Lord of the Desert

Chapter 459 Distance
The city of Xijing in summer is drenched in scorching heat, which is different from its beauty at other times.

The chirping of cicadas stirs the gurgling river water, which merges with the moss on the bottom of the water, revealing a fluctuating green.

Along the river, bushes are lined up in neat rows, blending the golden blue of butterflies with the light crimson of rose petals.

Between the streets and alleys, the new trees that have grown from their tenderness in spring have become thick and lush green.

Shen Tiexin lifted the car curtain and admired everything that was bright and dazzling under the scorching sun. No passerby dared to look at her a second time.

Ever since she could remember, she knew she was different without anyone telling her, and in comparison she could see the mediocrity of others.

Liu Xingxian is the most noble prince in Xijing, Ao Zhixian is the brightest color in Xijing, and Su Peifeng is the most outstanding hero in Xijing...

Because of her, they became foils.

Such self-admiration encapsulated time like amber, until it was shattered by a nameless broken sword.

For the first time, the name Shen Tiexin became a foil for others.

In a very short period of time, she experienced and learned emotions such as fear, avoidance, curiosity, adaptation, etc., and realized that the rotation of the world actually has a fulcrum outside of herself.

Later, Shen Tiexin became the director of Tiannan Bank, learned practical work with bumps and bruises, and grew up with numerous praises - these praises were not compliments from the subordinate to the superior, nor were they the coaxing of the old to the young, but genuine recognition of the germination and growth of the seedlings, which gradually filled the emptiness that came with wasting one's youth.

In the first month of the year, Hong Fan went south to Shengzhou.

Shen Tiexin continued to pay attention to his news.

After all, this guy is the indispensable core of the company.

In May, Hong Fan returned safely.

Everything goes well in Tiannan.

On the afternoon of June 11th, the 31st year of Zhenghe, Shen Tiexin's carriage stopped at Chaori Mansion.

She nodded slightly to the Hong family's guards, and went to the study room alone as if she was familiar with the place.

When he walked into the courtyard, Shen Tiexin found that there was no one guarding inside or outside, and he could only hear sporadic laughter in the wind from afar.

A strange female voice was speaking.

"Duke Zhou... you have the aura of Zixiao... I... came to take a look..."

Shen Tiexin twisted his flying white hair and quickened his pace.

"Hong Fan?"

She paused at the foot of the study and asked loudly:

"come in."

A familiar voice came out.

Crossing the threshold, Shen Tiexin saw the young man sitting on the armchair as usual, while a young woman was leaning on the couch on one side of the study.

It turned out to be a beauty I had never seen before.

"Who is this?"

Shen Tiexin held the document in his hand and tapped the sole of his shoe with his toes.

"This is the eldest princess of the dynasty, the commander-in-chief of the Shengyu Army..."

Hong Fan stood up to introduce himself, but was interrupted before he could finish.

"I am Xiao Chu."

Xiao Chu smiled.

"This should be the Shen family's daughter?"

She had never met Shen Tiexin, but she had heard of this most beautiful woman in Liangzhou. The reason why she was unable to be with her second brother was partly because of the Queen's obstruction and partly because the white-haired beauty looked down on her mediocre brother.

"When did His Highness come to Xijing?"

Shen Tiexin was inexplicably flustered, and the first words he said were rude.

But she didn't realize this. She only thought that the person who called himself "I" in the wind just now has become "this palace".

"I came not long ago and left soon."

Xiao Chu replied casually, then got up and went out.

"You guys chat, I won't disturb you."

There were only two people in the study room.

Shen Tiexin suppressed the thorns in his heart and negotiated with Hong Fan with a stern face, but he still unconsciously glanced at the soft couch that Xiao Chu had just leaned on - this wooden couch was so spineless, the princess had obviously been gone for a long time, but her curves were still preserved.

It doesn't take much effort to do trivial things.

Shen Tiexin left Chaori Mansion and got into Junchixing's latest luxury car.

The wheels and horse hooves bumped, the suspension rose and fell, and her heart was in a trance.

For so many years, the eldest daughter of the Shen family has been unrivaled in Liangzhou.

until today.

Xiao Chu was indeed one of the most beautiful women in the world, but objectively speaking, her appearance was not as good as hers. However, she was more famous, being both a general and a princess, which made her look better than her.

[But what does it matter if I am outclassed? I never thought of becoming the best in the world.]

Shen Tiexin pondered over it endlessly, and returned in a daze as if it were spring.

She did not go to Tiannanxing the next day, having completely lost interest in the work she was gradually getting started with.

For three days in a row, Shen Tiexin stayed at home, trying to remove the inexplicable thorn in his heart, but to no avail.

It was not until the dawn of the fourth day that she saw the withered figure reflected in the pond in the dim light between day and night, and finally understood that feeling.

It is jealousy.

If love is a rose, jealousy is the thorn of the rose. They come in pairs and cannot be separated.

It started raining in Xijing in the early morning.

Lingxi walked across the corridor to bring breakfast and saw her young lady sitting by the lake with her legs curled up, staring at the ripples on the water.

“My things are going to be taken away from me.”

Shen Tiexin turned his head and glanced at her, his eyes like stones sinking to the bottom of the water.

"Then eat something, young lady. Only by eating can you have the strength to take it back..."

Lingxi knelt down, put down the plate, and rubbed her red eyes.

The rain grew heavier, creating a layer of white mist on the black tiles on the roof.

The humidity came in through every door and house, like a colorless tide in the air.

Shen Tiexin picked up a piece of jade cake and put it in his mouth to chew - this cake was mixed with matcha powder, and when he bit it, the sweetness would taste bitter.

After finishing a piece of cake, she ran out of the door barefoot, rushing all the way to Chaori Mansion in the rain. If it weren't for the group of armored warriors following her, Aunt Liu who opened the door would not have dared to recognize her.

But Hong Fan had already led his team away from Xijing.

"have they gone?"

Shen Tiexin could no longer hear Aunt Liu's words. He stood in the rain for a long time in a daze, then returned in despair. The warriors behind him followed him at a distance of dozens of steps, not daring to approach.

Blood oozed from the soles of her worn feet, diluting into the water with every breath.

Outside the Shen Mansion, Shen Tiexin once again stood still and listened to the rain.

Another strange feeling rose in her heart, like a thorny caterpillar crawling out of a hollow tree trunk.

What comes back this time is loneliness.

An umbrella was held overhead, muffling the sound of the rain.

Shen Tiexin was about to yell at him, but when he turned his head, he saw Shen Moya.

The old man's white beard and hair were wet by the rain, making him look particularly old.

"Do you want to chase them? The carriage team that left yesterday is at most a hundred miles east of the west east. The ancestor will take you there, and it will be quick."

Shen Moye asked carefully.

"Do not."

Shen Tiexin shook his head violently.

"Why bother?"

The majestic Wanzhang Ningbing sighed in distress.

"According to the old ancestor's guess, that boy has a friendship with Xiao Chu but not a personal relationship with him. There is still time."

Shen Tiexin didn't say anything, just gave a hoarse look.

Shen Maya was so heartbroken when he saw this that he almost ran a hundred miles east to fight Hong Fan to the death.

"I can't catch up with him now. The distance between him and me is not just one hundred miles."

After a while, she wiped her face and clenched the rain and tears in her palms.

"It was martial arts that separated my father and mother..."

Shen Tiexin chuckled disdainfully.

"Grandfather, I want to practice martial arts."

(End of this volume)

PS: Brothers, the story of this book had an outline before it started, but the emotional line was really blank.

Who is the heroine? How many heroines are there? How do they get along with each other? How will things develop...

I have no confidence in these things. I always just write to that chapter and then feel the character, try to express emotions, and build moods.

Now we can only say that Tang Xingqing, Shen Tiexin and Xiao Chu will have further stories in Hong Fan.

(End of this chapter)