Obscuris Labyrinth

As soon as he arrived at the new compound, Zhao Yuxuan looked up and saw that the light in Li Ruize's study was still on. The dim yellow light, seeping through the cracks in the window, seemed a bit lonely in this quiet midnight. Li Ruixuan was sitting quietly on the stone bench in the courtyard, and everything around seemed to be enveloped by the stillness of the late night.

It was already close to midnight. Zhao Yuxuan never expected that Li Ruixuan was still awake. He was taken aback in his heart, and his steps halted. Just then, he heard Li Ruixuan's voice, "Zhao Yuxuan, don't go into the house yet. I have something to say to you."

Zhao Yuxuan quickly adjusted his state and walked towards Li Ruixuan. When he reached her, he asked respectfully, "Master, what's the matter?" Zhao Yuxuan was a bit puzzled in his heart. What could the master want to talk to him about so late at night? There was a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

Li Ruixuan looked at Zhao Yuxuan and said slowly, "Zhao Yuxuan, I've noticed that you've been looking very off these past two days. Are you feeling a bit discouraged?" Hearing these words, Zhao Yuxuan felt as if something had hit him in the heart. Indeed, he had been a bit down these past two days because of certain things, but he didn't know why his master could sense it so keenly. He didn't say anything but just lowered his head slightly, his mind filled with a thousand thoughts, not knowing how to answer his master.

Then he heard Li Ruixuan say again, "Zhao Yuxuan, I know that the two conditions I proposed to you are very difficult. But didn't Li Ruize tell you? What we need is an extraordinary person, someone who can accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. Such a person must have a strong will as well as power and wisdom beyond ordinary people. Don't underestimate yourself. You still have potential; otherwise, we wouldn't have kept you here." There was a glint of encouragement in Li Ruixuan's eyes. She hoped her words could cheer Zhao Yuxuan up again.

Hearing this, Zhao Yuxuan couldn't hold back any longer. He raised his head, with a hint of stubbornness in his eyes, and said, "Master, I'm not unaware of what you said. I also want to be an extraordinary person. But in this world, there are some things that, even with ideals and perseverance, may not be accomplished in the end. After all, human strength is limited. Just like a person always wants to fly into the sky, but is it possible?" As he spoke, he was thinking about the difficulties he was facing in his mind. Those seemingly unreachable goals were like mountains that were difficult to climb over, weighing heavily on his heart.

Li Ruixuan smiled slightly. It seemed that she had expected Zhao Yuxuan to have such thoughts long ago. She said, "Human strength is indeed limited, even insignificant. But do you know your own limits? And who says people can't go to the sky? Even the moon has long been reached by humans. I know this, and you can't be unaware of it, right?" Li Ruixuan's words were like a ray of light shining into Zhao Yuxuan's somewhat confused heart, leaving him momentarily unable to refute. Zhao Yuxuan thought to himself that what the master said seemed to make sense. Had he really not tapped into his potential yet?

Li Ruixuan continued, "Zhao Yuxuan, I know you were born into a wealthy family and have no foundation in climbing and fighting. To accomplish those two things is indeed as difficult as climbing to the sky. Moreover, you were only given three years. I also think you can't do it. If you don't want to do it or can't stick with it, we can't force you. We'll just have to find someone else to complete this mission. You should know that you were given three years because Lin Yaxuan still has a lot to learn, and there are many people in this world with wisdom and strength. We'll find someone, perhaps someone more suitable to be Lin Yaxuan's partner than you." Li Ruixuan's voice was very calm, but Zhao Yuxuan detected a sense of helplessness in her words.

Zhao Yuxuan immediately remembered her previous words about making Lin Yaxuan and himself understand each other so that they could cooperate and support each other in the future. A sudden curiosity welled up in his heart. He wanted to know what kind of secret was hidden behind this, so he quickly said, "Master, what kind of secret is this exactly? Why does it need two people to complete?"

Li Ruixuan's face became solemn again. After a long while, she slowly said, "This secret is unimaginably complex. In the past, we made a mistake by letting Li Zeyu complete it alone. But to complete this task, apart from wisdom and strength, a great deal of knowledge is required. Li Zeyu was very good at martial arts and was also smart, but human energy is limited. He didn't master the knowledge thoroughly, so he never came back." A flash of pain passed through Li Ruixuan's eyes, which was her deep longing and guilt for her son.

Zhao Yuxuan had been in the village for several months, so he naturally knew something about the Li family's affairs. He knew that Li Ruize and Li Ruixuan once had an only son named Li Zeyu, who had disappeared before Lin Yaxuan was born. And Lin Yaxuan's mother was so depressed because of this that she finally fell seriously ill and passed away. That day at the Panhu Temple, Lin Yaxuan also said that her father had never returned because he had to complete a task. Zhao Yuxuan thought to himself that this task seemed extremely dangerous. He hadn't expected that Li Ruize and Li Ruixuan would still send their beloved only granddaughter to do it. It was really hard to understand. His heart was full of doubts, and at the same time, he had a deeper understanding of the danger of this matter.

Originally, Zhao Yuxuan thought that Li Ruize was being a bit pretentious to make him back off in the face of difficulties. But when he thought of Lin Yaxuan's non - stop studying every day, her hard - working appearance as if she never got tired; and also Li Ruize's light that was only turned off in the middle of the night, behind which must be countless toils and efforts. Combined with Li Ruixuan's words at this moment, Zhao Yuxuan's curiosity grew stronger immediately. The fighting spirit reignited in his eyes, and he said, "Master, I still want to give it a try."

Li Ruixuan nodded. Looking at Zhao Yuxuan, there was a glint of relief in her eyes. She said, "Zhao Yuxuan, since I met you and learned about your background, I've always had a feeling that you would be a suitable person to complete this task. And my premonitions have always been very accurate. Maybe there is a trait in you that none of us have discovered yet. But the Han people have a saying, 'More haste, less speed.' Sometimes, the more impatient you are, the less likely you are to reach your goal. Well, tomorrow is our Miao people's Qiugan Festival, and also the once - every - three - years Eighteen - Village Assembly. You and Lin Yaxuan can go to Yizhen and have a good time, relax a bit. I think there are still some misunderstandings between you two, and you can also take this opportunity to clear them up."

Hearing "Eighteen - Village Assembly", Zhao Yuxuan's mind immediately played back the scene when he first met Lin Yaxuan like a movie. At that time, Lin Yaxuan said that she practiced singing because she wanted to participate in the antiphonal singing competition at this assembly. He hadn't expected that it was already tomorrow so soon. His heart was full of anticipation. He also wanted to go and see this lively assembly, so he said, "Great. Actually, there's nothing between me and Senior Sister. This time going down the mountain, I will definitely clear things up with her."

Li Ruixuan shook her head and said, "Not necessarily. I know Lin Yaxuan's character. She is too pure, and she can't tolerate any flaws. She has always been gentle and kind to others, but she really doesn't like you. It may not be easy to change her impression of you. It won't be a matter of just one or two days. But you should communicate with her more. By the way, there will be a competition for the Black Hawk Warrior at this assembly. You can go and watch it first."

After Zhao Yuxuan agreed with a grunt, Li Ruixuan stood up and said, "Okay, go back to your room and rest. Tomorrow morning, Lin Yaxuan will come to call you." After saying that, she walked towards the hall, and her figure gradually disappeared into the darkness. And Zhao Yuxuan turned around and went back to the guest room on the left side of the courtyard.

The next day, as soon as day broke and a few rays of morning sunlight shone through the cracks in the window onto Zhao Yuxuan's bed, Zhao Yuxuan was still in his sleep when he heard a knock on the door, followed by Lin Yaxuan's clear voice, "Zhao bad egg, Zhao bad egg, get up quickly."

Zhao Yuxuan was suddenly awakened by this voice. He quickly sat up in bed, while hurriedly putting on his clothes, he replied, "Senior Sister, it's so early." His voice still carried a hint of drowsiness just after waking up.

Lin Yaxuan said discontentedly outside the door, "Bah. With your slow pace, by the time we get to Yizhen, I'm afraid we'll miss a lot of the fun."

Hearing this, Zhao Yuxuan didn't dare to dawdle any longer. He reached out and turned on the light, and the room was immediately bright. He hurriedly put on his blue homespun clothes and trousers, carefully wrapped his blue headscarf, and then opened the door, preparing to go to the courtyard to rinse his mouth.

However, as soon as the door opened, his eyes immediately lit up. Under the light in the room, he saw an extremely beautiful Miao girl standing in front of him. She was wearing an exquisite silver headdress on her head, which sparkled with a charming luster under the light; a silver necklace around her neck, and the patterns on the necklace seemed to tell an ancient story; silver bracelets on her wrists, which made a slight sound as she moved, like a wonderful piece of music. She was wearing a draped collar with a back - cloth on her upper body, embroidered with colorful and extremely delicate phoenix and bird patterns. Those patterns were so vivid that they seemed as if they could take off and fly at any time; and below was a blue pleated skirt embroidered with a hundred - flower pattern. Each flower was embroidered so vividly that it seemed to be really blooming on the skirt. These gorgeous clothes and jewelry set off her skin as white as lamb fat, eyebrows as lively as green feathers, eyes full of liveliness, and lips as alluring as cherry blossoms. The morning breeze blew her tall and graceful figure. She was like a fairy walking out of a painting, truly as fresh and refined as a lotus in the water, and as graceful as a water lily.