La vida de la gente del campo en la ciudad durante la dinastía Song

Capítulo 34

I nodded quickly: "Zimo, I understand. You...you go back to the water chain..." Thinking this, I quickly turned the purple crystal bracelet on my wrist. A flash of white light appeared, and Zimo, who had fallen to the ground, transformed into a beam of light and darted into the bracelet.

"Young Master, what's wrong?" Yi Han asked, his eyes filled with worry at my strange behavior.

I shook my head. Seeing that Zimo was safe, I finally felt a little better and asked, "Yihan, what should we do? Should we go and rescue Chen Sheng?"

Yi Han shook his head without hesitation: "Young Master, this place is still dangerous and we should not stay any longer. We..."

I was shocked and looked at his indifferent attitude in disbelief. Yi Han... did he really not care about Chen Sheng's life or death at all? I took a deep breath, looked into Yi Han's dark eyes, and said, word by word, "Yi Han, I want to go and save Chen Sheng."

"Young Master..." Yi Han's eyes showed surprise, and after a long while he said, "Does Young Master know that he is still not out of danger?"

"I know!" I frowned, seeing my own beautiful face reflected in his dark eyes, a pleading look on my face, on the verge of tears. "But Yihan, the three of us came out together, how can we abandon him now? No matter what, it's a life; no matter what, he calls me teacher!"

“Young Master, there’s no need to say any more!” Yi Han interrupted me, his expression indifferent but his tone resolute. “In any case, let me escort you to the post station first. I will send someone to rescue Mr. Chen later…”

"No!" I growled, interrupting him. "How could that be in time? Even if we could save his life, he would suffer terribly!"

I took another deep breath, my voice a little hoarse: "Yihan, that's a human life after all! How can you be so indifferent?" Even if I could live as Lin Yu, I still couldn't accept their attitude of completely disregarding human life. Is it enough for a person to be selfish and only care about the life or death of their loved ones? Can I be so numb as to watch someone die beside me without doing anything? No! I can't! I never want to become such a cold-blooded person.

The dark green light in Yi Han's eyes flickered, his face remaining as cold as ever, yet the complex emotions in his eyes burned like two flames—emotions I couldn't understand at the time. After a long silence, he slowly exhaled and asked, "Then what does Young Master intend to do?"

I was overjoyed, thinking he had agreed, and quickly said, "Yihan, I know that even without you, the Night Division people have always been protecting me. I will stay here obediently, please go and rescue Chen Sheng."

Yi Han lowered his long eyelashes slightly, his cold and stern face revealing no emotion whatsoever. He nodded slightly and said, "Please forgive me, young master, but I cannot obey this order."

"Why?!" I shouted in disbelief. Yihan had never refused my requests before, making me believe he would truly tolerate all my whims. Especially this time… this time I clearly did nothing wrong.

Yi Han suddenly raised his head, a flash of dark green light in his eyes, his expression cold and stern, even more chilling than that of Bu Ying. However, it was only for a moment before he returned to his indifferent aura, saying lightly, "To this subordinate, only the safety of the young master is the most important thing."

"Didn't I say I had Night Division members protecting me?!" I trembled with rage. What did this man value human life? I yelled at him, "This is an order! If you refuse to rescue me today, don't consider me your master anymore!"

After I finished yelling, I noticed an unusual silence in the air. Yi Han's lips curled slightly, his eyes lowered so I couldn't see them, but I was startled by the desolation and coldness emanating from him. After a long while, I heard his deep voice: "Since it is your order, young master, I will obey."

He whistled towards the sky, and a man dressed entirely in black leaped down from the opposite rooftop, knelt before me, and said in a deep voice, "Qin Ye greets Young Master and the Hidden Master."

Yi Han nodded slightly, gesturing for him to stand up, and instructed expressionlessly, "Protect the young master's safe return to the post station at all costs. If there is a sudden attack and there is no way to retreat, come back and meet me." Yi Han's chiseled eyebrows furrowed slightly, a hint of sorrowful helplessness in his eyes, and his voice was low and cold, "Try to preserve the strength of the Night Division, at least... don't put yourself in danger."

Qin Ye's body trembled slightly. He raised his head, revealing a handsome young face. His lips, chapped by the wind, parted and opened, uttering two words with boundless affection and longing: "Master..."

I was stunned and stared blankly at the two of them. Qin Ye called Yi Han "Master"? But Yi Han looked to be only around twenty years old, not much older than him. How could he be his master?

"Hidden Master." Qin Ye paused, clearly realizing his lapse in composure, and quickly bowed his head, saying, "This subordinate will certainly protect you, young master. Please, Hidden Master... take care and be sure to return safely. You can live without anyone... but you absolutely... cannot live without Hidden Master."

A sense of resolute certainty and the sorrow of parting lingered in the air, but I was too foolish, too naive, too self-righteous then, and thus oblivious to it all. Whether it was Yi Han's forced obedience, Qin Ye's resolute acceptance of death, or Zi Mo's parting warning, I cast them all to the back of my mind. At that time, I thought myself great and kind, capable of saving lives and tirelessly educating others with just a word, a command. At that time, I truly believed that in this world, I could forever uphold my beliefs.

Qin Ye and I walked along the road. He remained silent, emanating a faint chill. Many thoughts flashed through my mind: Why did Qin Ye call Yi Han "Master"? Did they truly serve Lin Yu or Yi Han? But these were just thoughts. If I were to ask, Lin Yu's "amnesia" would be exposed.

"Are you angry?" After hesitating for a long time, I finally couldn't help but ask.

Qin Yexian was taken aback when I spoke to him. He bowed and said, "This subordinate dares not."

An awkward silence fell. Qin Ye's lips twitched a couple of times, his expression hesitant, but ultimately settled into a cold calm as he said in a deep voice, "Young Master, our lives were given to us by you, so how could we be angry with you? Please don't worry about it. But this place is really not suitable for us to stay any longer. Please forgive my insolence."

Before I could even ask him what he was doing, he suddenly lunged at me, slipped his hand under my arm, and pulled me to my side. In an instant, I felt dizzy, the scenery around me rushed past, and my empty stomach churned painfully.

Suddenly, I thought of Yi Han's embrace. He never actually held me; he would just put his arm around my waist or lift me up, sometimes twice as fast as Qin Ye. Yet, I never felt dizzy, nauseous, or nervous. A pang of bittersweet pain welled up inside me, mixed with guilt and worry. Would Yi Han be alright? No! He definitely wouldn't! With his exceptional martial arts skills, how could anything happen to him?

Suddenly, Qin Ye, who was rushing forward, came to an abrupt halt. Due to inertia, his upper body tilted forward at a huge angle. I cried out in surprise and was thrown out, my left shoulder slamming heavily against the wall, making me wince in pain.

The footsteps were as light as mosquitoes, yet I could clearly sense that they belonged to at least dozens of experts. I quickly turned around and saw Qin Ye, dressed in black, his right arm covered in blood, standing solemnly in front of me.

"Qin Ye, you're injured?!" I stood up, leaning against the wall, and exclaimed in shock.

"Don't come any closer!" Qin Ye roared, his eyes flashing with sharpness. "Young Master should have anticipated this situation when he asked Master to leave his side." He didn't even glance at me, and with a wave of his hand, a dozen men in black, their faces covered with headscarves and their hands gripping long swords, landed beside me and surrounded me.

A soft laugh rang out from behind the crowd blocking our way. Mei Niang, now dressed in a white warrior's uniform with gold trim, gracefully stepped forward and said with a charming smile, "My lord said that even without Feng Yihan, Young Master Qin would certainly have no shortage of capable people by his side. I didn't believe it at first, but now I have to admire my lord's brilliant strategy. Killing the young master is indeed no easy task!"

My eyes widened suddenly, my face turning deathly pale. My index finger, which was pointing at her, felt as if it were encased in ice water, making me shiver with cold: "Why are you here? Where is Yihan?"

“Young Master Qin, that’s a rather dull question.” Mei Niang chuckled and shook her head, seemingly both puzzled and amused by my ignorance. “The Azure Frost Sword’s wind is chilling; how many in the world dare to wield its edge? If you want to kill Young Master Qin, the only way is to lure him away from your side. As for what happens to him now, it depends on whether our lord is willing to show mercy and give him a quick death.”

"My lord is indeed my lord." Mei Niang smiled with utter helplessness, yet pure admiration and respect. "It was Mei Niang who overestimated herself and made a bet with my lord, saying how could the young prime minister be so naive and easily fooled? Who knew..." She shook her head, a smile on her lips, but her eyes revealed utter contempt. She glanced at me sideways and said indifferently, "Chifei, the son of the goddess Ishuair, said that you are on par with Xinghun of the Tianxingliu Sword Sect. You have truly tarnished my lord's reputation."

Xiao Yi

Chapter 24 Desperate Pursuit

Chapter 24 Desperate Pursuit

Author's Note:

Seeing that Lanlan's foolishness these past few days has finally aroused public outrage, I couldn't help but say a few words in my excitement (damn, what's so exciting about that?). I stated at the beginning that this novel is a compilation of plots and characters from numerous books, and Lanlan and Xu Lie's story clearly reflects the typical male and female protagonists of those Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese idol dramas and Taiwanese romance novels that we've all been exposed to. Um, I absolutely, positively don't mean to criticize or denigrate those works; in fact, if they didn't have some merit, I wouldn't have read them in the first place, and I wouldn't be writing this now. However, there are truly many laughable aspects in the plot arrangement and character portrayal. Leaving aside other things, let me just start with Lanlan.

First of all, her grades were good. But does having good grades necessarily mean someone is intelligent, rational, and modern? Certainly not. I remember reading an article in a magazine once, written by a woman who had studied in the US. She was thriving there, but she couldn't understand why so many Chinese students in America were always glued to their books, unkempt, and socially awkward, seemingly unable to handle any social situation. Then one day, she appeared on the dance floor in a very elegant evening gown, and the foreigners were amazed, saying, "You're completely different from them, you don't look like a Chinese person at all." I don't remember the exact title of the article, but it seemed quite famous; it was a correspondence between a student and her parents. When I read that, I felt… well, to be honest, I'm also a bookworm who doesn't dress well and doesn't like socializing (not counting my friends). I'm not belittling myself; I'm quite satisfied with my life now. I just want to ask: does being good at studying guarantee success in both modern and ancient times? P, once you graduate from university and enter the workforce, you'll find that what you learned in school is completely useless. On the contrary, practical experience in certain positions and knowledge gained outside of class can make you thrive in society.

Of course, Lanlan's problems go far beyond these; there are too many. She was pampered by her father and loved by her brother from a young age, but her nature is inherently timid and insecure. I think, to put it bluntly, her social skills are poor. Surrounded by too many active and capable people, she was either overprotected or overly shielded, thus developing this timid and tearful nature. But this kind of girl has one major flaw: kindness! What, you say kindness is a flaw? Yes! I remember a saying—I've forgotten the beginning, but I remember the last part: "Stupid but hardworking people are the greatest danger to society." If Lanlan had the ability to protect herself and distinguish right from wrong, then this kindness could certainly allow her to help many people; I personally think Bingyi occasionally showed it. But the problem is, Lanlan is naive and immature, completely lacking self-awareness. To put it bluntly, she thinks the world revolves around her. Okay! I feel like slapping myself just thinking about it.

Then, emotionally, I felt powerless… I admit I'm awful; I just copied the formula from a story I read so long ago that I can't even remember the title or details… Although I created the story and made up the plot myself, the overall framework and characters remained largely unchanged. Um… Xu Lie has changed a bit; honestly, I don't dislike male protagonists who are tough on the outside but soft on the inside. But his lack of resolve in relationships, I think, is a common problem in modern society. If I were to write about unwavering loyalty and steadfast devotion in modern times, it would feel fake and unrealistic.

I had so much to say, but I forgot it all because I got my nails cut. Oh well, I'll just post this much for now. Please feel free to comment! ^_^

"Young Master, stay here and don't go out, understand?" Qin Ye placed me, trembling and covered in blood, in the trash can in the corner and said in a deep voice.

His face was deathly pale, and he was covered in wounds, large and small, but he seemed completely unconcerned. He said to me, panting heavily, "Don't worry, young master. My master is no ordinary person. Even Liu Cenfeng could not have captured or killed him so easily. You just need to wait here safely, and my master will definitely find you."

"Qin Ye...and what about you?" I grabbed his cold, blood-stained hand, my voice trembling and choked with emotion, "I'm sorry, if it weren't for me..."

“I’ll draw them away.” Qin Ye smiled at me, a smile that, for some reason, carried a gentle warmth, like someone on the verge of death. His voice was deep. “I promised my master that I would protect you, young master.” He paused, then withdrew his hand and added, “Please don’t blame yourself, young master. We, the Asura Dark Camp, owe our existence today entirely to you. You gave us new life, and my master taught us martial arts. To die for you and my master is enough for me, Qin Ye. I have no regrets.”