Chapter 419 Light In The Darkness

The Ancient Dao Pavilion was one of the best restaurants in the Royal City.

Most of the people entering and leaving this restaurant were high-ranking officials and dignitaries of the Heng Imperial City. If they randomly picked a drinker, it could be either the son of a court minister or the heir of a prince.

Of course, Zhen Yue did not know the big shots in Heng Imperial City. She had only come here because one day, she suddenly discovered that outside the restaurant, there was always a group of little beggars. Zhen Yue was a person who had lived a hard life. She felt compassion for this group of beggars, so when she was free, she liked to bring some food here and distribute it to these beggars.

"Eat more."

She looked down at the little beggar who was chewing steamed buns and smiled as she touched his head.

She had some thoughts.

Perhaps she couldn't stay in the Crossing Imperial City for too long, and Xu Han seemed determined to drive her away.

She did not quite understand Xu Han's thoughts, or rather, Xu Han's entire body was a mystery to her.

However, the more this happened, the more she wanted to find out.

It was a very strange idea, at least for the first twenty years of her life, she had never had such a strong curiosity towards anyone.

Thinking of this, Zhen Yue shook her head in frustration. She simply put away her thoughts and smiled at the group of little beggars, saying, "What do you like to eat? You can tell elder sister that elder sister will come back tomorrow. It may be the last time she will come to see you."

"Why?" When the little beggars heard this, they all looked at Zhen Yue in surprise. The reluctance in their eyes was naturally overflowing with words.

"There is no such thing as a banquet that doesn't end in this world. Big sister also has big sister matters to attend to." Zhen Yue tried to explain her reasons with a logic that a child of this age could understand.

However, it was clear that she did not get the result she wanted.

The little beggars widened their eyes, tears flashing in their eyes.

Such reluctance was not only related to the mouth and tongue that could save their lives, but also originated from the fact that Zhen Yue was a rare warmth that the little beggars could feel in this world.

It was precisely this rare warmth that made them cherish it.

Zhen Yue couldn't stand the gazes of the little beggars, so she was at a loss.

She had wasted a lot of effort to appease these children.

Only when she watched the children leave did she let out a long sigh of relief. Then, she packed up her things and was about to leave when a voice sounded by her ear.

"You can't help them like this." The voice said.

Zhen Yue was stunned for a moment, then turned around to look, only to see Xu Han appear behind her at some unknown time.

She was so surprised that she did not respond to Xu Han's words for a while.

"Those who trek in the darkness are accustomed to ice-cold. Once they have some warmth, the usual coldness will become even more difficult to endure." The youth did not seem to feel her surprise and continued to speak on his own.

The tone of her voice was too deep, causing Zhen Yue to not know how to respond, so she fell silent again. She did not understand what Xu Han meant, but instinctively felt that she had done something wrong, so she lowered her head, as if a child who had made a mistake had been captured by an elder.

After a moment of silence, Xu Han looked at the woman and said again, "Come with me."

Zhen Yue was stunned again, as if she wasn't accustomed to the youth's invitation, or could hear the rare gentleness that suddenly appeared in the youth's tone. In her dazed stall, the youth had already taken his own steps. Zhen Yue suddenly woke up and hurriedly followed.

The bell that Xu Han tied to her wrist, the bell that almost killed her, rang in the night as she ran, not dissipating for a long time.

…

The two of them walked on the streets of the Royal City.

Even though it was already 11 o'clock, the peddlers on both sides were still shouting. It seemed that there was no such concept as night in the Heng Imperial City.

"You are very similar to a friend of mine in the past." After a long silence, Xu Han spoke again.

The woman who was lowering her head and wondering what she was thinking looked up at Xu Han. She suddenly noticed that the corner of the youth's mouth was slightly raised and he was clearly smiling.

Out of a certain woman's unique instinct, Zhen Yue asked at that time, "Female?"

Xu Han was slightly stunned. He looked at Zhen Yue in surprise and nodded truthfully.

"A very important one?" Zhen Yue also asked. Her emotions were somewhat complicated, but they were quickly suppressed by her. There was always a smile on her face that was not sincere, but it was indeed incomparably brilliant.

"Very important." Xu Han nodded his head. His answer came very quickly and confidently, almost without hesitation.

"Oh." Zhen Yue replied sullenly, then lowered her head again.

The silence once again enveloped the two of them.

Only the bell in Zhen Yue's hand was still tinkling in the night.

Perhaps the ring reminded Xu Han of something. He turned his head to look at the woman and asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Zhen Yue was stunned. She raised her head again. Seeing that Xu Han's gaze landed on the bell on her wrist, she roughly guessed that Xu Han was referring to that night.

She smiled, "I don't know what happened, but I know it's not you, so why should I be afraid of you?"

Zhen Yue's answer somewhat exceeded Xu Han's expectations. He muttered to himself, "Isn't that me?"

"Then who am I?"

Perhaps it was because of the rare hesitation in Xu Han's tone, or perhaps it was because of the confusion in Xu Han's heart.

Zhen Yue's face was a little surprised, but after a few breaths of time, this surprise suddenly melted into tenderness. She smiled again and said, "Do you know why I feel that following you is the best choice?"

"Huh?" Xu Han was stunned and looked at the woman for some reason.

"I think Liu Sheng seems to be very important to you, so important that you can risk your life for him."

The woman did not mind Xu Han's surprise. At that time, she gathered her courage and looked straight at Xu Han with her own eyes. It was as if she had used all her tenderness in her life. As she said, "And I think, a person who is willing to risk his life for others will not be too bad."

After a brief moment of surprise, Xu Han couldn't help but ask, "Is it that simple?"

"Of course not." Zhen Yue nodded beyond Xu Han's expectations. At that time, a teasing smile appeared on the woman's face for the first time in front of Xu Han. She blinked her big dark eyes and said, "Why, don't you know better than me?"

Whether or not these words struck the weak spot in Xu Han's heart, the youth's gaze began to dodge.

He thought for a long time and finally only replied, "I'm sorry."

Such an answer was within Zhen Yue's expectations, but even so, the woman couldn't help but feel a burst of disappointment in her heart.

However, she quickly concealed her disappointment, but when she raised her head again, a brilliant smile appeared on her face.

"I know." She said, "You did it for my own good."

This was not something that was particularly difficult to understand. Although Xu Han's attitude towards her before was not very good, she had revealed a little bit of her feelings towards Xu Han since the strange change that night. The youth had never forced her to leave again. Now that this matter was mentioned again, it was after meeting the great figure of Dark Asura Palace that day.

With her horizons, she naturally couldn't understand what Yuan Xiucheng had made Xu Han do, but she could vaguely guess that this youth didn't seem to have any intention of complying with the big shot's wishes. To go against the wishes of these people, she naturally couldn't help but have to bear a certain price.

Zhen Yue wasn't able to guess what the price was, but she knew that its weight seemed to far exceed the range that the youth's shoulders could bear.

So he let her leave. Although his actions or attitude seemed impersonal, she knew what kind of gentleness was hidden behind this icy cold.

"You're right. People who trek in the darkness are accustomed to ice-cold. Once they have some warmth, the coldness that they used to experience will become even more difficult to endure." However, Zhen Yue did not care about Xu Han's feelings at this moment. She continued to say to herself, "But without the warmth, how can a person support themselves through the long winter?"

"Actually, I'm just like those little beggars. Those years, the Great Zhou calamity happened year after year, and bandits were rampant in the mountains. One day, those bandits slaughtered into our village. My parents hid me in the water tank before escaping this calamity."

"But when I climbed out of the water tank, everyone in the village, including my parents, died."

"At that time, I was very scared. I didn't know what to do and how to survive."

"I stayed in front of my parents' corpses for an entire day and night until the sun set again and the stars shone through the cracks in the room."

At this point, Zhen Yue paused. A smile suddenly appeared on her face. Her expression also became somewhat absent-minded, as if she had seen the starlight of that day again.

"I suddenly remembered that my father once told me that the souls of dead people go back to the sea of stars and turn into stars that look at the earth. Stars are their eyes and starlight is their eyes."

"That starlight made me feel that my father and mother are watching me from the sky. I want to live."

"So, I trekked along the starlight and walked very far. I met Hu Ma, met Lu Yashan… I met all of them, and I survived."

"The thing that helped me survive the cold and hunger was the warmth of the starlight."

Zhen Yue turned her head to look at Xu Han again. Her eyes lit up. She stared at the youth and said, "I will leave, but I want to thank you. You are also the starlight on my future path."

After the woman finished speaking, she suddenly let out a long sigh of relief. It was as if she had accomplished an incomparably important task, as if she was relieved of her burden.

Then she turned around and walked away.

But just as she took a few steps, her footsteps suddenly stopped. At that time, she turned to look at Xu Han and asked, "Oh right, there's something I didn't tell you?"

Perhaps it was the woman's previous words that touched her, or perhaps the starlight in the sky had shone too brightly on her appearance. Xu Han was stunned for a moment before asking, "What's the matter?"

"You're far more kind than you think…"

After the woman finished speaking, she did not linger for the slightest bit longer. She turned around and left again.

The ponytail behind her swayed as she walked back and forth, and along with the bell in her hand, the soft sounds clearly entered Xu Han's ears on the crowded street.

…

After leaving, Zhen Yue had a faint smile on her face.

It was a smile from the bottom of his heart.

She did not have much regret. She had already met by chance. Since Flowing Water did not intend to do so, forcing her to do so might not necessarily lead to a good result.

This relief made her feel relieved. The stone that was pressing down on her heart was finally removed. She felt relaxed, but she was still reluctant to part with it.

She walked down the street to an alley.

There was no light in the alley. It was pitch black, just like her previous life.

But she thought that as long as she passed through the darkness, there would always be a day when light shone in.

Therefore, she did not hesitate to walk into the alley entrance. It was not because of the sudden sigh in her heart, but simply because this was the shortest way home.

In the end, she was already used to living a life that depended on Hu Ma and the others, and she was afraid that it would still be the same in the future.

Thinking about the situation these days, she was afraid that Hu Ma and the others were also worried about her. She was somewhat apologetic, thinking that after returning, she would be able to express her thanks to them.

Thinking of this, her footsteps became lighter and lighter.

However, just as she walked into the middle of the alley, several black shadows suddenly jumped out and surrounded her.

…

Xu Han watched as Zhen Yue's back completely disappeared from his sight. He finally regained his senses.

Xuan'er and Aowu, who were at the side, were probably unable to understand the entanglement between the two of them. They were so bored that they were attracted to an ice-sugar gourd vendor on the roadside. One big and one small, one wolf and one cat squatted beside the vendor. They widened their eyes and looked at the string of candied gourds that were covered with sugar water and looked delicious.

Xu Han, who had regained his senses, looked at the two gluttonous ghosts and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Awoo!"

"Meow!"

The two little fellows seemed to have noticed that Xu Han had finished what he had just done. They turned their heads and shouted at Xu Han.

The anxious look on his face was as if he was urging Xu Han to hurry up and get them something to eat.

Xu Han had no choice but to take these two "people". He walked over to the vendor with a bitter smile and took out some silver coins from his bosom. He bought two gourds from the vendor and handed them to the two little fellows.

"Young Master, this cat and dog are really smart." The merchant who earned money naturally did not hesitate to praise him and said with a smile.

Xu Han returned the greeting with a smile. Only then did he lead the little fellow who had finished eating the gourd and prepare to return to his own courtyard.

After eating, Aowu and Xuan 'Er were satisfied. Xuan' Er squatted on Aowu's body and fell asleep. Aowu did not have the slightest dislike for Xuan 'Er's actions. She allowed Xuan' Er to be like this and followed behind Xu Han, who was full of worries.

Xu Han's mood was naturally not too good.

The Swordsman's Conference was about to begin. He did not have full confidence, and his previous month of seclusion had also yielded nothing. Liu Sheng's matter caused him to feel extremely worried. All of these matters were mixed up, and even Xu Han inevitably felt a headache.

"Young Master, baked sweet potatoes cost five cents a piece. How about it?" Suddenly, a voice came from behind him.

Xu Han, who was thinking about something, waved his hand without turning his head.

Then, he immersed himself in his thoughts again and left.

But who would have thought that the vendor behind him was ungrateful. He quickly caught up and asked again, "Young Master, the sweet potatoes for five pennies are delicious. I want one."

Xu Han was annoyed by the strange tone that carried a certain accent. He turned his head and was about to stop the vendor, but at that time, he could clearly see the vendor's appearance.

He wasn't tall and was about five feet tall. Although he wore a hood and lowered his head, it wasn't hard to guess from his childish tone that this little fellow shouldn't be young.

Although the Horizontal Imperial City had gradually warmed up in February, it still carried a bit of coldness in the middle of the night. Compared to the clothes worn by the little fellow in front of him, it looked a little thin.

The sweet potato he handed over was scorched black, so there was naturally no way to sell it. However, the little fellow seemed to be completely unaware of this. He still stubbornly brought the sweet potatoes to Xu Han. He seemed to have smelled hope from Xu Han's footsteps as well. The little fellow even shook the sweet potatoes in his hand, hopefully repeating, "It's delicious. Young Master wants one."

Xu Han could roughly imagine the little fellow's current situation. If it weren't for the fact that he had no other choice, he estimated that a child of this age wouldn't have brought a charred sweet potato with him and sold it all over the place on such a cold night.

However, if it was in the past, Xu Han probably wouldn't have bought such a sweet potato.

After all, in his opinion, such kindness was not of much help to people in a difficult situation. However, perhaps because of what Zhen Yue said, Xu Han was slightly stunned. He took out the money and handed it to the little fellow. Then, he took the sweet potato from his hand and turned around to leave again. However, he did not notice that after receiving the sweet potato, the figure under the hood seemed to want to say something, but did not have time to spit it it out.

After Xu Han left, he broke open the sweet potato and tasted its flesh. An indescribable burnt smell filled his taste buds. He curled his lips and threw the pitch-black sweet potato aside, muttering, "It tastes terrible."

However, he did not expect that after he left, the sweet potato seller would look at his back and throw away the sweet potato casually.

It was as if the little fellow had been greatly insulted. He stomped his feet and took off his hood, revealing his next beautiful face.

She was actually a girl.

At this moment, the girl's beautiful eyes were filled with rage. She puffed her cheeks and angrily gritted her teeth and said, "My aunt is Xu! She was kind enough to make you sweet potatoes, so it's fine if you don't recognize her. She actually dared to throw away my sweet potatoes!"

"Wait, watch how I deal with you!"

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