Chapter 43 : Misunderstanding Arises
43: Misunderstanding Arises
Lu Qingwan stepped forward two paces, tossed aside the bamboo umbrella, and cried out, "If you want to stand in the rain, I'll join you!"
Fu Peibai was shocked. She quickly picked up the umbrella and held it over Lu Qingwan's head, but the bamboo umbrella had already been dirtied by the muddy water on the ground. Mud dripped steadily from the umbrella's edge. Just as she was about to wipe away the mud with her hand, Lu Qingwan seized the moment when her arm was raised, suddenly stepping forward and tightly embracing her, pressing her head against Fu Peibai's neck.
Her body went rigid. Instinctively, she dropped the umbrella and pushed both hands against Lu Qingwan's shoulders. Caught off guard, Lu Qingwan was pushed back several steps and accidentally fell to the ground.
Both of them froze for a moment. Lu Qingwan stared at Fu Peibai in disbelief. Rain instantly soaked her temple hair, and several strands clung to her cheeks. Her thin clothing also pressed against her body, revealing the curves of her young figure.
Fu Peibai hurriedly picked up the bamboo umbrella, knelt on one knee before Lu Qingwan, and held it over her again to shield her from the heavy rain. She said frantically, "Second Young Miss, I'm sorry. I, I didn't mean to. Are you hurt anywhere?"
Lu Qingwan sobbed and tears streamed down her face. She sat on the ground hugging her knees, refusing to get up.
Fu Peibai's brow furrowed tightly. She reached out, wanting to comfort Lu Qingwan, but couldn't bring herself to do it. After an internal struggle, she finally placed her hand on the other's back and gently stroked it. "Second Young Miss, please don't cry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you. You can punish me however you like. Just please don't cry."
Lu Qingwan raised her head to stare at her, her face streaked with tears. "Any punishment is acceptable?"
Fu Peibai didn't dare meet Lu Qingwan's eager gaze. She nodded stiffly.
As if changing her expression entirely, Lu Qingwan instantly stopped crying. She smiled and said, "My foot is twisted. I can't walk. So your punishment is to carry me back."
"..."
"Didn't you say any punishment would do?" Lu Qingwan pouted, showing signs of crying again.
Fu Peibai had no choice. She handed the umbrella to Lu Qingwan and bent down in front of her. But as soon as she crouched, she noticed the gazes of many men from under the eaves in the distance. She quickly removed her outer robe and draped it over Lu Qingwan before saying, "Get on, Second Young Miss."
Lu Qingwan felt warm inside. The corners of her mouth curved up in a secret smile of successful scheming as she slowly climbed onto Fu Peibai's back.
Fu Peibai then carried Lu Qingwan and walked toward the training grounds.
When passing by the eaves where people were sheltering from the rain, she inevitably heard the pointing and whispering of the crowd. She deliberately ignored these sounds, keeping her eyes straight ahead as she headed toward Qingliao Peak.
Lu Qingwan on her back was not behaving properly. One moment she leaned close to Fu Peibai's cheek and whispered, the next she rubbed Fu Peibai's earlobe. This overly intimate behavior made Fu Peibai extremely uncomfortable, but right now she couldn't say anything, so she could only endure it.
"A-Pei, did you hear that just now? Some of them said we're a perfect match."
"No."
"I don't care. I heard it anyway. That person has good taste. What do you think our children will look like in the future? I hope the boys look like you, and the girls look like me. What do you think?"
Fu Peibai's footing went soft, and she nearly stumbled. She quickly steadied herself, her voice turning cold and hard. "Second Young Miss, I've already said this. There's absolutely no possibility between us. I already have someone in my heart. If I must marry in this life, I will marry only her."
Lu Qingwan snorted coldy. "You're not even with her right now. Maybe in a few years, when you come down the mountain, she'll already be married to someone else and have several children. At that time, what will you do?"
Fu Peibai resumed walking forward and said casually, "It wouldn't matter. If she can find someone to entrust her life to, I'd be happy for her too. Second Young Miss, liking someone doesn't mean you have to possess them for it to be best. As long as that person is safe and happy, with everything going smoothly, that's enough."
Lu Qingwan didn't understand this way of thinking. In her view, liking someone meant obtaining them, making them belong completely to oneself. Only then would one not waste a lifetime of love.
She was about to refute Fu Peibai when she looked up and saw that Qingliao Peak had already arrived.
Fu Peibai stopped and looked at the small paths leading in different directions. She asked, "Second Young Miss, which way?"
Lu Qingwan pouted and pointed to the right.
Fu Peibai continued forward with steady steps. Before long, they arrived at a courtyard.
"Second Young Miss, we're here."
As the words fell, a tall, refined man walked out from the courtyard. It was Lu Wencheng. Seeing the two of them in this state, a glint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
He cleared his throat and asked, "Wan'er, how did you end up like this?"
Fu Peibai was so startled that her hands loosened. Lu Qingwan dropped to the ground. She quickly reached out to support her and stood to one side with her head slightly bowed.
Lu Qingwan walked toward Lu Wencheng with a limp.
Lu Wencheng's brow furrowed. He stepped forward, took her hand, and asked urgently, "What happened? How did your foot get hurt again?"
Fu Peibai quickly replied, "In answer to the Sect Master, this disciple accidentally injured the Second Young Miss. Please punish this disciple."
Before Lu Wencheng could speak, Lu Qingwan explained, "That's not it, Father. I fell by accident. It has nothing to do with A-Pei."
"It was this disciple's doing. This disciple willingly accepts punishment."
"A-Pei! It has nothing to do with you. I was just careless myself."
Lu Wencheng narrowed his eyes and said loudly, "Enough!"
Both of them immediately fell silent. Lu Wencheng stared at Fu Peibai. After a moment, he said, "Since Wan'er said it wasn't you, you don't need to take the blame on yourself anymore. If I punished you, the one whose heart would ache would still be my Wan'er."
His words carried deep meaning. Lu Qingwan felt somewhat shy and cried out coquettishly, "Father!"
"Daughters truly cannot be kept at home forever. You go inside first and change into warm clothes so you don't catch a chill. I have a few words to say to Fu Peibai."
Lu Qingwan looked at Lu Wencheng suspiciously and reminded him, "You're not allowed to bully A-Pei."
Lu Wencheng laughed in exasperation. "I am the Sect Master of the Heavenly Pole Sect. Bullying a disciple under my command? If word got out, what would become of me, Lu Wencheng?"
"Alright then. After you finish speaking, let him go back quickly. Don't let him catch a cold."
Lu Wencheng gave an affirmative sound. After Lu Qingwan left, only then did he turn his gaze back to the youth before him.
"Fu Peibai."
Fu Peibai's heart tightened. She raised her head to meet Lu Wencheng's probing gaze. She noticed that the Sect Master's eye color was also light brown, appearing profound when staring at someone, exactly like the Peak Master's.
"How does it feel to have just entered Cangqiong?"
"The Heavenly Pole Sword Technique is exquisitely marvelous, and the internal cultivation methods are profoundly unfathomable. This disciple has benefited greatly. Thank you, Sect Master, for the opportunity to enter the sect back then."
Lu Wencheng chuckled lightly. He raised his hand and struck toward the top of Fu Peibai's head. But at the moment of contact, he released his force. His palm pressed against her forehead as he sensed the internal energy within her body. After a moment, he withdrew his hand and nodded as if in praise. "Not bad. In just a few short days, your internal energy has already increased significantly."
Fu Peibai couldn't help but marvel at how fast the Sect Master's strike was. She said modestly, "The Sect Master praises me too highly."
The look in Lu Wencheng's eyes as he regarded her had grown much gentler. Using the tone of an elder chatting with a junior, he asked, "Do you have confidence for the inner disciple examination in mid-June?"
Fu Peibai hesitated for a moment, then chose to answer honestly. "This disciple started practicing martial arts late. I dare not hope to pass the inner disciple examination this time. But next year, next year this disciple will definitely pass."
"Good. I shall look forward to it."
After saying this, Lu Wencheng turned to enter the house. But before leaving, he seemed to remember something. He turned back and said to Fu Peibai with deep meaning, "In the future, treat Qingwan well."
Fu Peibai's eyes suddenly went wide. She was about to explain, but Lu Wencheng had already gone inside.
She gripped the bamboo umbrella tightly, neither wanting to leave nor stay.
Rain pattered against the umbrella, making her anxious and troubled. She felt that if she didn't clear things up with Lu Wencheng soon, it would surely lead to even deeper misunderstandings later. But right now, it wasn't appropriate for her to go in and disturb him over this matter. She could only return to Cangqiong Peak.
After returning, she changed her clothes and then bent over the desk copying the Heart Sutra she'd been assigned as punishment. Her handwriting was crooked. When she came across passages she didn't understand, she asked Xie Jingming. But there were some places where Xie Jingming knew the meaning but struggled to express it verbally. She could only take the book to find Wei Xiao.
But his roommate said Wei Xiao wasn't in. She had to return to her room.
At this moment, Wei Xiao had already taken advantage of the dim rainy weather to arrive at Mingxi Cave. The cave isolated the sound of thunder and rain from outside. He brushed the raindrops from his body and bowed in salute. "Peak Master."
Lu Yanran was still in that same state, wearing thin inner robes, sitting alone in this world of ice and snow.
"Mm."
"Today there was a rainstorm. Fu Peibai insisted on practicing martial arts in the rain. We tried to persuade her but it was useless. Then the Second Young Miss came with an umbrella. Being at a distance, I couldn't hear clearly what the two discussed. A moment later, they seemed to have a dispute, and Fu Peibai pushed the Second Young Miss to the ground. The two talked privately under the umbrella, so their expressions couldn't be seen.
"After that, Fu Peibai carried the Second Young Miss back toward Qingliao. This subordinate followed from a distance and saw the two talking face to face, their behavior quite intimate. They stopped briefly midway, then continued on their way back to Qingliao. Fu Peibai met the Sect Master at the Second Young Miss's courtyard. Fearing discovery, this subordinate stayed farther away and didn't hear clearly what the two discussed."
Lu Yanran's fingers resting on her knee moved slightly. Her brow lightly furrowed. "Regarding Fu Peibai's matters from now on, unless it's urgent, there's no need to report."
Wei Xiao thought to himself that just a few days ago he had been instructed to report everything about Fu Peibai's affairs in detail. How had her mind changed in just a few days? However, not having to frequently travel back and forth between Cangqiong and Chaoquan would reduce his risk of being discovered. Naturally, he was happy about this and readily agreed.
After Wei Xiao left, silence returned to Mingxi Cave. The white-clad woman stood alone and desolate. Her thin body swayed slightly, as if she might collapse into this ice and snow the next second.
She lay on the ice bed and slowly curled up on her side, wrapping her arms around herself, just like when her condition flared up. Her eyelids gradually drooped. Her jade-like skin seemed almost transparent, faintly revealing the fine blood vessels beneath.
Her lips trembled. She couldn't help recalling the warm embrace of the youth on that night at the medicine hall. It was like the warm sun in winter, gentle and comfortable, making one unable to resist longing for it, unable to resist wanting more.