Luzhou Moon

Chapter 6

Yue Ruzheng quickly replied, "No, I didn't eat breakfast because I was worried."

Tang Yanchu glanced at her and said, "I'll go cook; you've been eating dry rations all day."

Seeing that he looked pale and haggard, Yue Ruzheng said, "Aren't you tired after traveling for a whole day and night? Don't you want to rest?"

Tang Yanchu simply shook her head, picked up the basket, and walked out.

During lunch, he simply sat to the side and watched her finish eating before leaving after cleaning up. She wanted to invite him to eat with her, but when she looked up and saw his deep, unsettling eyes, she silently lowered her head.

Chapter Five: Springtime in the Ming Dynasty, Little Peach Branches

A day later, Tang Yanchu changed Yue Ruzheng's dressing again. When she unwrapped the bandage, she couldn't help but frown and grip the edge of the bed tightly.

"It's not too swollen anymore," he said, examining the wound carefully. "Fortunately, the weather is cold, so it hasn't become severely festering."

Yue Ruzheng bit her lower lip and moved her right foot slightly, then gasped in shock.

Tang Yanchu looked up and said, "It's not fully healed yet, don't exert yourself, or the wound will reopen."

Yue Ruzheng nodded helplessly, and he then used his own hands to re-bandage her feet. She had considered bending down to do these things herself, but she was afraid of touching his sensitive and delicate heart, so she could only quietly watch his every move.

After Tang Yanchu finished bandaging the wound, he turned to pack his medicine box. Yue Ruzheng watched his profile and asked, "Little Tang, did you encounter any strange people on your way to Bei Yandang?"

He paused, then turned back and asked, "What would be considered strange?"

"Uh...like those martial arts practitioners who carry swords and knives."

Tang Yanchu replied, "No."

Yue Ruzheng gazed thoughtfully at the rooftop. Tang Yanchu closed the medicine box, put her feet down, turned around, and said, "Are you afraid someone will come asking about your whereabouts?"

Yue Ruzheng snapped out of her daze and said, "As you can see, I was injured and fled here..."

"It's nothing," Tang Yanchu said without much thought. "Your affairs in the martial arts world are none of my business."

"But I'm afraid the people from Bliss Valley will come after you and hurt you." She frowned, then sighed, "I lost my Lonely Fragrance Sword when I fell down the hillside that day, and now I don't even have a weapon to defend myself."

"Valley of Bliss?" Tang Yanchu repeated it, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of place is that?"

Yue Ruzheng said with a solemn expression, "The Valley of Bliss is located in the mountainous region of southern Jiangxi, a place teeming with snakes, scorpions, and miasma. Its master, Mo Li, is particularly skilled in poisoning. It should be said that, besides Seven Star Island in the East China Sea, the Valley of Bliss is the second most terrifying place in the martial arts world today."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but think of what her master had mentioned about Seven Star Island and Bliss Valley. If Mo Li of Bliss Valley was renowned for his poison skills, then the Forgetful Pavilion of Seven Star Island was known for its ruthless twin swords that swept across the martial world. These two places were generally difficult for ordinary people to approach, and they dared not approach them. Yet, she had acted rashly, provoking the people of Bliss Valley and giving Mo Li the opportunity to cause trouble.

Thinking of this, Yue Ruzheng sighed softly. Seeing the hint of displeasure in Tang Yanchu's eyes, she quickly said, "But don't worry, if they come after us, I will do my best to protect you."

Tang Yanchu bent down to put on her straw sandals and said, "Do you think fighting and killing all the time is interesting?"

Yue Ruzheng was taken aback. It seemed no one had ever asked her this question before, nor had she ever thought about it. She had been adopted by her master since childhood and practiced swordsmanship in the Merlin Forest every day. Sometimes, she would draw her sword to fight against injustice, and her Lonely Fragrance Sword had been stained with blood and taken lives. But she had never thought about why she wanted to live this life in the martial world.

She thought about it seriously for a while and said, "Although life in the martial world is full of dangers, I like the days of riding horses, calling on friends, and settling scores with gusto."

"A desire for revenge?" Tang Yanchu raised an eyebrow, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "I simply cannot understand your thinking."

Yue Ruzheng said, "Little Tang, you've always lived in the mountains, so naturally you wouldn't understand. That kind of life, where you fight on the edge of a knife and compete under the blade, is actually quite exciting."

Tang Yanchu slowly raised his head and glanced at her. For some reason, Yue Ruzheng felt that his eyes were full of disdain, as if the life she longed for was just an extremely boring trick in his eyes.

Yue Ruzheng sensed the awkward atmosphere and changed the subject, asking, "And you? How do you make a living?"

"Gathering herbs," he answered simply, pausing before standing up. "I can't do anything else."

Although the two could not reach an agreement on the topic of life in the martial arts world, Tang Yanchu was not displeased. He seemed to have never laughed or been angry; everything was indifferent, to the extreme, as if nothing could stir his emotions.

He was like a lake a thousand feet deep, clear and transparent, but no one could reach the depths of its heart.

In the afternoon, he carried a basket of herbs down the mountain. Yue Ruzheng waited for a long time before he returned home. But for some reason, he didn't take the bamboo basket off his shoulder. Instead, he came out of the kitchen and carried it back to her, then quietly squatted down.

A long sword with a plain white scabbard and a slightly pink tassel lay in his bamboo basket.

"The Lonely Sword!" Yue Ruzheng was overjoyed and picked up her beloved sword, holding it close to her chest.

"How did you find it?" She raised her delicate eyebrows happily, drew her sword, and examined it from left to right.

Tang Yanchu moved the chair over with her foot and sat down, saying, "It fell down the slope that day, and the scabbard is in the grass. Fortunately, it's been raining these past two days, and no one has gone into the mountains."

Yue Ruzheng flicked her wrist at the bedside, the sword tip trembling slightly, gleaming dazzlingly in the afternoon sunlight. A faint pink mark on the blade, as if painted with a brush, was light and graceful, adding a touch of allure to the gleaming sword.

The glint of the sword tip reflected in her bright eyes, like twinkling stars. She smiled slightly, her lips pursed, and said, "I have to thank you again, Little Tang."

Tang Yanchu seemed to have no interest in the sword whatsoever. He looked away and said, "No need to thank me."

Yue Ruzheng sheathed her sword, shifted her body, and moved closer to him, saying, "Honestly, if I hadn't met you, I don't know if I'd be alive or dead right now! And you even delivered a message for me and helped me find the Lonely Fragrance Sword. I truly don't know how to thank you enough!"

Tang Yanchu leaned back slightly, a little uneasy, and turned to the side, saying, "If it were anyone else, they would have done the same if they saw you collapse in the rain that night."

Yue Ruzheng sighed softly, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at him, saying, "Little Tang, you're too kind. It seems you're better suited to living deep in these mountains; otherwise, if you went out into the world, you'd definitely be bullied."

After hearing what she said, Tang Yanchu suddenly raised the corners of his mouth slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face. Yue Ruzheng looked at him, seeing his first very faint smile, and thought to herself, "He really looks handsome when he smiles."

But his eyes remained as cold and indifferent as snow, devoid of any emotion.

"I won't come down the mountain unless there's a reason," he said calmly. "Many children are afraid of me, and some adults are too."

After he finished speaking, he stood up and left as if nothing had happened, saying he was going to make her dinner.

Yue Ruzheng stared blankly at his back. Although Tang Yanchu was not very tall, he had a straight back and clear bones. Only his swaying sleeves disrupted his overall harmony.

Tang Yanchu's last words echoed in Yue Ruzheng's ears, making her feel suffocated. Even when he brought the food to her, Yue Ruzheng ate listlessly, taking only a few bites.