Love & Redemption
Chapter 211: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms, - 18 Searching for Him Among Thousands (2)

Chapter 211: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms, Chapter 18 Searching for Him Among Thousands (2)

Lanlan was about to scream in astonishment as she quickly pulled open the door and, sure enough, saw the tall and handsome young man standing outside. Her heart thumped wildly with joy, and her face flushed red as she said eagerly, "Come in, please, come in quickly!"

Young Master Yi took a couple of steps forward, then suddenly stopped and looked up at the second floor of the inn, saying lightly, "Did someone exorcise a demon?"

In her heart, Lanlan cursed Xuanji countless times for meddling, and replied anxiously, "Yes, that’s right! But it was a young lady from out of town, and we weren’t very sure about it! Could you please check it out again, Young Master Yi?"

Young Master Yi shook his head and said, "There’s no need; the demon is already gone."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Lanlan became so anxious that she was at a loss for what to do. She wanted to throw herself in front of him to stop him but was afraid of making him angry. In this remote place, young women didn’t have the coy style of Central Earth. If they liked a man, they would say so immediately. However, in front of him, Lanlan found herself somewhat afraid to reveal her feelings, perhaps because of his cold attitude that seemed to keep everyone at a great distance.

So all she could do was call out, "Young Master Yi! You can’t just come all this way for nothing... Why don’t you stay for a meal?"

Before she finished speaking, the landlady asked from behind, "Who are you talking to?"

Lanlan hurriedly turned around and said, "Young Master Yi is here!"

The landlady looked around, frowning and said, "What Young Master Yi? There’s no one outside; are you seeing things in broad daylight?"

Lanlan promptly turned and ran out the back door, all the way to the main street, but indeed Young Master Yi was nowhere to be found. He had come suddenly and left just as abruptly, disappearing in the blink of an eye. She returned to the inn supremely disappointed and took out her frustration on Xuanji, not giving her a single glance. The landlady called out to her several times, telling her to say thank you, but she acted as if she hadn’t heard.

"This damn girl is getting more and more unruly!" The landlady cursed a few times, then turned to Xuanji with an apologetic smile, "Miss, please be magnanimous and don’t stoop to this silly girl’s level!"

Xuanji, touching her bulging purse, was already smiling from ear to ear, no longer caring about anyone else’s attitude. Just then, Tengshe had finished dissecting and eating the weasel, came out patting his belly and smilingly handed over a piece of bloody and filthy fur, saying, "Not bad tasting! Here! The fur you wanted!"

Xuanji, seeing it so dirty, frowned and said, "Why don’t you wash it! Don’t give it to me; it’s filthy!"

Tengshe glared at her, "Why don’t you wash it yourself! It’s not something I wanted!"

The landlady hurriedly said with a smile, "This can’t be washed with water. I know there’s a Tailor Li in the village ahead. If the miss wants to make a scarf, just give him the fur, and he can have it done in two or three days." She turned to see Lanlan still sulking and knew she was upset over Young Master Yi, so she added, "Lanlan, it just so happens this young lady is headed to the village ahead, you can show her the way. And while you’re at it, take a jar of osmanthus brew to Young Master Yi. Even though he didn’t have to lift a finger, it’s not right to let him come all this way for nothing."

Lanlan’s face immediately lit up with pleasure as she readily agreed, hurriedly went to get a jar of osmanthus brew from the cellar, and suddenly she found Xuanji much more agreeable, saying with a smile, "Let’s go, miss; I’ll show you the way!"

Xuanji, seeing her beaming with joy, with all her emotions written plainly on her face, couldn’t help but find it amusing and asked, "Is Young Master Yi really that impressive? Why didn’t he come in just now?"

Lanlan said, "Of course he’s impressive, he’s the most impressive person in the world! He just mentioned someone had taken care of the demon and then he left. Sigh, he’s perfect in every way except for being a bit of an oddball who never smiles, always so cold, like a stone."

"If he’s so strange, why do you still like him?"

Lanlan’s face turned red, but she didn’t shy away, boldly stating, "Who among the young women here doesn’t like him? A man should be just like him, decent, capable, and not frivolous. Besides, he might be cold to others but not necessarily to his own wife. I quite like his demeanor."

Xuanji asked curiously, "Does he have a wife already?"

Lanlan quickly shook her head, "No, no! He lives alone in a village ahead, running a small clinic and providing treatment and medicine for people." She hesitated, then added, "I mean... maybe, just maybe, he might like me a little? Ah, I know you’ll probably laugh at me, but I’m not scared. I like him, and I want to be his wife. Neither of us is married, so it’s not like I don’t stand a chance!"

Seeing Xuanji staring at her, she couldn’t help feeling disheartened, "You... really think less of me? Girls from out of town, being all reserved, probably think the girls here are frivolous..."

Xuanji smiled and shook her head, "Not at all. I think... you’re right, and I admire your boldness."

If she could have been so bold and forthright back then, would the outcome have been different? But the world never has "what-ifs," once passed, it’s gone.

Lanlan, very enthusiastically, took Xuanji to Tailor Li and after giving him instructions, joyously went on her way with the jar. It happened that Tailor Li had no business that day, so he started working on Xuanji’s fur immediately, asking her to wait outside.

Xuanji waited outside for a long time, growing bored, and decided to leave and follow a path leisurely, enjoying the countryside scenery. Although West Valley was a remote place, the climate was warm, and the crops were abundant, with straightforward local customs. The village was surrounded by mountains, none of them high, and looking off into the distance, the lush green undulated in folds, offering a rather marvelous sight. The houses were scattered below the mountains, presenting a peaceful scene as if unconcerned with the wider world.

After walking for quite a while, a large pond suddenly appeared ahead, with frogs croaking messily, and Tengshe ran off to catch frogs for fun. Xuanji walked on a little further and suddenly saw a circle of bamboo fencing, enclosing two large houses with green tiles, neat and tidy. Behind the houses, there were many Phoenix Flower Trees in full bloom, their blossoms fiery red and spectacular. Lanlan was standing in front of the fence holding the osmanthus brew, calling out something.

Curious, she approached and asked, "Is this Young Master Yi’s home?"

Lanlan was startled and, turning to see it was her, patted her chest and said, "Hey, when did you get here?" Xuanji smiled and replied, "I just wandered here. You’re busy, so I’ll leave." This bold girl certainly didn’t like it when someone appeared during a moment meant for two, so she wisely turned and walked away.

Lanlan pushed open the wicket gate and gently tapped on the door to the blue-tiled house, calling out, "Young Master Yi, Young Master Yi, are you home? I’m Lanlan from the inn, and I’ve brought you some osmanthus brew."

Then, with a creak, the door opened, and a man’s voice said something that Xuanji couldn’t quite catch, but that voice—it was like a thunderbolt exploding in her head. That voice! That voice! She quickly turned and rushed to the front of the house, only to see a young man dressed in a dark blue robe standing there, talking to Lanlan. On seeing her, he too was stunned, staring at her in a daze.

That jet-black hair, that pale complexion, that handsome yet proud face, those eyes, those lips... Xuanji felt her whole body trembling from head to toe, inside and out. In that moment, a supreme happiness seized her, along with a tremendous panic—she had been searching for him, constantly searching for over a year, always holding on to the belief that she must find him. But now, actually seeing him, she couldn’t, as she had imagined, throw herself at him, embrace him, and weep bitterly.

She could only stand there, dumbly, locked in silent gaze with him.

Yu Sifeng watched her intently for a while before quickly regaining his composed demeanor and said lightly, "You’ve arrived."

Xuanji merely nodded and replied, "Yes, I’ve arrived." She did not understand why she was so calm, as if she had not spent over a year heartbroken over such a person, as if she hadn’t searched for him in every corner of the world with all the hardships.

Her heart felt cold and then hot in turns, as if being doused with ice water and boiling water alternately, even the tips of her fingers trembling uncontrollably, yet she managed to remain so calm. There seemed to be something numb in her brain, unable to handle the shock of the sudden delight, unable to think.

Lanlan looked at the two of them, puzzled, and asked, "Do... do you know each other?"

Yu Sifeng quickly answered, "Yes... old acquaintances. Also—to trouble you to take the wine back, I cannot accept something without merit."

Lanlan said anxiously, "No... it’s not... I don’t understand what you mean by merit, I just wanted to give it to you as a token of my thoughts!"

Yu Sifeng shook his head and replied, "There’s no need, please go back."

Lanlan wanted to say more, but his presence was so frosty, filled with the intent of rejecting her continued presence there. She moved her lips, but finally, with a look of disappointment, she quickly ran out through the wicket gate.

In front of the house, only Xuanji and Yu Sifeng remained, looking at each other. After a long while, Yu Sifeng opened the door wider and said softly, "Would you like to come in for a seat? I have some new Bijian Tea here."

Xuanji nodded her head and walked absently into his room, only to find the main hall empty and starkly simple, with just a blackwood table and two chairs. In a corner stood a rack holding a crude clay vase, but it was empty, devoid of even a single blade of grass. Bamboo curtains hung on the walls next to it, behind which was his living space. To her, it seemed to have become forbidden ground, a place she could not approach. They used to be so close, but now, his personal space seemed to have had its doors closed to her, denying her entry.

Yu Sifeng moved the curtain aside to boil water, and she took a seat, slowly placing her hand over her heart—it was beating fiercely, almost to the point where she couldn’t breathe. It seemed like all other sounds in her ears had disappeared, leaving only the "thud thud thud" of her heartbeat, almost as if it wanted to burst from her throat.

What should she do? She had seen him, seen him! How should she speak? What should she do? These were questions she had meticulously pondered over countless nights, but once she actually saw him, all her plans shattered into fragments, leaving her with only a blank slate.

Maybe it was his indifference that left her feeling disappointed and sad; even if he had turned away and closed the door, refusing to see her, or had said some heartless words like when he was leaving to hurt her, it would have been better than his current nonchalance. What... what should she do? For the first time, Xuanji felt so helpless, her heart jumping between bitterness and sweetness, unable to determine the taste.

Yu Sifeng quickly emerged from behind the curtain, carrying a tea tray with a purple sand pot and two cups on it. The tea leaves in the cups were slender like needles, emitting a strong fragrance. As if possessed, she blurted out, "It smells good, is this Bijian Tea?"

Yu Sifeng gave a slight smile, "You recognize it too? This is a specialty of Qingyang."

Xuanji inexplicably replied, "Yes, my father used to drink this kind of tea. He said that outside there are rumors of one tael of these tea leaves costing one tael of gold, very precious indeed."

Yu Sifeng nodded, saying, "That’s true. But this isn’t the most expensive tea. Later, I’ll let you taste some of the good tea I’ve collected."

Xuanji obediently nodded, but inside she was screaming—why were they discussing such mundane topics?! Had they really reached a point where they needed to make polite small talk?! But why, even when she knew something was off, could she still not stop herself from spouting nonsense?

If she didn’t speak, though, the atmosphere would fall into an unbearably awkward silence, so awkward it made her restless and wanting to flee the room. She picked up the teacup, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "That... has your Lover’s Curse been lifted? Are you feeling better now?"

Yu Sifeng was silent for a moment before responding flatly, "No. But it’s no big deal anymore, as long as you don’t appear in front of me."

Xuanji trembled inside, and the teacup in her hand slipped, spilling the scalding tea all over her legs. She seemed to not notice at all, her face pale as she stared at him. Suddenly, he rushed over, snatched the teacup from her hands, and asked sternly, "What’s wrong? Are you burned?!"

Xuanji felt as though she had been thrown far away in an instant, her reactions to everything in the room slowed to an extreme. Seeing her not responding, just shivering, Yu Sifeng figured she was in severe pain and rushed to remove her shoes, intending to roll up the leg of her pants.

His hands suddenly felt a few drops of water, and his movements slowed. Then, he slowly looked up. Her face was covered in tears, flowing endlessly, dropping heavily, yet she remained silent.

(To be continued, for the following events, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)