The sky's light was about to fall, and the setting sun was melting gold. The last ray of rosy light was slowly pulling away from the ridge line of the mountains, like cinnabar spread on Xuan paper by a master of traditional painting, gradually fading and finally returning to the vast twilight. Guangde Town was built against the mountains. Looking down from high above, it was like a spread-out chessboard, quietly lying in the embrace of mountains and rivers. The main street in the town bent like a ribbon, and the black tiles and white walls were plated with a layer of hallucinatory, flowing warm light. A few wisps of Hearth Smoke that had not yet dispersed, carrying the scent of rice and firewood smoke, passed over the roof ridges and merged with the rising twilight, adding a bit of misty atmosphere of daily life to Guangde Town.
Under the tree at the street corner, three figures appeared, but only two were seen walking slowly, one after the other. The person in the lead was of medium build, with an ordinary appearance and a steady expression. A trace of worry was frozen between his brows. He was exactly Lin Dalu. He held Xiang'er in his arms, his arms slightly bent to form a stable support. Xiang'er curled up inside, her beautiful head powerless, leaning against his shoulder, her eyes tightly closed, and her long eyelashes casting shadows on her pale cheeks. Her breathing was weak and barely audible, as if it would dissipate with the slightest movement of the wind. Lin Dalu's gaze swept over the face of the person in his arms. That usually clever face now revealed the anxiety and solemnity in his heart. Liu Hai followed closely behind, holding half a roll of sleeve cloth in his hand, his expression weary but still with a smile on the corners of his mouth. The two of them took long and steady steps, and their shadows were pulled extremely long by the evening light, falling on the Bluestone Path. The wind rose, and the Eave Bell trembled lightly. The lights in the street gradually ignited, and Paper Lanterns lit up one by one, their halos swaying, swallowing the three people into the interlacing of light and shadow.
After a short while, Lin Dalu lowered his head slightly and listened to the breathing of Xiang'er in his arms. Confirming that Xiang'er's breath was stable, he slowed down his pace and said softly, "Liu Hai, how is the wound on your arm from that fight just now?" Liu Hai forced a grin, his face slightly pale, but he still pretended to be free and easy, laughing, "Haha, it's no bother! This flesh wound is nothing. However, this Autumn Poria Mushroom, we finally got it!" Lin Dalu nodded, his brows relaxing slightly, "With this medicine, Xiang'er's injury can recover. Liu Hai, for today's kindness, Lin thanks you!"
Liu Hai waved his hand and smiled, "Do not speak of thanks. Miss Xiang'er is also a friend of mine, Liu Hai. She even, saved my life once, I, Liu Hai, though naughty and dissolute, still know the warmth and coldness of human feelings." He paused, glanced at Xiang'er, and his tone took on a rare touch of solemnity, "Miss Xiang'er is blessed by heaven, she will surely be fine." Lin Dalu did not turn his head, but only made a low nasal sound from his throat, "Mm."
"It's just, that Fat Liu, hmph!" Liu Hai's anger surged, his feet paused, and his voice sank abruptly, "He is of the same lineage as me, yet he turned his face like this for a few taels of medicinal ingredients! Even if he is wealthy today, he is not worthy of the surname Liu!" Lin Dalu looked at him sideways and only sighed, "Liu Hai, you speak too harshly. Ultimately, this medicine, he still gave it, let's treat it as the end of a grudge." "For this kindness, Lin thanks you on behalf of Xiang'er," Lin Dalu added. "What thanks!" Liu Hai waved his hand abruptly, and then Liu Hai sneered, his tone cold and fierce, "Gave? He was forced! If not for that hunchbacked old Daoist intervening, he would rather drive me out of the house than give these half-tael of Autumn Poria Mushroom!" Liu Hai gnashed his teeth, his face flushing with anger, "This time, I, Liu Hai, have remembered it! Sooner or later, there will be a day when I will make him regret what happened today!"
Seeing that Liu Hai's anger was hard to calm, Lin Dalu's brows furrowed imperceptibly, and he changed the subject, voicing the doubt in his heart, "Liu Hai, Liu Taifei's words were tough at first. Hearing what he said, this Autumn Poria Mushroom seemed to be of great importance, but then he suddenly changed his tune, apologized, and gave it away. This matter is not in line with common sense." Liu Hai was startled, his brows furrowed slightly, "You mean, that hunchbacked old Daoist?" Lin Dalu gave a soft "Mm," and the scene from a moment ago flashed through his mind, ... Liu Taifei saw that person coming in, his face full of smiles, he went up to meet him, "Welcome, Immortal Elder Zhuo Huan! Liu has failed to welcome you from afar..." The hunchbacked Daoist snorted coldly, "...the objects of, Yin Spirit Pavilion..." Liu Taifei bowed repeatedly, "Whatever the Immortal Elder needs..." That Daoist sneered, "Steward Liu is thoughtful. The Pavilion Master..." That laughter pierced Xiang'er and made her shake suddenly, as if pulled by a nightmare, her expression turned deathly pale, she lost her strength instantly and collapsed on the spot...
Thinking of this, Lin Dalu's brows were tightly locked, and his steps stopped slightly. The night wind came from the street corner, lifting a corner of his lapel.
Liu Hai spat and said hatefully, "That Fat Liu has always been greedy, stingy, and fawns over the powerful. What's strange about him doing such a thing!"
"Not necessarily," Lin Dalu shook his head slowly, his gaze as sharp as a hawk, "I see him more like, being coerced and unable to help himself. You mentioned just now that he seemed to follow the words of that hunchbacked Daoist very much?" Lin Dalu paused and then said in a low voice, "Liu Taifei's demeanor, was definitely not faked. That hunchbacked Daoist is probably someone he fears."
With this reminder, Liu Hai also calmed down a bit, rubbing his arm and recalling, "Now that you mention it, it's true. As soon as that hunchbacked old Daoist came, Liu Taifei was like a mouse seeing a cat, fawning in a way that makes one feel sick. That old Daoist," Liu Hai tried hard to remember, "He seemed to be called, Zhuo Huan? Yes, Immortal Elder Zhuo Huan! Liu Taifei followed this person's words implicitly!"
"Immortal Elder Zhuo Huan?" Lin Dalu repeated in a low voice, his gaze deep, and he pondered for a moment, "What's even stranger is that after that hunchbacked Daoist spoke, Liu Taifei immediately changed his attitude, and even the Autumn Poria Mushroom could be offered. If you say this person wanted to help us, it is very unreasonable." Lin Dalu shook his head secretly, his expression becoming more and more solemn. "Yin Spirit Pavilion? Objects? Pavilion Master?..." These fragmented words revealed a weird aura, making Lin Dalu's heart sink suddenly. And what made his heart palpitate even more was that scene with Xiang'er,
At the very moment when Zhuo Huan let out that piercing laughter, the originally quiet Xiang'er shook violently, like being caught by a nightmare, her expression was deathly pale, and a very light low moan escaped from her throat, "No, don't..."
"Xiang'er!" At this point in his thoughts, Lin Dalu was suddenly startled. "Dalu-ge! What's wrong?" Liu Hai asked hurriedly. Lin Dalu locked his brows, "At that moment, the fear in Xiang'er's eyes was strangely deep, definitely not faked!"
Lin Dalu's arms holding Xiang'er tightened unconsciously, his knuckles turning white from the force. He took a deep breath of the cold night air, trying to suppress the stormy waves in his heart. He thought to himself, "This hunchbacked Daoist, Zhuo Huan, and the 'Yin Spirit Pavilion' behind him, I'm afraid they have a great connection with Xiang'er! If not old acquaintances, then perhaps, enemies? Otherwise, why would Xiang'er react like this upon seeing him? If they were really friends and not enemies, why did that hunchbacked Daoist, turn a blind eye to Xiang'er's pain, and didn't even look at her more?"
All sorts of doubts were like a spider's web interwoven in the darkness, making Lin Dalu's heart tighten. A strong sense of unease rose slowly from his spine, as if brushed by an invisible cold wind.
Xiang'er was still in his arms, her breathing thin and weak, and her face pale. Lin Dalu adjusted his posture slightly to make Xiang'er lean more steadily.
"Liu Hai," Lin Dalu's voice was low and urgent, with an unquestionable decisiveness, "There are many strange things about this matter. That hunchbacked Daoist and the Yin Spirit Pavilion are probably not benevolent. Perhaps, it is related to Xiang'er's old illness. This place is not suitable to stay for long. We need to go to Spring Harmony Hall quickly, take the medicine, and leave Guangde Town immediately!"
Although Liu Hai did not understand the details, seeing Lin Dalu's expression so solemn, he also knew that this matter was probably not simple, and immediately nodded, "Okay!"
The two of them said no more, quickened their pace, and hurried toward the long street. The night wind blew, rolling up a few dry withered leaves, falling on the bluestone slabs under their feet.
Not long after their figures disappeared around the corner, in the shadows of the abandoned ruined temple at the street entrance, a blurred and stooped figure stood quietly. In the dim night, a pair of ghost-green eyes flickered in the dark shadows, like jumping cold flames, coldly staring at the direction where the three people left, and the corners of the mouth seemed to hook into a mysterious curve.
The twilight gathered from all sides, swallowing the last trace of sky light. Guangde Town was quite different from the daytime. If the daytime was a vivid fine-brush painting, this moment was an atmospheric ink wash. The outlines of the houses were faint, blurred in the deep night, and scattered windows revealed dim yellow lamp light. A few barks of dogs from afar made the long street seem even more empty and quiet. "Tap, tap, tap", the sound of the two people's footsteps seemed to stir the quiet night.
After a while, the town entrance archway was vaguely visible. During the daytime, it was bustling with people and crowded with carriages, but now it was all silent, leaving only a few Wind Lanterns swaying under the eaves. Lin Dalu's gaze crossed the street and fell on a plaque, it was exactly "Spring Harmony Hall." Gold characters on a black background, reflecting in the night dew, the Vermilion-Lacquered Wooden Gate was tightly closed, and the front of the door no longer had the bustle of the daytime. Where the night wind passed, the Wind Chime was lonely, "ding-ling," a crisp sound, piercing the night's silence. In the air, the clear bitterness of the hundred herbs and the aged medicinal fragrance were a bit more mellow than during the daytime, wisps after wisps, refreshing the heart.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/gjfKX3Ck/Q0006A.jpg
Lin Dalu stopped in front of the door of Spring Harmony Hall, squatted down carefully, and lifted Xiang'er who was held horizontally in his arms. Liu Hai understood and stepped forward. The two of them acted gently and placed Xiang'er on Lin Dalu's back. Xiang'er was still unconscious, hanging against the side of Lin Dalu's neck, her warm breath brushing over the skin, which was pitiable.
Liu Hai said softly, "Alas, I'm afraid it's closed." His brows furrowed, and then he took a step forward and lightly tapped the Door Knocker Ring.
"Dong, dong, dong"
The sound entered the quiet night and echoed for a long time, with no one responding around.
——(To be continued)