小六蹲下，“我踩坏了你的饼，你想要什么赔偿？”

    叫花子一声未发，小六抬头看着天，上弦月，冷幽幽地挂在天边，如同老天的一抹讥讽世人的嘲笑。

Xiaoliu squatted down, “I stepped on your pancake. What kind of compensation do you want?”

The beggar said nothing. Xiaoliu looked up at the sky.
The crescent moon hung coldly at the edge of the sky, like a mocking smile from the heavens.

长相思第2章 人生忽如寄(1)

相柳坐下，不知是敬还是怕，他身周三丈内无人敢接近。

十七默默地坐在了小六身旁，小六看了他一眼，唇角不禁上弯，成了一弯月牙，眼睛也变成了两枚小月牙。

Xiangliu sat down. Whether it was out of respect or fear, no one dared to come within thirty feet of him.

Shiqi quietly sat beside Xiaoliu. Xiaoliu glanced at him, and the corners of her lips curved up into a crescent moon, her eyes turning into two small crescent moons as well.

长相思第5章 前路未可知(2)

 小六抬头看去，白雕驮着相柳从圆月中飞来，白衣白发，从九天飞下，若雪一般，轻轻地落在了小六身旁。

Xiaoliu looked up and saw a white eagle carrying Xiangliu, flying down from the full moon. Dressed in white with white hair, he descended from the skies like snow, gently landing beside Xiaoliu.

长相思第8章 最难欢聚易离别(1)

小六看着头上的月亮，眉梢眼角有了难言的寂寥，“都说得上苍眷顾的是神族，可我看是人族，他们一切都和神一样，唯一的不同就是他们的寿命短。可你看那月亮，千年前就是这个样子，再美丽的景色，天长地久了也是乏味！”

Xiaoliu looked at the moon overhead, an unspeakable loneliness in her eyes.

“They all say that the heavens favor the divine race, but I think it’s the human race. Everything about them is like the deities, the only difference being their short lifespan. But look at that moon, it looked the same a thousand years ago. No matter how beautiful a scene is, it becomes dull over time!”

长相思第8章 最难欢聚易离别(1)

没有多久，一轮明月，缓缓从海面升起，清辉倾泻而下，小六被天地瑰丽震撼，心上的硬壳都柔软了。

    在海浪声中，相柳的声音传来：“只要天地间还有这样的景色，生命就很可贵。”

    小六喃喃嘟囔：“再稀罕的景色看多了也腻，除非有人陪我一块儿看才有意思。景永远是死的，只有人才会赋予景意义。”

Before long, a bright moon slowly rose from the sea, its clear light pouring down. Xiaoliu was overwhelmed by the stunning beauty of the scene, and the hardness in her heart softened.

Amid the sound of the waves, Xiangliu’s voice came: “As long as there are such scenes in the world, life is precious.”

Xiaoliu mumbled, “Even the rarest scenes get boring if you see them too much, unless someone is there to watch them with me. The scenery is always lifeless; only people can give it meaning.”

长相思第10章 最难欢聚易离别(3)

“我……错……错……”

    相柳闭上了眼睛，小六身子向前扑去，软趴在雕背上，好似被揉过的破布，没有生息。直到快到清水镇了，毛球缓缓飞下，小六才勉强坐起来，擦去鼻子、嘴边的血，一声不吭地跃下，落进了河水里。

    小六躺在河面上，任由流水冲刷去所有的血迹。

    天上那轮月，小六看着它，它却静静地照拂着大地。

“I… wrong… wrong…”

Xiangliu closed his eyes. Xiaoliu’s body lunged forward, collapsing on the sculpted back like a crumpled rag, lifeless. It wasn’t until they were near Qingshui Town that Maoqiu slowly descended. Xiaoliu barely managed to sit up, wiping the blood from her nose and mouth, and silently leaped down into the river.

Xiaoliu lay on the surface of the river, letting the flowing water wash away all the bloodstains.

She looked up at the moon in the sky, which quietly illuminated the earth.

长相思第9章 最难欢聚易离别(2)

 小六拨弄着碟子里剩下的白果，把它们一会儿摆成一朵花，一会儿又摆成个月牙。

Xiaoliu played with the remaining gingko nuts on the plate, arranging them into a flower one moment and a crescent moon the next.

长相思第11章 欲将此身寄山河(1)

 小六叹气，“和睦时光总是短暂，就如人世间的欢愉总是刹那。
花开则谢，月圆则亏，但凡世间美好的东西莫不如此。”

Xiaoliu sighed, “Harmonious times are always brief, just like the fleeting joys of life. Flowers bloom and then wither, the full moon wanes, all beautiful things in this world are like that.”

长相思第17章 人转迢迢路转长(2)

 高辛一年四季都温暖，服饰很轻薄，讲究飘逸之美，喜穿木屐。此时，十七身着天青色的高辛衣衫，宽袍广袖、轻衣缓带、玉冠束发、足踏木屐，行走间，步如行云、衣袂翩飞，真正是明月为身，流水做姿。

    两个婢女看得呆住，小六也是目不转睛。十七有些然，微微垂下了眼眸，却又好像很喜欢小六看他的样子，迎着小六的目光，走到了小六面前。

Gaoxin is warm all year round, and its clothing is very light and emphasizes flowing beauty. People there like to wear wooden clogs. At this moment, Shiqi was dressed in sky-blue Gaoxin attire, with wide sleeves, a light robe with a loose belt, and his hair tied with a jade crown. He wore wooden clogs, and as he walked, his steps were as fluid as clouds, and his garments fluttered gracefully. He truly appeared shining as the moon, and he moved with the grace of flowing water.

Two maidservants were stunned by the sight, and Xiaoliu couldn’t take his eyes off him either. Shiqi felt a bit embarrassed and lowered his gaze slightly, yet he seemed to enjoy being looked at by Xiaoliu. Meeting Xiaoliu’s gaze, he walked up to him.

长相思第21章 式微式微，胡不归(3)

十七微微而笑，笑容明净温暖，

“心若如明月，诸般变化都如浮云遮月，再纷扰晦暗，最终都会浮云散、明月出。”

小六笑指着自己的心，半真半假地说：
“奈何妾心如墨染，若君心有明月，望君能常使明月向妾心。”

Shiqi smiled gently, his smile clear and warm.
“If your heart is like the bright moon, all sorts of changes are like clouds covering the moon.
No matter how tumultuous or dark, in the end, the clouds will disperse, and the bright moon will emerge.”

Xiao Liu smiled, pointing to her heart, and said half-jokingly,
“Alas, my heart is like ink-stained, but if your heart has a bright moon, I hope you can often let that bright moon shine upon my heart.”

长相思第25章 惆怅有谁知(1)

踏歌刚开始是庆祝丰收、祭祀天地的活动，人们为庆祝收获的喜悦，围聚在一起，高声欢歌，用手打着拍子，脚踏节奏而舞。渐渐地，踏歌形式越来越广泛，月圆时，人们会月下踏歌，送别时，人们会踏歌送别。

Tage originally began as a celebration of the harvest and a ritual to honor heaven and earth. People gathered together to celebrate the joy of their harvest, singing loudly, clapping their hands, and dancing to the rhythm with their feet. Gradually, the form of Tage singing became more widespread.

During the full moon, people would sing and dance under the moonlight, and during farewells, they would perform Ta ge singing to say goodbye.

长相思第31章 所谓伊人，在水一方(1)

  今夜是满月之夜，月色真的很好，银辉落在树梢，又洒在青石小路上。小夭踏着月色，一个人慢慢地走着，距离山脚已不远，海潮拍打礁石的声音隐隐传来。

    绕过一丛灌木，小夭看到了站在礁岩上的男子。

    他面朝着大海，静静地等候，不知道已经等了多久，也不知道还能等多久。

    在这里等她的是叶十七。

    小夭心里的那些恼怒渐渐地消失了，只余了喜悦和紧张。

Tonight is a full moon night, and the moonlight is truly beautiful. Silver light fell on the treetops and scattered on the small path of bluestone. Xiao Yao walked slowly, alone, under the moonlight. She was not far from the foot of the mountain, and the sound of the sea waves crashing against the rocks could be faintly heard.

Rounding a cluster of bushes, Xiao Yao saw the man standing on the reef.

He faced the sea, quietly waiting. She didn’t know how long he had been waiting, nor how much longer he would wait.

Waiting for her here was Ye Shiqi.

The anger in Xiao Yao’s heart gradually disappeared, leaving only joy and nervousness.

长相思第35章 桃之夭夭，灼灼其华(2)

他感觉小夭身子直往下滑，低头看她，她竟然醉睡了过去。璟忍不住笑，他调整了一下姿势，让小夭靠躺在他怀里。

    海风轻轻吹动，海潮轻轻摇动着船，他望着天上的圆月，只想就这么过一夜。

    璟看了一眼身旁的酒坛，将一只手放在酒坛上，只见白烟从酒坛中逸出，渐渐地笼罩了整艘船。从外面看过来，整艘船像被大海吞噬了，什么都再看不见。

    璟低头看着熟睡的小夭，手指轻轻地抚摸着她脸上的伤痕，又一点点用指尖描摹着她的轮廓。一遍遍描摹，直到纵使他被剜去双目，依旧能清晰地看见她。

He felt Xiaoyao slipping down, and when he looked at her, he found that she had fallen asleep from drunkenness. Jing couldn’t help but smile. He adjusted his position so that Xiaoyao could lie comfortably in his arms.

The sea breeze gently blew, and the tide softly rocked the boat. He gazed at the full moon in the sky, wishing he could spend the night like this.

Jing glanced at the wine jar beside him and placed a hand on it. White smoke began to emerge from the jar, gradually enveloping the entire boat. From the outside, it looked as though the boat was swallowed by the sea, and nothing could be seen anymore.

Jing looked down at the sleeping Xiaoyao, his fingers gently tracing the wounds on her face, and slowly outlining her features with his fingertips. He traced over and over, until even if he were to lose his sight, he would still be able to see her clearly.

长相思第39章 此情无计可消除(3)

 天高云淡，月朗星暗，木樨林内，花影扶疏，香气四溢。小夭踏着月光香花，轻歌曼舞，身如软柳，眸如春水，她歌月徘徊，她舞影零乱，最后一句长相守、不分离，声如游丝飘絮，一唱三叹，情思缱绻，缠绵入骨。

The sky was high and the clouds were light, the moon bright and the stars dim. In the osmanthus grove, shadows of flowers swayed gently, and the air was filled with their fragrance. Xiaoyao stepped through the moonlit flowers, singing softly and dancing gracefully. Her body was as supple as a willow, her eyes like spring water. She sang under the lingering moon and danced with scattered shadows.

The final line, “Together forever, never to part,” was sung in a voice as delicate as floating silk. Her song echoed with deep emotion, tender and lingering, entwining to the core.

长相思第6章 岁月静好与君同(1)

他使用的兵器是一弯如月牙一般的弯刀，晶莹剔透，犹如冰霜凝成，随着他身影的飘动，弯刀带出白色的光芒，就好似漫天霜花在飞舞。

The weapon he wielded was a curved blade shaped like a crescent moon, clear and translucent as if formed from frost. As he moved, the blade emitted a white light, resembling a flurry of frost flowers dancing in the air.

长相思第14章 似是故人来(1)

 他们到了海面上，小夭感觉到海潮起伏，还有海风吹拂着她，她能听到潮声、风声，小夭激动得想落泪。

    相柳说道：“今夜是上弦月，像一把弓。每次满月时，我都要给你疗伤，不可能带你来海上，我也好多年没有看见过满月了。”

小夭心想，原来我没有估计错，他真的是每月给我疗伤一次。听说满月时，妖族的妖力最强，大概正因为如此，相柳才选择满月时给她疗伤。

They reached the sea. Xiaoyao felt the rise and fall of the tides and the sea breeze brushing against her. She could hear the sounds of the waves and the wind. Xiaoyao was so overwhelmed with emotion that she felt like crying.

Xiangliu said, “Tonight is a waxing crescent moon, shaped like a bow. Every full moon, I have to heal your wounds, so I can’t bring you to the sea. I haven’t seen a full moon in many years.”

Xiaoyao thought to herself, so I wasn’t wrong. He really does heal me once a month. I’ve heard that during the full moon, the demon race’s powers are at their strongest. This is probably why Xiangliu chooses the full moon to heal her.

长相思第13章 但感别时久(2)

月儿已经快圆，周围浮着丝丝缕缕的云彩，乍一看像是给月儿镶了花边，相柳说道：“今晚的月亮有点像你的狌狌镜，你偷偷记忆在狌狌镜子里的往事……”

    小夭简直全身冒冷汗。

    相柳停顿了好一会儿，淡淡说：“等你醒来后，必须消除。”

    小夭擦着冷汗说：只要你别发火，让我毁了狌狌镜都行！

The moon was almost full, surrounded by wisps of clouds, which looked like lace trimming the moon. Xiangliu said, “Tonight’s moon somewhat resembles your Xingxing mirror, where you secretly stored memories of the past…”

Xiaoyao literally broke out in a cold sweat.

Xiangliu paused for a long moment and then said calmly, “You must erase them when you wake up.”

Wiping her cold sweat, Xiaoyao said, “As long as you don’t get angry, I’ll even destroy the Xingxing mirror!”

长相思第13章 但感别时久(2)

相柳抱起了小夭：“今夜是月圆之夜，我带你去玩一会儿吧！”

小夭不解，月圆之夜不是应该疗伤吗？

……

 相柳带着小夭游逛了大半夜，才返回。

    “小夭，你还记得涂山璟吗？玟小六的叶十七。自你昏睡后，他也昏迷不醒，全靠灵药续命，支撑到现在，已经再支撑不下去，他就快死了。”

    璟、璟……小夭自己死时，都没觉得难过。生命既有开始，自然有终结，开始不见得是喜悦，终结也不见得是悲伤，可现在，她觉得很难过，她不想璟死。

    小夭努力地想动。

    相柳问：“如果他死了，你是不是会很伤心，恨我入骨？”

    小夭在心里回答：我不要璟死，我也不会恨你。

    相柳说：“今晚我要唤醒你了。”

Xiangliu picked up Xiaoyao.
“Tonight is the full moon night. Let me take you out for a while!”

Xiaoyao was puzzled. Wasn’t the full moon night supposed to be for healing?

…

Xiangliu took Xiaoyao out for most of the night before returning.

“Xiaoyao, do you still remember Tushan Jing? Wen Xiaoliu’s Ye Shiqi. Since you fell into a coma, he has also been unconscious, relying solely on spiritual medicine to sustain his life. He has held on until now but can’t continue any longer. He’s about to die.”

Jing… Jing… Xiaoyao didn’t even feel sad when she thought she was going to die. Life has a beginning, naturally, it also has an end. The beginning is not necessarily joyful, and the end is not necessarily sorrowful. But now, she felt very sad. She didn’t want Jing to die.

Xiaoyao tried hard to move.

Xiangliu asked, “If he dies, will you be heartbroken and hate me to the core?”

In her heart, Xiaoyao answered: I don’t want Jing to die, and I won’t hate you.

Xiangliu said, “Tonight, I will awaken you.”

长相思第13章 但感别时久(2)

星沉抓抓脑袋，对小夭道，“如果不是他不认识你，简直就像为你量身定造！你确定你们不认识？”

    小夭想了想，能拿到鬼方族长的信物，和鬼方族长的交情可不浅，她认识的人只有颛顼和诡秘的鬼方氏有几分交情，小夭笑道：“不可能是我认识的人，锻造弓箭送给我是好事，何必不告诉我呢？我又不会拒绝！”

    星沉点头，说道：“这副弓箭所用的材料真是太他娘的好了，又是我这么杰出优秀的铸造大师花费了三十五年心血铸造，是我此生最得意的作品，不过……”

    小夭正听得心花怒放，星沉的“不过”让她心肝颤了一颤：“不过什么？”

    “不过这副弓箭需要认主。”

    “很多兵器都需要认主啊！”

    “这副弓箭比较桀骜不驯，所以要求有点特殊，不过你是王姬，陛下应该能帮你解决。”

    “怎么个特殊法？”

    “需要海底妖王九头妖的妖血，还必须是月圆之夜的血。”星沉干笑，似乎也觉得自己的这个要求实在夸张，“那个……我也知道如今大荒内听说过的九头妖只有那个、那个……九命相柳，听说他很不好相与，不过你是王姬嘛！你爹可是俊帝陛下啊！总会有办法的！”

    小夭的眼神有些空茫，迟迟不说话。

    星沉一边挠头，一边干笑，说道：“那个认主的方法也有点特别。”

    小夭看着星沉，星沉小心翼翼地说：“九头妖的血不是祭养兵器，而是要、要……兵器的主人饮了，兵器主人再用自己的血让兵器认主。”

    小夭似笑非笑地盯着星沉：“难怪你这兵器没有人要了。”

    星沉干笑着默认了：“没办法，那么多宝贝，没有九头妖的妖血镇不住它们。”

    小夭微笑着没说话，星沉不知道相柳是用毒药练功，他的血压根儿喝不得！
也许那个人正是知道什么，所以放弃了这兵器。

    星沉说：“王姬，真的是一把绝世好弓，我保证你绝不会后悔要它。”

    小夭问：“何时可以认主？”

    星沉说：“只要是月圆夜就可以。”

    小夭说：“好，这个月的月圆之夜，我去找你。”

Xingchen scratched his head and said to Xiaoyao, “If he didn’t know you, it would seem like this was tailor-made for you! Are you sure you two don’t know each other?”

Xiaoyao thought for a moment. To obtain the token of the Ghost Fang tribe leader, one must have a close relationship with him. Among the people she knew, only Zhuanxu had some acquaintance with the mysterious Ghost Fang clan. Xiaoyao smiled and said, “It can’t be someone I know. Forging and gifting me a bow and arrows is a good thing. Why wouldn’t they tell me? I wouldn’t refuse!”

Xingchen nodded and said, “The materials used for this bow and arrows are damn excellent, and it took me, such an outstanding master forger, thirty-five years to forge. It’s my proudest work, but…”

Xiaoyao was delighted to hear this, but Xingchen’s “but” made her heart skip a beat. “But what?”

“But this bow and arrows require a master to recognize.”

“Many weapons need a master to recognize them!”

“This bow and arrows are particularly unruly, so the requirements are a bit special. But you are a princess, His Majesty should be able to help you with it.”

“What kind of special requirements?”

“It requires the blood of the Nine-Headed Demon Sea King, and it must be blood taken on a full moon night.” Xingchen laughed dryly, seemingly aware of how outrageous his demand sounded. “Well… I also know that in Dahuang, the only Nine-Headed Demon anyone has heard of is, um… Nine Lives Xiangliu. It’s said he’s not easy to deal with, but you are a princess! Your father is His Majesty, Emperor Jun! There must be a way!”

Xiaoyao’s eyes looked a bit vacant, and she didn’t speak for a long time.

Xingchen, scratching his head and laughing awkwardly, said, “The method of recognizing the master is also a bit special.”

Xiaoyao looked at Xingchen. Xingchen cautiously said, “The blood of the Nine-Headed Demon is not to nourish the weapon, but the master must drink it. The master then uses their own blood to claim the weapon.”

Xiaoyao gave Xingchen a half-smile, “No wonder no one wants this weapon.”

Xingchen laughed dryly and admitted, “There’s no other way. Without the blood of the Nine-Headed Demon, none of these treasures used to make this can be tamed.”

Xiaoyao smiled without speaking. Xingchen didn’t know that Xiangliu practiced with poison, and his blood was undrinkable! Maybe that person knew something and gave up on this weapon.

Xingchen said, “Princess, it’s truly an extraordinary bow. I guarantee you won’t regret having it.”

Xiaoyao asked, “When can it recognize a master?”

Xingchen said, “As long as it’s a full moon night.”

Xiaoyao said, “Fine, I’ll come to you on the full moon night this month.”

长相思第21章 爱恨两依依(2)

   随着它速度的减慢，小夭终于看清了，一把银白的弓，没有任何纹饰，却美得让小夭移不开目光。小夭禁不住往前走了几步，对着天空伸出了手，袍袖滑下，皎洁的月光照在她的皓腕玉臂上。

    弓从她的手臂上快速划过，一道又一道深深的伤口，可见白骨。

    小夭能感受到，它似乎在桀骜地质问你有什么资格拥有我？如果小夭不能回答它，它只怕会绞碎她的身体。

    可随着弓弦浸染了她的血，它安静了，臣服了。

    小夭心随意动，喝道：“收！”

    银白的弓融入了她的手臂内，消失不见，只在小臂上留下一个月牙形的弓箭，仿若一个精美的文身。

As its speed slowed, Xiaoyao finally saw it clearly: a silver bow with no ornamentation, yet so beautiful that she couldn’t take her eyes off it. Xiaoyao couldn’t help but take a few steps forward, reaching out to the sky, her robe sleeve sliding down, and the bright moonlight illuminating her fair wrist and jade-like arm.

The bow swiftly grazed her arm, leaving deep wounds one after another, revealing the white bone.

Xiaoyao could feel that it seemed to be arrogantly questioning her, asking what right she had to possess it. If Xiaoyao couldn’t answer, it would likely tear her body apart.

But as the bowstring soaked in her blood, it quieted down and submitted.

With a thought, Xiaoyao commanded, “Return!”

The silver bow merged into her arm and disappeared, leaving only a crescent-shaped bow and arrow mark on her forearm, like a delicate tattoo.

长相思第21章 爱恨两依依(2)

星沉恢复了几分体力，她站起，送小夭出谷：“你灵力低微，这张弓一日只能射三次，慎用！”

    小夭真诚地谢道：“对一个已成废人的人而言，有三次机会，已经足够！”

    星沉看着小夭手上厚厚的茧子，叹道：“我不敢居功，是你自己从老天手里夺来的！”至今她仍然难以理解，堂堂王姬怎么能对自己如此狠得下心？

Xingchen had regained some strength. She stood up and saw Xiaoyao out of the valley. “Your spiritual power is weak. This bow can only be shot three times a day, use it wisely!”

Xiaoyao sincerely thanked her, “For someone who has become a useless person, having three chances is already enough!”

Xingchen looked at the thick calluses on Xiaoyao’s hands and sighed, “I can’t take credit for this. You snatched it from the hands of fate yourself!” To this day, she still couldn’t understand how a princess could be so ruthless to herself.

长相思第21章 爱恨两依依(2)

璟压根不是白玉，何来白玉蒙尘，涂山璟是皎皎明月，明月虽然阴晴圆缺，但暗夜不染，清辉常在，他不需要任何人可怜。

Jing was never like white jade, so there was no question of white jade being tarnished. Tu Shan Jing was like the bright moon—though the moon may wax and wane, its light remains untainted by the dark night. He did not need anyone’s pity.

Lost You Forever S1 E28

小六整个人都痴了，唇角如月牙一般弯弯地翘起，在欢笑，眼中却有泪花闪闪，悲伤地要坠落。

Xiaoliu was completely dazed, the corners of his lips curved upward like a crescent moon, smiling, yet tears shimmered in his eyes, on the verge of falling in sorrow.

长相思第14章 似是故人来(1)

意映仰头看着璟，夏日的阳光从他头顶照下，映得他的眉目分外清晰，和篌相似的五官，却没有篌的诡秘飞扬，而是若清水皓月般坦荡磊落、平静温和，第一次，意映真正看清楚了璟长什么模样。
意映微笑着说：“以前认定了你懦弱无能，今日才明白，仇恨并不需要智慧，那只是受到伤害后的本能反应，宽恕才需要智慧和坚强，可惜我做不到。原来是我配不上你！我还是喜欢以眼还眼、以牙还牙，和篌倒真的很相配！”

Yiying looked up at Jing. The summer sunlight shone down from above his head, making his features exceptionally clear. His facial features resembled Hou’s but lacked Hou’s mysterious and flamboyant nature; instead, they were as clear and serene as water and bright as the moon, open and honest, calm and gentle.
For the first time, Yiying truly saw what Jing looked like. Smiling, Yiying said, “I used to believe you were weak and incompetent. Today, I understand that hatred doesn’t require wisdom; it’s merely an instinctive reaction to being hurt. Forgiveness requires wisdom and strength. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. It turns out I’m not worthy of you! I still prefer an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, which makes me quite a match for Hou!”

长相思第5章 东风恶，欢情薄(5)

新年的第一个月圆之日，小夭主动提出要去轵邑城里看花灯，璟和颛顼自然都说好。
On the first full moon of the new year, Xiaoyao suggested going to Zhi Yi City to see the lanterns. Jing and Zhuanxu naturally agreed.

长相思第6章 此身出何处(1)

微风习习，一轮明亮的圆月悬挂在天上，海面波光粼粼，十分静谧美丽。

当年，海是海，她是她，如今，她是海的女儿，能驱策鱼群，能听懂鲛人的歌声，能像鱼怪一样潜入最深的海底，能比海豚游得更快。

    只要一个纵跃，就可以跳进海里，痛快地畅游。小夭却就是不愿，紧紧地握着拳头，自己和自己较劲。

    鲛人的歌声从大海尽头传来，小夭心内一动，站在船头，极目远眺，看到银色的月光下，有人白衣白发，踏着粼粼波光而来。

    他没有说话，小夭也没有开口，两人一个船上，一个船下，一起听着鲛人的歌声。歌声犹如天籁，在茫茫大海上飘散开，空灵、纯净，触碰着心灵，像黑暗中的深情呼唤，像销魂蚀骨时的叹息，让灵魂都随着歌声沉沦。

歌声停止，小夭轻声说：“真好听！”

    相柳淡淡“唔”了一声。

    鲛人的歌声是天籁之音，可世间能听到的人却没几个，这一瞬，小夭觉得她和相柳的心无限接近，似乎无话不可说。小夭说：“我爹爹是蚩尤。”

……

“巫王说情人蛊是‘天上鹣鹣不独飞，水中鸳鸯会双死’，我若死了，你能活吗？”

    “不如反过来问，我若死了，你能活吗？”

    小夭好声好气地说：“不管谁死谁活，我都不知道，所以我才要问你，你告诉我吧！”

    相柳脸上的笑容十分邪恶，貌似无奈地说：“我如何能知道呢？你好歹还学过蛊术，我可是第一次玩蛊。不过，不用着急，等你和我死了一个时，结果不就知道了吗？”

    小夭简直气得要蹦蹦跳：“你能解了颛顼的蛊，一定知道如何解蛊，难道你不想解了蛊吗？”

    相柳笑眯眯地说：“不想！”

    小夭无奈地问：“你到底想怎么样？”

    相柳的身体向海下一寸寸沉去：“除了奇货可居，你说我还能做什么呢？

    “喂！你别走！”

    小夭翻过栏杆，想跳进海里去追相柳，一双手却硬生生地把她抓了回去。

    “放开我……”小夭挣扎着回头，见是璟，立即乖乖地由着璟把她拽回了甲板上。

    小夭小心翼翼地问：“你几时起来的？”

    璟说：“起来一会儿了。”其实，他也一直睡不着，小夭从船舱内走出时，他就知道。只不过小夭显然想一个人静静待会儿，所以他没去打扰她。

    从一开始，相柳就知道他在一旁，设的禁制不让船上的人听到小夭和他说话，却偏偏让璟能听到。

看到小夭要去追相柳，璟也说不清为什么，想都没想就冲出去，拉住了小夭，似乎生怕她会消失。

    小夭说：“相柳刚来过，我问他解蛊的方法，他不肯告诉我。”

    璟心内的不安散去。

    小夭沮丧地说：“我嘴巴没他恶毒，灵力没他高，做的毒药他当糖豆子吃，每次见他，都被他欺负。”

    璟微笑着问：“你要我帮你吗？”

    小夭歪着脑袋想了一瞬，摇摇头：“你们之间是生意，我和他之间是私仇，一事归一事。”

    璟笑着点点头，赞道：“如果我娘还在，听到这话，肯定要赞一声好儿媳。”

    小夭笑着捶璟：“谁要做你媳妇？”

    璟猛地把小夭拉进怀里，紧紧搂住：“不许你做别人的媳妇！”

A gentle breeze was blowing, and a bright full moon hung in the sky. The sea was sparkling, serene, and beautiful.

Back then, the sea was just the sea, and she was just herself. But now, she was the daughter of the sea. She could command schools of fish, understand the songs of the mermen, dive to the deepest depths like a sea monster, and swim faster than a dolphin.

With just one leap, she could dive into the sea and swim freely. Yet Xiaoyao didn’t want to. She clenched her fists, struggling with herself.

The song of the mermen came from the end of the sea, stirring something within Xiaoyao. She stood at the bow of the ship, gazing into the distance. Under the silver moonlight, she saw someone with white hair and white clothes walking across the sparkling waves.

He didn’t speak, and Xiaoyao didn’t either. One was on the ship, the other below, both listening to the mermen’s song. The song, like a heavenly melody, spread across the vast sea, ethereal and pure, touching their hearts. It felt like a tender call in the dark, a sigh in moments of longing, making their souls sink with the song.

When the song stopped, Xiaoyao softly said, “It’s so beautiful.”

Xiangliu responded with a faint “Hmm.”

The mermen’s song was indeed heavenly, but very few in the world could hear it. At this moment, Xiaoyao felt infinitely close to Xiangliu, as if there was nothing they couldn’t say. Xiaoyao said, “My father is Chi You.”

…

“The Witch King said the Lover’s bugs is like ‘Heavenly birds flying together, waterfowl dying together.’ If I die, can you survive?”

“Why not ask the other way around, if I die, can you survive?”

Xiaoyao asked good naturedly, “I don’t know who will die or live, so I have to ask you. Tell me!”

Xiangliu’s smile was wicked and seemed helpless as he said, “How would I know? At least you’ve studied Gu techniques. This is my first time playing with Gu. But don’t worry, once one of us dies, we’ll know the result, won’t we?”

Xiaoyao was so angry she nearly jumped up and down. “You can break Zhuanxu’s bugs, so you must know how to break this one. Don’t you want to break it?”

Xiangliu smiled and said, “No.”

Xiaoyao helplessly asked, “What do you want then?”

Xiangliu’s body sank inch by inch into the sea. “Other than making myself rare and valuable, what else can I do?”

“Hey! Don’t go!”

Xiaoyao climbed over the railing, ready to jump into the sea to chase Xiangliu, but a pair of hands forcefully pulled her back.

“Let go of me…” Xiaoyao struggled and turned around to see it was Jing. She immediately calmed down and let Jing pull her back onto the deck.

Xiaoyao cautiously asked, “When did you get up?”

Jing said, “I’ve been up for a while.”
Actually, he couldn’t sleep either. He knew when Xiaoyao left the cabin. Xiaoyao clearly wanted to be alone, so he didn’t disturb her.

From the beginning, Xiangliu knew he was nearby. He set up a barrier that prevented the people on the ship from hearing him and Xiaoyao talk but specifically let Jing hear it.

Seeing Xiaoyao trying to chase Xiangliu, Jing couldn’t explain why, but without thinking, he rushed out to stop her, afraid she would disappear.

Xiaoyao said, “Xiangliu just came by. I asked him how to break the bugs, but he wouldn’t tell me.”

Jing’s unease dissipated.

Xiaoyao dejectedly said, “My words aren’t as venomous as his, my spiritual power isn’t as high, and he treats the poisons I make like candy. Every time I see him, I get bullied.”

Jing smiled and asked, “Do you want me to help you?”

Xiaoyao tilted her head and thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Your relationship with him is business. Mine is personal. Those are different matters.”

Jing nodded with a smile and said, “If my mother were still alive, she would definitely praise you as a good daughter-in-law upon hearing that.”

Xiaoyao playfully hit Jing. “Who wants to be your wife?”

Jing suddenly pulled Xiaoyao into his arms and held her tightly. “I won’t let you be anyone else’s wife!”

 丰隆盯了璟一瞬，忽而笑起来：“我以为你为人从容大度，行事光风霁月，每次看到你都自惭形秽，原来你不过也是个自私小气阴暗的男人！”

    璟道：“小夭和我订婚时，你已在高辛打仗，你送的那份贺礼应该是赤水氏的长老一边咒骂着我一边准备的，这几年我们虽有通信，却从未提过此事，全当什么事都没有，但我希望能得到你真心实意的祝福。”

    “你很在乎吗？”

    “我很在乎。你知道，此生我不可能得到大哥的祝福了，我不想也没有你的祝福。”

Feng Long stared at Jing for a moment and suddenly smiled, “I used to think you were a person of composure and magnanimity, someone who acts with *clear and noble intent. Every time I saw you, I felt ashamed of myself. But it turns out you’re just a selfish, petty, and dark man!”

*光风霁月 like a beautiful clear moon after rain/snow

Jing replied, “When Xiaoyao and I were engaged, you were already fighting in Gaoxin. The congratulatory gift you sent was likely prepared by the elders of the Chishui clan while cursing me. Although we’ve had correspondence over the years, we’ve never mentioned this matter. I’ve treated it as if nothing happened, but I hope to receive your sincere blessing.”

“Do you care a lot?”

“I do care. You know, it’s impossible for me to receive my elder brother’s blessing in this lifetime. I don’t want to be without your blessing as well.”

长相思第18章 却道相思苦(2)

璟立即说：“全准备好了，就算明日举行婚礼也绝对可以。”

    黄帝和黑帝都笑，小夭也红着脸笑，璟忙道：“明日……明日肯定不行，我的意思是……已经全部准备好了。”

    黄帝问黑帝：“你的意思呢？”

    黑帝微笑着说：“先让大宗伯把一年内适合婚嫁的吉时报给我们吧！”

    潇潇领命而去，半个时辰后，潇潇就带着大宗伯写好的吉时返来。黑帝看了一眼后，拿给黄帝看，黄帝看完又递给璟，小夭忍了忍，没有忍住，凑到璟身旁，和璟一起看。

    黄帝问璟：“你看哪个日子合适？”

    真到做决定时，璟反倒平静了，想了想道：“一个月后的日子有些赶了，不如选在三个月后的仲夏之月，望日。”

    黄帝道：“很好的日子！”

Jing immediately said, “Everything is ready. We could hold the wedding tomorrow if needed.”

The Yellow Emperor and the Black Emperor both laughed, and Xiao Yao blushed and smiled. Jing hurriedly added, “Tomorrow… tomorrow definitely won’t work. What I meant was… everything is already prepared.”

The Yellow Emperor asked the Black Emperor, “What do you think?”

The Black Emperor smiled and said, “Let’s first have the Grand Elder provide us with an auspicious date for the wedding within the year!”

Xiao Xiao was given the task and returned with the auspicious date written by the Grand Elder half an hour later. The Black Emperor glanced at it and showed it to the Yellow Emperor, who then passed it to Jing.

Xiao Yao tried to hold back but couldn’t resist leaning over to look at the dates with Jing.

The Yellow Emperor asked Jing, “Which date do you think is suitable?”

When it came to making a decision, Jing was actually calm.
After some thought, he said, “A date a month from now feels a bit rushed. How about choosing the Midsummer Month in three months, on the fifteenth?”

The Yellow Emperor replied, “That’s a very good date!”

长相思第25章 多情却似总无情(3)

孟夏之月，距离璟和小夭成婚只剩一个月，按照习俗，两人不能再见面。璟不得不回青丘，试穿礼服，检查婚礼的每个细节，确保一切顺利，然后就是——等着迎娶小夭了。

    整个涂山氏的宅邸都翻修了一遍，他和小夭日后常住的园子完全按照小夭的心意设计建造：小夭喜欢吃零食，园内有小厨房；小夭喜欢喝青梅酒，山坡上种了两株青梅；小夭喜水，引温泉水开了池塘……

    虽然钺长老已经考虑得十分周到细致，可当璟把园子看成了他和小夭的家时，对一切的要求都不同了，他亲自动手，将家具和器物都重新布置过。钺长老看璟乐在其中，也就随璟去。

In the Midsummer Month, with only one month left until Jing and Xiao Yao’s wedding, according to tradition, they are not allowed to meet. Jing had to return to Qingqiu to try on his wedding attire, inspect every detail of the ceremony, and ensure everything went smoothly. Then, it was a matter of waiting to marry Xiao Yao.

The entire residence of the Tushan clan was renovated. The garden where Jing and Xiao Yao would live was designed and built entirely according to Xiao Yao’s preferences: Xiao Yao loved snacks, so a small kitchen was included; she enjoyed drinking plum wine, so two plum trees were planted on the hillside; she liked water, so a pond was created with hot spring water…

Although Elder Yue had considered everything very thoughtfully, Jing’s personal vision of their home led him to make additional changes. He personally rearranged the furniture and objects. Seeing Jing so happily involved, Elder Yue simply went along with his wishes.

长相思第26章 魂梦安能定(1)

  璟思量了一会儿，决定带着胡珍赶往清水镇，同时命令幽带上所有暗卫。

    这是璟第一次要求最严密的护卫，幽愣了一愣，说道：“下个月就要大婚，如果族长有什么预感，最好不要外出。”

    璟问道：“如果瑱儿出了什么事，我和小夭还能如期举行婚礼吗？”

    幽躬身说道：“明白了！请族长放心，我们一定让族长顺利回来举行婚礼，这就是我们存在的意义。”

    临行前，璟给小夭写了一封信，告诉小夭他必须去一趟清水镇，将事情的前因后果解释清楚，让小夭不要担心，有暗卫跟随，他会尽快赶回青丘。

Jing pondered for a moment and decided to take Hu Zhen to Qing Shui Town, while also ordering You to bring all the shadow guards.

This was the first time Jing had requested for the strictest protection, and You was taken aback. She said, “With the wedding coming up next month, if the clan leader has any premonitions, it’s best not to go out.”

Jing asked, “If something happens to Tian’er, can Xiao Yao and I still hold the wedding as planned?”

You bowed and replied, “Understood! Please rest assured, we will ensure that you return smoothly to hold the wedding. That is our purpose.”

Before leaving, Jing wrote a letter to Xiao Yao, explaining that he needed to go to Qing Shui Town, and explained to her the situation. He reassured her not to worry, as he would be accompanied by shadow guards and would return to Qing Qiu as soon as possible.

长相思第26章 魂梦安能定(1)

 夜夜小夭都在等候，日日她都会下海，颛顼拿她一点办法没有，只能派潇潇日日跟随着她。

    直到十一日，还有四天，就是望日——璟和小夭的婚期，小夭对颛顼说：“我要回神农山。”

    颛顼带着小夭回到神农山，小夭看到黄帝时，问道：“外爷，我的嫁衣修改好了吗？”

    黄帝说：“好了。”

    “嫁妆都装好了？”

    “装好了。”

Every night Xiao Yao waited, and every day she went into the sea. Zhuan Xu had no way to stop her, so he could only send Xiao Xiao to follow her every day.

By the eleventh day, with only four days left until the day of the wedding—Jing and Xiao Yao’s wedding—Xiao Yao said to Zhuan Xu, “I want to return to Shennong Mountain.”

Zhuan Xu took Xiao Yao back to Shennong Mountain. When Xiao Yao saw the Yellow Emperor, she asked, “Grandfather, is my wedding dress ready?”

The Yellow Emperor replied, “Yes, it’s ready.”

“And the dowry, is it all packed?”

“Yes, it’s all packed.”

长相思第28章 魂梦安能定(3)

 十四日夜，天上的月儿看上去已经圆了，依旧没有璟的消息。

    章莪殿冷冷清清，没有丝毫送亲的样子，可那些早早就布置好的喜庆装饰却依旧在，没有人敢用，也没有人敢取下。人人都在努力地装作明日没有什么特别，普通得不能再普通。

    半夜里，小夭从梦里惊醒，好似听到有人叩窗，她光着脚就跳到了地上，几步跃到窗旁，打开窗户：“璟……璟，是你回来了吗？”

    苗莆一手拿着明珠灯，一手拿着衣服：“小姐，只是风吹树枝的声音。”

    小夭觉得头有些晕，站不稳，她倚在窗上，喃喃说：“真的不是他吗？”

On the night of the fourteenth, the moon in the sky already looked full, yet there was still no news of Jing.

Zhang’e Hall was cold and deserted, showing no signs of a wedding celebration. However, the festive decorations that had been set up early were still there; no one dared to use them, and no one dared to take them down. Everyone was trying hard to pretend that tomorrow was just another ordinary day.

In the middle of the night, Xiaoyao woke up with a start, as if hearing someone tapping on the window. She jumped out of bed barefoot, rushed to the window, and opened it: “Jing… Jing, is it you? Have you come back?”

Miao Pu stood there holding a pearl lantern in one hand and clothes in the other: “Miss, it was just the sound of the wind blowing the branches.”

Xiaoyao felt a bit dizzy and couldn’t stand steadily. She leaned against the window and murmured, “Is it really not him?”

长相思第28章 魂梦安能定(3)

 明亮的月光下，窗外一览无余，只有花木，不见人影。小夭失望伤心，幽幽问：“苗莆，你说为什么我一次都没有梦见璟呢？”

    苗莆把衣服披到小夭身上，又拿了绣鞋给小夭，不知道该如何回答小夭的问题，只能含糊地说：“奴婢不知道。”

    小夭仰头看着月亮，说道：“我很想他。就算真的见不到了，梦里见见也是好的。”

    苗莆鼻子发酸，她跟在小夭身边，看着小夭和璟一路走来的不容易，本以为一切要圆满了，却变故突生。

    小夭说：“大概因为我没有亲眼看见，一切都不像真的，总觉得他随时会出现。为什么一个人可以说消失就消失？为什么他都没有和我道别？我宁可他死在我怀里，好歹两人能把最后想说的话都说了，可这样算什么呢？头一日我还收到他亲手写的信，叮嘱我要好好睡觉，别总夜里看书，可隔一日，所有人就都说他没了。怎么可能，我不相信！他为什么不告诉我一声？我恨他！”小夭对着月亮大叫：“涂山璟，我恨你！”

    夜风徐徐，银盘无声。

    小夭无力地垂下了头，泪如雨一般坠落：“可是，我舍不得恨你，我知道，你不能守约，你肯定也很痛苦。”

Under the bright moonlight, the view outside the window was completely clear, filled only with flowers and trees, with no trace of people. Xiao Yao was disappointed and sad, and asked softly, “Miao Pu, why haven’t I dreamed of Jing even once?”

Miao Pu draped a cloak over Xiao Yao and handed her some embroidered shoes, unsure how to answer the question. She could only vaguely respond, “I don’t know.”

Xiao Yao looked up at the moon and said, “I miss him so much. Even if I can’t see him, it would be good to see him in my dreams.”

Miao Pu felt a lump in her throat. She had witnessed the difficulties Xiao Yao and Jing had faced together and had hoped for a happy ending, only for unforeseen changes to occur.

Xiao Yao continued, “Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, everything doesn’t seem real. I always feel like he might appear at any moment. How can someone just disappear without a trace? Why didn’t he say goodbye to me? I would have preferred him to die in my arms, at least we could have said all the things we wanted to say. But this… What is this? The day before, I received a letter he wrote himself, reminding me to sleep well and not stay up reading all night. And the next day, everyone says he’s gone. How could that be? I don’t believe it! Why didn’t he tell me? I hate him!” Xiao Yao shouted at the moon, “Tushan Jing, I hate you!”

The night wind blew gently, and the silver disc remained silent.

Xiao Yao’s head drooped in exhaustion, tears falling like rain. “But… I can’t bear to hate you. I know you couldn’t keep your promise, and you must be in pain too.”

长相思第28章 魂梦安能定(3)

小夭低声问：“是不是吉辰已经过了？”

    黄帝说：“小夭，璟不会回来了，你的一生还很长，你忘记他吧！”

    小夭说：“外爷，我想休息了，你回去休息吧！”

    黄帝担心地看着小夭，小夭说：“我没事，我只是……需要时间。”

    黄帝默默看了一会儿小夭，站起身，脚步蹒跚地走出了屋子。

小夭走到窗前，看着天上的圆月。

望日是月满之日，璟选定这个日子成婚，应该想要他们的婚姻圆圆满满吧？
可竟然是团圆月不照团圆人。

小夭告诉黄帝她只是需要时间，可是，这个时间究竟是多久呢？究竟要有多久才能不心痛？

小夭问：“苗莆，你说究竟要有多久我才能不心痛？”

苗莆讷讷地说：“大概就像受了重伤一样，刚开始总会很痛，慢慢地，伤口结疤，痛得轻一点，再后来，伤疤慢慢脱落，就不怎么疼了。”

小夭颔首，她不是没受过伤，她很清楚如何才能不痛苦。

想要不痛苦，就要遗忘！时间就像黄沙，总能将人心上的一切都掩埋。

可是——

璟，我不愿意！

如果不痛苦的代价是遗忘你，我宁愿一直痛苦，我会让你永远活在我心里，直到我生命的尽头。

我已经穿起嫁衣，对月行礼，从今夜起，我就是你的妻！

Xiao Yao asked softly, “Has the auspicious time already passed?”

The Yellow Emperor replied, “Xiao Yao, Jing will not be coming back. Your life is still long. Forget him.”

Xiao Yao said, “Grandfather, I want to rest now. You should go back and rest.”

The Yellow Emperor looked at Xiao Yao with concern. Xiao Yao said, “I’m fine. I just… need time.”

The Yellow Emperor quietly observed Xiao Yao for a moment before standing up and leaving the room with unsteady steps.

Xiao Yao walked to the window and looked at the full moon in the sky.

The day of the full moon was chosen by Jing for their wedding, hoping their marriage would be as complete and perfect as the moon. But now, it seemed the reunion moon did not shine on those who longed for reunion.

Xiao Yao told the Yellow Emperor she just needed time, but how long would this time be? How long until the pain would cease?

Xiao Yao asked, “Miao Pu, how long will it take for me to stop feeling this pain?”

Miao Pu hesitated before replying, “It’s like a serious injury. At first, it’s very painful. Slowly, the wound scabs over, and the pain becomes lighter. Later, as the scab falls off, the pain diminishes.”

Xiao Yao nodded. She knew well how to endure pain, having experienced it before.

To stop feeling pain, one must forget! Time, like drifting sand, can bury everything on the heart.

But—

Jing, I don’t want to!

If the price of not feeling pain is forgetting you, I would rather remain in pain forever. I will keep you alive in my heart until the end of my life.

I am now wearing my wedding dress and paying homage to the moon. From tonight onward, I am your wife!

长相思第28章 魂梦安能定(3)

 小夭对月三拜，起身时，一只小小的白鸟飞落在窗上。它没有鸟儿的聒噪，格外沉静，默默地看着小夭。

Xiao Yao bowed to the moon three times, and as she stood up, a small white bird alighted on the window. It was unusually quiet, without the usual bird chatter, and silently watched Xiao Yao.

长相思第29章 日日思君不见君(1)

   “我听到了璟对我说，立即去东海，不要告诉任何人。”

    苗莆惊讶地叫：“什么？音珠里是涂山族长的声音？他说了几句话？”

    “两句话。”一句让她赶往东海，一句让她不要告诉任何人。

    苗莆默默思量了一会儿，说道：“既然能说两句话，为什么不能再多说几句？找个精擅口技又听过涂山族长声音的人，绝对可以惟妙惟肖地模仿涂山族长说话，但是，再相似的模仿都只是模仿，越是熟悉的人越容易发现破绽，所以话越少越可信。我觉得这事有古怪，好小姐，我们还是回去吧！”

    “也许你说得对，可也许情况危急，只来得及说两句话。苗莆，你明白吗？就算只有万分之一的可能，就算是个陷阱，我也必须立即赶去。”

    苗莆轻叹了口气，用力甩了一下天马鞭，驱策天马飞得更快。如果这是一个陷阱，只能说设置陷阱的人太毒辣，他抓住了小夭的心理，知道小夭纵然看到各种疑点，依旧会毫不迟疑地赶去东海。

    苗莆忍不住祈求，就让那万分之一的可能变为现实吧！

“I heard Jing tell me to go to the East Sea immediately and not to tell anyone.”

Miao Pu exclaimed in surprise, “What? The voice in the sound bead was Chief Tushan’s? How many words did he say?”

“Two sentences.” One for her to go to the East Sea, and the other told her not to tell anyone.

Miao Pu pondered silently for a moment and said, “Since he could say two sentences, why not a few more? Someone skilled in mimicking voices who has heard Chief Tushan’s voice could perfectly imitate him. But no matter how similar, imitation is still imitation. The more familiar the person, the easier it is to spot the flaws, so fewer words make it more believable. I think something’s amiss. Miss, let’s go back!”

“Maybe you’re right, but perhaps the situation is urgent and only allowed for two sentences. Miao Pu, do you understand? Even if there’s only a one in ten thousand chance, even if it’s a trap, I must go immediately.”

Miao Pu sighed lightly, flicked the Celestial Horse Whip to urge the celestial horse to fly faster. If this was a trap, it could only be said that the trap-setter was exceedingly cunning, having grasped Xiao Yao’s psychology, knowing that despite all the doubts, she would still rush to the East Sea without hesitation.

Miao Pu couldn’t help but pray, hoping that the one in ten thousand chance would become reality!

长相思第29章 日日思君不见君(1)

实际上，小夭并不需要鱼丹，可她一则不想让别人发现她身体的怪异，二则这是璟送她的东西，所以一直贴身戴着。此时，含着鱼丹紫，小夭十分心酸，只能在心里默默祈求：老天，你可以做任何残酷的事，不管璟是重伤还是残废，我只求你让他活着。

    小夭悄悄游近了白桅船，正琢磨着是上船，还是在水下悄悄观察，一个风姿绰约的紫衣女子趴在船舷边，探头说道：“想见到涂山璟，就上船。”

    小夭浮出水面，吐出口中的鱼丹紫，问道：“凭什么我要相信，你能让我见到璟？”

    紫衣女子将一块从里衣上撕下的白帛扔给小夭，小夭抬手接住，是璟的字迹，写着：

    君若水上风

    妾似风中莲

    相见相思

    相见相思……

 小夭看完，忍着泪意，一声不吭地攀住船舷，翻上了船。

In reality, Xiao Yao didn’t need the fishcore, but she didn’t want others to notice her body’s abnormalities, and since it was a gift from Jing, she kept it with her at all times. At that moment, holding the fishcore, Xiao Yao felt deeply saddened and silently prayed: “Heaven, you can do anything cruel. Regardless of whether Jing is severely injured or disabled, I only ask that you let him be alive.”

Xiao Yao silently approached the white-sailed boat, contemplating whether to board or observe quietly from the water, when a graceful woman in purple leaned over the boat’s railing and said, “If you want to see Tushan Jing, come aboard.”

Xiao Yao surfaced, spat out the fish core, and asked, “Why should I believe that you can take me to Jing?”

The woman in purple took out and threw a piece of torn white silk to Xiao Yao. Xiao Yao caught it, and saw Jing’s handwriting on it, which read:

“You are like the wind on the water, I am like the lotus in the wind, Longing to meet, longing to see…”

After reading it, Xiao Yao held back her tears, climbed onto the boat in silence.

长相思第29章 日日思君不见君(1)

小夭仰起头，咕咚咕咚喝尽酒，说道：“璟呢？带我去见他。”

    “我向来有诺必践！”紫衣女子开船，向着大海深处行驶去。

    风声呼呼，从小夭耳畔迅疾地掠过。小夭头发沉、四肢发软，她靠躺在甲板上，仰望着碧蓝的天、洁白的云。

    船停在大海深处，四周再看不到一点陆地的影子。

    紫衣女子走过来，抱起小夭，把她放进一个厚实的水晶棺材里。

    小夭有气无力地问：“你想做什么？”

    紫衣女子把那片写了歌谣的里衣毁了，又从小夭的衣领里拽出了鱼丹紫。小夭抬起手，想阻止她，手上却使不出劲，被紫衣女子随手一拍，就推到了一边。紫衣女子用力一扯，鱼丹紫被拽下，她凑在眼前看了看，笑道：“这倒是个好东西，可惜太惹眼，不能据为己有！”她掌间用力，鱼丹紫化作了紫色的流光，消散在海风中。

    小夭眼中的泪摇摇欲坠，问道：“璟呢？”

    紫衣女子趴在棺材上，笑着说：“涂山璟已经死了！我现在就是送你去见他！这艘船已经在进水，没有多久就会沉到海底，你也会被棺材带入海底。我只是个杀手，奉命行事。雇主做了具体要求，不能见血，却要你永远彻底地消失，消失得连一根头发都再找不到。我冥思苦想了一夜，想起这片海域下面的可怕，才想到这个法子。”紫衣女子轻佻地拍拍小夭的脸，“你说雇主得多恨你，竟然连一根你的头发都不允许存在？不过，也只有这个方法才能真的不留一点痕迹，否则黄帝和黑帝可不好应付。”

    小夭望着碧蓝的天空，没有被欺骗的愤怒、没有将死的恐惧，只有希望破灭后的悲伤。从小到大，她一直活得很辛苦，一颗心一直在漂泊，总觉得自己随时会被抛弃，和璟订婚后，一颗心终于安稳了，本以为一切都不一样了，可没想到璟竟然走了，他像她的父母一样，也因为不得已的原因，不得不抛弃了她！未来的日子太漫长，她不想再痛苦地坚持，既然璟长眠在这片海域中，她愿意和他在一起。

    紫衣女子看小夭异样得平静，一点不像以前她要杀的那些人，竟然有些惋惜，帮小夭整理好衣服和发髻，真心赞美道：“你的嫁衣很好看，发髻也梳得很好看，你是个很美丽的新娘子，涂山族长见到你一定会很欢喜。”

    小夭竟然展颜而笑：“谢谢！”

Xiao Yao looked up, drank the wine, and said, “Where is Jing? Take me to him.”

“I always keep my promises!” The woman in purple started the boat, heading deeper into the sea.

The wind howled, rushing past Xiao Yao’s ears. Her hair felt heavy, her limbs weak. She lay on the deck, gazing up at the azure sky and white clouds.

The boat stopped in the deep sea, with no land in sight.

The woman in purple came over, lifted Xiao Yao, and placed her into a sturdy crystal coffin.

Xiao Yao, weak and powerless, asked, “What are you planning to do?”

The woman in purple destroyed the piece of garment with the poem and pulled the fish essence from Xiao Yao’s collar. Xiao Yao tried to stop her with her hand, but her strength failed her. The woman in purple casually pushed her aside and forcefully yanked the fish essence off. Examining it closely, she smiled and said, “This is indeed a fine item, but it’s too conspicuous to keep!” She exerted force, turning the fish essence into purple light that dissipated in the sea breeze.

Tears brimmed in Xiao Yao’s eyes as she asked, “Where is Jing?”

The woman in purple leaned on the coffin and said with a smile, “Tushan Jing is dead! I’m here to take you to him. This boat is already taking on water and will soon sink to the bottom of the sea. You will also be carried to the seabed in this coffin. I’m just a killer following orders. The client specified no bloodshed, but wanted you to disappear completely, without a trace. I pondered all night and thought of this method due to the horrors beneath this sea area.” The woman in purple lightly patted Xiao Yao’s face, “Can you imagine how much the client must hate you to want even a single strand of your hair erased? But this is the only method to truly leave no trace; otherwise, the Yellow Emperor and the Black Emperor would be difficult to handle.”

Xiao Yao looked at the blue sky with no anger from being deceived, no fear of death, only the sadness of shattered hope. She had always lived a difficult life, her heart always adrift, feeling abandoned at any moment. After being engaged to Jing, her heart had finally found peace, thinking everything would be different, but now Jing was gone, and like her parents, he had to abandon her due to unavoidable reasons. The future seemed too long and unbearable; since Jing rested in this sea, she was willing to be with him.

Seeing Xiao Yao’s unusual calmness, which was unlike the people she had killed before, the woman in purple felt a tinge of regret. She helped Xiao Yao adjust her clothes and hairstyle, sincerely praising her, “Your wedding dress is beautiful, and your hairstyle is well done. You are a lovely bride. Tushan’s clan leader will surely be very pleased to see you.”

Xiao Yao actually smiled, “Thank you!”

长相思第29章 日日思君不见君(1)

水晶棺向着海底沉去。

    小夭觉得憋闷，喘不过气，好似就要憋死，可等海水渗进水晶棺里，浸没了她的口鼻，她反而觉得舒服了，就像一条已经搁浅的鱼儿又回到了大海里。小夭不禁无奈地苦笑，这是一次计划周详的完美谋杀：海天深处，没有见血，甚至都没有动手杀死她，连一条穿过的紫色衣衫都被烧成灰烬，没有留下一点证据，可唯一的不完美就是——他们不知道她淹不死。

……

小夭躺在水晶棺里，看着身周的鱼群游来游去。一群红黑相间的小鱼围聚在水晶棺周围，好奇地探望着，小夭突然敲了敲水晶棺，问道：“你们见过璟吗？”

鱼群受惊，呼啦一下全部散去。

The crystal coffin sank toward the seabed.

Xiao Yao felt suffocated, as if she was about to be choked to death. But when the seawater began to seep into the crystal coffin, immersing her mouth and nose, she felt a strange sense of relief, like a fish stranded on shore finally returning to the sea. Xiao Yao couldn’t help but smile wryly; this was a meticulously planned perfect murder: in the depths of the sea and sky, no blood was shed, and she wasn’t even physically killed. Even the purple clothes she wore were burned to ashes, leaving no trace. The only imperfection was that they didn’t know she couldn’t drown.

…

Lying in the crystal coffin, Xiao Yao watched the fish swimming around her. A group of red and black fish gathered around the coffin, curiously observing her. Xiao Yao suddenly tapped on the crystal coffin and asked, “Have any of you seen Jing?”

The fish were startled and quickly scattered away.

长相思第29章 日日思君不见君(1)

  相柳问：“你为什么会被关在那片海域里？”

    “有人要杀我。”

    相柳鄙夷地看着小夭：“有人要杀你，你就被关住了？”

    小夭凝视着篝火，不说话。

    相柳问：“为什么没有反抗？”

    小夭低声说：“璟……不见了。”她忽而想起什么，急切地问：“东海就像你家一样，你……你……你见没见过璟？”

    相柳讥嘲地问：“你以为我闲得整天守在海上，只等着救人吗？”

    “不是……我只是觉得……清水镇算是你的地盘，也许你察觉了涂山篌的异动，东海虽大，可你是海妖……也许……”

    相柳冷冷地说：“没有那么多也许！”

    小夭埋下头，眼泪无声地落着。

Xiangliu asked, “Why were you imprisoned in that sea area?”

“Someone wanted to kill me.”

Xiang Liu looked at Xiao Yao with disdain. “Someone wanted to kill you, so you were imprisoned?”

Xiao Yao stared at the campfire, remaining silent.

Xiangliu asked, “Why didn’t you resist?”

Xiao Yao replied quietly, “Jing… is missing.” She suddenly remembered something and asked urgently, “The East Sea is like your home. Have you… have you seen Jing?”

Xiangliu mockingly asked, “Do you think I spend my days idly on the sea, just waiting to rescue people?”

“No… I just thought… Qing Shui Town is your territory. Maybe you noticed any unusual activity from Tushan Hou. The East Sea is vast, but you’re a sea demon… maybe…”

Xiangliu said coldly, “There are no maybes!”

Xiao Yao bowed her head, tears falling silently.

长相思第30章 日日思君不见君(2)

 相柳说：“活着！就算涂山璟死了，你也要活着！”

    小夭呆呆地看了一瞬相柳，视线越过他，望向大海尽头的夜色。漫长的生命，没有尽头的思念……不放弃地活着，那是什么感觉？大概就像永远不会有日出的黑夜。小夭不明白，相柳为什么要关心她的死活？

    相柳冷冷地说：“我只是没兴趣和你一块儿死！你要想放弃，必须先想出解蛊的方法。”

Xiang Liu said, “Live! Even if Tushan Jing is dead, you must still live!”

Xiao Yao stared blankly at Xiang Liu for a moment, her gaze drifting past him to the darkness at the edge of the sea. A long life, endless longing… what does it feel like to persist in living? Perhaps it’s like an endless night with no dawn. Xiao Yao didn’t understand why Xiang Liu cared about whether she lived or died.

Xiang Liu said coldly, “I’m just not interested in dying with you! If you want to give up, you must first figure out how to solve the curse.”

长相思第30章 日日思君不见君(2)

相柳冷冰冰地看着她，动都没动，左耳倒是扭过头，看了看月亮，干巴巴地说：“很圆的月亮！” 

小夭扑哧笑了出来，凝视着月亮，说道：

“璟选了满月之日成婚，我本来想问他为什么，但有些不好意思，想着成婚后有的是时间，就没有问。我们最后一次见面，是在三十二天前，孟夏之月的满月日。他下午来小月顶和我辞行，说是晚饭前走，可用过晚饭后依旧没走，一直到月亮攀上了山顶，我们依旧在山涧踏着月色散步。那一晚的月亮很美，我拉着他月下踏歌，他不会，我边唱歌边笑他笨拙。

后来，他骑白鹤离去前，指着月亮，对我说‘下个满月之日后，不管月亮阴晴圆缺、人世悲欢离合，我和你长相守、不分离。’”

Xiang Liu looked at her coldly, not moving at all. Zuo’er turned his head slightly, glanced at the moon, and said flatly, “A very round moon.”

Xiao Yao chuckled softly, gazing at the moon, and said:

“Jing chose the full moon for our wedding. I wanted to ask him why, but I felt a bit shy, thinking that there would be plenty of time to ask after the wedding, so I didn’t.

The last time we met was thirty-two days ago, on the full moon of the Mengxia month. He came to Xiaoyue Peak in the afternoon to bid me farewell, saying he would leave before dinner. But even after dinner, he hadn’t left. We continued to walk in the moonlight until the moon climbed to the top of the mountain. That night’s moon was beautiful. I held his hand and did round dance singing under the moon, and when he couldn’t do it, I sang and laughed at his clumsiness.

Later, before he left on the white crane, he pointed at the moon and said to me, ‘On the next full moon, regardless of the moon’s phases or the world’s sorrows and joys, I will be by your side, never to part.’”

长相思第31章 日日思君不见君(3)

银色的月光哀伤地洒落，波光粼粼的大海温柔地一起一伏，小夭的手伸向月亮，微笑着说：“没有见到他的尸体，他在我的记忆里，永远都是倚着白鹤笑看着我，指着月亮对我说‘下个满月之日后，不管月亮阴晴圆缺、人世悲欢离合，我和你长相守、不分离’。我大概真的很愚蠢、很软弱，我没有办法相信他死了，总觉得也许下个满月之日，他就会回来。”

Xiang Liu looked at her coldly, not moving at all. He turned his head slightly to the left, glanced at the moon, and said flatly, “A very round moon.”

The silver moonlight fell mournfully, and the shimmering sea gently undulated. Xiao Yao reached out towards the moon, smiling as she said, “I haven’t seen his body. In my memories, he will always be leaning on a white crane, smiling at me, pointing to the moon and saying, ‘On the next full moon, no matter the moon’s phases or the world’s joys and sorrows, I will be with you, never to part.’ I suppose I am really foolish and weak. I can’t bring myself to believe he’s gone. I keep thinking that maybe on the next full moon, he will return.”

长相思第31章 日日思君不见君(3)

月华皎洁，湖面上波光粼粼，相柳却迟迟没有出现。小夭忍不住大叫起来：“相柳，我知道你感受得到！滚出来见我！”

The moonlight was bright and clear, and the lake surface shimmered with reflections, but Xiang Liu did not appear. Xiao Yao couldn’t help but shout, “Xiang Liu, I know you can feel this! Come out and see me!”

长相思第41章 往事未思心未痛(3)

相柳唇角微扬，漫不经心地笑：“如果颛顼被我杀了，只能说明天下大势还不是统一，又何来与大势对抗之说？”

    “我的话是否有理，你心里很清楚！”

    相柳看向小夭手中的银色弓箭，眯着眼笑：“你想用我教给你的箭术射杀我？”

    小夭的手有些发颤，喝道：“站住！”

    相柳依旧向着小夭走来，笑道：“真没想到你会想为赤水丰隆报仇，既然如此情深，为什么不嫁给他呢？反正璟都已经死了多年……”

    小夭气得一咬牙，嗖一声，银白色的箭飞出。

    相柳亲手教出的箭术、金天氏最好的铸造大师铸造的弓箭，两人的距离又不算远，几乎眨眼的瞬间，箭就射入了相柳的胸膛。相柳只是身形微微一顿，依旧向着小夭走来，笑着说：“别忘记我被叫作九命相柳！想杀我，一定要多射几箭！射得准一点！朝着这里！”相柳指指自己的心口，袍袖飞扬，姿态潇洒。

    “你以为我不敢吗？”小夭一边说话，一边又搭箭引弓。

    可是——如雪的白衣上，殷红的血如怒放的桃花一般氤氲开，让小夭忍不住闭了下眼睛，射出的箭，偏了偏，擦着胳膊飞过。相柳停住了步子，唇角扬起，笑看着小夭，看似讥嘲，却藏了几分愉悦。

Xiangliu’s lips curled into a faint smile, and he laughed nonchalantly, “If I kill Zhuanxu, it only means that the world is still not unified. How could there be any talk of opposing the grand scheme?”

“You know very well whether my words make sense or not!”

Xiangliu glanced at the silver bow and arrow in Xiaoliu’s hand, squinting as he smiled, “Do you want to use the archery skills I taught you to shoot me?”

Xiaoliu’s hands trembled slightly, and she shouted, “Stop!”

Xiangliu continued walking towards Xiaoliu, laughing, “I never expected you to want to avenge Chishui Fenglong. If you feel so deeply for him, why didn’t you marry him? After all, Jing has been dead for many years…”

Xiaoliu, furious, gritted her teeth and with a swift motion, released the silver arrow.

With archery skills personally taught by Xiangliu and a bow and arrow crafted by the best master of the Jintian clan, and given the short distance between them, the arrow pierced Xiangliu’s chest almost in an instant.

Xiangliu only paused slightly before continuing to walk towards Xiaoliu, still smiling, “Don’t forget, I’m called Nine Lives Xiangliu! If you want to kill me, you have to shoot more arrows! Aim better! Right here!” Xiangliu pointed to his heart, his robe sleeves fluttering, exuding an elegant demeanor.

“You think I don’t dare?” Xiaoliu spoke while drawing another arrow.

However—as the red blood bloomed on Xiangliu’s snow-white clothes like a burst of peach blossoms, Xiaoliu couldn’t help but close her eyes for a moment. The arrow she shot missed its mark slightly, grazing Xiangliu’s arm as it flew by. Xiangliu stopped, his lips curling up as he looked at Xiaoliu, his smile seemingly mocking but with a hint of delight hidden within.

长相思第41章 往事未思心未痛(3)

相柳眼中的红光散去，一边含笑打量着小夭，一边轻抚着小夭脖子上的血管：“不错，又有了几分我初认识你时的风采了！看来你还没被颛顼圈养成宠物！”

    小夭不自禁地打了个寒战：“放手！”

    相柳不但没放手，反而钩着小夭的脖子，把她拉到了身前：“你忘记了吗？刚刚才射了我一箭！血债得血偿！”他俯下头，一口咬在了小夭的脖子上，吮吸着鲜血。

小夭狠命推他，却无论如何都挣脱不开，只能紧咬着唇，一言不发。相柳却也没吸很多，更像是一种象征性的惩罚。
他抬起头，几乎贴着她的面颊，笑吟吟地说：“璟已经去世六年了吧？直到今日，你依旧不肯去面对他的死亡，来了清水镇，都没去他死前最后待过的地方凭吊一下。”

小夭愤怒地瞪着相柳，相柳好像完全看不到小夭的愤怒，一边轻抚着她锁骨下的动脉，一边微笑着侃侃而谈：“在认识你之前，我已经和涂山璟做了几百年的生意，他不是个狠辣的人，却也绝不是个可欺的人，至少几百年来，我从没占到他的一点便宜。他能一再容忍涂山篌，只是因为他把涂山篌当亲人，但当他把涂山篌驱逐到高辛，就应该很清楚，他和涂山篌之间的仇怨再难化解，以他的精明，绝不可能不提防涂山篌，一定会监视涂山篌在高辛的活动，禁止他发展自己的势力，这样不管涂山篌再恨他，都不可能报复他。”
皓月当空，清风徐徐，相柳的声音几如情人低语，“小夭，你同意我的分析吗？”

小夭的声音几乎是从齿缝里挤出：“你到底想说什么？”

    相柳笑了笑，温柔地说：“我只是想说，涂山璟行事不狠辣，但也绝不会任人欺负，你同意吗？”

    小夭硬邦邦地说：“是又怎么样？”

    相柳说：“在涂山璟的监控下，涂山篌是有可能摆脱他的监视，偷偷溜到清水镇，联络防风意映，一起设下陷阱。但是，当时在清水镇上有多少涂山璟的人？除了看守防风意映的一帮侍卫，还有一群保护涂山璟的暗卫。也许，你不太了解涂山氏的暗卫，涂山氏的族长向来只擅长做生意，不擅长杀戮，所以涂山氏一直非常注重暗卫的培养。几百年前，我做杀手生意时，曾见过一次涂山氏的暗卫出手，当时我做的决定是，除非义父有危险，否则我绝不会去刺杀涂山氏的族长。”

    
小夭似乎听出了什么，渐渐露出了专注聆听的样子，相柳的语速越来越慢：“涂山篌带去的人不但杀了所有看守防风意映的侍卫，还杀了涂山璟的三十多个暗卫，将剩下的几个绝顶高手围困住，让他们无法去救涂山璟。干净利落地屠杀那么多涂山氏的高手，要有多少高手才能做到？被涂山氏驱逐的涂山篌无钱无势，怎么可能在涂山璟的严密监控下发展出那么多的高手？如果涂山璟是这么无能的人，那我只能说，几百年来和我打交道的是另一个涂山璟。”

    小夭仰头盯着相柳，眼睛亮得可怕：“你到底想说什么？”

 相柳笑笑，云淡风轻地说：“涂山璟的死，看似是兄弟相争，实际背后另有人要涂山璟死，如果没有此人的安排，涂山篌根本不可能靠近璟。”

    小夭一把抓住了相柳的手腕，因为太过用力，整个身体都在颤。她直勾勾地盯着相柳，漆黑的眸子里熊熊燃烧着什么，似乎下一瞬，就会扑上去杀死相柳。

    相柳依旧一副置身事外的闲适，语气温柔却冰冷地说：“虽然不知道究竟是谁，但杀涂山族长的原因不外乎仇怨和利益，能培养出和涂山氏对抗的那么多高手，并不容易。只要你好好分析，迟早能查出凶手，要实在查不出，也不妨宁可错杀，不可放过！”

    小夭身子发软，摇摇欲倒，相柳想扶她，小夭却如被毒蛇碰到，憎恶地尖叫起来：“不要碰我！”她往后退，脚下一个踉跄，软跪在湖面上。

    相柳眸色黑沉，拂了拂衣袍，坐在了湖面上，静静看着小夭。

    小夭眼神呆滞，怔怔愣愣，半晌后才好像真正接受了相柳说的话：“你早就知道一切，为什么现在才告诉我？”

    相柳微笑着说：“以前又没打仗，我告诉你有什么好处呢？”

    小夭心寒，禁不住问道：“是不是除了你的大恩人共工，所有人在你心中都只是棋子？除了可利用和不可利用，再无一丝其他？以前人人说你行事狠绝、冷酷无情，我总觉得……如今，我真正相信了！”

相柳笑着摇摇头，像看白痴一样看着小夭，怜悯地说：“我本来就是冷血的妖怪，不是我无情，是你太愚蠢！”

    小夭站了起来，居高临下地看着相柳：“相柳将军，如果你想利用我，挑起轩辕国的内乱，我保证你会失望。”

    相柳笑如春风：“不管我目的如何，难道我说的不是事实吗？”

    “我不会饶过伤害璟的人，也不会让你称心如意。如你所说，涂山璟从没有让你占到便宜，他的妻子也不会！”小夭说完，就想离开。

“且慢！我向你提供了消息，你不需要付点代价吗？”

    小夭冷冷问：“你想要什么？”

    “你的血！将来战事不会少，炼制些疗伤的药丸储备着，总不会有坏处。”

    小夭怒极反笑：“你要多少？”

Xiangliu’s eyes lost their red glow as he smiled and observed Xiao Yao, lightly stroking the veins on her neck. “Not bad, you’ve regained some of the charm you had when I first met you! It seems you haven’t been tamed into a pet by Zhuang Xu yet!”

Xiao Yao couldn’t help but shiver. “Let go!”

Instead of letting go, Xiangliu tightened his hold around Xiao Yao’s neck, pulling her closer. “Have you forgotten? You just shot an arrow at me! Blood must be repaid with blood!” He bent down and bit into Xiao Yao’s neck, drawing blood.

Xiaoyao pushed him away roughly, but she couldn’t break free no matter how hard she tried. She could only bite her lip and remain silent. Xiangliu, however, didn’t drink much; it seemed more like a symbolic punishment.

He lifted his head, almost touching her cheek, and said with a smile, “It’s been six years since Jing passed away, hasn’t it? To this day, you still refuse to face his death. Even though you came to Qing Shui Town, you haven’t visited the place where he spent his last moments.”

Xiao Yao glared at Xiangliu with anger. Xiangliu, seeming completely oblivious to her anger, continued to lightly caress the artery under her collarbone and spoke with a smile, “Before I knew you, I had done business with Tushan Jing for hundreds of years. He wasn’t a ruthless person, but he certainly wasn’t someone who could be easily deceived. For hundreds of years, I never gained any advantage from him. He could repeatedly tolerate Tushan Hou because he considered him family, but once he drove Tushan Hou out to Gao Xin, he should have known that the grudge between them could never be resolved. With his shrewdness, he would certainly keep a close watch on Tushan Hou’s activities in Gao Xin and prevent him from building his own power. No matter how much Tushan Hou hated him, he couldn’t possibly retaliate against him.”

The full moon hung high, and a gentle breeze blew. Xiangliu’s voice was as soft as a lover’s whisper, “Xiao Yao, do you agree with my analysis?”

Xiao Yao’s voice came through gritted teeth: “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Xiangliu smiled and said gently, “I just want to say that Tushan Jing may not have been ruthless, but he would never let himself be bullied. Do you agree?”

Xiao Yao retorted stiffly, “And what about it?”

Xiangliu continued, “Under Tushan Jing’s surveillance, Tushan Hou might have managed to evade his watch and sneak into Qing Shui Town, to contact Fang Feng Yiying and set a trap together. But how many of Tushan Jing’s people were in Qing Shui Town at the time? Besides the guards watching Fangfeng Yiying, there were also a group of shadow guards protecting Tushan Jing.
Perhaps you don’t know much about Tushan’s shadow guards. The Tushan clan’s leader has always been skilled in business, not in killing, so they have always placed great importance on training their shadow guards.
Hundreds of years ago, when I was in the assassination business, I once saw Tushan’s shadow guards in action. My decision at that time was that unless my adoptive father was in danger, I would never attempt to assassinate the Tushan clan leader.”

Xiao Yao seemed to catch on to something, gradually showing a focused listening expression. Xiangliu’s pace slowed as he continued, “Tushan Hou’s people not only killed all the guards watching Fangfeng Yiying but also killed over thirty of Tushan Jing’s shadow guards, trapping the remaining top experts and preventing them from rescuing Tushan Jing. To cleanly and efficiently slaughter so many of Tushan’s top experts, how many top experts must one have? Tushan Hou, who was expelled by Tushan, was without money or influence—how could he possibly develop so many experts under Tushan Jing’s strict surveillance?

If Tushan Jing were truly so incapable, then I can only say that the Tushan Jing I have dealt with for hundreds of years is a different person.”

Xiao Yao looked up at Xiangliu, her eyes shining fiercely. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Xiangliu smiled and said casually, “Tushan Jing’s death seemed like a conflict between brothers, but in reality, someone else wanted Tushan Jing dead. Without that person’s arrangement, Tushan Hou wouldn’t have been able to get close to Jing at all.”

Xiao Yao grabbed Xiangliu’s wrist, trembling with the force of her grip. She stared at him with intense, burning eyes, as if she might pounce on him and kill him at any moment.

Xiangliu remained detached and relaxed, his tone gentle but cold, “Although I don’t know who exactly, the reasons for killing the Tushan clan leader are usually either grudges or interests. Cultivating so many experts to oppose the Tushan clan isn’t easy. As long as you analyze it well, you will eventually find out the culprit. If you really can’t find out, it’s better to kill wrongly than to let the real culprit go!”

Xiao Yao’s body weakened, and she staggered, causing Xiangliu to try to support her. Xiao Yao, however, recoiled as if touched by a venomous snake, and screamed in disgust, “Don’t touch me!” She stepped back, stumbled, and knelt on the lake surface.

Xiangliu’s eyes darkened, and he brushed off his robe, sitting calmly on the lake surface while watching Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao looked dazed and blank for a while before seeming to truly accept what Xiangliu had said. “You knew everything long ago. Why are you only telling me now?”

Xiangliu smiled and said, “There wasn’t a war before. What good would it have done to tell you then?”

Xiao Yao felt a chill in her heart and couldn’t help but ask, “Is it true that everyone in your eyes, except for your great benefactor Gong Gong, is just a pawn? Just useful or useless, with nothing else?”

Xiangliu shook his head with a smile, looking at Xiao Yao as if she were an idiot, and said with pity, “I was always a cold-blooded monster. It’s not that I’m heartless; it’s that you are too foolish!”

Xiao Yao stood up and looked down at Xiangliu. “General Xiangliu, if you want to use me to stir up internal strife in the Xuanyuan Kingdom, I guarantee you will be disappointed.”

Xiangliu smiled like a spring breeze. “No matter what my intentions are, isn’t what I said the truth?”

“I won’t spare those who have harmed Jing, and I won’t let you be satisfied. As you said, Tu Shan Jing never gave you any advantage, and neither will his wife!” Xiao Yao said, intending to leave.

“Wait! I’ve provided you with information. Don’t you need to pay a price?”

Xiao Yao asked coldly, “What do you want?”

“Your blood! There will be no shortage of battles in the future. It’s always good to have some medicinal pills for treating wounds in reserve.”

Xiao Yao laughed through her anger. “How much do you want?”

长相思第41章 往事未思心未痛(3)

相柳面带笑容，说出的话却冷酷至极：“只要死不了，越多越好！”他挥手在身前划过，凝水为鼎，大得足够把小夭全身的血放干。

    “我给你！”小夭手握弯弓，用弓弦在手腕上狠狠划过，鲜血汩汩涌出，她含着泪说：“不过不是为了你今夜的消息！而是我曾经以为我欠你的一切！”

……

相柳却冷冷地说：“还死不了！”

    小夭惨笑起来，竟然咬着牙，又拿起弯弓，把另一只手腕也狠狠划开，让血流得更多更快。两只手都鲜血淋漓，小夭连睁开眼睛的力气都没了，四周寂静无声，只听到鲜血不停滴落的声音。

    半晌后，相柳终于开了口：“你可以带她离开了。”

    小夭抬起头，脸色惨白地说：“你最好一次要够了！今夜之后，你我陌路，此生此世我永不想再见你！”

Xiangliu, with a smile on his face, spoke with extreme coldness: “The more the better, as long as you don’t die!” He waved his hand in front of him, creating a vessel large enough to drain all of Xiao Yao’s blood.

“I’ll give it to you!” Xiao Yao, holding the curved bow, dragged the bowstring harshly across her wrist, letting blood gush out. With tears in her eyes, she said, “But not for the news of tonight! It’s for everything I once thought I owed you!”

……

Xiangliu coldly responded, “You’re still not dead!”

Xiao Yao forced a grim smile, gritting her teeth as she picked up the curved bow again and cut open her other wrist, making the blood flow even faster and more abundantly. Her hands were drenched in blood, and she no longer had the strength to keep her eyes open. The surroundings were silent, only the sound of dripping blood was heard.

After a while, Xiangliu finally spoke: “You can take her away now.”

Xiao Yao lifted her head, her face pale, and said, “You’d better be satisfied with this once and for all! After tonight, we are strangers, and I never want to see you again in this lifetime!”

长相思第41章 往事未思心未痛(3)

黑云遮蔽住了圆月，相柳的双眸内映出的是——没有一颗星辰的苍穹，无边的黑暗、无边的寂寥。

The black clouds obscured the full moon, and Xiangliu’s eyes reflected a sky without a single star, boundless darkness, and endless solitude.

长相思第41章 往事未思心未痛(3)

又是一个月圆之夜，小夭提着个白玉莲花盏，一边哼唱着那些古老的歌谣，一边沿着山径慢慢地走着，侍卫们看她是去凤凰林，也未阻拦，只是暗中跟着。

On another full moon night, Xiao Yao carried a white jade lotus lamp, singing old songs as she walked slowly along the mountain path. The guards saw her heading towards the Phoenix Forest but did not stop her, only following her discreetly.

长相思第44章 道凄凉，与谁说(3)

小夭吃了朵花，说道：“外婆去世时，我们当着我娘、大舅娘、朱萸姨的面发誓会照顾彼此，不离不弃。我做到了，可你没有做到！哥哥，你没有做到！”

    颛顼拿起一朵凤凰花，放进嘴里：“我知道我没有做到。不过，不是因为我杀了璟，而是……我从一开始就错了！我不该把你当作棋子去利用，我不该为了得到涂山氏和赤水氏的帮助，就将你让给了璟。”

    小夭说：“这段日子，外爷给我讲了一堆大道理，什么家国天下的。可是我不是我娘，我的心很小，只装得下我在乎的人，装不下天下万民。我以前装模作样地关心什么家国天下、万民苍生，只是因为你在乎，但我现在恨你！那些和我没有关系！”

    颛顼笑了笑说：“那些的确和你没关系！”

    小夭说：“所以，不管外爷说什么，我还是要杀了你。你杀了璟，我一定要杀了你，你明白吗？”

    颛顼微笑着，温柔地抚了抚小夭的头：“我知道！”

    小夭递给颛顼一朵凤凰花：“杀了你后，我会陪着你一起去死。”

    颛顼说：“这样也好，留下你一个，我也不放心！痛恨蚩尤的氏族、紫金宫内的一群女人，还有禺疆那些忠臣……我实在不放心让你一个人去应对他们，还是把你带在身边最安心。”

    小夭吃了一朵凤凰花，笑着说：“本来我想了好多好多残酷的方法，打算去折磨那个害了璟的人，但我没有办法用到你身上，所以想了这个法子，很甜，一点都不会痛苦。”

Xiao Yao ate a flower and said, “When my grandmother passed away, we swore in front of my mother, my uncle, and Aunt Zhu Yu to take care of each other, never abandoning one another. I kept my promise, but you didn’t! Brother, you didn’t keep your promise!”

Zhuan Xu picked a Phoenix flower and put it in his mouth: “I know I didn’t. But it wasn’t because I killed Jing; it’s because I was wrong from the start! I shouldn’t have used you as a pawn. I shouldn’t have given you to Jing just to gain the support of the Tushan and Chishui clans.”

Xiao Yao said, “These days, Grandfather has been giving me a lot of grand theories about the nation and the world. But I’m not my mother; my heart is small and can only hold the people I care about, not the whole world. I used to pretend to care about the nation and its people just because you did, but now I hate you! Those things have nothing to do with me!”

Zhuan Xu smiled and said, “Indeed, they have nothing to do with you!”

Xiao Yao said, “So, no matter what Grandfather says, I still have to kill you. You killed Jing, so I must kill you. Do you understand?”

Zhuan Xu smiled gently, stroking Xiao Yao’s head: “I understand!”

Xiao Yao handed Zhuan Xu a Phoenix flower: “After killing you, I will accompany you in death.”

Zhuan Xu said, “That’s fine too. If I leave you alone, I wouldn’t be at ease. I can’t let you face the people who hate Chiyou’s clan, the women in the Zijin Palace, and the loyalists from Yujing alone. It’s best to keep you by my side.”

Xiao Yao ate a Phoenix flower, smiling: “Originally, I thought of many cruel ways to torture the one who harmed Jing, but I couldn’t use them on you. So I came up with this method, which is sweet and won’t cause any pain.”

长相思第44章 道凄凉，与谁说(3)

 “我比你服毒服得早，我坐在秋千架上等你来时，就开始给自己下毒。其实，你不该来的，你真的不应该来的，我虽然给你留了消息，但并不希望你赴约……”小夭的眼泪一颗颗滚落。

    颛顼抚去小夭脸颊上的泪：“如果我不来的话，你就打算一个人死在凤凰树下的秋千架上吗？让我亲眼看到我究竟犯了什么样的错误！小夭，你可真狠！” 

小夭笑起来：“我的外祖父是黄帝，父亲是蚩尤，哥哥是颛顼，一个比一个狠，你还能指望我善良？”

    颛顼笑着说：“也对！总不能指望狼窝里养出只兔子。”

    小夭一边笑着，一边眼泪不停地滚落。

    颛顼轻声问：“小夭，如果璟杀了我，你会为我如此惩罚璟吗？”

    “璟绝不会伤害你！璟知道你对我有多重要，他宁愿自己受尽一切苦，也绝不会把我放在这么痛苦的绝境中……”小夭的声音越来越小，气息越来越弱。

    颛顼用力搂紧了小夭，亲吻着小夭的额头：“小夭，对不起，我错了！我错了！”自小到大，所作所为，只有遗憾，没有后悔，第一次他承认错了。

    颛顼的眼角慢慢沁出了泪，在月光下晶莹剔透。小夭唇角上翘，微微而笑：“颛顼，哥哥……我……我原谅你！恨你，太痛苦了……比剜心还痛……我原谅你……”

    颛顼眼角的泪滚落：“小夭，告诉我！如果可以重来一次，你刚回到五神山，我就牢牢地看住你，绝不给璟机会接近你，你会选我吗？”

    小夭的眼前昏暗，什么都看不清，思绪顺着颛顼的话飞回了一切刚刚开始时，极久远的过去，可又清晰得宛若昨日：“我被九尾狐关在笼子里时，一直想着你……你没认出我时……我就愿意用命救你……那时……璟……”声音越来越低，渐渐消失，小夭如睡着的小猫般，安静地伏在了颛顼怀中。

“I poisoned myself early, sitting on the swing, waiting for you. Actually, you shouldn’t have come. Although I left you a message, I didn’t want you to come…” Xiao Yao’s tears fell one by one.

Zhuan Xu wiped the tears from Xiao Yao’s cheeks: “If I hadn’t come, would you have planned to die alone on the swing under the Phoenix Tree? Let me see for myself what kind of mistake I made! Xiao Yao, you are truly ruthless!”

Xiao Yao smiled: “My grandfather is the Yellow Emperor, my father is Chiyou, my brother is Zhuan Xu—each one more ruthless than the last. Can you still expect me to be kind?”

Zhuan Xu smiled: “That’s true! You can’t expect a rabbit to come from a wolf’s den.”

Xiao Yao laughed while tears kept falling.

Zhuan Xu gently asked, “Xiao Yao, if Jing had killed me, would you have punished Jing the same way?”

“Jing would never hurt you! Jing knows how important you are to me. He would rather suffer everything himself than put me in such a painful situation…” Xiao Yao’s voice grew fainter, her breath weaker.

Zhuan Xu tightly embraced Xiao Yao, kissing her forehead: “Xiao Yao, I’m sorry, I was wrong! I was wrong!” For the first time in his life, he admitted he was wrong, despite having only regrets, never true remorse.

Tears began to well up in the corners of Zhuan Xu’s eyes, sparkling under the moonlight. Xiao Yao’s lips curved into a slight smile: “Zhuan Xu, brother… I… I forgive you! Hating you is too painful… more painful than carving out my heart… I forgive you…”

Tears fell from Zhuan Xu’s eyes: “Xiao Yao, tell me! If we could start over, if I had kept a close watch on you when you first returned to the Five Gods Mountain and never gave Jing a chance to approach you, would you choose me?”

Xiao Yao’s vision darkened, unable to see clearly. Her thoughts flew back to the distant past, as if it were just yesterday: “When I was locked in a cage by the Nine-Tailed Fox, I always thought of you… When you didn’t recognize me… I was willing to risk my life to save you… At that time… Jing…” Her voice grew softer, gradually fading away as Xiao Yao, like a sleeping kitten, quietly nestled in Zhuan Xu’s embrace.

长相思第44章 道凄凉，与谁说(3)

 潇潇说：“小姐给自己下的毒分量很重，我们找到陛下时，小姐气息已绝。可鄞发现小姐仍然有极其微弱的心跳，我们就带着陛下和小姐一起赶来了归墟。鄞知道如何救陛下，却不知道该如何保住小姐的命，后来是王后拿来了这枚遍布血咒的海贝，她说把小姐放在里面，也许有用。鄞观察了几天，发现这枚海贝的确有用，一直维持着小姐的心跳。鄞想找到用海贝设置阵法的人，可王后说，这枚海贝在五神山的藏宝库里很多年了，也不知是哪位先祖无意中收藏的宝物，连白帝陛下都不会清楚，她是无意中发现的。”

    颛顼问鄞：“小夭能醒来吗？”

    鄞打手势：按照小夭给自己下的毒，必死无疑，可不知是她的身体对毒药有一定的抵抗，还是别有原因，反正从气息来说，小夭已死，但古怪的是，心却未死，照这个样子，小夭很有可能会永远沉睡下去。我无法救醒小夭，不过，也许有两个人能做到。

    “谁？”

    鄞回答：一位是玉山王母，听闻她精通阵法，也许能参透海贝上的阵法，救醒小夭；一位是上一次小夭重伤，我判定小夭已死，却救了小夭的人。

    颛顼说：“准备云辇，我们立即去玉山。”

Xiaoxiao said, “Miss poisoned herself heavily. By the time we found His Majesty, Miss had already stopped breathing. However, Yin noticed that she still had an extremely faint heartbeat, so we brought His Majesty and Miss together to Guixu. Yin knows how to save His Majesty but doesn’t know how to keep Miss alive.

Later, the queen brought this shell covered in blood curses and said that putting Miss inside it might help. Yin observed for a few days and found that the shell indeed worked, maintaining Miss’s heartbeat. Yin wanted to find the person who set up the array using the shell, but the queen said that this shell had been in the treasure vault of the Five Gods Mountain for many years. It was a treasure collected by an ancestor by accident, and even His Majesty the White Emperor didn’t know about it. She discovered it by chance.”

Zhuanxu asked Yin, “Can Xiaoyao wake up?”

Yin gestured: According to the poison Xiaoyao gave herself, she should be dead. But whether it’s her body’s resistance to the poison or some other reason, her breath indicates she is dead, but strangely, her heart has not stopped. As it is, Xiaoyao may remain in a perpetual sleep. I cannot wake her, but perhaps two people might be able to.

“Who?”

Yin replied: One is the Queen Mother of Yushan, who is said to be proficient in arrays and might decipher the array on the shell and wake Xiaoyao. The other is the person who saved Xiaoyao the last time she was critically injured when I had judged her to be dead.

Zhuanxu said, “Prepare the cloud chariot, we will go to Yushan immediately.”

长相思第45章 心有千千结(1)

 一轮满月，悬挂在黛色的天空，清辉静静洒下，瑶池上水波荡漾，银光点点。相柳犹如一条鱼儿般无声无息地没入瑶池，波光乍开，人影已逝，只几圈涟漪缓缓荡开。

    相柳在水下的速度极快，不过一息，他已经看到了白色的海贝。

    海贝外，有烈阳和獙君设置的阵法，相柳未敢轻举妄动，仔细看了一遍阵法，不得不感叹，难怪没有人敢轻视玉山。这阵法短时间内他也破不了，想要接近小夭，只能硬闯，可一旦硬闯，势必会惊动烈阳和獙君。相柳想了想，在烈阳和獙君的阵法之外，又设置了一个阵法，如此仓促布置的阵法，肯定挡不住烈阳和獙君，但至少能拖延他们一段时间。

    待布置停当，相柳进入了保护小夭的阵法中，为了争取时间，只能全力硬闯，等他打开海贝，抱出小夭时，獙君和烈阳也赶到了瑶池，却被相柳设置的阵法挡在了外面。

    獙君恳切地说道：“相柳，请不要伤害她，否则我和烈阳必取你性命。”

    相柳顾不上说话，召唤五色鱼筑起屏障，密密麻麻的五色鱼首尾相交、重叠环绕在一起，犹如一个五彩的圆球，将他和小夭包裹在其间。外面轰隆声不绝于耳，是阵法在承受烈阳和獙君的攻击，里面却是一方安静的小天地，只有小夭和他。

    相柳搂着小夭，盘腿坐在白色的海贝上，咬破舌尖，将心头精血喂给小夭。情人蛊同命连心，只要一息尚存，精血交融，生机自会延续。

    相柳设置的阵法被破，烈阳和獙君闯了进来。烈阳怒气冲冲，一拳击下，五色鱼铸成的五彩圆球散开，密密麻麻的五色鱼惊慌地逃逸，看上去就好似无数道色彩绚丽的流光在相柳和小夭身边飞舞，十分诡异美丽。

    烈阳知道小夭体质特异，看到相柳和小夭的样子，以为相柳是在吸取小夭的灵气练什么妖功，气得怒吼一声，一掌打向相柳的后背。

    正是唤醒小夭的紧要关头，相柳不敢动，只能硬受，幸亏獙君心细，看出不对，出手护了一下。

    “你干什么？”烈阳对着獙君怒吼，还想再次击杀相柳。

    獙君拉住烈阳，传音道：“他好像不是在害小夭，小夭的生机越来越强。”

A full moon hung in the indigo sky, its serene light gently spilling over, causing ripples to shimmer like silver on the Jade Pool.

Xiang Liu, like a silent fish, slipped into the Jade Pool, the water parting briefly before his silhouette vanished, leaving only a few ripples spreading slowly.

Xiang Liu moved swiftly underwater, and in a moment, he saw the white shell.

Outside the shell, there was an array set up by Lie Yang and Bi Jun. Xiang Liu didn’t dare to act rashly and carefully examined the array. He couldn’t help but be impressed, understanding why no one dared to underestimate Yushan. This array was something he couldn’t break in a short time. To approach Xiaoyao, he would have to force his way in, but doing so would undoubtedly alert Lie Yang and Bi Jun. Xiang Liu thought for a moment and set up another array outside the one set by Lie Yang and Bi Jun. Though hastily constructed, this array wouldn’t hold off Lie Yang and Bi Jun for long, but it would delay them.

After setting up his array, Xiang Liu entered the array protecting Xiaoyao. To buy time, he had to force his way in. By the time he opened the shell and carried Xiaoyao out, Bi Jun and Lie Yang had already arrived at the Jade Pool, only to be blocked by the array Xiang Liu had set.

Bi Jun pleaded earnestly, “Xiang Liu, please don’t harm her, or Lie Yang and I will take your life.”

Xiang Liu didn’t have time to respond. He summoned five-colored fish to form a barrier, the fish interlocking and overlapping to create a multicolored sphere that encased him and Xiaoyao. Outside, the continuous booming sounds were from the array withstanding the attacks of Lie Yang and Bi Jun, but inside, it was a peaceful little world with only Xiaoyao and him.

Xiang Liu held Xiaoyao close, sat cross-legged on the white shell, and bit his tongue to feed Xiaoyao his heart’s blood. With the Lover’s Gu, their lives were intertwined. As long as he had a breath left, their blood would blend, and life would continue.

The array Xiang Liu set up was broken, and Lie Yang and Bi Jun burst in. Lie Yang, furious, struck down with a punch, scattering the five-colored fish, which fled in panic. The vibrant streaks of color danced around Xiang Liu and Xiaoyao, eerily beautiful.

Knowing Xiaoyao’s unique constitution, Lie Yang saw Xiang Liu and Xiaoyao’s state and thought Xiang Liu was absorbing Xiaoyao’s spiritual energy for some demonic cultivation. Enraged, he roared and struck at Xiang Liu’s back.

At the critical moment of waking Xiaoyao, Xiang Liu dared not move and had to endure the hit. Fortunately, Bi Jun, more observant, intervened to protect him.

“What are you doing?” Lie Yang roared at Bi Jun, still intent on killing Xiang Liu.

Bi Jun held back Lie Yang and transmitted his thoughts, “It looks like he’s not harming Xiaoyao. Her life force is growing stronger.”

长相思第46章 心有千千结(2)

 相柳静看着獙君的一举一动，皎洁的月色下，他整个人纤尘不染，如冰雪雕成。

    獙君安置好小夭后，才看向相柳。他指了指美丽的白色海贝，温和地说：“看到这枚海贝，连王母都惊叹设阵人的心思，我特意问过颛顼的随从。他们说是高辛王宫的珍藏，今夜我才明白这应该出自你手，否则你不可能短短时间内就救醒了小夭，只是——我不明白五神山上的王后为何会帮你隐瞒此事？”

    相柳说：“很多年前，阿念曾承诺为我做一件事，我请她用这枚海贝去保住小夭的命，但不能让黑帝和小夭知道。她是个聪明姑娘，不但遵守了诺言，还知道有些事做了，就该立即忘记！”

    獙君叹道：“白帝不但教出了几个好徒弟，还抚养了个好女儿。”

    相柳说：“我听小夭说，她曾在玉山学艺七十年，看得出来，你们是真关心她，不只是因为黑帝的拜托。”

    獙君坦然地说：“人生悲欢，世间风云，我和烈阳都已看尽，若说红尘中还有什么牵念，唯有小夭。”

    “此话何解？”

    獙君道：“我出生时，母亲就死了。我被蚩尤无意中捡到，送到了玉山，小夭的娘亲养大了我。烈阳还是一只琅鸟时，被蚩尤捉来送给小夭的娘亲，帮他们送信。”

    “原来如此。”

    獙君眯着狐狸眼，问道：“听说你在外面的名声很不好？”

    相柳笑了笑说：“比蚩尤还好点。”

    獙君沉默地盯了一瞬相柳，问道：“小夭和你之间……只是普通朋友？”

    相柳唇角一挑，扬眉笑起来，看着桃花舟上的小夭，说道：“小夭心心念念的人是涂山璟。”

    獙君松了口气：“那就好。”

    相柳自嘲地说：“没想到我的名声，连蚩尤收养的妖怪都会嫌弃。”

    獙君摇摇头：“不，我没有嫌弃你，相反，我很敬重你！你心如琉璃剔透，连我的歌声都不能迷惑你，名利权势更不可能迷惑你。”獙君凝视着相柳，眼神十分复杂，看的好像是相柳，又好像不是相柳，“不是你不好，只是……”獙君长叹一声，“即使涂山璟已经死了，我依旧庆幸小夭选择的是他。”

Xiang Liu quietly watched Bi Jun’s every move. Under the bright moonlight, he appeared immaculate, like a sculpture of ice and snow.

After Bi Jun settled Xiaoyao, he looked at Xiang Liu. He pointed to the beautiful white shell and said gently, “Even the Queen Mother was astonished by the mind of the person who set this array. I specifically asked Zhuanxu’s attendants. They said it was a treasure from the Gaoxin Palace.

Tonight, I understand it must be your work; otherwise, you couldn’t have revived Xiaoyao in such a short time. However, I don’t understand why the Queen of the Wushen Mountain helped you conceal this matter.”

Xiang Liu said, “Many years ago, Ah Nian promised to do one thing for me. I asked her to use this shell to keep Xiaoyao alive but not to let the Black Emperor or Xiaoyao know. She’s a clever girl. She not only kept her promise but also knew that some things should be immediately forgotten once done.”

Bi Jun sighed, “The White Emperor not only taught good disciples but also raised a good daughter.”

Xiang Liu said, “Xiaoyao told me she studied at Yushan for seventy years. It’s evident you truly care for her, not just because of the Black Emperor’s request.”

Bi Jun frankly said, “In life’s joys and sorrows, and the world’s changes, Lie Yang and I have seen it all. If there’s anything we still care about in the mortal world, it’s only Xiaoyao.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Bi Jun replied, “My mother died when I was born. I was accidentally picked up by Chiyou and sent to Yushan. Xiaoyao’s mother raised me. Lie Yang, when he was still a lang bird, was caught by Chiyou and given to Xiaoyao’s mother to help them deliver messages.”

“I see.”

Bi Jun squinted his fox-like eyes and asked, “I’ve heard your reputation outside isn’t very good?”

Xiang Liu smiled, “Slightly better than Chiyou’s.”

Bi Jun silently stared at Xiang Liu for a moment and asked, “Between you and Xiaoyao… are you just ordinary friends?”

Xiang Liu raised an eyebrow, smiling as he looked at Xiaoyao on the peach blossom boat, and said, “Xiaoyao yearns for Tushan Jing.”

Bi Jun breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good.”

Xiang Liu self-deprecatingly said, “I never expected my reputation to be so bad that even the monsters adopted by Chiyou would despise me.”

Bi Jun shook his head, “No, I don’t despise you. On the contrary, I respect you greatly! Your heart is as clear as crystal; even my singing can’t confuse you, let alone fame and power.”

Bi Jun gazed at Xiang Liu with a very complex look, as if he was seeing Xiang Liu and yet not seeing him, “It’s not that you’re not good, it’s just…” Bi Jun sighed deeply, “Even if Tushan Jing were dead, I would still be glad that Xiaoyao chose him.”

长相思第46章 心有千千结(2)

 相柳笑笑，对獙君的话全未在意：“有一事，想请你帮忙。”

    獙君道：“只要我能做到，必尽全力。”君子交，淡如水，可君子诺，重千金。

    “我要了结一些我和小夭之间的未了之事，待会儿不管发生什么，请你只是看着。”

    獙君一口应道：“好！”

    相柳招了下手，小小的狌狌镜从小夭怀中飞出，落在了相柳手中，他凝视着狌狌镜，迟迟没有动作。

    獙君只是站在一旁，静静等候，没有丝毫不耐。

    相柳笑了笑，对獙君说：“这是狌狌镜，里面记忆了一点陈年旧事，也不知道小夭有没有消除。”他伸手抚过，狌狌镜被开启，一圈圈涟漪荡开，镜子里浮现出了相柳的样子。

Xiang Liu smiled and did not mind Bi Jun’s words. “I have a favor to ask you.”

Bi Jun said, “As long as it’s within my power, I will do my best.” A gentleman’s friendship is as light as water, but his promise is as heavy as a thousand gold pieces.

“I need to resolve some unfinished matters between Xiaoyao and me. No matter what happens later, please just watch and do not interfere.”

Bi Jun agreed readily, “Alright!”

Xiang Liu gestured, and the small Xing Xing Mirror flew out from Xiaoyao’s embrace and landed in his hand. He gazed at the mirror, hesitating to act.

Bi Jun stood quietly beside him, waiting patiently without any sign of impatience.

Xiang Liu smiled at Bi Jun and said, “This is the Xing Xing Mirror. It holds some old memories. I don’t know if Xiaoyao has erased them.” He ran his hand over it, and the mirror activated, sending ripples outward. In the mirror, Xiang Liu’s image appeared.

相柳拔出了匕首，鲜血从心口喷涌而出，所有荧光好似嗜血的小虫，争先恐后地附着到他的心口，一点点消失不见，就好似钻进了他的身体中。

    很久后，所有荧光都消失了。相柳面色惨白，一手捂着心口，一手拿出灵药，却不是给自己疗伤，而是撒在了小夭的手上。她的伤口迅速愈合，完好得再看不出一丝痕迹，就像什么都没有发生过一样。

    相柳微笑着，对小夭说：“你的蛊，解了！从今往后，你和我再无一丝关系！”

    相柳轻轻地把桃花舟推到了獙君面前：“明日清晨，她就会苏醒。”

    獙君完全明白了，小夭和相柳种了同命连心的情人蛊，所以相柳能救小夭。等小夭生机恢复，相柳又为小夭解了蛊。其实，他并不是解了蛊，而是用命诱杀了蛊，这种同归于尽的解蛊方法，也只有九命相柳能用。

    獙君拿出随身携带的玉山灵药：“需要我帮你疗伤吗？”

    相柳笑说：“谢了，不过这些药对我没用！”

    獙君不安地问：“你的伤……我能为你做什么？”

    相柳淡淡道：“不必如此，你应该明白，面对轩辕大军，多一命少一命，无所谓！”

    獙君黯然。

    相柳说：“你倒的确能帮我做一件事。”

    獙君立即说：“好！”

    “如果日后有人问起小夭体内的蛊，你就随便撒个谎！”相柳笑了笑，好似云淡风轻地说：“小夭曾说，此生此世永不想再见我，今夜之后，我和她再无关系，我也永不想再见到她！”

    獙君怔怔地看着相柳，一会儿后，一字字道：“我会请王母帮忙，就说蛊是王母解的。你放心，今日之事，除天地之外，就你我知道，我永不会让小夭知道！绝不会辜负你的安排！”

    相柳苍白着脸，捂着心口，笑着欠了欠身子。獙君无言以对，只能郑重地回了一大礼，表明他一定信守承诺，绝不失言。

    相柳看看天色，东边的天已经有了微微的亮光，他摇摇晃晃地站起身：“我告辞了。”

    獙君早已跳脱红尘，超然物外，此时竟有几分不舍：“听闻最近战事非常吃紧，你这次来玉山只是为了救小夭？”玉山虽然不理外界纷争，但最近颛顼举全国之力攻打共工，共工军队危在旦夕，獙君还是知道一点。

    相柳笑道：“不过是忙中偷闲，出来玩一趟而已！”说完，他对獙君笑抱抱拳，跃上了雕背，刚要离开，又突然想起什么，挥挥衣袖，洁白的雪花纷纷扬扬、飘舞而下。

    雪花落在白色的海贝上，海贝快速地消融，上面的血咒也都渐渐变回了血。不一会儿，海贝和血都融入了瑶池，随着水波荡漾，消失不见。

    这一次，所有关于他的痕迹都被彻底清除了，就如美丽的雪，虽然真实地存在过，也曾耀眼夺目，可当太阳升起，一切都会消失，变得了无痕迹。

    相柳最后看了一眼小夭，驱策白雕，迎着初升的朝阳，向着东方飞去。

Xiang Liu pulled out the dagger, and blood gushed from his chest. All the glows, like bloodthirsty little insects, rushed to his chest and gradually disappeared, as if they had burrowed into his body.

After a long while, all the glows had disappeared. Xiang Liu, pale-faced, held his chest with one hand and took out a healing elixir with the other, not to treat himself but to sprinkle it on Xiaoyao’s hand. Her wound quickly healed, leaving no trace as if nothing had happened.

Xiang Liu smiled at Xiaoyao and said, “The gu poison is lifted! From now on, you and I have no further connection!”

He gently pushed the peach blossom boat towards Bi Jun and said, “She will wake up at dawn.”

Bi Jun understood everything. Xiang Liu and Xiaoyao had planted a lovers’ gu that linked their lives, so Xiang Liu could save Xiaoyao. As Xiaoyao’s life force returned, Xiang Liu used his own life to break the gu. This mutual destruction method of breaking the gu could only be used by someone like the nine-lived Xiang Liu.

Bi Jun took out the spirit elixir from Yushan and asked, “Do you need me to treat your wound?”

Xiang Liu smiled and said, “Thanks, but these medicines won’t help me!”

Bi Jun asked anxiously, “Your wound… is there anything I can do for you?”

Xiang Liu said indifferently, “No need. You should understand that, in the face of the Xuanyuan army, one life more or less doesn’t matter!”

Bi Jun felt desolate.

Xiang Liu said, “You can help me with one thing.”

Bi Jun immediately said, “Sure!”

“If someone asks about the gu in Xiaoyao, just lie!” Xiang Liu smiled lightly and said, “Xiaoyao once said that she never wanted to see me again in this life. After tonight, we have no connection, and I also never want to see her again!”

Bi Jun stared at Xiang Liu, then said slowly, “I will ask the Queen Mother for help and say she broke the gu. Rest assured, today’s events will remain between us; Xiaoyao will never know! I will honor your arrangement!”

Xiang Liu, with a pale face, holding his chest, smiled and slightly bowed. Bi Jun solemnly returned the gesture, promising to keep his word.

Xiang Liu looked at the sky, noticing the eastern horizon starting to brighten. He stood up shakily, saying, “I take my leave.”

Bi Jun, who had long transcended worldly matters, felt a bit reluctant. “I’ve heard the battles are intense recently. Did you come to Mount Jade just to save Xiaoyao?” Although Mount Jade stayed out of worldly affairs, Bi Jun knew that Zhuan Xu had been attacking Gonggong with all his might, and Gonggong’s army was on the verge of collapse.

Xiang Liu laughed and said, “Just taking a break from the fighting for some fun!” With that, he smiled, clasped his fists towards Bi Jun, and leapt onto the white eagle.

Just as he was about to leave, he waved his sleeve, and pure white snowflakes began to drift down.

The snowflakes fell on the white shell, which quickly melted, and the blood curses turned back into blood. Soon, the shell and blood dissolved into the Yaochi, vanishing with the rippling water.

This time, all traces of him were completely erased. Like beautiful snow that, though it truly existed and shone brilliantly, disappeared without a trace when the sun rose.

Xiang Liu took one last look at Xiaoyao, then rode the white eagle, flying towards the east, into the rising sun.

长相思第46章 心有千千结(2)

  晚上，瑶池畔。

    小夭一身素净的白衣，头发松松绾起，双脚悬空，坐在水榭的栏杆上，呆呆望着碧波中倒映的一轮月影。

 獙君穿行过盛开的桃花林，走进了水榭中，对小夭说：“黑帝陛下没有说离去，也没有说留下，一直坐在崖顶，对着轩辕山的方向，不吃不喝，不言不语。”

    小夭淡淡说：“随他去！反正最多只能留三日。”

獙君说：“小夭，你真想好了吗？一旦做了王母，就要一世孤独，终身不能离开玉山！现在反悔还来得及！”

    “我知道你担心我，但我真的想好了！你和烈阳这些年在玉山不也生活得很好吗？”

    獙君不知道该如何反驳，沉默担忧地看着小夭。 

小夭笑着推獙君：“好了！好了！回去休息吧！从明日起，我可就是王母了，你和烈阳都得听我的！”

    獙君只得离开，走进桃林后，他回头望去，小夭依旧坐在水榭内发呆，清冷的月光下，她孤零零一人，形单影只。想到这幅画面会千年万年长，獙君忍不住长长叹息。

In the evening, by the Yaochi.

Xiao Yao, dressed in plain white, with her hair loosely pinned up, sat with her feet dangling from the railing of the pavilion, staring blankly at the moon’s reflection in the clear waves.

Bi Jun walked through the blooming peach blossom forest and entered the pavilion. He said to Xiao Yao, “The Black Emperor hasn’t said whether he is leaving or staying. He has been sitting at the cliff’s edge, facing the direction of Xuanyuan Mountain, neither eating nor drinking, and remaining silent.”

Xiao Yao replied calmly, “Let him be! Anyway, he can only stay for a maximum of three days.”

Bi Jun said, “Xiao Yao, have you really made up your mind? Once you become the Queen Mother, you will live a lifetime of solitude and can never leave Jade Mountain! It’s not too late to change your mind now!”

“I know you’re worried about me, but I’ve really made up my mind! Haven’t you and Lieyang lived well on Jade Mountain for these years?”

Bi Jun didn’t know how to refute her, looking at Xiao Yao with silent concern.

Xiao Yao smiled and pushed him gently, “Alright! Alright! Go back and rest! Starting tomorrow, I’ll be the Queen Mother, and both you and Liyang will have to listen to me!”

Bi Jun had no choice but to leave. As he walked back into the peach forest, he looked back.

Xiao Yao was still sitting alone in the pavilion, lost in thought under the cold moonlight, isolated and solitary. Thinking of this scene lasting for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, Bi Jun couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

长相思第48章 相逢犹恐是梦中(2)

    水荭上前，引领着小夭登上祭台。小夭姗姗跪下，王母拿出玉印：“万丈红尘，一山独立，望尔秉持祖训，心如明镜……”

    小夭伸出双手，正要接过玉印，天空中突然传来一声声急促的鹤鸣，犹如有人砸门闯关，所有人都诧异地望向天空。

    王母不悦，传音出去：“今日玉山不接待外客，何人大胆闯山？”声音犹如怒雷，震得人头痛欲裂。

    漫天云霞，熙彩流光中，一只白鹤翩然而来。白鹤上，一个青衣人端立，身如流云，姿若明月。

    颛顼神色骤变，不自禁地往前走了几步，小夭也豁然站了起来，双目圆睁，身体簌簌直颤。

    青衣人从白鹤上跃下，站在了祭台前，他好似久病初愈，脸色泛白，身材瘦削，可五官隽秀，神情自若，风流天成。落英缤纷中，他恭敬地对王母行礼：“青丘涂山璟，来接晚辈的未婚妻，已听侍女说过玉山正在举行王母继位仪式，不接待外客，本该依礼等候，但晚辈事出有因，不得不硬闯，还请王母海涵。”

    王母愣住了，惊异地问：“涂山璟？你没死？”

    璟看着盛装的小夭，眼中泪光隐隐：“小夭，我回来了，希望你不要嫌我来迟了！”璟走向小夭，祭台两侧的侍女用桃木杖拦住了他，璟不想触怒王母，只能止步。他轻声叫：“小夭，不要做王母，你答应了要嫁给我！”

    小夭神情恍惚，犹如做梦一般，一步步走下了祭台，朝着璟走去，侍女们看王母没有反对的意思，陆陆续续收起了桃花杖。

    直到站在了璟面前，小夭依旧不敢相信，她哆哆嗦嗦地伸出手，抚摸着璟的脸颊：“璟，真的是你吗？”

    璟说：“我是玟小六的叶十七，因为你随手拿起的药草上有十七片叶子，所以，我就叫叶十七。”

    小夭含着泪笑：“你真的回来了！”

    璟握住了她的手：“对不起，让你等得时间太久了！”

On the altar, Shui Hong led Xiao Yao up. Xiao Yao slowly knelt down, and the Queen Mother took out the jade seal: “In the vast world, standing alone on a mountain, I hope you uphold the ancestral teachings and keep your heart as clear as a mirror…”

As Xiao Yao extended her hands to take the jade seal, urgent crane calls suddenly echoed from the sky, like someone was forcefully breaking in. Everyone looked up in surprise.

The Queen Mother, displeased, sent a message: “Jade Mountain does not receive visitors today. Who dares to intrude?” Her voice was like angry thunder, making everyone’s heads ache.

Amidst the sky full of rosy clouds and shimmering lights, a white crane gracefully approached. Atop the white crane stood a person in green, poised and elegant, as ethereal as floating clouds, as radiant as the bright moon.

Zhuan Xu’s expression changed drastically. He involuntarily took a few steps forward. Xiao Yao also stood up abruptly, her eyes wide, her body trembling.

The person in blue leaped down from the crane and stood in front of the altar. He appeared pale, as if he had just recovered from a long illness. He was slender, but his features were elegant, and his demeanor was calm and graceful. Among the falling petals, he respectfully bowed to the Queen Mother: “I am Tushan Jing from Qing Qiu. I have come to retrieve my fiancée. I heard from the maid that the Queen Mother’s succession ceremony is underway, and no visitors are being received. I should have waited respectfully, but due to certain reasons, I had to force my way in. I hope the Queen Mother will pardon me.”

The Queen Mother was stunned and asked in astonishment, “Tushan Jing? You’re not dead?”

Jing looked at Xiao Yao, who was dressed for the occasion, with tears welling in his eyes: “Xiao Yao, I’m back. I hope you won’t hold my late return against me!” Jing moved toward Xiao Yao, but the maids on either side of the altar blocked him with peachwood staffs. Jing did not wish to anger the Queen Mother and had to stop. He softly called, “Xiao Yao, don’t become the Queen Mother. You promised to marry me!”

Xiao Yao was in a daze, as if dreaming. She descended the altar step by step, heading towards Jing. Seeing that the Queen Mother did not object, the maids gradually put away their peachwood staffs.

Standing in front of Jing, Xiao Yao still couldn’t believe it. She shakily reached out and touched Jing’s face: “Jing, is it really you?”

Jing said, “I am Ye Shiqi, from the herb you casually picked that had seventeen leaves, so I’m called Ye Shiqi.”

Xiao Yao, with tears in her eyes, smiled: “You really came back!”

Jing held her hand: “I’m sorry for making you wait so long!”

长相思第48章 相逢犹恐是梦中(2)

    小夭一头扑进了璟的怀里，泪水滚滚而下，呜呜咽咽地说：“璟，璟，你终于回来了！”

    璟拥着她说：“别哭……别哭……”

    小夭却号啕大哭起来，一边泪如雨落，一边捶打着璟：“我一直等你，一直在等你，我不相信你死了，每个月圆的日子都以为你会回来，可你总是失约！我等了太久，以为你不会再回来了……我以为你真的扔下我了……我恨你，恨你……”

    璟由着小夭又打又骂，一遍遍说：“我知道你吃了很多苦，是我失约了，对不起！对不起！”

Xiaoyao threw herself into Jing’s arms, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, “Jing, Jing, you’re finally back!”

Jing held her and said, “Don’t cry… don’t cry…”

But Xiaoyao began to wail even louder, her tears falling like rain as she pounded on Jing, “I waited for you, I kept waiting for you. I didn’t believe you were dead.
Every full moon, I thought you would come back, but you always failed to show! I waited so long, thinking you would never return… I thought you really abandoned me… I hate you, I hate you…”

Jing let Xiaoyao hit and scold him, repeatedly saying, “I know you’ve suffered a lot. I broke my promise. I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

长相思第48章 相逢犹恐是梦中(2)

璟对颛顼行揖礼：“见过陛下。”

起身时，他握住了小夭的手，一白一青两道身影，犹如皓月绿竹，相依相伴。

Jing bowed to Zhuanxu: “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

As he stood up, he held Xiaoyao’s hand.
The two figures, one in white and one in green, were like the bright moon and green bamboo, supporting and accompanying each other.

长相思第48章 相逢犹恐是梦中(2)

深夜，小夭和璟到了青丘。

    小夭问：“休息一晚，明日再去涂山府吗？”

    “现在去，正好不用惊动太多人。”

    当小夭和璟出现在静夜和胡珍面前时，两人惊骇得一点声音都发不出，璟笑问：“怎么？你们不高兴看到我吗？”

    静夜腿一软，跪到了地上，泣不成声：“公子……公……”

    胡珍渐渐冷静下来，行礼道：“族长，请坐！”

    璟笑道：“换回以前的称呼吧！我已不是族长。”

    小夭把静夜扶起：“你哭什么呢？璟回来了，不是该高兴吗？”

    几日前，也不知道谁号啕大哭了半个时辰。璟瞅了小夭一眼，手握成拳，掩在唇畔微微咳嗽一声，挡去了笑意。

    璟问胡珍：“瑱儿可好？”

    “好，很好！”胡珍将涂山瑱当上族长后的事讲了一遍，最后说道：“族长虽然是篌公子和防风意映的儿子，可大概因为他一直受公子教导，我观察他行事颇有公子的风范，肯定会是一位好族长。”

    静夜这会儿已经平静，补充道：“本来我们不打算告诉他公子因何失踪，但人多嘴杂，总免不了有人在他面前说，与其让他胡乱猜测，不如告诉他事实。我和胡珍商量后，把防风意映留下的信提前交给了他，将一切都如实告诉了族长。族长知道了自己的身世后，难受了好一段日子，我担心他恨公子，没想到他说‘是伯伯和娘亲做错了’，还说‘如果不是为了来看我，爹爹不会失踪’。直到现在，族长依旧不肯叫篌公子爹爹，一直称呼他伯伯，称呼公子是爹爹。”

    璟说：“人死万事空。你们平时多找机会，给他讲讲大哥少时的事，也多讲讲我们兄弟没有反目前的往事，让他明白大哥所作所为也是事出有因，是他的奶奶先做错了事。”

    静夜本来深恨篌，压根儿不愿提他，可现在璟平安归来，她的恨淡了，应道：“奴婢明白。”

    胡珍听出了璟的言外之意，问道：“为什么不是公子讲给族长听？难道公子要离开青丘？”

    璟微微一笑，道：“今夜是专程来和你们告别。”

    静夜的眼泪又要出来，胡珍问：“公子想去哪里？”

    璟看着小夭，笑道：“小夭去哪里，我就去哪里。”

    胡珍想说什么，可如今涂山氏一切安稳，瑱也可堪大任……想到璟和小夭一路走来的艰难痛苦，胡珍将一切挽留的话都吞了回去。

    璟把两枚玉简递给胡珍：“一封信交给瑱儿，一封信交给长老。”

    胡珍仔细收好：“公子放心，我们一定会守护族长平安长大。”

    璟拉着小夭的手站起。

    静夜哭着说：“公子，你……你……”

    璟笑道：“都已经嫁人了，怎么还这么爱哭？胡珍，快劝劝你家娘子！”

    璟转身要走，静夜叫道：“公子，等等。”静夜很清楚，此一别再不会有相见之日，“公子，以后奴婢再不能服侍您了，让奴婢给您磕三个头。”

    静夜跪下，边哭边给璟磕头，少时的收留之恩，多年的维护教导之恩……没有璟，就没有今日的她。

    静夜磕完了三个头，璟对胡珍笑点了下头，牵着小夭的手，出了门，衣袂飘拂间，已翩然远去。

    静夜哭着追出来：“公子……公子……”只看到漆黑的天上，皓月当空，一只白鹤驮着两人，向着月亮飞去，越飞越高，越去越远，一阵风过，踪迹杳然，只皓月无声，清辉洒遍大地。

Late at night, Xiaoyao and Jing arrived at Qingqiu.

Xiaoyao asked, “Shall we rest for the night and go to the Tushan Mansion tomorrow?”

“We should go now to avoid disturbing too many people.”

When Xiaoyao and Jing appeared before Jingye and Hu Zhen, the two were so shocked that they couldn’t utter a sound. Jing smiled and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you not happy to see me?”

Jingye’s legs gave way, and she fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably, “Young master… you…”

Hu Zhen gradually calmed down and bowed, saying, “Clan leader, please take a seat!”

Jing smiled and said, “Use the old title. I am no longer the clan leader.”

Xiaoyao helped Jingye up, “Why are you crying? Shouldn’t you be happy that Jing is back?”

Just a few days ago, someone had been wailing for an hour. Jing glanced at Xiaoyao, his hand clenched into a fist, covering his lips as he coughed slightly to hide his smile.

Jing asked Hu Zhen, “How is Tushan Tian?”

“He is well, very well!” Hu Zhen recounted what had happened since Tushan Tian became the clan leader and concluded, “Although the clan leader is the son of Young Master Hou and Fangfeng Yiying, I have observed that his conduct is much like yours. He will certainly be a good clan leader.”

Jingye, now calm, added, “We originally did not plan to tell him why you disappeared, but with so many people talking, it was inevitable that someone would say something in front of him. Instead of letting him guess, we decided to tell him the truth. After discussing with Hu Zhen, we gave him the letter left by Fangfeng Yiying ahead of time and told him everything. After learning about his background, he was upset for a long time. I worried he might hate you, but he said, ‘It was Uncle and Mother who were in the wrong,’ and ‘If it weren’t for coming to see me, Father wouldn’t have disappeared.’ To this day, he still refuses to call Young Master Hou ‘Father,’ always calling him ‘Uncle’ and referring to you as ‘Father.'”

Jing said, “When a person dies, all grievances should be forgotten. Find opportunities to tell him about the past, about our brotherhood, and let him understand that what his father did was justified, that it was his grandmother who was at fault first.”

Jingye, who had deeply hated Hou, was initially unwilling to mention him, but now that Jing had returned safely, her hatred had faded. She replied, “I understand, Young Master.”

Hu Zhen heard the implication in Jing’s words and asked, “Why won’t you tell him yourself? Are you leaving Qingqiu?”

Jing smiled slightly and said, “I came tonight to say goodbye to you both.”

Jingye’s tears welled up again. Hu Zhen asked, “Where are you going, my lord?”

Jing looked at Xiaoyao and smiled, “Wherever Xiaoyao goes, I will go.”

Hu Zhen wanted to say something but considering that everything in the Tushan clan was now stable and Tian was capable of taking on the responsibility… thinking of the hardships Jing and Xiaoyao had endured, Hu Zhen swallowed all his words of persuasion.

Jing handed two jade slips to Hu Zhen, “Give one letter to Tian and the other to the elders.”

Hu Zhen carefully put them away, “Rest assured, my lord, we will protect the clan leader and ensure he grows up safely.”

Jing took Xiaoyao’s hand and stood up.

Jingye, crying, said, “Young Master, you…”

Jing smiled and said, “You are already married, why do you still love to cry so much? Hu Zhen, persuade your wife!”

Jing turned to leave, and Jingye called out, “Young Master, wait.” Jingye knew very well that this farewell would be final. “Young Master, I will no longer be able to serve you, let me kowtow to you three times.”

Jingye knelt down and kowtowed while crying. The kindness of taking her in as a child, the years of protection and teaching… without Jing, she would not be who she was today.

After finishing the three kowtows, Jing nodded and smiled at Hu Zhen, holding Xiaoyao’s hand as they walked out. Their garments fluttered, and they quickly disappeared into the distance.

Jingye chased after them, crying, “Young Master… Young Master…” Only to see the dark sky, with the bright moon hanging high. A white crane carried the two of them towards the moon, flying higher and farther away. A gust of wind passed, leaving no trace, only the silent bright moon spreading its clear light across the land.

长相思第49章 结发两不疑(1)

冰冷黑暗的屋子中，小夭恍恍惚惚地坐着。

    一个人从屋外走进来，随着他的步子，屋檐下的几盏灯笼、屋内的两盏油灯全都亮了，当他一步步走近小夭，就好像把灿烂的光明一步步带到了小夭身边。

 小夭有些意外，叫道：“璟！”

In the cold, dark room, Xiaoyao sat in a daze.

A person walked in from outside, and as he stepped forward, the lanterns under the eaves and the two oil lamps inside all lit up. As he approached Xiaoyao, it was as if he was bringing radiant light step by step into her presence.

Xiaoyao was a bit surprised and called out, “Jing!”

长相思第7章 此身出何处(2)