This was an unknown number of days after Dai Luan was rescued.
She has no concept of time anymore, she just stays in the dark and lightless cave all day long, unwilling to step out. The bonfire was always burning and could not stop for a moment, and she began to be afraid of the dark. Although I always feel sleepy, I don't want to close my eyes. As long as she closes her eyes due to sleepiness, she will be awakened by terrible nightmares, and even the short period of darkness when she falls asleep frightens her. She was even more reluctant to go down the mountain and did not dare to look down from a high place.
This made it difficult for her savior. He planned to carry her down the mountain, but she refused to move. It's not that he couldn't understand her mood and situation, and he didn't force her. He still brought her firewood and food every day.
He was an old acquaintance of hers from childhood—the knifesmith of unknown origin.
Dai Luan originally thought that she would have a lot to say when she saw him, such as how he left without saying goodbye and why he came to her house in the first place. There are also some trivial matters in life in the past, and some almost forgotten promises. But she didn't, she was too tired. And when Dai Luan saw him again, she was completely convinced that those eyes belonged to the six-path impermanence.
He is indeed Mizuwu-kun.
Shui Wujun is not very tall, he is about the same as Rin Shanhai. He is wearing a blue and gray short hexagram with his waist tied up. It's just that he has six swords on him. He carried three handfuls on his back, two hanging on his left waist and one on his right waist. They looked like ordinary swords before they were unsheathed, but judging from the number, they were probably still very heavy. He wore a high ponytail that reached his waist, and a hazy blue forehead band on his eyebrows. His facial features were regular, and there was nothing particularly noteworthy about him.
Mizumu-kun got the news from Mutsuki-kun. Mutsuki-kun seemed calm when he said this, but Mizumu-kun, who had always been taciturn, suddenly became a little anxious. Although he didn't say much, he immediately set off for Kuiyun Mountain. It's a pity that at that time, the master and the apprentice had been climbing on the mountain for many days.
Dai Luan hung alone on the edge of the cliff, not waiting for too long. After removing one person's weight, the nearly half-broken dead vine no longer cracked. Perhaps Aluan's weight was within the limit of what it could bear. She couldn't muster the strength and didn't dare to let go. Although for a moment, she did want to let go and fall down desperately to find her master.
But he said, live on.
She had no time or energy to cry. She turned her wrist twice around the vines, pinned them, and then tried her best to insert her feet into the gaps between the intertwined dead vines to save some energy. She didn't know what to do. Time was slowly wearing away her strength and will. Her mind was dizzy, thinking about a lot of things. For example, she thought that if she could talk to birds like Xie Hualing of Xue Yan Sect, she might be able to be rescued and pass messages to others. It's just that it's too desolate here, and it's probably impossible for anyone else to be here. Maybe she could just hang here and dry out. If she was lucky, her hands and feet would get stuck and she wouldn't be able to fall down, turning into a mummy hanging on the cliff. But maybe before that, a carnivorous bird or monster had eaten him.
Before dawn, Shui Wujun found her based on the sliding marks on the ground and rescued her.
Then, this is what it is now. Dai Luan showed neither the joy that she should have felt at seeing her old friend, nor the relief after being rescued, but only the indescribable feeling of loss.
Now he and she sat across from each other in front of the campfire. She was wrapped in Shui Wujun's gown, wrapping herself tightly. Shui Wujun sometimes looked at Huo, sometimes at her. After a long moment, he sighed.
"You really don't want to go back?"
Dai Luan shook her head, not sure whether she wanted to say that she didn't want to go back, or that she didn't know. But finally, she asked a question she had been preparing for a long time.
"Why did you leave back then? Why did you come here? Because I... look a lot like her?"
"With whom?" Shui Wujun showed temporary confusion, but quickly responded, "Ah, do you know everything? It doesn't matter, I think you will know sooner or later. Just talking about the appearance, there are some similarities. But it’s different when you look closer.”
"So you just came to see me?"
"Well, that's one of them." Shui Wujun said calmly, "Besides, I'm investigating the matter of Yunmai. I don't know if you remember him. He was invited by your father into the house back then, and later he was invited into the house. The Imperial Palace. At that time, someone had already contacted him to make an imitation of Huangquan Bell. He had already started researching it. The gentleman originally wanted to let it go, but... with his skills, it seemed that it would not work. He was called in After entering the palace, I chased after him."
"I know these things. He punched my security lock."
With that said, she took out the safety buckle. Although it was not lost, it was somewhat deformed and covered with darkness again. Dai Luan didn't know why, maybe it really prevented some disaster. After all, it oxidized very slowly in the past, and it wouldn't be like this in less than a year.
Shui Wujun took it, held it and looked at it by the fire. He stretched out his other hand, hovered above it, and wiped it through the air. The black part was like ink being soaked in water and suddenly completely dissipated. The safety lock engraved with the divine bird was as new as before. Dai Luan's eyes widened slightly and she took it back.
"I heard that he died later. He died in front of the workbench because he was too tired."
"No. He was killed by me."
"..."
Dai Luan opened her eyes wide again. I was amazed before, but now I am surprised. Shui Wujun's tone was extremely calm, as if taking a human life was such an insignificant matter. But she soon felt relieved, after all, that was what they were doing. What's more, people like Tang He, Sakimen Lang, and Lord Katsutsuki from the Six Paths of Impermanence... After hearing too many amazing things, they become numb.
"Your eyes are bloodshot," he said. "Your heart is beating too fast. You should rest."
"I can't rest."
"Just close your eyes."
"I can't." She crossed her legs, "I don't even want to blink."
"Maybe you could sleep in front of the campfire."
"Then how can I sleep?"
——How can I sleep?
Shui Wujun couldn't understand what she meant, but he probably knew what she was sad about, but he had no other choice.
"You might be better off if I take you to your master."
He didn't expect that Dai Luan's emotions suddenly became excited, and her voice was raised much higher and a little hoarse at the same time.
"Do you think I haven't thought about it! But me, but, but...but how can I find it!"
From that height, no one could survive. She had never seen anyone fall off a cliff with her own eyes, but thinking about that time on the outskirts of Wule City, Mu Wan fell from such an astonishing height that her body could not recover for a long time.
Shui Wujun explained: "There is water in some places under this cliff. If he falls into the river with the right depth, there is still a chance of survival. But if the water is too deep, he will easily be knocked out..."
"Okay, shut up!" Dai Luan shouted angrily.
She had experienced Shui Wujun's character since she was a child. But she hadn't grown up at that time, and she still had the stubbornness of a child, and so did Shui Wujun. They died together and didn't think anything was wrong. But now, in Dai Luan's eyes, this man can be summarized as more than just a charming person. Sometimes he struck her as heartless—in a real sense, emotionless.
Dai Luan took a deep breath and softened her tone: "Someone gave me a chicken at home before. Later, the chicken probably thought it could fly and jumped off the window sill on the third floor. Its wings were too tender and it was difficult to fly. It didn't get up. There was a tree underneath, and in winter, the branches were bare...and as you can imagine, it didn't fall to the ground, and it didn't survive."
Shui Wujun nodded as if he understood. He wanted to ask directly, was the chick disemboweled? But seeing that her face was extremely pale even under the firelight, he closed his mouth to prevent her from being further irritated.
"Or... do you know the magic of divination? I think my master, Lord Jiyue, and other onmyojis can do it. You are the impermanence of the six paths, so you should know something about it, right? As long as you have something from him... "
With that said, Dai Luan suddenly became energetic, turned around and started rummaging through the medicine box. The medicine box is very strong. Even if it is scratched like that, it will only lose some paint and break a corner. The gown slipped off her body, but she didn't notice it at all and didn't feel cold. She just continued to rummage through the boxes. Shui Mujun didn't want to hit her, but he couldn't learn to be tactful, so he said it bluntly.
"I won't. I'm a swordsmith, not an Onmyoji, so I can't take advantage of it. Or, I can go and see by myself and tell you when I come back. If he is still alive, take him back..."
"You want to leave me alone!" Dai Luan turned around and screamed, "I am alone again! How many hours, or a night, or longer? I have been waiting for a long time! I really regret it, I You shouldn't have taken the risk. It's so stupid. I'm so stupid. He has clearly said that he doesn't want to gamble anymore, why can't I understand?"
"...Maybe you understand, but you're just a little stubborn." Shui Wujun said, "The same goes for Hong Xuan Qing Nu. Even eight cows can't pull back what she has decided."
"Don't mention her, I'm not her at all!"
"……Feel sorry."
Although he didn't understand why she was so excited and sad, Shui Wujun honestly kept his mouth shut. At least, he didn't want her to continue to be sad.
Dai Luan is no longer looking for her. She pushed the little boxes back, sullenly. But she was stunned for a moment, then quickly pulled out a small drawer and took out a box from it.
It was something Shanhai put in, a relic of his mother.
Shuiwujun saw it and said, "That is Yingyue-kun's thing."
Dai Luan did not nod or object. She knew that the Yingyuejun he was talking about here was the mother of Shanhai. She opened the box, and the faint floral fragrance still remained and would not dissipate no matter what.
The wooden comb is very delicate, and the distance between the wooden teeth is just right, neither sparse nor dense. There are several peach blossoms and cherry blossoms engraved on each end of the comb, which are clearly layered and lifelike. If they were dyed with color and lightly scented, it would probably be impossible to distinguish the authenticity from the fake ones. The owner of the comb should like to use it. If this gift can be kept, it must be sent to the heart.
"She once lived in what you call a paradise." Shui Wujun said, "However, there were many other flowers there."
