A Wandering Youth

Chapter 11

Li Jingtang's laughter abruptly ceased, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Leng Qi's impassive face, seemingly still somewhat doubtful.

Leng Qi's fair and handsome face was full of mockery. He sneered, "If the Emperor of Jingxiang were alive, where is the number one young general in the country, Nan Jingqi? It is rumored that the young master, whose name was bestowed by the royal family, is an inseparable shadow general. Could he safely protect the King of Jingxiang while he indulges in women?"

“Nan Jingqi.” Ruan Si silently pondered the name.

"Qi Tian, go and take a look," Li Jingtang suddenly said in a deep voice.

As soon as someone behind him moved, Leng Qi raised his sword and coldly shouted, "Kill!" All the youths on the field rushed forward, as swift as lightning.

As soon as Leng Qi moved, the double Tang sticks moved, and as soon as the double Tang sticks moved, everyone in the hall began to move, except for Chu Yi, who was stunned.

Ruan Si saw it clearly; the knife in his hand gleamed like glass. He leaped behind Chu Yi, standing back to back. He continuously slashed at the sword light that was piercing Chu Yi, shouting loudly, "Chu Yi!"

"What?" He raised his puzzled face, seemingly unaware of the situation.

Ruan Si spun around in front of Chu Yi, cleaved a chilling sword in half with his right hand, and swept his left hand across Chu Yi's face, saying, "It's a matter of life and death, you on the right, I on the left."

The slap was crisp and loud, echoing throughout the blood-soaked and chaotic hall.

A faint, eerie light gleamed in Chu Yi's eyes. As he raised his eyelids, a chilling longsword appeared in his hand. The cold moonlight pointed to the ground, the sword tip frozen in place, reflecting Chu Yi's icy gaze. He declared loudly, "I'd like to learn from you." The sword light unleashed from his hand.

Ruan Si scoffed, "Fine, let's fight. Why all the formalities?" He didn't stop, pressing himself tightly against Chu Yi's back, the two of them forming a support to jointly resist the chilling sword energy from the outer circle.

Chu Yi's swordsmanship was clear and cold. The sword, like a pool of autumn water, cut through the soft and beautiful room light. It was as cold as water. The light and shadow of glass swept across the white sea of swords. It was sharp and swift. Every sword was exquisite. It caused the mountain waterfall to rush down. The continuous sword energy shook the clothes of the people around them.

Ruan Si inwardly exclaimed, "Excellent swordsmanship!" His blade, in perfect harmony with the sword's light, created a second layer of shadow and light. "You're not injured?" he suddenly whispered.

"Minor injury," Chu Bai replied in his haste.

Ruan Si chuckled inwardly again. The Bixie Clan had always wanted to keep Chu Yi under control, but they never expected that this unassuming young man would be like a ten-year-old aged Zhuyeqing liquor. At first sip, he only tasted the refreshing flavor, but after swallowing, he had no idea that the aftereffects would be so strong.

Everyone misjudged the situation. During the day, when the three elders of Cangshan faced off against Chu Yi, Chu Yi held back his sword strikes, hoping to avoid trouble and sustain minor injuries. It seems he planned to take action when the people of Bixie were relaxed.

Chu Yi glanced around and saw Leng Qi wielding the Dragon Pattern Sword, intently entangled with the Double Tang Staffs, his body involuntarily lunging forward. Ruan Si, however, was caught off guard. By the time he realized the cold chill on his back, he and Chu Yi were already surrounded by two different formations.

Ruan Si's Flowing Blade technique has three forms, but he only uses one strike repeatedly to kill. The Jingxiang warriors surrounding the two were clearly experts. After becoming familiar with Ruan Si's swordsmanship, they were fearless. As soon as the sword energy of Chu Yi dissipated, several people joined the battle to assassinate Ruan Si.

Ruan Si's face was deathly still. He kept his mouth tightly shut, his eyes resolute. His blade flashed, only able to deflect the four longswords that attacked him. His body and his opponents' bodies were covered in bloody sword wounds. Large, vivid, and dazzling sprays of blood tumbled in the air and splattered on the ground.

Everyone is fighting a bloody battle.

Chu Yi pursed his lips, swept his longsword, and the two men before him fell to the ground with screams. He felt a numbness spreading through his fingers and heart. He glanced down at the corpses on the ground and vaguely recognized them as the man who had just been called "Qi Tian." Lying beside Qi Tian was a short, stout middle-aged man. Suddenly, a line of information flashed through Chu Yi's mind: a remnant of the former Tang dynasty, a former subordinate of Li Jingtang, one of the two generals who opened and closed the gates, skilled in using double whips, with complementary fighting styles, named "Hong Fu Qi Tian".

Suppressing her discomfort, Chu Yi rushed to Leng Qi's side.

Suddenly, Leng Qi saw someone come to his aid. The pressure on his sword lessened, and with a swift stroke, Qinghui clashed with the double clubs forged from fine iron, creating a dazzling display of light.

The moment Chu Yi's sword touched the staff, he immediately sensed the overwhelming and powerful internal force of his opponent, nearly causing him to vomit blood due to loss of breath. Startled, he quickly focused his attention on his opponent.

A muffled groan came from behind, followed by the sound of a body falling to the ground.

When Chu Yi turned around, he was heartbroken. Ruan Si was lying on the ground, his face unrecognizable, and several sharp weapons were falling down from above him.

The moonlight streaked haphazardly across the sky. Chu Yi's mind was in turmoil, and he seemed unable to see anything. The sword energy swirled around once, shaking away several figures in front of Ruan Si.

The powerful double-stick technique arrived with a bang, and Chu Yi took a solid blow to the back.

Chu Yi coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body thrown back, landing on Ruan Si. Chu Yi braced himself with his left hand, and with a slash of sword energy in his right hand, he used all the strength he had ever had to sweep out a narrow gap, lifting Ruan Si by the waist and rushing out diagonally.

Chu Yi secretly took a deep breath, quickly darted two steps through the hall, and retreated to the window. Leng Qi saw all this and only gave a cold "humph".

Chu Yi had just broken through the window and landed on the eaves of the second floor. He dared not linger and still lifted Ruan Si with his left hand and leaped with his sword in his right.

Suddenly, a sharp, whistling sound broke through the night sky, drowning out the thick wind in the cold darkness.

Chu Yi was greatly alarmed. He wielded his sword with his right hand, using the technique "Nine Heavens of the Milky Way" to slash a sharp sword shadow from top to bottom, slicing down the flying fire meteor arrow.

Before Chu Yi could even catch his breath and leap up, the second arrow came hurtling towards him, following closely behind the first, swiftly cutting through the night sky. Unable to dodge, Chu Yi's body sank downwards, the arrow barely grazing his face, leaving a burning sensation, but he remained relatively stable on the open ground.

Chu Yi had no interest in fighting at all. He didn't even glance at Ruan Si. He picked him up and swept away in a few leaps and disappears in the blink of an eye.

On the eaves opposite Yunhu Inn stood a straight and elegant figure.

Under the cold moon, a silver-clad youth turned around, holding a silver bow in his hand. The bow shone with a soft, dazzling luster like a pearl, and even the youth's profile was gentle and smooth.

A silver bow, silver clothes, silver boots, silver moonlight.

He silently watched the direction Chu Yi had left in, his handsome brows slightly furrowed, his eyes flowing with a cold, silvery light, his gaze like the morning mist or the light smoke drifting in the spring, indescribably cold and enigmatic.

12. Separation

Chu Yi, carrying Ruan Si in a panic, didn't know where to go. Worried about Ruan Si's injuries, he dared not go far. He landed in the most secluded corner of the ground floor on the east side, opened the window, glanced around, and then nimbly leaped into the room.

When Chu Yi was escaping with Ruan Si, he couldn't detect any trace of Ruan Si's presence. Anxious, he turned Ruan Si around and held him in his arms, only to find that Ruan Si's injuries were more serious than he had expected.

Ruan Si's chest looked as if it had been smashed open by a heavy object; a gaping hole, flesh and blood gushing out in large spurts. Chu Yi's heart sank at the sight.

He swiftly pressed on Ruan Si's acupoints on his chest, then placed his hand on Ruan Si's back, continuously channeling his energy into him. Chu Yi's lips were tightly closed, his eyes fixed on Ruan Si's bloodless face.

Ruan Si showed no signs of waking up. Chu Yi ignored the beads of sweat on his temples and forehead and continued to exert force in his hands without stopping.

"Ruan Si, Ruan Si..." Chu Yi called out anxiously, his usual calm and taciturn expression replaced by worry and anxiety, and his chest trembled slightly.

“Ruan Si, listen to me, you must wake up…” Chu Yi’s voice was urgent and choked with sobs. “I was taken care of by my ancestor Ruan Xiaoyu in my previous life, and I could not repay her. I never expected to meet you by chance. I must take you away.”

Chu Yi gently rested her face on Ruan Si's face, her eyes filled with sorrow and deep longing, as if recalling a long past. Holding Ruan Si's upper body, she whispered, "Why didn't you listen to my advice and run away with me? Why did you trust me, a stranger, so much? Why did you turn your back on me and fight the enemy with me? Why are Xiao Yu's descendants so stubborn and kind?"

The first-year student's voice gradually lowered, and he bit off the last word, his voice filled with pain and repression.

He remembered that rainy night.

That day, they were still a few days away from Youzhou. In the evening, the group stopped to rest on the opposite bank of the river outside the military camp.

The wind by the river was cold and strong, and the river water, rolling with turbid waves, roared and rushed towards the vast land ahead without any hesitation.

The rain came unexpectedly, pouring down and chilling the clothes, trickling down everywhere. Ruan Si looked at the boy standing by the river, a barely perceptible pity flashing in his eyes.

"Chu Yi, why are you here?" Ruan Si quietly approached Chu Yi and asked softly.

Chu Yi turned his face, his eyebrows and eyes still bright despite the heavy rain: "To tell you the truth, I woke up on Wufang Island."

"And before that?"

"I forgot," Chu Yi said calmly, her eyes fixed on the rolling river in front of her. "Why did you come out? It's not time for your shift yet."

"The young master asked me to take Chu Yi's place."

Chu Yi stared at the still river. Ruan Si walked up to him and stood beside him, looking at the river. After a while, Ruan Si said casually, "I heard my little sister reading aloud that time flows forward like water, without distinction between day and night. It seems there's some truth to that."

"What does Ruan Si want to say to me?"

Ruan Si suddenly smiled, thinking to himself that talking to Chu Yi was effortless. "If anything happens to me, you must go and check on my little sister..."

"No." Chu Yi turned his face with unwavering determination. "Your sister needs you."

Ruan Si was speechless as he looked at Chu Yi's blank and calm expression.

"Ruan Si, come with me."

"Which way do we go? What about Ruan Ruan? What about my poison?"

“If we go down this river, we’ll reach the old Wei city. As long as we’re submerged in water, Leng Qi won’t be able to detect our presence. He’ll definitely search the barracks on the other side.” Chu Yi looked at Ruan Si’s face, but Ruan Si didn’t say anything.

"Once we leave here, I'll have a way to cure your poison, and then you can take your sister and leave..."

"And then? Where do Ruanruan and I go?" Ruan Si interrupted, asking somewhat urgently.

Chu Yi silently looked down at the river.

"My sister's legs are too weak to walk. I am powerless as her older brother. I cannot find a place for her to stay. Am I to continue to lead her, a frail woman, on a life of wandering?"

After a long silence, Chu Yi sighed heavily. "I understand."

"Once the arrow is drawn, it cannot be taken back," Ruan Si said indifferently. "This is the fate of a nobody. This is all I can do for Ruan Ruan."

Later, Ruan Si and Chu Yi rested back-to-back by the river, neither speaking a word the entire night. The relentless rain pounded on their bodies, the large raindrops stinging their skin, but the two silent boys seemed oblivious, remaining motionless and enduring the cold, hunger, darkness, and bewilderment. That icy chill seeped into Ruan Si's heart, making him forget to ask Chu Yi an important question: Since you can cure the poison, why didn't you run away?

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, he gritted his teeth and took another breath, his heart filled with boundless fear and icy coldness.

Chu Yi gripped Ruan Si's shirt tightly with one hand, bright red blood flowing from between his fingers and dripping down his pale, strong wrist.

"First year of junior high..." In the midst of the chaos, First Year of Junior High seemed to hear a voice, intermittent and unclear. He turned around and found that Ruan Si, whose face was as pale as paper, had his eyes closed and was muttering to himself.

Chu Yi quickly lowered his head and leaned close to Ruan Si's lips.

"Yangzhou, Luoying Pavilion by the Yuhua Creek, Ruan Ruan." Chu Yi felt a pang of sorrow as she listened to Ruan Si's weak and feeble voice.

Ruan Si shakily raised his right hand, as if using all the strength he had in his life. His eyes were unfocused and lifeless, and he tried desperately to trace Chu Yi's face with his trembling fingers. With all his might, he managed to utter a few indistinct words: "Girl, your name..."

Ruan Si's hand fell limply to his side, ultimately failing to reach the place he hoped for.

Chu Yi bit his lip tightly and held Ruan Si's slightly warm body tightly. He buried his face in Ruan Si's disheveled chest. The two seemed to become one. There was not a sound in the room.

Another loud bang came from outside the window, as if a heavy object had fallen and landed heavily among the weeds and flowers outside.

Chu Yi had never heard of such a thing before. He held Ruan Si's cold body for a long time before putting him down. He wiped the blood off Ruan Si's face with his sleeve, looked down at his tightly closed eyes and purplish lips, and calmly said in an emotionless voice, "Leng Shuangcheng."

Standing up, Chu Yi took a step back and coldly looked out the window.

It was dark and cold outside the window, and a slow, stagnant breath could be heard almost inaudibly. Chu Yi lowered her hands and quietly walked to the window.

A white figure lay face up in the tangled bushes, barely alive.

Chu Yi's heart was already cold, but when he saw the figure outside the window, he felt a slightly chaotic energy, like a wild horse galloping uncontrollably.

He numbly jumped out of the window and helped the figure up.

By the dim light seeping from upstairs, I could see at first glance that the person seemed to be Madam Ru.

Her face and body were covered in wounds and bloodstains, her legs were in disarray as if they had been torn apart, and she was only covered by a piece of silk gauze, which had long since been stained crimson.

Chu Yi closed his eyes briefly, then tremblingly extended his right hand to carefully touch Madam Ru's back. He felt as if he were sinking into an endless abyss of darkness, and a voice seemed to be echoing in his ears: "Why didn't God take me away? Why did He have to take away such a vibrant and lively life?"

"Madam, Madam, are you alright?" Chu Yi asked in a trembling voice.

Madam Ru slowly awoke, her bright eyes piercing through Chu Yi's face and landing on the boundless night sky. The light in her pupils slowly relaxed and diffused, like the fleeting beauty of a budding epiphyllum.

"I first met him two years ago. I've always been proud of my unparalleled beauty, but after seeing him, I realized that there are people in the world as cold and indifferent as snow..."

"Just one glance, and all I remember is the young master's eyebrows, the young master's face. His snow-white robes fluttered in the wind, his cold and serene countenance like an elegant immortal stepping out of a painting..."