Shaojun riding the sea

Chapter 208 Attic Secret
With the help of Shi Zhongqing, Yue Wujiu was able to survive. In the following days, Shi Zhongqing used his internal energy to heal him every night. Thanks to his deep internal strength, he was able to protect the young man's heart meridians and force out the blood clots in his body, allowing him to gradually regain life.

Shi Xuanling also stayed by the bed without taking off her clothes. Seeing Yue Wujiu getting better little by little and his face no longer as pale as snow, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. The look she cast towards Shi Zhongqing was filled with gratitude and indescribable complex emotions.

If her father had not "voluntarily" volunteered this time, she seemed to have really not thought about looking for him. She still remembered his amazing moves in the Shi family cemetery. Wasn't he the peerless master with powerful internal strength?
But she didn't even think of him. After all, from childhood to adulthood, no matter what happened, she would never think of asking him for help. Maybe it was when the eldest lady gave her a bowl of poisoned chicken soup when she was a child, and she told her father but didn't get the justice she wanted, so she no longer trusted and relied on her so-called "father".

They were an awkward and strange father and daughter, with completely different personalities and preferences, and completely different temperaments. They had never had any warm relationship with each other, and for many years there was an invisible wall between them.

But this time when she returned to the imperial city, some things had changed quietly and silently. The invisible wall seemed to be being shattered by her father with all his internal strength.

The night wind howled, hitting the window frames again and again. Shi Zhongqing practiced internal energy and regulated his breathing, then let out a long sigh. This round of internal energy transfer tonight was finally over. He withdrew his hands, with cold sweat on his forehead.

Shi Xuanling quickly supported him, "Dad, are you okay?"

Shi Zhongqing shook his head and smiled at his daughter. "It's just a loss of internal energy. What's the big deal? As long as Ah Yue can recover slowly, it doesn't matter if I have to work harder. After all, no father in the world would be willing to see his daughter become a widow just after getting married...right?"

Shi Zhongqing was usually a serious person, and at this moment he wanted to make a joke to comfort Shi Xuanling, but his joke was not very funny, and it only seemed awkward and stiff. Shi Xuanling tried several times but still couldn't laugh.

Instead, her nose felt sore, she stared at Shi Zhongqing, and said, "Dad, thank you."

Shi Zhongqing was stunned for a moment, then looked at Shi Xuanling, who looked unnatural. Seeing the faint redness at the corners of her eyes, he seemed to have seen what she was thinking, and could not help but sighed:
"Xuan Ling, Daddy owes you a lot over the years, and you must have a lot of grievances and sadness in your heart. We are not like an ordinary father and daughter. We are more distant than close, but you have to believe that Daddy cares about you more than anyone else and loves you as his daughter. Remember, I am your father, and we will always be blood relatives. No matter what difficulties you encounter in the future, Daddy hopes that the first person you think of will be Daddy, and Daddy will do his best for you. No matter what kind of swords and fire, Daddy is not afraid. You believe Daddy, okay?"

Shi Zhongqing had never shown such a side of himself in front of Shi Xuanling. Listening to those words full of fatherly love, Shi Xuanling's eyes became redder. She quickly lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, and nodded to her father. She didn't know how long it took her to calm down her turbulent emotions.

Blood is thicker than water. The knot between father and daughter was completely untied that night. A few days later, Shi Xuanling really had something to hand over to Shi Zhongqing.

It was a handwritten letter from her, along with a brocade bag containing a token of trust. The token of trust was none other than the purple gold gourd that Princess Fengzhou had given to Yue Wujiu.

"Uncle, keep this purple gold gourd. When you have thought it through, you can bring it to Gumo Country to find me at any time. I will definitely grant you everything you want."

At that time, Shi Xuanling was hiding behind a tree and heard the promise that Princess Fengzhou made to Yue Wujiu. She felt sour and uncomfortable, fearing that her little gray cat would be taken away to Gumo Country and would no longer belong to her. But now, she was willing to take out the purple gold gourd. "Dad, you must keep this letter and this purple gold gourd well. You must send someone to Yunzhou Island as soon as possible and hand them over to the young island master Zhong Lisheng in person!"

Shi Xuanling's eyes were burning, and his expression was more serious than ever before: "This is a matter of great importance, Dad, you are the only person I can trust now. These two things are both extremely important and indispensable. They must not be lost. You must hand them over to Zhong Lisheng as soon as possible!"

Shi Zhongqing's heart sank. He had never seen Shi Xuanling like this before. He couldn't help but glance at the unconscious boy on the bed. He seemed to have sensed something, but he didn't ask any more questions. He just took the letter and the brocade bag, nodded heavily, and turned to leave. But he was stopped by Shi Xuanling:

"Dad, don't you even ask me why? Don't you even ask me...what exactly do I want to do?"

Shi Zhongqing paused, without looking back, and said in a deep voice: "Xuan Ling, although Dad doesn't know what you want to do, Dad is willing to fulfill all your wishes. Dad said that as long as it is what you want, Dad will do his best to do it for you, so don't worry!"

As he was about to push the door open, he was stopped by his daughter again. This time, every word the girl said made his heart tremble.

"Dad, in fact, you have locked me in the attic all those years, just to... protect me, right?"

Shi Zhongqing's breathing suddenly tightened, while Shi Xuanling was still behind him, saying word by word: "You want to protect me, just like my mother sent me to the imperial city and the Shi Mansion, just to let me be an ordinary official lady. Everything you did was just to protect me, to shield me from the wind and rain, to prevent me from getting hurt in the slightest, to prevent me from fulfilling the fate that was destined by birth, right?"

Shi Zhongqing's shoulders trembled slightly. He did not answer Shi Xuanling's question, but the voice behind him continued to speak, unconsciously tinged with sadness:
"Dad, I'm sorry. When I was a child, you kept me locked up in the attic. I resented, hated, and even cursed you. At that time, I always wanted to grow up quickly, escape from you, and escape from this disgusting home. I always hoped that one day I could completely get rid of the confinement of the Shi Mansion, get rid of the attic that trapped me, go out into the world, find my hometown, meet my people, and be the carefree little bell in the mountains again."

Shi Zhongqing had his back to Shi Xuanling, his chest heaving as he listened to these words. His eyes were red and tears were flashing in his eyes. Scenes from the past few years came before his eyes. The deepest secret he had hidden in the attic, all his good intentions, were finally discovered many years later by his... most cherished child.

It was impossible to describe the complex emotions that arose in his heart at this moment. Shi Zhongqing, with tears streaming down his face, finally turned his head and looked at Shi Xuanling for a long time.

The girl with fair skin and light eyes raised the corners of her lips. She was clearly smiling, but a tear quietly fell down, shattering into pieces, just like the most beautiful dream she had ever dreamed of in her childhood, which was ultimately shattered and difficult to fulfill.

"But it turns out I was wrong. It wasn't until now that I realized that I couldn't be the little bell I used to be. I looked forward to growing up, and I did grow up, but it turns out that growing up... is not fun at all."