Chapter 39: Ripples in the Well

  The festive atmosphere in Chengdu, which had lasted for several days, finally came to an end on this day. It was not because of the earthquake that occurred last night, but because of the first thunderstorm since the beginning of spring, as well as the spring rain that followed.

  From midnight on, a large cluster of dark clouds gathered in the sky above Chengdu, pressing down lower and lower. The atmosphere was filled with an impending storm, washing away all the festive atmosphere within the city without warning. By dawn, the fine rain finally started to fall gently. However, this spring rain, which is usually as precious as oil in ordinary years, couldn't bring even a hint of joy at this moment, but instead brought endless bleakness and oppression. The sky remained gloomy, with no sign of light. Even the streets were affected, becoming cold and deserted.

  The atmosphere in the palace of the King of Shu was not much different from that outside. However, in the small courtyard where guests stayed, due to its remote location, this sense of desolation and isolation became even more pronounced.

  But for Fang Qinghui, this gray and hazy rain curtain was just right to isolate herself from the hustle and bustle of the world. Sitting cross-legged in front of the window, listening to the sound of the raindrops and counting her rosary beads, the chaotic thoughts that had been swirling around her for days were finally able to be gently smoothed out, restoring her to the calm and peaceful state she was in before meeting Yang Zhao.

  The successors of Ci Hang Jing Zhai, since the founder "Di Ni" started, have been tirelessly pursuing the path of liberation that transcends worldly desires and directly points to the supreme heavenly way. They follow ancient rules, after mastering their skills, they go down the mountain to practice in the world, selecting people they believe will be wise rulers and supporting them from behind, believing that this can lead themselves to enlightenment of the ultimate truth. Although no one has achieved true liberation for hundreds of years, this failure has never shaken the determination of Jing Zhai's successors.

  In the past few hundred years, it was the most chaotic era since the Spring and Autumn Periods and the Warring States Period. Whether it was the Southern Dynasties of Eastern Jin, Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen, or the Northern Dynasties of the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Northern Qi, they were all just regional hegemons at best, not true dragon emperors. It wasn't until more than 20 years ago that Yang Jian ascended to the throne and established the Great Sui, truly unifying China. However, at this critical juncture, Ci Hang Jing surprisingly did nothing.

  The reason is very simple - at that time, the abbot of Jing Si, who was also the master of Fangqing Hui, chose to support Gao Huan of Northern Qi.

  It can be imagined that when the Northern Zhou destroyed the Northern Qi, and Yang Jian eventually replaced the Northern Zhou to unify the north and south, the impact on the previous generation of Jingzhai transmission was severe. Naturally, this blow could not help but bring about doubts and self-denial. Although it cannot be confirmed due to the lack of public records, when Fan Qinghui and her junior sister, the two new-generation Jingzhai transmission holders, occasionally saw their master standing by the window, staring blankly into space as a child, they couldn't help but feel a little moved.

  At that time, they did not understand why their master, who seemed to be all-powerful like a god, would also reveal such an expression. Even after growing up and knowing some of the old things from back then, because they didn't experience it personally, they couldn't truly understand their master's mindset. However, Yang Zhao was like a stone that not only produced ripples on the surface of Fang Qinghui's heart but also finally stirred up an inexplicable feeling that could neither be put into words nor explained...

  The sudden rapid and heavy breathing broke the tranquility of the room. Following a soft sigh, Fang Qinghui turned around to see Mingyue Dajia, who had been sleeping for over ten hours, struggling to sit up with his body propped up. His white undershirt slipped down with the movement, revealing a pair of arms that could make all men's hearts skip a beat. He leaned against the bedboard, his slender fingers pressed against his temples, and moaned: "Where is this..."

  "This is where I live. Don't worry, it's safe." Fang Qinghui put away the flying wing that was placed horizontally in front of her knee and sat down beside Mingyue. Gently holding her waist, she asked softly: "Mingyue, do you still remember what you did before?"

  "Ah... Ah..." Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and a hint of indescribable pain flashed across her face, which was as beautiful as the full moon. She thought for a long time, struggling to say: "It seems like... Yang Gongzi... Fang sister, that was just a nightmare, right?"

  Fang Qing's gentle voice was laced with a hint of melancholy as she slowly spoke, "Although it was a nightmare, it did occur in reality. Ming Yue, sister didn't want to deceive you, but... facts are facts, what has happened cannot be changed."

  Mingyue listened intently to Fang Qinghui's words, her face suddenly turning pale as paper. Her hands, clutching the hem of her clothes, trembled slightly but she bit her lip tightly, not uttering a word. After a long while, she finally nodded vigorously, her eyes reddening as she said: "Fang sister, you... no, it's me myself, what can I do now?"

  "Man Qinghui sighed: "Don't you want to know why you did that?"

  "Do you know if there's any difference?" Ming Yue asked in a hoarse voice: "Fang sister, will you save him, right?"

  "I'm sorry." Fang Qinghui turned her head away, a pang of pain in her heart. She said softly: "Different paths... cannot be together. Mingyue, things have come to this point, and sister can no longer hide anything from you. Yang Yu is just an alias, his real name is Yang Zhao. The eldest son of Yang Guang, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace of the Great Sui, who was conferred as the King of Henan, Yang Zhao. And I... originally intended to kill him."

  "Dà Yuán... Hénán Wáng... Yáng Zhāo?" The bright moon murmured repeatedly, suddenly raised her head and gazed at Fang Qinghui's eyes, shook her head with great certainty and said: "No, sister Fang would absolutely not kill him, I know."

  "It doesn't matter anymore." Fang Qinghui said softly, "He no longer has a chance to survive. Due to our respective positions, I also absolutely cannot take action to save him. So now the only thing we can do for him is one thing. That is... before he dies... to leave behind his last bit of... bloodline."

  From the beginning, all the masters of Jingzhu were virgins. Although Fang Qinghui was extraordinary, she was still just a young girl in her early twenties. At this time, she had to say such words with her own mouth, and it's easy to imagine how hard she struggled internally. After struggling to finish speaking, her originally pale skin had already turned pink like rouge. She looked even more lovely than before, with an added hint of worldly charm.

  Although Mingyue is a songstress, she sells her art but not her body. Upon hearing Fang Qinghui's words, her cheeks also flushed red as she said: "Fang sister, you want to...Mingyue..."

  Fang Qing's heart ached again, and she forced a smile: "If sister doesn't want to, of course I won't force her. But..."

  "Moonlight... is willing." Moonlight suddenly spoke up, interrupting Fang Qinghui's words. Although her voice was soft, her tone was very firm. She paused for a moment, then suddenly looked up and said: "And besides, sister, you're also willing, aren't you?"

  "What nonsense." Fang Qing said with a wry smile, "Sister is a nun after all." She didn't want to delve deeper into this topic and stood up saying, "Since little sister is willing... then... just follow big sister."

  The rain grew heavier. Outside the small building where Consort Tang Zhong had originally lived on the west side of the Wang Fu, everything was now shrouded in a thick fog. The sound of the rain filled the air, causing even the most vigilant person to overlook many things. Even with three hundred elite soldiers from the Wang Fu surrounding the small building, it was no different from being defenseless in the eyes of a martial arts expert.

  A white shadow, taking advantage of the heavy rain as cover, swiftly and quietly traversed over twenty feet, landing lightly on the roof of a small two-story building. The white shadow slapped its palm against the window frame, and the window, which had been locked from the inside, was immediately shaken open. A black shadow slipped in, carefully closing the window behind it with one hand, and then split into two figures - Fang Qinghui and Mingyue. Although the rain outside was dense, under the extraordinary lightness of the Jingzhai sect's skills, the two were only slightly dampened at the corners of their clothes, without showing any signs of dishevelment.

  Fang Qing's spiritual awareness was sharp, and she had already explored the small building earlier to confirm that there were no powerful experts present. She made a hand gesture to Mingyue and pushed open the door, using her lightness skill to swiftly circle around the room and knock out the few maids who were left behind to take care of Yang Zhao with a sleeping acupuncture point. After clearing the area, she led Mingyue to the door of the innermost quiet room on the second floor. Mingyue couldn't help but ask: "Fang sister, is he... inside?"

  Fang Qinghui nodded, suddenly sighed, and took out a small cloth pouch from her sleeve. Inside the pouch were two medicinal pills, one black and one white. She grasped Mingyue's arm, stuffed the pouch and pills into his palm, and said softly: "The white pill is the sacred healing medicine Snow Toad Jade Pill, taking it will greatly benefit your body. The black one..." Her face turned slightly red as she said: "In short, when the time comes, you and... he will each take half of it, and you'll know the effect."

  The bright moon, although a maiden, had also traveled the world and was not ignorant of things. At this time, she heard Fang Qinghui's ambiguous words and had already vaguely guessed the purpose of the black pill. Her cheeks were red like fire, and she nodded lightly, grasping the cloth bag tightly in her hand. Fang Qinghui sighed again and said softly, "Sister, it's hard for you." He pushed Mingyue into the room with a push on her back and closed the door behind her.

  The bright moonlight made everyone feel their heart beating fast. She took a few deep breaths and finally calmed down, lifting her head to look around. In the dim light, she saw that Yang Zhao was lying motionless on the soft couch in the corner of the wall, covered with a thin quilt, deeply asleep.

  It was as if the moment this man appeared before her eyes, all the tension and fear in Mingyue's heart suddenly vanished. Her autumnal eyes overflowed with infinite tenderness as she glided over to sit down beside Yang Zhao on the soft couch, extending her fingertips to gently caress his handsome yet masculine face. Her chest was filled to the brim with love and pride. Yet, tears like pearls of jade involuntarily trickled down from the corners of her eyes.

  Cool tears fell onto Yang Zhao's face one after another, and the originally relaxed eyebrows of Young Master Wang furrowed slightly. He let out a long sigh and slowly opened his eyes, murmuring: "I...where am I?"

  This was just a pretence. In fact, as soon as Yang Zhaoyue and Mingyue stepped into the small building, he knew that his wine intention had made great progress. He was worried that Mingyue would still be confused by the Heart Confusion Technique and come to stab him again like last night, which wouldn't be good at all. So he pretended to be dizzy and observed the situation. This was because he felt Mingyue's tears and his heart was settled at the time.

  Everyone present didn't know Yang Zhao's true nature. Seeing him speak, they hastily wiped away their tears and forced a smile, saying: "Young Master Yang, you're awake."

  "Is... everyone here?" Yang Zhao was slightly surprised and also a bit embarrassed, asking in a low voice: "How did you end up... being here?"

  "Can we talk about that later?" Mingyue's heart ached, holding his hand and whispering: "Young Master Yang, you're badly injured. I have a healing pill here, would you like to take it?" As she spoke, she opened her pouch and took out the Snow Ginseng Jade Toad Pill.

  The healing sacred medicine of Jingzhai is indeed extraordinary. As soon as I took it out, I felt a refreshing aroma that invigorated my spirit. With my improved abilities, I'm no longer afraid of the Seven Great Poisons of the Tang Sect. Yang Zhao nodded and smiled, saying: "Then please help me pour a cup..." Before he finished speaking, he suddenly saw Mingyue Dajia's face turn bright red, like a burning fire, as she picked up the scarlet cherry lips and covered her own mouth with the medicine pill.

  The weather is really too cold, and the south has no heating. It's really hard for me to endure as someone who is used to writing at midnight. The speed of these days has inevitably slowed down. In addition, the draft has been used up, so I'm feeling a bit down... Sigh. Ah, don't worry about getting infected by my negativity, the above is just some boring complaints, no need to take it seriously.

  Well, let's continue to vote and collect as usual, bowing.