name

"Brother Mo, what are your plans for the future? Things are not peaceful in the court."

Mo Shen felt a surge of warmth upon hearing the word "Big Brother," but remained nonchalant: "Who cares! I'll just do what I'm doing, no matter how much they turn the world upside down!"

Officials should benefit the people of the world; who cares about deceit and treachery?

Thinking of this, he slapped his forehead. "Oh no! There's no day off today, and the sun is already so high in the sky. I'm afraid I won't make it to the morning court!"

Xie Lingxi was about to offer him a ride in the carriage when she saw him move like a rabbit, turn around like the wind, and before she could say "farewell," he waved his sleeves and strode away.

"This is really..."

Xie Lingxi finally remembered her elder sister who was still in the temple, and a rare look of horror appeared on her face: "It's over!"

"how?"

"If my sister finds out I'm missing, she'll definitely search everywhere for me!"

Ever since she broke her arm that day, her family has been keeping a close watch on her, not daring to let her go out alone, for fear that she might accidentally lose her life.

A few orioles chirped in the woods at just the right moment, and dew clung to the colorful early-blooming branches, occasionally brushing against the clothes of passersby. The mountain air was truly chilly, mixed with fine willow catkins drifting in from who-knows-where, when just then Liu Xu peeked out and said, "They should be heading east."

Xie Lingxi felt uncomfortable as his breath warmed her ears, and stiffly replied, "There is no road to the east."

To be precise, it's a path that no one has trod before, so we have to boldly carve out a small trail.

But right now, with just these two cripples?

Not to mention the mountains and forests where large snakes and wild monsters often leap out, even some dense brambles and vines are troublesome obstacles.

"Let's go around it."

The two picked up a few thick branches to clear a path, and every now and then, light pear blossoms would fall and land on their necks.

As Xie Lingxi walked, she recalled the few willow catkins that had blown in from the foot of the mountain and couldn't help but ask, "Can I ask you a question?"

Liu Xu's eyes crinkled into a smile: "What?"

Why wouldn't I want to befriend the Fifth Prince?

“No,” Xie Lingxi frowned, “why would I ask such a boring question?”

Judging from her previous attitude towards the Fifth Prince, if the two of them were any more familiar, she would have said "bad luck" directly.

Then Xie Lingxi asked in a light and cheerful tone, her voice as melodious as flowing water brushing against flowers, "Do you know the origin of your name? Why are you called 'Willow Catkins'?"

From the first time she heard the famous name of the top scholar, she thought the name was really cute. Later, she was corrected and realized that it was not the "catkin" in "willow catkins", but the "continue" in "continue".

In Kunming, willow catkins fill the air, and being there reminds one of the fleeting glimpse of the top scholar.

Liu Xu moved aside a budding flower branch and explained in a gentle tone, "Because I was born in spring."

My mother loves willow catkins, but they are rarely seen in Jiangzhou. She said that she named me this way so that when she sees me, she will see the whole city filled with flying catkins.

"Later, when I reached school age, my father said he was afraid that I would be laughed at if I became an official with this name in the future, so he changed it to 'Xu' early on, which means to continue the interrupted learning of the sages and to carry on the peace of the world."

Xie Lingxi smiled and said, "Your father knew so early on that you were going to become an official?"

Liu Xu walked ahead, stopping to remove the pink and white petals that had fallen from her hairpin. His brows were brimming with youthful spirit as he said, "My father says he's a diviner! He says that I will not only become an official in the future, but I might even become a renowned Grand Master of the Central Government! Everyone will remember my name!"

Xie Lingxi subconsciously touched his head, but what he was thinking about was the fate of the Great Yan Dynasty in his previous life. The country was about to perish, so what was the point of talking about a wise minister?

"You want to become a central physician?"

Liu Xu whispered a "shh," "Don't tell anyone, I only told you."

"And what about you?"

"Lingxi"... it's really catchy.

“In my family, the generation name is ‘Ling’ and the generation name is ‘Xi’. It seems that it was just to match the phrase ‘hearts are connected’ and there was not much expectation.”

After saying that, she suddenly remembered the two of them's clumsy acting in the private room last night. Her gaze returned to Liu Xu, and she said seriously, "Who is this 'Wanwan' you mentioned yesterday? I don't like talking so close to a man who has someone he likes."

If Liu Xu has a wife, then he should bring her out to meet her. It would be easier for them to get along openly and honestly, and things would be easier to do things in the future.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xu seemed to have misunderstood something, and blushed as he quickly explained, "No, no, I was just speaking in a moment of panic, you don't need to take it to heart."

Such haste suggests he's harboring countless schemes and plots.

Xie Lingxi paused, narrowing her eyes: "Really?"

Liu Xu dared not look at her anymore. His previous nonchalant and carefree demeanor had completely vanished. At this moment, the red sun was high in the sky, dispelling the misty fog in the mountains, and Xie Lingxi's face was now brightly displayed before him.

Her eyes and brows seemed to be tinged with a blush from the mountain air, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were very red and glistening. Her almond-shaped eyes were looking at him without any hesitation, revealing a hint of scrutiny.

Seeing the girl's cold and piercing gaze, Liu Xu was taken aback. He turned away and lowered his head, his cheeks stiff. His plain hair ribbon fluttered in the wind, and his wrists trembled as well. "Really? Third Sister believes me?"

Before he could recover, Xie Lingxi composed herself, walked past him, and went to the front.

Peach and plum trees flourish in the mountains, and a gentle breeze blows in front of the temple.

The girl's sky-blue dress seemed to add a shimmering spring stream to the lush greenery, and the ribbons on her chest hung down little by little from the dew onto the tips of the low grass, slowly singing a mountain song.

"I can already see the outline of the temple. If I walk a little further east, I will arrive."

The two walked on in silence, like a wisp of warm jade emitting smoke, surrounded by an unprecedented tranquility.

...

This place must be in a valley. After passing through the peach blossom forest, you can see a green stream. Beside the stream is a small but wide waterfall. Water droplets bounce in the sunlight, sparkling. Monks often go out to fetch water and gather firewood here. Now, a patrol of royal guards has emerged from behind the water, striding proudly.

Xie and Liu were just walking out of the peach blossom grove in a daze when they were immediately spotted by the sharp-eyed guards, who drew their swords and shouted, "Halt!"

Xie Lingxi was stunned, but she and Liu Xu obediently stood still to the side.

The leader, who had been looking up, relaxed instantly. He sighed and said, "I thought it was something serious. Turns out it's just two lovebirds having an affair... They really have the guts to do that in this desolate place."

These words were really unpleasant to hear. Xie Lingxi frowned slightly, her tone also unpleasant: "Get out of the way."

Upon hearing this, the man became quite excited, but one should always be more tolerant when facing a beauty. He opened his mouth wide and pretended to be surprised, saying, "My beauty has quite a temper—look, your lover hasn't even said anything yet. Why don't you come with me? I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury and enjoy a lifetime of wealth and honor."

He then went on to criticize Liu Xu, "Look at him, so skinny, wearing coarse cloth...tsk tsk, won't that rub my beauty so hard? How can she be ecstatic during that time?"

Not to mention Xie Lingxi, even Liu Xu couldn't stand it. He took a step forward, clenched his fist, but Xie Lingxi immediately tugged at his sleeve and gently shook his head.

This martial artist possesses brute strength far surpassing that of an ordinary scholar. If Liu Xu were to confront him head-on, he would not only suffer a bloody head injury here, but if someone with ulterior motives were to report this to the imperial court and punish him, his dream of becoming a high-ranking official might be shattered.

Liu Xu knew that he had acted rashly and lost his mind. He was usually cautious and prudent, and he was used to joking around. He would just smile and pretend to be friendly with others and that would be the end of it. But today, for some reason, a fire was burning in his heart, and he recklessly rushed forward to punch him.

He slightly stepped aside to block Xie Lingxi's view, "Judging from the style of your robes, could you perhaps be from the Xingwu Camp?"

Yang Shuo, as if he had heard something ridiculous, widened his eyes and burst into wild laughter: "Xingwu Camp? Xingwu Camp is nothing!"

"I am Yang Shuo, the Left Guard of the Southern Army. Hey kid, what's that on your arm... seize him!"

Xie Lingxi looked over and saw that blood had seeped from the bandage on Liu Xu's hand.

Xingwu Camp is stationed at the border, while the Northern and Southern Offices guard the capital. The Emperor is stirring up trouble for some reason, bringing both factions to Xiangshan. This junior officer must have found their movements suspicious, not to mention that Liu Xu's arm was bleeding, which made them even more suspicious.

Seeing that the Imperial Guards were about to move, Xie Lingxi shouted, "Who dares!"

“We went up the mountain to worship Buddha and got lost. My brother accidentally scratched his arm with a thorn. He is not a vicious person. How can you act so recklessly under the emperor’s nose?”

"I think you two are harboring malicious intentions!" Yang Shuo gave Xie Lingxi a meaningful look, licked his lips, and said, "Men, take them back and interrogate them properly."

"Be careful, bloodshed is forbidden in Buddhist temples."

The Imperial Guards split into two groups, surrounding them from both sides. Amidst a hail of bullets, a hand suddenly appeared from nowhere, grabbing their clothes haphazardly.

The two exchanged a glance and knew that no one would believe them if they said anything now. The imperial city was a complex place with many powerful figures, and Xie Lingxi didn't want her father to be caught doing anything wrong.

They had no choice but to find a way to escape on the way.

Xie Lingxi was deep in thought, unaware that a group of people had also arrived behind her. The leader was Pei Zhao, who was wearing imposing black armor and had a red ribbon tied around his head.

They had been exploring along the rough path that Xie and Liu had cleared, thinking there might be some suspicious people there. After crossing the dense forest, they discovered that two groups of people seemed to be arguing on the riverbank ahead.

He dismounted and shouted, "Stop!"

Xie Lingxi had been waiting for this very sound.

Unfortunately, it arrived a little late.

During the struggle, Liu Xu shielded her firmly beneath him, his head bowed as he was brutally struck several times by Zuo Wuwei. His clothes were torn to shreds by the force, yet he still managed to trip them a few times and wipe his blood on them.

She wasn't idle, of course. While she was hiding, she casually pulled out the hair of a few people. When she was stopped, neither side looked too good.

Xie Lingxi had thought it best to just quietly follow them, but to her surprise, those people reached out at her command. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were some kind of bandits taking advantage of her misfortune.

On the contrary, Liu Xu was incredibly strong, practically as immovable as a mountain.

Seeing this desolate scene, Pei Zhao paused for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "Miss Xie?"

Xie Lingxi picked up the fallen hairpin from the ground and slowly tidied her hair. "It's me."

"this?"

He pointed at Liu Xu.

A section of his hairband was torn off, his left arm was barely covered by his clothes, and there was a bloodstain on his sleeve. His handsome face was covered in bruises, yet he was still smiling slightly. For a moment, it was hard to tell whether he was more radiant than the wildflowers.

"It's my brother."