Luzhou Moon - Chapter 65
Wei Heng's breathing was heavy, his right hand gripping the ancient sword tightly.
Lian Junchu stopped looking at him and instead focused her gaze on the group of people on the mountain, her expression unreadable.
Qi Yun had already led his men to the end of the stone steps, but seeing Wei Heng under Lian Junchu's sword, he dared not act rashly. The Emei Sect members followed Liang Yingxue and Yin Xiurong, striding forward with their swords drawn, ready to strike.
Wei Heng suddenly frowned, gritted his teeth, and said, word by word, "Qi Yun, bring him up!"
Qi Yun's face paled. After hesitating for a moment, he could only order his men to retreat quickly. Soon after, the captured men were brought in. Upon seeing Lian Junchu, they immediately knelt down and refused to rise. The leader, with bloodstains on his head, cried out in a trembling voice, "We know our mistakes, and we have troubled you, young master, to come and punish us! We beg you to spare our lives!"
Lian Junchu's eyes flickered. She glanced back and said, "Chongming, handle it as I instructed earlier."
Chongming bowed deeply, swords in hand, and stepped forward, saying, "You dared to fight with the Emei disciples. Now, I, your young master, have come personally to take you back, but I also assure you that you will never again wield a weapon in this lifetime!" With that, his sword flashed, and screams of agony filled the air. Chongming had severed the tendons in the right hands of those men, who writhed on the ground. Even so, they continued to kowtow and thank Lian Junchu for sparing their lives, a sight that terrified everyone present.
Chongming sheathed his sword, and with a wave of his hand, the ten swordsmen behind him silently stepped forward and carried the men back.
Lian Junchu then lowered his right shoulder, and with a soft sound, the slender sword vanished instantly, and his right sleeve drooped down.
"Is this the way Lian is handling things? Can the two ladies of the Emei Sect accept it?" Lian Junchu looked up at Liang Yingxue and Yin Xiurong in front of the crowd, her tone calm.
Liang Yingxue said, "We originally intended to take them back to Emei for Master to deal with. Now that Young Master Lian has crippled their martial arts, and Master Wei has already stated his position, this matter will be put to rest for now." She paused, then added, "However, I am merely a disciple, and my words carry little weight. If Master and my senior uncles have other plans after we return to the mountain, Young Master Lian, please don't accuse me of breaking my promise."
Lian Junchu smiled faintly and said, "Of course I wouldn't do that." He then looked at Wei Heng and said, "Master Wei, it is kind of you to stand up for the Emei disciples and uphold justice. I apologize for any offense I may have caused this time." After saying that, he took a step back, bowed slightly, and then led Danfeng Chongming and the others down the mountain.
Author's Note: You guys always wrong me! Where was the angst in this chapter? (Tears streaming down my face)
Chapter 45 Knowing You Have Long Stand Facing the Green Mountains
Once the group disappeared around the bend in the mountain road, Qi Yun quickly walked behind Wei Heng and whispered, "Master, I can send someone to take a shortcut and set up an ambush at the foot of the mountain."
Wei Heng glared at her and snapped, "I wouldn't stoop to such a thing!" With that, he flicked his sleeve, stepped onto the stone steps, and said to Liang Yingxue, "I apologize, I made a mistake and was humiliated by Lian Junchu instead."
Liang Yingxue quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Master, there's no need to blame yourself. Lian Junchu's skills are unpredictable; if Master hadn't intervened, none of us would have been confident of victory."
Yin Xiurong frowned and said, "He's much more capable than I imagined."
Wei Heng sighed softly and said, "I underestimated him at first..." He suddenly looked up and glanced behind Liang Yingxue, "It's a pity I didn't ask Miss Yue beforehand, otherwise I wouldn't have been so careless."
Everyone turned around and saw Yue Ruzheng standing silently at the back, her face pale, neither speaking nor coming forward.
Ever since Shao Yang saw Lian Junchu, he had been keeping a close eye on Yue Ruzheng's expression. At first, she stared blankly at Lian Junchu, but afterwards, she kept her face turned away, gazing at the distant snow. Even when Lian Junchu and Wei Heng were fighting fiercely, she didn't glance at them.
But Shao Yang could still feel her palms gradually getting colder, without any warmth.
Shao Yang whispered to Wei Heng, "Now that things are temporarily over, let's part ways."
Looking at Yue Ruzheng's pale and dazed face, Wei Heng nodded and said, "Be careful on your journey. If the road is difficult, don't force yourself to descend the mountain."
Shao Yang bid farewell to everyone and then, pulling the dazed Yue Ruzheng along, headed down the mountain.
The snow continued to fall. After leaving Tingyu Manor, Shao Yang deliberately chose another path and went down the mountain with Yue Ruzheng.
He observed Yue Ruzheng's expression from time to time, noticing that she looked lost and her eyes were unfocused. She didn't even bother to wipe the snowflakes off her face.
Shao Yang felt a tightness in his chest. After hesitating for a long time, he looked at Yue Ruzheng and said, "Ruzheng, it's all my fault. If I had known he would come, I would never have brought you to Tingyu Manor."
Yue Ruzheng pursed her lips, staring at the white, misty mountain road ahead, without saying a word.
Shao Yang sighed and had no choice but to continue on his way.
When they reached the halfway point up the mountain, Yue Ruzheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "Senior brother, he is no longer the person I used to know."
Shao Yang was taken aback. Looking at her sorrowful expression, he comforted her, "Ruzheng, he is now Young Master Lian of Seven Star Island, so naturally he won't be like before... Alright, let's go back to Luzhou immediately, and we won't run into him again."
Yue Ruzheng seemed lost in her own world, not responding to his words, but instead walking heavily down the mountain.
The wind and snow swirled wildly across the land. On a mountain path in another direction, the people of Seven Star Island walked briskly in silence. Danfeng held up a paper umbrella, trying her best to keep up with Lian Junchu's pace and shield him from the swirling snowflakes.
Lian Jun noticed that her cheeks were slightly flushed and her steps were a little hurried, so he slowed down and looked straight ahead, saying, "Danfeng, you don't need to worry about me."
Danfeng lowered her head awkwardly, looking at the snow at her feet, and said, "Young master, I have never walked on a mountain path before."
Lian Junchu turned to look at her, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said, "I'm afraid you've never seen such heavy snow before."
"Yes, Seven Star Island is never this cold." Danfeng frowned, quite dissatisfied. "If the Emei Sect hadn't insisted we come here, we wouldn't be suffering like this!"
Chongming glanced at her sideways and muttered, "Weren't you just excitedly saying you wanted to see the beautiful scenery of Huangshan?"
Danfeng snorted at him: "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."
Lian Junchu seemed to be deep in thought, raising his eyes to look at the distant mountains. Danfeng was about to speak to him again, but seeing his cold expression and the faint smile in his eyes suddenly disappear, she fell silent and followed him quietly.
On the winding mountain road, only the sound of the wind and hurried footsteps could be heard.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes drove the carriage over. Danfeng lifted the curtain and said, "Young master, please get in."
Lian Junchu shook her head and said, "I don't want to leave yet."
Danfeng was startled: "Is there still something left to take care of?"
"No." Lian Junchu looked up at the mountains behind her. "I haven't left Seven Star Island in a long time, and I want to take a walk by myself. Danfeng, arrange for someone to take the rest of you back to Seven Star Island first, then go back to the inn with Chongming and the others to wait for me. I'll return to meet you all tonight."
Danfeng frowned, and Chongming stepped forward, saying, "Young Master, why don't you let Danfeng return to the inn first? I'll stay and keep you company."
Lian Junchu smiled and said, "Are you worried I'll get lost? I'm just walking around nearby for a bit; I won't go anywhere dangerous."
Chongming and Danfeng exchanged a glance, then had no choice but to lead the others away first.
Lian Junchu stood quietly in the snow, watching them walk away, and then walked alone towards another mountain path.