Zheng Xiao Mistake: The Mistake of Rebirth Provoked the Cold Master

Li Shu ran over with a head full of bird feathers, and when he saw Rong Yan, he immediately complained, "Big Brother! She ran out without permission, and she didn't listen when I told her to go back."

Rong Yan didn't respond. Xiaoxiao circled in the air, flew over and landed on his shoulder.

Zhu Zheng naturally turned a deaf ear to Li Shu's accusation and looked up to ask Rong Yan, "What did you do?"

Rong Yan's expression paused slightly and he hid his hands behind his back.

"Don't hide it, I saw the red rope in your hand." Zhu Zheng exposed it mercilessly.

Rong Yan put the red rope back into his sleeve and avoided Zhu Zheng's inquiring gaze.

"…Go make a wish."

"Make a wish?" Zhu Zheng was surprised by this answer. "Didn't you say you never make a wish?"

"I want to make a wish again." Rong Yan pursed his lips.

Zhu Zheng frowned suspiciously. She was so carefree when she said "I have nothing to ask for after I've had it" that day when she was standing on the bridge pavilion. But in just a few days, she suddenly had a wish that she had to fulfill?

But it's understandable. If a person really has no desires or demands, then what hope is there in life?

But why did making a wish cause such a big fuss, attracting everyone to come and watch?

Zhu Zheng turned her head and glanced at Rong Yan's fellow apprentices, who were surrounding the two of them.

Rong Yan seemed to have gotten used to it and walked back with Zhu Zheng in his arms.

As soon as the two turned around, a group of fellow apprentices followed them and whispered to each other behind them.

The scene was so funny that Zhu Zheng took two steps and finally couldn't help laughing out loud.

"You are just like a big duck leading the way. Wherever you go, a group of little ducks follow you."

Rong Yan stopped and looked back, and all the little ducks stopped swimming at once.

"Senior Brother..." Li Shu called out, as if he had something to say.

"Everyone, please disperse." Rong Yan said calmly, "I was not thoughtful enough in what happened today. I will accept the punishment. I hope you will take this as a warning and not follow my example."

After he finished speaking, the disciples of Yutian Temple looked at each other. Li Shu's face became even darker, and he glanced at Zhu Zheng meaningfully.

The atmosphere became somewhat serious. Zhu Zheng stopped smiling and asked Rong Yan quietly, "Is making a wish so serious?"

Rong Yan lowered his eyebrows slightly and lowered his voice, "Well... Uncle Master doesn't like to play tricks."

"But isn't this a Taoist temple?" Zhu Zheng was confused.

Rong Yan hesitated for a moment, "...Hmm."

What kind of answer is "hmm"?

But Rong Yan's "hmm" happens to be the answer to many questions.

A group of little duck fellow apprentices hesitated for a long time behind Rong Yan, looked around for a while, and finally dispersed reluctantly.

When Zhu Zheng was still thinking about why Yutian Temple couldn't play tricks, Rong Yan lightly put his arm around her shoulders.

"Are you hungry?" he asked in a low voice.

Zhu Zheng shook her head. "I ate too much for breakfast. I'm still full now."

"Then just take a walk." Rong Yan said.

The two people and the bird strolled leisurely in the garden as if they were sightseeing, looking at the sky, the clouds, the flowers and the grass. Zhu Zheng picked up wild flowers on the road as they walked and put them on Xiaoxiao's head as usual.

The weather is fine today. There are a few thin clouds hanging on the blue sky, and you can see waterfalls and rivers in the distant mountains at a glance.

"That's the hot spring flowing down the mountain." Rong Yan pointed, "Do you want to go and see it?"

"Yes." Zhu Zheng still remembers the spring water she scooped up at the foot of the mountain and misses that warm and clear feeling very much.

"Then let's go tomorrow." Rong Yan said.

As she spoke, Xiaoxiao suddenly shook her feathers, and the flowers all over her body fell to the ground. Zhu Zheng was just about to bend down to pick them up when she accidentally saw that the hem of Rong Yan's disciple uniform was stained with red stains, like a field of bright red plum blossoms.

Is this... blood?

Zhu Zheng was startled, "Sir, are you hurt?"

Rong Yan stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "It's just a cut on my hand, it's okay."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zheng looked up and saw that his left hand was clenched into a fist, with drops of blood dripping down between his fingers like red beads that had broken off the string.

"Let me see it." Zhu Zheng's heart tightened, and she couldn't help but hold his hand and pry open his clenched fist. What she saw was a long cut across his palm, so deep that the bone was visible.

Her eyes went dark, and she pressed hard on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, and asked anxiously, "When did you get cut? Go back and get it bandaged."

Rong Yan held her hand in his and brought her into his arms, "Why are your hands so cold?"

"Don't complain about your hands being cold..."

Zhu Zheng was extremely anxious, so she dragged him all the way back to the bamboo hut and searched through all the drawers and cabinets to find the medicine box.

Rong Yan was led by her to sit by the window, with his hands spread out for her to play with.

"How did you get such a deep cut?" Zhu Zheng took out a handkerchief and wiped the half-dried blood while frowning, unable to bear to look at the flesh on his palm that was turned up.

"Don't worry, it will be fine in a few days." Rong Yan tried to pull his hand back.

While saying this, his other hand kept tightly holding Zhu Zheng, not letting go for even a moment.

Obviously I really want someone to take care of it.

Zhu Zheng had some experience dealing with this kind of person who said one thing and meant another. She took out bottles of powdered medicine and while sorting out which one was for stopping bleeding, she said to Rong Yan, "You took good care of me when I was injured. Now that you are injured, if I just sit back and do nothing, do you want me to become that heartless ungrateful person?"

Rong Yan stared at her face solemnly, "I am willing, don't feel like you owe me anything."

"I am willing to do it too." Zhu Zheng replied.

Rong Yan was silent and stopped moving his hands.

After finally cleaning the wound and applying medicine powder, Zhu Zheng cut off a large piece of cloth and wrapped it around his hand. She wrapped it around and around in a flustered manner until the bony hand was wrapped into a big bun.

Rong Yan lowered his head, concentrating on watching Zhu Zheng busying herself on his hands. There was a gleam in his pale pupils, as if a faint smile was emerging.

Although it was not obvious, Zhu Zheng, who was becoming more familiar with him, could already understand that this was a sign that he was in a good mood.

"What are you laughing at, sir?" Zhu Zheng asked with a hint of complaint.

How could anyone be so happy while bleeding?

As the saying goes, "three mouthfuls of rice, one drop of blood", but he not only let the money flow out like it was free, but he was even able to calmly walk with her outside for a long time...

Rong Yan pressed the corners of his lips and said, "I'm not smiling."

"Obviously." Zhu Zheng was speechless for a while, and gently squeezed his hand through the cloth, "Sir, don't you feel the pain?"

The corners of his lips were flattened, but his clear eyes were still smiling. I didn't know if he really didn't feel any pain, or if he had already fainted from the pain.

"You should also drink a bowl of my blood-replenishing medicine tonight." Zhu Zheng tied the bandage knot and said, "The cut on the palm is not easy to heal. Don't touch it with water, don't use force, and remember to change the bandage on time."

Rong Yan looked at her tightly furrowed brows and a face full of worry, as if she was dealing with a very important matter.

"It's not that serious." He comforted Zhu Zheng.

Seeing that he still looked like he had nothing to do with the matter, Zhu Zheng said with a serious face, "I know that adults think that what I said is nonsense, but I am talking nonsense for your own good. Can't you just listen to it?"

Look at how obedient she was when she was sick and took medicine. How could someone be so careless about her own flesh and blood...

"I am listening." His eyes flickered, and his eyelids softened into a crescent shape. He stared at Zhu Zheng without blinking, "I am listening."

"That's better." Zhu Zheng felt relieved.

The faint curve of Rong Yan's lips never fell, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Not for now." Zhu Zheng thought for a while, "I'll tell you when I think of it."

"Okay." Rong Yan leaned forward slightly, nodded solemnly, and said in a gentle voice, "Follow the doctor's advice."

The bamboo forest outside the window rustled, casting broken shadows all over the ground.

Zhu Zheng looked at him nodding obediently, and somehow the memory of Master Chong Hongzi telling her about him writing his name stroke by stroke in the bamboo forest flashed back to her mind. Her heart was moved slightly, and she suddenly wanted to call him "Cheng Yi" like everyone else.

She moved her lips, but finally held back.

*

A few new incense sticks were lit in the memorial hall. When Qingping came in, he saw the master wiping the tablet of Master Chongming and humming a cheerful tune.

In the past, Master was always in a very low mood when he came to this hall. Earlier, he seemed to have had an argument with the eldest senior brother in the altar, and he sounded quite harsh. Why did he seem so happy now?

Qingping was frightened by the fact that his master showed his emotions so clearly on his face.

"Master, did anything good happen?" he asked nervously.

"What a great thing." Chong Hongzi straightened up, glanced at Qingping, smiled slightly and said, "A stagnant pool of water will eventually have a ripple..."

What does "water is not turbulent" mean? The young Qingping couldn't understand these pretentious words, "Master, what do you mean?"

Chong Hongzi looked at Qingping and handed him a handful of incense without further explanation. "Come, come, light some incense and talk to your uncle. I'm afraid he won't believe me if I tell him."

Qingping took the incense and candles: "What did you say?"

Chong Hongzi: "It is said that your senior brother opened an altar to change the fate of a girl."

"Speaking of this?" Qingping was stunned. "Master, weren't you very angry when my brother opened the altar?"

Chong Hongzi was puzzled, "I'm not angry, what should I be angry about? I can't wait to be happy."

Qingping was even more puzzled, "Since you are not angry, why don't you let Brother open it?"

"Having a wish is a great thing, but exchanging one's life for another is a matter of life and death." Chong Hongzi stroked his beard, "Two different things, two different things."

Qingping was completely confused. Just as he was trying hard to figure out the difference between the two things his master said, he heard Chong Hongzi sighing deeply.

"Things are impermanent, and everything returns to its roots." He sighed, "Just by sacrificing yourself with all your might, you may not get what you want..."

After Cheng Yi left, Chong Hongzi looked at the horoscope and calculated their fate. The two of them originally had a very shallow relationship, but suddenly they developed a bond and became entangled at some point.

Such a marriage is very rare...

Qingping scratched his head and said, "Master, I don't understand."

"You're not the only one who doesn't understand," Chong Hongzi sighed and looked at the rolling clouds outside the window, "I'm afraid your senior brother doesn't understand either..."