Chapter Thirty-Five: The Thoughts of Youth

  "Auspicious, auspicious, again auspicious. What exactly is this auspiciousness? It's astonishing that so many people are pursuing it." Feng sighed with emotion.

  Liang Tou'er said gloomily, "The ambition of the Murong family is so great that it can be seen at a glance. Even the Grand Chancellor is so enthusiastic about it, no need to guess, it must be related to the heavenly mandate of Duan Yu."

  "Many heroes and good men have bowed their heads for the sake of this land, but how many can ultimately rule supreme? Even if they succeed, what's the point? They'll just enjoy a few more years of glory, but at what cost? How many common people will be separated from their families, and how many will die on the battlefield? Peace and prosperity are the most precious things, but now that we have them, why do so many people want to destroy it?" The wind blew gently as he spoke, his voice growing more agitated, his face filled with indignation.

  Liū Tóu'er chuckled and said, "Look at Mù Róng Yù, he still has some semblance of a Jianghu figure. However, it's worth mentioning that this time around, with Mù Róng Yù willing to lend us a hand, our situation will improve greatly. Both he and Lǐ Lín Fēi are after the auspicious sign, and most ironically, it's located in Zhī Jiāng. One is a powerful dragon, the other a local snake, making it hard to say who's stronger or weaker."

  Watching him laugh so happily, Xiang also vaguely guessed his thoughts and carefully said: "Your meaning is that in the end neither of them will get it?"

  "In my opinion, it's very likely that the reason for Murong Yu's sudden change is indeed Bi Huan. He probably has already guessed that the key to the treasure is not what Li Linfu took away, but rather what Zhao Fengzhang left behind for Bi Huan before he died. Although Bi Huan is a member of the Murong family, only she knows what this crucial object is and where it is now. This time, his pretentious behavior, sending us directly to Penglai, is just an attempt to curry favor with Bi Huan. So, for now, we don't have much to worry about."

  Liang Ze said there was nothing to worry about, but Su Feng seemed to have picked up on some other meaning and asked tentatively: "You mean that Bi He will be worried, or even in danger?"

  Liang Tou'er couldn't hide it, so he nodded and responded: "Since Murong Yu can guess what Zhao Fengzhang gave to Bihe before his death, do you think that if Li Linfu didn't get what he wanted smoothly, he would not be able to guess? But don't worry, I believe Murong Yu will definitely protect Bihe completely."

  Her heart ached at the thought, and she felt even more sorry for Bi Huan. Although it was good that there was no danger to her life, she had been used as a tool by others. Had Mu Rong Yu ever truly cared about Bi Huan? No, he was only worried that if something happened to Bi Huan, his own dream of ascending to the throne would be shattered.

  This hypocritical concern is even colder than outright indifference.

  As for the auspicious signs, Zifeng was really tired of them and didn't want to discuss these things with Liang Ze'er anymore. He bid him a hasty farewell and returned to his room, continuing his previous cultivation. With the Du Mai now open, the difficulty of the Ren Mai had decreased greatly. The two Mai were originally naturally connected, but were artificially divided into two Mai. Therefore, as soon as the Du Mai opened, Zifeng felt that the acupoints of the Ren Mai seemed to have some subtle relaxation.

  "I will continue to work hard, I want to become stronger!" Su Feng had won against Murong Qingfeng that day, but still felt a surge of powerlessness in his heart from time to time. The world was too big, and one person was too small, he wanted to change others' fate, he wanted to control his own future, but all these were really too far away from him. Perhaps the way of this world is that only by becoming stronger can one dominate everything, and because of becoming stronger, the young man who still had a bit of childishness in him back then now has a few more heroic qualities.

  Until dusk, he sat in his room practicing qigong. Occasionally feeling bored, he would recite the Taoist scriptures he had read as a child and think about the future. It seemed that he had forgotten the passage of time like flowing water until finally it was Liang Shanyu who knocked on his door.

  As soon as the door opened, it was Liang Tou'er and Mu Rong Qingfeng. "Should have all been collected by now, time to depart." Su Feng only hummed in response, turned around and closed the door.

  Murong Qingfeng smiled slightly and said to Suifeng, "Su Shaoxiao, don't misunderstand, that one time was just a test of skills. I lost to your sword and I admit defeat wholeheartedly. My brother Murong Xuanfeng and I will escort the two of you to Penglai Palace, which is a great opportunity for me to learn from you. Xuanfeng and Shuǐ Lóng Yín are already waiting at Fuchun River, if you're ready, let's set off."

  Murong Qingfeng was outwardly elegant and lovely, and Su Feng had no bad feelings towards him to begin with. Plus, the two were of the same age, so they chatted and laughed all along the way, having a great time.

  Just as the three of them arrived at the entrance of the mountain villa, Su Feng suddenly stopped in his tracks. The other two looked at him with some confusion and followed his gaze to see a girl wearing a light blue dress running towards them from the small path on the right side of the high plaque of the mountain villa, her face looking flustered - it was none other than Bi Han.

  Liang Ze pulled Mu Rong Qingfeng away, slowly retreating to a distance from behind his back, leaving them alone. Liang Ze watched with interest, but Mu Rong Qingfeng's expression indeed darkened, and his eyes seemed to add a hint of gloom.

  "How did you come?" He muttered to himself, his lips pursed in the wind. He had been racking his brains for days, wondering how to face this situation. After a long time, he still decided to leave quietly without making a sound. Perhaps meeting again was not as good as not meeting at all. Since he had already made up his mind, meeting would only add unnecessary trouble.

  "Bihuan's voice paused for a moment, her face slightly flushed as she forced a smile and said: 'I came to see you off, I haven't seen you in days.'"

  Her heart softened with the wind, and she said softly: "I'm fine, but what about you? Are you used to staying here alone?"

  Bihuan shook her head and said, "Yeah, I'm doing pretty well. They're all treating me very nicely." After saying this sentence, it seemed like both of them didn't know what to say next, leaving only an awkward silence.

  As he gazed at her with the wind, he couldn't help but recall the first time they met. She was wearing a water-blue outfit that day too, and even in the face of life-and-death crises, she could still burst forth with the brightest smile. That was his first day leaving Yangzhou, and the entire Jianghu was just an unexplored darkness to him; in this darkness, he had never encountered anything as radiant as her smile.

  "Why should I be weak? Why should I retreat? What about the Murong family, I don't want to humiliate myself anymore, nor do I want to humiliate her." Xiang Feng sighed in his heart, but did he still have a chance to change the outcome under such circumstances? He smiled self-deprecatingly and said: "We can meet again, right?"

  Bi Huan's eyes were fixed on him, and she was just about to speak.

  "Following the young master, I didn't expect to see you two here. Oh, Bi Huan, I didn't think you'd be here too." A sudden and awkward voice came out of nowhere, disrupting their conversation.

  As the wind blew, Bi He's eyebrows furrowed, and she turned her head to look. In front of the mountain villa's signboard, Murong Xuanfeng stood tall and majestic, walking step by step towards them.

  He glanced at him lightly and said, "I don't know what Mr. Murong came here for? Earlier I heard Qingfeng brother say that Mr. Murong is in charge of the heavy responsibility of Water Dragon Humming, at this moment he should be on the banks of Fuchun River, how can he come here in person?"

  Murong Xuanfeng smiled and said, "I waited for a while in front of the Water Dragon Wharf to see a few people who hadn't arrived yet. I was afraid that something had happened, so I came to take a look. Unexpectedly, I ran into Sister Bihuan at the door."

  At this time, Liang Stealer and Murong Qingfeng both walked up, greeted each other, and Liang Stealer said: "Because of some trivial matters, I was delayed, and it's a trouble for Brother Xuanyi to come and welcome me in person. This is Stealer's fault. However, since it's already dusk now, the journey is urgent, we'd better set off early."

  Murong Qingfeng secretly took a glance at Bi Han, only to see that her gaze seemed to be completely focused on Su Feng, without noticing him in the slightest. He smiled foolishly and said: "Xuan Feng brother, let's set off early."

  Only a word was spoken with the wind, as if thinking about something, the face was filled with bright sunshine and smiles for a while, and then it was overcast with dark clouds.

  Murong Xuanfeng looked at Sui Feng with a somewhat strange gaze, but didn't say anything. He turned around and led the crowd towards the west bank of the river.

  Murong Qingfeng also noticed the strange expression on Sui Feng's face, and quietly walked to Liang Ze's side, asking in a low voice: "Brother Ze, he was fine just now, what happened?"

  Liáng Tuōér glanced at him and smiled, saying nothing in response: "Why must you ask?"

  Murong Qingfeng was taken aback at first, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. He looked at the figure walking in front of him, lost in thought as he strolled along with the wind, and silently sighed in his heart.

  West Lake is adjacent to Fuchun River, and the Murong family's house is located on the shore of West Lake. It also imitated Emperor Yang of Sui and spent a lot of money to build a canal to connect the two. As a result, West Lake became a natural harbor for anchoring all kinds of boats in the Murong family. When leaving the villa, you can see that a dragon boat is moored in the area where it came from.

  Several people walked forward, and Liang Ze was about to ask again if the rules of the Water Dragon's Whirl were still the same as last time. Just then, he saw that with the wind, it seemed like no one noticed or asked, his body swayed slightly, took a step out, and his entire body lightly jumped up, stepping onto the middle of the boat. Next, just like treading on an invisible cushion, he suddenly sprang up in an arc, lightly floating down to the bow of the Water Dragon's Whirl, without looking back, and walked into the cabin.

  Everyone was stunned. Even Liang, the thief, couldn't help but wonder: What's wrong with Su Feng today? Why has he become so abnormal. At the same time, he was also surprised that in just a few short days, his Phantom Step had already made some progress.

  Only Murong Xuanfeng's face remained unchanged, as if he hadn't seen the fleeting figure that had just disappeared into the wind. He turned to Bihe and said, "Bihe, I'll send you back."

  Bihuan was stunned, and her face also showed a hint of difficulty. She couldn't help but tiptoe to take a look inside the Water Dragon Whirl, but what she thought didn't happen. Bihuan sighed in her heart, feeling somewhat desolate, and said: "It's okay, I can go back by myself." As she spoke, she turned around and walked away step by step. As she walked, tears began to fall, "Let's part ways for now, brother, we will definitely meet again, definitely..."

  At this moment, he was leaning against the window of a certain room in the cabin, watching Bi He walk away. He was panting violently, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Nor did he know what kind of feeling it was, who could say clearly what the feeling of youth was like? Wasn't it all as elusive as the wind?

  Before long, Liang Ze and the others also boarded the ship. With a heart full of annoyance, no one wanted to see anyone else, so they locked themselves in their rooms, another sleepless night spent practicing their skills.

  Apart from going out to eat with them, there was almost no other activity for Xiang Feng. The various scenes outside the window were also completely ignored, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

  Murong Qingfeng looked worried and quietly asked Liang Ze: "What's wrong with him, how did he suddenly become like this?"

  Liang Ze looked at the tightly closed door that was blown by the wind and smiled, "Nothing, he's just not thinking clearly for a moment. He'll be fine after a while."