Confusion

Gu Huaizhi's eyebrows jumped when he heard the name he hadn't heard for a long time.

After stuffing the sachet in his sleeve a little deeper, he turned around slowly and his eyes fell on the old man and the young man who were coming towards him.

When the younger one ran up to him, he still looked a little incredulous and asked, "Yun Zheng?"

The young Taoist priest named Yun Zheng was wearing a blue Taoist robe. His mature face showed an unconcealable joy. He called out again, "Senior Brother!"

Gu Huaizhi gently patted the head of his junior fellow apprentice whom he hadn't seen for a year, and lamented that he had grown up a lot.

A smile slowly appeared on his lips, as if he recalled the past, and he said with a hint of joking: "Stinky boy, who is your senior brother?"

He had only stayed in Huiming Temple for one year when he was twelve years old. He only learned the basics and could not be considered to have practiced formally. However, the younger disciples who came later liked to call him "senior brother".

Yun Zheng was one of them, six years younger than him.

Yun Zheng was childish for once. He pulled his arm and said unhappily, "Brother, it's been a long time since you came to see us. You are so heartless."

Since Gu Huaizhi came down the mountain, he has not returned to the temple once a year, which is even more unreasonable than their master.

Xuan Cheng also walked over slowly with a smile, looking at the two brothers lovingly, and finally stopped his gaze on Gu Huaizhi: "Huaizhi."

Gu Huaizhi saw the person coming and a trace of seriousness appeared between his brows. He bowed respectfully and said, "Uncle Master."

Xuan Cheng nodded, looking at the boy in front of him who was already half a head taller than him with deep emotion: "You've grown up."

A hint of smile appeared between Gu Huaizhi's eyebrows, but he secretly disagreed in his heart.

He was not young to begin with, and was already thirteen years old when he came down the mountain.

Gu Huaizhi rubbed Yun Zheng's head again and asked in confusion, "Master, why did you two go down the mountain?"

Huiming Temple is located on a low mountain in Shangjing, quite a distance from here. Normally, disciples would not go down the mountain easily.

Xuan Cheng stroked his long beard and sighed, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness: "Bring your junior brother out to gain experience, and by the way... find your master."

These disciples are obviously Xuanling's, but he is always the one to take care of them.

If you ask him, they should call him Master instead of Uncle.

Gu Huaizhi thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Where has this old man gone again?"

Yun Zheng frowned and said bitterly, "Master hasn't been back for two months."

Gu Huaizhi saw that his junior fellow apprentice had a worried look on his face, so he patted his head with a friendly expression and said soothingly, "Why worry about this old man? He always comes back when he's had enough fun."

When he was still in Huiming Temple, Xuanling was elusive, like a dragon whose head was visible but whose tail was not.

Xuan Cheng smiled, his voice floating like a light cloud: "Huaizhi's words make sense, but the temple has not been very peaceful recently."

Gu Huaizhi's smile froze, and he was about to ask, but Xuan Cheng didn't seem to want to say more, and calmly changed the subject: "Master, I just saw you talking to a young lady."

He looked deeply at the gate of Chongde Marquis's Mansion and secretly observed Gu Huaizhi's reaction: "Is that young lady your fiancée?"

Gu Huai was stunned. Before he could think of a reply, Yun Zheng answered first: "Uncle Master, that is your fiancée. I have seen her last time."

He had long been curious about the marriage contract that his senior brother had made after he came down the mountain. It was not until he went to the Mu Mansion last time that he finally found the opportunity to glimpse the true face of his future senior brother's wife.

For now, he is quite satisfied with this sister-in-law.

At least in terms of appearance, she and my senior brother are a perfect match, but I don’t know what their character is like.

Gu Huaizhi's face turned red and he couldn't help but pat his junior brother on the head again.

He had not yet told them that he had broken off his engagement with her, but that might as well be it.

Although it has been lifted for now, it may not be the case in the future.

However, he felt something strange in his heart, so he lowered his head and asked his junior fellow apprentice: "Yun Zheng, when have you ever seen her?"

*

Mu An Ning and Mu Wan'er had just entered the mansion and were walking in the corridor when they suddenly ran into Mu Guiling, who was dressed in black.

Mu An Ning was a little surprised and asked in a teasing tone, "Brother, how come you have time to come back home today?"

Ever since they returned to Beijing, Mu Guiling has been very busy in the Dali Temple and has only returned home a few times.

Mu Guiling also stopped and rubbed his brows, his eyes full of fatigue: "I heard that mother is ill."

Mu An Ning was startled, and a trace of doubt arose in his heart.

My adoptive father had strictly ordered no one to disclose the news of my adoptive mother's illness. How did my brother know about it?

Mu Guiling glanced at the two sisters' identical pink dresses and asked seriously, "Where did you two come from?"

Mu Wan'er rushed in front of Mu An Ning and answered with a smile according to the words they had discussed before: "Brother, the Crown Prince organized an outing and invited us and other young men and women." Mu Guiling narrowed his eyes and glanced at Mu Wan'er: "Crown Prince?"

Even he knew that the prince didn't like crowds, so how could he possibly organize an outing?

Mu Wan'er was frightened by Mu Guiling's sharp gaze. Her eyes suddenly became guilty and she shrank back.

[Will he not notice anything?]

【嘤嘤嘤, don't scold me...】

Mu An Ning quickly echoed and changed the subject: "Brother, have you visited mother?"

Mu Guiling's expression was tense for a moment, but soon returned to calm, like a deep pool with no visible ripples on the surface.

He said in a deep voice: "Not yet, I'm just getting ready to go."

Mu An Ning nodded slightly, glanced at Mu Wan'er who was looking down and seemed to be trying to reduce her presence, and suggested: "Then let's go together with brother."

Last time, after the Taoist priest who exorcised evil spirits gave Mu Jingrui a talk and drove him out of the house, she had not yet visited Xu and left the house with Mu Wan'er.

I don’t know if Xu’s condition has improved.

*

Gu Huaizhi walked into the main hall with his hands on his back. Seeing his mother concentrating on embroidering something, he smiled and said, "Mother, your son is back."

Hearing this, Luo raised his eyes slightly, forced a smile on his face, and nodded.

Noticing his mother's low mood, Gu Huaizhi sat down on the chair next to her and asked, "Mother, are you worried about something?"

Luo sighed, put the handkerchief she was embroidering aside, shook her head gently, and whispered, "Your uncle and aunt came to visit this morning and left not long ago. You haven't seen them for a long time. After this separation, I don't know when I will see them again."

She knew that her son had important matters to attend to recently, so she did not ask him too much about where he had been these days.

Gu Huaizhi's eyes flickered slightly, and he understood the turmoil deep in his mother's heart.

She must have been thinking of her uncle's deceased son, his cousin and his childhood playmate.

His aunt was from Liang State. She came to Chu State by accident. After getting acquainted with his uncle by chance, she settled in Chu State.

He couldn't remember how many years it was, but he vaguely remembered that his uncle and his family went to Liang State again to visit his aunt's family.

But when his family returned to Chu, his cousin was the only one missing.

Later he heard that his cousin had drowned.

When my aunt saw my cousin’s bloated and unrecognizable body, she fainted instantly.

His cousin's body was also buried in Liang State and was not brought back to Chu State.

Luo sighed again and took back the handkerchief and needle and thread: "Forget it, let's not talk about this." She looked at her son who was wearing a new color of clothes, which was rare, and smiled: "Have you had lunch?"

Gu Huaizhi came back to his senses, poured himself a cup of tea, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, mother, when has your son ever been hungry?"

Luo couldn't help laughing when she saw his carefree look. But then she remembered something and said softly, "Your uncle and aunt didn't bring your cousin with them when they went to Liang."

The smile on Gu Huaizhi's face gradually faded, and a bad feeling arose in his heart.

Sure enough, his mother's next words were: "Ah Huai, she will temporarily live in our house these days, you should take care of her more, she is also a poor child."

Gu Huai looked at the sun and felt a surge of irritation in his heart.

It's pitiful, but that's no reason for her to keep pestering him.

Seeing that he remained silent, Luo shook her head and smiled, "You know how much your mother longs for a daughter. Although your cousin is a little naughty, she is still a child at heart. You should be more patient with her."

Luo sighed and said almost subconsciously: "It's rare to find a girl as clever and well-behaved as An Ning..."

Although they are the same age, their personalities are completely different.

Gu Huaizhi was slightly startled, his fingers couldn't help but gently stroke the teacup, countless emotions and thoughts surged in his heart, just like the tea quietly swirling in the cup.

Of course he knew that his mother preferred girls to boys.

So when he and Mu An Ning got engaged, she was happier than anyone else and treated Mu An Ning as her own daughter.

After that, whenever she mentioned Mu An Ning, her eyes were always filled with endless love and expectation.

Luo shook her head again, a trace of regret spreading in her tone: "You and An Ning, after all, are not destined to be together." She paused, carefully observing her son's expression, with a hint of tentativeness in her eyes: "Ahuai, you really don't have any regrets at all?"

She could see clearly how Mu An Ning felt about Gu Huaizhi.

But she sometimes sees through her son and sometimes doesn't.

Gu Huaizhi's originally lazy sitting posture gradually became straighter.

He lowered his eyelids and stared at the tea swaying slightly in his hand.

These words were like a hidden hook, quietly touching the depths of his heart and evoking endless thoughts and memories.

But he pursed his lips and didn't respond.

Does he regret it?

He himself couldn't explain it clearly.

He didn't like being bound by marriage, but now, a subtle change began to take place in his heart.

If that person was her, maybe being restrained wouldn't be a bad thing.

Such thoughts lingered in his mind like a gentle breeze blowing across the lake, making him feel an indescribable shame.

If he told it to others, his mother would definitely scold him.

Seeing her son remained silent, Luo sighed and said, "Ah Huai, you are not a child anymore." She put down the handkerchief in her hand and said thoughtfully, "Since you are not destined to be with An Ning, then choose another good one. Mother heard that Madam Mu is also choosing a son-in-law for An Ning recently."

Upon hearing this, Gu Huaizhi's hand trembled, and the tea in the teacup splashed out and landed squarely on his robe, staining it.

Is she going to discuss marriage?