Половины жизни, посвященной музыке и макияжу

Глава 47

Duan Chen turned and walked out of the courtyard expressionlessly, with Zhou Yufei quickly following behind: "Hey, don't walk so fast! What if those two come back later... Where are we going?"

The two walked quite quickly, Zhou Yufei muttering to herself, while Duan Chen remained calm and silent. As they walked, they heard a woman's shrill cry from not far away: "Help! Miss, ah!"

The two men's expressions changed instantly, and they used their lightness skills to rush towards the sound. Turning a corner past a bamboo grove, they saw a young maid standing by the lake, her face filled with panic. She was crouching down, reaching out her arm to grab something, and crying out in a shrill voice, "Help! Someone, come quick!"

The two ran to the scene and saw a dark hole, about the size of a well opening, cut into the frozen lake. The water rippled, and a faint, pale yellow hue could be seen inside. Upon seeing them, the maidservant immediately stood up, her face filled with panic, and cried out, "Please, please save my young lady! She's fallen into the lake!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yufei's expression darkened, but Duan Chen had already leaped down onto the ice and was moving step by step toward the ice cave. Behind him, Zhou Yufei called out anxiously, "Be careful, this ice isn't solid... Hey, you..." Before Zhou Yufei could finish speaking, there was a "crash," and the ice beneath Duan Chen's feet collapsed, his pale blue figure disappearing directly into the water into the vast expanse of snow.

Chapter 18: The Way and Its Meaning

When Duan Chen descended onto the frozen lake to rescue the person, he was already prepared to enter the water. After all, with the ice cracked under the pressure of a heavy object, the area around the opening would be the most vulnerable. To pull the person up, he would naturally have to crouch down, in which case the ice would most likely collapse. However, Duan Chen didn't expect that when he was still three steps away from the opening, the ice beneath his feet began to crumble. Then, before he could react, his entire body was as if sucked in by some force, and he was pulled straight down.

The moment he plunged into the icy lake, Duan Chen gritted his teeth, held his breath, and closed his eyes. The winter lake water was bone-chillingly cold; layers upon layers of icy water, like a thick, dense brocade, tightly bound him. The immense water pressure, accompanying his movement, pressed wave after wave against his chest. As Duan Chen opened his eyes underwater, he tried to float using the water's force, but the instant he touched a piece of smooth silk, a chill that seeped into his bones surged from the depths of his heart.

Without time to think, Duan Chen pushed off with his feet and stretched his arms backward, leaning back and backward, but stopped abruptly. His left ankle seemed to be firmly gripped by something, and then a dark shadow pressed down on his chest and abdomen. Duan Chen pulled his arms back to shield his chest, but he couldn't withstand the weight of the object, and with the restraint on his ankle, he was pulled straight down to the bottom of the lake.

Upon seeing Duan Chen fall into the water, Zhou Yufei immediately took out a cigarette from his pocket, pulled the fuse, and threw it into the sky. After a trail of silvery-white smoke, an ice-blue fan shape exploded in the dark night sky, with a faint "Z" character visible inside.

Her heart pounded harder and harder in her chest. Zhou Yufei frowned as she watched the icy blue sky gradually fade, then turned her gaze to the lake. Even if Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun were chasing her so urgently, surely they would have noticed the signal? She ruffled her hair haphazardly, the more she stared at the lake, the more panicked she became. She couldn't swim, and blindly jumping in would only cause trouble for Duan Chen. But it had been a while since she fell into the lake, and there hadn't been a single sound.

Zhou Yufei paced back and forth by the lake, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, completely at a loss, when he heard footsteps approaching from not far away. He craned his neck to look in the direction of the sound and saw Zuo Xin and Xiao Changqing walking briskly towards him. Zhou Yufei rushed towards them, shouting urgently, "Which of you can swim? Duan Chen fell into the lake while trying to save Miss Liu, and it's been half a day with no sign of her!"

Upon hearing this, both of their expressions changed drastically. Xiao Changqing almost jumped up, his handsome face contorted with fear: "How is this possible! We just saw that girl surnamed Liu. Wasn't she sitting peacefully inside the room?"

Zhou Yufei's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. He turned around to look for the maid, only to find no one behind him; the little girl in the ochre dress had vanished without a trace. Zhou Yufei's expression hardened, and his peach blossom eyes flashed with an astonishingly bright light: "What the hell have I been doing all these years! I actually fell for a little girl's trick!"

Xiao Changqing was so angry that he gritted his teeth. He took off his outer cotton robe and was about to jump into the lake, but Zuo Xin stopped him with his hand: "You are not in good health, you can't go into the water."

Xiao Changqing's voice cracked with anxiety: "I won't go down. Can you even swim? There might be some traps underwater! That silly girl didn't bring any equipment..."

Zuo Xin tossed the spear into Zhou Yufei's arms and then began to remove his outer robe: "I started learning after that incident. Although I'm not as good a swimmer as you, rescuing someone is no problem."

"You, you be careful." Xiao Changqing bit his lower lip, then pulled a dagger from his boot and handed it to Zuo Xin: "Just in case."

Taking off his outer robe and handing it to his subordinate beside him, Zuo Xin gathered his strength and headed towards the lake. Because Duan Chen had fallen into the water earlier, the ice on the lake's surface had broken into a semi-circle about ten feet wide, revealing the chilling water beneath. Just as Zuo Xin leaped into the water, Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun arrived from the other side. Zhao Ting looked around, his expression turning grim: "Where's Chen'er?"

Zhou Yufei didn't mince words and quickly explained the situation, though his face was extremely grim. Zhan Yun pulled a folding fan from his sleeve, shoved it into Zhao Ting's hand, and leaped into the water.

As soon as Zuo Xin entered the water, a bitter smile appeared on his face. He half-closed his eyes, drew the dagger from its sheath, and with the hand holding the sheath, pulled up the net rope that was wrapped around his ankle. In one breath, Zuo Xin cut a foot-long gash in the tightly wrapped net, and then gripped the dagger and slashed down the net.

After entering the water, Zhan Yun used a powerful downward plunge, sinking towards the bottom of the lake. After walking a few steps, he could vaguely make out a huddled, dark shadow not far away. Zhan Yun's chest tightened, and a chill ran through him. Just then, Zuo Xin had already parted the dense net, grabbing the rope and using his buoyancy to lift Zhan Yun up. Zhan Yun parted the torn net and swam towards it.

Duan Chen leaned against the rock that had pressed down on him, his body curled up in a ball, head drooping over his chest, already unconscious. Zhan Yun reached out and pulled him into his arms, but his heart skipped a beat when he touched Duan Chen's lower back. Even in the water, that sticky, slippery feel was unmistakable. Holding him firmly in his arms with one hand, Zhan Yun lifted Duan Chen's delicate chin with the other, his eyes half-closed, and pressed his lips to his. After three slow, gentle breaths, the person in his arms stirred slightly, seemingly regaining some consciousness.

Zhan Yun looked up at the water, then lifted the person in his arms a little higher. With a hook of his arm, he pressed Duan Chen's head down, his lips pressed tightly against the other's. Then, with a light touch of his toes on the lake bottom, his body formed a straight line, shooting directly out of the water. He spun twice in mid-air before landing steadily on the lakeside. Without saying another word, Zhan Yun carefully avoided the wounds on Duan Chen's shoulder and waist, picked him up horizontally, and rushed straight to the nearest house.

A man carrying a lantern approached, and several people rushed over upon seeing the two men covered in blood. They all fell silent when they saw the blood on Duan Chen's body. Immediately afterward, Zuo Xin also emerged from the water. Wiping his face, which was already somewhat frozen, he spat and cursed, slightly out of breath, "Beasts! With fishing nets, stones, and iron hooks, they really wanted to kill me!"

The group rushed into the nearest house, some lighting lamps, others tending the stove, some fetching hot water, and others searching for medicine—they were all bustling about. Zuo Xin changed his clothes next door and came over to find a group of people with varying expressions emerging from the house one after another. Among them were Liu Yichen, who hadn't worn a mask for almost the entire afternoon, and a middle-aged man whose features clearly didn't resemble those of people from the Central Plains.

Liu Yichen had the steward summon two young maids. He whispered a few words to them outside the door, and the two girls were able to enter the house without any trouble. The room next door was lit, but no one went in; everyone stood outside. A moment later, a maid came out carrying a basin of water. She splashed the bright red blood-stained water onto the snow-covered wall, then glanced nervously at everyone and whispered, "Young Master, everyone, the lady inside said that if you stand outside, she... she's in a bad mood. She told you all to hurry back to your rooms..."

The maid's voice grew softer and softer until it was barely a whisper. Fortunately, everyone present had good hearing and heard her clearly. After delivering the message, the maid hurriedly ran back into the house, leaving the others staring at each other for a while. Finally, Liu Yichen frowned and spoke: "There are four rooms in the courtyard. If you don't want to go back, you can stay here for the night. I'll have someone tidy them up and light the stove; it'll be ready soon." As he spoke, he nodded to the steward beside him, who bowed in response and left with a few men.

Li Lingke chuckled and said in a deep voice, "After all these years, you haven't changed a bit! Whatever she says, you do. No wonder you've been chasing her for half your life and still haven't caught up with her!"

Liu Yichen's face flushed with anger, and he clenched his fists tighter beside him. "If you hadn't insisted on taking her away back then, Yiyi and I wouldn't have..." He trailed off, his voice trailing off. Liu Yichen turned his head away resentfully, unwilling to say more.

Li Linke gave another cold laugh and didn't say anything more.

Just as the group was about to leave, the door creaked open again. This time, another maid came out, who spoke much more fluently than the last one: "Madam said that the young master should hurry to the old master's room to keep watch. There is also a young master surnamed Li. Madam is passing on a message to you, saying that you wanted her to see a good show, but don't let her die before she gets to see it."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting took two steps forward and quickly asked, "She's awake?"

The maid looked slightly embarrassed. Seeing everyone staring intently at her, she hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly and mouthed, "She woke up for a while, said only two words, and then fainted again. Madam forbade me to say anything."

After speaking, the maid glanced uneasily at Liu Yichen, gave a slight curtsy, and turned to go back into the house. Not wanting to linger outside, the others went inside. Li Lingke chose the largest room first, leaving the door open, turning on all the lights, and sitting at the table, casually sipping tea. Seeing everyone looking at him, Li Lingke smiled slightly, holding his cup, and said only one sentence: "Anyway, it wasn't my father who died!"

Liu Yichen frowned and glared at the man for a moment before hurriedly running out of the courtyard and heading towards the old master's house at the back. Xiao Changqing and Zuo Xin went into the next room, while Zhan Yun, Zhao Ting, and Zhou Yufei went into another room next door. All night, the doors to the rooms were left unlocked and the lights were kept on.

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When Duan Chen opened his eyes, it was already broad daylight. His eyes were slightly sore, and he closed and opened them several times until he was more conscious. Then he propped himself up and sat up.

As Duan Chen sat up, he felt a burning sensation in his lower back, followed by a warm, damp feeling. At the same time, he felt a dull pain in his chest. Every time he breathed, the pain intensified, extending to the injuries on his back and shoulders.

Ignoring the lacerated wound on his back, Duan Chen braced himself against the edge of the bed and tried to get out barefoot. But then he heard a familiar voice nearby, as usual, familiar yet tinged with a hint of disdain: "You brat! I stayed up all night cleaning your wound, and you, as soon as you woke up, you tore it open again! This whole courtyard is so stuffy, you didn't even make a sound if you wanted water or to move? All these years of teaching you have been for nothing, I might as well have suffocated you!"

Duan Chen looked up and saw a woman standing at the door in the bright sunlight. She was not wearing a bamboo hat or veil, revealing long silver hair, stunningly bright eyes, and a slight smile on her lips.

Duan Chen felt a slight lump in his throat. It turned out that the scene he had witnessed wasn't a hallucination while he was unconscious, but real. His pale pink lips trembled slightly, and a faint joy appeared in his clear, cold phoenix eyes: "Master."

Xiao Yiyi smiled and walked to the table, poured some hot water, and handed it to Duan Chen. Just as Duan Chen was about to raise his hand, she stopped him in time: "Drink! Try moving again if you dare disobey!"

The cup tilted slightly, and Duan Chen obediently drank the entire cup of hot water with his eyes half-lowered. His mouth was finally no longer dry, and his chest and abdomen felt warm and comforting. Xiao Yiyi stood beside him, holding the cup, her voice no longer as stern as before: "Want some more?"

Duan Chen shook his head gently. Xiao Yiyi sighed, tossed the cup behind her, and it landed squarely in Liu Yichen's arms at the door. Then she took Duan Chen's arm, trying to get her to lie back on the bed.

Duan Chen shook his head again, then looked up at the woman who was clearly unhappy: "Master, it's alright. I don't want to lie down anymore."

Xiao Yiyi smiled instead of getting angry, withdrawing her hand and smoothing the hair by her cheek: "Alright, alright! It's good that you're not lying down, let's go home now!" As she spoke, she turned around and looked at the group of men standing outside the door, her slender eyebrows slightly raised, her bright eyes glaring: "Did you hear that? My disciple said she wants to go home, so hurry up and make way. You surnamed Liu, can I borrow your carriage? Also, please prepare some food and drink for us, and bring me two jars of your manor's Jade Butterfly Wine. My disciple likes to drink it."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yichen became anxious. He took two steps forward to the center of the room, his handsome brows furrowed, and his eyes revealed a hint of pleading: "Yiyi... Miss Duan's injuries will take some time to heal. Please don't leave so soon, okay?"