In the blink of an eye, it's already late autumn.

Everything withered, and the wilderness was desolate and cold, except for the peach blossoms on Turtle Mountain, which were blooming exceptionally brightly.

"The moon sets, crows cry, frost fills the sky; river maples and fishing lights accompany my sorrowful sleep."

Outside Suzhou city, at Hanshan Temple, the midnight bell tolls, reaching the traveler's boat.

Under the peach tree, Qin Shou picked up a book of poems and began to recite it aloud.

Da Mei sat upright at the stone table. Every time Qin Shou read a sentence, she would pick up a brush and write it down carefully from memory. Sometimes her brows furrowed, and sometimes they relaxed.

Yi Cheng took Xiao Pang and Hei Tu to patrol the mountain. Among the little ones, Da Mei's mind has gradually matured. She only accompanies Yi Cheng and the others to patrol the mountain occasionally. She spends most of her time on the mountain doing housework and listening to Qin Shou teach her poetry, calligraphy and painting.

Gradually, Da Mei also came to love the beauty of poetry.

"This poem paints a desolate picture of the moon setting, crows cawing, a frosty night, river maples and fishing lights, and a lone traveler on a small boat, thus delicately depicting..."

After Qin Shou finished reciting a poem, he would carefully explain its meaning and artistic conception to Da Mei.

"Master, what place is Suzhou?"

Da Mei tilted her head back and asked.

"Suzhou...it's a very beautiful place."

Qin Shou rolled up the poetry collection, gently tapped his palms, and said wistfully, "That's the place from my dreams."

"A place from a dream?"

Da Mei scratched her head. "Then, Master, did you write all these poems?"

"no. "

Qin Shou shook his head. "I copied it down in my dream."

"Oh, Master, you're amazing."

Da Mei, her eyes filled with admiration, said, "I want to dream too, to copy down lots and lots of beautiful poems."

"And I love Li Qingzhao's poems the most. I even want to see her in my dreams and have her teach me how to write poetry, hehehe..."

Da Mei smiled happily.

The shimmering light, like layers of dappled shadows, filters through the fragrance of petals on the branches and falls onto the ink-covered paper on the table. As a small koi carp lifts its brush, it slowly unfolds a series of beautiful and imaginative scenes.

The lesson was interrupted by a hearty laugh.

"Haha, Master, your disciple has come to see you!"

Xiao Xuan strode over, carrying a jar of fine wine in his hand.

His face was as white as jade, and his beauty was like that of a demon.

Dressed in a bright red gown, she was stunningly beautiful, her radiance shining brightly against the backdrop of peach blossoms covering the mountain.

Qin Shou looked up and then laughed:

"Oh, it's Siwu back."

"Hahaha, Master, did you miss your disciple? Come here, let me give you a hug."

Xiao Xuan smiled and opened his arms.

However, the next moment, with a "whoosh," a shoe sole flew over.

I'll hide.

Xiao Xuan dodged it with a flash.

"Hahaha, Master, I predicted what you predicted."

Xiao Xuan raised his eyebrows smugly.

"I'll let you expect it..."

Qin Shou took off the sole of his other shoe and chased after Xiao Xuan, hitting him.

"Oh dear, Master, what are you doing?"

"Holy crap! Master, you can spank me, but you can't hit my face!"

"Ah, Master, you pushed my big brother up there."

"Aww... You're my dear master, please be gentle..."

Xiao Xuan skipped and hopped ahead, while Qin Shou chased after him at a leisurely pace. The master and disciple ran around Turtle Mountain again and again, kicking up clouds of dust.

Squeak!

Nangong Liuli walked out of the room and stared blankly at the scene on Turtle Mountain.

This rising star in the cultivation world, the former emperor of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty, was being chased and beaten like a child who had done something wrong.

"Traitorous disciple, traitorous disciple!"

Tell me, Little Fatty was so cute, weighing only 30 pounds, but now you've taught him to be a rebellious 32 pounds.

Furthermore, you're such a grown man, yet you never strive for improvement; all you do is try to squander your master's legacy.

Snap!

Qin Shou leaped up and slapped Xiao Xuan on the back of the head with a large shovel.

Xiao Xuan's head swayed, and he fell to the ground. Then, Qin Shou grabbed him by the back of the neck and began to beat him mercilessly.

"Tell me, do you know you were wrong?"

"Ah! Ah~! Ah~~! Master, please have mercy! Your disciple knows he was wrong."

"Hmph, where did you go wrong?"

"My disciple shouldn't have taught Little Fatty to come back and steal."

"Fuck you, looks like you still don't know where you went wrong."

Qin Shou angrily grabbed Xiao Xuan by the back of the neck and threw him to the ground.

"................."

At this moment, Nangong Liuli was completely dumbfounded.

The atmosphere on this mountain is... so strange.

Even when the mighty Emperor Xuan was pinned to the ground and beaten, he didn't show any temper.

With Nangong Liuli's cultivation level, she was naturally able to sense Xiao Xuan's mental fluctuations. They were very stable, without any hostility, and even showed some... excitement and... happiness.

This is insane...

"Ah! Oh~~, Master, please enlighten me!"

Xiao Xuan couldn't take it anymore.

Although my master was careful not to really damage my foundation, but... I'm such a grown man, and I'm being treated like a child. It's so shameful.

"Cough cough..."

Qin Shou coughed twice. "It's about... my wife."

"What? "

Xiao Xuan was taken aback.

Enraged, the Qin beast attacked even more fiercely.

"Aww~~"

Xiao Xuan covered his buttocks and swayed wildly.

He ran while shouting, "My dear master, that was so long ago! Why are you so vengeful? I was just joking!"

Xiao Xuan's words only made Qin Shou angrier.

Smack! Smack!

Several more shoe soles slammed down, making Xiao Xuan's buttocks make a crisp, loud sound.

"Damn it! Every time you write a letter saying you're finding a wife for your teacher, you end up taking her yourself (▼皿▼#)"

"Tell me, do you want to die?"

"Damn it, I knew it! You were just saying that to trick me into giving you resources..."

Qin's chest heaved violently.

Thump!

Xiao Xuan knelt down, tears of shame streaming down his face.

The boy with big eyes said sincerely, "Master, I really wanted to find you a wife at first, but... but those girls were all too beautiful, and I couldn't resist committing a sin, waaaaah~~~"

"Fuck your mother!"

Qin Shou's eyes widened in disbelief.

How can this guy say things so confidently?

“........”

Nangong Liuli, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer. She had just stepped out of the house but then silently retreated back inside, gently closing the door behind her.

A womanizing apprentice.

A master who's always thinking about taking advantage of other people's girls...

These two apprentices are truly amazing...

Yet they all happen to be so...beautiful, a scourge to the nation, inspiring envy in every woman in the world.

"Sister, sister, Yi Cheng isn't taking me with her anymore, hmph..." (ー`′ー)

Just then, Little Fatty came running up from the foot of the mountain, pouting and frowning, looking unhappy.

"Huh? Siwu, Siwu, what brings you back!"

Little Fatty was originally going to complain to Da Mei, but as soon as he saw Xiao Xuan, his bitter face immediately lit up with a smile. He ran over and tugged at Xiao Xuan's sleeve, shaking it as he said:

"Siwu, did you receive my letter and come here with a massive army to rescue me?"

"Haha, Siwu, I knew you'd be the most loyal one."

"Where are our soldiers? Today, I will charge into Turtle Mountain and teach our wicked master a lesson!"

"Hehehe, I'm going to tie him to a tree too, and whip his little bottom with a willow branch, hahahaha..."

The chubby boy stood with his hands on his hips, laughing triumphantly.

Xiao Xuan stared at the chubby boy with a completely bewildered expression.

He knew Little Fatty was silly, but he didn't know she was this silly.

Poor little Fatty, how come he can't tell the difference between the big and small kings after living on the mountain for so long?

My master is the king, and I'm not even a minor king. Even my silly junior sister has a higher status than me.

"Oh, Fatty, I heard you're going to hang me from a tree and whip me?"

Qin Shou stood behind Little Fatty, blocking the sunlight and casting a gloomy and terrifying shadow.

Xiao Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.

However, Little Fatty showed no fear today and appeared unusually brave.

"Hmph, not bad, Siwu has brought a massive army. Do you know how many people are in a massive army?"

"Let me tell you, we have a lot of lackeys, more than our entire Turtle Mountain can hold them all."

"Hahaha, the director's a bad guy, are you scared yet?"

The chubby boy stood with his hands on his hips, arrogantly tilting his little neck back.

"Really? You're amazing!"

Qin Shou sneered and looked at Xiao Xuan. Xiao Xuan immediately shrank back, wanting to find a hole to crawl into.

brush!

The next moment, Little Fatty was grabbed and lifted up.

"Master, you're a bad person! Let me go! I'm going to call Siwu to beat you up!"

The chubby boy struggled desperately, his little face contorted with anger.

However, the next moment, she was hung under the mulberry tree again by the Qin beast, and the willow branch of fate whipped her little bottom, and the familiar "happiness" returned.

"Waaaaah~~, Siwu, please save me!"

Little Fatty closed his eyes and howled in pain.

"Little Fatty, stop yelling, I'm hanging there too, sigh..."

Under the peach tree, Xiao Xuan was hanging below, swaying leisurely.

"This damn sense of familiarity..."

Xiao Xuan sighed.

He recalled that when he was a child, if he "tricked" his junior sister, his master would hang him from a tree to vent his anger and make her happy.

"You two traitors, you should stay here and reflect on your actions."

Qin Shou, tired from whipping, stretched and headed towards the back mountain, intending to find Master Roshi for a drink and relax.

After Qin the Beast left, Little Fatty opened his eyes and whispered, "Siwu, can you hear me?"

"Did you hear that, Little Fatty?"

"Siwu, what's wrong with you? Where are our thousands of troops?" Little Fatty shouted, his face contorted with worry. "You promised that if I stole the elixir for you, I could just send you a message and you'd bring your entire army to back me up."

Xiao Xuan opened his eyes weakly. "Little Fatty, Master isn't in this group."

Why?

"Because I'll get killed."

"Huh? Is the bad guy that powerful, Master? There are so many of us!"

Little Fatty was shocked. She had seen countless armies before, so impressive, yet they couldn't even defeat one bad guy like her master...

"What do you think?" Xiao Xuan raised his eyes and advised, "So, you should listen to Master more often from now on. You have a cute appearance, so you should learn to act cute more often. Master has the softest heart, so melt his heart with your cuteness, and then say good things about me in his ear, understand?"

"I don't believe it, Siwu, you're definitely lying to me. There are so many of us, how could we possibly lose to one bad guy like Master?"

Little Fatty turned his head away, clearly disbelieving, and said, "Hmph, I, Little Fatty, am very clever. Unless you give a signal to send a thousand troops to fight the bad guys, Master!"

"well.........."

Xiao Xuan sighed.

If they really come, then the empire I've worked so hard to build will be completely wiped out.

The next second, I'll be all alone.

"Sister, sister, come and give me a push, I want to swing too!"

One second it was a gloomy, rainy day for the little chubby boy, and the next second he completely forgot he was being punished and happily called out to Da Mei.

"You're here, little sister."

Da Mei walked to the tree and gently pushed Xiao Pang.

"Sister, I want to eat grapes."

"I'll pick some for you."

"Thank you, sister."

"Siwu, would you like some grapes?"

After Da Mei washed the grapes, she asked Xiao Xuan.

"No, thank you, Sister Da Mei."

Xiao Xuan smiled and declined.

Then, the next second, he bent over under the peach tree, swaying aimlessly, humming a tune as he did so.

"La la la, I'm a happy little bird..."

"Greetings, Emperor Xuan!"

At this moment, a tall figure in white appeared in front of Xiao Xuan.

Although Xiao Xuan has not yet reached the Nascent Soul stage, his temperament, political acumen, social connections, status, and talent all deserve to be treated equally by Nangong Liuli.

"Huh?! Palace Master Nangong is here too?"

Xiao Xuan was stunned for a moment, quite surprised.

"Yes." Nangong Liuli nodded and said, "I was being chased and fled here. Fortunately, I was rescued by you, senior, and have been recuperating here for a while."

"Oh, I see."

Xiao Xuan nodded.

The Glazed Heavenly Palace also played a significant role in its national war against Su Qingcang.

However, what has always puzzled him is that the Glazed Heavenly Palace originally declared that it intended to support the Dragon Cloud Empire, but for some reason, at the last moment, it suddenly announced that it would support him to the death to ascend to the throne.

He had met Nangong Liuli a few times and had asked her why. At that time, Nangong Liuli did not explain in detail, but now he realized that it was related to his master.

"Ah... I'm so touched! I never knew my master cared about me so much!"

Xiao Xuan was immediately moved.

He then chatted with Nangong Liuli for a few more minutes.

noon.

Yi Cheng carried a large black pig on her back, while Hei Tu held a wild white goose in her hand. The two returned home laden with their spoils.

"Huh? Siwu, what brings you here!"

Yi Cheng walked into the courtyard, tossed the wild boar aside, and happily ran to the peach tree.

"Hehehe, you're all clueless. You must have gotten hung up and beaten by your master again."

"Hmph, serves you right for not listening to your master."

Yi Cheng, with her chubby waist in her hands and her little neck held high, mocked Xiao Xuan with a smug look.

"Hey, I caught a big white goose. I'll treat you to stewed goose in an iron pot for lunch."

Black Rabbit was holding a large white goose in its hand, its wings flapping frantically.

Who are you?

Xiao Xuan looked at the chubby little black boy in front of him, completely bewildered.

Why is this chubby guy so dark-skinned? If he were put in a coal mine, even my senior sister wouldn't be able to dig him out.

Xiao Xuan had heard that his junior sister had been sold to a coal mine to work in the coal mine when she came down the mountain to look for him last time.

The adorable senior sister refused to admit she was foolish, insisting that she went voluntarily.

Could it be that the lump of coal we dug up last time has come to life?

"I am the Black Rabbit!"

Black Rabbit bared his two large, snow-white front teeth.

"Huh? Oh!"

Xiao Xuan was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help himself. His legs started swinging wildly under the tree, and he burst into laughter, his belly bulging.

"Hahaha, Black Rabbit, you look absolutely...so adorable! Hahaha, hee hee hee..."

"???"

Black Rabbit stared with its two big, bright black eyes, somewhat curious... Why do they want to laugh as soon as they see me? Am I really that good-looking?

......