Chapter 40 Pursuit

After Deming accompanied Li Bingqing to her uncle's birthday party. Deming went to Guozhao Zhiqiang home again. He put the bought vegetables on the table and walked into Guozhao Zhiqiang's bedroom, but Guozhao Zhiqiang was not there. Deming only saw the bowl of congee he had made earlier that morning. It seems that Guozhao Zhiqiang has not returned home, or Guozhao Zhiqiang is still angry with him and refuses to eat the food he made. He picked up the bowl and went to the kitchen. He started to prepare dinner.

After waiting for two hours, the food was cold, and Guozhao Zhiqiang hadn't come back. Deming covered the food, took the oil lamp, and went to the bedroom. He put the oil lamp on the table, then walked around the bedroom and saw that his spirit tablet was neatly clean. He opened the dresser and saw his old clothes neatly folded in the dresser drawer. Then Deming climbed into bed.

Deming frowned, "You left me in that cave for a long time, you stabbed me with an icicle. We made up overnight. It's been a whole day, and you haven't come home yet. You're such a big baby." He clenched the blanket tightly inside his fists. "Guozhao Zhiqiang, I hate you."

Guozhao Zhiqiang was lying on the roof with the sword in front of his chest. He held Deming's red hair in his right hand. He kissed Deming's hair lightly and looked up at the dark sky full of stars. He recalled his past. He remembered holding Deming in his arms for the first time. He remembered kissing Deming's scarred back for the first time. His Deming had a tough life in some dungeon and never had a smile on his face. He made up his mind he will never take away the smile on Deming's face away from Deming. Back then, he rushed into making love with Deming. His mind wasn't thinking straight, and he didn't ask Deming if he still wanted to be with him. Deep inside his heart, he realized that from the time they first met until now, he had made all the decisions alone. He forced the cornered Deming to stay with him. He took a deep breath. He would make up for all the pains Deming suffered by letting the present Deming continue to live Deming's happy life. Everyone deserves a second, and Deming is no exception.

The next morning, Deming woke up alone. He walked out of the bedroom and saw that the untouched food plates were still where he left it last night. Deming waited until noon, but Guozhao Zhiqiang did not come back, so he decided to go back down the mountain. He didn't know where to go, so he decided to stop at the medicine shop. He saw Yang Bao and Tam Qiu are packaging and weighting medicine.

Yang Bao raised his head and said, "Oh, student Dong, is there anything I can help you with? I heard my younger brother say you are sick."

Deming smiled and said, "I feel a little better. Thank you."

Yang Bao said, "Do you want me to check you?"

Deming shook his head and walked around the store. He asked Yang Bao, "I have not seen your senior brother lately. Is he on a hunting trip?"

Yang Bao said, "Ah? He was just here."

Deming was surprised and quickly walked up to Yang Bao, "What? He's here?"

Tam Qiu nodded, "Yes, not long ago. He came to get some medicine."

Yang Bao said, "He may have gone home."

Deming asked, "Which home? He has many homes."

Yang Bao smiled and said, "His only home is the house on that mountain. He may have a room here, but he doesn't call it home."

Deming said, "When I went to see the waterfall this morning, no one was there."

Tam Qiu said, "If he is not at home, then in Peach Blossom Valley."

Deming asked, "Is it possible for me to enter Peach Blossom Valley? I have something urgent to talk to him."

Tam Qiu shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, student Dong, but outsiders are not allowed in Peach Blossom Valley."

Deming face sadden, "Really?"

Yang Bao nodded, "Only top disciples can enter Peach Blossom Valley."

Deming looked at Yang Bao sadly and asked, "Did he say when he will be back?"

Yang Bao, "I didn't ask."

Deming thanked the two seniors and left the medicine shop.

Tam Qiu looked at Yang Bao and said, "Student Dong look sad."

Yang Bao, "He may still be ill."

Tam Qiu, "His face looked broken."

Yang Bao teased, "I didn't see anything wrong with his face. If his face was broken, I would have known."

Tam Qiu said, "I didn't mean that."

Yang Bao smiled and said, "I know, I'm just kidding. Medicine can't cure this kind of disease."

Tam Qiu sighed, "You are as rubbish as the first time I met you."

Yang Bao smiled, "Oh, the situation with the handkerchief..."

Tam Liang, came out from the door of the store, "Second senior brother, when are you going to confess to my sister?"

Tam Kun approached from behind and said, "Does that mean that second senior brother has to called us elder brother?"

Tam Liang, "Sure enough, we are older than Ah Qiu."

Yang Bao shyly said, "What are you talking about? I'm still old by age. I'm still high by rank. I can't call you two older brothers."

Tam Liang, "Or you don't like my sister?"

Yang Bao, "Everyone likes Ah Qiu."

Fu Yongrui and Cao Yifei walked in. Fu Yongrui said, "Brother Yang, if you want to confess to Lady Tam, you should stand on the rooftop as bravely as Master Fang and confess in front of everyone."

Cao Yifei, "Yes, I will sprinkle rose petals to add more love feelings it n the air. My brother is here for the festival, he will help me."

Yang Bao, "Have you heard that story from Teacher Li?"

Yang Bao and the Tam brothers laughed.

Cao Yifei looked at the brothers and asked, "What's so funny? We all think it's so sweet."

Tam Liang, "Knowing our third master, he will never do such a thing."

Tam Kun giggled and said, "That story was told by Uncle Guo. Everyone knows that Uncle Guo always exaggerates."

Cao Yifei, "It doesn't matter if it's exaggerated or not, I think it is still a very romantic way of confession."

The hunter and the two students smiled and helped Yang Bao express his feeling for Tam Qiu.

Deming stood before the rock-solid door. He called, "Zhiqiang, are you inside?"

After he called several times, Shan walked through the rock.

Shan said coldly, "Outsiders are not allowed to go up the mountain, go back."

Deming, "Mister, I'm looking for Zhiqiang. Can you tell me if he's in there?"

Shan replied coldly, "No, my duty is to protect this mountain, I am not a babysitter."

Deming begged, "Please, he is mad at me. I want to ask him why he is mad at me."

Shan looked at Deming, who was about to cry, and said, "He's not here. Go away, he's not in Cloud City."

Deming asked, "Where is he?"

As soon as Shan turned around, he disappeared into Peach Blossom Valley, leaving only Deming standing outside the rock-solid door, desperately searching for answers.