#852 - Night Cool (Medium)
It was night, at Lake Acacia.
Lake Acacia was not large, just in a little-visited corner at the foot of Dragon Head Mountain.
Rumor had it that this lake was not originally called "Acacia", but its name was changed due to a touching story that happened hundreds of years ago.
The story was simple: a soldier in the Great Hui Imperial Guards and a palace maid fell in love and secretly pledged their lives to each other.
Although there were no rules in the palace saying that Imperial Guards and palace maids could not fall in love, the two had not yet truly become husband and wife, and were afraid of being seen by others, so they usually met quietly by this lake.
They confided in each other and whispered sweet nothings.
Like all couples in love, the two were madly in love at the time, and agreed that after the man had performed meritorious service and been promoted, he would go to the Internal Affairs Office to pull some strings and allow the woman to leave the palace early to get married.
Not long after that, the man's chance for promotion really came.
But the man did not return.
The woman tried every means to get some news from the Imperial Guards, and learned that the man had disappeared after a great battle, and his whereabouts were unknown.
This was a common occurrence, after all, the battlefield was chaotic, and not all corpses could be found.
Therefore, if there were no accidents, the man should have died in battle.
Like a bolt from the blue, the woman was heartbroken upon hearing the bad news.
After that, she still worked in the palace during the day, and at night she would go to the small lake to wait silently for her beloved, hoping that the latter would suddenly appear in front of her one day.
The woman waited for many years, and her story naturally spread slowly.
Therefore, the small lake also got a name, called "Acacia".
"Glug, glug..."
The night was as cold as ice, and the moonlight spilled over the speeding carriage, shimmering with a bright silver glow.
While driving, Zhang San told Wei Changtian in the carriage this story of unknown authenticity.
The latter then glanced at Li Zimu sitting opposite him and suddenly asked:
"Did she wait for him?"
"Huh?"
Zhang San's voice floated in from the crack in the curtain, sounding somewhat puzzled: "Young Master, are you talking to me?"
"Yes."
Wei Changtian raised his voice slightly and repeated: "I just asked if that palace maid finally waited for her sweetheart to return?"
"It is said that she didn't."
Zhang San quickly replied: "It is said that she waited for eight years, but after leaving the palace at the age of twenty-five, she could no longer enter or leave Lake Acacia, so no one ever saw her again."
"As for whether she married someone later, or remained unmarried for the rest of her life, these things are unknown."
"Mm."
Wei Changtian nodded and stopped talking, while Li Zimu, who was sitting opposite him, didn't say a word from beginning to end, and kept her head buried low.
Undoubtedly, the story of that palace maid and the story of Li Zimu had nothing in common.
But it seemed that there were some similarities.
In short, Li Zimu's mood was obviously very uneasy at the moment, and it was unknown whether it was because of this story, or because she was about to see Chu Xianping again.
In this way, the carriage fell into silence, with only the sound of wheels rolling over the road echoing.
It wasn't until after an unknown amount of time, when the carriage slowly slowed down and stopped, that Zhang San's voice broke the silence.
"Young Master, we're here."
The moonlight was dim, and the vermilion walls stood tall.
Stepping down from the carriage with a swagger, Wei Changtian immediately saw two men standing not far away outside a side door.
Wei Changtian had seen these two men before. They were Kui Long experts who had come to Yongding with Chu Xianping, and they were also the two who had captured Gongsun Yan alive that day.
Their realms were both Second Rank, but it was unknown whether they had practiced the Moon Picking Sword.
Huh?
Speaking of which, Chu Xianping should have already taken control of Kui Long's Bing Yi Branch now.
Where did those Kui Long people who had practiced the Moon Picking Sword, who originally belonged to Lü Hongji, go?
Did they follow Chu Xianping? Or did they run away?
If they ran away...
"Young Master Wei."
A not-too-loud voice suddenly sounded. Just as Wei Changtian's thoughts were jumping to who knows where, a Kui Long person had already walked up to him, cupping his fist and saying:
"Young Master Chu has been waiting for you for a long time, please follow me."
"Mm."
Wei Changtian glanced at the man, said nothing, and walked towards the small door under the vermilion wall following the former.
Li Zimu followed behind, her skirt swaying slightly with her steps.
Her eyes were complicated, and her breathing was rapid, obviously somewhat absent-minded.
She even stumbled on a stone step when she was not far from the small door, and almost fell.
"Ah!"
She cried out softly subconsciously, and hurriedly steadied herself.
Li Zimu breathed a sigh of relief, but was stunned again when she looked up.
Because Wei Changtian had stopped walking at some point, and was now looking at her with a blank expression.
"Young, Young Master, this servant..."
"If you can't let go like this, then go back."
Without listening to Li Zimu's explanation, Wei Changtian interrupted coldly: "There's no need to make things so difficult for yourself."
"."
Li Zimu opened her mouth, naturally understanding what Wei Changtian meant.
She struggled for a moment, pinching her fingers, and then lowered her head and said softly:
"This servant knows her mistake."
"Please rest assured, Young Master, this servant will never be like that again."
". It's best if that's the case."
Wei Changtian glanced at Li Zimu, stopped looking at her, and turned to continue walking forward.
The former bit her lip lightly and stood in place for a few more breaths, seemingly adjusting her emotions.
The moon was clear and the stars were sparse, and the Milky Way was in sight.
The shadows of the trees swayed in the distance, and the night breeze was gentle and cool to the touch.
It was in this night breeze that Li Zimu's eyes finally became calm.
Entering the small door, and walking along the clean bluestone road for less than an incense stick's time, Wei Changtian and Li Zimu saw a small lake.
The willows by the water were quiet, and the bright moon was hidden under the willows.
As one of the countless lakes and ponds in Dragon Head Mountain, Lake Acacia was extremely small, with a distance of only a hundred zhang from this end to the other. The lake water was calm and waveless, reflecting the moon and stars in the sky like a mirror.
In a gazebo with lanterns hanging on the shore, Chu Xianping was sitting there alone, as if he had become one with the tranquil scene.
"Young Master Wei, Young Master Chu is in the gazebo, this humble one will take his leave."
Stopping his steps and saying a word, one of the two Kui Long people disappeared in a flash.
Wei Changtian did not pay attention to where they went, but only stared at Chu Xianping in the gazebo, and then walked over unhurriedly.
"Brother Chu."
A meaningful smile appeared on his face. When the two met again after nine days, Wei Changtian didn't waste any words. He went straight to the point and asked:
"You asked me to come here tonight, is there something you need?"
"Young Master."
Getting up and cupping his fist at Wei Changtian, Chu Xianping did not immediately answer the former's question, but turned his gaze to Li Zimu, who was a little behind.
"Miss Li."
"Long time no see."
