мягкая зима

Глава 72

"You're tempted?" Lan Qishao looked at Ming Er with a hint of sarcasm.

"So, in the end, Seventh Young Master couldn't resist healing him?" Ming Er's lips curled up slightly.

"Miss Qiu is a peerless beauty. Has the Second Young Master finally lost his senses?" Lan Qi's emerald eyes were bewitching.

"With Seventh Young Master's intervention, Ning Lang's injuries should be fine. Why is Seventh Young Master in such a bad mood?" Ming Er seemed slightly puzzled.

"With such a beautiful woman by his side, the Second Young Master is truly blessed." Lan Qi looked quite envious.

"Is the anger in Seventh Young Master's heart due to Ning Lang or something else?" A meaningful smile appeared on the face of the Second Young Master Ming.

"Beauty bewitches people, and people bewitch themselves," Lan Qishao said, shaking his head.

The two of them talked to each other, but in the end they said at the same time, "Be careful."

After he finished speaking, the two of them were stunned for a moment, and then each chuckled, with a hint of self-mockery.

"Foolish!" Lan Qi curled her lips, but her eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles.

"Feeling better now?" Ming Er's heart stirred as he looked at Lan Qi's appearance. He couldn't help but flick his finger, and when his fingertip touched the space between their eyebrows, both of them were startled.

One never expected her to be so unprepared and unafraid, and the other never expected him to do such a thing.

Fingertips and brows touched, a faint warmth, a fleeting tingling sensation.

But it was only for a fleeting moment.

The second young master lowered his hands and sleeves, appearing calm and composed.

Lan Qi looked up at the tall tree above. Suddenly, she leaped up and landed on a branch. Ming Er, below, paused for a moment, then jumped up as well and sat down beside Lan Qi.

Perched high in the tree, the view suddenly opens up, offering a panoramic view of the entire valley.

Lan Qi lowered her eyes as she glanced at Ning Lang's small house, then looked at Ming Er, as if talking to herself or asking, "Why are there such people in the world?"

Ming Er's eyebrows twitched as he looked at Lan Qi, but he didn't say anything.

"How can one live without killing?" A hint of confusion flickered in Lan Qibi's eyes.

After a moment of silence, Ming Er said, "In this world, some people can live happily and peacefully without killing, but we have to kill to survive."

“Yes, we don’t kill people, their bones will all turn to ash.” Lan Qi turned his head and looked towards the valley. The valley was exceptionally quiet in the twilight, exuding a sense of ordinary peace and tranquility.

“Ning Lang has maintained such a character to this day, which is admirable.” A faint respect rose on Ming Er’s face as well. “It’s just that you and I can never be like him, and he can never approve of our methods. When a person dies, there is a heaven and a hell; when a person lives, there is good and evil, black and white.”

“The line between them is clear and insurmountable, isn’t it?” Lan Qi murmured. “If you cross it, it becomes blurred, it becomes a dilemma, and… it ultimately leads to destruction.”

Ming Er did not answer, and the two remained silent.

The treetops are quiet, the valley is serene, with only a few wisps of smoke rising in the twilight, only to dissipate halfway up the mountain, vanishing with a gust of wind.

After a long pause, Lan Qi said, "Has the beauty of the Qiu family finally given up?"

Upon hearing this, Ming Er paused for a moment, then smiled. There was no need to be surprised; he knew her, and she knew him too.

"She is a rare beauty with both talent and looks, and smart people know how to treat themselves well."

"Don't you clearly like the Second Young Master?" Lan Qi raised her hand to catch a withered leaf carried by the wind.

Ming Er smiled calmly and said, "Everyone likes the Second Young Master, but no one likes Ming Huayan."

Lan Qi was startled and turned to look at him, only to see an elegantly smiling face, his brows and eyes shrouded in a light mist, ethereal and distant. In that instant, her heart softened inexplicably, then felt a slight pang of sadness.

"Whether it's Ming Er or Ming Huayan, I can see them clearly. They are my strongest and only opponents in this life."

A faint smile, tinged with a hint of mockery, made Ming Er's heart skip a beat. He turned his gaze and saw that familiar, stunningly beautiful face, even the light in her emerald eyes had that familiar, bewitching charm.

Suddenly, something slowly blossomed in my heart, and silently, at this moment, I could clearly feel a sense of joy.

What is that? The Second Young Master Ming frowned elegantly in confusion.

Another evening breeze swept by, the treetops swayed gently, and Lan Qi shivered slightly.

Ming Er reached out and grasped the cold wrist, slowly channeling his inner energy into it.

The warm current flowed slowly through her body, and then the chill disappeared completely. Lan Qi looked up at the silent Ming Er, then the corners of her lips slightly lifted, and a bright light appeared in her blue eyes—it was an unconscious smile.

As he finished practicing, Ming Er looked at the hand in his palm, at the deep scars on the palm and back of the hand. His gaze paused only slightly before he raised his eyes and gave Lan Qi a faint smile, saying, "As a return gift for what we just did, let this scar remain for life."

Lan Qi was taken aback.

The second young master of the Ming family stood up gracefully and flew away with elegant movements.

When Lan Qi came to her senses, she blurted out, "Fake immortal!"

But I couldn't help but laugh.

29. Oaths Should Not Be Taken Lightly (Part 1)

Night finally fell, and after eating, drinking, and washing up, everyone in the valley turned off their lights and went to sleep early. By 9 a.m., the entire valley was asleep, without a single light or sound.

At the summit of the North Peak and South Peak, several lanterns were lit in the directions of east, south, west, and north, their dim light faintly revealing the shape of the peaks. At the very top of the summit stood a stone house, a beam of dim yellow light shining from its window. A tall, imposing figure stood silently by the window, hands clasped behind his back, gazing down. The Dongming Island, so clearly visible during the day, was now shrouded in darkness, only occasionally dotted with a few bright spots. Looking up, the sparse stars and pale moon added to the chilly winter night.

"Young Master." A soft voice called from outside.

The person by the window turned around and said, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Qu Huailiu walked in, carrying a long-necked porcelain bottle. She presented the bottle to Yun Wuyai with both hands. "I have given them the medicine again as instructed by the young master."

"Hmm." Yun Wuyai took the porcelain bottle. "How is it?"

"Everything is under control. Even Ren Qi dares not make any rash moves under Young Master's brilliant methods. Please rest assured, Young Master," Qu Huailiu replied.

"That's good." Yun Wuyai nodded. "You should go and rest too."

"Yes." Qu Huailiu responded, but did not move. After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked, "Young Master, is it really unnecessary to investigate the whereabouts of those people anymore?"

Yun Wuyai walked to the desk and sat down, casually placing the porcelain bottle in his hand on the table. Without looking up, he asked, "Do you think we should investigate?"

“I think… we should investigate,” Qu Huailiu replied.

"Can you find out?" Yun Wuyai looked up at him.

This question stumped Qu Huailiu. In the past two days, they had sent out so many people that they had searched almost the entire Dongming Island, but they still couldn't find any trace of those people. It was as if they had vanished into thin air, leaving no clues.

"The fact that they can hide their whereabouts so well on Dongming Island is a disgrace to us, but it also shows how powerful they are," Yun Wuyai said calmly. "Since we have already agreed on a date with them, they will definitely come on that day. Instead of wasting manpower and effort searching for them, we should do something else useful."

"Yes." Qu Huailiu lowered his head.

Yun Wuyai pondered for a moment and said, "The matter on the South Peak has been settled. Tomorrow, you and Wan Ai will also go down the peak to help Qian Chen and the others."

"Huh?" Qu Huailiu looked at Yun Wuyai in confusion.

"You witnessed what happened that night," Yun Wuyai said, leaning back in his chair. "Perhaps we were all wrong. We thought their disturbance at Dongming was just to attract our attention, while secretly they were trying to gather information about the martial arts world of the dynasty. Attracting our attention is one thing, but I fear they may have had ulterior motives."

Qu Huailiu thought back to that night, and upon further reflection, a chill ran down his spine.

"If a hundred experts from the Ming and Lan families could appear that night, how could there not be more? They arrived so silently, how could there not be others hiding silently in other parts of Dongming as well? Perhaps I underestimated Ming Huayan and Lan Canyin." Yun Wuyai sighed slightly in his heart, but his face remained calm and composed. "That night, we stopped when they had lost seventy percent of their strength, but looking back now, perhaps that was what they wanted."

"How is that possible?" Qu Huailiu felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. "Those are their companions, and didn't they come here to rescue them?!"

“I hope that’s impossible.” Yun Wuyai looked up at the dark stone roof and remained silent for a moment before saying, “But we must be careful and not make the slightest mistake.”

"Understood," Qu Huailiu bowed and said.

"Remember, if there is any suspicion, it is better to kill the innocent than to let one go!" Yun Wuyai's calm voice was tinged with a stern coldness.

Qu Huailiu paused upon hearing this, then replied, "Yes."

"Go down."

"Yes, I'll take my leave."

The door closed gently, and the stone house fell silent once more.

Yun Wuyai got up and slowly walked back to the window. Looking out through the open window, all he could see was darkness, with only a few faint lights occasionally appearing.

Minghua Yan.

The lingering sound of orchids.

I silently repeated those two names in my heart, and then couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

These two... He should be grateful that there are such figures and such opponents in this world, but he... does not want opponents. He only seeks to achieve his wish in this life, and then he will die without regret!

Stars fall, moon sets, sun rises and shines.

One day passes, and another begins.

In the valley, the heroes lived their lives quickly and happily.

First, everyone's injuries gradually improved. Then, Ning Lang, who had been seriously injured and unconscious, woke up. Finally, Miss Mingluo finally concocted the antidote.

Half an hour after the heroes took the antidote, they circulated their internal energy, and their previously empty dantian instantly generated new internal energy, circulating smoothly throughout their bodies. They had indeed recovered. Overjoyed, they thanked Mingluo profusely, praising his superb medical skills as comparable to the divine physician of the Jun family in Gentleman's Valley.

Miss Mingluo, however, was very modest, saying that the antidote was entirely due to her young master's efforts.

Upon hearing this, the heroes immediately pressed for answers.

After several attempts to decline, Mingluo finally succumbed to the enthusiasm of the heroes and had no choice but to tell them the whole story.

Several years ago, the Second Young Master Ming was seriously injured. The Ming family spared no effort to obtain a martial arts treasure, the "Phoenix Robe Pill." However, the young master refused to take it, saying that such a precious item should be saved for someone who needed it more. As a result, his injury took two or three years to heal. Unexpectedly, the "Phoenix Robe Pill" that was saved has now come in very handy. The antidote that restored the internal strength of the heroes was made using this pill as a key ingredient.

Upon hearing this, the heroes suddenly understood, and their admiration and gratitude for Young Master Ming grew even stronger.

Ning Lang's awakening brought even greater joy to the heroes. Their time on Dongming Island had instilled in them a deep respect and admiration for this still-childish young man, leading to a constant stream of visits. Song Geng and Xie Mo were both happy and worried for their junior brother, as the large number of visitors kept them incredibly busy, requiring them to boil tea countless times a day. Moreover… even the Second Young Master Ming had come to see him, yet the person their junior brother longed to see never appeared. Although the silly boy had never spoken of it, the slightest sound outside revealed a clumsy glimmer of hope in his eyes, causing the two to shake their heads and sigh.

After some time, it was December, and the weather grew even colder, with everyone wearing cotton-padded coats. After these days of recuperation, the heroes' injuries had mostly healed, and even Ning Lang's external wounds had healed, allowing him to get out of bed and walk around.

That day, after lunch, Ning Lang looked left at his third senior brother and right at his fifth senior brother, clearly wanting to say something, but was still weighing how to start.

It was Song Gen who spoke first: "Want to go out for a walk?"

Ning Lang nodded hurriedly. He hadn't left the wooden house these past few days under the strict watch of his two senior brothers, and he was getting really bored.

Xie Mo glanced at him and said, "Want to go find Young Master Lan?"

Ning Lang nodded as well, and only after he finished did he realize that his face was getting hot.

Fortunately, Song Gen and Xie Mo didn't say anything, only saying, "Go if you want to."