90. Shutting Doors
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That night, Luoyin and Yin Xing returned home to find Weiyan outside, but upon sighting them, she hastily swivelled to a bed of flowers.
"A-Tong, let's take these ones for the room!" She awkwardly gestured to Tong, who nearly tripped.
'M- My Lady, these same flowers are growing in your courtyard!' Tong thought, resisting an urge to slap her own forehead. 'Might as well say you were waiting!'
Meanwhile Luoyin's thoughts were suddenly filled with the memory of Weiyan's arms going around him in this same place, the previous evening, and his ears reddened as the air grew a bit too warm!
Thankfully, Weiyan didn't notice, and after carelessly plucking a few flowers, she and Tong hurried back inside!
Yin Xing gave a light and amused cough.
"Ahem! Elder brother, how can you avoid something that follows you?!"
"You-!" Luoyin scowled, but simply flung his sleeves and stormed into the house.
Yin Xing merely shook his head.
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Luoyin was determined to avoid Weiyan as much as possible, so the next day, he left the Yan house early intending to spend the entire day outside again.
But...
"Y- Yanyan! What are you doing here?!" Luoyin asked as the morning chill instantly vanished, and the sight of Weiyan put him in mind of the most beautiful flowers.
He had headed to the Xu Central Residence so early, only to see Weiyan there as well!
'Is Fei Yun toying with my fate?! What are the odds that she's also here this early?!'
"A-Yin!" Weiyan gave him a bright smile- the brightest he had ever seen on her face, and he felt his heart swell as an incredibly warm feeling wove around him.
"I came to discuss with father and see my sister..." She was saying, but her face fell slightly at the mention of her sister.
She hadn't seen Xu Linhua or Zhang Cheng since the Zhang Furen incident, and she had no idea how to face Linhua.
Knowing Linhua, she would likely blame her for everything, reminding her of her status as an orphan, and of all the good graces she had enjoyed for free in the Xu family...
But Weiyan gasped softly when Luoyin suddenly stepped closer and took her hand, gazing down at her.
'W- Why am I doing this?!' Luoyin wondered, but still found himself patting her hand.
"Yanyan, you have nothing to be ashamed of, so you must hold your head high at all times." Luoyin calmly told her. "The biggest thing we can't control is our own birth, if not..."
He leaned down conspiratorially. "Would I have picked Lord Zhang of all people?!"
Weiyan chuckled lightly, and Luoyin drew in a sharp breath.
He had never heard her laugh, and it teased his ears, tinkling lightly across his skin...
"Er-- Ahem!" He caught himself. "You must neither blame nor belittle yourself before anyone... Orphans are people. They didn't choose to live in this world without their birth parents, so why should they shoulder so much weight?
"Lord Xu shielded you through the years, and one must be grateful, especially to such a good father, so do your best to be filial to him, and maybe Xu Furen...
"Xu Haoyuan shouldn't bother you again, and Xu Linhua isn't even worth mentioning!
"With the best family and resources, Xu Linhua still couldn't achieve anything for herself! Even if you weren't there, she would still lose to almost every female disciple in the Sect, so she's just bitter.
"Ignore anything she says, and wear your hardships proudly." He tucked a loose strand behind her ear. "Precious things often pass the harshest tempering."
The simple gesture made Weiyan's heart race, and as he released her and went inside, she remained still, staring after him for over a minute...
'He called me 'Precious'!' She realized, and her heart was now racing a little too quickly.
Luoyin's words felt like she had longed to hear them all her life, and though he was long gone, she could still see his low-lidded, light brown irises, his smile, and those dimples...
A kind heart, added to that appearance, and so much skill... The type of husband one couldn't find, even with a lantern!
How did such a perfect person land with her?!
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A little later, Weiyan greeted Lord Xu, and then left Luoyin with him and the Sect elders.
Luoyin was visiting with the sole purpose of passing on his knowledge of seals, formations, and talismans, which was a good thing, but something about his demeanor made Lord Xu skeptical.
"Xiaoyin, why do you sound as if trouble is already approaching...? Or as if you must hurry somewhere far away?" He asked, raising a brow, but Luoyin hastily waved a hand in front of his face.
"Ah, no no, it's just in case! What would happen if more enemies appeared! Or if I'm not available?
"Besides, if more people are making them, we can sell to other Sects! Won't that bring in money?! Ehehe..."
However, Xu Wen had just arrived, and he found Luoyin's cheerful response a bit off.
He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt uneasy...
"Xu Wen!" Luoyin hailed. "You're here! I specifically asked for you, since you're already learning these things!"
And Xu Wen was forced to put the thought from his mind...
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Meanwhile, Weiyan had gone to pay respects to her mother, and Xu Furen was welcoming, inquiring about all the right things, but equally distant.
Xu Furen didn't hate her, but unfortunately Xu Linhua did, and showing Weiyan favour would hurt Linhua, who was already in a bad place.
Weiyan could understand, but it still hurt...
However, she recalled Luoyin's words and sighed.
There wasn't much she could do to move Xu Furen, so she simply bowed and excused herself.
Next, she went to Xu Linhua's yard, and that went exactly as expected...
"Hmph, if it isn't the beggar picked from the roadside! Sister, have you come to laugh at our joke?" Linhua instantly sneered.
"Greetings, Elder Sister." Weiyan gave a small bow, and then another towards the veiled bed. "Elder brother-in-law."
"Tch, why so pretentious? You no longer need to respect us, do you?"
"If you don't speak, no one will believe you're mute!" Zhang Cheng's voice came from behind the bed curtain, and he swung his legs over the side, sitting up and moving the curtain away.
He looked much better, and it was impressive that he could sit up with those injuries, but Weiyan reminded herself that he had a strong cultivation base and level.
Xu Linhua rounded on him. "How dare you speak to me like this?! After everything I did for you?! If not for me, tell me where you'll be now!"
"What won't I dare do?!" Zhang Cheng eyed her from her pretty hairpins to her perfectly embroidered shoes. "Such a cheap woman who chased me everywhere... I lost Xiaoyan because of your charms!"
Weiyan's eyes narrowed at the overtly familiar name, and she opened her mouth to protest, but Xu Linhua gave a sharp squeak which demanded all attention.
"I begged my father to let you stay here, but the instant you could speak, you've been spitting fire at me! Isn't it enough that I've lost all face in the mansion and Yue City?! Even the servants don't respect me these days..."
"You can only blame yourself! Apart from marrying me, what else have you achieved?!"
But this made Linhua laugh. "'Achieved'?! Why not *weigh yourself before speaking?! Do you think you are still the famous 'Young Master Zhang'?
(*Knowing one's weight is like self assessment... kinda like knowing your place, or status, or where you stand, like are you good enough, or deserving of something, et cetera...)
"Ha! Zhang Furen died after her misdeeds were made known to all, Lord Zhang has repudiated you as a Zhang son, and Lord Mo, your real father, attacked Yue City and failed, likely dead as well! You're worse than this orphan here! Marrying you has become a blemish on my name!"
"You hateful wench! Shut your mouth!" Zhang Cheng was livid. He had been hearing whispers, but didn't know how bad things were.
Yet Linhua did not relent. "Even your cultivation is a joke! After you swallowed so many resources, Brother Haoyuan still surpassed your level, Brother Min has surpassed brother Haoyuan, and this orphan here has surpassed them all!"
Both their eyes swung to Weiyan who was in a mild shock.
"Impossible!" Zhang Cheng exclaimed, but having dealt with him, Xu Linhua's attention was now on Weiyan.
"My dear sister, now everyone hails you as the Strongest Junior Disciple! Only nineteen and stronger than most of the seniors! Have you come to taunt us?!"
This was true... Weiyan now held the title of Strongest Junior, and the Sect Elders were betting on whether she would make Elder before she even became a Senior Disciple!
"It's all your fault!" Linhua suddenly accused. "If you weren't in this family stealing my resources, all this honour would have been mine!"
But Weiyan's eyes narrowed.
In the past, she would have simply accepted it and merely allowed Linhua to do or say what she liked.
But now, Luoyin's words rang in her head, and she realized just how ridiculous Linhua's sky-high entitlement was.
"Elder Sister, I can no longer accept your words." Weiyan's voice was soft, barely audible, but they heard her loud and clear, and Linhua's expression was shocked.
"What did you say...?" Linhua couldn't resist asking.
"I said, I can no longer accept your words." Weiyan repeated a bit louder. "From childhood, I hid my talents so you would grow, but you never did. Whether it was in swordplay, or dance, or playing the instruments... You were comfortable in your level because mother always ensured I didn't compete.
"Years passed and I began working incredibly hard, cultivating and going on mission after mission, yet you never fought to surpass me, or even better yourself.
"Recently, I worked even harder to attain this current level..."
After the Eye-eater incident, her singular thought was to surpass Zhang Cheng, so he wouldn't be able to bully Luoyin again, and she had spent almost everyday since then, tirelessly cultivating.
"Isn't it unfair if you write off all my hard work as 'stealing your resources'?" There was a stunned silence and she continued.
"I'm not responsible for your current woes... I gave way for you at every turn. I let mother poison me for years, so I won't outshine you. After I returned, I also let you poison me and place me on A-Yin's bed, so I wouldn't steal your fiance.
"You barely cultivated, and you even went so far to get married to him... How am I still the one at fault? If you constantly blame others rather than looking inwards, you will remain standing still, the world passing you by."
Zhang Cheng had turned pale, having just learned the truth behind Weiyan's scandal with Luoyin. "You disgusting woman!" He rounded on Linhua, but fell when he tried rising to his feet.
"Xiaoyan would have been mine-! It's all your fault I ended up like this!" He wailed.
Linhua shook her head in a wicked laugh. "Nonsense! Even that waste Zhang Luoyin could reduce you to this state! You still have the face to talk...?!"
Weiyan sighed and shook her head.
This couple both had the bad habit of casting blame on all but themselves, and Weiyan turned and left, firmly shutting the doors behind her.
And by doing so, she left all her angst against Xu Linhua and Zhang Cheng in the room with them, moving on to a life where she could accept herself for who she was.
A life of confidence, and she felt lighter than she had in years...!
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