Chapter 40: Young and Reckless (Part 2)

  Half a time later, I saw Lin Meng'er and was really startled. Behind her was a large package, and in her hand was a small bundle. It was naturally hers. When she saw Chu Jiu, she pushed the big package into his arms, wanting him to help carry it, saying: "It's okay, it's not too heavy!"

  "Little sister, what's going on?" Chiou Jiu asked with a smile.

  "Haha, tomorrow Father, Master Bo, and all the senior masters will be going down the mountain. Only we can't go down the mountain to roam Jianghu. We'll sneak down ourselves!" Lin Ming'er tilted her head and smiled.

  She had planned for the two of them to pack up their belongings and make a midnight escape down the mountain, where she would join forces with her sworn brother from her ninth year as a nun and roam the jianghu together.

  On the ninth day of the first month, he suddenly said: "What about Master's side? What if Master and Master's wife come looking for us tomorrow?"

  Lin Meng'er smiled and said, "Don't worry about this, I've already written the letter and put it in my room. Tomorrow when Xiaorou wakes up, she'll see it and Father will know. Let's hurry, Chunjiao, what do you say?"

  At first, he was also a young man with a youthful heart. How could he not like it? He smiled and said: "You're so mischievous! Alright, let's go down the mountain!"

  The two of them returned to the thatched hut, and Chu Jiu simply packed a few things, including two sets of clothes. Then, together with Lin Xiang'er, they came to the stable, where he hugged "Hei Yun" and whispered: "'Hei Yun', I'm going down the mountain with my junior sister, you must listen to Sixth Brother, we'll meet again."

  Lin Meng'er smiled softly and said: "Alright, if 'Hei Yun' could understand what you're saying, she'd laugh too!"

  "Hei Yun" was obedient and didn't make a sound, while Xiao Qi Zi and Si Tui were sleeping soundly due to their earlier exhaustion. The two of them then chose two fine horses, and everything was ready.

  "Big Brother, Master is still awake. I think I just saw him heading to the residence of 'Cold Sword' Horizontal Shifu and 'Red Practice Palm' Cheng Shifu in the Kunlun Sect. He's probably going to ask about Luo Brother from the South Sea Sword Sect. I wonder if Luo Shixiong has told them what just happened?" Lin Meng'er suddenly thought of this and said.

  On the ninth, he thought for a moment and said: "Brother Luo is not a narrow-minded person. If he were, when he was challenged by Huang Langzi and others, he would have directly told Second Master and Grandmaster! Today's events, if he wanted to tell Grandmaster, it would be tomorrow, not tonight! Grandmaster went to find Horizontal Master and Cheng Master, I think it's about the incident of Zhao Yunfeng, the master of Nanhai Sword Sect, being ambushed at Cloud Come Inn." His inference was reasonable, Lin He'er thought for a moment, and it seemed that way too.

  At this time, Lin Ming'er saw that Chu Jiu's fists were clenched tightly and asked strangely: "Chu Jiu, what is in your hand? You're gripping it so tightly?"

  On the ninth day, her face turned red with embarrassment, but she also stretched out her hand, holding a sandalwood comb. She handed it to Lin Meng'er and said: "This sandalwood grew near Chongsheng Temple. Last time we went there to play, you said you liked the fragrance very much. A few days ago, I secretly asked Lunhui, the little monk who is the disciple of Master Chenlun, to help me cut a large piece. I personally carved it with a small knife, although it's rough, but I think it can be used. Today is your birthday, so I'll give it to you!"

  Lin Meng'er's face turned red with shyness, but she accepted it and smiled sweetly, the ninth day of the first month was indeed a happy occasion...

  She was overjoyed. She thought that today, apart from her father, even Uncle Bo, Aunt Ye, and Wanrou younger sister, Shen Que senior brother, there were still people who remembered it was her birthday, a sweet feeling in her heart, but the two of them suddenly had nothing to say.

  However, he didn't tell her that in order to get this sandalwood comb, he had made four slingshots for the little monk of Samsara and the little monk of the Six Paths.

  In the silence, it was Lin Meng'er who spoke up first: "Father gave me another painting today, I like it extremely, unfortunately, I only hung it by my bedside window tonight, just now when I went back, I couldn't bear to take it down, looks like I won't be able to bring it with me!" Lin Ruo'chi was well-versed in both calligraphy and painting, a true master of the art world, everyone knew that the birthday painting he carefully prepared for his beloved daughter must be a masterpiece.

  Chi Jiu let out a sigh and said, "Alas, next time I'll definitely go to your room to appreciate it. Master's skills, we disciples except for Yun Shixiong and you, really haven't learned even one-tenth of them!"

  "Where was it, all of you brothers like Second Brother's swordsmanship, Father has praised its rapid progress. Ah yes, Little Brother, do you still remember that four years ago on my twelfth birthday, I was playing with you in the back mountain when Father suddenly called me back home saying he had a gift for me and wanted to show me a precious painting?" Lin Xiaoer and Chu Jiu were together, they really had endless things to talk about. The two of them walked slowly while leading their horses, whispering to each other as they went.

  On the ninth day, he thought about it and said, "How could I not remember? That night, Master was traveling with Chu Shu from the Kunlun Sect. After parting ways, he returned to the mountain with an unusual mood, seemingly having had some wine. Maybe he was happy, maybe he was heartbroken. Seeing me with you, he even let me follow you back to his room! He said it was your 'bean sprout age' birthday and that it should be different from other birthdays!" As soon as he thought of his master, he naturally felt three parts respect in his heart. In fact, Lin Ruoji had never been so drunk before that night, but he lightly described it as "seemingly having had some wine".

  "Where was the 'seemed to have had a bit of wine' ah, that night my father was the most drunk I've ever seen in 16 years! The next day he came to tell me again, asking me not to be angry, and promised me that he would never get drunk again. Actually, in my heart, when Father got drunk, his eyebrows were furrowed, although unhappy, but also made me like him, no matter what, he was the most dear father to me, how could I be angry?" Lin Meng'er said softly, thinking of her father's drunken appearance, and sighed again.

  "On the ninth, I also remembered something and asked: 'That night, it seemed like Master took out a scroll of an extremely beautiful woman for us to see. I still remember that she was half-covered in the face. I remember saying at the time, "What a beautiful sister! If our little junior sister grows up to be this pretty, how great would that be?" Junior sister, do you still remember? Is it or isn't it?"

  "Who still remembers what you said that night?" Lin Meng'er's face turned red, she originally remembered it clearly, but now if she had to admit it, her girlish heart, how could she say it out loud?

  She continued: "I also thought that the person in the painting was the most beautiful woman under heaven at that time, so I asked my father who the person in the painting was. Little brother, do you still remember? Father seemed to be about to say something when he fell asleep!"

  On the ninth day, he also smiled softly and said: “……

  "I certainly remember, it was you and I who carried Master to bed together, and then I went back to the backyard to sleep. Did Master tell you anything afterwards? Or did Master call out someone's name after drinking and say something that you heard?"

  His last sentence was obviously a joke, if others heard it, it would be inappropriate, but he and Lin Mei'er had grown up together since childhood, and Lin Ruoji also regarded Chu Jiu as his own, so this joke was another story.

  Lin Meng'er fell silent for a moment before murmuring, "If only Father could call out someone's name in his sleep, I would at least know who the person in the painting is."

  She was obviously completely absorbed in her memories, and continued: "After you left, I didn't let my father out of my sight, pouring water for him by his bedside all the time. That painting, I also stared at it for an entire night, only to discover that although the person in the painting had a veil over their face, they looked quite similar to me! The next day, after Father woke up, I asked him who the person in the painting was - was it Mother? Father was completely awake and said he regretted showing me the painting, but didn't answer my question. He just put the painting away again!"

  On the ninth day, he was silent and thought to himself, but couldn't understand why Lin Meng'er said those things tonight. However, he didn't interrupt or disturb her, knowing that his junior sister would continue speaking.

  As expected, Lin Beier continued: "Every birthday, I would ask my father to see that painting, but he never agreed. I was certain it was a portrait of my mother. Father had never told me anything about my mother's birth or death anniversaries. Could it be that I wasn't born from my mother, but popped out from a stone? Without any death anniversary, my mother must still be alive!" She became more and more excited as she spoke: "Everyone else has a mother, why can't I? Little Shixiong, you say, if we can find my mother this time when we go down the mountain, how great would that be?"

  He was startled, still unaware of his junior sister's thoughts, but he knew that in the vast ocean of people, the person in the painting was even more elusive, her face veiled and her appearance half-forgotten. Finding her would be extremely difficult, but he couldn't bear to go against his junior sister's wishes, so he smiled and agreed: "Yes, if fate allows us to meet, that would be the best thing!"

  The two of them chatted as they walked and had already arrived at the back door of the Xuán Qīng Temple. It was time to bid farewell to Diāo Cāng Sect.

  On the ninth day, I thought of the past seventeen years. On Mount Diancang, the dust and smoke of those years still lingered, and I couldn't help but feel a pang in my heart. There were many things I wanted to say, but I couldn't help but laugh at Second Master's concern for White Bamboo Leaf of the Five Poison Sect that morning. Thank you, Cloud Far Master, for your timely intervention this afternoon, showing mercy with your hands; thinking again about Brother Lu Ren and Little Seventh giving "Black Cloud" a bath in the eighteen streams of Mount Diancang, playing in the water, it all seemed like an opportunity that would never come again. My heart felt heavy, my nose stinging.

  Lin Meng'er also had the same feeling and didn't speak for a moment.

  On the ninth day, I also wanted to bid farewell to Shi Tian Lao Ren, but I knew that after I left tomorrow, Xiao Qi Zi would naturally send food up there, and Lao Ren would know. Or perhaps Lao Ren's mysterious predictions were always accurate, without any mistakes; with just one calculation, he would already know.

  He was confused again, this afternoon the old man shot at the sky and spoke strangely, could it be that he had already calculated that he would leave Diancang tonight? He thought of the teachings of the old man who shot at the sky for seventeen years, touching his chest...

  "My soul is scattered and my spirit is exhausted. The six yang aspects of the universe are empty." I'm even more grateful to the Old Man Shooting Heaven, and I wish I could immediately go up the mountain to bid farewell to the old man!

  But at the beginning of the ninth hour, he suddenly thought: "However, once dawn breaks, it will be even more difficult for me and my fellow apprentice to descend the mountain!" After some deliberation, he knelt down with Lin Meng'er, facing the main hall of the Xuán Qīng Guān, and paid his respects three times. Then, alone, he faced the back mountain and kowtowed three times, silently praying in his heart: "Heaven bless the Diǎn Cāng Sect, may it prosper for generations to come!"

  Then, on the ninth day of the lunar month, he set out on horseback with his fellow disciple, taking advantage of the faint moonlight to bypass the Xuanqing Temple from behind and head straight down the mountain, towards the boundless rivers and lakes that he had yearned for for seventeen years.

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