Мир боевых искусств — это яма

Глава 141

Dugu Xihui placed her hands on Zi Jin's hands, wanting to warm them, but Zi Jin forcefully dodged away. Dugu Xihui was stunned for a moment, a struggle flashing in her eyes, before saying, "Jin'er hasn't said how she was rescued, or how she became a member of the Yu family."

"I don't quite remember how I was rescued, I only know that when I woke up I was already here. They identified the red birthmark on my body and said that I was a child who had been lost for many years, and that the original Miss Yu was just afraid that the family fortune would fall into other hands, so they had someone impersonate her. Madam Yu didn't rescue me by chance that day, a Taoist priest said that I might appear in that place, so Madam Yu has been guarding that area for more than three months." Zi Jin rummaged through the things in her hands, without looking up as she spoke.

Dugu Xihui and Prince Anle exchanged a glance and continued, "Jin'er, after your injuries healed... why didn't you come looking for us?"

"What do you want?" Zi Jin asked, looking up.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Dugu Xihui's exquisitely handsome face. As if remembering something, he quickly said, "Why haven't I seen General Zi?"

Zi Jin's hand trembled slightly: "Dead."

"Really? What a pity." A hint of surprise flashed across Dugu Xihui's face before he said.

Prince Anle looked at Zi Jin and smiled lightly: "Heh, it's a pity that she died so young."

Every time Zi Jin heard this name, her heart would ache, as if it were being torn apart again and again.

Jun Lin frowned and glanced at the two of them: "Prince Yingyuan was a wise and virtuous man who rendered immortal service to our Yue Kingdom. The Yue Kingdom will certainly not let him die such a tragic death. When I return, I will certainly report to my father, and he will give Prince Yingyuan a grand funeral. [Follow...]"

"Enough! Have you all finished pretending?! Don't you know he's dead? You really don't know he's dead? All these days... you can find out who I am, you can find out where I live, but you can't find out he's dead? He's dead! He's already dead! What's the use of pity? What's the use of reporting to the emperor? What's the use of a grand funeral? Can he come back to life?! Can he come back to life?!... As long as he can come back to life, I'll do anything you ask. He gave me two chances to live, and even if it means paying with my life, I won't hesitate! You sit here looking at me with pity and sorrow, where were you when I fell off the cliff? You kept saying you'd be good to me, you were all there when I fell, why didn't you come to save me?! Your hypocrisy disgusts me! Disgusting!"

Zi Jin's face was full of anger, her whole body was trembling, she threw away the meat skewers in her hand and turned to run towards the front hall, but one of her hands was grabbed by someone.

Jun Lin gripped Zi Jin's wrist tightly, his lips moving several times before he finally spoke, "Don't be angry, I know you're upset. I... I'll play the zither for you, okay? Back then, when you were in a bad mood, you always loved listening to Jun Chi play. Now that Jun Chi isn't here, I'll play for you... okay?"

Zi Jin's eyes were filled with tears as she quietly looked at the earnestness on Jun Lin's face. After a long while, she nodded slightly.

Jun Lin's tense nerves instantly relaxed, and he slowly released Zi Jin's hand: "Wait for me." After saying that, he strode away.

Zi Jin found a place far away from Dugu Xihui and Prince Anle and sat down.

King Anle stared at Zi Jin's slightly thin back, lost in thought.

The emotions in Dugu Xihui's eyes were quite complex, making it difficult to understand and see through him; it seemed that his heart was in complete turmoil.

In the far northwest corner of the garden, a person dressed in a white robe stood quietly. Beneath the robe, his hands were clenched into fists, and his warm, dark eyes were fixed on Zi Jin's back, the sorrow and grief in his eyes too painful to look into.

The chessboard in the distant pavilion had been replaced by a guqin. Jun Lin solemnly washed his hands, and incense was burning beside the guqin. The faint fragrance of lotus blossoms in the vast garden gradually masked the aroma of meat.

Ten fingers rested on the zither, plucking the strings. A single note, like the blooming of a night-blooming cereus, was melodious and resonant, its lingering sound deep and far-reaching, seemingly endless. Everyone was astonished. Just that one note was indescribable. Was it the music that was so beautiful, or the player's skill that was so extraordinary? How could such a single note have captivated everyone's soul?

Zi Jin shuddered violently, her gaze fixed on Jun Lin's focused face with a complex expression: "Back then... in our youthful arrogance, why do you still remember those childhood jokes..."

The patient waiting finally brought the second note. If the first note was a fleeting, solitary glimpse, the second was a radiant display of a hundred flowers blooming, a fierce roar of ten thousand horses galloping, as if one were amidst the rustling pines of a thousand valleys. A note higher and it would have been noisy; a note lower and it would have been vulgar and affected. It seemed destined to continue in this glorious, unstoppable momentum, but then abruptly shifted, like a vast abyss suddenly appearing on an endless plateau. In haste, the horse reined in its neigh, stood against the wind, and the melody deepened, rising in a mournful lament, like a sob, like the sound of rain pattering on banana leaves in a secluded courtyard, a farewell toast, a beautiful woman shedding tears. In an instant, a deep sorrow filled the heart, a desolate and forlorn feeling pervaded the entire journey.

That heart-wrenching remark, while seemingly dismissive and belittling of your piano playing at the time, wasn't actually meant to hurt you.

Jun Lin… Jun Lin… Now… I can face everyone in this world without shame… yet I dare not look directly into your expectant eyes… All these years, all these things… why do you still have the same persistence and devotion as before…

The song ended, leaving only lingering echoes. The surroundings were as cold and silent as night. Perhaps drunk, eyes closed, the pain reaching its peak brought only helplessness. Helplessness for those once passionate, unrestrained, and fervent vows, like drinking poison to quench thirst, seeping into the very marrow. The passing seasons have washed away the years, leaving only a body like autumn grass, swaying in the wind, unsure of where love has gone, where one's body is. Remembering the past glory, all that remains is ruins…

Zi Jin closed her eyes tightly, her hands clenched: If I could go back to my innocent youth, I would definitely treat you well, and I would never treat you like that again... But... it's too late now... Jun Lin... why did you have to change... become like this... a sight that makes me unable to be cruel...

Jun Lin's phoenix eyes, as black as the night, swept around with a captivating light, as if looking at everyone yet seeing no one at all. He tilted his head slightly, his dark hair falling neatly over his eyes: "When I was a child... Jin'er once commented on Jun Lin's zither skills... heart-wrenching... I wonder if Jun Lin's zither skills are still as heart-wrenching as before..." He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also asking the others.

A tear slid down the corner of her eye.

Zi Jin slowly opened her eyes, staring intently at Jun Lin, and smiled gently, the smile reaching her eyes: "At the border of the three kingdoms, there is a town called Mountain Town. Mountain Town has four distinct seasons. A hundred miles outside the town, there is a treasure mountain called Immortal Mountain. The temperature difference on this mountain is enormous, allowing one to experience all four seasons in a single day, truly deserving the description 'four seasons on one mountain, different weather every ten miles.' I wonder if Zi Jin could invite His Highness the Crown Prince to visit the mountain tomorrow?"

Jun Lin's eyes gleamed with boundless light as he smiled radiantly at Zi Jin, like a poppy blooming in the snow, stunning everyone. He slowly said, "Okay..."

Zi Jin returned Jun Lin's gentle smile, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably, the tears flowing more and more fiercely, her smile growing wider and wider: "You pig-headed prince..."

Jun Lin gently plucked the strings of his zither, looked up, and replied, "You mute..." But his red-rimmed eyes and the barely concealed tears betrayed his emotions.

Unresolved emotions and inescapable demonic obstacles, the cycle of cause and effect—when will we meet again? The vows of being like birds flying wing to wing, branches intertwined—made on that day. (Part Three)

The Wish of Two Birds Flying Together (Part 3) Before dawn, Zi Jin had already taken care of everything. Dressed in a fiery red military uniform and cloak, she looked even more exquisite. The boots on her feet were leather riding boots that Dugu Xi Hui had made overnight. She also carried a small red bundle in her hand.

At this moment, a group of more than thirty people was parked outside the post station. Each person rode a horse, and the guards all held torches, illuminating the road in front of the post station. Jin Yulou and his companion led the way, followed by Dugu Xihui, Sikou Xunle, and Jun Lin. An empty white horse sat peacefully beside Jun Lin, and the three of them rode side by side in the middle of the group. Closely following them was a well-covered, exquisitely crafted, and rather simple carriage.

Zi Jin frowned as she looked at the sedan chair, a sarcastic smile appearing on her face: "Whose pampered guest is so noble that they need to travel by carriage?"

The crowd looked at each other, but no one answered.

Jun Lin smiled at Zi Jin: "Jin'er, this mare is very docile, why don't you ride it and see?"

Zi Jin smiled gently at Jun Lin, walked over quickly, put the bundle in the horse saddlebag, and mounted the horse: "Such a docile horse."

Jun Lin smiled broadly: "With your horsemanship skills, how can you ride a horse if it's not obedient?"

Zi Jin glared at Jun Lin with wide eyes and said hatefully, "If it weren't for His Highness the Crown Prince's special favor in giving me the finest horse in the palace to learn horsemanship, how could I have such skills today?"

Jun Lin glanced at Zi Jin, then shook his head with a chuckle: "You remember it quite clearly."

"It's almost dawn, are you still going or not?" Prince Anle asked with a cold smile and a deep voice.

Dugu Xihui smiled and glanced at Zi Jin casually. He then raised his hand to Lou Shuo, and the large group of people set off.

Winter nights are always long. Although it was already the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the sky was still pitch black. The sound of horses' hooves clattering on the bluestone slabs only accentuated the desolation of the street.

They traveled without hindrance, and in less than half an hour, they had left the city gate of Zhongshan Town.

As dawn broke, just outside the city, the sight of towering, snow-capped peaks came into view. The group stopped their horses, gazing at the distant horizon with exhilarating joy.

While everyone was admiring the scenery, Zi Jin quietly turned around and glanced at the carriage behind her. Today, everyone in the group rode a horse, but this exquisite carriage pulled by three horses stood out.