside the city and has not contacted me since. I don't know why."

Xi Yeyan laughed and said, "Brother Jianwu, there's no need to worry. The guards that Yan Shenhan brought into the Central Plains have already met up with my subordinates. Old Yan had a last-minute appointment and is keeping his promise to enter the city. With his pair of broken jade floating rings, how many people in the martial world can rival him in a one-on-one fight? If nothing unexpected happens, he should arrive around 1 a.m. tonight!"

Fang Jianwu asked, "Whom did you invite?"