Chapter 10, Xie Lang

The boy paused for a moment here, and amidst the suppressed laughter of the Chen surname man and others, he continued to imitate Ji Si's voice, "He actually looks just like that; even when I disguise myself as a man, I am much more handsome than him"

At this point, he suddenly lowered his head, leaned his lips close to Ji Si's ear, and gently laughed, "You look much more handsome than I do when you dress as a man. Xie Lang is unaware that he is actually comparing his looks with a young lady, isn't he? Hmm?"

Although these individuals are seated in an ox cart, behind them stand imposing guards and beautiful attendants. They themselves exude an air of elegance and nobility from top to bottom. It is evident that their status is certainly not ordinary; they are likely not the typical scions of the prominent families in Jingzhou, but rather the young lords of great aristocratic clans

He walked slowly to Ji Si and looked down at her

Although Ji Si could not clearly articulate why this person was not a gentleman of integrity, she felt that the way this person looked at someone with such bright eyes, smiled at someone in such a manner, and behaved in such close proximity to someone was quite inappropriate

But at this moment, her face no longer flushed

It is unfortunate! This Xie Shiba can travel around Jingzhou and return to Jiankang with a clap of her hands, but she has to live in this place. If, because of him, she attracts so many powerful enemies, that would be the most unjust thing in the world

There, two individuals are playing chess; one is a bald monk, while the other is a gentleman in white attire

At this time, Ji Si was merely a girl of thirteen or fourteen years, yet in her bright, watery eyes, there seemed to be a veil of mist, revealing a sense of distance, a deeply hidden sorrow, and an air of mystery as if she had seen through many things

The boy imitated Ji Si's somewhat indifferent yet warning tone, speaking clearly and coldly: "Although Xie Shiba is indeed handsome, he is a flirtatious man. There are countless good gentlemen in this world, but Xie Shiba is the least worthy of infatuation"

As the boy's voice fell, Xie Shiba, who had been smiling all along, suddenly turned his head. His eyes, bright as the starry sky, looked over at Ji Si through the crowd.

As soon as the phrase "very busy" was uttered, laughter erupted all around.

At this moment, Xie Lang also spoke up. He looked at Ji Si and gently sighed, "I had thought that after twenty days of interaction, Ji Xiaogu had already become my friend."

It was not until Ji Si's donkey cart was completely engulfed by this noble clan's entourage that Zheng Mi and the others came to their senses. They called out a few times, but seeing that the people ahead were indifferent, Zheng Mi lashed out at a guard to the side, causing him to shudder, and angrily exclaimed: "How can A Si behave like this?"

Xie Lang looked at Ji Si with a smile, accepting her apology. He listened to the laughter of his friends around him and observed the gaze of his little aunt in front of him, which clearly expressed affection yet was restrained and indifferent. For a moment, he felt that the mountains and rivers of Jingzhou had gained some significance.

Amidst the laughter, Xie Lang stood up

Thus, amidst the seemingly smiling yet ambiguous expressions of the young gentlemen, the thin and frail boy spoke up

In the past, Ji Si had heard someone say that there exists a type of person who, even when standing among thousands and thousands of others and saying nothing at all, will naturally become the focus of everyone's attention. Now, she understands what kind of scenery that is.

At that moment, another handsome young man called out, "You, Xie Shiba, have made us run around everywhere, while you yourself are enjoying such leisure!" Another young man, whose complexion was as fair as jade, coldly replied, "Who says Xie Shiba is leisurely? He has to play chess, listen to the carefree flute of the most beautiful woman in Jingzhou, and enjoy the Zen sounds of the great monk along with the adoration of beautiful women. He is quite busy indeed"

As a group of people just ascended the mountain path, they heard a melodious sound of a flute coming from ahead. The flute's tone was clear and distant, soaring high as if it were reaching into the clouds, filled with an ethereal and carefree spirit, truly showcasing an extraordinary level of skill

The monk clad in a cassock swept the chessboard and said: "Enough, enough, your methods are indeed too many; I, the old man, admit defeat!"

A female colleague beside her quickly tugged at her sleeve and reminded her, "Lower your voice. I see that group of people is quite extraordinary; they must have significant backgrounds. If you have grievances against Ji Si, you can express them later when we return. In this place, be careful not to provoke them."

Jisi thought to herself, so this is the flow of brilliance, a dazzling array of treasures

She bowed slightly to Chen Yizhi and said, "My name is Ji Si"

Ji Si looked at the person before her, then glanced at the young gentlemen twenty paces away, some with their arms crossed, some lazily tilting their heads to drink, and others smiling back at her. She gradually calmed down. In her heart, she thought: Now that things have come to this, I can only think of a way to remedy the situation.

Among these laughter, the most exaggerated was that of the ugly man with the surname Chen. He hurriedly ran in front of Xie Lang and said proudly: "Xie Eighteen, just now we encountered an old acquaintance of yours on the road. I wonder if you still have any impression of him?" He turned to a thin, yellow boy and commanded: "Shao'er, you should tell Young Master Eighteen about what just happened!"

At this moment, a game has come to an end

"The surname Ji?" Like Xie Lang, Chen Yizhi also raised his eyebrows, grinning with a mouthful of yellow teeth as he said: "The Ji surname is quite rare these days; it turns out that the young lady is a descendant of the Yellow Emperor."

Ji Si's gaze swept over the group of women, and she thought to herself: Indeed, he is truly worthy of being known as the most charming gentleman in the world

It is unclear what the gentlemen have seen, as each one of them is laughing uncontrollably.

Zheng Mi quickly closed her mouth, and after a moment of hesitation, several girls could not help but drive their car to follow.

Almost as soon as the sound of the flute began, those young gentlemen walking ahead of Ji Si all stopped their conversations one by one and began to listen attentively.

As soon as this person spoke, Ji Si was taken aback, for every sound and every tonal inflection that came from the boy's mouth was identical to her own accent

Ji Si slowly turned her head back

She finally understood why Zheng Mi and the others suddenly fell silent while she was speaking at length. It was because, less than twenty steps behind her, a dozen ox carts had appeared, and at that moment, the curtains of these carts were lifted, revealing a group of young aristocrats, each either handsome, elegant, refined, or as fair as jade, looking at her with a smile that was not quite a smile.

These individuals are evidently very happy, each one laughing very loudly and in an exaggerated manner

Meeting his gaze, Ji Si's face turned bright red

In the blink of an eye, Ji Si hurriedly bowed to Xie Lang and said with embarrassment: "My lord has shown kindness to Ji Si, yet I have spoken ill of my lord behind his back, which is truly disrespectful. I ask for your forgiveness, my lord."

The Kuroong Temple is a renowned temple in Jingzhou, frequented by numerous pilgrims, including some female visitors. At this moment, Ji Si casually glanced around and couldn't help but think: it is likely that all the female visitors at Kuroong Temple are gathered here... Scattered across the mountainside, some are softly discussing poetry and prose, others are embroidering or painting on the spot, while some young ladies stand charmingly beside the clusters of chrysanthemums with their maidservants. Each of them is dressed in splendid attire, and every gesture they make is imbued with a touch of refined elegance. Among them, the glances they occasionally cast towards the young man in white are rather infatuated.

At this moment, Ji Si became restless.

Xie Lang has not yet replied. Beside Ji Si, a tall and graceful young man smiled and said, "What more than just a few tricks does Xie Shiba have? If it weren't for his ingenious strategy this time, the Northern Wei troops would not have retreated."

The Kuroeng Temple is very close; Ji Si and the others arrived in less than fifteen minutes.

Upon seeing Ji Si, she merely glanced a few times, and her delicate face turned crimson. The ugly man laughed even more heartily, slapping his thigh vigorously, joyfully exclaiming: "This is the happiest day of my life, Chen Yizhi." He cheerfully ran to the donkey cart of Ji Si, leaned his upper body into the cart, revealing a set of yellow teeth, squinting his small eyes as he called out to Ji Si: "What is your esteemed surname and given name, young lady?"

It turned out that everyone had come following the sound of the flute, but upon their arrival, all eyes were unconsciously drawn to the center of the pavilion.

At the moment when Xie Lang looked at Ji Si in astonishment, the laughter of the young gentlemen resounded throughout the heavens and the earth

At this moment, Ji Si was striving to calm her heart. The words of this young man carried a hint of the northern dialect that Ji Si found difficult to understand, so she vaguely caught only the phrase "many means" associated with the term "Tu Shu".

Raising a delicate yet youthful face, Ji Sa looked at Xie Lang with her watery eyes and softly said: "My lord is indeed not a good man... Ji Sa is merely expressing what is in her heart"

At this point, he politely addressed Ji Sa, saying: "Little A Sa, you have come to Jingzhou City to visit the Ku Rong Temple, right? Oh, I have heard that seeking love at that Ku Rong Temple is quite effective." As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Ji Sa to respond, he cheerfully called out to the coachman, Uncle Li: "Let's go, head to the Ku Rong Temple." As soon as his voice fell, with a gesture, a whistle sounded, and several ox carts drove over, surrounding Ji Sa's donkey cart on all sides, forcing the donkey cart to accompany him. He did not wait for Ji Sa to speak and cheerfully called out to the coachman, Uncle Li: "Let's go, head to the Ku Rong Temple." As soon as his voice fell, with a gesture, a whistle sounded, and several ox carts drove over, surrounding Ji Sa's donkey cart on all sides, forcing the donkey cart to accompany him.

As for the one who spoke, he was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Although his appearance was unattractive, it exuded a unique and ancient charm typical of a scholar-official.

Ji Si repressed the fleeting surge of whimsical thoughts and restored her heart to a state of calmness akin to still water

Ji Si's face was originally flushed with anger, as she felt that Xie Lang had helped her a few times, yet he spoke ill of her behind her back, which was truly disrespectful

Because she clearly sensed that, in such a short time, the gazes around her had become filled with many vigilant, hateful, disdainful, and probing looks...! ... And the owners of those gazes were none other than the admirers of Xie Shiba, who had scattered half the mountain!

Following the sound of the flute, a group of people quickly arrived at the mountainside. This mountainside is a vast platform made of blue stone, upon which several pavilions and a winding corridor have been constructed

The gentleman in white sat on the couch, intently playing chess with the monk, yet he emanated a certain radiance that made the expansive green mountains and the flowing streams between them appear dazzling and magnificent