At this moment, Liu Ruyan was sitting in a prison cart. Her clothes were tattered, her face haggard, and there were even a few wilted yellow cabbage leaves stuck to her hair. She was like a different person from her former glamorous self.
The two groups of people were going in opposite directions, but Liu Ruyan slowly turned her head. Her gaze accurately pierced through the crowd and locked onto Shen Cuiyu.
Her eyes were venomous and cold, revealing her unwillingness.
"Shen Cuiyu," Liu Ruyan said. Her hoarse voice, mingled with the howling wind, reached Shen Cuiyu's ears precisely. "This time... I've lost, but don't be too smug. Soon, we'll meet again..."
Shen Cuiyu coldly turned her eyes. Their gazes met and instantly separated. The prison cart swayed and drove towards the depths of the palace.
It was not until Liu Ruyan's figure became blurry and disappeared in the distance that Shen Cuiyu withdrew her gaze, her expression unreadable.
...
In front of the returning carriage, Shen Cuiyu stared at the包袱 that was half as tall as her and fell into deep silence.
Inside were all the fruits, pastries, roasted meats, and story - books that Shen Mu'an had bought for fear that she would be bored on the journey. If it weren't for Mrs. Zou's dissuasion, Shen Mu'an would have wanted to pack the entire Shen Mansion into the包袱...
Zhong Shengwan caught a glimpse of this spectacular large包袱 from the corner of her eye and was startled. She murmured with emotion:
"Your brother's love is really heavy..."
Dongfang Xiao smelled the aroma of the roasted meat and followed the scent all the way. He very eagerly helped Shen Cuiyu carry the包袱 and very amiably asked to sit beside Shen Cuiyu. Finally, he happily shared the food with Shen Cuiyu...
Mr. Yan counted the number of his disciples, nodded to Ren Daoyuan, and at the same time signaled the coachman to set off.
"Everyone is here except Pei Yu, who hasn't returned yet."
"All right," the coachman pulled the reins, his voice resounding with the grandeur of the boundless wilderness. "Everyone, sit tight. We're going back to the academy!"
The carriage rolled on the bluestone slabs, making a fine bumpy sound, and gradually drove away from this palace with high walls and an unfathomable aura.
For the past month, the disciples had almost all been preparing for the Grand Ceremony of Sacrificing to Heaven. Now that it was finally over, even the wind on the way back was pleasant and comfortable.
Amidst the lively and noisy atmosphere, the figure of that elegant and noble young man suddenly appeared in Shen Cuiyu's mind.
Everyone had left, and only Pei Yu was left alone. How much longer would he have to stay in this scheming palace?
Her face remained calm, but almost subconsciously, she wanted to lift the curtain and look back.
Just then, the sound of hooves came from afar!
It wasn't the urgent sound like war drums, but the crisp and neat "clatter" sound. In a blink of an eye, the rider was in front of the carriage, full of the high - spirited energy unique to a young man.
The coachman shouted "Whoa -", and the carriage hadn't come to a complete stop yet.
A hand with distinct knuckles reached in and slightly lifted the brocade curtain.
The afternoon sun in autumn suddenly poured in, making Shen Cuiyu squint her eyes subconsciously.
Against the light, Pei Yu was riding on a horse, slightly leaning forward to look into the carriage. His black robe made his shoulder line look even more straight. Perhaps because he had just galloped, a few strands of his hair fell on his forehead, and he casually brushed them aside. His eyes were astonishingly bright, as if filled with the current sunlight. There was a lazy and high - spirited smile on his lips as he looked directly at Shen Cuiyu.
The wind swept past behind him, lifting his robe and hair. Shen Cuiyu felt as if something had lightly hit her chest. There was a "thud" sound, so clear that she wondered if others could hear it.
Beside her were the surprised cheers of Dongfang Xiao and Zhong Shengwan.
"Good lad, you still remember to come back!"
But Shen Cuiyu was unexpectedly quiet. She picked up the teacup and took a sip. Her dark and bright eyes looked at Pei Yu without saying a word.
While replying to Dongfang Xiao and Zhong Shengwan, Pei Yu nimbly dismounted and walked a few steps to the window. His tall figure completely enveloped Shen Cuiyu in his shadow.
He leaned down and smiled.
"Why don't you say a word? After only a few days apart, don't you recognize me?"
This handsome face magnified in front of Shen Cuiyu. She shifted her gaze and covered her chest, looking a bit strange...
The carriage was moving slowly and passed by an inn next to a tea - house.
Seeing that it was getting late, Ren Daoyuan told everyone to stay there for the night and continue their journey the next morning.
As soon as everyone sat down, the tea - waiter immediately stepped forward to pour hot tea for them and asked curiously:
"You noble guests seem to have come from the capital. Your clothes are so uniform. Are you some kind of sect?"
Ren Daoyuan drank up the cup of tea in one gulp and replied, "We're from the Wanxiang Academy on Chaoyao Mountain."
The tea - waiter's hand trembled as he was pouring tea, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
"In that case, you're all celestial masters! Oh, I'm really disrespectful! Disrespectful!"
The disciples of the academy were young and quickly got familiar with this tea - waiter. The tea - waiter's chatterbox was completely opened, and the group chatted idly.
"To be honest, I once dreamed of becoming a celestial master and even read a lot of books about the mysterious arts. But unfortunately, fate played a trick on me," the tea - waiter said with a sigh, shaking his head. "In the end, I still inherited my family's tea - house..."
Zhong Shengwan looked in the direction the tea - waiter pointed and indeed saw a full bookcase of books. He stepped forward with great interest and took a quick glance.
"The Amorous Celestial Master and the Pretty Fairy?"
"The Untold Stories between the Celestial Master and the Beautiful Ghost Girl?!"
"What on earth are these?!"
Zhong Shengwan put the books back in place with a black - faced expression, and then expressionlessly wiped his hands with a handkerchief, as if he had touched something dirty.
The tea - waiter coughed lightly, pondered for a long time, and then said seriously, "Celestial masters, I actually have a request. I wonder if you can help?"
Ren Daoyuan said, "Since we've met, it's fate. Just say it."
The tea - waiter gave a grateful smile and then began to tell his story.
His name was Lu Yu. His parents had passed away two years ago, leaving only him and his younger sister Lu Chun to depend on each other.
Lu Chun was nineteen years old and had been married for a year. She was very much in love with her husband. But at the beginning of this year, the couple met a wounded little black snake on the mountain, and Lu Chun picked it up and took good care of it.
Her husband, Wang Jingxuan, originally hated this black snake very much, but somehow, his attitude changed later, and he began to take care of the black snake himself.
It was also from then on that Wang Jingxuan seemed to be a different person.
He not only often talked to himself but also became extremely strong, and his behavior was very abnormal.
Until one day, the black snake and Wang Jingxuan disappeared together!
Lu Chun searched many places but couldn't find Wang Jingxuan's figure. She had to report the matter to the government, but there was still no news of him.
This matter quickly spread in the village. According to some old people, it was very likely that the black snake was causing trouble.
Animals that had practiced for a long time would gain spiritual power and could bewitch people's minds. Maybe Wang Jingxuan had been bewitched by the snake demon and eaten in the deep mountains!
More than a month had passed by now, and Wang Jingxuan seemed to have evaporated from the world. There was no sign of him, alive or dead.