"Su Mu, how could you think I'm so easy to be used by you?"
"I haven't taken revenge on the Qingyun Kingdom, nor have I plotted against your current throne. That's my last bit of tolerance for you. What makes you think I'll help you?"
"Is it because I've stayed in the Qingyun Kingdom for so long that you think I'm a citizen of the Qingyun Kingdom, your subject, and you even dare to discuss this matter with me?"
Dongfang Yuxi tidied up the floor.
He got up.
He gathered all the fragments and put them into a basket beside him.
"Ridiculous."
Even if I wanted to forget, the wounds on my hands and the marks on my body always remind me of what your Su family did to me back then.
Now, you still have a younger sister.
But I have no relatives left.
You can still find happiness. But what about me? Who will compensate for my misfortunes?
Back then.
If it weren't for the rescue of the Empress Ye Ling, perhaps by now, the surname "Dongfang" would have been long forgotten in the Qingyun Kingdom.
In this world today.
If it weren't for those old friends I used to get along with, life would really be meaningless.
Song Zhiyi is now the city lord of Haiyou City. It's a long distance from here. He's busy dealing with all kinds of affairs in the city. It's not good for me to bother him.
That Ji Qinglin who always liked to shout has been dead for more than thirty years. Every year on his death anniversary, Dongfang Yuxi would go to the Eastern Marshy Wilderness, prepare a cup of thin wine, and sit by the lake, as if chatting with him.
As for Gu Zhiruo, she is now the sovereign of the Cangwu Kingdom, burdened with many national affairs and extremely busy.
The siblings Chu Wen and Chu Nuan are busy managing a gang called Shuiyunsheng all day long and really can't spare the time.
Speaking of it, among the people who used to be together, only Xia Wanning is left.
But as for that Xia Wanning, since childhood, except for Ji Qinglin, the rest of them didn't like to be with her.
Sister Ling took good care of Xia Wanning because she was a girl.
Xia Wanning was also quite gentle and polite, but they all didn't have much affection for her.
So, although most of the old friends are still alive, now, even if Dongfang Yuxi travels all over the Nine States Continent, he can't find an old friend to pour out his heart to.
Zhao Shuning was also extremely efficient in doing things.
The next day.
She casually packed up and headed for the Western Garden of the capital.
Yan Ruyu wanted to accompany her, but Zhao Shuning refused. She said that the Dongfang boy didn't like to see strangers since childhood. She didn't know what he was like now. But if Yan Ruyu went with her, according to that boy's temper, he would probably dislike them even more, thinking that others were intimidating him with their status.
Before leaving, Zhao Shuning thought for a while and still took the jade flute of her master.
When she arrived at the Western Garden of the capital.
She first met Jun Jiu. Zhao Shuning had spent some time with Jun Jiu during the sect meeting. Later, Jun Jiu also went to the Zhao Mansion in person for the birthday ceremony. There was still some friendship between them.
So when Jun Jiu saw Zhao Shuning suddenly, she was very delighted.
She put down what she was doing and pulled Zhao Shuning into the mansion.
"Are you kidding me? You said you're going where?"
"I'm here to look for Dongfang Yuxi. Isn't Dongfang a guest of your Jun family?"
Hearing Zhao Shuning mention Dongfang Yuxi, Jun Jiu couldn't help shrinking her head.
Then she looked around and deliberately lowered her voice and said, "Have you taken some kind of medicine? Why on earth do you want to find that man even ghosts fear?"
Jun Jiu's sneaky look was really funny.
Zhao Shuning said, "I said Miss Jiu, isn't this the Jun family? This is your territory. Why are you so sneaky, like a thief? I remember you've always been fearless."
Zhao Shuning's voice was neither too fast nor too slow.
But Jun Jiu rushed up and covered her mouth.
Then she scolded, "Why are you speaking so loudly? Are you afraid others won't hear?"
After saying that, Jun Jiu looked around again. Fortunately, no one heard.
Zhao Shuning found it very funny. Her voice just now was completely normal. Why was Jun Jiu so taboo?
"What's wrong?"
To cooperate with her, Zhao Shuning deliberately lowered her voice.
Jun Jiu said, "You don't know that man named Dongfang. Tsk tsk tsk - I don't even dare to provoke him."
"So what? Dongfang isn't a wild beast. Are you afraid he'll eat you?"
Jun Jiu said, "If he were a wild beast, I wouldn't be afraid of him. But you don't know, Dongfang Yuxi is a more terrifying existence than a wild beast."
Just thinking of Dongfang Yuxi, Jun Jiu couldn't help shivering.
Zhao Shuning thought of Dongfang Yuxi who used to accompany her. Although that boy didn't like to talk much, he was quite well - behaved. Whatever she said, he would try his best to do it perfectly. How could such a well - behaved boy become so terrifying in Jun Jiu's mouth?
"I think that boy Dongfang - cough cough cough - that man Dongfang should be okay. He has a gentle and refined personality, does things neither too fast nor too slow. He just doesn't like to talk much. Other than that, he's okay."
Hearing Zhao Shuning praise Dongfang Yuxi, Jun Jiu widened her eyes. She stood on tiptoe, touched Zhao Shuning's forehead, and then touched her own.
She murmured, "You don't have a fever. Zhao Shuning, you should be okay, right?"
Zhao Shuning said, "What could be wrong with me? Hurry up, take me to see Dongfang."
But Jun Jiu sized Zhao Shuning up and down.
Then she said, "Don't you really know Dongfang Yuxi's strange temper?"
"Strange temper? What strange temper?"
"Zhao Shuning, after disappearing for so long, you're still the same as before, not growing any wiser. I ask you, have you ever seen Dongfang Yuxi? Do you know what kind of person he is? I'm really convinced. Who on earth encouraged you to come and court death from the man even ghosts fear?"
The smile on Zhao Shuning's face deepened a bit.
Jun Jiu: "You're still smiling? You can't just believe whatever others say. Dongfang Yuxi isn't as well - behaved as you described. Not only may you not be able to see him, but even if you do, you won't be able to last a minute under his gaze without him saying a word."
"Dongfang? He's not as scary as you said, is he?"
"Scary? I haven't even told you the scariest things. Just think, I've always been fearless in the Jun family. Even my elder brother can't do anything about me. But when facing that man even ghosts fear, I can only end up looking bad."
Jun Jiu still remembered when she was a child. At that time, she didn't know who Dongfang was. She just treated him as an ordinary guest of the Jun family.
But no matter what she told him to do, he wouldn't move.
It made Jun Jiu so angry that she took out her whip and whipped him hard.
"You even beat Dongfang?"