“That’s called philosophy,” Firefly told him.
Zhi Qiu's expression changed, and she sat closer to Bai Xichen, whispering, "Young Master, have they gone mad with fright?"
The sound of an iron gate opening echoed from the quiet dungeon. Cheng Ling walked over and placed several packets of medicine between the iron bars into the cell. With a worried expression, she said, "Miss Xue, I know you must have been wronged. Don't worry, the sect leaders will definitely help you clear your name. Here is some medicine for burns prepared by Young Master Bai. You and Young Master Liuying's injuries cannot be left untreated. If you need anything else, just tell me."
"Ah, there really is a need," Xue Qing suddenly thought of something: "When you bring me dinner tonight, could you please not bring chopsticks? I want a spoon."
Cheng Ling paused for a moment, thinking it was some kind of request, and said, "Okay, I'll tell the guard who delivers the food."
"Did my senior sister... say something?" Xue Qing asked again, her voice much lower.
"Sect Leader Fang Yun hasn't arrived yet; perhaps something has delayed him on the way," Cheng Ling replied.
"Yes, if she comes, you must tell me," Xue Qing instructed.
She would bear the consequences of her own actions and karma without complaint or regret. However, this time, not only would she suffer misfortune, but the reputation of the Lingyu Sect would also be destroyed. If Fang Yun severed ties with her now, perhaps she could salvage the situation. She wanted to see Fang Yun and ask him to sacrifice his pawn to save the king, but why was Fang Yun so late in coming?
Unbeknownst to Xue Qing, Fang Yun was currently at Kunlun Palace. Having received the message, she hadn't gone directly to Qilin Mountain but instead came to Kunlun Palace. It was Kunlun Palace that wanted Xue Qing dead; if they were willing to relent, they could spare her life. After waiting for over two hours in the heavy snow, the Palace Master of Kunlun Palace finally agreed to see Fang Yun. In the candlelit hall, facing the over-seventy-year-old man, Fang Yun said, "Junior Sister is young and inevitably makes careless choices in friends. I beg the Palace Master to show leniency. I will definitely take her back to Lingyu Mountain to discipline her and prevent her from interfering in martial arts affairs again. At that time, I also request that the Palace Master of Kunlun Palace assume the position of Martial Arts Alliance Leader and take charge of matters concerning the martial arts world."
"Although this matter was discovered by Kunlun Palace, Kunlun Palace only made it public for the sake of the safety of the Central Plains martial arts world. The judgment on Miss Xue still needs to be made jointly by other sects. Sect Leader Fang Yun, would you be trying to bend the law for personal gain?" The Kunlun Palace Master did not give Fang Yun any face.
“The Lingyu Sect and the Kunlun Palace have always had a very good relationship. The Kunlun Palace will not really show any mercy.” Fang Yun’s face stiffened.
"A good relationship? Why don't you go and ask Fan Cheng what a good relationship means? Ask the fifty Kunlun Palace disciples who died in the desert what a good relationship means? You feel sorry for the death of two people in your Lingyu Sect? Did you feel sorry when Fan Cheng died?" The Kunlun Palace Master said with a sneer.
Upon hearing the name "Fan Cheng," Fang Yun trembled. She was chivalrous, charitable, and if she were to add the fact that she was a devout Buddhist, people would think she was a bodhisattva reincarnated. No one knew that Fan Cheng was the greatest sin of her life. The desolate snow on Kunlun Mountain never ceased, falling off the cliffs and merging into the azure water. No one knew whether the thin layer of ice was water freezing the snow, or snow freezing the water.
After Fang Yun left, the Kunlun Palace Master stayed alone in the hall, letting his figure blend into the candlelight. His hands, as old as tree bark, touched his equally old cheeks. Suddenly, his hands dug into his skin and pulled hard, tearing away the old tree bark face to reveal a brand new young man's face.
"Uncle-Master Fan Cheng, how dare she come to beg me! Did she forget that you died unjustly? Don't worry, this is just the beginning. Emei, Wudang, Shaolin, none of them will escape!" The young man threw his aged face to the ground and said angrily. The hatred in his eyes was so intense that it seemed to melt everything away, making people shudder than the snow outside the window.
That evening, the jailer who delivered the food indeed replaced Xue Qing's chopsticks with a spoon. After Xue Qing finished eating, she secretly hid the spoon and, after the jailer had collected the bowls and chopsticks and left, she tapped it on every piece of the floor in the cell.
"What are you doing?" Firefly asked.
"Dig a tunnel and escape," Xue Qing said without turning her head.
"With a spoon?"
"If you can get me a shovel, I'd like to use one too." Xue Qing suddenly remembered something while digging, turned to look at Bai Xichen and said, "Young Master Bai, how can you be so calm? Are you already prepared to go to heaven? Or..."
“Given your status in the Central Plains martial arts world, the interrogation should take at least a month. Why rush? What I do care about is that you and I are practically colleagues,” Bai Xichen said.
She was more than just a colleague; she almost became the boss's wife. Xue Qing smiled innocently and said, "I was young and ignorant, young and impetuous. Don't take it too seriously. I've already quit."
"Abbot Chankong, was this visit to the prison a joyous or sorrowful occasion?" Liuying suddenly asked.
"Hahaha, how did you know I was coming?" Abbot Chankong, wearing a shimmering kasaya, walked outside the iron railing.
"The roast chicken flavor is very strong," Liu Ying said.
"I always said that Huiying is a promising young girl, and it is indeed true." Abbot Chankong was very satisfied with Liuying's sense of smell.
"Bald monk, have you come to see me off?" Xue Qing felt a strange sense of familiarity when she saw Abbot Chankong's old face.
“Of course I’ll see you off. I’ll see you off as far, far away as possible,” Abbot Chankong said, blinking.
A note from the author: My writing always improves with each new piece; my perspective changes with each new story.
My understanding of Mary Sue is still too superficial. Because everywhere there's anti-Mary Sue sentiment, people are deliberately putting the protagonist down to make her seem less "Mary Sue-like," but this approach is wrong. Who wants to see someone mediocre and insignificant? Who wants to see someone so ordinary? A girl's comment made me think a lot: the reason protagonists are protagonists is because they are unique.
I ate steamed buns tonight, thank goodness.
Desert Journey
Inside the Qingping Le Palace, it was another bustling night. Yi Chun was still playing the zither in her room. Outside her door, the brocade sedan chair was still parked. The gentle zither music separated the hustle and bustle outside into two worlds. The strings plucked by her fingertips soothed her cold and agitated heart.
"Come here," the person in the sedan chair suddenly said.
The music stopped, and Yi Chun got up, lifted her skirt, and walked to the sedan chair.
"Put your hand in," the person in the sedan chair said again.
Yi Chun obediently reached her hand through the curtain. She felt a strange hand grasp hers. The palm of that hand was covered in thick, hard calluses, a mark of a martial artist. Its icy temperature seemed to come from a deep pool, unlike the warmth of a living person. The chilling touch made Yi Chun instinctively try to pull her hand back, but the hand held it tightly. That icy hand gripped hers for a long, long time, like a vengeful ghost from hell desperately trying to feel the warmth of a living person.
"Do you...why don't you bring it up? I would be willing to be your concubine." Yi Chun finally mustered up her courage and said.
As soon as he finished speaking, his hand released her. The atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating. Yi Chun lowered her head. She thought she was very close to him, but it turned out they were from two different worlds.
Who would have thought that the abbot of Shaolin Temple would break into prison? When Meng Yin returned to report to the Kunlun Palace Master, the Kunlun Palace Master just smiled coldly: "It's not just me who wants to cause chaos in the Central Plains. Look, this is the will of Heaven."
Instead of escorting Xue Qing and the others to the post station, Abbot Chankong went to the ferry crossing, where a small, somewhat old boat was moored. A young monk was guarding the boat, and upon seeing Abbot Chankong, he jumped off and said, "Abbot."
“Now all sects and factions are after you. The only way is to travel by water to the desert,” Abbot Chankong said.
"Are you sure you'll be okay helping us?" Xue Qing asked, still worried.
“Of course there’s a problem,” Abbot Chankong said. “The nun has been staring at me for a long time.”
Xue Qing's eyes narrowed to slits: "Let's go, ignore this old monk."
The four of them walked onto the boat one after another using the planks that were laid across it. Xue Qing was the last to climb up. After climbing onto the plank, she suddenly asked, "Old monk, why did you help me?"
“Amitabha Buddha, a celestial star has descended, which is either a blessing or a curse. I’m taking a gamble,” Abbot Chankong said, his hands clasped together.
Xue Qing smiled slightly: "Thank you, I won't let you down."
Just as Xue Qing was about to gracefully board the boat, Abbot Chankong called out to her, "Wait."