V2C45

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After Madam Dongfang left, Xuanji and Yu Sifeng focused all their attention on Steward Ouyang. First, they wanted to see how a good man like Dongfang Qingqi was frustrated in love, and second, they wanted to know what he had to offer to make beautiful lady of his generation fall in love with him.

Ouyang’s face was expressionless as he poured a cup of wine for each of them, and his voice was low as he said respectfully, “Ouyang greets the two young heroes.”

Yu Sifeng smiled and said, “Thank you, Steward Ouyang… I will take the liberty of calling you brother Ouyang, as you are so young and yet you are the Chief Steward of an island.”

He said these words to probe his reaction, but who knew that Ouyang was made of stone, mute, and he dared not be ashamed. The two of them previously thought that he must be a lotus blossom with a thick face and a bright tongue, which is why he is able to get between the island master and his wife without any flaws. It turns out that they were mistaken.

Dongfang Qingqi patted Ouyang’s shoulder. He was about to raise his head to drink, but the cup shook a bit when he patted him, immediately choking and coughing, and the scars on his face became even redder.

“Hahahaha, Ouyang, Ouyang, don’t be so formal! You’re a man, how can you choke on your drink? I told you to practice with me, but you just don’t want to… You know… what’s that, yes, a hundred useless is a scholar! It’s better to practice sword with me!”

Ouyang easily coughed and cleared the wine he choked on, shook his head and said hoarsely, “Thank you for your care, but Ouyang is not a martial arts practitioner … “

Dongfang QIngqi sighed and shook his head, “You have done your best for me on this island, and you will be leaving in a few days, but I have nothing to offer you. Ouyang, you know that most people out there bully the strong and bully the weak. How can I let you go without fear when you are a scholar who has no power to even tie a chicken[1] in your hands?”

As soon as they heard that he was leaving, they both changed their expressions. Yu Sifeng hurriedly asked, “What, is Steward Ouyang leaving Fuyu Island?”

In a low voice, “My brother is seriously ill, and my mother is old, so I can’t rest assured, as such I can only return home.”

So he was leaving! No wonder Madame Dongfang is so sad. It must be due to her emotional instability that Dongfang Qingqi could see the signs. It is a pity that he treated Ouyang like a brother and didn’t suspect him, letting those disciple bear the debt of injustice for no reason.

Dongfang Qingqi said in a deep voice, “I told you to bring your mother and brother to the Island, and Qingrong and I will take care of them, why do you refuse! Has Fuyu Island lost something to you? What a hurry to leave!”

Ouyang hastily bowed and said, “Don’t be mistaken, Master! It’s just that our ancestral graves are all in our hometown, so how can we move them without permission? Besides, as the leaved return to their roots, even my mother is reluctant to leave her homeland. Although the island is nice, it is a long way from there, and the old people can’t bear to go through it… to disappoint the care of the old master, Ouyang is ashamed.”

“Forget it, do what you want!” Dongfang Qingqi waved his hand, yet he was not happy, tersely said, “You have helped me a lot over the years, the two words ‘old master’ must not be said again, call me ‘big brother’!”

Ouyang’s eyes hurt and his throat choked for a long time before he whispered, “Big brother… I…”

Dongfang QIngqi carried the wine jar, poured him a glass of wine and laughed: “Don’t be sad, men’s ambition is everywhere. Come on, Ouyang, let’s drink up! Big brother wishes you a prosperous future, enjoy the benefits of fame and fortune!”

Both of them drank the wine from their cups in one gulp, both of them were dripping with joy.

When Dongfang Qingqi had almost finished ten jars of Hundred Flowers Wine, Lady Dongfang came again. She must have felt worried and came to take a look. When she saw her husband lying on the stone table, she frowned and said, “Why are you drinking so much again … that’s not good for your body!”

When Dongfang Qingqi heard the voice of his wife, he looked up and laughed, mutteirng, “Qing Rong … Qing Rong, you still care about me? You … “

Lady Dongfang sighed, turned back and instructed the disciples outside the pavilion: “Your master is drunk, send him to his bedroom to rest and ask the kitchen to make some wine broth.”

The few disciples hurriedly agreed to support him, but although Dongfang Qingqi was drunk and confused, there was a strong string in his heart, and he regretted his drunkenness in front of his juniors, so he obediently let the disciples help him away, while looking back and smiling. “Sifeng, Little Xuanji … had a good time today. Next time, I will drink thirty more jars with your master and father!”

The two of them reluctantly agreed, but only Madam Dongfang and Steward Ouyang were left in the pavilion, one of them staring at the other while the other pretended not to see them, completely avoiding the other, bowing his head and clearing the dishes.

“I’m sorry, I’m not strong enough to drink, so I’m going to rest now.”

Seeing that it would be redundant to stay here, Yu Sifeng hurriedly retreated, dragging Xuanji along with him, and they both pretended to stagger away drunk towards their rooms.

Ouyang was slowly tidying up the cups and bowls, as if he didn’t know there was someone staring at him behind him.

He always looks so innocent and unaware. When you are anxious, he doesn’t understand. When you are angry, he just looks at you helplessly. When you cry, he can only comfort you silently. He is like a lukewarm water, warm when it is cold, but cold when it is hot.

Lady Dongfang’s eyes slowly wandered away from his expressionless face and slid down to his hands, which were tidying up the cups and bowls. His hand was a little unsteady, occasionally dropping his chopsticks by accident.

“You…” she mumbles, trailing off a final sound, but doesn’t continue.

Ouyang’s hand shook slightly, put the cup-holder on the table, returned to bow, and asked respectfully, “What is your order, Madam?”

In the meantime, she bit her lip and whispered, “You really want to go?”

Ouyang replied, “I have been away from home for ten years, it is time for me to go back and take care of my mother.”

She didn’t believe him and looked at him steadily, her eyes brighter than the stars. ” … what old mother … where did you get the old mother … ” her voice was soft, almost seductive.

This kind of beautiful existence is like a sin, both addictive and frightening at the same time. Ouyang hung his head and retreated two steps, “Without the essence of father and blood of mother, where does one come from. Madam must be joking, I naturally have parents.”

Lady Dongfang looked at him sadly, reached out and tossed her long, dark cloud-like hair, “Still lying to me. Then I ask you, who is more important, your mother or me? If you leave, I will die.”

If you leave, I will die. She has said this countless times, Ouyang can now only smile bitterly, murmuring “Madam, no more jokes, I … I can’t afford it.”

“What can’t you afford? You’re a liar.”

A pair of soft arms wrapped around his neck, the warmth of the jade nestled in, enough to turn steel into a silk wrapped around fingers.

Ouyang’s body was rigid, staring off into the distance at an unknown place, as if the perfect woman in his arms is just a piece of wood. She was sticking to his ears and murmuring a lot of words, meaningless, but enchanting.

He was stunned for a long time, but finally he pushed her away gently and bowed his head: “Madam… please behave yourself. The Lord of the Island is a once-in-a-lifetime man, so don’t let your heart fail you because of a moment’s greed.”

But she was not annoyed. She giggled, “I don’t want that great man, I want you.”

Ouyang is so used to her frivolous words that he doesn’t answer her and clears away the cups and pots from the stone table, leaving the pavilion. Halfway out of the pavilion, she laughed behind him and said, “It’s useless for you to leave, but I have to follow you. I’ll go wherever you go. If you leave Fuyu Island, I will leave as well.”

He paused and whispered, “Madam, don’t be so greedy, don’t forget those innocent disciples who were expelled by the Island Master. They still do not know the reason why they were expelled.”

The wonderful lady in the pavilion did not have a bit of heart, lightly laughed and said, “They were expelled for my sake, and it is their honor as well.”

Ouyang didn’t say anything else and quickly left the pavilion. The sound of someone singing is soothing and clear that it reverberates the heart. As the wind blew by, he could only vaguely hear phrases such as “gentleman”, “as gold as tin, as gold as jade”, and so on.

※※※※

For the next few days, since Dongfang Qingqi was busy preparing for the Zanhua Ceremony, Xuanji and Yu Sifeng didn’t want to bother him all the time, so they simply went to the island to have fun, exploring places and scenery they had never been to.

The only thing that worries them is the disciples who are still in Fuyu Town waiting for news. In view of the fact that this not a matter of subduing demons and eliminating evil, it’s a family matter and they’re just youngsters, they have not found an opportunity to talk about this in the last few days.

Fortunately, there were many preparations for the Zanhua Ceremony, including repairs to the eastern arena, and Dongfang Qingqi was busy with his daily rounds. The disciples were safe for the time being and nothing happened to drive people away.

On this day, Xuanji and Yu Sifeng got up early again and went to the north side of the mountain for a stroll. When they were hungry, they ate some wild fruits, and when they were thirsty, they drank some water from the mountain streams.

The greenery at the bottom of the mountain is lush and verdant, but outside the greenery, wrapped in an endless gem-like blue, there is the sea. This is the highest point on Fuyu Island, the wind was blowing from all directions, and it hit their body and face, sending their clothes flying, giving them the illusion of flying through the air.

“Sifeng, is the sea at Lize Palace as beautiful as this?” Xuanji was standing at the highest point, a small stone on a big rock, which was not very stable, and the stone was trembling, ready to slide into the abyss below. But she was standing very firmly, without wavering.

Knowing that she was good at lightness, he didn’t worry, but smiled and said, “The sea is much wider at Lize Palace, but it’s cloudy most of the year, so the sea is gray and I rarely see such a beautiful blue colour.”

“Can I go there next time?” Xuanji said it casually, but she suddenly regretted it after saying it. It seems that no woman is allowed to enter the palace, and the disciples are not allowed to contact with women, let alone get married.

“Well, you can forget I asked”. She laughed at herself.

However, Yu Si-feng slightly lifted the corner of his lips and said, “If you want to see, I can take you there.”

Xuanji was stunned for a moment, but finally she realized that he had promised to take her to see the Palace of Departure, so she clapped her hands and said, “Can I really go? Then why did you say I couldn’t go?”

He didn’t answer, but said, “You’ll be disappointed if there’s nothing gorgeous there.”

“There is nothing to be disappointed about.” Tired of standing, Xuanji jumped down lightly from the stone and landed beside him, looking with him at the vast ocean below. “I just want to see the place where Sifeng grew up is like.”

Yu Sifeng was stunned, and finally touched his nose and mumbled, “The place where I grew up… I can never go there again.”

“Why?” Xuanji’s ears were so sharp that he heard his murmurings and hurried to find out what was going on.

He thought about it and smiled, “Because it’s definitely not open to outsiders. Well, especially … ” He looked up and down at Xuanji, “Especially a little girl like you, you can’t get in.”

It’s true that there are a lot of weird and strange commandments in the Lize Palace that she had never heard of before. She didn’t bother to ask any more questions, so she spread her hands out and watched the ribbons on her sleeves fluttering and twirling, making her laugh a little.

“Is there any place in the world you can’t go?” she said, “As long as it exists, it’s all good to go. A lot of people like to carve out a territory for themselves where no one else can go in and they can’t go out. I used to be like that, too. But now I think it’s no big deal. If you’re stuck in that place, you only have a little bit of freedom. But if you have the whole world in your heart, you are the freest person, don’t you think so, Sifeng?”

Yu Sifeng raises his eyebrows and gives her a look of admiration, “Did you come up with that on your own?” Xuanji is not the kind of person who is willing to ponder over the truths of life.

She laughed and said, “It’s what my master said, I said it to show off a little.”

Yu Sifeng stretched his back, looked at the color of the sky, and said, “It’s late. Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Lord Dongfang has been very busy lately, so let’s not bother him with everything. Let’s go to Fuyu for lunch, shall we? There’s still a lot of delicious food there that you haven’t tasted.”

When it comes to food, Xuanji naturally supports it with both hands and feet, but…….

“What do I tell the Fuyu disciples?” They agreed to the plea, but in the end, they never had a good chance to say anything.

Yu Sifeng shook her head, “There’s no rush. Let them wait, I will make sure this is done before I leave the island.”

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[1]: 手 无 缚 鸡之 力 (shǒu wú fù jī zhī lì) – an idiom that literally translates as ‘lacking the strength even to truss a chicken’ , figuratively it means: weak or unaccustomed to physical work.

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