Love & Redemption
Chapter 212: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms, - 19 Searching for Him Among Thousands (3)

Chapter 212: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms, Chapter 19 Searching for Him Among Thousands (3)

The votes have reached 300, as promised, today there will be four updates. Here is the first one.

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She had imagined countless scenarios of their reunion and his possible reactions, but she never expected him to say those words. In that instant, she felt as if the days of searching throughout the year had shattered like crystal, becoming utterly meaningless. Even her very existence seemed superfluous and troublesome.

Xuanji took a deep breath, got up intending to leave, but then she remembered the hidden endurance and loneliness she had endured in almost two years. She had searched incessantly, yet never found him.

No, she wouldn’t watch him walk away from her as she had done when she was sixteen. She couldn’t allow such a long time to become a meaningless drift, nor would she let go of his hand so easily.

"You’re lying," she said softly, "You’re just trying to make me angry, aren’t you?"

Yu Sifeng was taken aback for a while before letting out a sigh-like sound, "Xuanji... I’m not..." His hand slowly rose, caressing her cheek to wipe away her tears.

Xuanji turned her head away flusteredly and whispered, "Not what?" Her heart was tense, and she couldn’t help but change her sitting position. Just as she moved slightly, the burn on her leg suddenly became intensely painful, as if on fire, making her entire body goosebump with pain. She broke out in a cold sweat, and her face turned pale.

This burn really couldn’t have come at a worse time!

Yu Sifeng immediately wanted to check her wound but she hastily covered it. He spoke softly, "I just want to see how bad the burn is, don’t cover it, it will only get worse."

With her face flushed, Xuanji shook her head vigorously, got up awkwardly, and walked a few steps, looking adorably panic-stricken. Yu Sifeng didn’t insist and pulled open the bamboo curtain for her, instructing, "In the second cabinet on the left, from the right side count to the third drawer, there is burn medicine."

She scurried in like fleeing for her life, first lifting her skirt to inspect the wound. The burn was in a really awkward place, a large area near the root of her left thigh was reddened, and the right side also showed signs of burns, looking like blisters were about to form. She had been completely flustered and couldn’t remember where he had told her the medicine was, but luckily, she carried antiseptic medicine from the Shaoyang Sect. She carefully pricked each blister, then applied a thick layer of ointment before bandaging it completely.

Only then did she come to her senses, feeling embarrassed to have been burned by tea water, like a fool. Ashamed, she felt reluctant to go out. She looked around; this should be Si Feng’s bedroom, and she must have been sitting on his bed. Xuanji quickly jumped up as if she’d been burned again.

His bedroom was as bare and simple as the outside. The bed seemed to be made of wood he had hewn himself, without any polishing or carving. The bedclothes were neatly folded, all in deep navy. Above the bedhead hung a seven-stringed zither and a few of his swords, several large cabinets were placed in the corner, with a bookcase on the other side full of books. In front of the window stood a small desk with writing brush and ink, and a few sheets of paper with traces of ink on them.

Xuanji slowly walked over, picked up the stack of papers, and saw various prescriptions and names written on them. His handwriting was elegant and tidy, confirming that Lanlan’s story about him running a pharmacy and helping people with medicine was true. The large house with green tiles next to his must be the small pharmacy he operated.

She pressed the few sheets of paper close to her face, took a deep breath. The strong scent of ink, and a refreshing whiff of the sea—it was his scent, Si Feng’s scent. This was his room, indeed it was him, and she had finally found him.

Her heart was filled with a myriad emotions, nearly bringing tears to her eyes when suddenly someone outside shouted, "What’s the deal with this damned snake? How come you’re here?!" It was Tengshe’s voice. She quickly drew back the bamboo curtain and ran out, only to see Tengshe standing at the door with a frown, clutching a shimmering Silver Snake—Little Silver Flower. Over a year had gone by, and it had grown a lot, now as thick as half of her calf. Its head was held in Tengshe’s hand, its body limply wrapped around his arm, refusing to ungrip no matter how much he shook, pulled, or tugged at it. Clearly, for Little Silver Flower, this was an excitingly heartfelt reunion; it was determined to stick to Tengshe and would not leave.

Si Feng walked over and gently patted Little Silver Flower, which then unwillingly slid off Tengshe’s body and into its master’s sleeve, gliding up to his shoulder. A shiny little head peeked out from the lapel, affectionately flickering its tongue at Tengshe.

"Eh? So you were here!" Upon seeing Si Feng, Tengshe had a bit of a start, but then immediately relaxed and walked into the house with no ceremony at all, asking, "Got any water? That little demon I just ate has quite a fiery temper, left a bad taste in my mouth."

Si Feng pointed to the teapot on the table. Tengshe picked it up and guzzled it down, emptying the pot in the blink of an eye, grimacing all the while, "Bitter as hell! Tastes awful!" Then he sat down on a chair, looked around, and continued, "You’ve been living in this dump? Why not return to Lize Palace?"

Si Feng went into the kitchen to boil more hot water, prepared fresh tea and brought it over before replying, "I’m no longer a part of Lize Palace."

"Cut it out!" Tengshe waved his hand dismissively, "I’m sick of that line from you guys. Today you say you’re not from there, tomorrow you’ll return!"

Si Feng said calmly, "I really won’t return this time. I’ve decided to settle here in West Valley, open a small medicine shop, treat people’s illnesses, and grow some medicinal herbs. It’s a peaceful life, and I like it."

Noticing Xuanji walking out from the bedroom with a somewhat unsteady gait, he spoke softly, "Is the burn very bad? The medicine in the cabinet might be too potent and could cause some pain. Later, I’ll go pick a few herbs to add to the mix, it should alleviate some of the discomfort."

Xuanji replied with some embarrassment, "I... I didn’t remember what medicine you’d mentioned, so I used the Shaoyang Sect’s antiseptic medicine, is that okay?"

Si Feng shook his head, "The antiseptic medicine has different properties from burn medicine. If you want the wound to heal quickly, we should apply the new ointment tonight."

Tengshe interjected, "Tonight? Are we staying here? Oh, right, Xuanji, what are your plans for the future? Now that you’ve found him, surely you aren’t thinking of staying, are you?"

This question made Xuanji flush with embarrassment. She remained silent for a long while before finding a seat and asking softly, "Si Feng, what are your plans? Are you really going to stay here forever?"

Si Feng seemed to be lost in thought. After being asked twice, he finally came back to reality and smiled, "Yes, this place is nice. If possible, I’d like to stay here indefinitely."

And what about her? What was she supposed to do? Xuanji didn’t voice her thoughts. The layout of the house made it clear—he had never planned to live with someone else, nor had he ever thought she would find him. After a pause, she continued, "I set out to find you, and it took me a little over a year. I couldn’t find you in Central Earth, so I thought of trying my luck overseas. To my surprise, I stumbled upon you here."

Si Feng answered indifferently, "Why bother... looking for me?"

Xuanji hung her head and remained silent for a long time. His indifferent tone and demeanor greatly irritated her. Over the nearly two years, she had endured so much hardship, traveled to so many places, and nearly every night she dreamed of him leaving her, her tears soaking the pillowcase, only to find him acting so nonchalantly. If that was the case, wouldn’t she look like a fool, having busied herself for nothing?

Such an outcome truly upset her, very much so!

Yu Sifeng did not speak. After a while, he suddenly stood up and walked to the door, saying, "You two rest here for a bit, I’ll go up the mountain to gather some herbs. If you’re hungry, there are pastries in the kitchen brought by the villagers yesterday."

As soon as Tengshe heard there were pastries, he scurried to the kitchen, grabbing handfuls and eating with relish. Xuanji also suddenly stood up and said, "I’m going too." Yu Sifeng shook his head and said, "You should not move; a burn is not a trivial matter, and if not handled properly, it might leave a scar."

"A scar is my own matter," Xuanji replied with a soft rebuff.

Yu Sifeng fell silent and could only make a gesture indicating she should do as she pleased, then turned and left. Biting back the pain, Xuanji clenched her teeth and followed him, with Tengshe quickly joining in the excitement and following them as well.

The mountains here in West Valley were not very high, small and exquisite, enclosing this tiny village within them. Once over the summit, there lay the vast sea; crossing the sea would be the legendary overseas lands, the likes of which few knew. Though there was trade between the two lands, not all merchants were fortunate enough to safely reach overseas, many perishing on the sea voyage. Still, every month many merchants would take the risk from West Valley to venture overseas, hoping to achieve their dreams of wealth.

The trio walked slowly on the mountain path, the golden sunlight filtering through the leaves scattered like flakes of gold. The mountain breeze brushed their faces, carrying the astringent scent of earth and grass mixed with the distinct saltiness of the sea breeze, invigorating the spirits.

In the wilderness, naturally, there were no man-made sights to see, but many strange and unusual trees grew all around, the likes of which they had never seen before. Yu Sifeng pointed out each plant, explaining that this one was Sui Wood, bearing grains like rice that could be eaten and had an exceptionally sweet flavor; that one over there was the Silver Hook Tree, so named because its branches looked like silver hooks. The large patches of bright red plants on the ground were Physalis, which could be used to make a soup for clearing heat and improving eyesight.

Seeing how much Xuanji had never encountered before, she couldn’t help but grow interested, and the annoyance in her belly seemed to have dissipated quite a bit. At the top of a slope, turning a corner, they saw a ring of bamboo fencing. Inside the fence, many herbs were planted—yellow patches on the east side, touches of green on the west, all kinds of varieties, both familiar and many unrecognizable. Xuanji curiously asked, "I didn’t know before that you also understood medical arts. Did you plant all these?"

Yu Sifeng seemed much happier and smiled, saying, "Originally, I didn’t have a clue, but after I was seriously injured that day, Elder He Yang saved my life. Since then, I found medical arts to be very useful, so I became interested in learning. During the time I stayed at Shaoyang Sect, I borrowed many medical books from Elder He Yang. Didn’t you know that?"

She truly did not know. She had always relied on him and had never cared about what he liked. Now that she saw him speaking with such simplicity about the medicinal herbs, his eyes gleaming like black jewels, he seemed to be a completely different person than before. Sifeng had always had a touch of melancholy, and only now did she realize that he could also be so focused and calm, even joyfully engaged in an activity. Watching him carefully choose herbs and meticulously explain the use of each one, Xuanji felt both happy and lost.

Yu Sifeng picked a few herbs, carefully brushing the dirt off them, and raised them to the sun, pointing to the spiral patterns on the leaves, saying, "See, this is the ordinary Jade Branch Grass. The spiral patterns appear on the leaves only when it’s mature." After speaking, he suddenly felt something amiss, turned to look at Xuanji, and said softly, "Sorry, you’re probably not interested."

Xuanji shook her head quickly, "No! It’s fascinating! Keep talking!"

Yu Sifeng only smiled faintly, placed the herbs in a cloth bag, and said, "Alright, let’s go back. You’re covered in sweat; it must hurt a lot, right?" He wiped the sweat from her forehead with his hand, feeling her skin smooth and delicate to the touch. Suddenly moved, he quickly withdrew his hand.

Both fell silent for a moment. Xuanji paused for a long while before she said, "Si Feng, are you still angry with me?"

He lowered his eyelashes, speaking softly, "No, I have never blamed you."

Xuanji murmured, "This past year and more, I’ve been searching for you. I went to Lize Palace, and everyone said you left with Brother Liu, but nobody knew where you’d gone. Have you been staying in West Valley this whole time? Why did you suddenly leave Lize Palace? The Lover’s Curse hasn’t been lifted, how could you just..."

Yu Sifeng replied indifferently, "There’s nothing much to say about that, let’s head back."

Xuanji immediately became anxious, "How can you say there’s nothing much to say? It’s very important to me! I’ve been looking for you for almost two years, not to hear you say it’s unimportant!"

Yu Sifeng suddenly looked up at her, that gaze of his making her heart tremble uncontrollably, inducing an instinctive urge to step back. He said in a low voice, "First, I never asked you to come looking for me; second, I don’t wish to elaborate on my affairs."

He was so cold it was as if he had become a millennium-old glacier. Xuanji knew there was a streak of ruthlessness in his nature, but he had always been amiable towards her. Now, his rejection felt as distant as a thousand miles. It almost froze her solid, her chest and throat trembling.

Yu Sifeng watched her for a while, then added, "Let’s go, the sun is about to set, and it gets cold at night."

Xuanji took a deep breath, her tears nearly escaping, when suddenly she let out a muffled groan, falling to the ground and trembling violently. Yu Sifeng turned to see her in such a pitiful state, his heart instantly softened, and he quickly walked over, asking tenderly, "What’s wrong? Does the wound hurt?"

She bit her lip and said nothing. Yu Sifeng sighed, "Can’t walk anymore? I told you not to push yourself and come along." He carefully picked her up around the waist, caught off guard when she raised her hand to clutch his neck tightly, burying her head in his chest without saying a word. He stood in silence for a moment, then let out a light sigh, saying, "Xuanji... this is very hard."

She choked out, "It’s... it’s harder for me!"

The clothes on his chest quickly grew wet with her tears, alternating between warmth and cold. The young girl in his arms was a real presence, perhaps in his deepest, most secret dreams, he had envisioned such a scene—her traversing mountains and rivers to find him, holding on to him and never letting go. But dreams are dreams, reality is reality. She really came, yet he was completely at a loss.

Did he truly not blame her? If his heart held no resentment, why would he wound her with the sharpness of his words, only to turn around and hurt himself? He had to admit, he both loved and hated her. Hated her for not understanding love, willfully keeping him by her side, then watching him leave just as willfully, and now willfully following him.

His life was in complete disarray because of her presence. Her smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze, but in truth, she was like a cruel hurricane. He would step back, and she would advance, tearing apart everything he had, leaving him no room to breathe. She would shatter him, consume him, completely possess him.

Yu Sifeng was silent for a long time before he finally supported the back of her head, pulled her tightly into his embrace, his lips coolly pressing against her forehead, whispering, "Why did you have to come?" (To be continued, for what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com. More Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)