La lluvia primaveral es como el vino, los sauces son como el humo

Capítulo 51

She was wearing the light blue silk dress he had bought for her in the spring. The thin, sheer blue fabric accentuated her healthy skin, making her look surprisingly delicate. Matching pearl hairpins adorned her ears, their fine silver threads trembling slightly like timid mosquito wings.

She wore this same skirt when she visited Kaifu Temple last time. Back then, she was a very impetuous young girl, almost like a man. No matter how well she dressed, she still looked like a child who had secretly worn adult clothes.

It's the same person, but this time it's completely different. There's something indescribable about the change, but the clothes actually fit her perfectly and look beautiful, as if they were made to complement her.

Yang Shen's face involuntarily turned red, and he was speechless with astonishment.

As Yichun walked, she draped her worn-out cloak over her shoulders. After all, it was winter, and even a body of iron needed to keep warm. When she reached Yang Shen, she adjusted the beaded ornaments and asked him casually, "Have I grown taller? The clothes were a bit big before, but they fit perfectly this time."

He remained silent, foolishly rubbing his nose with one hand, looking very uneasy.

Yichun smiled, took two steps forward, and then suddenly said, "I have something on my mind that I want to tell the Flower Goddess. Last time I asked her a question and she answered it in a perfunctory manner. This time I have to tell her properly."

He nodded, not quite understanding, and slowly turned to chase after them.

She smiled again, with a hint of self-deprecation: "Actually, Bodhisattvas and gods are all ethereal and illusory, but this is the first time I've encountered something like this... so... the past doesn't count. This time, I'm sincere."

"What is sincerity?" Yang Shen suddenly had a thought and blurted out the question.

She simply smiled, took his hand in hers, and whispered, "I'll definitely tell you later."

What could be so sweet and mysterious that it could keep the two boys preoccupied for an entire day? They bought some food haphazardly on the street to fill their stomachs, and made nonsensical, absent-minded conversations as they slowly made their way toward the Flower Goddess Temple.

I felt anxious and expectant, yet I also hoped it wouldn't come so quickly. It was like watching a flower about to bloom, and I inexplicably lingered on the delicate beauty of its last moment before it opened.

I'm still uneasy and fearful, afraid that the outcome won't be what I want.

Even when he actually knelt before the Flower Goddess and devoutly drew lots again, Yang Shen still couldn't quite believe it was all real.

Perhaps this was a dream, and he hadn't woken up yet. In the dream, everything went so smoothly, exactly as he had imagined. She was kneeling beside him, her eyes tightly closed, as if she were facing a difficult problem, incredibly devout.

They almost shook the lottery box to pieces, and the people behind them glared at them angrily, blaming them for wasting so much time.

With a "snap," a lucky fortune stick finally fell out of her fortune-telling container. Yichun quickly stood up, clutching it, and whispered, "I'll be right back."

After saying that, he quickly went out to find someone to interpret the divination.

Yang Shen couldn't stand it, so he threw down his divination stick container and chased after her. From a distance, he saw her take a pale yellow divination slip from the fortune teller. The man was shaking his head and talking to her, and she listened attentively, nodding repeatedly.

What kind of fortune slip is it? Yang Shen scratched his head, trying to guess. A neutral one? A bad one? Or an extremely auspicious one? Last time, the extremely auspicious fortune slip from Kaifu Temple was a light red slip; what could the light yellow slip slip from the Flower Goddess Temple represent?

Yichun's expression seemed to be smiling, but after looking at her for a while, I couldn't be sure.

Yang Shen slowly walked towards her and saw her carefully putting the fortune slip into her purse. He then asked in a low voice, "What fortune slip?"

A blush still lingered on Yichun's cheeks as she softly said, "...I'll tell you later. Where's your fortune slip?"

He was a little embarrassed: "I'll go shake it right away."

I turned and ran a few steps when I suddenly heard her call softly from behind, "Sheep kidney..."

He turned back and looked at her, asking what was wrong. Yichun scratched her cheek, thinking for a long time. The pearl hairpin by her ear trembled and her eyelashes quivered. Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she smiled at him and pointed to a big pine tree next to her: "I'll wait for you here. Come quickly, I have something I want to talk to you about."

Yang Shen quickly drew his lot, but when he came out, there wasn't a single person under the pine tree.

"He probably went shopping," Yang Shen thought as he handed the fortune teller the slip of paper. He quickly received another slip of paper in the same pale yellow color. The fortune teller smiled and congratulated him, "Young hero, you're really lucky! The luckiest one ever! A young lady just drew a very auspicious fortune. I think you two know each other, a couple engaged, right?"

He stammered a few words, then felt a surge of joy and ran towards the pine tree with the slip of paper in his hand.

Yichun hasn't returned yet. She's always been playful, and probably got impatient and went wandering off somewhere else. He just needs to wait patiently and not look for her randomly.

Yang Shen opened the slip of paper and read it carefully. The more he read, the more joyful he felt, and the corners of his lips involuntarily turned up high.

Suddenly, I stepped on something. Looking down, I saw a torn sleeve, thin to the point of being transparent, with delicate orchids embroidered on the cuff.

It looks familiar.

His heart sank suddenly. He frowned, bent down, and picked up the piece of fabric. Besides the orchid embroidery, there were a few shocking bloodstains on the cuffs. It was still wet and slippery to the touch.

There were a few drops of blood in the soil, though not much, they plunged his heart into an abyss.

They were too careless; because of their unspoken feelings, they completely forgot that Yan Yufei was still in Suzhou.

Yang Shen looked around and, sure enough, there were still a few drops of blood on the ground to the east. He immediately took off running and chased after them.

It wasn't yet the Flower Festival, and the Flower Goddess Temple wasn't crowded. There were only a few people walking around, and none of them seemed out of the ordinary. Yang Shen was extremely anxious when he suddenly saw a young girl running anxiously ahead, as if she were looking for someone. He rushed over and grabbed her wrist, his mind blank, and he didn't know what to ask her.

The girl turned her head, revealing a beautiful face with delicate features, her forehead covered in sweat – it was Ningning.

Upon seeing Yang Shen, her eyes lit up, and she looked extremely anxious. She grabbed his sleeve and exclaimed, "Young Master Yang! Hurry! Your senior sister has been taken away by Uncle Yin!"

Yang Shen forcefully shook her off, frowning as he said, "What trick are you playing now?!"

Ningning was on the verge of tears, her voice trembling as she said, "I really didn't lie to you this time! Originally, Second Young Master Yan said we should simply choose a new successor for Zhan Chun, but Third Uncle Yin insisted that the Yan family's prestige had been challenged by you two juniors. Moreover, you had followed Second Young Master Yan before, and you've caused such a big commotion. He's afraid you'll spread rumors and damage his reputation, so he insisted on coming to arrest you! You've followed Second Young Master Yan before, so you naturally know the weight of Third Uncle Yin's words. I'm absolutely not lying to you about this!"

Yang Shen coldly said, "Yan Yufei intends to re-select a successor for Zhan Chun? Would he be so kind as to do that?!"

Ningning said urgently, "Regardless of whether he's putting on an act or has ulterior motives, the fact is that your senior sister has been taken away by Uncle Yin! Uncle Yin's martial arts skills are so great that even Sect Leader Yan has to give him some leeway. How could your senior sister possibly be his match? You... are my saviors after all. No matter how cold-blooded and despicable I am, I can't just watch you die! I... secretly ran away without telling them, originally intending to inform you as soon as possible, but I still didn't make it in time. Your senior sister has a straightforward temper, and Uncle Yin has a fiery temper. If you offend him with just one sentence, you could really lose your life!"

Yang Shen pondered for a long time. Although he was extremely anxious, he did not want to be easily fooled. He asked, "My senior sister's kung fu is several times better than mine. Even she couldn't resist that guy surnamed Yin. What use would it be if I went?"

Ningning's face turned deathly pale. She turned and left, muttering, "I thought you were a man of honor and integrity! But I never imagined you were nothing but a cowardly coward who hides his face and clings to life! All my efforts to find you were for nothing. Forget it!"

As Yang Shen watched her walk away, he quietly followed behind.

Regardless of whether what she said was true or false, he would follow her back to where Yan Yufei had settled to see for himself. If Yichun was there, that would be best; if not, he could finally relax a little and be sure that Yan Yufei wasn't behind it.

Ningning moved with a light and unpredictable gait, quickly circling out of a grove of trees outside the temple. However, instead of heading towards Suzhou City, she gradually walked towards the desolate outskirts.