Volume 1 Chapter 12: The Soul-Stealing Place, Lost in a Daze of Departed Dreams

  After going through this thrilling half-day, both Xing Yan and Ju Ying couldn't help but feel a little mentally exhausted. Fortunately, Ju Ying still had some silver coins in her sleeve that hadn't been lost, so Xing Yan went to hire a small boat with a pair of oars, which was rowed by a young man, and this small flat-bottomed boat parted the waves of Poyang Lake under the sunset and headed straight for the north shore.

  The boy rowing thought of the previous night, he was also doing the same thing on this Poyang Lake, did not expect that in less than a day, so many things happened, and it seemed like a different world. However, although he had suffered so much hardship, he saw the beautiful face of Ju Ying, which was worth the trouble. Then he thought of the stormy waves on Poyang Lake in the afternoon, and his hands unconsciously strengthened their rowing. At this moment, he no longer wanted to think about anything else, just wanting to go home quickly; in his heart, he had never been like now, eager to see his parents as soon as possible.

  But Ju Ying, who was squatting at the bow of the boat, covered her extraordinary and unconventional appearance with a bamboo hat to avoid shocking the world after landing.

  Compared to the boy with a single-minded heart, this girl's mind was even more turbulent. One moment she thought of the boy who was rowing the raft, and the life-and-death experience they shared in the raging waves not long ago, her heart felt sweet and had no fear at all. On the contrary, deep within her heart, there was an unprecedented thrill that couldn't be described or explained, but only made her feel like trembling all over whenever she thought about it. The next moment, however, she thought of how she had already revealed her true identity, and according to the agreement with her father earlier, she should now return to Luoyang. Even if she was reluctant, her uncle, who was stubborn by nature and only listened to her father's words, would force her to go back.

  If it were in the past, there would be nothing; originally before coming to Raozhou, her interest in traveling had almost been exhausted. Unexpectedly, however, she met this delightful young man in this small town of Raozhou, and these short two or three days have made her feel as if she has gained a new attachment that she cannot bear to part with. She is reluctant to leave the majestic Lake Poyang, the simple and unadorned city of Raozhou, the humble but warm farmhouse village...and the young man who rows the boat.

  At this point, the girl couldn't help but feel a little shy, turning her face to steal a glance at the young man, only to see him completely unaware, single-mindedly rowing back and forth.

  "Sigh, living such a simple life like him is quite nice..."

  The thought of the impending separation fills the girl's heart with an unprecedented sense of melancholy and loss.

  By the side of the entranced girl, a small boat was rowing across the evening sun's scales and waves on Poyang Lake. Who would have thought that just over an hour ago, this tranquil and peaceful water area was still a scene of turbulent waves and gloomy winds?

  "I also don't know if those people on the painted boat are also fleeing for their lives like us... But this time, my own experience is really strange."

  The girl who was worried and confused, looked at the misty lake and couldn't help but think of

  "Logically speaking, Qin Zhong's mysterious appearance should not have been washed away by this torrential rain. Why did he reveal his true face today?"

  "But this is also good... it's cheaper to wake up this foolish kid! In the future, he won't think that only Lao Li's daughter from the grocery store is pretty?"

  At this thought, Ju Ying's face didn't show a hint of shyness, and her cheeks, illuminated by the western sky's sunset glow, appeared even more delicate and unmatched.

  ………

  The little boat finally reached the northern shore, whether the passenger was willing or unwilling.

  Untie the rope from the willow tree, abandon the boat and step onto the shore; looking back at where I came from, the misty waters are vast and mysterious.

  When they reached the shore, Xing Yan said to Ju Ying:

  "I'd better get going home now. How about you..."

  At this point, the young man's words came to an abrupt halt and he was unable to continue.

  The girl heard this and hung her head low, silent for a long time; the bamboo hat covered her face, preventing the anxious young man from seeing her expression.

  After a long time, the girl seemed to have made up her mind and said in a low voice:

  "Hmm, I'd also like to try some of that pine nut wine again. Are you welcome?"

  And without mentioning the tender feelings of Ju Ying and Xing Yan, let's talk about the carriage driver who was waiting for the two to return at the north shore of Poyang Lake. This driver had been waiting for more than half a day because he witnessed the strange phenomenon on Poyang Lake and couldn't help but feel anxious. Although Cheng Shu, who was good at planning and foresight, told himself not to worry before leaving, saying:

  "Elder, both Ju Ying and that young man are people with great good fortune, they have the protection of heaven, it's not something that human power can harm, just please put your mind at ease."

  Although that's the case, Cheng Shu is not a immortal; today, witnessing the terrifying situation of Poyang Lake, this old man's heart cannot help but be frightened and at a loss. He thought to himself, if something were to happen to Miss, he would be doomed to die ten thousand deaths!

  At this moment when the whole family was in a state of anxiety, it suddenly felt like a long-awaited rain shower on a parched earth - all worries were washed away. It turned out that two people had walked far from the lake embankment, one of whom was the young man. The other, although wearing a bamboo hat, was obviously Ruyu.

  As soon as he saw them, Lao Zong hurriedly rushed up and met the two halfway; just about to ask long and short questions, but suddenly stopped, only dazed and speechless.

  It turned out that he was looking at the peerless beauty hidden under the bamboo hat.

  "Miss, what's this..."

  After a while, Lao Zong asked cautiously.

  "Uncle Zong, I want to go to Xingyan's house, would you mind driving us there?"

  Jū yíng didn't answer Lǎo zōng's question, but instead asked him to prepare the carriage to go to Xǐng yán jiā. The girl's words were not loud, but her tone was unmistakable.

  "This... is good."

  Although Zong Shu wanted to say something, he stopped in the end and didn't say anything more. He just led Ju Ying and Xing Yan onto the carriage, then shook the reins and let out a long sigh:

  "Cheer!"

  The carriage carried Xing Yan and Ju Ying away from the misty and vast Poyang Lake, heading towards Ma Ti Shan in the midst of a sky filled with sunset glow.

  In the faint twilight under the carriage, I felt the girl's absolutely beautiful face, and suddenly thought to myself:

  "When I arrived home and saw that Guiying had suddenly become so beautiful, I thought to myself: 'Will Father and Mother think she's a demon?'"

  When Dai Zong's carriage arrived at the foot of Mati Mountain, it was already a starry night.

  Old Zhang and his wife were overjoyed to see their son return after two days of absence. But when they saw that it was actually Ju Ying who walked in, the old couple were stunned, their mouths agape!

  It seems that they have misunderstood, looking at Father and Mother's expressions, nine out of ten is that they think Ju Ying is a fox spirit or a ghost! Just as I was about to speak up to explain, I heard Father and Mother stuttering and saying:

  "The fairy and the immortal maiden have descended to the mortal world!"

  Upon hearing these words, he finally let out a sigh of relief and thought to himself that this was going to be easy. It turned out that his parents did not consider Ju Xian to be a monster, but rather a celestial being.

  At this point, waiting for the two old men to calm down slightly, he told them again about Ju Ying's previous obscure words and told the two old men that this was Ju Ying's true appearance. However, in this account, he omitted the terrifying experience on Lake Poyang, so as not to frighten the two old men.

  After listening to the wake-up words, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang finally understood. It turned out that this fairy-like girl in front of them was actually the young girl who had been a guest at their home the other day. Knowing the inside story, the two old men were not too surprised.

  Only then did Xing Yan see the girl in front of her and praised:

  "I saw her the day before yesterday, that voice, those eyes, she must not be a coarse woman like us. Now this fairy-like appearance matches the girl's eyes and voice!"

  Although she had heard countless praises before, and even had literary scholars write poems for her, Ju Ying listened to Xing Yan Niang's simple words of praise and suddenly felt very embarrassed, blushing as she said:

  "Mother and daughter are not alike in reputation, living in a humble abode with poor quality, how can their appearance be compared to that of an immortal maiden..."

  After the "surprise" storm subsided, the considerate Xingyan knew they were all hungry, so she stopped chatting and set up a table to invite everyone to eat. Zong Shu was also invited to join them, to taste the homemade pine nut wine and the pickled mountain delicacies.

  At the banquet, Zong Shu was still silent, just drinking his wine, without saying a word.

  Seeing him like this, the whole family only thought he was simple and taciturn, and didn't think it was strange. But Ju Ying was smiling and chatting, slowly savoring the pine nut wine. In the small mountain hut shrouded in night color, they were all joyful and harmonious, with spring filling the room.

  After dinner, everyone went to bed according to the previous arrangement; only Cheng Shu, who had previously shared a room with Xing Yan, was now replaced by Lao Zong, the coachman.

  After going through this half-day ordeal, I was quite tired and fell asleep quickly.

  Just as the soul of the young man was hazy and confused, he seemed to hear someone whispering outside the window; although the dreamland was dark and sweet, this time he woke up suddenly. When he opened his blurry eyes and looked around, he found that his uncle Zong had disappeared from the grass mat in front of him.

  Strange words echoed in his mind, and he heard the faint sound of whispers coming from outside. He got out of bed and went to the window. Under the moonlight, he saw two figures standing by the fence of the courtyard, seemingly engaged in a heated discussion. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be Ju Ying and Zong Shu, who appeared to be having some sort of dispute.

  Perhaps fearing that the people in the house would hear them, they all seemed to be making an effort to lower their voices, and their words were almost inaudible. But Xing Yan was very curious at this moment, although he was far away, but with his attention focused, he still heard a few words. It seemed that it was Master Zhong, the carriage driver, who was urging the young girl to hurry back with him, while Ju Ying seemed reluctant.

  Vaguely, I heard Zong Shu mention something like "My lord, agreement... a body worth a thousand pieces of gold... even death cannot redeem it... tomorrow morning... set off" and so on.

  Looking at the expressions and tones of the two, it seems that Uncle Zong is straightforward and confident, with every sentence being sincere; while little girl Ju Ying appears to be somewhat at a loss for words. It seems that in the end, she couldn't outdo Uncle Zong.

  Wise words are also clear and bright, seeing this situation, how can one not think of the underlying reason. It must be that Master Zong's master, probably Ru Yin's father, before Ru Yin left home to travel, had instructed Cheng Shu and Zong Shu that once his daughter showed her true appearance, they would immediately take her back home. It is likely that the young girl had also made such a promise before leaving home to travel.

  It's not surprising to think about it. This rivers and lakes are treacherous, the wind and waves are unpredictable, with Ju Ying's beautiful face, every step is a crisis, every inch is difficult to move. Now that she has revealed her true appearance, I'm afraid that her loyal servant Zong Shu also fears that the young master will encounter danger, so he insists on letting her return.

  Having understood the key point, the young man felt a sense of loss and returned to his grass mat to sleep with his clothes on. Before long, the voices outside the window became inaudible. A moment later, Zong Shu quietly returned to his grass bed to rest.

  "It seems that tomorrow morning, Ju Ying and them will definitely be leaving."

  Although he had always known it would be this outcome, after these two or three days of interaction, the young man's heart felt an unbearable sense of loss and melancholy.

  As a result, some people tossed and turned in bed that night, unable to fall asleep again.

  The next morning, everyone woke up in the mountain village amidst the chirping of birds.

  After finishing breakfast, the words that the young man knew but was extremely unwilling to hear were still spoken from his uncle's mouth:

  "I must let you know, my young lady has been delayed in Raozhou for several days and should return now. In the past two days, my young lady has been taken care of by Young Master Zhang, and we have also troubled your family a lot. My young lady and I are both extremely grateful. Please accept these scattered silver coins as a token of our appreciation. We will take our leave now."

  Perhaps their departure was already expected by Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, so they were not too surprised; however, the villagers' simplicity and hospitality made them treat the guests with kindness. When they saw that Uncle Zhong wanted to give them silver, although they were poor themselves, they absolutely did not want to accept it. In the eyes of the simple old couple, such treatment was what a host should do; if they accepted their silver again, wouldn't it be like running an inn or restaurant?

  In the midst of pushing and refusing, she suddenly spoke up. She told Zong Shu not to force it, then smiled faintly at Zhang's couple and said that these two days had been fortunate to have Xingyan as her guide, so she could play with such abandon. Therefore, she wanted to give Xingyan a small token of appreciation on this occasion of parting.

  When she finished speaking, the girl took off a jade pendant hanging around her neck as white as congealed fat and handed it to Xingyan.

  The girl's move was beyond everyone's expectation; but listening to her words, although her voice was soft, her tone was unusually firm, with an inexplicable aura that seemed to make anyone who opposed her unable to speak out - even Zong Shu, whose expression changed and was about to speak up to stop her, ultimately remained silent.

  He then took over the jade pendant that still had the girl's body temperature, carefully hid it in his bosom, but did not say a word, and rushed back to the inner room.

  Just as everyone was at a loss for what to do, the young man rushed out again, took out something and stuttered to Ju Ying:

  "This, this is what I made last night, preparing to give it to you as a keepsake."

  It turned out to be a wine cup carved from bamboo roots, exactly the same kind of small bamboo cup that the young girl had loved so much at first.

  On this bamboo cup, there are still a few sparse strokes of carved paintings, originally a flat boat with one leaf, a few water ripples, and a faint outline of distant mountains; next to the painting, several simple words are also engraved:

  "Raozhou's lingering thoughts"

  At this time, the young man said sincerely:

  "This bamboo ladle was made by me in the courtyard at night, relying on the moonlight. The light is dim, and it's really simple. I just want to give you a keepsake, hoping you can accept it."

  The words were tinged with a hint of panic, but the tone was sincere.

  "Thank you, I like it."

  The young lady calmly took over the small bamboo cup and then turned around and slowly boarded the carriage.

  "General Zong, let's set off."

  The girl said with a slight tremble.

  The wheels rumble, the horses whinny, and the Raozhou city that has been lingering behind for several days is finally slowly moving away from oneself...

  The girl in the car, rubbing her hands on this simple small bamboo cup, saw the crooked " Raozhou Memorial" four characters on it, and the tears that had been suppressed for a long time in her bright eyes could no longer be held back, and burst out...

  It is indeed:

  Azure clouds in the sky, yellow leaves on the ground, autumn wind rises

  In the midst of the mountain colors, a whip's shadow lingers

  Troubles fill one's chest and mind.

  How can this small car carry so much...

  The first volume of Xian Lu Yan Chen is complete.

  Please stay tuned for Volume 2 of this book:

  "A sword polished for ten years in one's hand"

  。