Chapter 32: Those Things You Don't Know
The whole world knew that Autumn Mountain Lord was deeply in love with Xu Yourong, and people once believed that Xu Yourong felt the same way about him. The True Dragon and the Heavenly Phoenix, from the same origin, growing up together—one extremely likely to revive the Longevity Sect's sage lineage that had been broken for decades, the other the future Southern Holy Maiden. By any measure, they were a match made in heaven.
Until... last year's Green Vine Banquet in the capital.
At that banquet, Chen Changsheng produced the marriage contract. At that same banquet, Xu Yourong had a white crane deliver a letter, in which she clearly stated that things were not as people imagined. Only at that moment did the world realize that what they thought was a match made in heaven and perfectly natural was merely their own beautiful imaginings and hopes.
If she were an ordinary young woman, Xu Yourong would probably be unwilling to meet with Autumn Mountain Lord now, out of awkwardness and discomfort. Even for those exceptionally intelligent and decisive young women who were far from ordinary, they would also avoid meeting him, as it seemed the only way to help him calm down quickly.
But Xu Yourong did not do this. She was not that youth as gentle as a clear breeze, nor had her Dao heart been stained by worldly dust. She did not calculate, nor did she deliberately change her ways.
Entering the cave dwelling at the peak of Li Mountain, she placed the empty food box on the table and said to Autumn Mountain Lord, who was lying on the bed, "Junior Sister Qijian is still very weak, but she keeps wanting to go to the capital to find Zhexiu."
Autumn Mountain Lord leaned against the headboard, his pale face full of concern. "When the Grandmaster returned to the mountain and learned of this, he was very displeased. He scolded the little junior sister for a long time."
Xu Yourong was somewhat puzzled. "Senior Su Li is so free-spirited and unrestrained. Why is he so unreasonable about this matter?"
Autumn Mountain Lord smiled faintly. "When any man becomes a father, he always turns into the kind of father-in-law he hated most when he was young."
Xu Yourong said, "But I still don't understand why he opposes it so strongly."
Autumn Mountain Lord was silent for a moment, then said, "The Grandmaster once saw that wolf cub on the Snow Plains. He said... that wolf cub has an illness and won't live long."
Xu Yourong was hearing this for the first time. Thinking of that wolf tribe youth who had once given her the greatest pressure on the Azure Cloud Ranking, and how his fate was so harsh on top of his tragic background, she couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
Autumn Mountain Lord looked at her and said, "No father would agree to let his daughter marry someone who is going to die young... Speaking of which, the Grandmaster even scolded Chen Changsheng for three days over this matter."
Xu Yourong smiled but said nothing. After arriving at Li Mountain, she had learned some things that happened after the Zhou Garden—like the story of Chen Changsheng accompanying Su Li across the Snow Plains and through Tianliang. She had to admit that these things had somewhat changed her impression of that fellow named Chen Changsheng. But after all, that fellow was Chen Changsheng. She wouldn't speak ill of him, but she also didn't want to praise him.
Autumn Mountain Lord also fell silent. By the light of the luminous pearls on the stone walls, he continued reading the sword scripture in his hands.
Xu Yourong picked up a scroll of the Longevity Scripture from the table and began to read silently.
The cave dwelling was very quiet, but not awkward—just very natural. Like when Xu Yourong had walked in earlier, they had started talking, then ended their conversation, without needing to do anything deliberately.
Years ago, when Xu Yourong was still a little girl, she had come from the capital to Holy Maiden Peak, beginning her cultivation and study at Nanxi Zhai, deciphering the Heavenly Book. They had often met, often sat facing each other like this, quietly reading, without words.
The world thought that childhood innocence meant a childhood sweetheart, but they knew it wasn't true. The reason there was no misunderstanding was because both of them were very clear about what the other was thinking.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Yourong stood up and said, "Senior Brother, I'll take my leave now. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
Autumn Mountain Lord moved his gaze from the book to look at her, but unlike the previous nights, or the years before, he didn't say "take care on the road."
These were the most pleasant and peaceful nights he had experienced in years.
Because he could quietly watch her—whether it was her slightly fluttering eyelashes, her fingers turning the pages, or the slight curve of her lips.
He didn't need to watch all the time. Just when he was tired from reading, he would casually look up, and she would be sitting there, and he would feel at ease, calm, and then joyful.
He wished there could be more nights like this, so he wanted to say a few more words.
"Because of the Grandmaster's matter, our Li Mountain Sword Sect owes him a great debt. No matter what grudges there were between the two sides before, now we can only be the ones indebted to him." Autumn Mountain Lord looked at her and said, "But such matters have never had anything to do with debts. What I want to say is that he is outstanding, worthy of you, nothing like the unruly child you said he was when you were young, and certainly not as despicable as you mentioned in your letter last year. So now, what do you think of this marriage?"
The person mentioned in this passage was naturally Chen Changsheng.
Autumn Mountain Lord's tone was very calm, very open, very sincere.
Xu Yourong thought for a moment and said, "In a while, I will return to the capital to annul the engagement."
"Directly annulling the engagement..." Autumn Mountain Lord said seriously, "That would be somewhat unfair to Chen Changsheng. Gossip is a terrible thing. What your family did in the capital last year was already close to humiliation."
Xu Yourong looked into his eyes and said calmly, "But if I fulfill the marriage contract, it would be unfair to me."
This marriage with Chen Changsheng had been arranged by her grandfather, and no one had ever asked for her opinion.
Autumn Mountain Lord was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry."
The apology here referred to the matter of the southern delegation going to the capital last year to propose marriage. At that time, no one had asked for Xu Yourong's opinion either.
Xu Yourong smiled and said nothing. She knew Autumn Mountain Lord's character well and believed that matter had nothing to do with him. At that time, her senior sect elders had sent her to the Southern Sea for secluded cultivation, and Autumn Mountain Lord was competing with those young demon clan elites for the key to the Zhou Garden...
Thinking of the Zhou Garden, a faint trace of melancholy suddenly appeared in her eyes, which were as clear as autumn water.
In the Zhou Mausoleum, he had said he had a marriage contract but would annul it.
She had also told him that she had a marriage contract but would definitely not marry that person.
Why had they had such a conversation? Naturally, because he wanted to marry her, and she wanted to marry him. Even though it wasn't said, even though he was dead, how could it be denied? How could it be forgotten?
Yes, so she had to return to the capital to annul the engagement. Whether Chen Changsheng was good or bad was unimportant, because he couldn't be him.
"Junior Sister, what's wrong?"
Autumn Mountain Lord could detect the subtlest changes in her thoughts, because all these years, his thoughts had always been on her. He could sense her melancholy and couldn't help but feel worried.
"Nothing..." Xu Yourong looked into Autumn Mountain Lord's eyes and suddenly felt she shouldn't keep this from him. After a brief pause, she said, "Senior Brother, there's something you don't know. The reason I insist on annulling the engagement is because there's someone I like."
The cave dwelling suddenly became very quiet, even quieter than when they had been reading earlier.
Autumn Mountain Lord suddenly laughed and said, "I suppose that person is certainly not me."
Xu Yourong smiled, then briefly recounted what had happened to her in the Zhou Garden, mainly about that disciple of the Snow Mountain Sect's hidden lineage named Xu Sheng.
Autumn Mountain Lord's smile faded. After a long silence, he said, "Junior Sister, he should be dead by now."
Xu Yourong said calmly, "I know."
Autumn Mountain Lord looked at her, worried.
Leaving the cave dwelling and arriving at the cliff edge, the pine waves were stirred by the night wind, shimmering like a silver sea under the starlight.
Xu Yourong looked at the young man dressed like a scholar at the cliff edge and said, "Second Senior Brother."
Gou Hanshi had left the Heavenly Book Mound early because he had learned the news about Li Mountain, arriving even earlier than she had.
He turned to look at Xu Yourong, wanting to say something, but in the end, he only sighed.
To him, Xu Yourong was his junior sister, and Autumn Mountain Lord was his senior brother. He knew best what was between them, and he also knew many things about the capital.
Below the pine waves, like a silver sea, was an extremely steep cliff face. Suddenly, a mournful howl came from within the cliff.
Little Song Palace and the two elders of the Discipline Hall were now imprisoned in the Li Mountain cliff face. The two elders of the Discipline Hall had not yet recovered from their severe injuries, while Little Song Palace's fate was even more miserable—Su Li had directly ordered his arms cut off.
As for that elder of the Longevity Sect who had intended to reestablish his authority while Su Li was away, Su Li had directly crippled his cultivation. The Li Mountain Little Master's actions were indeed cold-blooded and ruthless.
Su Li was now recuperating in the back mountain, and Xu Yourong was also going there, because her teacher, the Southern Holy Maiden, was also there. After the storm in Xunyang City, the entire Li Mountain, the entire southern region, the entire continent learned that there was such a deep friendship between the Holy Maiden and Su Li. Even Xu Yourong was hearing about this for the first time.
"Let's not talk about other things. But if you insist on returning to the capital to annul the engagement, I hope you can try to preserve Chen Changsheng's dignity as much as possible." Gou Hanshi looked at her and said.
Xu Yourong was slightly surprised. After all these events, especially Chen Changsheng and Su Li's magnificent journey south, she had many doubts about the things Shuang'er and Mo Yu had written in their letters. She no longer despised Chen Changsheng as she once had, but she still hadn't expected Gou Hanshi to voluntarily speak up for Chen Changsheng.
"Chen Changsheng... what kind of person is he exactly?"
Hearing her question, Gou Hanshi thought seriously for a long time, then came to a conclusion: "He is a true person."
Neither he nor Xu Yourong knew that during the journey south, Su Li had also evaluated Chen Changsheng this way.
"Is that so?"
Xu Yourong trusted Gou Hanshi's judgment of people very much and couldn't help but feel a bit dazed. She had already forgotten many things from childhood, but after Chen Changsheng entered the capital, she gradually remembered some... but...
Never mind. Perhaps there really was some misunderstanding, but it had nothing to do with her.
She took her leave of Gou Hanshi and followed the mountain path beside the pine forest toward the back mountain.
Gou Hanshi suddenly remembered something and said, "Junior Sister, Chen Changsheng he..."
Xu Yourong turned to look at him.
Gou Hanshi had wanted to tell her that Chen Changsheng had discovered the Sword Pond in the Zhou Garden, and the Li Palace was preparing to return those swords to the various sects and mountain gates, including the Zhai Sword that Holy Maiden Peak had lost outside. But seeing her somewhat indifferent expression, he knew she didn't want to hear it, and thinking she had probably already known about it, he shook his head and said, "It's nothing."
...
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