Чистое сердце в нефритовом сосуде - Глава 33
Yunshang looked up at Song Zhixuan in surprise, probably not expecting him to come up with a matching line so quickly. Yunshang's face suddenly turned red. Immediately afterward, Song Zhixuan threw out another first line of the couplet: "Walking along the mountain path at dawn, the misty air is like smoke, and the smoke is like fog."
Yunshang pondered for a moment and replied, "Sitting in the riverside pavilion at night, the moonlight is like water, and the water is like the sky."
Song Zhixuan raised his teacup to Yunshang and said, "Third Miss, you have such talent." Yunshang's face turned even redder.
Shen Haoyu glanced at Yunshang, then at Song Zhixuan, his expression rather strange. The others, sensing the tense atmosphere, sat upright, not daring to speak. Once again, they were at an impasse, unsure how to break it, when a commotion and a woman's cries came from the path they had come from. They exchanged glances, and Shen Haoyu led the way, standing up and heading back in the direction they had come from.
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 24
Chapter word count: 3835 Update time: 09-07-27 11:00
On the mountain path, a richly dressed young man was pulling at a pretty young woman. The woman struggled weakly, sobbing softly. Beside her, a maidservant was being held down by several servants, her face streaked with tears as she watched her beloved servant being harassed. Looking closely at the woman, she could only be described as pretty; compared to our Yunshang and Yunruo, she was far from beautiful. Judging from the young man's attire, his family must be quite wealthy. He certainly wasn't unfamiliar with beautiful women, so why was he harassing such a plain-looking woman? Or was he so used to seeing stunning beauties that he wanted a change of pace with the plain gardenia?
When the woman saw people approaching, she hurriedly called for help. Perhaps she herself felt she was quite safe, having only brought this little maid with her up the mountain; bad luck had struck her as someone with a taste for such things.
Although I'm a kind-hearted person and treat those around me well, that's only true for those close to me. As for other people's affairs, it's best to stay out of it and mind my own business. Besides, there are so many people around me; it's hardly my turn to step in. I ignored the woman's cries for help, only glancing at them and then at the people around me. Yun Ruo clearly couldn't bear to see this situation and was about to step forward, but Yun Shang pulled her back and gently shook her head. The others simply watched Shen Haoyu, waiting to see his reaction before deciding whether to get involved.
Shen Haoyu didn't seem to be a kind-hearted person. He glanced at the scene and turned to leave, so we had no choice but to follow. Seeing that the person who could have saved her was gone, the woman seemed to despair and cried even louder. Shen Haoyu, however, continued walking towards our picnic spot.
Yun Ruo ran forward and grabbed Shen Haoyu, asking, "Brother, why didn't you save her?"
Shen Haoyu sneered, "She doesn't need us to save her at all. You guys mind your own business."
Just as we were wondering what he meant, a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the quiet mountain forest, and more than twenty men in black immediately appeared on the mountain path, surrounding us menacingly.
Is this targeting us?
We rarely leave our homes, so how could we possibly make enemies?
Oh, then they must be here for Shen Haoyu.
He glanced at Shen Haoyu, who maintained a calm demeanor with a faint, cold smile. This guy was either still trying to act cool, or he already knew what was going to happen.
What's going on? They just finished the scene of harassing an innocent woman, and now so many assassins have come. Today is really lively.
Just as he was feeling frustrated, he saw the elegantly dressed young man and the woman who had been harassed earlier also gather around. It turned out they were in cahoots. Luckily, Shen Haoyu realized this, otherwise he would have been ambushed as soon as he got close to them.
"I wonder which prince sent you?" Shen Haoyu said with a smile.
The gardenia-scented woman, pretending to be teased, said, "Young prince, as long as you hand over that thing, we'll leave."
Shen Haoyu ignored her and turned to us, saying, "None of you have ever actually killed anyone, have you? I brought you out today to practice. Lin En and Zinuo, protect Miss. The rest of you can make your move." After saying that, he stood aside coolly. Zhao Ming and Song Zhixuan had no choice but to draw their swords and rush into the group of men in black. As for me, my jaw almost dropped to the ground.
"Brother, be careful." Zi Nuo's voice rang out from behind.
I turned my head and saw two men in black raising their knives, ready to ambush us. I quickly pulled Yunruo, who was closest to me, and leaped to Shen Haoyu's side. No way they wanted to watch the show! Zinuo was much braver than me; she drew a soft sword from her waist and, while protecting Yunshang, began fighting the two men in black.
When did he get such a soft sword? Why don't I have any weapons?
I turned my questioning gaze to Shen Haoyu, only to find him staring at me fiercely.
"Didn't I tell you to protect the young lady? What are you doing here?" Shen Haoyu said fiercely.
I pointed at Zinuo and said, "When did Zinuo get a weapon? I don't even have one! What am I supposed to use to protect myself? Stick my arm out and get hacked at?"
Shen Haoyu was speechless for a moment, and a suspicious blush appeared on his face.
"You haven't forgotten about this, have you?" I could almost hear myself grinding my teeth.
Hearing this, Yunruo looked at me in surprise, and I snapped back to reality. Is this how a guard should act? When did I stop being afraid of him? Running away when in the wrong, but relentless when in the right? When did our relationship become this close?
Shen Haoyu drew a short sword and handed it to me: "Here you go."
I reached out and took it.
Song Zhixuan and his group seemed to be struggling against the men in black, as it was their first time fighting in real combat. Several of them managed to break free and head towards us, but were intercepted by Zinuo. Although we knew Zinuo was skilled in martial arts, his agility was even more apparent in this actual fight, proving that he was no less capable than Song Zhixuan and his group.
I seized the opportunity and brought Yunshang over, so that she could be a little away from the battlefield and Zinuo could act more freely.
Shen Haoyu just stared at Zi Nuo, not paying much attention to the battle situation on Song Zhixuan's side, and a sense of heaviness welled up in my heart for no reason.
“Young Prince, stop staring at Zinuo. If you had let me learn more these past few years, I might be even more capable than them.” I spoke up to divert Shen Haoyu’s attention. “You’re really wasting talent.”
Shen Haoyu glanced at me but didn't say anything.
As we were talking, the woman with the gardenia and a man in black rushed at us with swords. I held Yunshang and Yunruo and ducked to dodge them. Shen Haoyu took their swords from the scabbard and began to fight.
Finally, even Shen Haoyu took to the stage.
I was under immense pressure and terrified as I single-handedly protected two delicate young girls. Although I could occasionally be a bit disrespectful to Shen Haoyu, when it came to matters of life and death, I had to risk my life to protect them; after all, they were the ones in charge.
Although they stopped all the assassins, what if one or two slipped through the net and made their way here? I know I have some martial arts skills, but I've never had the thought of actually fighting someone to the death. I can't kill anyone! But what if someone tries to kill me?
He gripped the short sword tightly in his hand, trembling uncontrollably, and silently prayed that no one would attack him.
"Are you scared? Aren't you my brother's chief bodyguard?" Yunruo asked me, looking at me with a puzzled expression. Yunshang also looked puzzled, perhaps with a hint of disdain.
"What?" I exclaimed, my eyes widening. "Who said I was the chief bodyguard?"
"I knew a few years ago. Weren't you one of the first to move into Autumn Maple Garden? I thought you were something special." Nothing special. I knew she had another half-sentence she wasn't saying.
"What does living in Qiufeng Garden have to do with the chief guard?" I wondered as well.
Yun Ruo looked at me like I was an idiot: "Without passing numerous tests, what qualifications do you have to become a guard in Qiufeng Garden?"
I was completely stunned.
“Wait a minute, little princess, I don’t quite understand.” I swallowed and said, “I entered Qiufeng Garden when I was six years old. Before entering Qiufeng Garden, I practiced martial arts every day. Who knew that after entering, no one would teach me martial arts anymore? I have wasted many years of my life. Now I must be the worst guard.”