458 Those Things Which You Know Nothing Abou

It was known throughout the world that Qiushan Jun had a deeply-rootedaffection for Xu Yourong, and people also once believed that Xu Yourong heldsimilarly deep feelings for Qiushan Jun. The True Dragon and the HeavenlyPhoenix, both of the same sect, had grown up together. One was highly likely tobe inheritor to the position of Saint of the Longevity Sect that had lainfallow for several decades, while the other was the future Holy Maiden of thesouth. From every aspect, this was a match made in heaven. Until…last year's Ivy Festival in the capital. In that Ivy Festival, Chen Changsheng took out a marriage contract. In thatsame Ivy Festival, Xu Yourong had the White Crane bring a letter. In thatletter, she clearly wrote none of it was as the populace had imagined. It wasonly at that moment that the world knew that the so-called match made in heavenwas, as was inevitable and right, only a beautiful dream and hope in theirminds. If it were a normal young girl in this situation, they would not have beenwilling to meet Qiushan Jun now because it was awkward and inconvenient. If itwere one of those exceptionally intelligent girls who did things with resolveand were not ordinary in the least, they would also not wish to meet QiushanJun, because only by refusing to meet could they allow him to quickly pacifyhis emotions. But Xu Yourong did not act this way. She was not some youth that was like acool breeze. Her Dao heart was spotless. She did not plan, nor would shedeliberately change her mind. Walking to the dwelling at the peak of Mount Li, she placed her empty lunchboxon the table. She said to Qiushan Jun on the bed, "Junior Sister Qi Jian isstill very weak, but she's always thinking about going to the capital to findZhexiu." Qiushan Jun leaned on the bedhead, his pale face brimming with concern. "WhenMartial Granduncle returned to the mountain and heard of this matter, he wasvery unhappy. He scolded Junior Sister for a very long time!" Xu Yourong was rather puzzled. "Senior Su Li is confident and uninhibited, whyis he so unreasonable on this matter?" Qiushan Jun smiled, explaining, "When any man plays the role of a father, theyalways have to become that father-in-law they found most loathsome when theywere young." Xu Yourong said, "But I still don't understand why he has to so strictlyoppose it." After a moment of silence, Qiushan Jun responded, "In the past, MartialGranduncle met that wolf cub on the snowy plains. He said…that wolf cub has anillness, that he can't live for very long!" This was the first time Xu Yourong had heard of this matter. She thought ofhow that wolf cub which had placed the greatest pressure on her in theProclamation of Azure Sky not only had such a miserable history, but also suchan unbearable fate. She couldn't help but sigh. Qiushan Jun gazed at her and said, "No father would agree to marry theirdaughter to someone who will die prematurely…now that I think of it, MartialGranduncle also cursed Chen Changsheng for three days because of this matter." Xu Yourong chuckled, but said nothing. Only after coming to Mount Li did shecome to know of those matters that had occurred after the Garden of Zhou, suchas the story of how Chen Changsheng had accompanied Su Li through the snowyplains to Tianliang. She was forced to admit that these feats of his had causedher to change her impression of the fellow called Chen Changsheng. Ultimately,though, that fellow was called Chen Changsheng. She would not speak ill of himto his face, but she also did not wish to praise him. Qiushan Jun said no more. Borrowing the light of the Night Pearl on the wall,he continued studying the sword classic in his hands. Xu Yourong took up a scroll of the 'Classic of Longevity' from the table andbegan to silently read it. The dwelling was very peaceful, but there wasn't anything scandalous about it.It was extremely natural, just like how Xu Yourong had walked in and the twobegan to have a conversation. The conversation had concluded, but there was noneed to intentionally do anything else. Several years ago, when Xu Yourong was still a little girl, she came to HolyMaiden Peak from the capital. She began to cultivate and study in South StreamTemple, comprehending the Heavenly Tomes. The two would often meet, and theywould often enact this scene: the two sitting down opposite each other, quietlyreading without words. The common folk had believed that the two innocent playmates had grown up aschildhood friends, but both of them knew that this characterization was not atall accurate. They were innocent because both of them clearly understood whatthe other was thinking. After some time had passed, Xu Yourong got up and said, "Senior Brother, I'llbe leaving now. I'll come to see you again tomorrow." Qiushan Jun shifted his gaze from the book to her, but he did not do as he haddone for the past several nights, for the past several years, and tell her thatshe should take care on the way back. In the past few years, these had been the calmest and most cheerful few nightshe had experienced. Because he could quietly look at her, whether at her fluttering eyelashes, herfinger flipping the pages, or the slight curving of her lips. He didn't have to watch her at every moment, just when he was tired of readinghis book and casually raising his head. When he saw her sitting there, he wouldfeel calm and at ease, and then cheerful. He wished there could be even more of these nights, so he wished to say a fewthings more. "Because of Martial Granduncle's matter, my Mount Li Sword Sect owes him anenormous favor. No matter what enmity existed between us in the past, now it isonly us that owe him." Qiushan Jun gazed at her and said, "But this matter andthis favor have never had anything to do with each other. I want to say thathe's very outstanding, suitable for you. He is in no way as naughty andmischievous as you described him when you were small, and he is even less asunbearable as you mentioned in your letters. So then, just what is your view onthis engagement now?" The person mentioned in these words was naturally Chen Changsheng. Qiushan Jun's tone was very calm, very magnanimous, and very sincere. Xu Yourong pondered this, then said, "After a while, I will go to the capitalto end the engagement." "Directly ending the engagement…" Qiushan Jun seriously said, "To ChenChangsheng, this is inevitably rather unfair. Gossip is a fearful thing. Thethings your family did in the past year amount to a humiliation." Xu Yourong looked him in the eyes and calmly replied, "But if this engagementis fulfilled, that is unfair to me." This engagement with Chen Changsheng had been decided by her grandfather. Noone had ever asked her opinion on it. Qiushan Jun fell into silence, then said, "My apologies." This apology was for the mission the south had sent to the capital last yearto propose. At the time, there had also been no one to ask Xu Yourong of heropinion. Xu Yourong chuckled, but said nothing. She had a profound understanding ofQiushan Jun's conduct and believed that the matter had nothing to do with him.Back then, she had been sent off by her teachers and elders to the Southern Seato quietly cultivate while Qiushan Jun had been striving against those youngdemon experts for the key to the Garden of Zhou… As she thought of the Garden of Zhou, her eyes like limpid autumn water weresuddenly suffused with the slightest tinge of dull sadness. In the Mausoleum of Zhou, he had said that he had an engagement, but he saidthat he would end it. She had also said to him that she had an engagement, but she would absolutelynot marry that man. Why had there been this sort of conversation? Naturally, it was because hewanted to marry her, and she wanted to marry him. Although they had not saidit, although he was already dead, how could she refuse it? How could she forget? Yes, so she had to return to the capital to end the engagement, whether ChenChangsheng was good or bad. None of it was important, because he could not behim. "Junior Sister, what's wrong?" Qiushan Jun could sense the slightest changes in her emotional state, becausein these past few years, his thoughts had always been on her. He could senseher sadness and couldn't help but be concerned. "It's nothing…" Xu Yourong looked into Qiushan Jun's eyes and suddenly feltthat it was not right to conceal this matter from him. After a momentary pause,she said, "Senior Brother, there is a matter that you are not aware of. Thereason I persist in ending the engagement is that there is someone that I love." The dwelling abruptly became abnormally quiet, quieter than it had been whenthe two were reading books. Qiushan Jun suddenly laughed, saying, "Presumably, that person is assuredlynot me." Xu Yourong smiled, then gave a rough description of all that she hadencountered in the Garden of Zhou. She primarily spoke of that Snow MountainSecret Sect disciple called Xu Sheng. Qiushan Jun's smile faded away. After what seemed like an endless silence, hesaid, "Junior Sister, he is probably already dead." Xu Yourong calmly answered, "I know." Qiushan Jun gazed at her with concern. Walking out of the dwelling, she stood at the edge of the cliff. Under thestarlight's illumination, the pine trees whistled as the wind blew throughthem, and they seemed just like a silver ocean. She turned her gaze to the young man dressed as a scholar at the edge of thecliff and said, "Second Brother." Gou Hanshi had left the Mausoleum of Books in advance because he had learnedwhat had occurred at Mount Li. He had arrived even earlier than she had. He turned to Xu Yourong, wanting to say something to her. Ultimately, he couldonly sigh. To him, Xu Yourong was Junior Sister and Qiushan Jun was Eldest Brother. Hewas the person that most understood the relationship between the two, and healso understood many things going on in the capital. Below the pines that were akin to a silver ocean was an exceptionallyprecipitous cliff. A mournful howl suddenly emerged from that cliff. Xiao Songgong and the two elders of the Discipline Hall were currentlyimprisoned in the cliffs of Mount Li. The two Discipline Hall elders had notyet recovered from their heavy injuries, but Xiao Songgong's end had been evenmore miserable. His two arms had been directly chopped off on Su Li's order. As for that elder that had attempted to avail himself of Su Li's absence toreassert the authority of the Longevity Sect, his cultivation had been crippledby Su Li himself. As expected, the conduct of the Junior Martial Uncle of MountLi was cold-blooded and ruthless. Su Li was currently in the back mountains tending to his injuries. Xu Yourongalso had to go there, because her teacher, the Holy Maiden of the south, wasalso there. It was only after the storm in Xunyang City that all of Mount Li,all of the south, and all of the continent realized that the Holy Maiden and SuLi actually had such a deep relationship. It was also the first time Xu Yourongheard of this matter. "There's no need to speak of anything else. Only, if you insist on returningto the capital to end the engagement, I hope that you do as much as you can togive Chen Changsheng face," Gou Hanshi looked at her and said. Xu Yourong was rather surprised. After so many matters, especially ChenChangsheng and Su Li's majestic journey south, she had already begun to doubtthe things Shuang'er and Mo Yu had written in their letters. She no longerviewed Chen Changsheng with as much disdain, but it was beyond her expectationsthat Gou Hanshi would voluntarily speak for him. "Chen Changsheng…just what sort of person is he?" Hearing her question, Gou Hanshi contemplated it for quite a long while.Finally, he produced a verdict: "He is a real person." He and Xu Yourong did not know that on the journey south, Su Li had alsoevaluated Chen Changsheng as such. "Is he?" Xu Yourong trusted in Gou Hanshi's judgment of others, but she couldn't helpbut be a little absent-minded. She had originally forgotten many things fromwhen she was a child, but after Chen Changsheng entered the capital, shegradually began to recall. However… She pushed it from her mind. Perhaps there really was some misunderstanding,but it had nothing to with her. She bid farewell to Gou Hanshi and took the pine tree-lined mountain path tothe back mountain. Gou Hanshi suddenly thought of a matter and said, "Junior Sister, ChenChangsheng, he…" Xu Yourong turned back to him.