Chapter 35 Broken Relationship
The barracks were so prominent, and although it was a group of famous men, they were not exempt from gossiping and gossiping regularly. Men are more enthusiastic than women after it is too dull.
One said, "Hey, have you guys noticed lately? In our barracks came a stranger; I heard that their name was Xuan Mo, is a high person. The great generals all worship him as a guest. The face is enormous!"
One replied: "Why don't you know, he suddenly appeared at the city gate that day. My buddy and I were on duty. It was snowing heavily that day; he was holding General Ouyang's horse, and on the back of the horse was General Ouyang, who had fainted. Lord Xuanmo said he was sending General Ouyang back to be saved and then asked to see Linghu Xian by name."
Another one asked, "Why does he want to see Linghu Xian? Are they relatives?"
Another replied, "I don't know. But he went to see the Great General first, and the Great General welcomed him and asked him to be his military advisor."
"Hey, how come I heard that Linghu Xian is General Ouyang's beloved one brought from home? How come these days, the one who goes in and out of Linghu Xian's house and is busy is Mr. Xuan Mo? After General Ouyang was sent back that day, he hasn't been to Linghu Xian's place."
"I heard that General Ouyang ordered the arrest of Linghu Xian that day, and he also ordered Linghu Xian to be executed early the next morning! This Left Guard General is so young, but he's shifty! The most loyal engaged officials to him, he's indiscriminately going to kill."
"Didn't you say that Linghu Xian has become a demon?"
"Damn, I stick a few pieces of chicken feathers on you and call you a demon, what are you doing? Really. How can you not distinguish between good and bad? When she fought the spider army alone, you guys didn't miss it; that sword skill is simple! I don't care about you guys. I'm the first one to serve such a brave person!"
The soldiers were rambling and gossiping about the sky, and unfortunately, it all reached Ouyang Zhong's ears. In fact, according to military law, discussing senior generals behind their backs was punishable by caning or even death, but Ouyang Zhong didn't come out to identify them. He just silently walked away.
These days, Ouyang Zhong was recuperating from his injuries while he was injured.
Recovering from his injuries was because, at that time, to resist Yu Sun's demonic control, he had self-inflicted a cut on his hand and leg. He had quite a few internal injuries that needed to be recuperated. He was hurt because of the words Xuan Mo said that night. When he occasionally summoned up the courage to go and see Linghu Xian, he saw that Xuan Mo had taken good care of Linghu Xian. At the same time, he couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything, which devastated him.
He couldn't help but begin to doubt himself. Could it be that the pride and confidence he had grown up with was all false? Did he earn respect because of his status, position, lineage, family, rank, and so forth? Or his talent, courage, and ability to win the trust? Does Linghu Linghu Xian like me because I, Ouyang Zhong, am her lord and master, or does she appreciate and adore me from the bottom of her heart?
These questions Ouyang Zhong had never thought about when they suddenly ran into his mind; Ouyang Zhong suddenly wanted to ask: Is it because he wishes to like Linghu Xian and Linghu Xian was impressed by him? Or was it because they knew each other in their previous lives that Linghu Xian had different feelings for him in this life? The love between them, in the end, is from the heart and can not be separated, or does each have its purpose, each thought?
At this time, Ouyang Zhong finally has the juvenile sorrow that matches his age, and sure enough, he has the bond of love, and the whole person is not as fashionable, untouchable, and lonely as before. This young man has grown up.
The weather has been getting colder in the last few days, and the Yu Sun injury on the side of the Dingzuo tribe is more severe than theirs, so there won't be any movement for a while. At this time, it turned into a recognized period of truce between the two armies.
Without a battle, Grand Duke Ouyang, who was recuperating from his injuries in his room, had nothing to do, and those endless questions plagued his mind. He always remembered Xuan Mo calling him a coward and a scoundrel that night. On what grounds did Xuan Mo say that? It's not like they knew each other well, although he always felt he had seen him somewhere. They should have met for the first time that night, so why did he put such a label on himself?
Unconvinced, just unconvinced, Ouyang Zhong thought to himself: it must be because Xuan Mo wanted to hit on Linghu Xian's idea that he deliberately belittled me like this! Ouyang Zhong's heart became more and more unbalanced. Ouyang Zhong, who had only recovered from most of his injuries, couldn't sit still and, this day, ran to find Xuan Mo here at Linghu Xian. This is something that Ouyang Zhong is also very upset about. The Great General arranged for Xuan Mo to have a fine residence, yet he stayed at Linghu Xian's place every day, only leaving at night when Linghu Xian was resting. This intention was too obvious!
When Ouyang Zhong arrived, Linghu Xian had just been helped up from the bed by Xuan Mo and was preparing to drink the soup that Xuan Mo had personally formulated and boiled. Linghu Xian took a sip and frowned; although she had been accustomed to suffering since she was a child, this medicine was just too bitter, and she still resisted a little. Xuan Mo didn't say anything. He just naturally fed her the mixture, one spoonful at a time. Linghu Xian drinks medicine in a hurry, choking to cough a few times; Xuan Mo does not know where to change from a handkerchief, still calmly wiping the corners of her mouth.
Ouyang Zhong saw these two people naturally get along; Lang loves concubine, so not love. The fire in his heart, ah, rubbed upwards! He leaned against the door in a flirtatious position (because he couldn't stand up straight with his leg injury) and coughed, signaling that someone was outside. Xuan Mo glanced at him and said without much emotion, "If you have something to say, just come in and say it; the weather is cold; Xian can't be exposed to the wind and cold anymore."
Xian! Ouyang Zhong was disturbed by this intimate address, pushed open the door, sashayed in, and was about to open his mouth to curse when Xuan Mo said, "You quickly close the door. There is wind." Then he tucked Linghu Xian under the covers.
There is an adage that says: "War, courage is also. A drum is a drum of courage, and then it fails.
To fight a war or a choke, you have to finish it with a drum. Ouyang Zhong had difficulty brewing up to find Xuan Mo's fault. On the one hand, it is a challenge between men, using fists to speak; on the other hand, it is diarrhea of fire. The heart does not feel pain, but there is no way to express it, and even more so, not letting Linghu Xian see it, he can only look for Xuan Mo as a scapegoat out of anger. Surprisingly, these plans and emotions of his, surprisingly by Xuan Mo's two words, quickly dissipated most of them.
Ouyang Zhong puffed out his cheeks, furious, but could not say anything in half a day. He saw the half-lying Linghu Xian. There were so many words that he wanted to tell her, but he couldn't even say them. This is the first time in these days he has looked at Linghu Xian up close. She lost a lot of weight; the original body was not fat, but now a tiny bean sprout. This kind of Linghu Xian Ouyang Zhong had never been seen before; she was always lively and obedient, even pretending to be a little mute; no matter how she looked, the whole person's state of mind was healthy and robust, but now she is too weak to be frail.
Linghu Xian did not raise her eyes to look at Ouyang Zhong; her face was tired; she was furious and did not want to see him, right?
Xuan Mo looked at these two people, sighed softly, and said, "I should go out; you two talk alone!" Just about to get up, he was gently grabbed by Linghu Xian by the corner of his coat. Linghu Xian shook his head breathlessly and said, "Teacher, you don't need to go. If he has anything to say, say it here."
Ouyang Zhong felt that Xuan Mo seemed to look at him a little provocatively, the meaning seemed to say: look, it's not that I won't go oh, it's your sweetheart who won't let me go oh~.
Ouyang Zhong skimmed his mouth, not knowing how to start, being silent, but Linghu Xian opened his mouth first: "Young master, you also have injuries on your body; don't stand there; sit down first."
Polite, respectful, and unusually detached. The tone was like they used to be masters and servants, like he hadn't confessed his love to her, yet she didn't know she was her best friend Ni Chong from her previous life. When Linghu Xian said this sentence, it made the titular Left Guard General Ouyang Zhong feel a little bad, and he sat down woodenly, staring blankly at the ground.
Linghu Xian never raised her eyes to look at him squarely and continued, ''What is it that the great young master has come to my place for? If it's just to see me, thank you for your concern, Young Master, for hanging around. However, I have something that I would like to discuss with Eldest Young Master."
"Will you stop calling me Eldest Young Master? You're being too raw by calling me that."
"Unnatural? It's better to be a bit harsh. It's because I didn't understand the situation before, and I had thoughts I shouldn't have had and made decisions I shouldn't have made.
Eldest Young Master, I want to discuss with you to ask for the deed of sale back to get out of slavery and redeem my freedom. After all, when I sold myself to the Ouyang family, it was explicitly to serve you, Eldest Young Master. This is something that I have thought about, but I still can only discuss it with you first. Only after you agree can I find the steward uncle to redeem the sale deed."
Linghu Linghu Xian's body was weak, and she felt exhausted after saying so many words. She gently coughed a few times, closed her eyes, and slowed down for a while before continuing, "As you can see, Eldest Young Master, today's Linghu Xian, her body and bones are no longer as good as before, and I'm afraid that she doesn't have much time left. That night, I heard what the adults who came over from the palace said to you, Eldest Young Master. There's nothing wrong with it. It seems natural in this world for a master to want his subordinate to die, and I always felt that I was different from you at that time, which is why I was so angry and ungrateful. It was still myself who was overly concerned."
Ouyang Zhong tightly tensed his face, biting his lips to hear her say these words. This is to break up with him altogether? Ouyang Zhong said, "Don't say these demoralizing words. You were originally different in my heart, which you know. You first recuperate your body. Let's talk about these things later."
"No, don't. Even if you don't come today, I will look for you even if I'm a little better. I want to regain my freedom and stop being your servant girl. I want to be a real, honorable person who can live hard and free in the world! Isn't this what you said to me in the beginning?" Linghu Xian finally looked squarely into Ouyang Zhong's eyes. They looked at each other, their eyes glued together, but there were no more words.
Ouyang Zhong was the first to decline; the thoughts he wanted to say, the explanations he tried to make, the questions he wanted to tell her, how much he had thought about these days, their future, he couldn't say anything now. He felt that Linghu Xian would give up on him, or she was saddened and didn't want to forgive him anymore.
"Okay, I will go back and write to my father and the steward, tell them to get you out of slavery and return the deed of sale to you. Xian, I know you resent me and blame me, but at that time, Yu Sun's spell controlled me; it wasn't me who intentionally tried to capture, injure, or kill you! If you don't believe me, ask him!" Ouyang Zhong pointed at Xuan Mo, hoping to find a helper to say a fair word for himself, but alas, he found a love rival as a helper. Xuan Mo didn't say anything.
Linghu Xian shook his head, smiled faintly, and said, "The matter of you being controlled by Yu Sun and wanting to kill me and assassinate the Great General, I have long heard General Wei tell me about it. The Teacher also said to me about you going to the grasslands to get his help. Oh yeah, you know about teacher Xuan Mo being the Black Wolf. I didn't realize that he was my Teacher in his last life.
But, Young Master, do you not know why I would want to leave you? Because you never intended to be with me from the beginning, the distance between us was doomed from birth. Do you still remember what you said about that cousin who jumped into the river with his maid to die?
''It's purely because that person is to blame and doesn't know how to behave. That slave girl was also unaware of good and bad, harming others and herself. A servant is worse than an animal. How dare she be delusional enough to think that a toad wants to eat swan meat?''
This is what you think. Even if I'm not a demon, one day you'll return to Zong City, to the county lord's mansion, to the temple, as a servant girl, a subordinate, I'll be prioritized by you, right?
Ouyang Zhong, would you still notice me if you never dreamt of me? If I was a demon, would you still like me? Or would you have cut me with a knife regardless, even if I had helped you, saved you, and laid down my life for you before and put me to death?
And I, too, am at fault. I developed too much closeness because I knew you were my friend Pi Dan or Ni Chong from my previous life. Whether this closeness is from the previous life or this one, I can't tell. Then, it's even more critical for me to consider whether this affection is of the prior life or this one. We should all think it over. After finishing these words, Linghu Xian had no more strength left. She lay softly on her side, her back facing Ouyang Zhong, biting her knuckles, trying her best to restrain herself from crying.
Xuan Mo covered her with the quilt and said softly, "Alright, you said too much today; rest well, temper the spirit beads in your body; you can't move your qi anymore." Then, looking at the red-eyed Ouyang Zhong, he softly said, "What she said, think about it. I will send you back now. Let Fresh Er sleep for a while."
Ouyang Zhong and Xuan Mo were speechless. The two of them each had their thoughts. Ouyang Zhong suddenly remembered what Linghu Xian had said; the Xuan Mo in front of him was the Black Wolf; this reflex arc of his was too long; he hurriedly stopped his feet and looked at Xuan Mo in surprise. Xuan Mo still had a wave-free expression and already understood what he meant after a moment of staring at him. Xuan Mo looked around and said indifferently, "This matter, in addition to you and Linghu Xian, do not let the third person know; otherwise, you will have to face not Yu Sun, that level of demon, but a ... a few times higher." He grabbed Ouyang Zhong's hand, accelerated to an empty and unoccupied corner, and stopped. He looked at Ouyang Zhong and waited for him to ask a question.
In the end, Ouyang Zhong is still a teenager, and his temperament is still unstable, so he lives up to his expectations and asks a series of questions, such as: Are you a human or a demon? What is your relationship with Linghu Xian? How did you know Linghu Xian before? You said earlier that you were also my Teacher in my previous life, so why don't I remember anything? What did you teach me? Since your spells are superior, much higher than Yu Sun's, why can't you use magic to solve her directly but also cause us regular people to suffer and get hurt?
Xuan Mo waited for Ouyang Zhong to finish asking all the questions in his mind, so he chose what he could answer and said the following: as for the matters involving the heavenly rules and heavenly destiny, he could only skim over them. In the end, he still focused on Linghu Xian and said to Ouyang Zhong:
"Regardless of my identity and the issue of spells, if I help you now in this barracks, I can't use magic. Otherwise, it will be counterproductive, and a greater calamity will come. I am not at liberty to say the rest.
I have known you two for a long time, and I don't want to see you hurt again. This is from the bottom of my heart. I seldom say anything from the bottom of my heart. I used to think that I was devoid of all feelings and desires, didn't understand the world, and would only strictly obey orders and rigidly adhere to rules and precepts. However, I realized I've changed since I met her." Saying this, Xuan Mo's wave-less eyes looked at the direction where Linghu Xian lived with a hint of softness.
"The things that Linghu Xian said to you just now were not words of anger, nor did I ask her to say them. I didn't expect her to give up on you. She wanted to think it over. I hope you can respect her."
Ouyang Zhong frowned and impatiently said, "Those couldn't have been her intentions; she likes me in her heart; she was just angry. Besides, when I was married, she followed me to the county lord's mansion, saying she would stay with me for the rest of her life and care for me. How come she wants to leave me now?"
"The human heart is never fragile and weak; the human heart is never changing indefinitely." Xuan Mo said, picked up a small stone on the ground, and continued at Ouyang Zhong: "The hearts of you two right now are like this stone, tiny and fragile, gently pinched ..." The stone was instantly pinched into powder. "What's more, you are not firm, or why did you marry the county princess as an extra horse harnessed by the side of a team? Still not for the sake of honorable family lintel, career path through? No one has ever forced you to do anything; it's all your own decision, one by one, decision by decision; the only thing you can give up is Linghu Xian. You should stop making excuses for yourself."
"Do you like her?" Ouyang Zhong asked angrily.
"Yes! I didn't realize it before, but then I realized I've changed when I found out." Xuan Mo smiled faintly, "Compared to the distance between you and Linghu Xian, why wouldn't the distance between me and her be a world apart? But it was my fault in the last life that I couldn't grab her hand and let her slip away. This life, let me meet her again, say nothing to let her leave; I want to do my best to fight once, to protect her peace in this life. Or not just this life, but forever and ever."
After saying that, Xuan Mo left. Leaving Ouyang Zhong alone, he endured his inner torment. This Xuan Mo in front of him was a strong enemy, but what could he do now to compete with him for Linghu Xian's heart?