She glanced blankly at the chaotic crowd again. "Where... is that person?" She turned back to him, looking at him expectantly. He always had the answer to her questions.
"He's already in the lobby."
She trembled, both surprised and delighted. He really did know everything. "Who is he?" she asked, grabbing his arm and her eyes shining.
Yi Chunjun looked at her and finally relaxed his brows, "Uncle Zhu."
She was taken aback, then understood. Yes, who else but him could possess such power? "Take me there, I want to see him."
She longed to see him, so much! The man who loved her mother her whole life, the man she clung to even though she couldn't have him, the man who should have raised her, the man who taught Pei Junwu… She was curious, she was expectant. She and he… though they had never met, were entangled in an inexplicable bond.
"Okay!" Yi Chunjun smiled and picked her up in his arms. "I'll take you there now."
She looked at the bloodstains on the corner of his mouth that he hadn't wiped away. "Let Yuanxun carry me there. Is your injury... alright?" she asked, somewhat worried.
Yi Chunjun paused for a moment, then slowly revealed his bewitching smile: "No! Holding you can heal my wounds."
"Nonsense." She smiled and glared at him reproachfully. "Take me to see Master Zhu first. I'm going to settle our score!"
He chuckled softly, then gracefully took flight. Tuoba Yuanxun, clumsy in his pursuit, called out, "Wait for me!"
Is that him? The man sitting in the main seat?
Xiao Yuan broke free from Yi Chunjun's embrace and stood there staring straight ahead. He must have been over forty, but his profound inner strength prevented him from showing any signs of decline typical of middle-aged men. Time had made him like a fine wine with a lingering aftertaste; his handsomeness and his composure were all amplified in his steady and mature demeanor.
Compared to him, Pei Junwu was somewhat inexperienced, and Yi Chunjun was merely cunning and agile. The composure that a man should possess was brought to its fullest extent under the cover of his unfathomable martial arts skills.
He was looking at her too.
The moment her mask fell off, his heart trembled! On that delicate young woman's face, he seemed to see the shadow of Juxin again. She might be beautiful, but what captivated him was her striking resemblance to Juxin!
Her stubbornness and willful expression stirred up memories deep within his heart! He thought of her, longed for her, and couldn't forget her... the girl Ju Xin before she married Xiao Mingyu!
He was somewhat surprised that he had injured the sword-wielding boy; he hadn't realized he'd used such force! Was it because he had hurt her?
"Senior Uncle." She stared at him for a long time with a natural and generous demeanor before finally remembering to greet him.
He smiled slightly, "Are you really Han Yun's disciple?"
He couldn't help but confirm it again. It was a pity; how could Han Yun have taken on a disciple whose temperament so closely resembled Ju Xin? Life is unpredictable. He glanced again at Xiao Ju Yuan, who was leaning weakly against Pei Junwu's chest. He had so wished she were a woman like her mother, but… she most likely resembled her father!
This girl... the little apprentice of Han Yun who had been jealous and resentful of Ju Xin her whole life, actually allowed him to truly see his junior sister's charming girlhood.
The man was looking at her, but his eyes seemed to be gazing through her face at the bygone years and the person who had vanished.
In his eyes... there was a deep affection that made her heart ache.
She was even somewhat grateful to him. To have a man love her mother so deeply filled her with both pride and sorrow as a daughter. If only she could stay by his side for ten years! She would definitely repay his devotion on her mother's behalf. She would make him laugh, make him angry, so that when he looked at her, he wouldn't feel such profound longing, so that he would see her vibrant and alive, not the long, bygone years!
Her eyes were a little blurry. If, if... there were no more ifs.
"Uncle Zhu." Yi Chunjun walked over and stood side by side with Xiao Yuan, smiling faintly without much respect.
Zhu Liancheng looked at him and nodded.
He was even more cunning than his master! He wasn't looking at him with much affection; truly, he was a disciple taught by Junior Brother Lan! Zhu Liancheng wanted to smile bitterly. Seeing him standing with her… those youthful years spent with his junior sister stirred a deep pain in his heart.
“Your injury…” His eyes then fell on the glaring bloodstains on her sleeve.
"Uncle-Master, don't worry, Chunjun will heal Xiaoyuan's injuries himself."
Zhu Liancheng smiled faintly, looking at the young man who was staring at him with a cold and wary expression. What was he suspicious of?
As expected of Yanfeng's disciple, he's full of strange and wonderful ideas! Sometimes he really gives me a headache!
"Hmm." He nodded.
"Brother Zhu, since you're here, why not stay a few more days?" Pei Fuchong spoke with a loud and confident voice.
"No, I'll go back tonight," Zhu Liancheng said calmly.
"Uncle-Master!" Xiao Yuan blurted out, almost instinctively calling out to him, but once he actually said it, he didn't know what else to say.
Everyone was watching her.
She didn't want him to leave. She had something to say to him, she wanted to tell him everything! But... she still couldn't do it! The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she still couldn't say them.
"Master...didn't teach us kung fu." She made up a reason out of frustration.
Zhu Liancheng smiled and nodded. "I understand. If you want to learn, come to the Bamboo Sea."
She looked up at him... Could she trust him? She instinctively felt he could! His eyes, his strength... everything about him seemed to offer her tormented soul a place of rest.
It's so painful to carry such a heavy secret alone! But... should she take this risk? Can she take this risk?
“Okay! I will go!” She looked at him steadily.
The bamboo forest...the place where her parents' remains are buried!
Zhu Liancheng frowned. The little girl's eyes told him that she needed his help! She seemed to have something to say but couldn't bring herself to say it... Her pained expression tugged at his heartstrings!
Chapter 32 of "The Flower Bud"
Xiao Yuan slept fitfully for an unknown amount of time before opening her eyes again. The room was pitch black, with only a faint moonlight and the glow of lanterns under the eaves filtering through the window. It shouldn't be too late yet; she could still hear faint voices in the distance—the guests who hadn't left.