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墨書 Inktalez
As soon as the Xiang Shui Festival came to an end, Mu Qing fell silent and hurried back to the inn, immediately starting to pack his belongings.
Xiao You followed closely behind, completely bewildered. He scratched his head and asked, "Young Master, aren't you going to find lady Chu?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Xiao You realized he had misspoken. Mu Qing halted abruptly, spun around, and shot him a fierce glare that felt like a sharp blade, causing Xiao You to shrink back. Almost instantly, Mu Qing turned away again, continuing to frantically gather his things with a sense of urgency.
"Young Master, let me help you," Xiao You said quickly. "Look at how you're grabbing everything; your clothes are going to get wrinkled."
He hurriedly took the garments from Mu Qing's hands, feeling a pang of sympathy for the few pieces in his grasp. "These are your favorite outfits, Young Master! Look at them; they've been crumpled up... Sigh, even though these clothes are from Ink Color and don’t show wrinkles easily, you shouldn’t treat them like this."
Mu Qing was momentarily stunned when Xiao You snatched the items away, standing there with a vacant expression as he stared ahead. But soon enough, he snapped back to reality, waved his sleeve dismissively, and strode toward the backyard with heavy steps.
Xiao You continued to pack swiftly while calling out to Mu Qing's retreating figure, "Young Master, where are you going?"
"To tend to the horses!" came Mu Qing's distant voice, though he had already disappeared from sight.
Xiao You paused in his actions and scratched his head in confusion. "Huh? What's going on today? Is the sun rising in the west? When has Young Master ever been so eager to answer my questions?" As he calmed down and reflected on the day's events, realization dawned upon him—Young Master was doing this for lady Chu.
"But what's so difficult about it? Just take lady Chu away!" Xiao You muttered to himself while regretfully tapping his head. "Oh dear, why didn’t I think of that? Now look at Young Master; he's so upset. It's all my fault for not coming up with a good idea back then."
Mu Qing arrived at the stable, distractedly feeding hay to the horses while his gaze wandered off into the distance, lost in thought.
Xiao You could afford to be naive and dream freely, but Mu Qing could not. As the son of the Wei State Grand Minister, he bore the mission and reputation of Wei State on his shoulders; every action he took represented not just himself but the entirety of Wei State.
As Chu Yunxiang, the Shaman of Chu Country, he was bound by tradition to remain unmarried for life. Until now, there had never been a case of a Shaman marrying midway through her duties... Were he and she merely a fleeting dream, as elusive as a mirage?
Yet how could he forget their first encounter atop Qingqiu? He could not forget her melodious voice, nor the faint fragrance that enveloped him when she accidentally fell into his embrace; he could not forget her radiant beauty beneath the lanterns of the night market; nor could he forget the racing heartbeat that accompanied her linking her arm with his...
Of course, what he could never forget was the moment during the Xiang Shui Festival when she danced gracefully in her splendid attire, singing with abandon—her breathtaking beauty was something he wished to etch deep in his heart, to cherish alone.
However, now all of it had turned to smoke, leaving only a profound sense of longing.
Mu Qing finished feeding the horse with the last handful of fodder, leaning slightly against its side as he slowly closed his eyes. At that moment, his gaze no longer held the coldness of the past; instead, it was filled with endless loneliness and sorrow.
“Such deep affection, yet so hopeless... No winter, no summer, only her egret feathers. Ha ha...” he murmured softly, his voice tinged with self-mockery and helplessness.
On this same path, he had come filled with hope and ambition; now, as he departed, he felt only a sense of loss—something both Mu Qing and Xiao You had not anticipated.
Xiao You seemed to sense Mu Qing's low spirits and unusually held back his words. Instead, he repeatedly flicked the horse Whip gently against the horse, urging it forward at a pace that felt as slow as a snail's crawl.
“Xiao You,” Mu Qing suddenly spoke up, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue and urgency. “Stop dragging your feet; let’s hurry back to Wei State.”
“But Young Master…” Xiao You hesitated, glancing back at Wan Qiu City before looking at Mu Qing’s silhouette, caught between words.
“Speed up!” Mu Qing's voice rose slightly, carrying an undeniable tone.
Though Xiao You could not see Mu Qing's face, the image of that day at the Xiang Shui Festival flashed in his mind—the Young Master’s face ashen like dead ash. He pouted and muttered under his breath, “Then hold on tight, Young Master; I’m about to speed up…”
Xiao You had just raised the horse Whip, yet before he could bring it down, a cloud of dust suddenly billowed up from the path behind him.
"Wood! Stop right there!"
Accompanied by a clear shout, a figure galloped towards him, and who else could it be but Chu Yunxiang?
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