Chapter 65 – The Ability to Trust Others
A mountain towering into the sky fills the horizon.
…Merak Mountain, the place where one of the Five Great Sects is located.
Temple buildings scattered throughout the mountain are looming between the mountain and the forest. The peaks are hidden in the clouds. The steep peak in the center in particular, looks like a sharp sword piercing into the clouds.
“Merak Temple…” Shui Yuner retracted her gaze, looked at the archway in front of the foot of the mountain, and muttered the words carved on the archway.
The two words written in flamboyant calligraphy contain an ancient sword intent and exude an imposing aura.
Is this the Merak Temple? At a loss, Shui Yuner looked around. What entered her eyes is a dense crowd of buildings.
When looking from the sky, you can have a panoramic view of a huge building complex built around the Merak Temple.
As if embracing the Merak Temple, the buildings extending from the foot of the mountain are arranged in a picturesque disorder. The buildings belong to the Luo Tian Town that supports the Merak Temple.
At the end of the main road leading to the Merak Temple, there is an endless stream of people behind the girl.
The town is full of different kinds of people, including merchants who see business opportunities here, craftsmen with various skills, and even ordinary people.
However, the girl knows that the people who account for the largest proportion of the population are the people indirectly affiliated with the temple. Most of them are the relatives and descendants of the temple’s disciples.
“Older Sister Shui…?”
A slightly puzzled voice suddenly rushed into her ears.
The voice belongs to Nangong Mingming.
“Yes?” Shui Yuner who has returned to her senses looked at the girl in purple in front of her.
“Elder Xia and them have gone far already.” Nangong Mingming pointed with her eyes ahead of them and hinted for Shui Yuner to look.
Shui Yuner looked. Just as the other party said, Xia Xue, Xue Jiujiu, and Nangong Mingye lingering around them have already set foot on the long set of steps leading to the Merak Temple. They stopped on the steps, and are looking this way.
“Little Yun, why are you spacing out?” Xue Jiujiu stepped on her toes and put her hands in a circle in front of her mouth to amplify the sound. “Hurry up, there are close to 10,000 steps to go!”
“I’m coming.” Shui Yuner answered loudly first, and then smiled wryly at Nangong Mingming, “Sorry, I was in a daze just now. Let’s go quickly.”
“Oh…” Nangong Mingming blinked her pretty eyes, as if expressing that she doesn’t understand why Shui Yuner would be in a daze.
“Everyone has times they they are emotional!” Shui Yuner closed one eye, put her index finger in front of her lips, and uttered mischievously.
Then, without waiting for Nangong Mingming to react, she started walking.
“Hey, Older Sister Shui, wait for me!” Nangong Mingming exclaimed, caught up with the water-colored girl, and then protested, dissatisfied, “Really, Older Sister Shui, you’re awful! You don’t wait for others.”
Shui Yuner covered her mouth and snickered, peeking sideways at Nangong Mingming’s dissatisfied expression, “It’s just a little prank, Mingming, don’t take it serious.”
“Okay.” Nangong Mingming said helplessly, “It’s my loss.”
As the two talked and laughed, they caught up with Xue Jiujiu and them.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought just now.” Shui Yuner held back her smile and apologized to everyone.
“It’s all right!” Xue Jiujiu smiled foolishly, “There’s no need to apologize!”
Standing at the very front, looking like she’s unconcerned, Xia Xue played with her hair, “Is everyone here?”
She glanced at Shui Yuner and said indifferently, “Let’s go.”
Without objecting, everyone began to climb the steps extending without end. These steps were built into the mountain, with a rock wall on one side and slope and forest on the other.
The trees have grown new green leaves already. Winter is about to pass.
Suddenly, a squirrel sneaked down a big tree and climbed on top of Xue Jiujiu’s head, fearless. Sitting between the two buns, it bit at a pine cone it picked up from who knows where.
“Oh, you little guy!” The lass wrinkled her nose, looking indignant.
Be that as it may, she extended her finger to tease the little woodland critter she couldn’t see. The squirrel narrowed its eyes and rubbed against the fair finger. It has a look of enjoyment on its furry face, as if to say “how comfortable!”.
Looking at this scene, Shui Yuner was suddenly distracted a little.
How beautiful.
It’s so beautiful that it makes you want to submerge into it, and no longer think about the past.
I can’t! Shui Yuner shook her head to dispel that thought that she believes to be very dangerous.
“Little Yun.” Following a call, a mint fragrance suddenly assailed her nose.
Shui Yuner focused again, and then looked at the lass who arrived next to her at some point. She found that the squirrel on the other party’s head is watching her curiously.
How smart! Unable to keep it in, Shui Yuner poked the squirrel’s small head
“Senior Disciple Sister, is something the matter?” Sui Yuner suddenly found that the lass’s eyes resembled a bit the eyes of the squirrel – bright and spirited. It’s so funny, that she can’t help but smile gently.
“Why are you smiling?” Xue Jiujiu tilted her head slightly.
The squirrel sitting on her head almost fell off because of this. But fortunately, it caught one of the buns in time and avoided an accident.
Noticing the movement on her head, Xue Jiujiu straightened her neck in a flurry.
Shui Yuner who saw everything couldn’t restrain a soft laughter.
“Senior Disciple Sister, you’re so cute.”
“Cu… cute?” Xue Jiujiu was startled, “Me?”
Shui Yuner nodded heavily. At the same time, she made a “mhm” sound.
“Uh…” The lass’s eyes wandered immediately, and he porcelain cheecks blushed slightly.
Is she being shy? Shui Yuner finds this Senior Disciple Sister more and more interesting.
“Senior Disciple Sister, did you want something from me?” Suddenly, Shui Yuner recalled that the other party seemed to want something from her.
“Ah!” Xue Jiujiu exclaimed, as if she was roused from a dream.
Then, she touched the tip of her nose and said awkwardly, “I forgot.”
“Senior Disciple Sister, you seem very forgetful.”
Xue Jiujiu spread her hands and spoke helplessly, “If you’re old, there’s nothing you can do about it!”
“Ah. Are you already old, Senior Disciple Sister?” Shui Yuner’s eyes widened and she asked with a look of surprise on her face.
“Uh …” Xue Jiujiu froze, “I’m not kidding…”
After a moment of silence, there was a bright laughter.
“Senior Disciple Sister, you’re really amusing.”
Xue Jiujiu was taken aback for a moment, and then suddenly realized, “Oi, you’re teasing me!”
“I can’t help it! You’re reaction is really amusing, Senior Disciple Sister, I can’t help it!”
“Yo yo yo, the thief complains first!” The lass pouted unhappily.
“I thought you weren’t this petty, Senior Disciple Sister!”
Shui Yuner put on a pitiful look, but her Senior Disciple Sister just rolled her eyes grumpily.
“Yes, I am the most magnanimous person out there!”
“Then, you must not be angry with me, right?”
“I said everything I had to say, what else can I say?” Xue Jiujiu spoke in a helpless tone.
Shui Yuner sniggered a few times, and then…
“Anyhow, Senior Disciple Sister, are you really a disciple of Ancestor Xue?”
She changed the subject and decided to confirm the identity of the other party.
Although Xue Jiujiu previously stated that she is a disciple of the Merak Temple’s Young Ancestor – Xue Qilin, but Shui Yuner isn’t fully convinced. She isn’t used to trusting others completely. She once had been used to trusting others, but was hurt because of it, so she gave up the habit.
“Ah … this…” Xue Jiujiu looked away unnaturally, “Sort of.”
The lass answered rather vaguely, neither confirming nor denying.
“Sort of? What does that mean?”
“Hey, you’ll know soon enough!”
As if it were troublesome, Xue Jiujiu didn’t explain.
That response seems to say, don’t ask anymore questions!
“Oh, so ah …”
She’s not deceiving me, is she? Although the girl is skeptical, but she didn’t continue asking.
Perhaps it’s just a painful topic!
Shui Yuner tried to find a reason to persuade herself, but her heart is not at ease.
Am I no longer able to trust others? Shui Yuner felt disconsolate. Perhaps.
She must have lost the ability, the ability to trust others.
When did it start? The girl tried to remember.
It must have started the day she found out that one of the people she was close to turned out to be a spy sent by someone else to monitor her.