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Capítulo 12

On the way back, Yue Ruzheng was filled with questions, but observing Tang Yanchu, she saw his cold eyes and somber expression, and dared not ask further. Both of them returned to the courtyard, breathing heavily. Yue Ruzheng, in particular, was experiencing another wave of pain in her right ankle. She sat dejectedly on a stool in the courtyard. Tang Yanchu went back to the main house, unloaded the bamboo basket, and walked over to her, his face grim. "I told you not to go, but you insisted on being stubborn!"

Although Yue Ruzheng knew it was her fault, she was in pain from her wound and wanted some comfort, but Tang Yanchu immediately scolded her. She said sadly, "If I hadn't been worried about you, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to go downhill."

Tang Yanchu turned her face away and said, "Who asked you to worry?"

Yue Ruzheng glared at her, angrily saying, "Fine, I'll never bother with you again!"

"When did I need your help?" Tang Yanchu said angrily, walking to the side and sitting on the stone railing by the well.

Yue Ruzheng sat alone far away from him, hugging her left knee, bending over, and lying there motionless.

Tang Yanchu gave her a cold look, then gazed at the clouds in the sky, lost in thought.

After a long while, she still didn't straighten up or speak. Tang Yanchu snapped out of her daze, turned to look at her, and called out, "Yue Ruzheng."

Yue Ruzheng's face was turned inward, her knees resting on her left knee, her back to him, and she didn't respond. Tang Yanchu sat for a while longer, then got up and walked behind her, gently kicking the stool beneath her, saying, "Go back inside and check your wound."

But she still didn't react, almost as if she were asleep. Seeing that she wasn't responding, Tang Yanchu turned to leave, but after a few steps, she turned back, walked to her side, nudged her with her knee, and said, "Don't you want to recover from your injuries and go back to Luzhou quickly?"

Yue Ruzheng's shoulders twitched slightly, but she still didn't look up. Tang Yanchu looked down at her long, drooping hair with some frustration, and suddenly noticed that there were several drops of water slowly disappearing into the soil below her left knee.

Tang Yanchu squatted down, stunned, and a few more drops of water fell to the ground. He stood up silently and walked towards the direction Yue Ruzheng was facing, but she quickly turned her face away again. Tang Yanchu knelt on one knee, approached her, and whispered, "Lift your head."

Yue Ruzheng simply hugged her knees tightly, burying herself in her arms. He knelt silently for a while, then lowered his head, grabbed her sleeve, and forcefully pulled it outwards. Yue Ruzheng, her arm held by him, was filled with anger. She suddenly swung her arm and shoved him, shouting, "Why are you biting my sleeve? Don't you think it's dirty?!"

Tang Yanchu was pushed so hard by her that he staggered but didn't fall. He just immediately let go and stared at her blankly.

Yue Ruzheng's face was streaked with tears as she stared intently at his pale face.

He seemed to want to say something, but ultimately fell silent. Yue Ruzheng thought he would get angry, but he said nothing and did nothing. He simply stood up and walked heavily back into the house.

Yue Ruzheng returned to her room, untied her socks and boots, and saw that the wound on her ankle, which had already healed, was slightly red, but thankfully there was no bleeding. She lay silently on the bed, and after a long time, when it was time to cook, Tang Yanchu still hadn't come out.

Yue Ruzheng went to the kitchen, forced herself to cook, hesitated for a moment, then carried the food on a tray to Tang Yanchu's room. She knocked on the door, but there was no response, so she gently pushed the door open.

Tang Yanchu sat alone by the window, gazing outside, seemingly not as furious as she had imagined. Yue Ruzheng placed the tray in front of him, picked up chopsticks, and handed them to him. He slowly lowered his eyes, looking at the chopsticks in her hand, and said, "You've got the wrong ones."

Yue Ruzheng was taken aback, then asked, "What did you say?"

"I said you took the wrong pair." His voice was low and emotionless. "These are yours. Mine are older."

Yue Ruzheng slammed her chopsticks on the table and said angrily, "Why are there so many rules? I'm not sick, I won't infect you!"

"I've always used different bowls and chopsticks than you, haven't you noticed?" Tang Yanchu's gaze remained fixed on the chopsticks as she said indifferently, "I've never made a mistake, so I won't get them dirty."

Yue Ruzheng finally understood what he meant, and at that moment, a sharp pain pierced her heart. Her mouth tasted bitter, her eyes stung, and tears struggled for a moment before falling again.

Her hands were on the table, her head was bowed, and tears dripped onto Tang Yanchu's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean it."

Tang Yanchu sat silently, the spring breeze drifting in through the window, ruffling his clothes. He looked down at his body and said, "Others will think I'm dirty... I've been very careful, but I have no hands, I can't hold you."

"I'm sorry!" she cried out, leaning on his shoulder, tears streaming down her face.

Tang Yanchu turned her head to look at her profile, a faint sorrow floating in her eyes.

Yue Ruzheng loved to laugh, but she also cried easily; she seemed to have an unusually large number of tears. That day, she cried until her eyes were red and swollen before slowly stopping. Tang Yanchu's clothes were soaked, and the food she brought had long since gone cold.

Yue Ruzheng had been crying for so long that her head was spinning. She went back to the kitchen and reheated the food, intending to take it to Tang Yanchu's room. But when she turned around, she saw him standing at the door, looking desolate.

Yue Ruzheng lowered her head and said, "I heated it up for you."

Tang Yanchu nodded silently. Yue Ruzheng was about to take the food out of the steamer when he said, "No need to take it out, I'll eat it myself."

Yue Ruzheng stood there blankly for a while. Then, with tears in her eyes, she brought out bowls and chopsticks, filled them with rice, and placed his bowls and chopsticks next to her own. Tang Yanchu watched her do all this and said softly, "Yue Ruzheng, you don't need to do this."

Yue Ruzheng looked up at his distant gaze and said sadly, "You won't forgive me anymore?"

He turned his head to look out the window and said, "No."

"Then why don't you want to eat with me anymore?" she asked, her voice trembling with tears.

"You'll be leaving here soon. What good will it do to eat together now? Since that's the case, why do you have to comfort me?" Tang Yanchu said these words slowly, as if she had thought it through very clearly.

Yue Ruzheng wiped away her tears, then suddenly smiled and said, "Then will you have dinner with me one more time?"

Tang Yanchu didn't say anything. She had already moved a stool over and placed it in front of the stove. She sat down, picked up her rice bowl, and slowly chewed her food while tears streamed down her face.

Tang Yanchu glanced at her retreating figure, then turned and walked towards the courtyard. Yue Ruzheng paused, but quickly returned to her right and sat down. His feet were wet, having just been rinsed with well water. He raised his right leg and silently bent over to eat.

Chapter Nine: Crows and Wild Grasses, White Light Rises

The meal was completely tasteless. In the afternoon, Tang Yanchu went back into the mountains by herself, carrying a bamboo basket. After cleaning the kitchen, Yue Ruzheng silently returned to her room. She tidied the room, putting everything back in its place. Then she took off her socks and boots, sprinkled some more medicine powder on the wound, and wrapped it with several layers of white cloth. As she walked out of the room with the Lonely Fragrance Sword, she turned back, went to her desk, hesitated for a moment, and then wrote a few words on a piece of plain paper.

Yue Ruzheng left the quiet little courtyard.

Following her memory, she walked down the mountain along the path she had come from. When she reached the steep slope, she slowed her pace. The distant peaks were verdant and jade-like, white clouds floated in the blue sky—everything was fresh and elegant. But she simply kept her head down, clinging tightly to the vines clinging to the rock face as she walked.

After crossing the steep slope, she rested briefly before regrouping and heading towards the dense forest ahead. She remembered that beyond this forest lay a stream, and further down the stream was a relatively flat path. Yue Ruzheng used her sword for support as she entered the forest. The weather was fine, but the ancient trees and overgrown weeds made the forest quite dark, with only occasional rays of sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light.

Yue Ruzheng pushed aside the weeds in front of her and slowly made her way forward. After walking for a short while, she suddenly heard a fluttering sound rise up behind her. She gripped her sword hilt tightly and swiftly turned around. A flock of crows and sparrows perched in the trees darted out of the dense forest and rushed towards the valley. Yue Ruzheng's heart skipped a beat, and she slowly turned back, taking a step forward. Just then, two cold beams of light suddenly shot out from the dense forest on either side of her, aiming for her arms from the left and right.

Yue Ruzheng was already poised to strike. Before the two streaks of cold light even reached her, she had already leaped up, longsword in hand, slashing diagonally. With two clangs, the tip of the sword touched the cold light, and the two silver darts, shaken by the sword's energy, broke into several pieces and flew rapidly into the dense forest. Taking advantage of the momentum, Yue Ruzheng slapped a nearby ancient tree with her left hand, using the force to leap towards the treetop.

Figures darted through the dense forest. The first figure leaped up, chasing after Yue Ruzheng. Yue Ruzheng leaped into the air, her left arm encircling a tree trunk, and with a backhand slash, she aimed her sword at the man's heart. The man's right arm shot out, his palm turning like a claw, circling around and grabbing Yue Ruzheng's wrist. Yue Ruzheng's left foot launched a flying kick, and the man, leaning against a branch, swept his feet across Yue Ruzheng's ankles. Yue Ruzheng, still holding onto the tree, flashed forward, her sword tip trembling, emitting several points of pinkish-white light as it flew up and down, aiming for the man's feet. The man's body rapidly spun among the trees, dodging and then flicking his sleeve. Yue Ruzheng felt a strange odor waft towards her nose, quickly holding her breath and focusing her attention, feinting an attack before disappearing into the depths of the forest.

But as soon as she left the ancient tree, several more people pounced from the forest, their blades flashing with a faint black glint, slashing down at her. Yue Ruzheng dared not breathe deeply, and could only endure the attack. Her Lonely Fragrance Sword Technique was agile and swift, but her right foot injury had not yet healed, slowing her movements. In addition, the strange smell in the air grew stronger, and she felt a tightness in her chest. Seeing that the men's attacks were becoming increasingly fierce, Yue Ruzheng gritted her teeth, her wrist twisting rapidly. The red marks on the sword suddenly brightened, and five streaks of light flew out, stabbing at the surrounding men from different directions.