bookbashuk Chapter 415 Inside and Outside the Mountain Gate
Chapter 415 Inside and Outside the Mountain Gate
Outside the gate of the Hidden Cloud Sect.
Zhou Da stood at the end of the stone steps, gazing at the half-closed wooden door, and was momentarily lost in thought.
He had served in the Western Army for twenty years, witnessing countless grand occasions alongside Commander Wei. Yet, standing before this simple mountain gate, his palms were still damp with a thin layer of sweat.
It's not because I'm afraid.
I just don't know how to start the conversation.
The wooden door was suddenly pushed open from the inside.
A little girl dressed in a plain-colored dress stood inside the door, holding a handful of wild fruit in her hands, her round eyes looking at him.
"Are you the person sent by Commander Wei?" she asked.
Zhou Da was taken aback for a moment, then bowed and said, "Yes. Zhou Da of the Western Army, on the orders of Commander Wei, has come to pay respects to Master Chen."
The young girl nodded and stepped aside, saying, "Come in. Junior Uncle is waiting for you inside."
Zhou strode inside.
After passing through the main hall and going around a corridor, we arrived at a secluded courtyard.
There was an old locust tree in the courtyard, and a person was standing under the tree.
The man was dressed in dark cloth, had short hair, and stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant mountains. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, his gaze falling on Zhou Da.
That gaze was calm, yet it made Zhou Da pause in his steps instinctively.
He had seen too many people in the Western Army.
The murderer, the murdered, their eyes still wide open in their dying moments. But he had never seen such a gaze before. There was no arrogance, no oppressive force, no condescending look.
Just... watching.
Like looking at an ordinary person.
Zhou Da took a deep breath, stepped forward, stopped three zhang away from the man, and knelt down on one knee.
"Zhou Da, the general of the Western Army, is here to pay his respects to Master Chen on the orders of Commander Wei."
Chen Anran remained silent.
Zhou Da lowered his head, staring at the small pebbles on the ground, waiting for the command to "get up." But after a long time, the man still didn't speak.
He finally couldn't help but raise his head.
Chen Anran was looking at him.
There was something strange in that gaze; it wasn't curiosity, nor was it scrutiny, but rather...
Zhou Da couldn't explain it.
Just being looked at like that, he suddenly felt that all the twists and turns of his forty-three years had been seen through.
"Get up," Chen Anran finally spoke. "You don't need to kneel here."
Zhou Da was stunned for a moment, then stood up.
He recalled what Shi Laosi had said: "In the Yunyin Sect, you don't need to kneel before anyone."
It turns out it was true.
"I appreciate Commander Wei's kindness," Chen Anran said. "Go back and tell him that his granddaughter will be alright."
Zhou Da's heart skipped a beat.
He suddenly raised his head, looked at Chen Anran, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Chen Anran did not explain.
He simply turned around and left Zhou Da behind.
"Qingyang Valley has surrendered," he said. "All disciples, those who wish to stay may stay, and those who wish to leave may leave. If Wei Yiran wishes to stay, the Yunyin Sect will make arrangements for her; if she wishes to return home, someone will escort her."
The little girl holding the wild fruit had come over at some point and stood beside Chen Anran, looking up at him.
She asked, "Are you very familiar with that woman from the Wei family?"
Zhou Da was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."
The little girl looked at him, a complex light flashing in her round eyes.
"Here you go," she said. "It's very sweet."
Zhou Da subconsciously took the wild fruit.
The fruit was small, but ripe, a vibrant red that gleamed in the sunlight. He looked down at the fruit and suddenly remembered his child, who had died at the age of three many years ago. If that child were alive, he would probably do the same, taking something nice out of his pocket and handing it to him.
"Thank you..." His voice was a little dry, "Thank you, little immortal master."
The little girl shook her head: "I'm not a fairy master. My name is Xiao Ling'er."
After she finished speaking, she turned and ran away.
Zhou Da stood there, watching the small figure disappear into the depths of the bamboo forest. He looked down at the wild fruit in his hand and suddenly felt his eyes burning.
He didn't eat the fruit; he simply tucked it into his pocket and kept it close to his body.
………………
When Zhou Da went down the mountain, his steps were much lighter than when he went up.
He reached the foot of the mountain, where the twenty elite cavalrymen of the Western Army were still waiting. The twenty boxes were gone, presumably taken away by Wang Rui and his men to be placed there. The young scout saw him coming down and quickly went to greet him.
"How's Zhou Tou?"
Zhou Da looked at him but did not answer immediately.
Chen Anran said, "His granddaughter is in Qingyang Valley, she'll be fine."
Nothing will happen.
These four words carry more weight than the twenty cartloads of congratulatory gifts, the arduous journey, and all the twists and turns.
"Let's find a place to stay first." Zhou Da walked forward. "I think our mistress will come here."
………………
Three days later, at Qingyang Valley, inside the gate.
Wei Yiran stood at the entrance of her detached courtyard, gazing at the bare pomegranate tree in the yard, momentarily lost in thought.
The courtyard gate was half open, and footsteps could be heard rushing past from time to time.
The disciples who had been summoned and then dismissed were hurriedly packing their belongings, or gathering in small groups, whispering amongst themselves. Their voices drifted into the courtyard intermittently, like the winter wind, blowing past and then dissipating.
"Yunyin Sect... Demonic Weapon... Crush your cultivation..."
"I heard that Master Chen is also a cultivator, but I didn't expect him to be so powerful, actually managing to control..."
"Stop talking, hurry up and pack, while you can still walk..."
"Stop talking, hurry up and pack, while you can still walk..."
Wei remained motionless.
She simply gazed at the pomegranate tree. Its trunk was gnarled and twisted, its bark cracked, and its bare branches stretched towards the hazy sky, like a silent old man. She remembered asking a senior female student when she first moved into this courtyard half a month ago if the tree still bore fruit. The senior student smiled and said it did, but the fruit was sour, and no one ate it.
Even if it's sour, nobody will eat it.
But it was still standing.
Suddenly, it became quiet outside the courtyard gate.
The noisy footsteps and chatter seemed to be abruptly cut off. Wei Yiran's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she turned around.
A person was standing at the entrance of the courtyard.
The man wore a drab gray Taoist robe, devoid of any ornamentation. He had a thin face and a long beard. He stood there outside the threshold, gazing at Wei Yiran in the courtyard.
Zhou Su.
The outer sect steward, the one who greeted her at the mountain gate a year ago and said "there is no spiritual light".
"Junior Sister Wei," Zhou Su said, his voice lower and more hoarse than usual, "Get ready and come with me."
Wei Yiran did not ask where they were going.
She simply nodded, turned, and went inside.
The room was small, containing a couch, a table, and a stool. The couch was covered with brand-new bedding, and an exquisite bronze lamp sat on the table.
These were all new items she had acquired when she "entered the inner gate" half a month ago. She folded the quilt, wiped the copper lamp clean, and packed the few changes of clothes into a bundle.
Finally, she tightened the jade ring tied with a red string on her wrist and tucked the letter from her grandfather that she kept close to her body into her bosom.
Then she walked out of the house and stood in front of Zhou Su.
"Let's go," she said.
Zhou Su looked at her, his gaze falling on the bundled bedding, then on her calm face. His lips moved, but in the end he said nothing, simply turning to lead the way.