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Shao Yang looked at her and couldn't help but sigh, "Ruzheng, in the end, you still..."
Yue Ruzheng frowned and said, "Senior brother, don't overthink it. What happened that night has nothing to do with the past."
"You're always so stubborn." Shao Yang sighed, then, seeing the inn sign ahead, dismounted and led Yue Ruzheng's horse forward.
The two entered the inn. Shao Yang noticed that Yue Ruzheng was still walking somewhat slowly, and reached out to help her, but she held onto the railing and went upstairs herself. Just as Shao Yang was about to follow her up, a commotion arose at the entrance, and five or six young men dressed in short jackets and close-fitting clothes rushed in. The first, a tall man, strode in quickly, tossed his riding whip to the waiter waiting by the door, and shouted, "Prepare the best rooms, and all sorts of food and wine. We're tired from our journey, so hurry up and bring them in."
The waiter readily agreed, and the group sat around the table, talking loudly. Judging from their accents, they seemed to be from the southwest region, but their tone was different from that of the Emei Sect members.
Shao Yang hurried upstairs, knocked on Yue Ruzheng's door, and entered, saying, "I don't know which sect is downstairs, but they're making a lot of noise."
Yue Ruzheng listened carefully. The people below were drinking and playing drinking games, and the losers were slamming their fists on the table with tremendous force.
"Normally, no martial arts practitioners would stay in this small county of Lujiang. Could they also be heading to Tingyu Manor?" Yue Ruzheng said as she slowly walked to the door and looked downstairs.
A note from the author: I've recently returned to work and I'm really busy. I don't have many drafts saved up, so I definitely won't have time to write daily updates. Don't worry, don't worry.
Chapter Forty-Six: Who Remembers the Lonely Figure Embracing His Shadow in Despair?
At the dinner table, the tall, burly man turned to the person next to him and said with a smile, "Senior Brother Zhou, do you think we'll run into those girls from the Emei Sect on our way back?"
The man was thin and unremarkable in appearance. Pouring wine, he said, "So what if I saw her? That Liang Yingxue is the most proper of them all; she wouldn't exchange a single word with you."
"I have no interest in anything with her; the Emei Sect has plenty of young women!"
Another person chuckled and said, "I think Yin Xiurong has more charisma, she's quite feisty!"
The tall, burly man nodded and said, "If we encounter anyone from Seven Star Island on our way to Tingyu Manor, we can take the opportunity to show them a few moves and let those girls see the power of our Hengshan Sect. They shouldn't always be so arrogant!"
The others echoed in agreement. Hearing this, Yue Ruzheng turned and closed the door. Shao Yang asked in surprise, "How do the Hengshan Sect members know about the Seven Star Island and Emei Sect incident? How did the news spread so quickly?"
Yue Ruzheng silently shook her head, walked to the table and sat down before saying, "Senior brother, I always feel very uneasy."
Shao Yang was slightly taken aback, then stepped forward and said, "You've worked too hard. When you left Huangshan that day, you ran into those young people from Seven Star Island... Ruzheng, actually, I wanted to tell you not to intervene, but you rushed out before I could even speak, and you almost got hurt yourself."
Yue Ruzheng lowered her head, looking at her hands, and said softly, "I'm sorry to have made you worry about me."
Shao Yang looked at her helplessly and said, "Over the years, I've always hoped you could return to your former self, but seeing you take action again that night made me very nervous..." He paused, then continued, "Ruzheng, in two months you'll be twenty-three. Shouldn't you start thinking about yourself? Are you really going to waste your life like this?"
Yue Ruzheng looked up in surprise, seemingly not expecting him to bring up this topic so suddenly. Seeing Shao Yang's focused gaze on her, she awkwardly turned away and whispered, "Senior brother, you don't need to worry about these things for me. If you find a girl you like, just get married quickly."
Shao Yang paused for a moment, smiled silently, and turned to walk out.
The group of Hengshan disciples also stayed at the inn that night, still disregarding others, their footsteps echoing loudly as they went upstairs. The next morning, as soon as Shao Yang and Yue Ruzheng stepped out of the inn, the others hurriedly led their horses, ready to depart. Two people were still discussing the Seven Star Island matter while packing their belongings. As Shao Yang passed by them, he couldn't help but say, "The people from Seven Star Island have already left Tingyu Manor; you can all rest assured."
"Gone?" The two men were quite surprised. The tall man from yesterday sized up Shao Yang and asked, "Who are you?"
Shao Yang said calmly, "I just came from Tingyu Manor myself." After saying that, he and Yue Ruzheng led their horses forward.
The people behind him were talking amongst themselves, some of them looking disappointed, as if they had lost their chance to stand out.
Shao Yang lowered his voice and said, "I think the Hengshan Sect is nothing special. I heard that the former sect leader wanted to pass the leadership to the Misty Cloud Swordsman Lan Baichen, but he refused. I guess Lan Baichen saw through the incompetence of the Hengshan disciples and didn't want to take over this mess, right?"
"Lan Baichen is upright and honest. If he becomes the sect leader, he will definitely rectify the sect's conduct." Yue Ruzheng rode her horse along, but then heard Shao Yang casually say, "Speaking of which, Lan Baichen has a long-standing relationship with Senior Uncle Yu. Back then, when he eloped with the fourth young lady of the Tang Clan, it was Senior Uncle Yu who helped him return to Hengshan safely."
Yue Ruzheng's heart skipped a beat, her expression remained unchanged, but her eyes darkened slightly. Shao Yang, unaware that her words had brought back memories of the past, rode alongside her towards Luzhou.
After settling their bill, the Hengshan disciples mounted their horses and headed towards Tingyu Manor. Reaching the outskirts of Lujiang County, a biting wind whipped at their faces, and everyone wrapped themselves tightly in their clothes, galloping against the wind. They didn't follow a set pattern, but rather rode in twos and threes along the main road. Fortunately, the weather was cold and there weren't many pedestrians around. The tall, burly man, finding his hands sore from the wind, tucked his right hand into his sleeve, holding the reins only with his left hand, and charged ahead.
His eldest disciple, Zhou Yuan, who was standing a little behind him, shouted, "Sheng Quan! Watch out!"
The man waved his hand behind him, indicating not to worry. But just as he turned around, a carriage sped towards him from the bend, followed closely by two groups of young men on horseback, looking hurried. The young man driving the carriage couldn't avoid it and narrowly missed the man's horse. There was a neighing sound, and the horse, startled, leaped off. The man quickly dismounted, but because the ground was slippery, he stumbled a few steps before managing to regain his footing.
The Hengshan Sect members rode up and surrounded him. Before Zhou Yuan could speak, the man named Sheng Quan rushed forward and angrily shouted at the young man driving the carriage, "Are you blind? You almost made me fall to my death!"
The young man, having just calmed the horses, jumped down from the carriage and frowned upon hearing the man's rude words, saying, "If you hadn't been so reckless, this wouldn't have happened!"
"So many of us are on our way, can't you move aside?!" Sheng Quan shouted, raising his sword, which, though not yet drawn, was pointed directly at the young man. The others also dismounted and gathered in front of the carriage, blocking its path.
Upon seeing this, the young men who were originally following closely behind the carriage spurred their horses forward. At this moment, the curtain was lifted, and a girl in a green dress leaned out. It was Danfeng, the maid who had appeared at Tingyu Manor that day.
Her face tightened as she glared at the man named Sheng Quan, and said with displeasure, "The road to success is open to all, but you've bumped into me, and now you want to fight?"
"Little girl, you've got a sharp tongue. Want to come down and have a go at me?" Sheng Quan glanced at Danfeng, then turned to the crowd and said, "This girl is pretty, but she's a bit too young."
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. Danfeng blushed and jumped off the carriage. The young driver quickly stopped her, saying, "We still have a long way to go. Don't bother with them."
Danfeng snorted and turned to return to the carriage, but Shengquan became more aggressive and reached out to pull her arm. Danfeng twisted her waist and dodged quickly, striking Shengquan's arm with her palm. Shengquan, seeing her small stature, didn't take her seriously and didn't dodge, reaching out to grab her wrist.
Danfeng twisted her wrist, her five fingers suddenly spreading out like claws, her pale red nails swiftly slicing across Shengquan's hand. He hadn't expected this seemingly innocent girl to make such a ruthless move, and he was gripped very hard by her. He couldn't help but let out a low roar, switch hands, and thrust his sword straight at Danfeng's heart.
Danfeng spun around, her feet stepping onto the wheel, her long skirt billowing as she leaped onto the horse's back. The young man driving the carriage brandished his long whip, which snapped as it wrapped around the hilt of Shengquan's sword. The two were locked in a fierce struggle, neither giving way.
"Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?!" Danfeng braced herself with her hands, leaned back on her horse, and gave a wink to the riders by the carriage. A cold light flashed, and the riders drew their twin swords from their backs, ready to move forward.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Yuan was startled and quickly stopped his men, then said to Sheng Quan, "Junior brother, stop!"
Sheng Quan not only ignored him, but also kicked away the long whip that the young man was sweeping towards him. He leaped up, his sword aimed straight at Danfeng on the horse's back, cursing, "Little wench, you're really ruthless..."
Before he could finish speaking, a cold light shot out from behind the carriage curtain. The light was as white as snow and as bright as the moon, yet it also carried a chilling aura. Before anyone could notice, it had already reached Sheng Quan's shoulder.
Seeing this, Zhou Yuan leaped forward and drew his sword, aiming directly at the white light. The white light was about to collide with his sword, but it suddenly sank in mid-air and changed direction.
Zhou Yuan hurriedly reached out to push Sheng Quan away, but the moment he moved, the white light silently pierced Sheng Quan's waist. Sheng Quan cried out in pain and fell backward to the ground. The young man behind him seized the opportunity to whip his whip towards Sheng Quan's throat. At this moment, someone inside the carriage whispered, "Come back."
The young man immediately retreated rapidly, the long whip flying back into his hand with a whistling sound. Danfeng on horseback also gracefully returned to the front of the carriage and stood leaning against the door.
While the Hengshan Sect members were busy helping Sheng Quan up, they were also cursing and swearing. Several impatient ones tried to rush forward despite Zhou Yuan's obstruction, but were blocked by the riders by the carriage with a sword formation.