Chapter 948 was a bit too direct.

"Isn't it spring planting and autumn harvest?" Song Chunxue asked curiously.

But seeing that it was warmer here than back home, Song Chunxue changed her mind, "Is it winter planting followed by harvest?"

“It’s autumn planting and spring harvest. People here eat winter wheat. Try it and see how it’s different from spring wheat.” Master Zhang picked up the bowl and took a sip of soup. “It’s chewier, but it has less of a wheat flavor.”

He then added, "Actually, wheat planted in spring and harvested in summer tastes the best. Grain from the loess soil tastes better than that from the red soil, and grain from the black soil tastes better than that from the loess soil."

Song Chunxue nodded; he had mentioned it before.

"Then the twenty-four solar terms, aren't they not necessarily applicable to every place?"

"It applies to both, but the usage varies from place to place. In the Northwest, people start sowing autumn harvest crops around Grain Rain, while in the South, rice is planted. In some places, rapeseed flowers are in full bloom at this time, or have already finished blooming. For example, in Wuyuan, Jiangxi, Qingming Festival is the best time to appreciate rapeseed flowers."

After finishing his meal, Master Zhang looked up at the two people opposite him and asked, "Where shall we stay?"

"..."

Neither Lord Zhao nor Taoist Han reacted.

But everyone's attention was focused on Master Han.

"You stay at the inn, I have a place to stay." Master Han put down his chopsticks, leaving a lot of soup in the bowl.

“Yes, that makes sense. Master Han has many old friends here. Bringing so many of us would be noisy and inconvenient.” As he spoke, Lord Zhao took a big gulp of soup, making a loud noise.

This was truly unseemly for the refined and handsome Lord Zhao.

Master Han stood up. "That's right, it's just inconvenient."

After saying that, he ignored everyone, quickly slipped into the crowd, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Song Chunxue held her breath, looking nervously at her senior brother.

What's wrong with the two of them?

Could it be that the senior disciple has feelings for her, but Master Han is being jealous because he doesn't reciprocate?

Tsk tsk, didn't the senior brother practice abstinence and renounce worldly desires to cultivate himself? He even gradually reduced his contact with his wife and children. Yet, upon seeing the aloof and handsome Taoist Master Han, he was tempted by worldly desires again.

Or was it that he had never been tempted by worldly desires before, and this was his first time being with Master Han?

Wow, that'll be fun.

Isn't this a love tribulation?

A difficult emotional ordeal to overcome.

"Knock knock knock".

Lord Zhao tapped the table, staring at Song Chunxue with displeasure. "What nonsense are you thinking about now? Don't you think Master Han has been too mysterious lately, leaving us out of everything?"

"I haven't done anything outrageous. They were quite willing to teach me, a junior, before. Why are they suddenly not letting me go?" Lord Zhao was a little angry, but his manners made him look rather frustrated, as if he had no way to vent his anger.

"To clear him of suspicion, I even went out of my way to find him beautiful women, since he's about to enter his tribulation period..."

At this point, the words abruptly stopped.

Lord Zhao pointed at Song Chunxue, "In short, put away all your nonsense, or I'll beat you. Your thoughts are not upright, so you're punished by copying the Heart-Cleansing Mantra ten times."

Song Chunxue shook her head repeatedly, "Senior Brother, I'm not thinking anything. I just feel that after knowing each other for so long, it's really a bit unreasonable for Master Han to suddenly abandon us."

"Senior Brother, could it be that you've offended them in some way?"

"You don't need to arrange for beauties to accompany someone who's undergoing tribulation. Isn't that presumptuous?" Song Chunxue said boldly. "They're seniors; what haven't they seen?"

Lord Zhao seemed to understand something, "That's true, it's my fault, it's my fault."

His expression was strange, and he belatedly realized his embarrassment. "It's all my fault for getting used to winning over those colleagues. I used the same methods on him, no wonder he did this."

He stood up briskly and said gently, "I'll go apologize. You guys go find an inn to stay in first, I'll be back soon."

"well……"

Before Song Chunxue could speak, he had already disappeared.

Master Zhang paid the bill, stood up and said, "Let's go, today is a good day to go to the inn on the east side."

"Master, wait for me."

Tu Dan'er ran and jumped up, put his arm around Master Zhang's shoulder, and received a solid kick from Master Zhang in return.

"You have no manners." Master Zhang pulled out a whisk from his waist and pointed it at him. "When I take you to the Taoist temple to offer incense later, you'd better behave yourselves."

Wuji and Yebai approached Master Zhang.

"Uncle-Master, tell us, what's wrong with my master lately?"

"That's right, Master has been acting so strangely lately. Does he owe Uncle Han a few lives? Why is he ignoring us?"

"Also, where did that beautiful Vermilion Bird sister go? Is she Master Han's... um..."

Master Zhang raised his hand to cover their mouths, saying, "They're birds, flying in the sky. They can hear everything. Don't speak recklessly in the future, or you'll get beaten up."

Song Chunxue followed behind, looking at her two apprentices on either side of her, "Aren't you curious?"

Changfeng straightened the bundle on his shoulder and said slowly, "We'll find out eventually."

Changyun looked around and rubbed his stomach. "Actually, I'm not full, Master. I want to eat something else."

"Go to the inn to eat, all you can eat." She took out a money pouch, smiled, and approached Changyun. "If you find anything delicious, bring me some."

Changyun's eyes immediately lit up. "Thank you, Master."

Changfeng sighed helplessly, "You two should eat less; it's better for your stomach and intestines, and it'll help you live longer."

"Live in the moment and enjoy life to the fullest." Changyun's round face beamed with a smile, revealing two small dimples. "Besides, it's not like I eat every day. I've been only eating until I'm seven-tenths full lately. It's not too much to have a big meal once in a while, is it?"

They eventually chose a guesthouse that was reasonably priced, had plenty of hot water, and had only been open for a few years; the environment was quite comfortable.

A room costs 300 coins per night.

Although it was a bit extravagant, no one wanted to leave. Master Zhang suggested that they take a good shower today and then go to another place tomorrow.

The first thing Song Chunxue did upon returning to her room was to ask for hot water and take a relaxing bath, scrubbing herself thoroughly from head to toe. She was so tired that she almost fell asleep in the water.

Suddenly, she felt a darkness before her eyes and abruptly opened them.

She saw two beautiful young women, one in red and one in black, standing in front of her, looking at her curiously.

“We were afraid you’d drowned, so we wanted to warn you.” Lan Jin tilted her head to look at her, her tone as calm and gentle as ever. “It’s good that you’re alright.”

"What perfume are you using? It smells nice. But it's best to dry your hair as soon as possible, otherwise the dampness will make you feel uncomfortable." Qingyu tossed a clean white linen cloth over Song Chunxue's head. "The water's cold, come out quickly, we need to discuss something."

Song Chunxue was extremely embarrassed. She wiped her head with a burlap sack and said, "Why don't you all go out first and wait for me to get dressed?"

The two women exchanged a glance. "Do you need a back scrub?"

"..." Song Chunxue smiled brightly, her cheeks slightly flushed, "No need, no need, I've already washed up."

It seems they do this often.

To Song Chunxue's surprise, the two of them didn't leave either. They just opened the window, leaned out the window, and chatted idly.

This caused Song Chunxue to dry herself off and put on her clothes as quickly as possible, almost tripping over herself in the process.

"What do you two seniors wish to discuss with me?"