Chapter 30 Just Friends Wang Yan gripped her pounding heart tightly…

Wang Yan looked at Li Changling with a deep gaze, "What nonsense are you spouting now?"

Li Changling stared wide-eyed, glancing at her and then at Feng Huaisheng. "No, what did I say?"

Feng Huaisheng pursed his lips to suppress a laugh, then said seriously, "Fortunately, you still have the advantage in numbers. Four against one, you should have a chance of winning, right?"

Wang Yan blinked, showing no modesty whatsoever, “Master can look down on him, but he can’t look down on me, otherwise he’s belittling himself.”

Feng Huaisheng put his hands on his hips and let out a long "hiss," saying, "You little brat, don't say you're my disciple if you lose."

“Master and Mother made a prior agreement; they can’t go back on their word.” Wang Yan walked to Ying Juntang’s side. “Master’s wife, look at Master, he’s complaining about me again.”

“You must be extremely careful; the enemies in the shadows may not be fewer than those in the open.” Ying Juntang always felt uneasy; the further this matter progressed, the more variables there would be.

Feng Huaisheng was also worried, and could only ask his wife to prepare more medicine for the two of them. Ying Juntang had been preparing ever since she received Li Changling's letter about going to the capital, and had gone into the mountains countless times during this period.

With the festival approaching, and although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Wang Yan insisted on spending the Dragon Boat Festival with his parents, as he was about to descend the mountain again.

Ying Juntang laughed at her, "You must be missing the bayberry rice dumplings terribly, right?"

Wang Yan sighed and lowered his head: "Last year, A-Ying ate medicinal meals for two months straight, and her tongue almost lost its ability to taste anything."

Ying Juntang knew the two of them just as well as their biological parents. After putting away the medicinal herbs, she immediately invited them to eat.

Wang Yan helped Ying Juntang into the house, saying, "It's been so long since I've had my master's wife's cooking!"

“I cooked for you a lot down the mountain,” Li Changling said, feeling rather aggrieved. “Didn’t I learn even a fraction of my master’s wife’s culinary skills?”

Wang Yan said with a grin, "Your cooking is delicious too, but your wife has been cooking for twenty years longer than you, so it's not comparable."

Early in the morning, the young girl, dressed in a flowing robe, was already busy. Li Changling flexed his shoulders and elbows as he walked out of the room, leaned lazily against a pillar, his robe half-open, and told her that they would go down the mountain after noon.

Wang Yan was engrossed in tying the moxa stick, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Today is the Dragon Boat Festival.

Wang Yan feigned ignorance and said, "I know."

Seeing that she was determined to play dumb, Li Changling said, "As the second owner of Linjiangxian, can you bear to let everyone celebrate the festival in such a cold and desolate manner?"

"I see." Wang Yan thought for a moment, then followed his lead. "Since my brother isn't here, I should express my regards on his behalf."

After saying that, Li Changling was about to go to the kitchen to help when Wang Yan patted her skirt and walked over, tying a hundred-knot rope around his arm.

"May you live to be a hundred years old."

Li Changling laughed and said, "I'm not a child anymore."

Since she started learning martial arts at Yunxi Mountain, Wang Yan has made a hundred-knot rope for Li Changling every Dragon Boat Festival. In the past, she only did it for the fun of the festival, but starting last year, she sincerely hoped that her senior brother could live to be a hundred years old.

Li Changling beckoned to her, turned and went into the room, took out a mugwort flower and pinned it to her braid.

"Hey, when did you make this, Senior Brother?" Wang Yan asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Yesterday,” Li Changling said with satisfaction, “your senior brother’s skills have become increasingly exquisite.”

Wang Yan echoed, "Congratulations, Senior Brother, your livelihood will be more secure in the future." He inadvertently glanced at a fan on the stage, which looked very familiar.

“This…is exactly the same as Zhu Yao’s folding fan! When did you start collecting these things, Senior Brother?” Wang Yan picked it up and examined it. “A fake? How could you afford the real one?”

"Who do you think you are!" Li Changling brushed a stray hair from his forehead, his pride barely concealed. "Even gold can't match this authenticity. The only genuine copy of Zhao Jicun's 'Sunset Glow and Flying Wild Geese' is right here in my possession."

"Wow!" Wang Yan exclaimed in surprise, then asked doubtfully, "But this private seal looks like it belongs to a hermit in the mountains. Isn't Zhao Jicun known as the Recluse?"

Li Changling explained to her, "That was what he used before he became famous, and few people know about it."

Wang Yan still couldn't quite believe it. "What did he see in you that he would give you such a priceless painting?"

Li Changling brushed it off lightly, saying, "It's nothing, I just saved his life."

Wang Yan put the fan away. "Didn't you, Senior Brother, never expect anything in return for saving people? Now you finally understand the benefits of being kind to others."

Li Changling hurriedly explained, "I declined dozens of times, but he insisted on giving it to me, saying it wasn't anything valuable. How could I have known then that this painting would be priceless now?"

Wang Yan looked on with envy, "Is this the blessing of giving alms without expectation? I suppose I am not fortunate enough to encounter it."

“It’s not like I’ve never done it before. Aren’t I doing fine now?” Li Changling advised her, “Aying, you should be less wary of others.” In fact, Li Changling knew Wang Yan’s temperament all too well. She hadn’t figured it out, and no amount of persuasion from him would help.

"Now that you are safe and sound, can you pretend that Jiang Wan never poisoned you and reconcile with her as before?" Whenever this matter is mentioned, Wang Yan always turns into a hedgehog, exposing all his sharp quills.

Li Changling suddenly became serious and corrected her, "She didn't poison me, but we will never go back to the way things were."

Wang Yan knew he had spoken too harshly, so he softened his voice and said, "You are so sincere and unguarded with everyone, which is why you have been betrayed by them one after another. If I were the same, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to keep my whole body."

“You haven’t been like this lately. For the past two years, no one has been able to sway you in the slightest,” Li Changling said, hitting the nail on the head. “That kid has now made you sad.”

Wang Yan said irritably, "I have a poor eye for people."

Li Changling continued, "Yes, before it turns out you've met the wrong person, break up with him as soon as possible."

Wang Yan then brought up the King of Wei, saying, "Now is not the time."

“You two are completely unrelated now, but it’s not like we’ll ever get close again.” Li Changling sat down on the wooden box and patted the chair next to him. “Tell your senior brother what you really think.”

Wang Yan slowly moved closer. "He grew up in that kind of environment, so he's good at reading people's hearts. I don't know when he'll put on a mask, or what's real. I can't see clearly. Senior brother, don't you want me to have any relationship with him outside of Jingxin?"

"It's your decision." Although he said that, Li Changling secretly didn't want the two of them to continue their relationship. He always preferred to talk things out face to face, so he advised her, "Go and talk to him face to face. Whether he meant it or not, it's better than holding a grudge like this."

Wang Yan got up and walked outside, stammering, "Let's talk about it later."

Inside the kitchen, Li Changling picked up a fresh bamboo leaf, put in the glutinous rice that had been soaked with mugwort leaves, then added chestnuts, dates, dried persimmons, and red beans, wrapped it tightly, and steamed it until cooked.

"Master, Mistress, A-Ying and I will go down the mountain after lunch."

"It's better to set off sooner. Remember to bring your medicine," Ying Juntang repeatedly reminded him, emphasizing that health is the most important thing.

Wang Yan finished making the mugwort figurine and walked in, saying, "Don't forget A Ying's favorite bayberry rice dumpling."

Li Changling handed her the bamboo leaves, saying, "Help yourself."

Wang Yan pursed her lips and took the leaf, saying, "I was planning to make this myself anyway."

Feng Huaisheng smirked and teased, "Don't put five bayberries in one zongzi again."

"No, no, it won't happen again." Wang Yan glanced at the five-colored new silk on the cutting board. "I used gold thread to distinguish it from yours."

Just as she picked up the bayberry, Feng Huaisheng flicked a grain of glutinous rice. The bayberry slipped from her hand, and Wang Yan leaped to catch it, only to have another grain of rice flicked away by Feng Huaisheng. Wang Yan then tossed a bamboo leaf to wrap the bayberry, before leaning forward to catch it.

"Why aren't you picking it up and washing it?" Ying Juntang scolded. "If you want to practice your skills, then go outside."

Wang Yan put his hands on his hips and scolded, "That's right, that's right. There must be dust in the zongzi."

"Yes, yes, it was me, not her." Feng Huaisheng picked up the two grains of rice. "Aying's reaction has improved."

“Going down the mountain for training will naturally lead to great progress.” Wang Yan placed the wrapped rice dumplings on the bamboo basket, then seemed to remember something and hurriedly left, saying, “Senior brother, please wrap these for me for now, I’ll be right back.”

"How many bayberries did you put in this time?" Li Changling casually pulled a thread and wrapped it up for her.

"Alright, alright, you can't eat this much." Ying Juntang knocked the bamboo leaves out of Feng Huaisheng's hand. "I'll prepare some orchid-infused bath water for you right away."

Before leaving, Wang Yan put the remaining bayberry rice dumplings into her pocket and waved goodbye to Feng Huaisheng and his wife with reluctance.

When the two of them returned to Linjiangxian, it was already dark, and Shen Minghuai and his group were getting up to leave. Wang Yan's appearance was a pleasant surprise. Mai Zi led everyone in making a ruckus, but Shen Minghuai just stared at her blankly.

Wang Yan gripped her pounding heart tightly, pretending not to see him as she brushed past him. Amidst the deafening noise, she clearly heard him call her name.

"Wang Yan".

She could feel his gaze on her.

Let's be true friends.

Seeing this, Mai Zi stuffed a beautiful fan with a hundred flowers into Wang Yan's hand and pointed to the person behind her.

"I felt my drawing skills were decent, so I just drew it casually."

Wang Yan turned around, looked at the fan, then at him, "Just something casually placed?"

Mai scratched his head. "I don't know much about this, but judging from the level of detail, it must have taken several days to finish."

Hua Xin shook his finger, "Young Master only spent one night."

"Finished it in one night?" Li Changling glanced at him. "It was indeed a casual sketch."

Hua Xin stood in front of Shen Minghuai. "Young Master Li, you can't say that. The young master has been thinking about how to draw it for several days. How can you say it was just a casual sketch?"

Ying Ming, unusually, echoed him, "If Young Master Li knew who my young master's master is, he wouldn't have said that."

Li Changling scoffed, "Who did you learn from? Could it be a master painter or a master calligrapher?"

Just as Ying Ming was about to speak, Wang Yan took out the bayberry rice dumplings and distributed them from east to west. The shopkeeper received the golden silk rice dumplings, while the others unfortunately received the blue silk rice dumplings. Only Shen Minghuai didn't get any.

Ying Ming clasped his hands in thanks, while Hua Xin's eyes darted back and forth between his young master and Wang Yan.

Mai Zi quickly placed her zongzi into Shen Minghuai's hands, saying, "I'm allergic to bayberries, so why don't you give it to Young Master Shen?"

Before Wang Yan could speak, Shen Minghuai immediately thanked him and quickly accepted the money. Without even glancing at it, as if nothing had happened, Wang Yan said to everyone, "You've all worked hard today, pack up and go home."

Shen Minghuai knew she was still sulking, so he didn't insist on staying, thinking that the journey was long and there would be a chance to talk things out. They had only walked a few steps from Linjiangxian when a man in red with a high ponytail stretched out his arm to block Shen Minghuai's path.

"Brother Lanzhi?"

Li Changling hooked her arm around his shoulder, seemingly with ill intentions.