Chapter 19

Chapter 19:  Love, after wandering for half a lifetime, returns to the starting line

 Su Xueyin’s face was full of shock:

“You’ve been hiding here all this time?”

Sang Nian scratched her head: “I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get up, so I stayed here last night.”

Chu Yao: “Then who did your maid see this morning?”

Sang Nian: “She didn’t see me. I had my parrot talk to her through the window. It can mimic my voice, so others can’t tell the difference.”

Chu Yao’s eyes lit up, and she reached out:

“Let me see your parrot.”

Sang Nian pulled out Liu Liu, who was pretending to be dead, from her sleeve. Chu Yao carefully took it and went to the side with Su Xueyin to curiously examine it.

Wen Buyu coughed lightly: “Miss Sang, is it that City Lord Sang doesn’t allow you to go with us?”

Sang Nian rubbed her hands together: “Haha, well… my brother isn’t very supportive.”

Wen Buyu shook his head: “If that’s the case, I must send you back.”

Sang Nian: “No! I finally managed to get out.”

Wen Buyu said: “Miss Sang, you’re still young. Doing this will worry your brother.”

“I’m not young,” Sang Nian said, “I’m a year older than Chu Yao.”

Wen Buyu still shook his head.

Sang Nian knew that he was really capable of turning around and going back, and she was so anxious that she was sweating cold sweat.

Suddenly, the flying boat stopped.

Sang Nian asked: “Did you do that?”

Wen Buyu was also taken aback: “It wasn’t me.”

Xie Chenzhou, who was standing nearby, said concisely:

“Sang Qiyan.”

Sang Nian let out a groan in her heart. She should have let Liu Liu pretend for a little longer.

With Sang Qiyan in front and Wen Buyu behind, she knew she couldn’t escape, so she could only go out with a stiff smile.

Another flying boat was docked next to theirs in the clouds, with a small bridge connecting the two. A young man in purple clothes walked over with his hands behind his back.

He stood on the deck, looking at Sang Nian, who was timidly approaching, his face expressionless.

“Brother…” Sang Nian looked at his face and said weakly, “I don’t want to go back.”

Sang Qiyan stared at her for a long time, then sighed:

“Alright, then don’t go back.”

Sang Nian was both surprised and delighted: “You agree to let me go with them?”

Sang Qiyan patted her head:

“Whatever makes you happy.”

Sang Nian almost jumped up: “Of course I’m happy! I’m so happy!”

“When you’re out there, be careful,” Sang Qiyan said with a worried expression, “Don’t forget what brother told you.”

“Yes, yes,” Sang Nian hurriedly said, “If anyone asks, I’ll just say my name is Sang Nian, and I have nothing to do with Qingzhou City.”

A little smile appeared on his face, and he handed her a brand new storage pouch, “This is your medicine, as well as some snacks you like and some defensive artifacts. Make sure you carry them with you.”

Sang Nian: “Okay, okay.”

Sang Qiyan then took out a light and nimble long sword, his fingertips tracing the exquisite patterns engraved on the scabbard:

“This was left behind by your mother. Take it with you today, as a memento.”

Sang Nian took it with both hands, “Does it have a name?”

Sang Qiyan said: “Maybe it did, but I don’t know.”

Sang Nian tried to draw the sword from its sheath.

It wouldn’t budge.

No wonder he said it was a memento.

It really only served as a memento.

She put the sword away, reached out and hugged Sang Qiyan, patting his back:

“Brother, thank you.”

Sang Qiyan was stunned, then he curved his eyes slightly, “Remember to write to brother. Tell me about everything, happy or unhappy.”

“Yes, yes, I will!” Sang Nian let go of him, took a step back, and pretended to be relaxed, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll come back if I can’t make it.”

Sang Qiyan: “Alright, brother will be waiting for that day.”

He glanced at the people behind her, nodded to Wen Buyu, and his gaze lingered on Xie Chenzhou for a few seconds. The warmth on his face instantly disappeared.

“Take good care of my sister, otherwise, I will make you regret being born into this world.”

After throwing this sentence down, he strode across the bridge:

“Let’s go.”

With a muffled sound, the bridge retracted, and the flying boat started again.

Sang Nian leaned on the railing, with half her body sticking out, she waved her arms vigorously:

“Take care!”

Sang Qiyan refused to turn around, only waving back to her.

The flying boat went further and further away. His figure was hidden behind layers of white clouds, disappearing without a trace.

Sang Nian withdrew her gaze, looked at the storage pouch that Sang Qiyan gave her again and again, carefully put it in her arms, tidied her hair that had been blown by the wind, and sat down on the steps leading from the deck to the cabin, lost in thought.

Wen Buyu didn’t mention sending her back again, “The wind is strong outside, come inside and sit.”

Sang Nian: “I’ll go in after I blow the wind for a while.”

Wen Buyu nodded and went to steer the ship, holding the map.

Chu Yao and Su Xueyin sat down beside her, returning Liu Liu to her, and said with a troubled expression:

“No matter how we tease it, it won’t speak.”

Sang Nian grabbed a handful of melon seeds from her storage pouch and gave them to them, “Use this.”

Sure enough, as soon as it saw the melon seeds, Liu Liu stopped pretending to be dead, jumped up and reached for her hand:

“Give it to me, give it to me.”

Chu Yao and Su Xueyin were amused, they took the melon seeds and continued to tease it.

Sang Nian clapped her hands and looked around:

“Where’s Xie Chenzhou?”

Chu Yao didn’t look up: “He’s with Senior Brother.”

Sang Nian stretched her neck and looked towards the second floor of the cabin. Sure enough, Xie Chenzhou was standing next to Wen Buyu.

She didn’t know what Wen Buyu said, but his eyebrows were furrowed into a knot, and the veins on his forehead twitched:

“Say it again, where is south?”

Wen Buyu carefully raised his left hand:

“Here?”

Seeing that his face was wrong, he quickly switched to his right hand:

“Is it here?”

Xie Chenzhou clenched his fist: “What direction is the flying boat currently heading towards?”

Wen Buyu understood: “The front is north, the back is south, right?”

Xie Chenzhou looked silently at the rising sun in front of him.

After a long time, he took a deep breath:

“Where’s your compass?”

Wen Buyu suddenly realized: “Yes, I can use the compass to identify directions.”

He was full of gratitude: “Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother.”

Xie Chenzhou gave a forced smile:

“You’re welcome.”

Wen Buyu found his compass, activated it with a spell, and the needle on the compass started to spin.

His body slowly turned with it, trying to align with the needle.

Xie Chenzhou: “…”

Sang Nian walked over, “What’s wrong?”

Xie Chenzhou snatched his compass, suppressing the urge to throw it in his face, and gritted his teeth:

“Since we left, we’ve been circling Qingzhou for twelve full circles.”

Sang Nian: “…”

No wonder Sang Qiyan was able to catch up so quickly.

Love, after wandering for half a lifetime, returns to the starting line.

Wen Buyu looked confused:

“Did I get lost?”

Sang Nian put her hand on her forehead: “No, you just never found the way.”