Luzhou Moon

Chapter 113

On the eve of her wedding, Qian'er saw the magnificent embroidery. The usually cheerful Qian'er burst into tears, sobbing, "I don't want to get married."

"Why? Don't you like him anymore?" Yue Ruzheng asked in surprise.

Qian'er wiped away her tears and said awkwardly, "No... I always wanted to wait until you got married before we got married..."

Yue Ruzheng paused for a moment, then smiled and patted her head, saying, "You're not a child anymore, you can't delay any longer! I won't mind."

As she wiped away her tears, Qian'er looked at her and said, "Miss, I want to ask you a question."

"Ask away," Yue Ruzheng said without any hesitation.

After thinking it over and over, Qian'er mustered her courage and asked, "Have you never thought about marrying someone else these past few years?"

Yue Ruzheng sat quietly under the lamp, the soft light and shadow enveloping her, adding a touch of gentleness.

"No," she answered softly, but firmly.

"But..." Qian'er frowned, her face full of reluctance, "I feel that ever since you met him, you've always had trouble and have rarely been happy!"

Yue Ruzheng smiled helplessly, "But it wasn't his fault."

"I know, I was just thinking that maybe you'd be much more peaceful if you married someone else. For example..."

Yue Ruzheng paused for a moment, then said, "But in that case, I won't feel truly happy from the bottom of my heart."

"Why do you like him?" Qian'er asked earnestly, then added somewhat awkwardly, "I've only seen him a few times... Putting everything else aside... I always felt like he was a bit unapproachable."

Yue Ruzheng lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said, "Ah Hong is of average appearance and not very skilled in martial arts, yet you still like him very much, don't you?" She smiled slightly and continued, "Qian'er, the him you see is actually different from the him I know."

Two days later, a stranger came to the door of Yinxi Xiaozhu.

When Jiang Shuying led this person in, Yue Ruzheng was resting in her room. Hearing someone come upstairs, she put on her clothes and sat up. She saw her master in front, followed by a female Taoist in a blue robe.

"Ruzheng, why don't you hurry up and pay your respects to Senior Lin?" Jiang Shuying said, a hint of joy in her eyes.

Upon realizing this, Yue Ruzheng recalled the news she had heard a few days ago and realized that the female Taoist was Lin Bizhi, a disciple of the Shenxiao Palace.

Seeing her bow, Lin Bizhi nodded without saying anything more, walked to the bedside, and took her pulse. After some questioning, Lin Bizhi frowned, looked up at Jiang Shuying, and said, "The person who injured her did indeed practice the internal energy cultivation method of my Shenxiao Palace, but their skill was insufficient and they were too hasty, resulting in an excessively cold and yin energy."

Jiang Shuying sighed deeply, "I was just guessing before, and dared not be certain. I am very ashamed to say that when your master saw that my father was suffering from a strange illness, he gave him the Youth-Preserving Pearl and the internal energy cultivation method. Unexpectedly, we made a mistake, and both of these treasures were taken away by Lian Haichao."

"Lian Haichao?" Lin Bizhi pondered. "As far as I know, the Lian family has its own 'Forgetfulness Manual,' which, logically speaking, shouldn't allow one to practice two different mental cultivation methods simultaneously..."

Jiang Shuying said, "Didn't he collect all sorts of rare treasures from around the world in his Forget-Love Pavilion? Perhaps he was just curious and never actually cultivated it."

Lin Bizhi slowly shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about that now. Let me treat her first."

Before the treatment, Yue Ruzheng took off her outer clothes. Lin Bizhi, who seemed to be still thinking about what she had just said, suddenly looked at the necklace under Yue Ruzheng's neck with a look of surprise.

Jiang Shuying noticed her unusual expression and was about to ask when Lin Bizhi turned to Yue Ruzheng and asked, "Miss Yue, where did you get this necklace?"

Yue Ruzheng paused, then subconsciously covered the seashells on her necklace, saying, "I've worn this since I was little; it was given to me by my aunt."

"Your aunt?" Lin Bizhi frowned. "Could you tell me her name?"

Yue Ruzheng glanced at Jiang Shuying beside her, and said with difficulty, "I don't know either."

Jiang Shuying leaned down to Lin Bizhi and said, "Ruzheng wandered here alone and was taken in and raised by me."

Lin Bizhi nodded thoughtfully, hesitating to speak, but she suppressed her doubts and first used her internal energy to heal Yue Ruzheng.

After the treatment was finished, Jiang Shuying accompanied her downstairs. Once they were away from Yue Ruzheng's residence and in a secluded spot, Jiang Shuying stopped and asked in a low voice, "Daoist Master seemed to be pondering something just now. Could you tell me a thing or two?"

Lin Bizhi seemed to struggle to recall for a moment before answering, "When I first saw that necklace, it looked very familiar. Now, after thinking about it again and again, it is indeed something I've seen before. But logically speaking, this necklace shouldn't be on your disciple. I'm very puzzled."

Seeing her solemn expression, Jiang Shuying couldn't help but feel uneasy as well. "How come the Daoist priest has seen Yingluo?"

Lin Bizhi slowly said, "This matter dates back more than twenty years. The three pearls on this necklace came from the South China Sea. My master was always fond of exploring ancient sites and secluded places, so obtaining these pure blue pearls was no easy feat. Although he cherished this item dearly, upon hearing that a friend of much younger age was about to get married, he personally had the pearls set into the necklace as a token of his affection. This gift was given to his old friend by me on behalf of my master."

Jiang Shuying couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly is this old friend you mentioned?"

Lin Bizhi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Madam Jiang, my master and this old friend met purely through sparring, so very few people in the martial arts world know about their friendship. However, this friend has now passed away, and I imagine my master wouldn't blame me for telling you this..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuying felt a vague sense of worry. "You mean...?"

Lin Bizhi said solemnly, "The person I just mentioned is Lian Haichao from Seven Star Island."

Although Jiang Shuying had already entertained this thought in her mind, she was still quite surprised to hear her say it aloud. "So, Yingluo should have been on Seven Star Island all along?!"

Lin Bizhi nodded and said, "That's why I asked you earlier where your disciple obtained this necklace..." She paused, then continued, "Madam Jiang, I've heard you mention some grudges with Seven Star Island, but could this Miss Yue perhaps have some close relationship with the Lian family? Otherwise, why would she be wearing this treasure that belongs to Lian Haichao?"

Jiang Shu, whose skin was fair, turned extremely embarrassed upon hearing this. She was both surprised and angry, and for a moment didn't know how to explain herself.

Just then, she saw Yu Hezhi and Lan Baichen walking slowly towards her from afar. She quickly composed herself, nodded to the two of them, and said, "Senior Brother, Brother Baichen."

Yu Hezhi and Lan Baichen, who had been talking quietly, quickened their pace upon seeing the guests arrive. After Jiang Shuying introduced them to each other, she stood silently to the side. Yu Hezhi looked at her closely and said, "Junior Sister, now that Daoist Lin has come to heal Ruzheng, why do you still look so troubled?"

Jiang Shuying looked up at him, her brows furrowed with helplessness and bitterness. She let out a long sigh and didn't want to talk about it anymore.

After escorting Lin Bizhi to her room to rest, Lan Baichen also bid farewell to Jiang Shuying, saying that seeing that the Shenxiao Palace disciples had arrived, he assumed that Yue Ruzheng should be alright, and that he had been away from Hengshan for some time and wanted to say goodbye first.

Yu Hezhi chimed in, "Although Baichen says that, he's actually still worried about his young lady at home."

Lan Baichen's usually stern face showed a hint of embarrassment as he sighed, "My daughter is unruly; without my discipline, I'm afraid she'll cause trouble."

Seeing that he was determined to leave, Jiang Shuying did not want to force him to stay, so she arranged for people to prepare a farewell for Lan Baichen.

Yu Hezhi chimed in, "I just went into the city and saw Shao Yang. From what he said, it seems he doesn't plan to return here. I noticed he was in low spirits, so I agreed to let him go to Hengshan with Bai Chen."