Luzhou Moon - Chapter 101
He had only spoken halfway when someone in the crowd behind Bi Fang asked urgently, "Is Ru Zheng here?"
"Yes..." Yinglong replied. Two young men at the head of the horse team leaped down, and one of them, slightly older, rushed forward, saying, "Take me there quickly!"
Seeing that the man had a handsome appearance and an imposing air, Yinglong sized him up and asked, "And who is this?"
The man paused, a hint of anger flashing between his brows. "I am her senior brother, Shao Yang of Yinxi Xiaozhu. What, are you afraid I have an unknown background?"
Yinglong took a step back with some displeasure and said, "Young Master asked me to take care of Miss Yue, so naturally I need to ask him about it..."
"Why would you need to take care of her?" Shao Yang sneered and was about to walk away when Bi Fang said coldly from behind him, "Young Master Shao, it's one thing for you to ignore us along the way, but I must tell you this: if you hadn't sent me to deliver a message and encountered you on the road, would you have found Yue Ruzheng's whereabouts so quickly?"
Shao Yang stopped and turned around abruptly, about to argue with him, when another man who had come with Shao Yang quickly stepped forward, pressed his ancient sword against Shao Yang's arm, and whispered, "Brother Shao, why bother arguing with these subordinates? Getting Miss Yue back to Yinxi Cottage as soon as possible is the most important thing."
Shao Yang's anger subsided upon hearing this. However, Ying Long had already heard everything clearly. He saw that the man was about twenty years old, dressed in a luxurious blue robe, and had an arrogant air about him, which made him even more displeased. But in order to avoid further trouble, Ying Long had no choice but to swallow his anger and lead the two to the door of Yue Ruzheng's room.
"It's inside. Go in yourselves." Yinglong said, then turned and walked down the stairs with Bifang without looking back, unwilling to talk to these people anymore.
Chapter Sixty-Five: Unresolved Thoughts in the Chilling Cold
Shao Yang knocked lightly on the door a few times. Hearing faint sounds from inside, he frowned and said, "Ru Zheng, it's your senior brother."
Yue Ruzheng, who had been lying quietly in the room, felt uneasy upon hearing the commotion outside. Hearing Shao Yang's voice, she forced herself to sit up, put on her blue robe, and staggered to the door to open it. However, Shao Yang, who was waiting outside, did not hear Yue Ruzheng respond for a long time. He assumed she was too weak to get up and had already pushed open the door himself. He was shocked to see Yue Ruzheng walking unsteadily and quickly supported her arm.
"Ruzheng, how did you get like this?!" Shao Yang said anxiously as he helped her to the bedside. He suddenly noticed that the clothes she was wearing were clearly men's style. He was taken aback, and reached out to grab the sleeve. He saw that it was covered with sharp spikes, and Lian Junchu suddenly came to mind. He immediately frowned and pulled hard, tearing the brocade robe off Yue Ruzheng's shoulders.
Yue Ruzheng suddenly looked up, clutching the clothes, and said, "Senior brother, what are you doing?"
"What kind of awful clothes are these? Aren't you afraid of hurting yourself?!" Shao Yang was even more furious when he saw that she was still holding on tightly. "Ruzheng, let go!"
"I'm just wearing it for a bit, what's wrong with that?" Yue Ruzheng was extremely aggrieved, her fingers trembling slightly, but she still refused to let go.
"Alright, alright, it's just a piece of clothing, what's the big deal?" The young man standing outside the door sighed as he entered, placing his hand on Shao Yang's shoulder and subtly pulling hard to force Shao Yang to loosen his grip slightly. He then gave Shao Yang a wink, signaling him not to provoke Ru Zheng. Shao Yang reluctantly let go, his eyes catching sight of the sharp thorns on the dark blue brocade robe, which felt like thorns piercing his heart.
Yue Ruzheng bit her lower lip, glanced at the person next to Shao Yang, and whispered, "Wei Heng, what are you doing here?"
Wei Heng lifted the hem of his long robe, sat down opposite her, and smiled, saying, "After seeing off those female disciples of the Emei Sect, I was about to return when I heard that the people from the Bliss Valley had reappeared near Luzhou. Since there was nothing else going on at the manor, I brought some men to check it out. Unexpectedly, I ran into Brother Shao on the way. He said you had mysteriously disappeared and, fearing something had happened to you, had been searching everywhere for a long time. Fortunately, we encountered the people from Seven Star Island and learned that you had suffered internal injuries."
Shao Yang stood by the bed, gazing out the window, his face somber, and remained silent.
Seeing that he also looked exhausted from his journey, Yue Ruzheng guessed that her sudden departure from Yinxi Xiaozhu must have made Shao Yang anxious. She felt a pang of guilt and whispered, "Senior brother, I'm sorry, I left in a hurry and didn't leave a letter."
"Left in a hurry?" Shao Yang's expression was downcast, and he gave a sigh. "I thought you were captured by the people of Bliss Valley, but it turns out you went to find that Young Master Lian, didn't you?"
Yue Ruzheng was taken aback and had no reply.
The atmosphere in the room was extremely awkward. Fortunately, Wei Heng was perceptive and, seeing this, stood up and said, "These are all minor matters, as long as Miss Yue hasn't been taken away by the people of Bliss Valley. However…" He looked at Yue Ruzheng and, seeing her extremely pale face, leaned down and said, "It's still quite a journey to Luzhou. I'm afraid you can't withstand the strain. How about we stay here for now and continue our journey after your internal injuries have healed a bit?"
Yue Ruzheng was already afraid that Shao Yang would forcibly take her away, so now that Wei Heng had made this suggestion, she naturally had no reason to object. Although Shao Yang was also unwilling to disregard Yue Ruzheng's safety, the thought of leaving her here and letting her encounter Lian Junchu again filled him with resentment. However, given the current situation, he couldn't find any other way, so he could only suppress his resentment and hurriedly seek medical treatment for Yue Ruzheng.
Unexpectedly, despite searching the city for the best doctors, none could cure Yue Ruzheng's injuries. Shao Yang left the room, went up the stairs, and said to Wei Heng, "What should we do now? We can't rush back to Luzhou, and there's no one here who can treat her..."
"Her internal injury is quite strange..." Wei Heng pondered. "When I pressed her pulse just now, I felt waves of coldness swirling and coursing through her meridians, like surging waves."
Shao Yang sighed, "If all else fails, I'll have to return to Luzhou and ask my master to come and see if he can heal Ruzheng's internal injuries."
"I've heard that Senior Lan, the Swordsman of the Hengshan Sect, is also at Yinxi Xiaozhu. His internal strength is profound, and he should be able to lend a hand," Wei Heng thought for a moment, then looked up and said, "There's another matter. Why does the Bliss Valley never leave this place? Is Uncle Yu really nearby? I'd like to discuss these matters with Senior Jiang after he arrives."
Shao Yang nodded, took a few steps downstairs, then suddenly stopped and muttered to himself, "I think it would be better if I sent someone back to report." With that, he strode downstairs to find his subordinates and explain the matter.
Standing before the railing, Wei Heng knew that Shao Yang was still worried about leaving Yue Ruzheng here, fearing she might meet Lian Junchu again. Seeing how the usually calm and taciturn Shao Yang transformed whenever Ruzheng was involved, Wei Heng couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. He simply couldn't understand why Yue Ruzheng was so infatuated with Lian Junchu.
Three years ago, Wei Heng didn't know what kind of person Lian Junchu was. He had only heard a little from Shao Yang that he was a poor boy who gathered herbs alone in the deep mountains and had lost both arms. At that time, although Wei Heng was young, he couldn't understand how Yue Ruzheng, who was proud and unwilling to admit defeat, could fall in love with a boy who seemed completely mismatched with her.
Three years later, during the battle at Tingyu Manor, he saw the legendary Lian Junchu for the first time and learned that the handsome, gentle young man was the one Yue Ruzheng had admired. Wei Heng had indeed intended to suppress Lian Junchu, to showcase his skills in front of everyone, and especially to demonstrate his abilities to Yue Ruzheng, showing her that Lian Junchu wasn't the only one capable of exuding such allure. Unexpectedly, it was precisely this eagerness for quick success that led to his defeat by Lian Junchu's uncanny twin swords.
What good is anger? What good is resentment? Defeat is defeat. Wei Heng leaned on the railing, sighing silently in his heart.
--Lian Junchu, if I have the chance, I will fight you again and I will not underestimate you.
Just as he was silently reciting these words, another uproar erupted outside the inn, interspersed with Shao Yang's voice. Wei Heng frowned, pressed down on the railing, and leaped down.
Upon entering the hall, he saw that the ordinary guests had all retreated to a corner to avoid conflict. Shao Yang stood on the stairs, blocking the way, staring coldly at the doorway.
Despite the freezing weather, the young man standing at the door wore no outer robe, only a light-colored jacket. Even more strangely, the sleeves only reached his elbows, revealing two iron spikes covered in sharp points and intricately spun threads. He used these terrifying iron spikes to prop himself against the door, gazing indifferently ahead, seemingly unaffected by the various stares directed at him from all sides.
Upon seeing this, Wei Heng was also taken aback. In his previous battle with Lian Junchu, although he knew that Lian Junchu could shoot short swords from his sleeves, he was wearing a light blue brocade robe and appeared gentle and calm, which concealed his inner flaws. But now, without the cover of his outer garment, not only was the missing arm exposed, but the strange iron weapons on his arm also drew the attention of onlookers.
In broad daylight, Lian Junchu stood before everyone like an anomaly.
"Lian Junchu, I told you, don't bother her anymore!" Shao Yang had clearly made up his mind and was determined to stop him from seeing Yue Ruzheng again, no matter what.
Lian Junchu's face was somewhat pale. He had come alone, without any subordinates. Only Yinglong and Bifang followed him at a distance. The guests hiding in the corner and the subordinates of Yinxi Xiaozhu stared at his "arm" with astonished eyes, but he did not look at anyone else at all and slowly walked towards the stairs.
With a clang, Shao Yang drew his sword, the tip pointing directly at Lian Junchu. Wei Heng was startled and quickly moved to Shao Yang's side, wary of any impulsive actions.
Lian Junchu slowly stopped in front of the stairs. Because Shao Yang was standing on higher ground, he had to raise his face slightly to look at Shao Yang, but his eyes were very calm, without humility or arrogance.
"You don't need to get so worked up," Lian Junchu said indifferently. "I just want to say one thing to her."
Shao Yang said coldly, "What's so important that you need to come all this way? Ru Zheng is injured, and I don't want outsiders bothering her."
Lian Junchu remained calm and said, "Young Master Shao, I have never offended you. I don't understand why you are so wary of me. I will neither harm her nor take her away. Your guarded attitude makes it seem as if you want to force me to take action."
"You didn't harm her?!" Shao Yang laughed angrily, his sword trembling. "If you hadn't reappeared, Ru Zheng would be safely in Yinxi Cottage right now! She wouldn't have rashly come out, much less be inexplicably beaten and seriously injured! Lian Junchu, although you didn't act yourself, you took advantage of her feelings for you and hurt her like this. You are truly a dark person!"
Upon hearing this, Lian Junchu's face turned cold, and Ying Long behind her couldn't hold back any longer, shouting, "Shao Yang, you're simply repaying kindness with enmity! It was clearly the young master who saved Yue Ruzheng, how can you slander him like this?!"
"Do I need to slander him?! Lian Junchu, I know you've been holding a grudge! You hate that Ruzheng deceived you and took the Beauty-Preserving Pearl back then, but you don't want to take revenge openly, so you secretly spread rumors and used all sorts of means to torment her! Look at what Ruzheng has become now?! If you hadn't appeared, she wouldn't have encountered any of this!" Shao Yang became more and more agitated, as if he wanted to vent all the resentment that had accumulated in his heart. "If you have any conscience at all, please disappear immediately and stop appearing in front of her like a monster! Don't you feel horrible? Don't you feel ugly in front of everyone?!"