Chapter 7 Irene

I had to ask this question because I had noticed from many details that the people in this organization were very familiar with our lineage. The encounter in the deserted village, Xiao Chengqian’s words, they were not only familiar with us, but also very concerned about us.

Facing my question, Master was silent for a long time, not answering my question until I was about to ask again. Only then did Master say, “I said that I originally thought that this organization did not exist, but they actually exist, and there are many people in it that I did not expect. This matter cannot be explained clearly in a short time. In short, it was a long time ago. At that time, your master was still very young.”

The Ming Dynasty, was it another magical era?

I wanted to ask more, but my master stopped me from asking again. He said to me, “Not knowing too much is also a way to avoid tragedy.”

What did he mean by that? I looked at my master’s side face and saw that he had a few deep wrinkles. I suddenly didn’t dare to ask anything. I didn’t know why, but I began to avoid and resist some questions from the bottom of my heart.

The master and I were silent for a long time before the master finally told me some other things about the Black Rock Miao Village. For example, there are actually seven female insects in the Black Rock Miao Village, and the one that Gao Ning took away, according to my description, should be the fastest evolving one.

There are 11 old monsters in the Black Rock Miao Village, and one of them is the oldest, almost 200 years old.

In addition, the Black Rock Miao Village has inherited witchcraft, and there are countless insects.

It was indeed my good fortune that I was able to escape last time, because under those circumstances, no one would have thought that I would escape, and no one would have thought that there would be a connection between Gao Ning and me. But my master also thinks that Gao Ning is a mystery, and he is also a big problem.

Because he took away a female worm that has not yet evolved to a certain level.

After traveling for several days, we finally arrived in Kunming, Yunnan. According to the rules of the Yueyan Miao Village, we had to go there before going to the village.

Before we left, Master had contacted Sixth Sister, so the arrival of the four of us did not cause Sixth Sister much surprise.

Sister Liu is always a meticulous person. When she saw us, she politely ushered us into her shop and then greeted us with a smile, saying that relatives had come.

When we could finally talk face to face, I couldn’t help but ask the first question: “Ruoxue, how is she?”

Sister Liu habitually brushed her hair aside and smiled at me, saying, “Thank you for your concern. Ru Xue is recovering well.”

This answer was very official. I always felt that Sister Liu looked at me with a detached gaze. Did she also think that I had caused Ruoxue harm?

Chengxin brother put his glasses back on and gave me a gentle smile. He said directly to Sister Liu, “Ru Xue is a fascinating girl. It’s normal for my junior brother to be attracted to her. Sister Liu, why are you so dissatisfied with my junior brother?”

Looking at Brother Chengxin, I felt a little warmth in my heart. In fact, he was also dissatisfied with me about Ruoxue’s situation! He had a deep conversation with me about Ruoxue before he returned to Hangzhou. I can’t say that the feeling was like love, but it was a deep appreciation. That kind of appreciation was that he didn’t want anyone to hurt Ruoxue in the slightest.

But because of me, Ru Xue even destroyed his own life-giving worm, which made him very unhappy.

But no matter what, he can be unhappy with me, but he can’t tolerate others doing the same. This is the strange thing about our family. We can be unhappy with each other, and even ignore each other, but we are resolute in our unity against outsiders.

Facing Chengxin, who had already been quite sharp, Sister Six still had that calm and charming smile on her face. She said, “How dare I be dissatisfied with Chengyi? It’s just that you know that we Miao women are passionate, and our emotions are also passionate. If you have feelings for someone, it’s a lifetime thing. However, our Miao women are not as important as your Taoist tradition. The master is like this, and so are the disciples. Why bother with this?”

After saying that, Sister Six pretended to stretch and stood up, saying, “Look at me, I’m so busy talking. You’ve come so far, haven’t you eaten yet? I’ll go prepare.”

After that, Sister Liu turned and went to the small kitchen in the backyard to get busy. The four of us were left alone. Uncle Chen looked at Master Chen with a wry smile, and Brother Chengxin shook his head at me.

They knew about the relationship between Master and Grandma Lingqing, and they knew what would happen to me. My hands were clenched into fists under the table, my heart full of bitterness.

Master, however, looked calm and collected, took out his pipe and said, “Being together is not the only way to express your feelings. Some feelings are there or not, deep or not, and your heart is the only answer. I won’t care less or worry less just because we’re not together. If necessary, I’ll give up my life. Is being together that important?”

“Maybe it is important, it’s hard on both of us.” Uncle Chen seemed to be very moved.

Chengxin stroked his chin and said, “If it were me, I would exhaust all my feelings while we were together, so that it wouldn’t be so painful.”

Uncle Chen looked at Brother Chengxin and said, “Childish.”

I didn’t answer. I knew that my master had given me his answer, and that my own choice was my own business.

My heart was a little bit stuffy and painful, so I simply got up and walked directly to the backyard, leaning against the door frame, hands in my pockets, watching Sixth Sister busy there.

Of course, Sixth Sister saw me, but she didn’t greet me. She just kept working on her task, which was already a very unexpected and obvious display for someone like her who was meticulous in her work.

And I didn’t know what to say for a moment.

It seemed that I had forgotten to take something. When Sixth Sister was about to enter the house, I was standing in front of the door. Sixth Sister said to me in a bad mood, “Make way, little brother.”

I smiled helplessly, looked at Liu Jie, and then turned sideways. Liu Jie walked out without looking back, but I don’t know where I got the courage to say to Liu Jie, “Liu Jie, I really like Ru Xue. No, I love her.”

Sister Liu’s body stopped for a moment, then she rushed over angrily and said to me, “You love her? What makes you think you can love her? All the men in the world can love Ruoxue, but not your esteemed, old Li family. A girl like Ruoxue, not to mention being a precious girl in our village, even if she weren’t, she wouldn’t have to worry about finding a good man. How did she and her great-aunt happen to meet you and your master?”

I had nothing to say, so I just lowered my head.

Sixth Sister did not walk away, but asked me, “Do you really love Ru Xue? Is your choice different from your master’s?”

My throat tightened. I didn’t know how to answer such a question. I had already made my choice a few days earlier. All that was left was for Ruoxue to choose. But… I looked up at my sixth sister and said, “No matter what choice I make, it won’t stop me from loving Ruoxue. Even if it’s just one day of happiness, it’s still happiness, isn’t it?”

Sister Liu looked at me, sighed suddenly, and then opened her mouth to say something, but in the end she just left without saying anything.

A happy day is happy, but what about the many, many days that remain? Is it longing? I dare not think about it.

Sister Liu was always so polite and thoughtful, making sure that the four of us were comfortable eating and resting. It was only with me and my master that she could not hide her anger, so she seemed more distant.

She told us that the people from the village who had come to pick us up would be here soon, so we could stay in Kunming for a few days without worry.

In a few days, after finishing some business, Master Hui will come with Hui Gen to join us.

But how can I rest at ease? I was worried about Ruoxue, and I couldn’t wait to fly to the Yueyan Miao village. Even though I knew that the happiness would be short-lived, and that the reunion might also be short-lived, who could resist the temptation to be happy and see the person they loved?

After we had stayed here for two days, Mr. Hui came with Hui Gen. In fact, the only thing he had to do was to take Hui Gen to see his parents, whom he had not seen for a long time. After Hui Gen finished his summer vacation, he still had to send Hui Gen back to Beijing to study.

I made a discovery. I always felt that Mr. Hui seemed to cherish every day he spent with Hui Gen.

It was only later that I realized that I had always been able to notice other people’s problems, but not my own.

On the fourth day, the person who came to pick us up in the village arrived. This time it wasn’t the Rice Ball Group, but another girl.

This girl was a typical Miao girl, full of fiery enthusiasm. Her big, watery eyes were so fiery and unrestrained.

“My Han name is Cao Ailin, you can just call me Ailin. I’m here to see who Chen Chengyi is,” the girl announced loudly as she entered the door.

Erin? How could a Hmong girl have such a ‘foreign’ name? That was my first thought, and my second thought was, why did she come to see me alone?

And Liu Jie had already rushed up and embraced Irene with great enthusiasm. No one told me why.

Fortunately, Brother Chengxin knew a little about the situation. He whispered in my ear, “Chengyi, you’re done. This girl is Ruoxue’s best friend, and she’s also the friend with the worst temper!”