Xuezhi slammed the door shut. But Shangguan Tou stretched out his fan handle, wedged it in the crack of the door, and with a push, he barged in domineeringly. He moved with incredible speed; the red candles inside didn't even flicker before the door was closed.
"Get out!" Xuezhi said urgently.
As soon as he entered, Shangguan Tou immediately dropped his gentlemanly facade and wrapped his arm around Xuezhi's waist: "If I wasn't afraid of upsetting you, I would have told everyone that you were already mine."
"How dare you!" Xuezhi tried to push his hand away, but it was completely useless. "Let go! Let go!"
She knew that making a scene wouldn't solve the problem. But if she sat down and talked to him seriously, he would definitely give in quickly. In fact, if she just looked him in the eyes, she might very well throw herself into his arms without any self-control.
"I remember it clearly. At Lingjian Manor, you were the one who took the initiative to hug me." Shangguan Tou lifted her chin, forcing her to face him. "You were so passionate that night, why have you changed so quickly?"
Xuezhi's face quickly turned red all the way to the roots of her neck.
The door was as red as flames, and the window paper was as thin as a cicada's wing. Scattered flower petals danced on the window paper.
She took a deep breath, cautiously and slowly shifting her gaze to his eyes:
What was your reason for leaving Spirit Sword Manor?
Shangguan Tou was clearly shocked; his arms around her stiffened. He hesitated, repeating himself several times, but remained silent.
The candle cast a soft glow, scattering its light. The light shone on their faces, a warmth that could melt even the coldest snow.
Xuezhi stared at him without moving, her eyes icy cold.
"I want to hear the real reason."
“Because… Master Lin believes I seduced Lin Fengzi.” Shangguan Tou looked away, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
The question is, did you seduce her?
"No. Absolutely not," Shangguan Tou said firmly. "I hope you believe me; I was framed."
Xuezhi wanted to ask him if he had ever liked Fengzi, but she held back: "Let's talk about this later, I'm tired today."
"...In that case, get some rest." Shangguan Tou gave her a gentle hug, looked at her for a long time, and then went back to his room.
The following day, Xuezhi did not inquire about the matter, but she remained deeply troubled. Finally, on the morning of the third day, she decided to go to Lingjian Manor to personally question Lin Fengzi.
Early morning. As soon as Xuezhi arrived at the entrance of the villa, a torrential downpour began from the clouds, pattering and drenching the fragrant gardens. Suddenly, a clap of thunder sounded, and Xuezhi shivered at the entrance, pounding on the iron ring of the villa gate several times.
It took a long time for someone to open the door and for Feng Zi to be seen; it was almost half an hour later.
Outside, thunder and rain raged, and it grew a bit chilly. Feng Zi, wearing a thin gold-threaded blouse, quickly grabbed a coat and handed it to Xue Zhi, smiling happily, "Sister, it's raining so hard outside, you're all a little wet..."
Xuezhi was never good at social niceties and didn't offer any pleasantries, so she went straight to the point: "I just came to ask what Shangguan Tou did to you."
Feng Zizheng was bending down to straighten Xuezhi's coat when she paused in her work.
Then, she slowly said a sentence.
At the same time, another thunderclap resounded outside the half-open door. The sky seemed to be split open, and the entire earth seemed to be ablaze.
Xuezhi heard her words, but she knew she had misheard.
It felt like we had waited a hundred years.
The thunder finally stopped, and the sound of rain began to patter across the world again.
Xuezhi then turned to look at her: "What did you just say?"
"He *** me."
94 95 96
94
The dark clouds gathered into heavy, leaden masses, as if about to be torn apart by lightning. The echoes of thunder rolled across the low-lying clouds. The sudden summer heat, the somber sky—it seemed as if they were the true rulers of this world.
Thunder rumbled incessantly, each strike seemingly piercing the most tender part of the heart.
Two fair and youthful faces revealed similar expressions. Two women who grew up in completely different environments seemed like twins with a telepathic connection.
Xuezhi had no intention of wiping the rain from her face; her lips were pale.
"Did he really...do that kind of thing?"
"Um."
Feng Zi acted as if nothing had happened, straightened Xue Zhi's clothes, and then went to the tea table to make her tea. Xue Zhi's gaze followed her movements, but her body seemed to be paralyzed, unable to move.
Outside the door, the pond water flowed freely, and the red lotus blossoms were disheveled, like a touch of crimson on Feng Zi's forehead. Amidst the swirling tea steam, Feng Zi raised her jade-like, delicate face:
"Actually, I'm not unaware of my sister's relationship with Shangguan Tou. If you were someone else, I wouldn't tell you this."
Feng Zixu's eyes were narrowed.
Looking out from here, in the far distance, there is a tall, multi-faceted building. Its upturned, hooked corners appear somewhat hazy in the heavy rain, yet quite exquisite.
She used to live there.
I moved here because of what happened.
At that time, there were still many female disciples in Lingjian Manor. After that incident, Lin Xuanfeng made an excuse, saying that female disciples were more suitable for the martial arts of Xueyan Sect, and transferred most of the female disciples to Xueyan Sect.
"Actually, I didn't feel much at that time," Feng Zi said with a smile. "I was too young and only remember that it hurt a lot. Unfortunately, after that incident, my father and the sect leader lowered their expectations of me and stopped teaching me martial arts. They just hoped that I would get married. I could only rely on myself, but compared to my sister, I was far inferior."
Throughout the entire incident, the other party kept his face covered, but during the accidental tug-of-war, she pulled off his black turban and saw his face, which was indeed Shangguan Tou. Lin Xuanfeng, trembling with rage, slapped him hard across the face in front of everyone, then ordered him dragged away and severely tortured. In the end, he was expelled from Lingjian Manor, and he never offered any explanation.
What Feng Zi said was truly from the heart. She was only a little over ten years old at the time and hadn't started menstruating yet. Although she resisted, she was actually completely dazed from beginning to end. Apart from the pain, she didn't seem to feel much else.
All she could do was follow her father's instructions and pretend nothing had happened. She remained the little princess everyone had cherished and raised.
But as she grew older, she gradually realized that this matter had become a past she found difficult to talk about.
Especially in the last two years.
After she found someone she loved, she withdrew from the relationship because she remembered such unpleasant memories.
Feng Zi clasped her hands together so tightly that she felt a little pain before smiling slightly at Xue Zhi and saying, "I'm just stating the facts. Whether it's right or wrong, I believe you, sister, are better able to judge than I am."
Xuezhi walked to her side and whispered:
"sorry."
"What's there to apologize for?" Feng Zi was still smiling, but her eyes were already wet with tears. "Actually, I know you're my older sister. I know this will cause you a lot of trouble."
For the first time in so many years, Feng Zi's appearance overlapped with that of a child. It was as if the little girl in the floral dress had returned to her side, constantly tugging at her clothes and crying with tears and snot streaming down her face. Xue Zhi's reaction hadn't changed much either; she simply patted Feng Zi's shoulder stiffly.
"You're so old, why are you still crying? Stop crying!"
Feng Zi wiped her eyes and smiled through her tears.
The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Xuezhi left Lingjian Manor, but her speed on her way back to Yingzhou Immortal Mountain became slower and slower.
Feng Zi said that Shangguan Tou's behavior was abnormal at the time, and his actions were not like those of someone who wasn't very familiar with her. Therefore, it was very likely that he had been drugged or manipulated with Gu. But he was aware of his own existence; only he knew how much helplessness and indulgence he had endured.
To be honest, she wasn't entirely disappointed or sad. But it was because of Feng Zi's simple words that she breathed a huge sigh of relief—she was finally free from Shangguan Tou's burdens.
The sky had barely cleared when another torrential downpour lashed down, forming a dense wall of rain, like countless layers of curtains. Xuezhi covered her head with her hands and hurried back to the restaurant. The torrential rain pounded against the awnings of the boats, and on the river in the city, countless raindrops rippled like tiny bowls.
On the eaves of the second floor of the Xianshan Yingzhou building, four interconnected diamond-shaped signs with inscriptions flutter and sway in the wind and rain, following the lanterns.
Before she even got close, a man holding a bamboo umbrella strode out of the inn. As he drew nearer, she recognized him as Zhong Tao. Upon seeing Xue Zhi, he immediately ran along the river for a short distance, shouting, "Baldy, come back!!"
Shangguan Tou's figure seemed to emerge from the rain and mist, becoming part of the hazy image even when they were very close.
Before he even reached her, the umbrella was already extended towards her. His clothes were slightly damp, his face handsome, but his expression was not pleasant.
Where have you gone now?
The world under the umbrella is very small.
The umbrella, though flat, resembled a net, locking them firmly inside. Perhaps it was the weather, but a faint, unique fragrance emanated from him, almost overwhelming her.
But I can't think about it anymore.
“Your second father just got back and found you were missing. He’s been looking for you everywhere. Come back with me first.” Shangguan Tou said, pulling her hand and walking towards Yingzhou, the Immortal Mountain.
Xuezhi broke free from him and rushed into the rain once again, stepping into the restaurant.
Shangguan Tou ordered people to change Xuezhi's clothes and prepare medicine as a preventative measure. In all the fuss, he didn't notice the conflicted and melancholy expression on Xuezhi's face.
Two hours later, Luotangzhi's father, Luotangniao, returned.
95
The first thing the drenched bird did was drag Xuezhi and Shangguan Tou into the room, lock everyone else outside, shake the water droplets off his head like a puppy, and sit down. He threw the booklet of "Samadhi Flame Phoenix Blade" on the table:
"I have good news and bad news for you. Which do you want to hear first?"
Xuezhi said, "It's bad, isn't it?"
"The Snow Lotus Sword of the Vast Sea is lost."
"I know that. Okay?"
"I think I've figured out how to cultivate this sword technique."
Xuezhi and Shangguan Tou asked in unison, "Really? What is that?"
“Lian seems to have told me to do it the other way around.” Lin Yuhuang flipped through the manual. “I think it’s about using the method of cultivating the ‘Canghai Snow Lotus Sword’ to cultivate the ‘Samadhi Flame Phoenix Blade’.”
The joyful expression vanished from their faces instantly.
"Huang'er, what's the point of saying all this?"
"The only point..." Lin Yuhuang suddenly threw two plum blossom darts, "is that the two people at the door have terrible lightness skills!"
The plum blossom darts split into two, one piercing the window paper and the other piercing the paper lantern, shooting out and leaving a cross-shaped notch in the thin paper. Xuezhi went to open the door. She saw a person hanging from the eaves and another standing by a pillar, both of their collars pinned with plum blossom darts, like specimens.
The one on the eaves is Feng She, and the one on the pillars is Zhong Tao.
Zhong Tao, with his abdomen as the focal point, hung from the eaves like a sausage, his legs spread wide. His round eyes peeked out from his groin. It was clear he hadn't even had a chance to roll over before he was hit.
Shangguan Tou glanced at him, wanting to ignore him, but couldn't help saying, "How many times have I told you? It's okay to practice your lightness skill if you're not good at it, but you have to choose the right time. Can you please not do this kind of thing in public?"
Zhong Tao said, "It's the same old story, nothing new."
Feng She was slightly better. As soon as he saw the manual on the table, he tore his clothes and rushed in: "There are martial arts to practice? Why don't you let me see them?" But before he could make a move, he was kicked away by Lin Yuhuang.
Lin Yuhuang turned to look at Xuezhi, his face full of righteousness: