Chapter 47: Autumn Wind Farewell

  It's early autumn, without the dampness of late spring or the scorching sun of summer. Walking along the Mirror Lake in the southern suburbs of Chao Ge, feeling the cool breeze blowing gently, it's so comfortable.

  Above the lake, a strange large kite was floating in mid-air. The tail of the kite had a long rope that extended to the ground, and the end of the rope was held by a young girl. The girl wore a green shirt, looked very beautiful, with skin as white as jade, happily pulling the rope while running along the lake shore, controlling the kite in the sky.

  "Little thief, this kite is really fun!" The girl was Deng Chanyu. Although she had already let go of her past grievances with Zhang Zixing, the two words "little thief" came out very naturally. No matter how Qing'er tried to persuade her, she refused to change it.

  Qing Er was still dressed in a simple white outfit, with a veil covering her face. She turned to Zhang Zi Xing beside her and praised: "Sir is indeed ingenious, this kite uses the wind's thrust to float and fly, if it can be further applied to battle, it will surely have extraordinary effects."

  Miss, you are indeed clever and quick-witted, able to see the subtlety at a glance. However, today's outing is just for entertainment, let's not talk about other things. This kite is just a playful thing, why not let go of your worries and have a joyful time?

  Qing'er's face seemed to redden at his words, but she was a clever woman who understood the situation immediately. She nodded slightly and chased after Deng Chan Yu.

  Zhang Zixing watched the two women laughing and playing, his mood also brightened up. Deng Chan rushed over, sweating profusely, and sat down on the grass beside him with a big smile, teasingly saying: "Little thief, aren't you known for your exceptional literary talent? Come recite a poem, if it sounds good, this young lady will surely reward you heavily!"

  "You not only didn't give me the Thunderbolt Bottle, but yesterday you even embezzled 234 Crystal Beads from me. And yet you still have the nerve to say 'heavy reward'?" Zhang Zixing intentionally let out a sigh: "First pay up the compensation for those Crystal Beads!"

  "You remember it so clearly! What embezzlement? I just borrowed it! You already have the Thunderbolt Bottle, why bother me to go all the way to trouble Master?"

  Deng Chan Yu suddenly had an expression of "I've taken advantage of you, what can you do about it", and instead scolded him: "As the saying goes, a great man bestows favors without expecting reward. What's with you being so petty and lazy, unwilling to serve in court as an official, only caring about chasing after trivial gains all day long?"

  "Sister is bullying Mr. again?" Qing'er, holding a kite, walked over with a smile, "Mr. is not a greedy person, sister doesn't remember that I will give the heavy reward from the imperial court to Mr., but Mr. firmly refuses to accept it?"

  "Making a show of oneself, pretending to be virtuous, having ulterior motives." Deng Chan-yu used three phrases in a row, thinking that even these were not enough to describe him accurately, so she added another sentence: "This little scoundrel is definitely not a good person!"

  "Overbearing and tyrannical, relying on force to bully others!" But he didn't know that Zhang Zixing immediately counterattacked with a big laugh: "You're not a good person either, haha!"

  "Isn't this young lady a good person?" Deng Chan saw Zhang Zixing's detestable appearance, and just wanted to take out the five-light stone to hit him, but was choked by the four words "relying on force to bully people". She wanted to say a few harsh words, but knew that her eloquence couldn't surpass this little thief. In the end, she could only glare at him hatefully with one eye.

  It turned out that a few days ago, Prime Minister Shang Rong presented the Emperor with a strange object called an "abacus" and a mnemonic device, claiming it was a treasure left behind by an immortal that he had stumbled upon. Zhang Zixing secretly smiled to himself, heavily rewarded Shang Rong, and ordered the abacus to be promoted nationwide. Shang Rong gave all the rewards to his daughter, telling her to pass them on to that strange scholar who refused to reveal his name.

  Zhang Zixing met Qing'er in the grass hall, not only refused those rewards, but also brought many royal workshop secret glass beads, saying that a friend had given him an Aggregating Thunder Bottle, successfully creating "crystal". Deng Chan Yu looked at these glass beads and her eyes lit up, because the hidden weapon she was cultivating, Wuguang Shi, required injecting its own power into crystal to injure enemies, and the purer the crystal, the better. The crystals she used before had many impurities or other powers that would hinder the operation of her skills, greatly affecting their might. Now these "crystal beads" were almost free from any impurities or interference, exactly what she needed most.

  Deng Chan Yu attempted to use the secret method of their school to release the "Crystal Beads", and the power was actually several times stronger than before. She was overjoyed, and without hesitation, she "requisitioned" all the Crystal Beads. Zhang Zi Xing had been somewhat uneasy about passing off glass as crystal, but unexpectedly, this case of mistaken identity turned out to be a lucky break, and he was secretly delighted.

  Qing'er saw the two were about to quarrel again, and smiled as she handed the kite to Zhang Zixing, mediating: "Sir, please don't tease my sister anymore, Qing'er is also waiting to hear your masterpiece!"

  "Autumn wind rises, white clouds fly, grass and trees turn yellow and fall, geese return south."

  This is the first two sentences of Hanwu Emperor Liu Che's "Autumn Wind Fu", Qing Er recited softly, only to feel the clarity and elegance, the meaning is extraordinary, making people infatuated. Deng Chan Yu was also shocked by this wonderful singing, and did not quarrel with him again.

  "Sir, this sentence is absolutely brilliant, I can hardly find suitable words of praise," Qing Er sighed: "It's just that I feel like there's still something left unsaid, sir, do you have any more to add?"

  Zhang Zixing's face flashed with a hint of sadness, for this "Autumn Wind" poem was one of his late wife Yu Xian's favorites, which she had memorized extremely well. Today, as he recited it casually, an image of Yu Xian involuntarily floated into his mind, and only then did he realize that he had already been in this strange world for over five years.

  At this thought, his originally high spirits suddenly fell, Qing Er didn't know this verse either, and asked him to recite the next part. Zhang Zixing let out a light sigh and chanted: "Orchids are elegant, chrysanthemums are fragrant, missing the beauty, unable to forget."

  This sentence is the essence of the whole poem, Qing Er savored the poetic atmosphere carefully, and suddenly her body swayed slightly, and she asked in a trembling voice: "Sir, are you thinking of a certain... beloved?"

  "She... has been gone for many years..." Zhang Zixing said a sentence, and didn't care about the kite in his hand, silently walking forward.

  Qing'er gazed at Zhang Zixing's back, silently reciting the poem from earlier, and for a moment, she was enchanted. Deng ChanYu walked up to her and whispered: "It turns out he has already lost his loved one, sister is so compatible with him, now that there are no more worries, why not..."

  "I and his family background difference is too great, there must be a huge obstacle, besides I do not know what his heart intention is, might as well go with the flow." Qing Er sighed softly and followed silently.

  "Sister! This is a matter of lifelong importance, how can you be so hesitant? Let me come and ask for clarification!" Deng Ciyu rushed up and asked loudly: "You little thief! I'm asking you, are you eligible to get married now?"

  "Miss, I'm not hiding anything from you. I am a married man with a wife and have been for over ten years..."

  Qing'er was struck as if by lightning, her delicate body trembling, and her bright eyes suddenly becoming dull and lifeless. Deng Ciyu's face changed greatly, and she shouted: "You damned little thief, why didn't you say so earlier!"

  Zhang Zixing was in a bad mood and didn't tolerate it as usual, retorting: "What does my marriage have to do with you?"

  Deng Ciyu's eyebrows inverted in anger as she said: "Do you want to make your sister..."

  "Sister, don't talk nonsense!" Qing'er suddenly let out a sharp cry, interrupting Deng Ciyu's words. Although she tried her best to cover up her loss of composure, Zhang Zixing still heard the loss and pain in her slightly trembling voice.

  "Sir, Qingyu is young and inexperienced in speech, please don't mind. Please rest assured, Qing'er is not... a narrow-minded person, no matter what, our friendship remains unchanged." Qing'er tried her best to keep her tone calm, but the fingers in her sleeve were clenched tightly into her palm.

  Looking at the tears she was holding back in her eyes, Zhang Zixing couldn't bear it and sighed: "You and I are close friends, this matter will have to be told to you sooner or later. After my loved one passed away that year, I was heartbroken and lost interest in everything, like a withered tree. Later, I had no choice but to obey my parents' orders and get married, spending every day idling about, drunk and dreaming, without knowing where I was. It wasn't until five years ago that I woke up from my dream and felt like I was in a different world. Only then did I change my ways and study the right path. This pain has been deeply hidden in my heart all along, and I don't usually want to mention it, not intentionally hiding it, please forgive me, miss."

  This statement is not a lie, it's just that the 24th century and this world's experiences are combined together, but also very fitting.

  Qing'er heard him pour out his past for the first time, and in front of her eyes, she seemed to see the man who was usually spirited and proud, but had been disheartened and haggard back then. The severe pain in her heart suddenly eased a lot, and instead, a feeling of sympathy arose, and she said softly: "It's all Qing'er's fault, forcing Mr. to say more, letting Mr. recall the past pains."

  "It doesn't matter, whether it's a long or short pain, all pains are painful. Whether you say it early or late, it will be said eventually." Zhang Zixing shook his head and rode his horse forward slowly. Qing'er was lost in thought and didn't speak again, following behind him slowly.

  Deng Ciyu was taken aback, not expecting that this carefree little thief would have such a painful experience, and she felt a surge of sympathy. On the road, she tried to find topics to talk to him about, even arguing with him, but Zhang Zixing remained unenthusiastic, lost in thought. Qing'er was also unusually quiet, and neither of them spoke much, making her feel frustrated and stifled.

  Deng Chan Yu suddenly thought of something and said, "Little thief, I have a strange thing here. This morning, I met someone outside the south gate of Changge who claimed to be the master of Song's village in Nangu, named Song Yiren. He is looking for Taoist priests to catch some kind of ghost or monster, and it just so happens that we are on our way there now. Don't you have some trivial skills? Are you brave enough to follow me and take a look?"

  "Song Yiren?" Zhang Zixing felt a little familiar with this name, and quickly connected to the super brain to check Song Yiren's information. It turned out that Song Yiren was actually Jiang Ziya's sworn brother, who valued loyalty extremely highly. Although Jiang Ziya had not contacted him for 40 years, he also received his help when he came to Chao Ge. That ghost must be one of the five evil spirits in the backyard of Songjiazhuang, also known as the Five Road Gods. These five monsters were useless and were scared away by Jiang Ziya's thunderbolt, and later they just did some miscellaneous work such as moving earth and building the Sealing God Platform.

  Might as well take these five goblins together, leaving nothing for Jiang Ziya! Thinking of this, Zhang Zixing's spirit lifted, and his mood improved a lot: "Go! What are you afraid of?"