Chapter 31

PS: Thank you for the generous tip, Idol Classmate. Also, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, may you all be as red and lovely as apples, adored by all.

Noon.

The sun was high in the sky, and under its somewhat blinding light, Yue Yuan and Lu Wushuang stood by the roadside, watching Xiaolongnü, dressed in white and riding a white horse, disappear at the end of the road.

Despite the scorching sun, it could not obscure the coolness that radiated from Xiaolongnü.

After a long while.

Lu Wushuang, the girl with the limp, shifted her gaze from Xiaolongnü's disappearing back to the dazzling golden light of the Taoist priest Yue Yuan standing beside her in the sunlight, and said with a smile, "Why... Daoist Priest Yue, are you so reluctant to let her go?"

Lu Wushuang's tone was filled with a strange sense of mockery, almost as if she was stirring up trouble.

Moreover, the way Yue Yuan had been staring at Xiaolongnü's back without blinking had reminded Lu Wushuang of the legend of the Stone of Waiting Husband.

"..."

Startled, Yue Yuan turned his head and looked at the girl with the limp, Lu Wushuang, standing beside him, somewhat puzzled by her words. For Xiaolongnü, for this sorrowful woman as pure as a fairy, Yue Yuan naturally had unique feelings due to his childhood impressions.

If it was love, it was merely a kind of liking.

Especially after his choice in the穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越" in English, but in this context, it means "time travel" or "穿越" in a more literal sense), Yue Yuan knew that his liking was not the kind of love between a man and a woman. Although he had dreamed of marrying a beautiful fairy-like woman when he was young, he realized as an adult that it was just a luxury.

And when Yue Yuan had the chance to time travel, after meeting Xiaolongnü, he found that his feelings for her were merely a kind of liking, at most a possessive desire unique to male creatures.

That was all.

At this moment, while gazing at Xiaolongnü's departing back, Yue Yuan felt a sense of reluctance, but it was not what Lu Wushuang implied. However, he did not feel the need to explain himself, instead he asked, "If Miss Wushuang also wants to know the answer to that fool's question, why let her go now?"

"Huh?!"

Lu Wushuang was taken aback, her tone faltering, and she retorted with a mix of anger and embarrassment, "That's my horse! You gave it to her, what am I supposed to ride?"

"Um..."

"What do you mean it's your horse? It was clearly the one I took from the rich to help the poor yesterday. At most, I'll let you ride my little donkey!"

Regarding Lu Wushuang's concern, Yue Yuan sneered, "If that doesn't work, we can both put on masks and go rob... no, help the poor again!"

"..."

Lu Wushuang turned her head, her eyes fixed on the luxuriously dressed Taoist priest Yue Yuan, who was shining with golden light. Her lips moved, but she ultimately turned away, not knowing how to respond to this Taoist. She thought to herself, "Helping the poor should be helping me from you!"

Unfortunately, Lu Wushuang did not dare to say this openly. To her, Yue Yuan gave her a feeling similar to facing the venomous fairy Li Mochou. However, unlike Li Mochou's viciousness, Yue Yuan gave her a sense of complete unpredictability.

A completely unpredictable person, and one who acted without restraint, was the most terrifying.

...

On the road.

Lu Wushuang, the girl with the limp, rode Yue Yuan's little donkey, swaying as she walked. In front of her, Yue Yuan, shining with golden light, walked with a leisurely pace.

"By the way, I noticed your expression changed when you heard Xiaolongnü's words. Do you have a strong liking for her disciple Yang Guo... um, the one you call the fool!"

As he walked, Yue Yuan, enjoying the scenery around him, turned back to ask Lu Wushuang, who was riding the donkey behind him, his curiosity piqued.

The fool!

Yang Guo!

And Xiaolongnü!

Lu Wushuang was not foolish. Although she had a strong liking for Yang Guo, it was just a liking. The current Lu Wushuang had not yet fallen into a one-sided love like her cousin Cheng Ying. Moreover, although she had a limp, it did not mean she was mentally impaired. From the conversation with Xiaolongnü, even a blind person could see that Xiaolongnü had a strange affection for Yang Guo, which was definitely not a normal teacher-student relationship.

Her appearance, her demeanor, and her tone all told Lu Wushuang that her suspicions were well-founded.

Thinking about this, Lu Wushuang suddenly said, "Daoist Priest Yue, do you think this teacher-student relationship is incestuous and morally wrong?" Although she did not say it outright, her words clearly conveyed this meaning.

"Ha ha..."

Yue Yuan smiled faintly, not directly answering Lu Wushuang's question, but instead asked, "Miss Wushuang, if you were in her position and had a disciple who loved you to the point of madness, and you also loved him, would you care about others' opinions and separate from your disciple?"

"Uh..."

Lu Wushuang, sitting on the donkey, was taken aback and fell silent. After a long while, she answered in a slightly low voice, "No! I wouldn't care about others' opinions!"

Hearing this, Yue Yuan stopped, turned around, and quietly looked at the girl with the limp riding the donkey, smiling. He thought to himself that in this world of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," there were indeed many women who were deeply in love. Not just the girl with the limp, Lu Wushuang, but also her cousin Cheng Ying, Gong Sun Lüe'e of the Valley of Absolute Affection, and later Guo Xiang, all of whom were extremely devoted.

Such women were the greatest display of a man's charm, and Yang Guo had several of them.

Most importantly, Yang Guo himself was a loyal person, loving only one person from start to finish, thus leaving the other women heartbroken. Among them, Lu Wushuang, Cheng Ying, Gong Sun Lüe'e, and Guo Xiang all ended in tragedy.

Among them, Gong Sun Lüe'e suffered the most. Her experiences could almost rival those of the venomous fairy Li Mochou.

In a way, although Xiaolongnü had endured hardships, she was happier compared to the four young women.

"Miss Wushuang, you are a remarkable person!"

Looking at Lu Wushuang, Yue Yuan sighed. Although the girl in front of him had a bad temper, in terms of feelings, she reminded him of Azhi from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," except she was not as fierce as Azhi.

But in terms of emotional attachment and stubbornness, they were the same.

"So, this is love!"

Finally, Yue Yuan concluded, then turned around and continued leading the donkey forward.

After a while, Lu Wushuang, who had been silent, suddenly asked, "Daoist Priest, what do you think love is?"

Yue Yuan's steps faltered, and the donkey behind him also stopped.

Faced with Lu Wushuang's question, Yue Yuan furrowed his brow, but did not turn around.

What is love?

No one can give a definitive answer; everyone has their own answer in their heart.

After a long while, Yue Yuan gave his answer, "If there is a bond, even a thousand miles apart, you will meet; if there is no bond, even if you are face to face, you cannot hold hands!"

Perhaps, this is love!

For a moment, Yue Yuan and Lu Wushuang fell silent again, the road was quiet, only the sound of the donkey's hooves and the wind passing by their ears.

For some reason, Lu Wushuang suddenly remembered the Taoist priest's self-introduction from yesterday. He said his name was Yue Yuan, "Yue" meaning mountain, and "Yuan" meaning bond.