Love & Redemption
Chapter 119: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji - 26 Perilous String (Part 2)

Chapter 119: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji Chapter 26 Perilous String (Part 2)

Xuanji dragged Si Feng all around the town, buying a bit of every unfamiliar food they came across to taste, until eventually they were so stuffed they could hardly walk and had to sit by the roadside to rest.

By then, dusk was near, and the distant sky had already been dyed fiery red by the evening glow. Large swaths of gold and red clouds settled upon the continuous hills, casting a stunning sunset red on both of their faces.

Xuanji was still gnawing on the unfinished soy-marinated horse meat in her hand, her face smeared with the sauce. Noticing Yu Sifeng staring intently at the distance, where the darkness was gently setting in, the layers of mountains seemed to spread out endlessly into the horizon, naturally making one wonder what lay beyond those infinite ranges.

"What are you looking at?" she finally finished off the piece of horse meat and struggled to pull a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe her hands and face.

Yu Sifeng simply smiled faintly, not saying a word. His gaze was affectionate yet sorrowful. After gazing for a long while, he touched his nose and turned back with a light laugh, "I used to enjoy standing high up on the bell tower of Lize Palace, looking out at the distant hills and wondering what lay beyond them. Now I finally know—it’s a beautiful little town."

Xuanji stood up, shielded her eyes with her hand, and joined him in looking out, saying, "So the Lize Palace lies beyond those hills! That’s where Si Feng grew up, isn’t it?"

Yu Sifeng shook his head, "It’s not exactly where I grew up... My homeland... is far, very far away."

"How far?"

"...So far that once you leave, you can never return."

It sounded very mysterious. Xuanji stared at him blankly, unable to envision such a distant place that once left, one could never return.

"Then... I’ll never be able to visit Si Feng’s homeland in this lifetime? Won’t your family miss you?"

Yu Sifeng’s smile curled up at the corners, conveying a sense of cold desolation.

"Hmm, you’ll never be able to go there, Xuanji. As for my family... they all died a very long time ago, leaving me all alone."

So he was a pitiful child. Xuanji’s gaze instantly filled with pity and affection as she reached out to touch his head, as if comforting an injured kitten.

"How can you be all alone?" she said softly. "We are all here with you."

He seemed not very skilled at handling such sentimental moments, a bit clumsy, and coughed, his face turning slightly red. Perhaps it was the excessively brilliant twilight sky that made him appear more delicate and tender than usual. The mountain breeze blew over, carrying with it the fresh scent of the ocean, refreshing.

"It’s time to go back, Zi Hu is still at the inn," he said as he brushed aside the black hair blown to in front of him. Turning back, he smiled, his eyes clear and shining like black gemstones.

Xuanji couldn’t help but wrap her arm around his, letting him pull her along. She felt languid and soft, like a cat that had eaten its fill.

"Si Feng, what is your homeland like?"

He thought for a moment, "Hmm, very beautiful."

"Are there many people?"

"Many."

"Then will you... go back to have a look someday?"

The young man beside her suddenly stopped, then turned and smiled, "Didn’t I say once you leave, you can’t go back?"

"I’ll never be able to return in my life."

For some reason, Xuanji suddenly felt a wave of sadness, the approaching night brought a moaning wind carrying a hint of chill. She held onto his arm tightly and said no more.

When I returned to the inn, Zi Hu was earnestly lying on the windowsill, looking up at the sky and muttering to herself, no idea what she was saying.

I brought her quite a few delicious treats, carrying them over and dropping them on the table with a smile, calling her over: "Zi Hu! The sauced horse meat and sesame cakes here are so tasty! I bought you a lot, come and eat!"

Her mutterings suddenly interrupted, she seemed quite annoyed. Swishing her big tail, she walked over and glanced disdainfully at the food on the table—it was fragrant and mouthwatering. Unable to let her pride sink, she muttered a thank you in a low voice and picked up a piece of horse meat to gnaw on.

The door suddenly opened; turns out, Zhong Minyan and Ruo Yu had also returned. These two must have sneaked off to drink, reeking of alcohol. As soon as Zhong Minyan entered, he asked loudly, "So, is everything ready? When can we actually leave?"

Zi Hu swallowed the horse meat in her mouth and said indifferently, "Tomorrow night is the New Moon, and from the New Moon to the full moon is the best time to travel to Buzhou Mountain. We can leave tomorrow."

"Ah, really?!" Zhong Minyan’s face immediately lit up with joy, uncontrollably excited.

Zi Hu gave him a glare and added, "Buzhou Mountain is also a holy land. You can’t go there, dusty and disheveled like this. Once we reach the foot of the mountain, clean yourselves up, change into new clothes! Don’t desecrate that place with a few brats like you."

Knowing we could go to Buzhou Mountain tomorrow made everyone very happy, even Zhong Minyan didn’t mind her mean words; he ruffled her furry head, laughing, "Got it! And I hope you succeed too!"

Zi Hu didn’t respond. This journey, she was prepared to risk her life. Whether human or demon, those unafraid of death truly had nothing left to fear or say.

After taking a bath, Xuanji was drying her hair in the corridor when Zhong Minyan came out of his room alone with a jug of alcohol. Their eyes met, and both seemed at a loss for words.

In the end, it was Zhong Minyan who broke the silence with a chuckle, asking, "Are you worried about going to Buzhou Mountain?"

Xuanji nodded silently. After a moment, she said, "Ting Nu said... it’s very dangerous there."

He tipped his head back and took a big gulp of mare’s milk from the jug. Though the taste was strange, after drinking a lot, it was surprisingly potent, like fire burning in the belly.

"Are you worried about dying, or worried that we won’t be able to save Linglong and Second Senior Brother?" he asked with a hint of mockery in his laughter.

"Both," she took a breath, "I don’t want to die. As long as I’m alive, there’s always a chance to save them. But if we can’t rescue them this time, I’ll be very upset."

Zhong Minyan, with the jug in hand, was silent for a while. Then, suddenly, he said, "I won’t think so much. I’ll just fight with all I’ve got."

Xuanji looked up at him, his eyes burning with such intensity, and the silver crescent moon hanging in the sky reflected in them, shining with a ferocity completely different from Yu Sifeng’s. A tremor ran through her throat, she tightened her grip on the railing, speaking softly, "I... I’ll also fight with all I’ve got."

He seemed not to hear her clearly, squinting at her. Xuanji turned her face away and headed back to her room, saying, "Rest early. I’m going to sleep."

After closing the door, she suddenly heard him say outside, "You don’t have to worry about anything, just be like before."

Lying back on the bed, Xuanji felt inexplicably more exhausted. After a long time, she finally let out a low sigh from deep within her chest.

Zhong Minyan finished the mare’s milk in the corridor and was somewhat drunk, swaying as he prepared to head back to his own room. Suddenly, there was a "bang" on the window of the passage—it seemed as if someone was lightly tapping it with something.

He looked down casually, saw no one, and didn’t give it much thought. But then, something hit the window again with a soft "tap tap." He paused, and the sound came again, "tap tap."

There was someone below! He pushed the window open, and he saw a fleeting shadow below, moving as fast as lightning, with the movement of someone skilled. Filled with suspicion, Zhong Minyan threw the jug aside and leaped out of the window to give chase.

After a long while, another door in the corridor quietly opened, and Ruo Yu slowly made his way to the open window, looking down.

The crescent moon hung like a hook, its hazy moonlight stretching his shadow long upon the ground.

He stood at the window with his arms crossed, lingering there for a very, very long time. (To be continued, for follow-up, please visit www.qidian.com, more Chapters, support the author, support legitimate reading!)