Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 67 Arrival in Lizhou

She didn't know why she came here, nor why the space she opened was her old house, nor how the god of fate would arrange her next step. She was only certain of one thing: she was truly very, very far away from that past life, as distant as the starry sky before her eyes.

As for the jade buckle mark on her hand... Gu Qingyue always felt as if some unseen force had arranged everything long ago.

When Mu Yun Chu walked out of the hall, she saw Gu Qing Yue staring blankly at the night sky, motionless.

He didn't have time to ask her how she felt; he simply stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder.

"Let's go."

"Okay," Gu Qingyue replied, snapping out of her reverie.

As the moon rose high in the sky, Gu Qingyue returned to the cave where Rong Qingqing and the others were resting, carrying three rabbits and a roe deer.

Before we even got close, we saw Wen Qinghong and Xiao Zhen running towards us with long strides.

"Qingyue, are you lost? Why did it take you so long?" The two boys' worried expressions made Gu Qingyue feel very apologetic. She patted their shoulders and gestured for them to go inside and talk.

After entering the cave and looking around, they realized that Liu Feng and the others were not there either.

“They all went to look for you. Your senior brother was injured, but he couldn’t be persuaded to leave, so he went too,” Rong Qingqing said, putting down Xiao Nian, who had just fallen asleep in her arms, and walking over to check her over before speaking.

"I ran into a bit of trouble. I'll go find my senior brothers first, and we'll talk when I get back." After saying that, he put down his prey and prepared to go find someone.

"They're back, they're back!" Xiao Zhen called from the cave entrance.

It was a quarter of an hour later when the group finally sat down neatly in front of the fire.

Gu Qingyue looked around. Everyone was there, no one was injured, and no one had fallen behind. Good.

Gu Qingyue took the little fox out of her bosom and placed it next to the fire. Everyone's eyes widened instantly. Being young, they were all incredibly curious and couldn't wait to come over and get a good look at the little guy.

Seeing so many teenagers in front of her, the little fox immediately started dancing wildly.

Its new home is amazing, there are so many people there!

Its family is amazing, they're all so good-looking!

Oh, there's a little kid too. Wow, those eyelashes are so long!

Gu Qingyue looked at the little fox that was starting to dance on Xiao Nian's belly, pressed her brow, and quickly reached out to pick it up and hold it in her palm.

"Be quiet for a while, or I'll roast you and eat you right now," Gu Qingyue said, pressing down on the little guy's defiant little body.

Looking up again, I saw pairs of curious and surprised eyes that almost pierced through the little fox under my command, as well as restless hands.

The little fox turned around and was startled.

Gu Qingyue said she was feeling a bit emotionally exhausted.

After calming herself down, Gu Qingyue recounted her experiences on her journey, omitting, of course, the details related to the space.

Upon hearing this, the boys were stunned for only a moment before erupting into a cacophony of noise.

"Qingyue, you're amazing!"

"Qingyue, can you take me with you next time you go out? I also want to catch spies from Nanzhao."

"Qingyue, me too, me too! We can run really fast now."

"Get out of my way, I'm better than you, Qingyue, take me with you next time."

"They're all unreliable. I'm the most careful, right, Qingyue, you know that..."

Gu Qingyue's head was buzzing.

"Alright, alright, you brats, go and rest. Let Qingyue rest too."

Rong Qingqing couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up to defuse the situation.

Gu Qingyue smiled, signaling everyone to go and rest, then stood up and walked towards Liu Feng and the four teenagers.

They had all been silent for a moment, and Gu Qingyue knew that the four teenagers were still unfamiliar with each other, which was why they remained quiet. But her senior brother…

Tonight is acting a bit strange!

"Senior brother!" Gu Qingyue sat down next to Liu Feng.

"You still know to come back? Do you know how dangerous this forest is!" Liu Feng looked at the boy who sat down so casually and said with a hint of disappointment.

"I know, it's alright now, I promise I won't do it again!" Gu Qingyue quickly admitted her mistake.

"Do you still remember what the sect leader told you?" Liu Feng asked again.

Gu Qingyue scratched her head: "You're the best?"

The willow breeze was silent.

"Should we prioritize taking care of ourselves?" Gu Qingyue straightened her expression and asked tentatively.

"It's good that you remember. The sect leader only has you as his last disciple. If something happens to you, how can I explain it to him?" Liu Feng said earnestly.

Elderly people?

Thinking of that handsome middle-aged man, if he were an elderly person, he would be called great-grandfather at fifty.

Gu Qingyue retorted defiantly, "Master is the youngest and most handsome!"

Liu Feng rolled his eyes inelegantly: "Is that the point?"

Gu Qingyue awkwardly touched her nose.

"Go and rest. We can set off tomorrow. Our injuries are nothing to worry about," Liu Feng nodded to the four teenagers watching nearby.

"Yes, yes, Qingyue, don't waste our time. We're not seriously injured, we're just... hungry. We can walk without any problem," the boys patted their chests in unison to assure them.

Sister Rong has already applied medicine to their wounds today, and they are much better now.

"Okay, let's go tomorrow then," Gu Qingyue patted the shoulders of the boys, got up, and walked towards their resting place.

It was four days later when they finally entered Lizhou City.

Gu Qingyue stood at the city gate, looking at the rows of antique buildings. This was a bit different from what she had imagined. On the main street of the city, most of the buildings were two to three stories high, and some were even five or six stories high. In particular, several silver shops, cloth shops, tea shops, and money shops were decorated in a grand and luxurious style, making it more prosperous than Liquan County by more than one or two levels.

Gu Qingyue finally experienced the true charm of ancient metropolises.

"What are you looking at so intently?" Rong Qingqing patted Gu Qingyue's shoulder.

Gu Qingyue snapped out of her daze and realized she had been standing there for quite a while. She turned around and looked at the large group of people behind her, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

This group of people really looked like refugees; while they weren't completely naked, they were certainly—hadn't showered for days, and each of them had a uniquely styled mess of hair…

Thank goodness it's winter, otherwise, the smell...

"Brother, brother, where are we going to stay?" Xiao Nian rolled over to her side in a very round way, grabbed her leg, and started shouting.

He was so hungry, and his short legs were too tired to walk anymore!

Why is my brother still spacing out?

Gu Qingyue snapped out of her daze, pinched his slightly reddened cheeks, chuckled, picked him up, and walked forward side by side with Rong Qingqing.

They found a clean little inn to stay in, had lunch, and then everyone returned to their rooms. They were all exhausted from the past few days, so Rong Qingqing suggested that they rest well after dinner and go out for a walk in the evening.

Back in her simple room, after washing up and changing into new clothes she had bought next door, Gu Qingyue felt alive again. Life in the mountains had been so hard; not to mention, not being able to take a bath could have driven her crazy.

After the waiter carried the bath tub out, Gu Qingyue locked the door.

After looking around the simple guest room and making sure the windows and doors were closed, Gu Qingyue slipped into the space.

As soon as I entered, I was pounced on by the little fox Moon.

On the way to Lizhou, the little guy was always causing trouble and making a ruckus, playing tricks on the group of teenagers, especially since some of them were injured and had no way to complain.

So, for everyone's sake, she threw the little moon into space.

When it was told that it had gone to forage for food, no one doubted it.

I took the little one into the villa and went up to my master bedroom on the second floor.

Gu Qingyue felt a long-lost feeling. When she opened the wardrobe and saw her clothes, she almost couldn't hold back her tears.