One Life, One Incarnation, Beautiful Bones

58

Epilogue 2 - Ordinary Chimney Smoke

"Halt! Those two children over there!"

Eleven jumped in fright, blinking her wide eyes at Third Brother, who was holding her in his arms.

"Don't be scared. Third Brother is here." Third Brother patted her back.

More than a dozen horses had stopped near them, snorting quietly from their nostrils. Warhorses that had experienced the battlefield did indeed exude a fierceness about them.

Clutching tightly to the front of Third Brother's robe, she tilted her head to look up at the people on the horses. Behind the two of them, that man, with reins held in his hands, was framed against a background of sunlight, and he surveyed them, two still-growing children, rather carefully.

Those dark, luminous eyes bypassed the four guards and in silence, looked straight into her eyes.

Eleven cautiously returned his gaze. Quietness surrounded them... So quiet that all that could be heard was her own heartbeat.

Several sharp, ringing sounds echoed out. Their four guards' swords had been drawn from their scabbards. Four gleaming blades sheltered Third Brother and her within their protective circle. Although they were facing more than a dozen war horses, facing generals whose entire beings emitted an air of ferocity that could not be washed away, and facing even the Xiao Nanchen Prince, the one whom the crown prince still needed to behave carefully and courteously toward, the four of them would still defend the young miss of their household.

Never before had she seen such a situation, and she shrank herself back into Third Brother's embrace. However, her eyes still could not refrain from flickering over to peek at him.

At last, Zhousheng Chen pulled his gaze away, and the hand holding the whip gave an offhand wave. "There is no need to make things difficult for two children. Let us go." Upon saying this, he gave a shout at the horse, turned, and galloped away first. Behind him, his generals still had apprehensions but dared not say anything. Each also shouted at his own horse and quickly followed after Xiao Nanchen Prince, whose outline had long since vanished at the end of the road.

This was her teacher.

As Eleven stared at the dust that had been churned upwards and that white figure, her heartbeat became slower and slower. She knew that in three days, she would going with her father to formally enter into a discipleship, and he would be the man she would be following hereafter.

This unexpected initial meeting had been buried away in her heart for seven years now.

Seven years ago, she had needed the aid of Third Brother's arms before she could lean atop the city walls and see Zhousheng Chen. Seven years later, she could stand in any place to look at the "him" she wished to see.

But, he was always leaving and returning in haste. In these seven years, even during the New Year or other festivals, most of his days would be spent in the borderlands.

And even if he did return, her senior brothers and sisters would often be accompanying him. It seemed, aside from in the library tower, she could only look upon him from afar.

Several days before the eve of the New Year, the Cui Manor sent someone to bring her home, but she stated that she was ill, having been overcome by wind-cold and it was not advisable that she embark on a long journey. She took the liberty of making the decision to remain in the prince's manor. Upon hearing this news, Third Brother was genuinely panicked and brought with him one of the imperial physicians from the imperial palace to perform a pulse diagnosis on her. The old physician's brows creased together for a great amount of time, but he was unable to provide any explanation, causing Third Brother to pace around anxiously.