As If We Were Face to Face

Jinzhou.

Xishan County.

Dragon Soaring Escort Agency.

"Zhou Ming, I'm back!"

Wen Ruoxi pushed open Fang Men to Zhou Ming's room and looked at the clean, empty chamber.

Where was he?

She slowly closed the door.

After lingering for a moment, she headed toward the training ground.

Passing through the corridor, she looked at the dozen or so figures on the training ground. It took her a while to recognize one of them.

She called toward the training ground, "Yang Shu, come here."

Yang Shu had noticed Wen Ruoxi's arrival early on. Hearing her call, he hurried over at a jog.

He bowed slightly and said, "Chief Escort, what are your orders?"

Wen Ruoxi asked, "Where is Zhou Ming?"

Yang Shu replied, "I don't know. After I drank with Brother Zhou more than a month ago, I haven't seen him since."

Hearing that, Wen Ruoxi waved her hand. "Alright, go back to training."

Yang Shu smiled. "Chief Escort, you might as well ask the other escort chiefs. Perhaps they'll have an answer."

Wen Ruoxi nodded. After Yang Shu returned to the training ground, her brows lifted slightly.

In the entire escort agency, Zhou Lang did not have many friends—only those three.

He had been missing for more than a month?

Calculating the time, was that when I had just left the escort agency?

After pondering for a long while, she muttered, "Forget it. I'll go back and change first."

After Wen Ruoxi left, three figures slowly emerged from a concealed corner of the training ground.

Wang Quan stretched and said, "That girl has really fallen for him. You two should think of how to coax her."

"..." x2

Wen Ruoxi returned to her room. After closing the door, she walked straight to her dressing table.

Looking at the dressing table, which had not been cleaned in a long time,

she felt a little helpless.

When would Cui'er ever fix that careless habit of hers?

"Hm? What is this?"

Looking at the extra item on the dressing table, she picked up the overturned mirror.

Then, four neat characters entered her sight.

For Ruoxi's personal attention.

Seeing those four words, she was somewhat puzzled. She set down the mirror, picked up the letter, and opened it.

"My dear: seeing these words is like seeing me. The trifling matters at home have already been explained by the three elders. With my aptitude, I will surely succeed within two years and welcome you into my home."

"That day, when I saw the bronze mirror on your dressing table, I was deeply dissatisfied. It did not deserve you. The item with this letter is a small gift from me. I hope you like it."

"Ruoxi."

"Of the three thousand fleeting worlds, there are three things I love."

"The sun, the moon, and you."

"The sun is morning; the moon is dusk."

"You are every morning and every dusk."

Signed: Your Zhou Lang.

After reading the letter,

the ever-calm and self-possessed Wen Ruoxi felt as though her face were on fire.

Yet a faint pain tugged at her heart. Naturally, she understood what the trifling matters mentioned in the letter referred to.

She did not blame the three elders, but neither did she approve of what they had done.

Putting away the letter, she picked up the mirror beside her.

Looking at the back of the mirror,

it was a little ugly, but Zhou Lang gave it to me. I like everything he gives me.

Then she turned the mirror over.

Her gaze remained fixed on the mirror. She froze slightly, one small hand covering her lips as a gleam of astonishment rippled through her eyes.

Wen Ruoxi gazed at the figure in the mirror, examining it closely until even her breathing quickened.

Then she played with the mirror in her hand, the amazement and delight in her eyes impossible to conceal.

After a long while, she opened the drawer of the dressing table and searched through it until she finally found a jade box of suitable size.

After taking out the item inside, she wrapped the mirror in her handkerchief and gently placed it into the jade box.

Wen Ruoxi's pretty face flushed faintly as she whispered, "Zhou Lang, I really like this gift."

At that moment, a tentative voice sounded from outside.

"Um, Ruoxi, you've just returned. Aren't you hungry?"

"I had the servants prepare a whole table of your favorite dishes. Come eat first."

Listening to the voice outside,

Wen Ruoxi calmly said, "Uncle Yang, I'm not hungry."

"Ruoxi, you should still come out and eat something."

Inside the room, Wen Ruoxi remained calm as she said, "Uncle Wu, I'm really not hungry."

Yang Zhengxing and Wu Quan paced back and forth anxiously outside the room.

Wang Quan leaned against the courtyard wall, spat out a melon seed shell, and laughed. "Stop pacing around. You're making my eyes spin."

Yang Zhengxing and Wu Quan exchanged a glance, then slowly turned to look at Wang Quan.

Seeing the two men roll up their sleeves, Wang Quan froze. Ignoring the melon seeds he had just put into his mouth, he shouted, "Girl, I sent that kid Zhou to take the Martial Examination! You'll see him at the examination, so come out and eat!"

Bang!

The door opened.

"Three uncles, let's go!"

Seeing the fist only an inch from his eyes, Wang Quan let out a breath of relief.

Swatting away the two fists, Wang Quan said irritably, "Let's go. Didn't you hear the girl calling you?"

After they had eaten and drunk their fill,

Yang Zhengxing slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "We're going to Jinzhou tomorrow? Isn't that too rushed?"

Wu Quan said anxiously, "The Martial Academy may have high-grade meat, but everything there is decided by strength."

Wen Ruoxi set down her bowl and chopsticks. Her eyes shone brightly as she said, "Three uncles, I've reached the Seventh-Rank Peak."

"..." x3

Yang Zhengxing sighed. "Then it is time for you to go to the Martial Academy."

Wu Quan was still worried. "Ruoxi, the Martial Academy gathers the elite Martial Artists of an entire province. Though you've reached the Seventh-Rank Peak, be extra careful when dealing with the prodigies on the Martial Ranking."

Yang Quan took a sip of wine and said gloomily, "You should have gone long ago. Three years—even with the girl's outstanding talent, the gap has still widened considerably."

After listening to the three of them,

Wen Ruoxi stood up. "I'll leave the escort agency to the three uncles. I'll pack up and set off."

Without waiting for them to speak again, she turned and left.

Watching her disappearing figure, Yang Quan smiled. "That girl is still the same as ever."

Wu Quan said, "She's been like this since childhood—opinionated and swift as thunder, fierce as wind."

Wang Quan picked up the wine jar and walked over to sit beside Yang Zhengxing.

After filling Yang Zhengxing's empty wine bowl, he leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "Second Brother, what did the letter on the girl's dressing table say?"

After drinking, Yang Zhengxing remained silent.

"Come on, tell me. Fourth Brother is an honest man, so he definitely wouldn't look. I reckon he doesn't even know about this. As for me, I'm a gentleman of upright conduct, so naturally I wouldn't look either."

Yang Zhengxing raised a hand and pointed at his empty wine bowl.

After the bowl was filled,

he glanced at Wang Quan, who was acting like a fawning lackey, and sneered. "You really want to know?"

At that moment, Wu Quan silently picked up his wine cup, his ears twitching slightly.

Wang Quan sat beside Yang Zhengxing, turned sideways, and craned his head out with an attentive look. "Second Brother, tell me about it."

After drinking,

Yang Zhengxing slowly stretched his body and gave a long stretch, raising both hands high.

Then he suddenly brought them down.

One slap landed squarely on Wang Quan's head.

Bang!

A huge force struck him, and Wang Quan's head crashed into the table with a muffled thud.

"You dog bastard! Fourth Brother is honest, you're a gentleman of upright conduct, so that makes me a petty man who slips around doing sneaky, chicken-stealing, dog-thieving things?"

Wang Quan's head buzzed. Before he could recover from his daze, Yang Zhengxing's furious roar rang in his ears.

Seeing this, Wu Quan, who had been pricking up his ears nearby, hurriedly brought his wine to his lips.

Luckily, I, Wu Quan, am honest. I didn't directly ask.

Third Brother, your fourth brother raises a cup to you. You have suffered this calamity in my stead.

Wu Quan immediately stood up, pointed at Wang Quan, and scolded, "Third Brother, how can you speak of Second Brother like that? How could Second Brother ever do something so filthy?"

After saying that, he followed in Yang Zhengxing's footsteps and walked out of the dining hall.

Wang Quan finally came back to his senses in the dining hall, rubbing his reddened forehead.

Fine, fine, so this is how you want to play it!