Since Zhao Xiaozhu had said so, even if Yu Shu did not take it seriously, she did not intend to take the risk. She walked behind Xue Rui obediently, and Jing Chen was at the back. The three of them led their horses and moved from one floating rock to another until their feet stepped on the grass on the other side of the river.
After walking past a small patch of rocky beach, a large forest blocked their view. Yu Shu looked up and saw no signs of human habitation. Forget about the many empty farmhouses that Zhao Xiaozhu had mentioned, she did not even see a thatched hut.
"Why don't I see where your house is?" Yu Shu asked.
Zhao Xiaozhu bent down and plucked a blade of wild grass. He put it in his mouth and pointed at the dense forest in front of them. "My house is in this Wangxi Forest. Let's ride on the horse, and we'll see it in a while. When we reach my house, I'll personally cook a few dishes to go with the wine. Hey, you're in luck. I just caught a wild rabbit yesterday."
He spoke in a cheerful tone as he led the way into the forest while talking to himself. He did not notice that the people behind him did not immediately follow him. Instead, they stopped in their tracks.
Jing Chen turned his head and looked at the river that they had just passed by. He looked like he was deep in thought. Xue Rui led the horse closer to Yu Shu. The two of them communicated with their eyes.
"Should we continue walking?"
They had followed to find out what was going on. If they continued walking into the forest, no one could tell who would be waiting for them.
Perhaps it would be Yun Hua, or perhaps it was the culprit behind the three murders in Taishi Library.
Yu Shu touched Little Red, who had its head lowered as it chewed on the grass. She thought about it and nodded at him.
Before they set off, she had used the Six Recombinant Lines and the Time of Calamity to predict the good and bad luck of this trip. In case she accidentally fell into a trap, she would not have to worry about her life just based on the divination.
As long as she did not die, there was nothing to be afraid of.
She turned her head and wanted to call out to Jing Chen, but she found that he had already walked in front of her without hesitation and followed Zhao Xiaozhu.
.....
This forest was much larger than Yu Shu had imagined. The deeper she went, the taller and thicker the trees became. They stood upright in the wilderness, their roots scattered all over the place, blocking the sky and the sun. It was difficult to tell the direction, as if she had fallen into a maze.
What Zhao Xiaozhu meant by "almost there" was that they had ridden through the forest until sunset before they heard him shout in front of them.
"Godfather, I've brought a friend back!"
Surrounded by layers of giant trees, there was a courtyard surrounded by a yellow fence and a door made of rattan. In the middle of the courtyard, there was a row of square stone houses. The trapezoidal roof was covered with unknown vines. At first glance, it looked like a green dragon was coiled on the roof.
There was probably a flower garden in the east corner of the fence. A few gorgeous white chrysanthemums climbed over the top of the wall and stretched their waists to their heart's content, bathing in the light of the setting sun. A desolate figure stood behind the flowers. His long mottled hair was draped over his body. He held a flower spoon in his hand and sprinkled it on his chrysanthemum cheeks.
His casual posture revealed a sense of concentration.
Yu Shu and the other two's gazes immediately focused on that person. They stared at him without blinking until he turned his head. They subconsciously held their breaths.
It was a man who looked a little slovenly. His grayish-blue robe was loose and loose. He was very tall, and his skin was very white. However, he had a pair of thick, black eyebrows that cut into his white sideburns. Under these handsome eyebrows, he had a pair of the most romantic peach blossom eyes. When you looked at him, you couldn't help but have some wild and fanciful thoughts, as if you were in his heart.
'If this is Yun Hua,' Yu Shu thought. She somewhat understood why Princess Luyue, who was doted on by many, wanted nothing more than a man.
There was a type of man who could make her lose her virginity with just one look.
The middle-aged man in front of them was very likely to be Yun Hua. The three's emotions fluctuated as they stood outside the fence in a daze. The one who was the most excited was none other than Jing Chen.
Yu Shu was walking beside him. When she turned her head, she could see that his widened eyes were filled with anticipation. This was the first time she saw such an eager expression on his face.
On the other hand, Xue Rui appeared to be much calmer than the other two because Yun Hua did not have much of a relationship with him. When Zhao Xiaozhu introduced them, he cupped his fists and greeted the middle-aged man who was sizing them up.
"Sorry to disturb you."
The man smiled faintly, and the lines of time spread out from the corners of his eyes. He shook his head and shifted his gaze away from them. He gestured at Zhao Xiaozhu with his hand, then turned around and returned to the stone house in the middle with the bucket used to sprinkle water and fertilize.
Xue Rui was stunned. Then, he heard Zhao Xiaozhu explain to them in a cheerful voice, "My foster father can't speak. He asked you not to be offended. Please come in."
As he spoke, he threw away the reins and patted the horse's butt lightly. The horse obediently entered the courtyard.
'He … is a mute?'
The three of them were stunned. Xue Rui was the first to react. He patted Jing Chen, who had all his thoughts on his face, and said nonchalantly, "The courtyard isn't big.
"There isn't much room in the yard. We can tie the horse outside."
Even though Jing Chen had thousands of questions to ask, he was still rational. He knew that he could not rashly go forward to identify the man, so he followed him in silence to find a place to tie the horse.
Yu Shu saw that Xue Rui was giving her a look. She passed her little red horse to him and followed behind Zhao Xiaozhu. She wanted to get close to the man first.
"Xiaozhu." Yu Shu no longer called him Young Master Zhao. She looked around the fenced house and asked Zhao Xiaozhu in a low voice, "Xiaozhu, what's your foster father's surname?
"What is your adoptive father's surname? How should we address him?"
Zhao Xiaozhu was squatting by the water tank, scooping up water to wash his face. He told her in a muffled voice, "My foster father's surname is Feng. His nickname is Mister Yanye. You can call him whatever you want. He's very friendly."
If his surname is Feng, shouldn't his surname be Yun?
Yu Shu remembered that Yun Huazi's real name when he participated in the Da yan examination was Yun Mufeng.
She followed suit and bent down to wash her hands. She continued to ask, "I see that your place is so secluded, and your foster father loves gardening. Could it be that he's a master who hides himself from the world?"
Hearing this, Zhao Xiaozhu wiped his face, raised his head, and squinted at her.
Yu Shu was stared at by him for a while. She thought to herself, "This Mister Yanye looks like he doesn't want to reveal his identity. Then we shouldn't rush forward to identify him. What if he's not? What if he refuses to admit it? "
Whether he is or not, Yu Shu's heart was like a cat's paw. The truth was right in front of her, just one step away. It made her heart itch unbearably.
Xue Rui sent Jing Chen to a faraway place by the fence. He instructed, "Don't be anxious. Even though we've seen him, we can't be sure if he's who we think he is. Don't be impatient. Let's see what he's up to before we make our next move."
Jing Chen looked in the direction of the stone house. After a while, he reluctantly nodded his head.
Xue Rui looked at his restrained expression and laughed at himself. He said, "At least you know that your father is still alive."
Jing Chen blinked his eyes and looked back at him with a puzzled expression. He probably felt that his sudden emotion was a little strange.
Xue Rui did not explain. He smiled bitterly in his heart.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
