Untouchable Lovers-Chapter 244 - 222 Spring Returns After Winter
Chapter 244: Chapter 222 Spring Returns After Winter
Chapter 244 -222 Spring Returns After Winter
Rong Zhi had originally intended to fully understand this issue before making a decision. He was always one to plan thoroughly and cut decisively, rarely acting without clear thoughts, yet he also knew of Guan Canghai’s strength; killing Chu Yu would be an easy feat. By the time Rong Zhi’s doubts would have dissipated, Chu Yu might have long become a corpse.
He vaguely felt a premonition that, should he ignore this matter today and let Chu Yu be killed, he might regret it in the future.
Rong Zhi had also questioned himself whether he had developed feelings for Chu Yu similar to those Tian Rujing harbored—he was calculative and decisive, seasoned and worldly, not one to be utterly confused by emotions like Tian Rujing, who could be oblivious to his own deep affections; nor was he like Huan Yuan, who clearly harbored feelings yet continued to deceive himself, not even daring to admit it to himself—if he truly had such feelings, he should have figured out a coping mechanism early on to keep these emotions in check.
He was a person of calmness and cruelty, unafraid to confront his heart should he perceive a possibility.
Yet, the outcome left him perplexed: he could understand the fervent, lingering gaze hidden in Tian Rujing’s eyes, and he could understand Huan Yuan’s jealousy, suppressed by reason, but when it came to his own feelings, it was nearly impossible to discern them clearly.
What is admiration?
What is yearning?
He, who was always as cold as ice and snow, found himself disconcerted when that ice or snow showed signs of melting due to a slight warmth, and the more he delved deep into his musings, the interactions he had with Chu Yu became vivid scenes that surged in his mind.
However, this was not love. He remained calm and rational, sharp and resilient, never infatuated or in distress, never sorrowful with yearning. To be emotionally invested, one should be like Tian Rujing, or at the very least like Huan Yuan; it certainly shouldn’t be the state he was in now.
The fact that he could still afford the leisure to ponder whether he was emotionally involved perhaps indicated he had not fallen in love.
…Yet it was undeniable, he was still perturbed.
Rong Zhi understood what this was caused by: what Chu Yu had done had greatly shaken him, destabilizing his firm inner world. Therefore, if he wanted to restore his inner peace, he probably needed to repay this enormous debt of gratitude first.
From this perspective, his earlier words to Guan Canghai weren’t exactly lies, just omitting many details.
Guan Canghai, hearing Rong Zhi’s prolonged silence without response, was not in a hurry but merely sneered coldly, “Since you refuse to speak, let it be. Others may not know you, but do I not? You appear to be free from desires, noble and refined, yet your thoughts run deeper and your schemes weigh heavier than anyone else’s. If you weren’t scheming, why would you take the trouble to speak to me?”
His cold laughter lingered, and although his eyes could not see, his senses were extremely sharp. He could feel Rong Zhi sitting right before him, and even sense his gaze and expression: “Am I right or not?” It was a truly peculiar sensation; he could sense everything around him, the presence of any object, all within his perception.
Although he had lost his sight, his other senses were utilized to the fullest extent.
Rong Zhi did not rebut, simply saying indifferently, “If you say it is, then it is. It’s just that my scheme, I’m afraid, cannot be disclosed to you.”
Guan Canghai dropped the subject, saying, “Very well, we won’t ask the reason, only the outcome. I fear I may not be able to comply with your request. My father, who is also your master, once received favors from the elder He Ji. Now that he, holding the token, has come with promises, as a son, it is only right for me to act on my father’s behalf.”
It was a matter of promises, on one side was the debt owed by his father to others, on the other was the bet he had just lost to Rong Zhi. How were these to be weighed?
Rong Zhi quietly awaited what Guan Canghai had to say next.
Guan Canghai smiled and said, “So, let’s have another match. If you win, you may ask me to go against my father’s last words. That way, if I abandon my purpose for this trip, it wouldn’t be difficult for me. If by chance I win, then the game you won earlier will be voided.”
Rong Zhi weighed his options and knew this was Guan Canghai’s limit in making concessions. Using two promises to defeat one, this was already very generous to him. He nodded in agreement and said, “That would be good. Elder brother, do you still want to play another game?”
He said this deliberately, but Guan Canghai didn’t get angry, only calmly responding, “Your skills in chess are beyond me now. If we were to play another round, it would just be me letting you win on purpose.” He pushed the chess jar towards Rong Zhi and then stood up, picking up his fishing rod, “Let’s decide the outcome with our martial arts. It’s simpler and clearer that way.”
Guan Canghai held the rod with one hand, the tip of the fishing rod lightly touching the snowy ground. Even though it was just a common bamboo fishing rod, Rong Zhi knew that in Guan Canghai’s hands, it would become a dreadful weapon.
When they had parted several years ago, he was no match for Guan Canghai. Now, years had passed, and Guan Canghai devoted himself to meditation and cultivation, while he suffered great damage to his body and health, widening the gap even further.
However, Rong Zhi said nothing. He simply lifted the chessboard, revealing a jet-black longsword buried beneath the snow, from hilt to scabbard, it was a deep, unadulterated black… Drawing the sword, the blade was also black as ink.
Since he decided to stop Guan Canghai here, he had made the necessary preparations.
This was the tacit understanding between brothers, as well as their trading rules.
Watching Rong Zhi slowly stand up, Guan Canghai focused, on guard. Although he had been slightly stronger than Rong Zhi several years ago, his father had said that Rong Zhi had greater talent, and given time, he would surely surpass him. He wondered if that time had come.
Rong Zhi stood up straight, but the next second, he suddenly collapsed onto the ground.
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Winter passed and spring returned, and before you knew it, spring was upon them again.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
Chu Yu, along with Huan Yuan and others, escaped from the Southern Song and entered Northern Wei, having lived in Luoyang City for some time now.
This year’s spring seemed to arrive particularly early. They had barely shaken off their deep winter slumber when the snow melted, and tiny, sharp, adorable new greens poked out of the soil.
But within Chu Garden, the lingering laziness of winter remained. Chu Yu didn’t rise from bed until the sun was three poles high and then took a leisurely hour to wash up and eat. After strolling around the residence a bit, he brought over You Lan and asked, “Have you seen Huan Yuan?” Huan Yuan was missing again, even his usual haunt, the study, was empty.
You Lan thought for a moment and replied respectfully, “Young Master Huan went to the south of the city early this morning.”
“Oh.” Upon hearing that Huan Yuan was in the city’s south, Chu Yu had a good idea of where he had gone. With nothing better to do, he thought he might as well look for him and take the opportunity to stroll through the streets.
The place where Chu Yu was staying is named Jingning Li, located outside Qingyang Gate in Luoyang City. “Li” was an ancient administrative unit for residences, similar to a modern “XX community,” typically housing five hundred to a thousand families. Since arriving in Luoyang City, Chu Yu had noticed that the streets were laid out in a neat and grand intricate pattern, with houses and streets all orderly, looking like squares on a map.
And the streets of Luoyang were very straight and wide. Walking down the streets, even with several carriages traveling side by side, felt spacious and uncramped.
Chu Yu strolled lazily along the side of the street, past Qingyang Gate, through Kaiyang Gate, and not far from there, outside the Kaiyang Gate, he saw Huan Yuan standing among a set of stone steles.
