Amid the farewells from her junior brothers, sisters, classmates and friends, Qiong also got on the carriage returning and waved frequently out the window. The coachman pulled the reins and ordered the carriage to move. The horse took a step forward and drove away little by little. It was not until the school gate continued to recede and became blurred that she was willing to lower the curtain and leave Qingfeng Town.
A few days later, Lu and his party returned to Guangyang Taipa City.
Silver Trailer Garden.
The first thing he did when he returned to his clan was to go to his master to apologize.
Qiong Yi knelt in front of Lu Bin and said: "This disciple skipped school without permission and broke into a fight in the Jianghu. Please ask the master to punish him." After that, he folded his hands in front of his forehead and kowtowed.
Lu Bin didn't want her to be so honest. Since she's already here, it's inappropriate not to discipline her, so he waved his sleeves and lectured: "If I hadn't ordered you to go back home, would you have known how to come back? You're the only one , Sheng Xuanyuan, and the boy from the Su family, and the one who returned to the top of the list, they are really cool! You can leave whenever you want, do you know how anxious you have become to the gentlemen in the school after you disappeared? "
Qiong was silent and dared not speak.
"You have saved people and made meritorious deeds by wandering outside. You can't get any praise. It's just that you live up to the swordsmanship you have practiced for so many years! The birth of Cangyu was originally fought over by ten factions in the world. The five tribes have backup, and you two Yes, you were young and energetic, full of passion, and you rushed forward before that! Fortunately, you came back alive. If you died in the battle for the sword, in that boundless place, my master would probably collect your bones. not coming back!"
Qiong Yi could only say in a low voice: "Master, I was wrong."
Lu Bin put his hands behind his back and said solemnly: "Now that you know you are wrong, tell me what should I do?"
Hearing that the master was asking him to punish himself, Qiong Yi was silent for a while and replied: "This disciple made a mistake and has no right to make a decision. No matter how the master wants to punish me, I will accept it."
"Okay." Lu Bin sat back in the main hall and said lightly: "Let's go to the back mountain to be detained for three months. It will depend on your performance in these three months. If you do not perform well, you will continue to be banned."
Qiong also responded: "Disciple, I obey, thank you Master for your forgiveness." After the ceremony, he left the main hall.
Lu Yuhao was waiting for her outside and asked, "Xiaowu, what did your master say?"
Qiong Yi thought: It's just as expected. He replied: "Senior Brother, I am in solitary confinement."
Lu Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief: "Relax, although the confinement is uncomfortable, it is much better than the water prison."
Qiong Yi shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile: "Senior brother, the back mountain is remote, and someone should deliver the daily meals, right?"
Lu Yuhao recalled that the disciples who were locked up in the past were always locked in an orphanage deep in Baiya Mountain. There would be a magic circle outside the courtyard. Once the locked-up person broke out without authorization, he would not only be attacked by the magic circle, but also an alarm would sound. The food brought by the servants at every meal was mostly leftovers and hard to swallow. He could only reply: "Of course there is, but, well, it might not be very tasty."
"It's okay, just don't let me starve to death in there." Qiong Yi patted his chest and acted very optimistic, "Master said that the confinement will start from tomorrow. I will go back to my room to pack my clothes."
Lu Yuhao watched Qiong Yi walking quickly across the courtyard and sighed in his heart: Xiao Wu is still so energetic.
It really is a confinement.
Qiong Yi collected them alone in the room, thinking: In these three months, I must be more peaceful and bear the punishment well, so as not to miss Li Yuan again in the future. She brought a mat, a thin quilt, summer and autumn clothes, and a lot of mosquito repellent and insect repellent. She put the two volumes of books borrowed by the Tibetan Deputy Hall in the middle of the package, thinking to herself: How could she live alone in this place at this time? Back mountain, if you really ask for it, you won't get it.
For Yu Qiongyi, the sudden appearance of the Rong who wanted to kidnap her would not only not make her give up the idea of pursuing the case, but would instead make her want to delve deeper into the reasons.
In three months, it should be enough time to improve your cultivation, learn the Western Desert language, and memorize the map of the Western Desert.
Later in the evening, Qiong also went outside the garden to tell Zhu Yunluo that she was going to retreat to practice, and also deliberately concealed her affairs about Xirong. Zhu Yunluo received the "long-lost secret recipe of delicious recipes" given to her by Qiong Yi. She was full of smiles and expressed her understanding of her choice to retreat. She also said that she should practice well and not worry about the outside world.
Qiong also knew that Ah Luo was a worried person.
She thought: In order to prevent A Luo from worrying about me, is it better to hide this from her?
*
The next day, under the leadership of the third senior brother, Qiong Yi walked into the orphanage in the back mountain.
The courtyard was square in shape, with low walls, and there were bans on all sides. The moment she stepped into it, the ban took effect, and a light barrier separated the outside world. The honest and honest third senior brother looked at his always lively and comfortable junior sister, who was full of heartache when he had to be locked up here for three months: "Xi Yan, I will give more instructions to the chefs to deliver the daily meals on time and let you eat less. Cold food.”
Qiong also nodded and smiled at him: "Okay, thank you, senior brother." Then she walked into the house.
The courtyard is not big, but it is more than enough for sword practice. The windows and doors are not dilapidated, but are covered with cobwebs and dust. The Lu family has always taught his disciples to be at ease. Punishments are usually whipping and sticks, or going to the miscellaneous office to do hard work for a few days. They rarely punish people with confinement, and confinement is regarded as a serious punishment. Therefore, several orphanages in the back mountains are People don't come often.
Therefore, there are always rumors that this place is haunted.
Qiong Yi is naturally not afraid of the clear sky and white sun. She glanced around the yard. The utility room was equipped with a broom, buckets and basins. There was also a well behind the yard. The water in the well was clear. Not only was there water for drinking, but there was no problem for daily washing. So she picked up the broom and started to clear the dust and wipe the bed. After finishing everything on the table, Qiong Yi took out the jade lily of the valley from his arms and hung it on the window eaves. The soul inside the jade shone with gleams of light, as if Sheng Xuanyuan was accompanying her. Around yourself.
Thinking of this, Qiong Yi was no longer afraid of the rumors about the haunted house in the mountains, and sat back on the bed to meditate.
*
It was still dark before Zhu Yunluo got up as usual, dressed up hastily, and rushed to do chores.
In the early morning, she had to clean the yard first. She was responsible for the south corner of the outer courtyard of the Lu Family Mansion. The fallen leaves on the stone pavement and the accumulated dust in the corners had to be dealt with properly.
When it's time for breakfast, you need to go to the kitchen to help, divide the breakfast into bowls, and take them to the outer disciples' residence. After collecting the dishes, they will be sent to the servants' mother-in-law to clean them, and then they will be prepared according to the list. After choosing the dishes properly, I went back to the house to report to the steward, then took the time to have some breakfast, and then continued my work.
Chewing the cold steamed buns in her hands, Zhu Yunluo sat behind the kitchen to take a short break. Someone came up and said to her, "Yunluo."
Zhu Yunluo recognized that this was the most laid-back woman in the kitchen. She was idle and talked a lot. Her surname was He Minghua. She responded smoothly: "Mother He. The lunch dishes will be delivered by carriage and horse in a while. If not, there is some left in the cellar, use it first.”
He Hua didn't come to talk to her about fortifications. She raised her voice and said, "That dish is no longer fresh! Wait until the new dish is delivered, and then let the cook know how to start cooking."
Zhu Yunluo hummed and continued to eat the steamed buns. He Hua continued: "Hey, didn't you go to pick up Lu Xiaowu? She turned around and stayed in the garden, and she didn't come out to see you!"
"Qiong... Xiyan went into seclusion and was busy." Zhu Yunluo chuckled and replied, "She has visited me several times and brought me gifts."
"Hey, seclusion? Did she tell you that she was in seclusion?" He Hua rubbed her hands and put her hands on her waist and said, "Tsk, tsk, what I heard is different? I heard people say that she was in solitary confinement. That place in the back mountain, a shabby place where people died before, is haunted! It’s so scary! This little girl always reports good things but not bad things. She hides everything from you. In my opinion, she doesn’t care about you at all!”
Zhu Yunluo smiled coquettishly: "Po, you are talking nonsense. Emotions are the most obvious things. You can feel them whether they are there or not."
"You! My whole heart goes to her. Lu Xiaowu is already a member of the Sheng family. It is well known to the world that she is so beautiful! Even if she did not get such a good marriage, it was Master Lu who gave her the name. His girl, his apprentice, is considered his adopted daughter. She will have no worries about food and clothing in the future, but what about you? Silly Aluo, you are not young anymore. If you continue to waste your time in this miscellaneous yard, no man will want you in the future. ?”
Zhu Yunluo finished eating the steamed buns and replied: "Then live on your own."
"Ouch!" He Hua clapped her hands and stomped her feet: "When Lao Chen died, many families were willing to buy you. At that time, the Yu family in the north of the city was not poor, rich, and not ugly either. You don't want to be a child bride, but you scold them when they want to take Xiao Wu in. Well, tell me about you, you are good-looking, upright, hard-working and virtuous, you can do well anywhere, how many matchmakers have you had over the years? Those young guys are hard-working and willing to work, why don't you want to? You don't like any of the brothers from the old Zhang family or the old Li family? Now it's better, Xiao Wu Niang has climbed up to Gaozhicheng After losing Phoenix, will I still care about this poor sister like you?"
She said earnestly: "Girl, please listen to the advice and have enough to eat. Find a good family to marry as soon as possible. Give birth to a fat boy. Set yourself up well. Don't work here all your life and be trapped all your life. This is more important than anything else."
"Yes, you are right." Zhu Yunluo smiled and replied, "I don't need you to worry about it." After saying this, she walked away.
He Hua was left standing there calling out: "Huh? Yunluo, did you listen?"
*
It is impossible for me to be a servant for the rest of my life.
After working as a long-term worker and paying off the debt, Qiong Yi and I will leave Guangyang and settle down.
If she is willing to go with Young Master Sheng, I will live on my own.
She is my only family and my dearest and best sister. No matter what others say, I will always protect her and love her.
Zhu Yunluo rolled up her sleeves, wrung out a towel from the tub, and began to clean the table, floor, and cabinets.
Somehow, it reminds me of my childhood.
When I was young, the manager of the General Affairs Department was a man named Han, with a sinewy face. His son was born with a fat head and a round face. He looked like him, so he got a nickname, and everyone called him Little Fatty.
Han Xiaopang had better use the opportunity to bully others. Whenever Chen Xun went out to work, he would always stand in front of Zhu Yunluo and Qiong Yi with three or two younger brothers, bully them, throw mud at them, and even say something about learning from adults. Come and make fun of them with dirty words.
Zhu Yunluo never dared to cause trouble, and she could only cry when she was wronged. Xiaopang Han pointed at the two of them and cursed over and over again: "Two little bastards with no father and no mother! Haha, ugly girls, no one wants them!"
Qiong Yi always stood in front of her with his fist raised, beating them away, and then stumbled back to comfort Zhu Yunluo: "Aluo doesn't cry, sister doesn't cry! If they dare to come again, I will still drive them away!"
Zhu Yunluo looked at her with tearful eyes. She was obviously her sister, and her sister was so thin, but she always rushed in front of her to protect herself.
Han Xiaopang was unable to defeat Qiong Yi time and time again, and was deliberately retaliating. That time, while the adults were away, he cornered them in a corner, and asked two boys to hold Qiong Yi down, grabbing Zhu Yunluo's hair and fighting, but Qiong Yi broke away. Without opening it, I watched my sister huddled in the corner and cried.
Fatty Han was fat and strong, and punched out Zhu Yunluo's baby teeth that were about to be replaced. She was so frightened that she sat motionless on the ground, bleeding a lot, covering her mouth and shaking. Qiong Yi saw Ah Luo injured for the first time. He climbed up from the ground like crazy, picked up the stone at his feet and chased Fatty Han until he broke one of his arms.
This incident caused a big fuss. After all, it was the steward's precious son who was injured, which caused the neighbors to point fingers. In order to make amends, Chen Xun carried a stick and brought Qiong Yi to the door to apologize, but she refused to acknowledge her and stared coldly. Looking at the little fat man huddled behind Manager Han, he said cruelly: Next time, I will smash your front teeth with rocks!
Han Xiaopang was shocked and ran back into the house. Chen Xun was stunned and hit her legs with a thin wooden stick on the spot, asking her to kneel down and apologize. Qiong Yi gritted his teeth and refused to cry or kneel down. Later, Chen Xun compensated Han Guanshi a large amount of money, but it was still unavoidable that he was wearing small shoes everywhere on the fortifications.
After returning, Chen Xun's eyes were red and he applied medicine to the swollen marks on Qiong Yi's bamboo pole-like legs. He held the two children and choked with sobs: "Uncle, I didn't want to hit you, but sometimes, one has to lower his head. , just be patient and it will pass.”
Shrinking in Uncle's arms, Qiong Yi finally cried. Zhu Yunluo also cried. The three of them hugged each other and cried. Qiong Yi cried and said: "They always bully A Luo and me. I don't want to Lower your head, I won’t! If you lower your head, they will bully us forever! I want to protect my sister, Abo, I will protect my sister..."
Zhu Yunluo wiped Qiong Yi's nose and tears, and could only let them roll down her face.
From that moment on, she decided that Qiong was her biological sister, and decided to protect her and love her no matter what happened in her life.
