Лучшая актриса - Глава 62
"It's just that we ran into an enemy. One of them has serious internal injuries, but they shouldn't be in mortal danger." Shao Yang stepped forward and leaned against the window. "I don't think things are very peaceful here. Now that we've paid our respects to the old master, let's set off back to Luzhou tomorrow."
Yue Ruzheng said with slight surprise, "I thought you were going to stay and help Wei Heng. Judging from the tone of those people from the Emei Sect just now, it seemed like you wanted to resolve the dispute here?"
Shao Yang hurriedly said, "Wei Heng will handle it. We have no dealings with the Emei Sect, so why should we stay and get involved?"
Yue Ruzheng looked into Shao Yang's eyes and noticed that his reaction was quite different from usual. On one hand, she felt she shouldn't leave in such a hurry, and on the other hand, she genuinely didn't want to get involved in these martial arts conflicts anymore. So she suppressed what she wanted to say, thought for a moment, and said, "Then let's go say goodbye to Wei Heng later, so he won't be unhappy."
"No need. I already told him when I came, and he knows we don't want to cause trouble, so he didn't blame us."
Seeing his resolute attitude, Yue Ruzheng stopped thinking about it.
The two stayed in the courtyard that day, and by the afternoon, the snowfall not only did not lessen, but intensified. The distant mountains that were once visible were completely covered by the swirling snow, and the world was a vast expanse of white. Coupled with the howling north wind, it was difficult to move.
At night, the villa was quiet, with only the soft sound of falling snow hitting the windows, as if someone were gently tapping on them with their fingers.
Yue Ruzheng lay in bed, the candle on the table flickering before going out on its own, plunging the room into darkness. The heavy snow continued tonight, and a cold wind seeped in through the cracks in the window, stirring the curtains by the bed, creating a desolate and chilly atmosphere.
Looking at the dark room, she suddenly recalled that night when, with a heavy heart, she hid the brocade box behind her back and slowly moved to the bedside, looking at the sleeping boy.
He had delicate features and a slightly pale face. Yue Ruzheng could not forget his indifferent yet dark eyes, nor could she forget that evening when he overcame his awkwardness and silently endured eating the sweet cake she forced upon him. In the hazy moonlight, the two sat on the edge of the bed, eating the rather unpalatable cake together, a quiet warmth filling the air.
He always consciously suppressed his inner emotions, only revealing a little joy that was no different from that of ordinary people in the brief moments that followed. In fact, he had the same smile, the same longing, and the same gentleness as any ordinary boy. He would carry her on his back and run tirelessly in the wind, leap off a cliff just to pick a bunch of orchids for her, and sit on the beach carefully searching for seashells.
He said, "I don't need any so-called commemoration."
He said, "I'm afraid I'll miss out on you."
He said, "I like you too, Ruzheng."
He said, "Don't cry, Ruzheng. Really, I'll be very sad."
He said, "I just want to give you a little bit, even if it's very little... I can't bear to see you stay by my side, but I can't give you anything in return!"
"What have you given him?" Over the years, Yue Ruzheng has often asked herself this question.
She used to think that she was the only one who could bring Xiao Tang out of that remote mountain, and she believed that she could bring him joy and happiness that he had never experienced before.
But in the end, it was she who pushed him down from the clouds, causing him to fall heavily and be shattered to pieces.
Gain and loss are separated by a fine line, yet they feel like a thousand pounds, pressing down on one so much that it's hard to breathe and impossible to escape.
This was one of Yue Ruzheng's many sleepless nights over the years. She had long been accustomed to facing the darkness alone, with fragments of past memories fluttering around her like the hazy snowflakes outside her window.
Author's Note: PS: Can I honestly say that my fingers got blisters just from carrying a few bags of books...? The consequences of being lazy! So tragic. Next chapter title: Meeting Before Spring, Yet in a Foreign Land. [Hehe]
Chapter Forty-Three: Meeting Before Spring, Yet in a Foreign Land
As dawn broke, the exhausted Yue Ruzheng packed her bags, pushed open the door, and saw that under the blue sky and white clouds, the distant mountains and the earth were all covered in a pure white light, so bright that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes. The pines and cypresses on the opposite mountain were also bent over by the weight of the snow, swaying heavily in the wind.
Outside the courtyard, people were already clearing the snow, barely managing to clear a narrow path for people to walk on. Seeing this, Yue Ruzheng couldn't help but worry about whether the way down the mountain was feasible. She asked the servants who were clearing the snow, and sure enough, the mountain path was completely covered by heavy snow, and it was absolutely impossible to walk down today.
Helpless, Yue Ruzheng wanted to consult with Shao Yang, but found his door wide open and the room empty. After thinking for a moment, she headed towards the main courtyard where Wei Heng lived. She had only gone halfway when she saw Qi Yun walking towards her from a side path. When he saw Yue Ruzheng, his eyes darted away slightly, but he greeted her with a smile, quite casually.
After walking a few steps, Yue Ruzheng turned back and called out to him, "Have you seen Shao Yang?"
"He went with the master of the manor..." Qi Yun paused before continuing, "They went outside to check if the mountain path was easy to traverse. Miss Yue, why don't you wait in the side hall for a while?"
Yue Ruzheng didn't understand why he was speaking hesitantly, and walked towards the side hall with a puzzled look. The side hall was located next to the back garden of Tingyu Villa. Wei Heng had entertained the two of them here before. Yue Ruzheng knew the way and didn't ask anyone to lead the way. When she arrived at the gate of the back garden, she saw Wei Heng and Shao Yang coming out from the back of the garden.
The two were caught off guard by Yue Ruzheng's arrival and were both taken aback. Yue Ruzheng asked in surprise, "Weren't you going out to check on the snow on the mountain path? Why did you come from the back garden?"
Wei Heng smiled and said, "Isn't there a side gate in this back garden that leads to the mountain path?"
Before Yue Ruzheng could ask a question, Shao Yang stepped forward and said, "Ruzheng, the snow on the mountain path is too thick today, so we can only stay for one more day."
Yue Ruzheng nodded and said to Wei Heng, "Logically, we shouldn't leave at this time, but..."
"I understand," Wei Heng said nonchalantly. "Don't worry, this is nothing to me."
"Who did the Emei Sect have a conflict with that they need to resolve their dispute with you?" Yue Ruzheng then asked.
Shao Yang's expression changed slightly as he looked at Wei Heng.
Wei Heng raised an eyebrow casually and said, "They're just bandits from a mountain stronghold near Huangshan, so there's no need to worry. I'll take care of it for them."
"Ruzheng, don't overthink it. Wei Heng is now a dignified manor lord, so why would he be afraid of those petty villains?" Shao Yang comforted her again, finally dispelling Yue Ruzheng's doubts.
The snow stopped and the sky cleared that day. By evening, some of the snow on the mountain paths had melted, but the damp and cold areas remained slippery and difficult to traverse. At night, the wind shifted, turning into a chilling northerly wind that swept across the mountain peaks. The next morning, the melted snow had frozen back into ice, and the clouds in the sky were gloomy, as if even greater snowfall was brewing.
Shao Yang had secretly inquired with Wei Heng and learned that it had been several days since Yin Xiurong and her group had made their move against Seven Star Island. He was worried that Lian Junqiu would soon arrive at Huangshan, and that it would be better to leave as soon as possible than to embarrass Yue Ruzheng. Therefore, despite the snow not having melted, Shao Yang insisted on taking Yue Ruzheng down the mountain.
Fearing the daunting journey down the mountain would be difficult, Wei Heng specially ordered people to clean the mountain paths near Tingyu Villa. In the afternoon, he personally saw Shao Yang and Yue Ruzheng off.
The sky was now a pale gray, the wind was dying down, and a few fine snowflakes drifted by. Wei Heng, wearing a plain white brocade cloak, walked out of the manor with them. Qi Yun had already arranged for a simple feast to be held in a pavilion not far away.
Liang Yingxue, as the chief disciple of Emei, also came with Wei Heng to see the two off, leaving only Yin Xiurong and a few other girls inside the manor. Just as everyone finished drinking and was about to part, the manor gate suddenly burst open. Wei Heng turned around and saw a girl in yellow, who usually followed Yin Xiurong, rushing out, shouting, "Senior Sister, someone from Seven Star Island is trying to kill himself by banging his head against a wall! Please go and check on him immediately!"
Liang Yingxue hurriedly followed the girl, and Wei Heng gave Qi Yun a wink, and Qi Yun also followed closely behind.
Shao Yang couldn't help but look at Yue Ruzheng and saw that she looked surprised and her eyes were filled with panic.
Before Shao Yang could explain, she suddenly stood up, took a step back, stared blankly at the two of them, and asked, "What did she just say?"
"Ruzheng, don't be afraid, they're just a few henchmen from Seven Star Island," Shao Yang said hesitantly.
"Why did you keep this from me?!" Yue Ruzheng's face turned pale, and her lips trembled slightly, whether from the cold or fear. "They've been kept locked up in this manor all along, haven't they? Wei Heng, the problem you mentioned that you need to resolve, is it related to them?"
Wei Heng looked at Shao Yang with a troubled expression and sighed, "Sister Yue, you should know that we've been keeping quiet because we were thinking of you."