The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 191 - 190

Chapter 190

Mu Yingying’s Residence

On a night when the sky was filled with twinkling stars, a breathtakingly beautiful woman lay on a rocking chair on her balcony. Her demeanor was more relaxed than ever before, likely because she had finally dealt with all the enemies who had threatened her family. From now on, no one would harm them again.

Mu Yingying leaned back in her chair, gazing up at the stars in the sky with a contented heart. She couldn’t remember when the stars had last shone so beautifully, or perhaps it was just that she hadn’t taken the time to appreciate them in so long, so she didn’t realize how beautiful they were, shining every day.

A faint smile adorned her face as she enjoyed the stars’ brilliance in the sky and reflected on the recent events that had finally come to an end.

From now on, she could live her life as she wished, free from the worry and fear that enemies would harm her family...

As Mu Yingying lay there, looking at the stars happily, she didn’t notice the tall figure of Lu Jiu approaching her with a blanket. He intended to drape it over her to ward off the chill. Lu Jiu spread the blanket over her, and their eyes met, making Mu Yingying aware of his deep concern for her.

"It’s already Zi Hour[1]; cover yourself with this blanket, or you might catch a cold."

"I don’t fall ill that easily. A little breeze can’t harm me. But thank you, Lu Jiu,"

Mu Yingying pulled the blanket tighter around her and smiled broadly at him. Lu Jiu couldn’t help but smile back affectionately. No matter how strong she appeared, he still worried about her.

Lu Jiu moved to stand beside her, both of them looking up at the sky. Hundreds, if not thousands, of stars sparkled brightly above, captivating their attention. They watched the stars in silence, admiring the beauty quietly. The warm, relaxed atmosphere enveloped them without their noticing.

"The stars are beautiful tonight, don’t you think?"

Mu Yingying asked, looking up at him. Lu Jiu didn’t respond verbally, only nodding with a slight smile. To him, no stars could compare to the beauty of the woman beside him, who was like a star that shone brightly both day and night.

The two of them, one seated and one standing, spent a long time stargazing without speaking. They lost track of time, and soon Zi Hour would end. The beauty of the stars and the warmth of the person next to her made Mu Yingying feel utterly at peace and happy.

"Time has flown by so quickly. We’ve been through so much that I never imagined. I can still remember the first day I met you, Lu Jiu,"

Mu Yingying broke the silence, recalling a memory as she looked at the man beside her. What she remembered was not only of their first meeting but also of the day she returned to this life.

Mu Yingying’s smiling face briefly showed a hint of sadness, which was easily noticed by Lu Jiu, who glanced at her with his gentle eyes. He then voiced his thoughts.

"I still remember the first day I met you. Not only the first day but every day, every event, and everything about you—I remember it all. And I will continue to remember everything about you to this day."

His tender gaze that met her eyes while speaking made Mu Yingying feel somewhat flustered. That gentle look in his eyes brought a wave of warmth to her heart, along with a strange feeling she couldn’t quite identify.

This feeling had been arising whenever she was with Lu Jiu recently. To break the indescribable atmosphere, she feigned a cough, took a sip of tea, and changed the subject.

"Now that everything is settled, I plan to return to Qingzhou’s capital. My brother and sister must miss me a lot. What about you, Lu Jiu?... Where will you go next?"

Now that everything had ended, it was time for them to part ways. Even though she wanted to stay with the man beside her, she knew it was only wishful thinking. Mu Yingying didn’t want him to live his life for her any longer. He should finally be able to live his own life. Holding him back for personal reasons would not be right. Seeing him have a good life and live the life he desired would bring her joy.

"I still stand by what I said before. I will stay by your side for the rest of my life."

But the young man beside her had no such intention. He still wished to stay by her side, to care for her always. Lu Jiu’s eyes revealed no hint of jest, showing that he was truly ready to stay by her side as he had vowed.

"I’ll be fine, Lu Jiu. I can take care of myself. Even if you intend to keep your promise, everything is over now. I want you to live your own life,"

Mu Yingying said seriously. He listened and responded with the same warm smile, which she found hard to resist. She took another sip of tea, but Lu Jiu’s gaze never left her.

"I am your man now. Don’t you think you should take responsibility for me?"

Spurt!

Mu Yingying, who was sipping her tea, choked immediately at Lu Jiu’s words. His ambiguous words really made her shocked. She coughed several times, her face turning red.

"Cough, cough."

When she recovered, she glanced at him, confused by his previous statement. Seeing his gentle eyes again, she thought she must be overthinking. Surely, Lu Jiu didn’t mean it in any other way.

He must have meant that she had brought him into her service to help and work for her, and thus couldn’t simply discard him.

Yes, that must be it...

"Of course, I’ll take responsibility for you. Don’t worry,"

Mu Yingying, having reassured herself till she returned to normalcy, accepted Lu Jiu’s words to avoid any misunderstanding that she intended to cast him aside.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiu smiled slyly in an instant, his eyes sparkled as if thinking of something she couldn’t quite grasp. He asked her again, "Are you serious?"

Mu Yingying nodded, affirming her words, completely unaware of the deeper meaning behind them.

Lu Jiu wasn’t entirely sure if Mu Yingying understood what he was implying, but if she said yes, he would take it as her agreement and would never allow her to go back on her word...

Having received the answer he desired, Lu Jiu turned back to star-gazing, and so did Mu Yingying, who was reclining on the rocking chair. Amidst the chilly night air filled with dew, the atmosphere between the two was strangely warm and tender.

Five days later.

After taking care of everything, Mu Yingying decided to return to Qingzhou immediately. This morning, she stood watching the servants load all the luggage onto the carriage with a bright smile. Soon, she would be reunited with her brother and sister.

"In such a good mood, are you?"

Lu Jiu asked as he led a horse towards her. Mu Yingying turned and nodded, smiling softly as she responded, "Of course. I’m finally going back to my homeland. What could be more pleasing?"

Hearing this, Lu Jiu smiled slightly, looking at her with affection. He knew how happy she was to return to Qingzhou, where her brother and sister awaited. He knew how long she had waited for this moment and prayed for a smooth journey until they reached the destination.

"Everything is complete. We’re ready to depart, Miss," the coachman announced after loading the luggage.

"Then let’s be off," Mu Yingying said, signaling everyone. The procession began moving out of the capital of Daliang immediately.

As the carriage procession traveled, Mu Yingying occasionally opened the curtain to enjoy the scenery. She admired the lush natural beauty along the way, often catching Lu Jiu’s gaze as he rode beside her carriage.

Each time their eyes met, Lu Jiu always looked at her with a warm and gentle look that made her heart flutter abnormally.

"What’s happening to me...?"

Mu Yingying murmured to herself, closing the curtain. She couldn’t understand why she felt so strange around him lately, especially when their eyes met. His warm and gentle eyes made her miss him even more.

She had never experienced this feeling before and she wasn’t sure what it was exactly. She didn’t know if it was happiness, delight, or something else, but it didn’t seem to fit any familiar emotion. She wondered what was wrong with her.

"Sigh...never mind, if I can’t figure it out, I won’t think about it,"

Mu Yingying sighed, pushing the confusing thoughts away. She reached for a book to pass the time.

Meanwhile, riding outside, Lu Jiu couldn’t help but smile at her abnormal demeanor. It seemed she wasn’t entirely indifferent, and his efforts hadn’t been in vain.

He just needed to wait for her to understand the feelings between men and women. Even if it took time, Lu Jiu was willing to wait...

Time passed as the procession continued its journey without stopping. They were nearing the border of Daliang. On either side of the road was filled with lush forests. Inside the carriage, Mu Yingying calmly turned the pages of her book, feeling relaxed and at peace amidst the fresh, vibrant nature.

"Where are we now?"

Mu Yingying put down her book, lifted the curtain, and asked the people outside. Lu Jiu responded promptly, "We’re nearing the border of Daliang."

"That’s good. There’s no need to rush. If anyone gets tired, let them know they can take a short break,"

Mu Yingying said with concern. Despite her eagerness to return home, she didn’t want to rush and ignore the well-being of those traveling with her. After all, they were under her care.

Lu Jiu nodded without saying anything further. Mu Yingying closed the curtain, and their procession continued onward in the clear, bright weather. Because of this pleasant weather, no one felt particularly tired. However, as two hours passed, the clear sky began to darken with gathering storm clouds.

Lu Jiu looked at the changing sky, from clear to dark, with concern, knowing that a heavy rainstorm was imminent. He needed to decide whether to continue traveling or find a place to camp for the night.

"Rain’s coming. Should we find a place to stay or continue traveling?" the coachman, noticing the dark clouds overhead, asked worriedly.

Lu Jiu thought that it would definitely rain soon. Traveling in a storm would be dangerous and should not be done so, but finding shelter nearby was also challenging. Because on both sides of the road: one side bordered a vast, treeless field, and the other side ran alongside a large river.

Mu Yingying peeked out at the darkening sky with a similarly worried expression. She surveyed the surroundings and thought for a moment.

"When we traveled to Daliang, we took this route. If I remember correctly, there’s a small village about ten li from here. We should hurry and rest there for the night,"

Mu Yingying opened the curtain to speak to Lu Jiu. She recalled that the village had few people and could likely accommodate their small group. However, the distance was considerable, and if they didn’t hurry, there was a chance that it would rain before they reached the village.

Lu Jiu didn’t respond verbally, only nodding. He instructed everyone to move quickly and then rode ahead to scout the route and ensure Mu Yingying’s safety. He slowed down to let the carriage procession catch up.

However, before they had covered half the distance, it began to drizzle, and the sky grew even darker. The gathering storm clouds formed a massive black mass that spread across the sky, transforming into a big, menacing storm.

The procession hastened its pace, trying to reach the village quickly, but soon, the rain intensified. It showed no sign of calming down, only pouring down relentlessly, forcing the procession to slow down for safety.

Both sides of the road offered no shelter; one side was a steep drop into a raging river, if whoever fell into it, their fate wouldn’t be good—it’s either dead or lost—while the other was a wide, open field with no cover.

Mu Yingying’s group had no choice but to push forward through the storm to reach the village.

Soon, Lu Jiu, leading the procession on horseback, saw the lights of the village houses not far away. If they hurried, they could reach it in less than a quarter of an hour. So, he turned to instruct the coachman and the others to proceed with increased caution.

As the procession pressed on through the storm, they were less than two li away from the village when an unexpected event occurred. Suddenly, the roadside area next to the river collapsed. This caused Mu Yingying’s moving carriage to lose balance and overturn rapidly, flinging her out and hurling her toward the raging river below.

Crash!

"Yingying!"

"Miss!"

Cries rang out in unison. Lu Jiu, at the front of the procession, turned in shock. His face turned ashen, something that had never happened before. In that moment, it felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart, leaving him breathless and his mind blank. Instinctively, he leapt off his horse and dove towards Mu Yingying.

"Don’t!"

Mu Yingying, as she was falling, screamed to stop Lu Jiu who lunged after her, but it was too late. He had already used his internal energy to propel himself after her. Her eyes widened in shock as she watched him fearlessly plunge towards her.

[1] Zi hour starts from 11:00 PM to 12:59 AM.

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