An Hua had noticed this father and daughter pair because she had noticed that there was something strange about them from a few details.
The zither master's clothes were very old and there were no signs of frequent washing, but they were abnormally clean. What was even stranger was that there was snow drifting all around Gaoyang Village and the streets were muddy, but there was not a speck of mud on his shoes. They looked brand new.
And there was also the beautiful girl. She did not have the timidity or self-pity of a normal singing girl. She just quietly sat in the corner of the room, her head slightly raised and her eyes somewhat wooden. This was because the indifference on her face could also be understood as disdain for everything around her. In short, she gave off a sense of alienation from the world.
This was not a normal father and daughter pair, at least not a common father and daughter pair.
An Hua had just thought of this when the clear and moving sound of the zither rose from the middle-aged scholar's fingers. It did not stop, flowing like water.
What followed was the girl's singing. The girl's voice was very pleasant to listen to, but her pronunciation was rather unique. At the end of the sound, the tip of her tongue would curl up as if she was swallowing back a part of the syllable. However, it did not sound unclear, nor did it make one feel bored or bored. On the contrary, it was like a peerless beauty behind a curtain of beads.
An Hua had lived in the capital for a long time and had heard many wonderful songs, but she had never heard a song like this. Unexpectedly, she became immersed in it, temporarily forgetting the strange feeling in her heart.
After the song ended, the second floor of the inn fell silent for a long time before applause and sighs of praise rang out. The applause and sighs of praise were not particularly enthusiastic, not because the crowd felt that this father and daughter pair had not sung well, but because, like An Hua, they found the song unforgettable and could not bear to interrupt it with applause.
The father and daughter did not rise to return the greeting, nor did they express their gratitude. They did not even take the money. They just quietly sat in the corner of the room.
The father adjusted the zither while the girl remained expressionless.
An Hua ordered a maid to bring the girl over, wanting to ask her a few questions.
The girl ignored her and continued to stare out the window, her eyes somewhat unfocused.
An Hua was somewhat depressed, but she had a gentle personality and did not take offense. She called over a waiter and asked him a few questions. Only then did she learn that this father and daughter pair had only arrived at Gaoyang Village yesterday. The father was a mute, and the daughter had some problems as well. It seemed that she had some kind of strange illness.
An Hua stood up and walked to the corner of the room. She smiled at the mute zither player, then squatted down in front of the girl and took her hand.
She was an instructor of the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green, and was highly skilled in both the Sacred Light Technique and the Art of Healing. With just a simple grasp of his hand, her fingers had already finished taking his pulse. Feeling the pulse from her fingertips, she frowned slightly. She found that there was indeed a problem with the little girl's body, and it was very complicated. It was very likely that the little girl's sense of perception had been greatly damaged.
She looked up at the little girl.
The little girl was still looking out of the window.
An Hua's gaze fell on the girl's profile.
Apart from the fact that the space between the young lady's eyes was a bit wide, there was no other problem to be found. She was very good-looking, and could even be said to be very beautiful.
— — Such a beautiful little person, but a little silly, what a pity.
An Hua felt a great deal of pity for this girl. She took a pouch from her sleeve and prepared to slip it to her.
There were some pieces of silver in the pouch.
At this moment, the girl withdrew her gaze from the window and looked at An Hua.
Several breaths of time had passed since An Hua had taken her hand. The girl's reaction truly did seem rather slow.
But An Hua would no longer think this way, or perhaps she would not dare to think this way.
Because she saw the girl's eyes.
At such a close distance, she finally understood. The girl's eyes were not dull, only calm.
Her aura was not one of alienation, but one of pride that was deeply rooted in her bones.
Other than the drifting snow, there was no other person or thing in the world that could disturb the lake of her heart and disturb her calm.
Upon seeing the girl's eyes, An Hua suddenly felt like all the snow outside the window had surged in, piercing through her clothes and flesh to land on her sea of consciousness.
It was like a blade of grass seeing an endless snowstorm, like an ant seeing a giant.
Her body became incomparably cold and stiff. She could not even move a finger.
She even felt like her sea of consciousness would be frozen into ice in the next moment, and then she would silently die.
At this moment, the girl saw the pouch in An Hua's hand.
The girl very slowly nodded, her movements so subtle that if one did not look carefully, it would be impossible to notice.
Then, she turned her head to look out the window once more.
The furious snowstorm stopped, the giant's indifferent gaze vanished, and An Hua finally felt that smear of warmth in the real world.
Her body was no longer stiff and she could move. Not daring to linger any longer, she led her maid down the stairs.
When she reached the bottom floor, she realized that her clothes were completely drenched in sweat.
… …
… …
An Hua did not tell this matter to anyone, not even the general leading the group or the steward of the Sacred Hospital surnamed Yang. This was because she had an intense understanding that she had almost died from discovering a certain secret. Now that she had survived, she should continue to keep this matter a secret.
This was the girl's silent request of her.
Because of her fear, when she returned to the rear courtyard and heard the general say that it would be best to immediately depart, she had no objections, only asked a few questions.
"Have you confirmed the exact location?"
"The army headquarters has already sent people to investigate the whereabouts of the herbs for two days. There should be no mistake."
There was a medicine shop in Gaoyang Village. According to the reports of the scouts, many herbs would be transported to this medicine shop, and then in the middle of the night, they would be transported out of the city, their whereabouts unknown. It was obvious that the owner of the Cinnabar Pill had chosen Gaoyang Village because it was convenient to travel here and they could obtain any medicine they wanted.
On the afternoon of the same day, the general, An Hua, Sir Yang, and several dozen soldiers set out with their maids and the young array master on a stretcher in search of a doctor.
After leaving Gaoyang Village, they deviated from the official and military roads and set out into the depths of Mount Han. The snow on the road gradually deepened and it was no longer muddy, but it was similarly difficult to travel.
The deeper they went into the mountains, the more quiet and beautiful it was. Amidst the pines, one could faintly see the steam of a hot spring.
If not for the war, this place would have long since become a famous scenic spot.
The warmth of dusk completely vanished and night descended. Under the cover of the starlight, the group arduously advanced. At some point, they finally reached their destination.
There was a small courtyard deep in Mount Han. The courtyard was surrounded by running water, steam rising from it, most likely drawn from the hot spring.
Because of the heat of the earth, even though it was winter, the area around the small courtyard was still exuberant. Based on the distance from the hot spring, the four seasons naturally formed.
There was a lush bamboo forest by the wall of the courtyard, flowers in full bloom in front of the courtyard, and trees shedding their leaves in front of the half-arched window.
Of course, the vast majority of places were still cold and frozen, like that small lake, which was covered in snow.
There was a pavilion on the lake, surrounded by curtains. Two figures could be faintly seen within.
A gust of wind lifted up a corner of the curtain.
There was a fire in the pavilion and several plum blossoms.
A man and a little girl sat across from each other by the fire.
The girl had a childish face and was dressed in black, her entire body exuding a cold aura.
The man was not very old and his eyes were clean.
Neither snow nor plum blossoms could compare.
… …
… …
(Last year's New Year's Eve was also updated, just for fun and to avoid the awkwardness brought on by television. Last year's New Year's Eve chapter was very awesome. It was Chen Changsheng shouting in the spring light of Xunyang City that 'Su Li is here'. This year's chapter is also very interesting. It writes about two of the most terrifying girls in 'Choosing Heaven', and the male lead has finally appeared once more … I don't want to use 'playing house and drinking wine' to describe the chapter's title, because this chapter doesn't mention it, but it's actually a very good title. Also, I very seriously wish everyone a happy New Year and the health of your entire family. PS: This chapter's title is actually not particularly suitable. It's just that it's been ten years since I've written that chapter and I miss it a little. I really will write that again, not a continuation, but a rewrite.)
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