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How could Shi Luoyi possibly continue after that?
She understood that it was only by some twist of fate that she had heard such words. Otherwise, with Bian Lingyu’s stubbornness, she might never have heard them in her lifetime.
Shi Luoyi looked at him, a mixture of surprise and amusement in her eyes, and couldn’t help but ask: “Are you…” expressing your feelings?
He gritted his teeth lightly, cutting her off: “Just consider it a bout of hysteria.”
Perhaps it was the weight of years of unspoken thoughts, clumsily exposed under this misunderstanding—and worse, spoken by his own lips—that caused Bian Lingyu to release her face and walk away without another word.
Shi Luoyi remained crouched by the riverbank, instinctively raising her hand to touch the spot where Bian Lingyu had held her cheek. She could still feel the lingering warmth of his fingertips.
The anger from their earlier argument in the courtyard had long since dissipated.
Shi Luoyi rose to her feet and followed him. In the twilight, she trailed behind him at a respectful distance.
They walked one behind the other, with Shi Luoyi occasionally stealing glances at him. Though she wanted to laugh, she dared not, as the man ahead seemed shrouded in gloom, his expression dark and shifting.
Having lived with him for some time and carrying memories of another life, Shi Luoyi could roughly understand Bian Lingyu’s current state of mind. He probably wished he could go back in time, strangle himself before uttering those words, and silence her forever.
Bian Lingyu, of course, heard the footsteps behind him. He pressed his lips together tightly, recalling the look in Shi Luoyi’s eyes after she heard his confession. There had been no mockery, no disdain, no laughter at his expense.
Her clear eyes held a pure, innocent laughter.
It was precisely this gentle amusement that allowed Bian Lingyu, despite his regret, to avoid feeling wounded. The tightness around his heart slowly eased.
He had stopped her from speaking because he feared being cut open and left bleeding. He feared losing the last shred of his dignity, cruelly stripped away. He feared that, in Shi Luoyi’s eyes, all of this would become a surprising joke.
Fortunately, none of these fears came true. She hadn’t looked down on what he inadvertently revealed, nor had she left because of it.
The tight press of his lips loosened slightly.
The little bamboo figures were the first to notice Bian Lingyu’s return, chirping and swarming around him: “Lord, Lord, did you make up with her?”
Seeing these foolish troublemakers, he pushed them aside and coldly said: “Leave me alone.”
Soon after, the bamboo figures noticed Shi Luoyi walking behind him. They ran forward to greet her. So the lord had made up with her after all! They had been so worried, fearing his clumsy words would fail.
Shi Luoyi patted their heads, smiling brightly.
She felt someone watching her and lifted her gaze to meet Bian Lingyu’s. He quickly averted his eyes and walked into the backyard.
With the unspoken barrier broken, he could no longer treat Shi Luoyi as if nothing had changed.
Whether he wanted to or not, those words had already been spoken. Bian Lingyu knew well that though he had told her to consider it madness or hysteria, how could Shi Luoyi truly forget?
But regardless of what Shi Luoyi might do—whether she chose to leave or stay—he still had to continue living his life.
He returned to his room and resumed reading the book he hadn’t been able to focus on since she left the courtyard earlier that afternoon.
In the twilight-lit courtyard, the clouds at the horizon glowed with vivid colors.
The little bamboo figures, now sensing that their vitality stemmed from Shi Luoyi, gathered around her, “talking” animatedly.
At first, Shi Luoyi couldn’t understand what they were trying to express, but over time, she had learned to interpret most of their gestures.
One little bamboo figure hopped around, pointed at Shi Luoyi, mimicked an angry departure, then pointed at Bian Lingyu before dramatically collapsing to the ground as if lifeless.
After understanding its meaning, Shi Luoyi gently stroked it and said: “I won’t leave, and I won’t let him die either.”
Another bamboo figure pointed at her, took a few steps, then rested its head on its hand, mimicking melancholy.
She softly chuckled and whispered: “Really? He’s been unhappy all afternoon?”
The little bamboo figures nodded eagerly. Shi Luoyi found this amusing. Thankfully Bian Lingyu wasn’t around—if he knew that these little traitors had completely sold him out, his expression would surely grow even darker.
“Don’t worry,” she assured them. “He’ll cheer up soon, and he won’t be sad anymore.”
The bamboo figures, simple and pure, only wished for their lord’s sadness to end. Hearing her words, they grew hopeful.
Just as Shi Luoyi was about to say more, the little bamboo figures suddenly dove into the ground and vanished without a trace.
Turning around, Shi Luoyi soon spotted a cheerful-looking woman wearing a red headscarf standing at the gate. Behind her stood several young men carrying over a dozen heavy red chests.
The village woman glanced around curiously outside the fence and brightened when she saw Shi Luoyi.
“Miss, miss!”
To Shi Luoyi’s surprise, these people weren’t here for Bian Lingyu—they were here for her.
“Congratulations, miss! Congratulations!”
Shi Luoyi asked: “What’s the occasion?”
“Do you remember the wealthy young man who visited our village a few days ago? He got into trouble in the forest, and you saved him.”
Shi Luoyi nodded. She vaguely recalled the incident. A few days ago, while gathering mushrooms with Bian Lingyu, she had heard cries for help and discovered a disheveled mortal trapped in a hunter’s snare. As a cultivator, she had effortlessly pulled him out.
“That young man is the son of the county magistrate—the only son of the family, handsome and extraordinary. After returning home, he couldn’t stop thinking about you and is determined to marry you. That’s why he sent me here with a marriage proposal. Look, I’ve brought the betrothal gifts today.”
Shi Luoyi’s expression grew complicated. She barely remembered what the young man looked like, yet somehow this had turned into a fateful entanglement.
The commotion drew the attention of nearby villagers, and naturally, it didn’t escape Bian Lingyu either.
When she turned around, she saw Bian Lingyu standing not far away, watching her and the matchmaker. His face betrayed no emotion. He coldly shifted his gaze, collected the dried herbs from the yard, and prepared to retreat indoors, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
The matchmaker noticed him and her eyes lit up.
“Master Bian, you’re here too! May I ask, which relative of yours is this young lady? Do you have any say in her marriage?”
Upon hearing this, Shi Luoyi couldn’t help but suppress a laugh. Was this woman trying to drive the bamboo figures’ lord mad?
Sure enough, she saw Bian Lingyu slowly set down the basket of dried herbs and turn toward the matchmaker.
The matchmaker continued boasting: “Let me tell you, that young Master Li is one in a million—handsome, wealthy, and only nineteen years old. He has no wives or concubines. He vowed that if he could marry your young lady, he would cherish her for life and never take another wife.”
Bian Lingyu listened silently, offering no response throughout. By the end, the matchmaker, unnerved by his lack of reaction, hesitantly asked: “What… what are your thoughts?”
Under the dim twilight, the villagers who had come to watch the spectacle began to sense something amiss. In their memories, the solitary Mr. Bian, though aging more slowly than anyone else in the village, still appeared older after sixty years. Yet now, under the dim light, everyone noticed his gradually rejuvenated appearance.
Tall and elegant, his demeanor was like cold jade. If someone claimed he was only in his thirties, others might believe it.
But for now, everyone was focused on whether the beautiful young woman in his household would marry the magistrate’s son.
Bian Lingyu turned to Shi Luoyi: “What do you think?”
Shi Luoyi replied: “I’ll follow your lead.”
He fell silent, and the atmosphere grew strangely tense. After a long pause, the matchmaker couldn’t help but prompt anxiously: “Master Bian?”
“Leave. She will not marry.”
Shi Luoyi stood by the fence, playing with a tender leaf on it, and stole a glance at Bian Lingyu. Everything that had happened today must have exhausted all of his patience, exposing everything he could show her.
At this moment, she could only remain serious and wait for him to slowly adjust.
The matchmaker was reluctant to give up and tried to say more, but in the end, there was no result, so she left reluctantly. The villagers who had come to watch the spectacle also gradually dispersed. The marriage proposal from the county magistrate’s son sounded like a great opportunity. If it were someone else, they might feel sorry for the girl, but seeing Shi Luoyi, the villagers thought that with her beauty, she could even become an imperial concubine. No wonder Mr. Bian didn’t want to let her go; perhaps a better match awaited her.
After they left, the little bamboo figures that had been hiding finally came out to move around. Usually, they would stay behind to turn off the lights or keep watch for their lord, but tonight Shi Luoyi shook her head, signaling them not to bother and to rest early.
Though confused, the little bamboo figures obediently followed her instructions.
The summer moonlight was clear, almost illuminating the entire courtyard. The star-filled sky was gentle and brilliant.
As usual, Shi Luoyi returned from bathing and changing by the mountain spring and knocked on Bian Lingyu’s door.
After a long while, no one came to open the door.
Presumably, Bian Lingyu knew who was outside. The little bamboo figures had simple minds and rarely followed mortal customs. They were small and nimble, able to slip through half-open windows.
The only person who would knock like this was Shi Luoyi.
Usually by this time, Bian Lingyu would have removed his outer garments and gone to bed, but tonight, he hadn’t slept yet.
Bian Lingyu understood that once something was said, it couldn’t be ignored. He wasn’t a cowardly or evasive person. After a brief silence, he stepped forward and opened the door.
He lowered his gaze to look at her.
Shi Luoyi’s hair was slightly damp; she hadn’t used magic to dry it, presumably returning under the mountain breeze and bright moon.
Had she come to say goodbye? Or was it the answer he wouldn’t dare to think about?
In truth, Bian Lingyu wasn’t a fool. Even though he had never experienced mutual affection with Shi Luoyi, her lack of departure, her visit on a starry night, and the fresh scent of mountain springs and wildflowers all exuded an air of beauty and hope.
But this hope was tightly suppressed by him to barely withstand the other possible cruelty.
His emotions tense, he asked: “What do you want?”
Shi Luoyi looked at him and softly spoke: “During the day, the matchmaker mentioned a marriage proposal that seemed excellent in the mortal world, but you rejected it for me.”
Bian Lingyu’s heart sank bit by bit. He suppressed the rising pain and sneered: “So you’ve come to accuse me of ruining your marriage prospects. I thought you still liked Wei Changyuan. If you truly regret it, I’ll go find the matchmaker tomorrow and tell her...”
The last few words were nearly spoken with clenched teeth, his chest slightly heaving, yet he still couldn’t continue.
“My point is, you owe me a better marriage proposal.”
His expression grew colder: “How am I supposed to compensate you? Should I go find Wei Changyuan for you!”
He had always known Shi Luoyi was ruthless, but he had never imagined she could shatter someone’s heart and trample it on the ground. How could she think he’d help her compete with Bian Qingxuan for Wei Changyuan!
Shi Luoyi took a soft breath, looked at him, and was finally defeated by Lord Qilin’s self-deprecation.
Under the moonlight, she took a step forward. They were already close, and now they were even closer.
“Bian Lingyu,” she sighed, “Can’t a better marriage proposal be... you marrying me yourself?”
The summer cicadas seemed to quiet down in this instant. It was as if he hadn’t heard her words clearly; the coldness on his face remained. But the next moment, after realizing what she had said, he abruptly raised his eyes to look at her.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
His gradually improving body, her overly beautiful words, the hopeful future she could see—it was like a dream he had never entered.
He waited, waiting for her to possibly regret it the next moment, or for this clear sky to turn into a storm, reminding him it was just a pre-death illusion.
But after a long while, the sky remained clear. He didn’t wait for the rain to come. Instead, a slender and soft hand gently tugged at his robe: “I’ve brought my dowry. Where’s your betrothal gift?”
He remained silent for a long time, so long that Shi Luoyi thought he still wouldn’t take this step. Then, he turned and went inside the house.
Not long after, he came out holding a box, slightly frowning as he glanced at her. Bian Lingyu said: “This is all I have.”
She opened it and found all the silver coins he had saved over the years, along with a box of preserved peach blossoms.
These were the first flowers that bloomed every year under Evernight Mountain, falling from the mountaintop, collected and preserved by him year after year, filling the box completely.
Even after many years, they still carried the fragrance of flowers.
Bian Lingyu thought that when the next flowers bloomed, she still wouldn’t return. He had stopped searching for her, leaving only these unfading flowers as proof that he was still waiting for her.
The little bamboo figures didn’t know, nor did heaven and earth, only he himself knew.
Seeing Shi Luoyi gazing at the flowers and silver coins for a long time without speaking, Bian Lingyu immediately pursed his lips and calmly said: “I know it’s humble. I’ll go find something else tomorrow. I...”
Shi Luoyi hugged the box tightly, holding back tears, and shook her head: “This is already the grandest betrothal gift I’ve ever seen.”
When the last summer flower withered and autumn arrived, Mr. Bian in the village got married.
His wedding banquet was lively.
That day, the villagers saw a side of Mr. Bian they had never seen before. Dressed in fiery red, he was young and handsome as ever.
He didn’t seem to care how others viewed him or whether they thought him a monster. He only extended his hand toward the bride in the bridal sedan.
A soft, fair hand promptly rested in his palm. A little bamboo figure peeked out from the bride’s collar, quickly pressed down by her.
After that day, the villagers never saw them again. But no one went to invite the mountain immortal to “exterminate the demon.” Everyone held gratitude in their hearts, as Mr. Bian had saved many villagers over the years.
Another year passed. The most beautiful girl in the village back then had become a great-grandmother. Under the tree, she hugged her little granddaughter and told stories, recounting the tale of Mr. Bian from those days.
“That gentleman… when we were still young girls, all of us had a crush on him.”
“But no one dared to disturb him. We knew early on that he was waiting for someone—someone who might never come, but he would keep waiting nonetheless.”
“Thankfully, she finally returned and saw him.”
Otherwise, this world would have gained another lonely skeleton, buried among the mountains and rivers, eventually melting into a vast snowy expanse the following year.
[The End]
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