035

A gust of wind blew in through the curtain.

"So... what did she mean by that?" Yu Baizhou squatted on the ground, staring at the wine jar and muttering to himself.

"What does the general mean by this?" A question suddenly came from behind, and Yu Baizhou jumped up, startling both the man in front of him and the man behind him.

Turning around, I saw it was Wei Yan.

“Jinghe,” he breathed a sigh of relief, “could you please stop appearing and disappearing so mysteriously? What good would it do you to scare your general to death?”

"General, are you afraid of being scared?" Wei Yan stroked his newly grown mustache with self-satisfaction, waved his hand and chuckled, then casually glanced around, "The strategist has already left?"

"What troubles the general? Why don't you tell me and I'll offer my advice?"

His eyes shone with curiosity, and every pore on his body seemed to be saying, "Looking for me!"

"Ahem—" Ignoring Wei Yan's frivolous expression, Yu Baizhou cleared his throat, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Jinghe, if... I mean if... there's someone who..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly noticed Wei Yan's somewhat teasing gaze. General Yu, who was usually very easygoing, immediately blushed and stammered, "Never mind, you're a bachelor too, it's pointless to ask you."

The tent flap swayed a few times before slowly coming to a stop. Wei Yan stood there, still somewhat dazed. What... they'd attacked him?!

"Who did a bachelor offend?"

"He hasn't even found someone to marry yet..."

****

Huailai

The peach blossoms on the mountain always bloom much later. Often, the flowers in the valleys are almost withered while the buds at the top are just emerging, interspersed with some tender buds and withered leaves on weak branches.

And so you can see the mountains and fields covered in layers of pink and white... Occasionally, laughter and merriment can be heard from some unknown corner of a valley, making you feel as if you have entered a paradise.

But the Pavilion Master's courtyard is not so peaceful today...

"Smack—"

"Smack—"

"Would you dare to do it again?!"

In a secluded courtyard, a little girl who looked only five or six years old stood obediently in front of the man in white, her head held high, being scolded. Despite the extremely serious scene, she couldn't help but smile, her lips pursed.

The man looked to be in his thirties, and it seemed that this wasn't the first time he'd experienced something like this. Seeing that the punishment wasn't very effective, he gave up on the idea of ​​continuing.

He tossed the bamboo stick aside, and the little girl's palms were already red as if they were about to bleed.

"Doesn't it hurt? And you keep smiling."

"It hurts," the little girl pouted. "Master, blow on it..."

With those big, watery eyes staring at him so pitifully, no one could bring themselves to continue lecturing him, especially not a child they had raised with such care.

The man in white sighed softly, "You should learn from this pain. Seventeen, you can't steal your teacher's wine again next time, understand? What are you doing drinking wine, you little kid?"

"You've been following Xiao Yan and the others around all day, and you've probably been corrupted by them. If you don't change, then your teacher will have to be ruthless and lock you up in the library."

The library is a bamboo building that is over ten feet tall, with spiraling steps leading up to it. Inside, there are countless rare and precious books. Although it contains nearly ten million volumes of ancient books, the entire building is located in a valley between two mountains, surrounded by dense bamboo forests for miles around.

It was gloomy and oppressive.

Even Uncle Zhong, who cherished books as much as his life, would rather help his lame legs down the mountain and enter the world than go near that place.

Uncle Zhong is now over seventy years old and is one of the few long-lived elders in Huailai. He once said that a disciple broke the rules of the sect and tried to investigate, but never returned.

After that, apart from the Pavilion Master, no one else dared to approach.

"No!" Little Song Ling said, her face tense, as she struggled to jump out of her master's arms. "It's so dark in there, it's really scary!"

"Master, you are the worst person in the whole world!"

She made a face and darted away before the man could grab her.

"well……"

"With a personality like Seventeen's, how could she shoulder such a heavy responsibility if I were gone..." The man frowned and sighed softly.

A man and a woman dressed in a close-fitting outfit walked up behind him. The woman had a heroic look in her eyes and seemed to be amused by his words. "The Pavilion Master is joking. The Young Pavilion Master is so young, it's the time for him to be playful. Besides, the Seventeenth Prince is precocious. He will definitely grow up in a few years."

"Besides, you're in your prime, why do you need to worry about this?"

"Alright, I'll go find her and then have a good talk with Little Seventeen."

The man in the tight-fitting clothes glanced at the back of the man in front of him, moved his lips, but ultimately did not stop her.

*

"Bang--"

"Bang--"

Splashes of water rose on the lake's surface. Song Ling sat on the ground, resting her chin on her hand, idly tossing stones. Unexpectedly, the small stone she had just thrown was caught in mid-air by a hand.

You don't even need to think to know who that annoying person is.

"Chu! Yan!"

"Huh?" Chu Yan jumped back several steps like a rabbit, not noticing the pebbles falling as he raised his hands. "Little Seventeen... that's not how you play with crossbows..."

Chu Yan swallowed hard, his scalp taut as he stared intently at the delicate crossbow in her hand.

Don’t underestimate it just because it’s small… After all, he did it before and then witnessed her kill a beast with a single arrow.

"Hmph," Xiao Songling said, throwing the crossbow aside with a shrug. "It's all your fault!"

"Oh dear... I know I was wrong..." Chu Yan clasped his hands together and stepped forward to apologize. "Little Seventeen is kind-hearted, please forgive me this once, okay?"

"Just because you drank all the wine Master brewed!" Little Song Ling's eyes were red and swollen. "Master is going to lock me up in the bamboo house!"

"Go and apologize to my master!"

"Huh? Okay, okay, I'll go..." Chu Yan scratched his head. "Master Song is so heartless... Don't worry, it's my fault, I'll definitely admit it!"

He patted his chest, then changed the subject, "Speaking of which, what's inside that bamboo house? The rules forbid entry, and I see everyone's keeping quiet... Little Seventeen, why don't you tell me?"

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because the moment he brought it up, those unpleasant memories came flooding back.

Uncle Zhong once said that because too many curious disciples had died in the past, the Pavilion Master established a rule decades ago that no one was allowed to go there. So, only the Pavilion Master could open the bamboo building, and only the Pavilion Master could enter it.

Six months ago, Song Ling was imprisoned in a bamboo house for a whole day and night.

Even though her master had been guarding outside the door that day, she still couldn't forget the scene of being locked inside the building, looking up and not being able to see the stars or the moon: dark, cold, and the mournful cries of the bamboo forest at night, seemingly scattered yet gathered... and the few skeletons she saw hanging on one side of the bamboo building's inner wall...

"No!" Song Ling refused sternly, her face expressionless. "These are the rules of the sect; don't ask anymore!"

"Otherwise, you'll never have any more alcohol to drink in the future!"

"So that means..." Chu Yan rubbed his hands together with a fawning smile, "You'll be bringing wine out again in seventeen days, then it's a deal..."

Song Ling looked disdainful. "Uncle Zhong is right, this fool is beyond redemption!" She turned and left with her small legs.

"Hey!" Chu Yan caught up with him. "I'm eight years older than you! Don't you know the importance of respecting elders and caring for the young?!"

"I also got top marks in my studies, Uncle Zhong! How could it be as bad as you make it out to be?"

Song Ling stopped and looked him up and down. "You're only a little older and taller than me, Chu Yan. Haven't you ever thought that your master might pass on the brewing recipe to me in the future?"

"I am the young master, and I will inherit everything my master has after he is gone!"

"Yeah..." Chu Yan scratched his head, "It really is... So should I flatter you properly?"

"Hmph, besides," Song Ling curled her lip and glanced at him disdainfully, reminding him as she passed him, "Don't forget that I always get top marks in my studies with Uncle Zhong."

"Sigh, you..."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Suddenly, a woman dressed in black appeared from behind a tree not far away. It was unclear how long she had been eavesdropping on the two children.

Chu Yan recognized her at a glance as the person beside the Pavilion Master.

"Hmm..." Could they be here to capture him? He panicked and started to back out. "Um... Seventeen, I'll go apologize to your master after I'm ready—"

The word "apology" was drawn out for a long time, and by the time the woman stepped forward, Chu Yan had already disappeared.

"Honestly, you coward!" Little Song Ling stomped her foot. "I'll never trust Chu Yan again, and I'll never drink Master's peach blossom wine!"

"Seventeen, why haven't you learned your lesson yet?" The woman walked up and plopped down in front of Song Ling. "Are you really angry? Sit down and rest for a while."

Song Ling thought she was being very subtle, so she took a small step back, her posture suggesting she was about to run away. Her voice was also a little uneasy, "Aunt Yingying...you're not here to take me back, are you...?"

"Oh? How could you think of me like that, Seventeen?" Qi Ying looked heartbroken. "Do I look like a bad person to you?"

“It doesn’t seem like it… I’m sorry, Aunt Yingying,” Song Ling said, relieved, and obediently sat down next to her, cautiously probing, “Is Master still angry?”

"Hey, trying to pry information out of me?" Qi Ying couldn't help but chuckle. "It's alright, how could the Pavilion Master really be angry with you? Let me see, does your hand still hurt?"

"Oh dear... why is it all red like this?" Qi Ying took out a medicine bottle from her collar and carefully applied the ointment to her palm. "You're so stubborn. You've been beaten like this and you haven't uttered a sound... you're even laughing. If you just played the victim and apologized, you wouldn't have had to suffer like this."

Qi Ying smiled helplessly, "Your master cares about you and only wants you to improve yourself. Seventeen, please don't hate him."

“I know,” Song Ling puffed out her cheeks, “I know Master wants me to be better.”

"But I see you're still not convinced," Qi Ying teased. "You'll understand his good intentions in the future. Today I'll go to Zhongshu's place to ask for leave for you. Go back to your courtyard and rest early."

"No..." Song Ling patted the dust off her bottom, "If I miss class, Uncle Zhong won't let me take the upper-class exam anymore."

Qi Ying watched the little one run away, a smile playing on her lips. "How could such a child not be capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities..."

But there was no smile in her eyes, only a deep worry and helplessness. "How can such a child be asked to shoulder such a heavy responsibility..."

Noticing a slight touch on a strand of hair, I reached up and took it off, only to find it was a peach petal.

Huailai has no shortage of peach blossoms.

And the wine brewed by the master of Huailai is always the sweetest and most delicious.