"When Master missed Yao Ru, he would play the zither. He also told me that love is the only thing in this world that cannot be touched. Later, Master died in that heavy rain, and I became a human being. I began to carry the Jiaowei Zither and walk the path that Master had walked." Bian Zhener's eyes were filled with tears when he recalled the past scenes.
He thought that he had followed his master for so long that his mind was as clear as a mirror, and that no worldly emotions could hold him back. But he didn't know that his master had spent his entire life trying to forget Yao Ru. How could a person whose heart was attached to the secular world teach him to have a clear mind?
After hearing this, Liu Zhuiyi remained silent.
She raised her hand and placed it on Bian Zhen'er's knee. She said softly, "Little monk, it's my fault."
Bian Zhen'er shook her head and said, "I don't blame you."
Liu Zhuiyi withdrew her hand and sat down, saying: "Little monk, I'm very happy that you can tell me your story. It's no big deal. A person will meet many people and lose many people in his life. Actually...actually, I am the same as the little monk." As she spoke, she hugged her knees tightly and gently bit her skirt with her teeth.
Bian Zhener turned her head and looked at Liu Zhuiyi with confusion in her eyes.
Liu Zhuiyi continued, "Sister Nian brought me back to Ruyi Tower. Sister Nian said that when she was ten years old, she went to see the lantern festival with Ruyi Tower's mother. She held me in the river full of lotus lanterns, and then I stayed in Ruyi Tower. When I was a child, I was naughty and didn't like singing and dancing. I loved climbing trees and catching fish. I went to the river to catch fish and bring them back to eat every day. Over time, Sister Nian let me do whatever I wanted. I don't know who my parents are, but I am very happy because the sisters in Ruyi Tower are very kind to me. Although I have left Ruyi Tower now, I have the little monk by my side, so I don't feel sad. Little monk, don't miss the master too much, because he likes you just like the sisters like me, and hopes you live well."
Liu Zhuiyi revealed half of her face and looked at Bian Zhener. Bian Zhener's eyes flickered with a light in them that she could not understand.
"I will." After a long time, Bian Zhener said these three words heavily.
He didn't know Liu Zhuiyi's life experience, didn't know that she understood his thoughts, and didn't know that he, who was wandering around alone, could have such an important position in someone's heart.
After his master left, he thought that he was dispensable to the world, but now, there is someone like his master who cares about him.
When Liu Zhuiyi heard Bian Zhener say this, he couldn't help but grin and said, "Then let's not quarrel anymore, okay?"
Bian Zhen'er's brows warmed up and he said, "Okay."
"The little monk..." Liu Zhuiyi straightened up, as if she remembered something, and hurriedly shook her head, "No, no." She moved in front of Bian Zhen'er, held his face, and asked, "You are not a real monk. I will not call you little monk in the future. Then I will still call you Liu Wuduan? Oh... No, it sounds so strange. I'd better call you little monk. Little monk is better. Little monk sounds more friendly."
Bian Zhen'er's pupils were gradually shrinking, but Liu Zhuiyi didn't notice that the face he was holding had already turned red, and the warm temperature was swirling in his palms.
At this time, Bian Zhen'er was just like Ming Yang at that time. Looking at the pretty and lovely woman in front of him, his heart was beating very fast, but he had no time to think about it. That kind of beating fast is the so-called emotion.
"Miss Liu..." Bian Zhen'er's voice was hoarse, and he looked at Liu Zhuiyi's face at a loss.
Liu Zhuiyi grinned. With the moonlight behind her, Bian Zhener could only see her delicate outline and the light in her eyes. Liu Zhuiyi said, "We have exchanged our secrets. Let's live and die together, okay?"
Bian Zhen'er stood up quickly and said, "Oh, oh... it's getting late! I'm going to rest now, and Miss Liu should rest early as well." As he said that, he turned around and walked down from the roof. Due to nervousness, his steps were a little disorderly and he almost fell. Liu Zhuiyi saw him from behind and laughed out loud.
Bian Zhener hurried into the house, closed the door, and began to recite the sutra silently: "Amitabha Amitabha!"
"Bian Zhener, have you seen a ghost?" Yun Yao's voice came from behind the screen. He was sitting in the bathtub, and the white hot steam made his cheeks red.
Bian Zhener was surprised to find someone behind the screen, and quickly sat down beside the bed, saying, "No, I want to rest!" After that, he lay down. Yun Yao shouted from inside, "Hey, don't get on the bed if you haven't taken a shower yet."
Bian Zhener ignored it.
Yun Yao listened carefully for a while, and when he saw that Bian Zhen'er didn't move, he muttered, "A monk who doesn't like cleanliness!"
Bian Zhen'er lay on his back on the bed, with Liu Zhuiyi's appearance in his mind. He couldn't fall asleep or calm down. He had never encountered such a situation in all his years.
Even his master had never told him what to do in such a situation.
Liu Zhuiyi waited until Bian Zhener left before she jumped down from the roof and returned to the house. Xun Yan lit a stick of incense in the house, saying it had a calming effect.
Liu Zhuiyi walked over and took a deep breath, saying, "It smells pretty good."
"This is jasmine fragrance, a favorite in the bedroom. I know you must be very tired after the journey, so I went outside to pick some jasmine flowers and grind them to make fragrance." Xun Yan answered obediently.
Liu Zhuiyi glanced at Xun Yan, smiled, and said, "Please sit down."
Xun Yan sat down, Liu Zhuiyi poured her some water and asked, "You were a wealthy family before, right?"
Xun Yan shook her head and said, "No, my parents and I live in a small town. They make a living by their crafts. My mother knows how to make incense, so I learned a little bit from her."
"So what does dad do?" Liu Zhuiyi asked casually.
"A luthier!" Xun Yan answered with a proud look on her face, "Daddy's luthier and mom's incense are the best things in this town."
Liu Zhuiyi paid attention and asked, "Your father is a zither maker? Do you know anything about zithers?"
Xun Yan thought for a moment and said, "I've learned a little bit from what I've seen and heard, but I don't know much about it."
Liu Zhuiyi held his chin with one hand, looked out the window, and said, "Then do you know which strings are better for the Jiaowei Qin? I heard that there is a kind of herb that can be woven into the strings of the Jiaowei Qin. Do you know which herb it is?"
Xun Yan thought for a moment and said, "I've heard my father talk about it, but this herb is very rare and hard to find."
"Tell me, tell me first." Liu Zhuiyi lay on the table, approached Xun Yan and asked.
Xun Yan bit her lip and said, "This herb is called Ling Man. It grows in the gaps of the canyon. It will flash a strange white light at night, but this is also when it is most resilient. After dawn, Ling Man will crawl on the mountain wall, just like an ordinary vine."
"That means we can only see Lingman at night, right?" Liu Zhuiyi asked.
"That's right." Xun Yan hesitated for a moment and nodded.
Liu Zhuiyi asked again: "Will there be spiritual vines in any gap in the canyon?"
Xun Yan frowned slightly and asked, "Sister Liu, are you going to pick spirit vines?"
"Shh..." Liu Zhuiyi put her index finger across her lips and whispered, "I am going to go. I broke the little monk's strings and I have to compensate him."
"But the gap in the canyon is very steep, and few people can climb up." Xun Yan said.
"We have to climb even if we can't. Besides, I, Liu Zhuiyi, have climbed all kinds of mountains since I was a child. I'm telling you, don't tell the little monk and Yun Yao. If they come over later, don't open the door. Just tell them that I fell asleep." Liu Zhuiyi stood up and looked around. He took out all the things he could find, such as scissors and fire starters, and finally took a bundle of ropes and tied them around his waist.
Xun Yan followed behind Liu Zhuiyi and advised, "Sister Liu, you'd better not go. If something happens, Bian Zhener and Young Master Yun will blame me."
"Don't worry, you won't be implicated." Liu Zhuiyi was slightly displeased. She turned around and put one hand on Xun Yan's shoulder and said, "Just stay here quietly. I will take responsibility if anything happens to me. I will be back before dawn." After that, she took a few big steps to the window, turned over and jumped out of the window.
The candlelight in front of the window was blown dim by Liu Zhuiyi's wind-like figure, and then returned to its original appearance in an instant.
Xun Yan walked slowly to the window, the candlelight flickering in her eyes.
There is a huge canyon in the southwest of the county town. Liu Zhuiyi had heard about it on the way to Macheng.
The hour of midnight was drawing to an end. After leaving the market, the road became dark. The moonlight fell from above, illuminating the leaves with a spooky look. Liu Zhuiyi stepped forward, looked around, clasped his hands together and said, "You various ghost grandmas, I, Liu Zhuiyi, have never done anything bad in my life, so don't come and catch me!"
But even so, Liu Zhuiyi was still frightened. She was like a frightened wild cat, hunching her back, tapping her toes, and running away while screaming.
Passing through the bushes, she heard the sound of her soles stepping on shallow water. Liu Zhuiyi looked down in the moonlight and found that she was in a shallow beach. She raised her legs to shake off the water on the soles of her shoes, but her sight was inadvertently attracted by a shining object in the distance.
She rubbed her eyes and ran closer to take a look, only then could she see clearly that the glowing objects were vines climbing up the mountain walls. They covered the walls on both sides of the gorge, and the long stems were shining brightly, even brighter than the stars and the moon.
“Ling vine? It’s really Ling vine!” Liu Zhuiyi exclaimed and ran over, looking up at the spiritual grass on the mountain wall.
The mountain wall was high and steep, with uneven surfaces, but there was no easy place to step on. Liu Zhuiyi looked up and saw a pine tree growing horizontally on one side of the wall. He pulled out the thick rope from his waist, tied a machete to one end of the rope, and threw the rope with a parabolic momentum. The end of the machete was firmly fixed on the trunk of the pine tree.
With the help of the rope, Liu Zhuiyi pushed his legs up the right wall and climbed up the tree with difficulty.
"Hiss..." He forgot to protect his palms, and the rope left red marks on his palms.
However, the spirit vine was within reach, so this minor injury was not a problem. Liu Zhuiyi looked up and saw that the spirit vine could be reached at the end of the pine treetops. She stood up carefully and stepped on the tree trunk to move forward slowly.
His feet slipped several times, but fortunately Liu Zhuiyi was quick to hold on to the tree trunk tightly.
After finally climbing to the top of the tree, she stood up with trembling feet, stretched out her hand and pulled the spiritual vine. Thinking of Bian Zhener's broken Jiaoweiqin, Liu Zhuiyi pulled out a long spiritual vine for use.
Just as she was about to turn around and go back, a ghost light suddenly floated from the dark end of the canyon.
The will-o'-the-wisp was faint blue and slowly drifted towards Liu Zhuiyi.
"What the hell is that?" No matter how brave Liu Zhuiyi was, he was still timid when facing the darkness and evil spirits.
How could a will-o'-the-wisp make a sound? Liu Zhuiyi squatted on the tree, curled up into a ball, and nervously stared at the will-o'-the-wisp that was getting closer and closer.
Her intuition told her that if she didn't run, the will-o'-the-wisp would definitely float in front of her. Liu Zhuiyi was so frightened that she didn't care about the height between the tree and the ground. She ran to the rope, pulled the rope and slid down. The rough rope burned her arms and palms, causing a burning pain.
She didn't have time to look back, so she held Ling Man tightly in her arms and rushed forward.
The will-o'-the-wisp was still following her, and Liu Zhuiyi ran into the bushes, but her feet were caught by the water plants in the shallows and she fell down. For a moment, her face and clothes were covered with mud.
Liu Zhuiyi's eyes suddenly turned horrified. She looked at the reflection of the will-o'-the-wisp in the shallows, got up in a panic, turned around and shouted at the will-o'-the-wisp, "What the hell is that! Why are you always following me?"
The dark blue thing stopped in front of Liu Zhuiyi and suddenly split into two!
"Ah - ghost!" Liu Zhuiyi screamed and ran to another place. The two ghost fires did not chase her, but through the firelight they could see Liu Zhuiyi's back running farther and farther away.
The jungle was so huge that Liu Zhuiyi had lost his way.
She was afraid that the will-o'-the-wisp would catch up with her again, so she ran around in a panic. The clouds at night covered the moonlight, and the world was dark . Liu Zhuiyi couldn't see the road, and her feet seemed to slip, and she missed a step on a slope and rolled down.
The thorns on the ground pricked her whole body and she didn't know when she reached the bottom. Liu Zhuiyi's forehead hit the stump of a felled tree. She tried hard to get up, but in the end she could only struggle weakly and fainted.
It was still pitch black in the depths of the jungle, with only a piece of spiritual vine sticking out from Liu Zhuiyi's arms flashing a mysterious white light.
As soon as the sky was a little bright, the doors of Bian Zhener and Yun Yao's rooms were slammed loudly.
Xun Yan shouted anxiously outside: "Little Master, Master Yun! Something bad has happened!"
Hearing the noise, Bian Zhener got up and opened the door. As soon as he opened the door, Xun Yan couldn't help but said, "Little Master, Sister Liu'er hasn't come back yet!"
As soon as he heard Liu Zhuiyi's name, Yun Yao, who was still sleeping soundly on the bed, woke up immediately.
"Miss Liu? What happened?" Bian Zhener asked.
Xun Yan said, "It's all my fault. Last night I told you that Ling Man can be used as the strings for Jiaowei Qin, so Sister Liu went to the Canyon Crack to look for it. She hasn't come back yet. Could something have happened to her?"
"She went to find the spiritual vines that can be used to weave strings for the harp!" Bian Zhen'er was shocked. "When did she go?"
"About 11:00 last night."
"What's wrong? Where did Liu'er go?" Yun Yao rubbed his eyes and came over and asked.
Bian Zhener said to Xun Yan, "Miss Xun Yan, please stay in the inn first and don't go anywhere." After that, he grabbed Yun Yao's arm and ran outside, "Come with me to find Miss Liu!"
Before Yun Yao could react, he was dragged out of the inn by Bian Zhener.
"I'll go to the grand canyon on the southwest side. Yunyao, you go to the small canyon in the northeast corner. No matter whether you can find it or not in three hours, go back to the inn first." Bian Zhener said.
Yun Yao nodded and quickly came back to his senses, saying, "I know, be careful."
The two went to different places to look for Liu Zhuiyi. Bian Zhener frowned so deeply that even he himself didn't notice it. He didn't blame her. Why did she still risk her life to look for the spiritual herbs?
Bian Zhen'er did not dare to waste time and did not rest for a moment along the way.
"Miss Liu!" Bian Zhener came to the jungle, shouting and searching.
But there was no response.
After walking through the huge woods and bushes, Bian Zhener found a cloth shirt by the shallows. He picked it up and looked at it, frowning: "Miss Liu?"
Bian Zhener looked carefully at the shallow beach under his feet and saw some muddy footprints on the shore that had dried up and turned white. He thought that Liu Zhuiyi must have run in a certain direction. He did not dare to think too much and hurriedly followed the muddy footprints to find the direction.
"Miss Liu...Miss Liu, where are you?"
The only sound in the empty woods was the wind blowing through the leaves. The gentle morning sunlight gradually illuminated the woods, but looking around, one could not see Liu Zhuiyi's figure, nor could one hear her answer.
Bian Zhener is worried about Liu Zhuiyi.
He narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Master, I'm sorry."
As he was talking, Bian Zhener bit his index finger and touched his brow with the blood on his fingertip. Then a streak of red light passed through his tightly closed eye sockets like the wind rippling the surface of a lake. When he opened his eyes again, he could see what he wanted to find through the woods.
This is the pupil between the eyebrows. Using it once will weaken the body by three points. Master Mingyang once forbade Bian Zhener to use it.
As expected, using the eyebrow pupil can really see Liu Zhuiyi.
She fell down the slope, her green skirt stained with red mud.
Bian Zhener hurriedly went to look for Liu Zhuiyi, and when she found her, she discovered that her clothes were torn by thorns, and there were many bloodstains on her arms and calves. Bian Zhener quickly tore off her clothes and bandaged the wounds on Liu Zhuiyi's arms and calves, and then gently patted her shoulder and called her softly, "Miss Liu."
Liu Zhuiyi heard the voice, groaned, slowly opened his eyes, and said weakly: "Little... monk?"
"It's me. Come, get up first, I'll carry you." Bian Zhener carefully helped Liu Zhuiyi up, then put her on his back, stood up and walked slowly.
Liu Zhuiyi lay on Bian Zhener's back, glanced at the bandaged area on his arm, and asked, "Little monk, how did you find me?"
"Miss Xun Yan said you didn't come back all night." Bian Zhen'er suddenly stopped while walking. He turned his head slightly and said earnestly, "The incident with the Jiaoweiqin has passed. Why did you still risk your life to pick the spirit vine? What if something goes wrong?"
Liu Zhuiyi lazily put his arm around Bian Zhener's neck and said, "You're worried about me." Before he finished speaking, the pain on his forehead came faintly again. Liu Zhuiyi reached out and wiped it, only to feel the sticky hair on his forehead.
"Little monk, it hurts so much." Liu Zhuiyi looked aggrieved and said coquettishly in a crying voice.
Bian Zhener quickly put Liu Zhuiyi down and asked her to sit down. Then she looked at her carefully and asked, "Where does it hurt? Let me see."
Liu Zhuiyi pointed to her forehead, and Bian Zhener saw that there was a wound between her hair. The blood had dried up, and only the part that was stuck to her hair was coagulated and hardened.
Bian Zhener lowered her eyes and glanced at Liu Zhuiyi, then leaned forward and breathed gently on Liu Zhuiyi's wound.
Liu Zhuiyi lowered her head slightly, and even though her wound hurt, she couldn't help but smile. She was happy because Bian Zhen'er treated her gently.
"That won't do. We still have to go back and see a doctor." Bian Zhen'er was worried.
Liu Zhuiyi looked up and said innocently, "I am the doctor."
"You are a doctor, can you take care of yourself now?" Bian Zhener sighed, turned around helplessly and squatted, saying, "Come up."
Liu Zhuiyi smiled and climbed onto Bian Zhener's back obediently. Bian Zhener carried her on his back and found the way back. Liu Zhuiyi teased Bian Zhener restlessly and asked, "Little monk, I didn't go back. Are you worried about me?"
Bian Zhen'er's expression changed slightly and he refused to answer.
Liu Zhuiyi hugged Bian Zhener's neck tightly again, leaned close to him, and said, "You said you were worried about me, I won't laugh at you. Hehe."
"Not only me, Yun Yao and Xun Yan are also worried about you." Bian Zhener said.
Liu Zhuiyi happily hugged Bian Zhener, rubbed his head, and said: "I know you are worried about me. Don't use Yun Yao and Xun Yan as a cover. I understand, haha..."
Liu Zhuiyi was too intimate, and Bian Zhener's steps became disordered. She hurriedly said, "Don't move!"
"Okay, I won't move, I'll hold you." Liu Zhuiyi obeyed obediently, but his arm never left Bian Zhener's neck. Bian Zhener's cheeks were slightly hot, and he said in a stammer, "You...you like this, I can't leave!"
Liu Zhuiyi looked at him curiously and deliberately said, "You can't walk? I tell you, a little monk should have pure ears and a clear mind. Although you are carrying a peerless beauty on your back, you have to find a way to walk for me, or just admit that you like me."
Upon hearing this, Bian Zhener hurried on his way.
Liu Zhuiyi continued to hug Bian Zhener with great satisfaction. She could feel his hot cheeks. Liu Zhuiyi whispered in Bian Zhener's ear, "Little monk, you are too close to women."
The warm breath made Bian Zhener's cochlea itchy, and it also made his heart itchy.
"Hahaha!" Seeing Bian Zhener's embarrassed look, Liu Zhuiyi burst into laughter.
Liu Zhuiyi is the only one in the world who is still restless even after being injured, right?
"Little monk, you have traveled to so many places. Have you ever seen the sight of red plum blossoms mixed with snow? I saw it once when I was a child. It was so beautiful."
"Little monk, can you take me to see it later? Eh? If you don't say anything, I'll take it as your consent."
"Little monk, you can't avoid anything by not speaking. Look at your ears, they are all red."
"Oh, little monk, you are so boring, aren't you feeling suffocated?"
Too noisy.
Bian Zhen'er remained silent all the way, silently reciting the Heart Sutra of Prajnaparamita in his heart.
After finally bringing Liu Zhuiyi back to the inn, Yun Yao went to the northeast to look for her but failed. He and Xun Yan were anxious waiting in the inn. When he saw Bian Zhener coming back with Liu Zhuiyi on his back, Yun Yao hurried over and asked anxiously, "Are you okay? Is Liuer hurt?"
"Yun Yao, go find a doctor. Miss Xun Yan, please find a set of clean clothes." Bian Zhen'er said calmly, and then carried Liu Zhuiyi to the room. Yun Yao and Xun Yan reacted and hurriedly followed Bian Zhen'er's words, one went to find a doctor, and the other went to find clothes.
Back in the house, Bian Zhener gently put Liu Zhuiyi down. Liu Zhuiyi stared at him and smiled.
Bian Zhener turned her head and sat aside, waiting quietly for Yun Yao and Xun Yan to bring the doctor and clothes.
"Little monk, you are always so shy. When will you dare to look at me openly?" Liu Zhuiyi tilted his head and swayed his legs.
Bian Zhener ignored her.
Xun Yan walked in from outside, holding a new dress in her hand. Bian Zhener quickly stood up and said, "Miss Xun Yan, you clean her wounds and change her clothes. I'll go out and hide." After that, she ran out of the room immediately. Liu Zhuiyi just wanted to laugh when he saw this, and immediately said to Xun Yan, "Thank you for your hard work."
Xun Yan smiled and said, "It's not hard, Sister Liu'er, wait a moment, I'll get a basin of hot water."
"Okay." Liu Zhuiyi nodded.
After Xun Yan left, Liu Zhuiyi grinned and reached out to touch the painful spot on her forehead. She had bumped into a tree stump last night, but luckily she was not killed. Fortunately, Bian Zhener was smart and found her while she was still alive, otherwise she would have been left to die in the wilderness.
It seems that Bian Zhen'er is still very concerned about him. Thinking of this, Liu Zhuiyi couldn't help but smile. Xun Yan came in with a hot book basin, and Liu Zhuiyi quickly returned to normal.
Xun Yan considerately changed Liu Zhuiyi into clean clothes and wiped the dried blood on her arms and legs. As soon as she was done, Yun Yao came in with a doctor. Yun Yao was impatient and strode to Liu Zhuiyi's side, saying distressedly: "Liu'er, are you hurt anywhere? Does it hurt?"
"Why do you act like a woman?" Liu Zhuiyi said with amusement.
"I'm just worried about you. I'm more worried about you than Bian Zhener. It's just that he was lucky and happened to go to the canyon on the side where you are." Yun Yao curled his lips.
"It's ok , I'm fine, it just hurts a little bit here." Liu Zhuiyi pointed at the injured part of his forehead. Yun Yao quickly turned to the doctor and said, "Doctor, doctor, please take a look at my sister and see what medicine can heal quickly. Don't leave any scars."
The doctor approached Liu Zhuiyi with a medicine box on his back, looked at her wound carefully, and said, "Don't worry, young lady and young master. I have the best medicine here. It won't leave any scars after application." As he said that, he took the medicine box from his shoulder, took out the bottle of medicine for healing injuries and applied it to Liu Zhuiyi.
Afterwards, the doctor left a few names of medicines on the prescription, specifically to treat Liu Zhuiyi's body. She was frightened last night, and fell from such a high place, so she must be treated.
Xun Yan took the prescription and said, "I'll go and boil the medicine for Sister Liu'er. Master Yun, you stay here and take care of her."
"Thank you for your help, Xun Yan." Yun Yao thanked.
"No trouble." Xun Yan smiled sweetly and turned to go out to get the medicine.
After Xun Yan left the room, Liu Zhuiyi said to Yun Yao who had just sat on the couch, "Okay, there's nothing for you to do now, go out, I need to rest. Xun Yan's medicine is ready, knock on the door and come in."
Yun Yao, who originally wanted to accompany Liu Zhuiyi, said sadly, "Well, you take a good rest. I'm going out. Call me if you need anything."
"Yeah." Liu Zhuiyi noticed Yun Yao's depression and smiled at him.
Yun Yao reached out and rubbed Liu Zhuiyi's hair, and said, "I'm going out." After that, he stood up and walked out, and when he closed the door, he looked at Liu Zhuiyi with concern.
After Yun Yao and the doctor left, Liu Zhuiyi was the only one left in the room.
She carefully took out the spiritual vine she had picked last night from her bosom, sat at the table, carefully picked out the leaves, and rubbed them with her palms to rub the strings for Bian Zhener.
Liu Zhuiyi doesn't understand the pain of missing someone and the suffering of caring about someone, but since Master Mingyang is so important to Bian Zhener, she will definitely help Bian Zhener fix the broken strings of the zither.
Outside the house, Bian Zhener sat on the fence on the second floor, looking at the guests on the first floor, wondering what he was thinking about.
Maybe, I am thinking about the past, or maybe, I am thinking about the future.
Xun Yan walked in from outside the inn, holding a bag of medicinal herbs in her arms. Yun Yao walked over to her and they exchanged a few words. Yun Yao then took Xun Yan to the backyard. Bian Zhener thought that after his master left, he had been alone. Now that he had so many friends, he was no longer as lonely as before.
Everything is arranged by God, he should accept it with pleasure.
Xun Yan followed Yun Yao to the backyard and asked the shop owner for the kitchen to use to boil medicine for Liu Zhuiyi.
So, Xun Yan was alone in the kitchen fanning the fire and boiling medicine, Yun Yao broke off a branch in the backyard and used it as a sword, Bian Zhener sat on the second floor watching people coming and going, and Liu Zhuiyi hid in the house to weave the strings of his zither.
Although they seemed to be doing their own things and had no connection with each other, they gradually became harmonious with each other.
However, weaving guitar strings is not an easy job.
Liu Zhuiyi already had scars on her palms, and now she was twisting the strings hard, burning her palms. But she gritted her teeth, frowned, and continued knitting. Beads of sweat ran down her beautiful cheeks and dripped onto her clothes, making her face pale, but she didn't stop.
Bian Zhener felt bored and wanted to go see what Yun Yao and Xun Yan were doing, but when she went over, she heard Xun Yan's scream and the sound of a medicine jar breaking to the ground.
Bian Zhener and Yun Yao ran to the kitchen and saw Xun Yan putting her hand into cold water. There were broken medicine jars on the ground.
"I'm sorry, the medicine jar was too hot and I didn't pay attention." Xun Yan felt quite guilty.
"It's okay. Is your hand burned?" Bian Zhener walked over, grabbed Xun Yan's arm and took a closer look, only to find that all five of her fingers were burned red.
Xun Yan lowered her eyes and said, "I'm fine, Bian Zhen'er, it's just that Sister Liu'er's medicine was spilled, and she's still waiting to take it."
"Yun Yao, go get another packet of medicine, and ask the doctor for some burn medicine." Bian Zhener turned and said to Yun Yao.
Yun Yao was stunned for a moment and said, "Oh! Okay!" Then he immediately ran out of the inn and went to pick up medicine again.
Bian Zhen'er used a gourd ladle to scoop cold water to pour over the burned area for Xun Yan, and warned: "Be careful, the pot that has just been burned is very hot. Next time, use a rag to separate it so that you don't burn your hands."
Xun Yan nodded, her voice as soft as a bird: "I just forgot about it. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
"No trouble." Bian Zhen'er kept pouring water on Xun Yan. When Xun Yan occasionally looked up, her face was charming and her eyes were as clear as autumn water.
Liu Zhuiyi finally rubbed the spiritual vine into a zither string. She gently picked up one end with her fingertips and looked at the new string carefully, feeling comforted.
But she was too serious and didn't have time to rest. At this moment, Liu Zhuiyi's lips were as white as wax and she was sweating coldly. She stuffed the strings into her arms, walked to the bed in a daze, and fell into it.
After a while, when she had caught her breath, Liu Zhuiyi slowly got up. She wanted to give the strings to Bian Zhener, and she couldn't delay even a moment.
As soon as she moved to the second floor stairs, Liu Zhuiyi saw Yun Yao hurriedly running from outside to the backyard, and she didn't have time to call him. Liu Zhuiyi walked downstairs suspiciously holding the handrail and followed Yun Yao to the backyard.
In the courtyard, Bian Zhen'er and Xun Yan were sitting under a willow tree. The green beads on their heads were round and swaying in the wind. Yun Yao stood aside, staring at Bian Zhen'er and Xun Yan curiously. It was a lively scene.
Liu Zhuiyi witnessed everything and his face immediately darkened.
She was injured and lying in the room with no one paying attention to her, but the three of them were just staying there closely together, not knowing what to do.
"You stinky little monk, you were so shy when you were with me, I really thought you were naive! I didn't expect you were such an old hand at liars! Humph!" Liu Zhuiyi and Di Guzhe muttered, with strong dissatisfaction on his face.
She bit her lip in thought, then took big steps towards them.
Yun Yao was the first to see Liu Zhuiyi, and hurriedly shouted, "Liu'er, why don't you take a rest?" As he said that, he came over and wanted to support Liu Zhuiyi. Liu Zhuiyi waved her hand, without taking her eyes off Bian Zhener.
He actually pulled Xun Yan's hand!
Liu Zhuiyi was filled with anger. She walked over, ignoring Bian Zhen'er's surprised look, stretched out her hand to separate Bian Zhen'er and Xun Yan's hands, and said, "Get out of the way."
Bian Zhen'er didn't understand what was going on and stood up.
Liu Zhuiyi snatched the burn medicine from Bian Zhener's hand and said, "Men and women should not touch each other. Do you know this, little monk?"
Liu Zhuiyi scolded Bian Zhen'er for no reason, and Bian Zhen'er swallowed her saliva and said nothing. But Yun Yao, as soon as she saw the situation, knew what was going on. Yes, she was jealous again.
Liu Zhuiyi sat next to Xun Yan, her eyes were lazy, but her voice was as domineering as a queen, and she said, "Hand."
Xun Yan stretched out her hand, and Liu Zhuiyi picked up the burn medicine and applied it to her hand bit by bit.
Yun Yao pushed Bian Zhen'er and said softly, "Go and boil the medicine."
Bian Zhener glanced at Liu Zhuiyi and Xun Yan, then followed Yun Yao into the kitchen.
When Liu Zhuiyi was applying medicine to Xun Yan, he couldn't help but ask, "Is the little monk kind?"
"Yeah." Xun Yan blushed slightly, but she immediately reacted and said, "I don't mean anything else. Bian Zhen'er is my savior. I just want to serve him well and keep him out of danger."
"What kind of danger could he encounter? When we first met, the little monk killed someone for me. Who would dare to bully him?" There was a hint of pride on Liu Zhuiyi's face when he talked about the past.
She did it on purpose, in order to make Xun Yan give up. Bian Zhen'er was on good terms with her.
Unexpectedly, Liu Zhuiyi did not get the response she wanted. After listening to Liu Zhuiyi's words, Xun Yan smiled and said, "The benefactor is so powerful. Sister Liu'er and I were both rescued by Bian Zhen'er."
Liu Zhuiyi suddenly felt something strange in her heart. She looked up at Xun Yan. Xun Yan's harmless little face looked very smiling, but Liu Zhuiyi always felt uneasy, but she couldn't find what was wrong.
She shook her head and didn't pursue the matter further.
After applying the medicine, Liu Zhuiyi got up and went into the kitchen. Seeing Bian Zhener and Yun Yao busy making a fire to boil the medicine, she deliberately said loudly, "Oh, Xun Yan's hands are so soft. I am a girl and I am afraid that I will break them if I hold them in my hands."
Bian Zhener knew that Liu Zhuiyi was hinting at something, so she remained silent.
Liu Zhuiyi walked up to Bian Zhener and asked him, "What do you think, little monk? You haven't held many women's hands, have you?"
Look at her curious face, it's obvious that she cares a lot about it.
Bian Zhen'er didn't dare to look at her directly, and just said, "If you're not feeling well, just take a good rest and don't make trouble."
"I'm not kidding!" Liu Zhuiyi pouted.
Ignoring Liu's thoughts, Bian Zhen'er lifted the lid of the medicine jar and said, "The medicine is ready, no need to light the fire."
Yun Yao scooped up a handful of ashes and threw them into the stove, putting out the fire.
Liu Zhuiyi's face was full of gloom. This Bian Zhener always refused to pay attention to what she said.
Bian Zhener poured the medicine into a bowl, blew on it, and said, "Let it cool down a while before drinking it. It's hot now."
Liu Zhuiyi muttered, looking unhappy, and said, "Yun Yao, go out first. I have something to say to the little monk."
Yun Yao spread his hands and said, "Well, I'm redundant." Then he got up and walked out of the kitchen.
Bian Zhen'er watched him walk out, then turned to ask Liu Zhuiyi, "You don't look very well, why did you come out?" Liu Zhuiyi stared at him and said confidently, "If you didn't come out, you probably wouldn't just hold Xun Yan's hand, right?"
"What are you talking about?" Having known Liu Zhuiyi for such a long time, Bian Zhener still felt blood dripping from her ears when she heard teasing. But before she finished speaking, a string of a zither appeared in front of Bian Zhener.
Liu Zhuiyi took out the strings from his bosom, held them high in front of Bian Zhener, and said, "Take it!"
Bian Zhen'er was shocked and stammered, "You...you...you..."
"What do you mean by 'you'? I'll give you the strings. Whenever you miss your master in the future, you can play the piano again." Liu Zhuiyi glared at him angrily and said.
Bian Zhener took it and held it in his palm carefully as if it were a treasure. He looked at the string woven by the spirit vine in disbelief. Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and blurted out, "This string... Liu'er, your hand..."
As soon as these words came out, both of them were stunned.
Liu Zhuiyi asked back: "Little monk, what did you call me?"
Bian Zhen'er realized that she had spoken out of turn and said hurriedly, "Miss Liu, Miss Liu!"
"No!" Liu Zhuiyi excitedly grabbed Bian Zhen'er's arm and said, "Little monk, you just called me Liu'er, you called me Liu'er! Haha, little monk, I'm so happy."
Yun Yao, who stayed outside the house, heard Liu Zhuiyi's joyful voice and could not help but glance towards the kitchen. However, he saw Liu Zhuiyi happily throwing herself into Bian Zhener's arms, rubbing his chest and saying, "Little monk, you should call me Liuer from now on. It makes me happy and I am not afraid of any pain anymore."
Yun Yao was speechless, feeling confused.
Bian Zhener raised his hands in the air, not knowing where to put them. He was very nervous and said, "Miss Liu... this, this, oh! Drink the medicine, it's getting cold."
Liu Zhuiyi quickly stepped back and nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "Okay, okay!" Then, she picked up the bowl of medicine and drank the bitter medicine in one gulp.
Bian Zhener breathed a sigh of relief, and the hand holding the strings was shaking slightly.
Liu Zhuiyi said that he had not shaken many women's hands. In fact, Bian Zhener had not met many women, let alone shake hands. During the time he wandered with Master Mingyang, he had almost no contact with women. After Master Mingyang passed away, Bian Zhener walked for three years and met Liu Zhuiyi, and then Xun Yan.
He had never known that there were women like Liu Zhuiyi in the world, who were not bound by worldly laws, lived a free and easy life, and were not bound by the differences between men and women. She was cheerful and sincere.
Yes, Liu Zhuiyi seemed to have moved him.
But he didn't know if this was what being in love felt like. Whenever he saw her, his heart would beat like a drum, and when he couldn't see her, he would miss her especially much.