Shang Ruyi looked at his noticeably deeper eyes and said with a faint smile, "Alright."
So, the two turned around and walked back.
As they walked out of the giant wooden door, Shang Ruyi glanced back at the silent grain warehouse, a place that could manipulate so many hearts across the world. At this moment, it lay as peaceful as it was initially, yet in such silence, who knows how many surging undercurrents stir in places unseen.
After leaving the warehouse, neither of them spoke again, continuing their silent walk until they reached that small door.
Shang Ruyi had nowhere else to go, so naturally, she could only return to the previous courtyard. Meanwhile, Xiao Yuansui had his own matters to attend to and needed to avoid Lu Yong, so it was clear he had to go elsewhere—the two should part ways here.
However, when they reached the door, Shang Ruyi’s steps slowed.
And Xiao Yuansui, seemingly sensing her hesitation along the way, turned to her with a gentle smile in his eyes and said, "Does the Young Madam have something to say to me?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at him, hesitating again for a moment.
Xiao Yuansui said, "If the Young Madam has something to say, please feel free."
After thinking for a moment, Shang Ruyi said, "Actually, it’s nothing much. I was just thinking, once the Young Master arrived at Wanggang Village, I’m sure he met many new friends. They must admire you greatly and are very loyal."
Xiao Yuansui smiled and said, "Indeed, I consider myself quite fortunate."
Shang Ruyi hesitated again before saying, "Then, Young Master Xiao, do you still remember old acquaintances?"
This question clearly surprised Xiao Yuansui a little. He looked at Shang Ruyi and asked, "Who does the Young Madam mean?"
Before Shang Ruyi could answer, he immediately said, "Lu Xiao?"
Shang Ruyi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately looked up at him: "Young Master Xiao, you still remember her?"
Xiao Yuansui’s expression became somewhat complex: "The Young Madam has always resided in the Eastern Capital, and among my old acquaintances there, few remain. Besides, the Young Madam is a woman, and tends to think about other women."
At this point, he let out a light laugh and said, "Does the Young Madam have news about her to share with me?"
Although she brought up the topic herself, at this moment, Shang Ruyi instead hesitated, deliberating for quite a while before saying softly, "She was captured by Wang Shaoji."
Xiao Yuansui’s expression remained unchanged, but a cold light flickered in his eyes.
After a moment of silence, he sneered, "In the end, he got what he wished for, didn’t he?"
Afterward, he looked at Shang Ruyi again, his face having returned to a calm demeanor, and said, "However, the Young Madam need not worry about Lu Xiao; she’s someone who knows very well how to survive. In this world, there are not many like you, Young Madam, who remain unmoved by adversity and choose to preserve their integrity while surrounded by wolves."
Shang Ruyi thought to herself that when Lu Xiao brought the Divine Arm Bow, it seemed to be the same situation.
She had to find a way to survive.
To survive, people in this world inevitably have to do many unwanted things, perhaps even smiling through them, but who knows whether the smile on her face conceals laughter or tears.
Shang Ruyi sighed softly and said, "No, I didn’t bring her up to say she is pathetic."
"I just think, being alone, without any support after Young Master Xiao turned to the woods, she must be pitied."
"If one day, Young Master Xiao can see her again—"
"Even if you don’t forgive her, please show her some mercy."
Xiao Yuansui showed a surprised expression, looking down at her for a moment, half-smiling as he said, "The Young Madam seems to understand her well? Did you become familiar?"
"No, I only met her once."
"Then why speak on her behalf?"
"As Young Master Xiao just said, I’m a woman and tend to think about other women."
Xiao Yuansui looked at her in silence for a while, then gave a faint smile and said, "Apologies for leaving you."
Finishing with a polite gesture, he turned and headed towards the assembly hall.
As she watched his tall and graceful silhouette, Shang Ruyi felt a heaviness in her heart, but said nothing more, only sighing as she turned away.
On the way back, she felt that the people passing by seemed to become busier.
Some were hurriedly forming groups, while others ran past her carrying bundles of swords, bows, and arrows, their gazes lingering on her with hostility.
She didn’t mind, but when passing by a courtyard, she heard the sharp rustling from inside.
This sound was familiar to her.
It was the sound of arrows piercing through the air, but it was particularly light and swift, unlike what she had heard before in the military camp or even when Yu Wenye practiced archery.
So she walked over and stood at the doorway, seeing a spacious courtyard. On the eastern side was a row of targets, now embedded with many arrows, each precisely in the bullseye; on the western side stood a familiar tall figure, none other than the Divine Archer Hua Ziyang.
He wore just a simple shirt, his frame lean but beneath the thin fabric were noticeably muscled contours.
At that moment, he wiped the sweat from his brow with a cloth, tossed it aside, turned to look at the targets, and then took several arrows from the Arrow Tube at his back, moving to the front of the first target.
Immediately, the air in the courtyard tensed.
Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but hold her breath, watching him closely.
She saw him take a deep breath, then start walking forward. As his first step landed, he deftly drew an arrow, nocked it, and with a seamless motion released it—a new arrow now in the bullseye!
Such skilled archery!
Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but silently applaud in her heart.
Yet, Hua Ziyang did not stop.
After shooting the first arrow, he kept walking, maintaining a steady pace. His bow hand remained as stable as a rock, while his right hand incessantly drew, nocked, and released arrows; the sharp whistling of arrows cutting through the air continued, relentless like a tense and urgent battle song!
When he finally stopped, a perfectly aligned row of arrows now adorned the targets, each one hitting its mark without a single one missing!