Цзянху место, где не причинят вреда

Глава 6

Ye Changsheng nodded, rolled up his sleeves, revealing his somewhat thin arms.

The old man took her pulse, and after a long while, shook his head and sighed heavily again: "I will add a few new ingredients to your medicine. I told you not to use violence and to avoid using your inner energy, but you still didn't listen."

"I have always followed the instructions of the divine physician Zhong and never resorted to violence unless absolutely necessary—but the situation forced me to do so." Ye Changsheng said apologetically.

The old man looked at Ye Changsheng with an inscrutable expression: "The poison you were afflicted with was extremely potent and domineering. Back then, you used your internal energy to expel most of it, but the residual poison remained. Even now, I can't say for sure when... you will be unable to see anything at all."

Chang Sheng chuckled softly, "Let's talk about it when that day comes." She patted her chest and said calmly, "I might not even live to see that day."

The old man stomped to the window: "It's a great blessing to have found Bo Xian. I believe you know that otherwise, your heart and lungs would have been unable to be repaired in less than five years. There would have been no cure."

Bo Xian is a medicine, or rather, a divine medicine. Legend has it that it was refined by Men Xian of Yingzhou in the East Sea hundreds of years ago. Originally belonging to the imperial palace, it was bestowed by the emperor upon the imperial merchant Zhu Yun. It is said that this medicine increases the internal strength of martial artists tenfold, making them invincible in the martial arts world. Even the sick and weak can prolong their lives and even be brought back to life.

But legends are just legends; no one has ever seen Bo Xian's whereabouts, nor has anyone heard of anyone taking it.

Ye Changsheng lowered his eyes and said slowly but firmly, "I don't want to die, so I pursue even the slightest hope of life."

The old man sighed deeply. He knew better than anyone how hard this child was trying to live.

How long will you be able to stay this time?

Ye Changsheng shook his head, "We will set off tomorrow."

The old man paused for a moment, then said, "Very well..."

Jia Ling sat on the wooden steps by the door, listening to the babbling brook and the occasional chirping of birds from the woods. The fragrance of flowers wafted in the misty breeze, and he felt as if he were in a fairyland, isolated from the world, where even the heaviest burdens could be temporarily laid down. Suddenly, Chang Sheng appeared and sat down beside him. Jia Ling was startled; he hadn't heard a sound from him.

Ye Changsheng gazed blankly at the fluttering apricot petals in the distance. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, making her delicate face appear even paler. She said gently, "Isn't it beautiful here? In winter, the mountains are covered in snow, and everything is white. When I first came here, I was severely injured, all my meridians were damaged, I was stabbed through the heart, and poisoned. I actually survived, though I was bedridden and could only listen to the sounds outside. But the mountains are so quiet, I could even hear the snowflakes falling on the ground... The snow melted, spring came and autumn went, and half a year passed before I finally left this room—half a year, listening to the sounds of Sangshan every day, looking at the patch of sky outside the window, I gradually realized how difficult it was to be alive. I longed to stand up again and go out. Now, the resentment, the unwillingness, those unforgivable things in my heart have become less important."

Ye Changsheng turned his head and looked at Jia Ling—his clear eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. Ye Changsheng coughed lightly and smiled slightly, "Do you understand what I've said? I won't stop you from seeking revenge, but once you go to Jiangling, you will no longer be the Jia Ling you used to be. You will face much more than you can imagine."

Jia Ling lowered his head. He had never imagined that Ye Changsheng also had a past, a past unknown to him, a past so bloody and painful. She had chosen to let go, but he couldn't. He clearly remembered the blood his family had shed; that blood was like a haunting nightmare, relentlessly tormenting him. Jia Ling clenched his fists tightly, his voice trembling as he said, "I...I can't not go..."

Ye Changsheng gently took his hand, nodded, and got up to leave.

Jia Ling hugged her knees, as if asking her, or perhaps murmuring to herself, "Are you leaving me?"

Ye Changsheng's back stiffened. "I don't know either."

As darkness fell and night descended, Jia Ling lay on the low bamboo couch, clutching her quilt, her eyes wide open, unable to sleep all night.

The next morning, the two bid farewell to Elder Zhong and led their horses down the mountain again. They searched all the way to the place where they had hidden the carriage. As expected, Changsheng sighed and said, "It must have been chopped down by the woodcutter for firewood. It's not a bad use."

Since there was only one horse, the two rode together towards Jiangling. A few days later, they arrived at Qingtian Town, a bustling town not far from Jiangling.

The town was bustling with people; the streets were packed with vendors of all kinds. Being close to Jiangling and Hongzhou, and renowned for its official kiln celadon like Bianliang (Kaifeng), the town possessed an ancient, elegant, and extraordinary air. It was indeed a very prosperous town.

Changsheng, leading his horse, watched Jia Ling leisurely walk into the inn, then slowly closed his eyes. He turned his head, mounted the horse, and pulled the reins—"Giddy up!" The horse's hooves flew, and pedestrians on the street hurriedly dodged to both sides. In the blink of an eye, the gray-white figure had disappeared into the crowd.

A young man in fine clothes stood quietly at the counter of Qingxiang Inn, gazing out the door. His long eyelashes trembled, and his beautiful eyes were slightly moist and blank.

The waiter quickly stepped forward: "Young master, are you looking for a room?"

The young man in brocade slowly turned his head, lowered his eyes, and after a long while, suddenly chuckled softly, his voice a little hoarse: "Yes, a superior room."

The ancient road, the horse slows down

Along the ancient road, willows sway gently, the sky is clear, the mountains are verdant and the river flows gently.

As evening falls, the setting sun casts a thick, crimson veil over the heavens and earth, rivers and streams, grass and trees, mountains and rivers, all shrouded in this hazy twilight. The rushing clouds cast graceful reflections on the river surface, and a gentle river breeze rustles through the air, causing birds and reeds to sway gracefully, and water plants and tall willows to dance in the breeze.

Ye Changsheng rode his horse cautiously, holding a small willow twig he had just broken off, and pulling on his sash which was flapping wildly in the wind. He was troubled by the only ten copper coins in his purse—besides the little red horse that was snorting and snorting, he had nothing in his hands.

Ten copper coins could buy ten steamed buns, five meat buns, two bowls of wontons, a bowl of plain noodles, or half a bowl of clear pork rib soup.

Ye Changsheng swallowed hard, gestured with his hand towards the horse's neck, and after much deliberation, decided to sell it. This way, with careful budgeting, he could live comfortably for several years. If Jia Ling were standing nearby, she would surely despise Ye Changsheng for his lack of ambition, his dullness, and his supposed misfortune in not being born into wealth.

A small boat with its sails billowing, temporarily moored on the south bank of the Chu River. The twilight horn of the lonely city evokes the mournful sound of the Huqin. The water is vast and boundless, wild geese on the sandy shore are startled and scattered. The smoke dissipates from the cold forest, like a painted screen unfolding. The distant mountains on the horizon appear small, like delicate eyebrows.

A clear, cheerful laugh drifted over from afar. Changsheng looked over and saw a small boat on the river, with a tall, slender figure in blue standing at the bow, seemingly facing him.

Ye Changsheng smiled and nodded in the direction of the person. Looking at the deepening twilight, she thought that finding a place to stay was the most urgent thing. She pulled out a small willow branch and was about to hit the little red horse's rump when, accompanied by a hearty laugh, a voice called out from the other side: "Sister Ye, how have you been?"

Ye Changsheng was wondering when he had suddenly gained such a big younger brother.

In an instant, the person had already flown across the water to the shore.

"You... eh?"

Only then did Ye Changsheng get a clear look at the man's appearance—the man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and two deep dimples when he smiled was Huang Qiuyi, the son of Huang Ting, the master of Renyi Manor. He was indeed an acquaintance.

Five years ago, when Ye Changsheng had just started his career, Renyi Manor was in turmoil.

She happened to be passing by and just happened to dig up the fake Second Master Huang Jian, who was in disguise and had faked his death, from the ground, which was naturally a great contribution to Renyi Manor.

The manor lord, Huang Jian, firmly believed that Ye Changsheng, a girl wandering the martial world alone, was truly pitiful. He insisted on adopting her as his goddaughter, taking all her refusals as a sign of unwillingness to marry above her station, and convinced himself she was a rare find in the martial world. With a sigh, he kept calling the then twelve-year-old Huang Qiuyi "sister," practically begging her to change her name to Huang Changsheng.

"Hmm..." Ye Changsheng nodded as if he suddenly understood, and said with a smile, "Young Master Huang... Five years have passed, and you've grown so tall."

Huang Qiuyi scratched his head shyly, his cheeks flushed and his dimples deep: "Sister Ye, just call me Qiuyi. Sister Ye, you haven't changed at all, you're still as...beautiful as before."

Ye Changsheng, who was trying to dismount, stumbled. After regaining her balance, she turned around and said very sincerely, "What a coincidence to meet you today, um... Qiu Yi, what a coincidence."

Huang Qiuyi looked at Ye Changsheng, her eyes sparkling: "It wasn't exactly a chance encounter. My father sent me to find you. I've been away for three months. It just so happened that Ye Junshan, the leader of the martial arts alliance, was presiding over the demon-slaying conference. I went to take a look, and unexpectedly, I saw you. I recognized you at a glance, Sister Ye."

Ye Changsheng asked in confusion, "I wonder what business the Master has with me?"

Huang Qiuyi cleared his throat a few times and said seriously, "Father said that Sister Ye never returns to the manor. Five years have passed, and Father's fiftieth birthday is coming up. This time, we must find his only daughter no matter what."

Ye Changsheng felt guilty under the intense gaze of the young man before her, and secretly wiped away a bead of sweat. How could she possibly respond to such hospitality? She had indeed almost completely forgotten what happened five years ago.

"...Alright then."

After a pause, Ye Changsheng finally nodded. For some reason, looking at Huang Qiuyi's bright face, she thought of Jia Ling. Once upon a time, his face was always adorned with all sorts of smiles.

"Sister Ye, Sister Ye, where are you going..." Huang Qiuyi nudged Ye Changsheng, who had suddenly fallen silent.

"Uh..." Ye Changsheng blinked and smiled slightly at him, "Well... I don't know either..."

Huang Qiuyi eagerly took the reins for Ye Changsheng, frequently looking back and pointing ahead as he said, "Sister Ye, do you remember? Qingtian Town is just ahead, and Renyi Manor is another ten miles away. It's getting late, so let's rest in town for now."

Ye Changsheng snorted, then pointed doubtfully at the boat in the river: "What about it?"

Huang Qiuyi shook his head: "No, it's not mine anyway."

"Huh? Oh..."

Seeing Ye Changsheng's knowing expression, Huang Qiuyi immediately became anxious and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I stole that ship from Huangshawu... Ah, no, no, when I was passing by, I saw Hero Han Dang wiping out the river pirates, so I helped him out. My ship sank, and Hero Han gave me another one."

"Qiu Yi is truly... a young hero!" Ye Changsheng was very surprised. The Huangshawu gang of extremely vicious and ruthless water bandits, who had always been helpless against the government, had actually been wiped out just like that.

Huang Qiuyi scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "Brother Han said that if their sect leader were still alive, these bastards would have nowhere to hide long ago, and they wouldn't have had to search for so long and lose a bunch of brothers."

He looked up, his eyes vacant as he gazed at the setting sun in the west: "A person whom Brother Han respects and admires so much, I really wanted to see him in person, but alas..."

Ye Changsheng patted the boy on the shoulder and looked at him with a smile: "Young man, you should think more about the present situation—for example—do we really need to stay at an inn?" After saying that, he took out the only ten copper coins in his pocket.

Huang Qiuyi smiled, revealing a set of bright white teeth: "Sister Ye, you don't need to worry about that."

After speaking, he consciously took out his money pouch and stuffed it into Ye Changsheng's hand. Ye Changsheng's eyebrows twitched, immediately feeling the hefty weight in his hand. How much silver must this kid be carrying around?

She held the money bag in both hands and pushed it back in front of Huang Qiuyi, her face full of apology: "It's too heavy."

The boy slapped his forehead, quickly took the horse, and after thinking it over, pulled Changsheng onto the horse. He looked at Ye Changsheng, who was wobbling on the horse and tightly gripping the reins, and said with a grin, "Sister, sit tight, let's go."

The horses' hooves clattered as dusk settled.

Ye Changsheng sighed. She had already left Qingtian Town, but she hadn't expected to come back after going around in circles. She let Huang Qiuyi pull her into an inn and asked for two superior rooms.

Although the inn is small, it is very exquisite. The bed is soft and comfortable.

Outside the window, all was quiet except for the rustling of insects. Ye Changsheng blew out the lamp, pulled the covers over himself, and went to sleep.

Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound of footsteps passing over the roof tiles overhead—the person on the bed turned over.

"Whoosh, whoosh..." Ye Changsheng opened her eyes, yawned, and got out of bed. She put on her shoes, walked to the window, and muttered to herself, "The shop assistants have to go up to the roof to check for leaks in the middle of the night... They're really pitiful..."

She opened the window a crack, and the sight outside made her frown – in the boundless night, under the moonlight, a line of ghostly red figures was leaping across the rooftops of the houses opposite, and she feared that her own rooftop was probably the same.

Why wear a red shirt instead of night clothes when operating at night...?

Ye Changsheng closed the window, opened the door, and quietly walked out.

These men in red moved with incredible speed, traversing even the tall, tiled roofs as if walking on flat ground. Ye Changsheng followed them at a respectful distance. The men in front disappeared into a house, and Changsheng quickly stepped forward. Looking up, he saw four large characters gleaming slightly in the moonlight—"Qingxiang Inn."

She felt a jolt in her heart and knew something was wrong.

“Ah—” A sound came from the left wing upstairs.

Ye Changsheng kicked the wall and went upstairs in a few steps, breaking through the window and entering. The room was pitch black, but by the moonlight, he could vaguely see several people raising their knives and about to slash at a certain spot.

Ye Changsheng pulled his belt, which was touching the ground, and with a swift movement of his foot, he snapped one of the men's necks with a "crack".

At this moment, the other three people in the room obviously noticed the uninvited guests. They exchanged glances and then turned around and swung their knives at each other.

Instead of retreating, Ye Changsheng advanced, thrusting his right hand forward and striking a man in front of him, attacking his "Shenshu" point on the back of his head. The man's arm went numb from the shock, and with a "clang," his long knife fell to the ground, unable to move.

The remaining two were startled and attacked even more fiercely. They flipped their hands and swung their swords upwards, trying to cleave Ye Changsheng in two. But Ye Changsheng kicked the sword, leaped up, and pulled them by the neck. Blood gushed from both of them, and they died instantly.

The moonlight streamed softly through the window, illuminating the gruesome corpse and the mottled bloodstains on Ye Changsheng's body.

She walked towards the heavy atmosphere in the corner of the room, looked at the dark figure huddled there, sighed softly, and slowly said, "Jia Ling..."

After a long while, he still didn't move. Ye Changsheng shook his head and turned to leave.

"I am the eldest son of the Jia family of Qiantang..." A hoarse voice suddenly sounded from behind, "I fear neither heaven nor earth. Even if my entire family is slaughtered, even if I don't know any martial arts, even if I am being chased..." Jia Ling paused, then continued, "I've thought about it. If I hadn't run away with you back then, or if we hadn't gone to the Zhu family, then perhaps... perhaps... my father and the others would still be alright now..."

Ye Changsheng simply stood quietly to one side. After a long while, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Jia Ling leaned against the wall and stood up, walking step by step to Ye Changsheng. "I've thought about it... I won't seek revenge anymore. There must be a reason why you didn't go to Jiangling... My family is gone..." She slowly reached out and hugged Changsheng tightly, burying her face in her neck, choking back tears as she said, "You're my only family now..."

Ye Changsheng lowered his eyes and placed his hands on Jia Ling's back. Her face was hidden in the darkness, and her expression could not be seen.

“Okay… I won’t go…” Ye Changsheng said gently.

“But… there’s still someone here…” She walked up to the only survivor, squatted down, pressed his neck pulse, and carefully examined him for a while: “You are from Luoyang Tower.”

The man remained silent. Ye Changsheng smiled slightly and continued, "Why are you chasing him?"

The man turned his head away and remained silent.

"Ah, I know, is it because we interfered in something..." Ye Changsheng smiled and continued, "According to the rules of Luoyang Tower, your mission failed, and like them, you will die sooner or later. But... you can also choose not to go back... there is still hope of survival, provided that you answer one question for me, there is only one."

The man was slightly moved, presumably thinking of the fates of those who had failed. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded.