All the soup and wine on the table were gone, leaving only a few intoxicants.
It was already the end of Xu Shi, and the sounds of people outside were slowly fading away. At this time, the Liu family's inner courtyard was extremely quiet.
This was the first time in Mu Qing's life that he was so relaxed. He was drunk with many thoughts in other people's homes.
Xiaochan walked in at some point and looked at the drunken crowd. She first gave her younger brother Li Si a chestnut, then came up behind Mu Qing with a raised brow.
"Master, Master, wake up."
"Xiaochan, what's wrong?"
"Sir, those people outside have left. The master of the house asked you to go there."
Mu Qing followed Xiaochan drunkenly, his eyes seemed to be bright red. When the night wind blew, his drunkenness dissipated a little, and he was shocked to realize that this was not a dream visit.
He used his energy to get rid of seventy percent of his drunkenness, and quickly followed Xiao Chan who was holding a lantern in front, "Xiao Chan, where are we going?"
Mu Qing originally thought he was going back to Liu Weirui's yard, but Xiaochan was leading the way with a lantern in front, but the route became increasingly unfamiliar.
Xiaochan said leisurely: "My lady's birthday is actually the anniversary of my wife's death. On this night every year, the head of the house and my lady will worship alone in my lady's yard."
"But." Xiaochan looked sideways at Mu Qing and said with a smile, "This time it's different."
Mu Qing felt a little heavier after hearing this. It seemed that Xiaochan didn't know Uncle Liu's current physical condition.
There were two lanterns leaning in front of the courtyard door. Mu Qing used the lanterns to discover that this place was behind Liu Weirui's courtyard.
His steps were steady, and he followed Xiaochan into the corridor behind the courtyard door. An unknown fragrance was exuding in the night air. He didn't know who was taking care of the flowers and plants inside. Xiaochan stopped in front of a separate courtyard door. He stepped forward, pointed inside and said softly: "The young lady and the head of the family are inside. Young master, please go in by yourself."
"Yeah." Mu Qing's vision went dark after entering. He couldn't help but look up, only to find that there were dense branches and leaves above his head. The branches and leaves were deeper, and next to the flickering candlelight, there were two thin figures and a grave that was not alone.
"Come here." Liu Chaoge's voice was already a little ethereal when it came through the branches and leaves.
Mu Qing walked gently to Liu Weirui's side and found that the other person was writing something on a white lampshade.
When Liu Weirui heard the footsteps beside her, she didn't turn her head. She continued writing with a calm expression, and said softly: "When I was a child, I often asked my father, where has my mother gone? My father always said that my mother is the one in the sky who faces me. A twinkling star, so every birthday I light up a wishing lantern and fly the words I want to say to my mother into the sky."
"Later, when I grew up, I realized that my mother did not fly into the sky and become a star. She had always stayed in this yard and slept under this loquat tree, so the flying wish lantern was replaced by the current wish lantern."
Liu Weirui straightened up, handed the lantern and small pen in her hand to Liu Chaoge, and said with a smile: "Dad, it's your turn to write."
Liu Chaoge smiled softly and said in a pretense of seriousness: "Elders should write last. Since there are more people today, let the brat write first."
Liu Weirui took two steps closer and handed the lantern to Mu Qing with joy in her eyes, "You can't write randomly, you can only write one wish."
After Mu Qing took the lantern, he wanted to turn it around to see what Liu Weirui had written, but Liu Weirui grabbed the lantern and refused to let him turn it. She shouted softly: "It's just a wish, but it won't work after reading it. You write it yourself." It’s yours.”
Mu Qing smiled slightly and wrote: "The promise made in the distant mountains will come as scheduled, and the person in my heart will definitely live up to this life."
Mu Qing returned it to Liu Weirui, who resisted the urge to look and handed the lantern to her father.
Liu Chaoge smiled slightly and read both of their wishes.
Liu Weirui shouted sweetly: "Dad, why are you looking at ours? You can just write your own."
Liu Chaoge smiled slightly, picked up the pen and wrote a few words, then hung it on the branch hanging in front of him, and said softly: "You haven't seen it. If I tell your mother, it will still be effective."
Liu Chaoge saw his daughter looking at Mu Qing with a shy look on her face, sighed, and said, "Wei Rui, go and wait for me outside. I want to say a few words to Mu Qing."
Liu Weirui looked at the slightly rotating lantern, glanced at her father and Mu Qing in front of the grave, gave a shy "hmm", and walked out alone.
"Uncle Liu." After Liu Weirui's back disappeared by the courtyard gate, Mu Qing bowed seriously to the man beside him.
Liu Chaoge looked calm, without showing any emotion. He stared at Mu Qing and remained silent for more than ten breaths before he said, "I have read all your and Wei Rui's wishes."
"Since you two like each other, I don't want to do the same thing again."
"I want to ask you, can you guarantee that you will not die?"
"What?" Mu Qing couldn't understand what Liu Chaoge meant.
The branches of the loquat drooped a little lower because there was a lantern hanging on them. One of the branches and leaves was close to Liu Chaoge's forehead, as if a pair of hands were caressing his eyebrows.
Liu Chaoge asked repeatedly: "Can you guarantee that you will not die?"
There was a breeze and the candle flames swayed. Liu Chaoge's voice slowly flowed out before Mu Qing could answer.
"On the afternoon when Wei Rui came home, she and I had a unpleasant chat in the study. I knew then that I couldn't stop you."
"You are the assassin of Hidden Valley. I told her that you will have no freedom and no future."
"But the child's stubborn temper is just like her mother's. It seems that once she likes her, she won't listen to advice."
Liu Chaoge gently stroked the loquat leaves in front of him, "Actually, I didn't say it clearly. What is more likely to make her sad than a future without freedom is that assassins like you may die in a mission at any time."
Liu Chaoge's silver-threaded eyebrows frowned, and his tone was indescribably sad, "There is nothing more painful than loving a dead person."
"I don't want my daughter to wait for the news of your death one day. After hearing this, what are your plans?"
Mu Qing's drunkenness had gone away early and he replied seriously: "This junior is indeed already working on escaping from the Hidden Valley, and he already has a companion. He is not fighting alone. I have confidence in myself, and I ask my seniors to also believe in me."
"As for life and death, nothing happens in this world, and life and death are even more unpredictable. Even...even Uncle Liu..."
Liu Chaoge's eyes were slightly bleary, and he didn't bother to think about himself. He asked, "Tell me, do you have a clear plan for leaving Hidden Valley?"
Mu Qing frowned slightly, and after thinking for a while, he slowly said: "Improving your own strength is the most important thing. To be honest with Uncle Liu, Mrs. Lin said that I have an innate body of wood origin and can practice faster than my age, so Please rest assured, Uncle Liu."
A glint flashed in Liu Chaoge's eyes, but he shook his head and said: "After all, you still think too simply. If you want to destroy a glorious palace, if you want to destroy it from the outside with only external force, you need to be at least many times better than everyone in the palace. Only the strength will do.”
"I wonder if you've heard a sentence?"
Mu Qing humbly asked for advice, "Uncle Liu, please speak."
Liu Chaoge's face was calm, but his words had a hint of storm, "People of the same class have the natural willingness and talent to rebel against the class they belong to. If you want to destroy a palace, it is easiest to remove the beams from the inside."
Mu Qing murmured, "Internal demolition?"
Liu Chaoge said indifferently: "I heard that the master of Hidden Valley has been in seclusion for many years. It seems that he doesn't like the power he has. Why not wait until you have the strength to face the other party? You can talk to this person, or even Become the owner of the valley yourself”
Mu Qing was surprised and asked, "Shall I be the owner of the valley?"
"What? Didn't you see it through?" Liu Chaoge said with a smile: "Everything in this world is not as simple as black and white. From the Liu family in Jinguan City to the Lin family in Xishan Realm, you really think there is no sin. What happened? Hidden Valley also has its sins, but since it exists, it naturally has the necessity of its existence."
"When you came back, you happened to catch up with the civil strife in the City Lord's Mansion. I think you also understand that the current world has reached a very serious stage of chaos. If you want to gain a foothold in such troubled times, someone will listen to what you say, and you want to protect the people If you can protect it, you must have your own power."
Mu Qing was silent, unable to accept the other party's opinion for a while. Isn't it good to have the freedom to go wherever one wants? Do you have to gather a group of people around you?
Liu Chaoge smiled nonchalantly and said, "You seem to disagree with me."
Mu Qing spoke bluntly and said: "The younger generation really can't accept it. I am an orphan. Although I was taken to Hidden Valley when I was six years old, I actually have no belonging or affection for Hidden Valley. Defeating or even destroying the other party is not to replace the other party. .”
Liu Chaoge nodded and asked, "Mu Qing, are you an assassin now?"
Mu Qing was stunned for a moment, then said after a moment of hesitation: "That's right."
Liu Chaoge nodded and said, "Then do I say that you are a bad person just because you are an assassin, and do I really break up you and Wei Rui because of this?"
Mu Qing replied sincerely: "Senior is enlightened."
Liu Chaoge shook his head and said slowly: "I'm not enlightened, it's just that you haven't seen through some things at your age. Since the assassin may not be a bad person, why can't Hidden Valley embark on a path that breaks the old and creates new things in the future? Achieve some notable achievements in the fields you are good at instead of abandoning this talent, so as to avoid many detours."
"We talked a lot tonight. What I want you to understand is that first of all, you have to be very strong in order not to die in the conspiracy trap. Secondly, you have to have a group of like-minded partners so that you can have a stable voice in such troubled times. Finally, I hope you don’t cut yourself off from your past directly. You are also you in Hidden Valley, and you should be a good leader.”
"leader……"
"Yes." Liu Chaoge looked at the lantern that emitted light and heat next to his face, and said seriously: "I didn't know that you were an innate wood source before, but even so, if Ruowei Rui went to the Lin family in Xishan, she and you There must be a natural mountain between us. This is a natural class prejudice. I think neither of you have thought of this situation."
"So even if you are completely separated from Hidden Valley, I still hope that you can have your own power."
"I don't want my daughter to have to live a homeless life with you even if she runs away in the future."
Liu Chaoge coughed twice, walked up to Mu Qing, patted Mu Qing's shoulder, smiled and sighed: "Actually, I haven't told Wei Rui, but I still believe in her vision. You are better than me at that time. I have to be much better, I can prove myself, and I hope you won’t disappoint me either.”
