Chapter 55 Xuanfeng Goes on a Long Journey, the Maid Watches the Flying Flowers

In the study, Bai Er and Fang Chun were busy tidying up their things, while Fei Hua frowned as she looked at the homework on the desk.

Su Yuyao was taken to Qi Meng's study to listen to Xuan Feng and Qi Meng discuss her studies.

Qi Meng spoke in great detail, and Xuan Feng listened attentively to every word, while Su Yuyao was terrified.

"My lord, apart from being playful, naughty, a little lazy, and somewhat disobedient, Yao'er is doing quite well in her studies! In any case, she no longer dozes off in my class; she can finish her homework in Gong Meng's class; as for Meng Shang's class, she hasn't been tricked; sometimes she can even cast divination and gamble, winning some copper coins; she can also play the guzheng in Zheng Meng's class, although it's not a complete piece, you can still roughly tell the tune; as for Meng Yu's class, don't worry, it's just normal teacher-student interaction, except when Yao'er is daydreaming, she gets a few slaps on the hand."

Xuanfeng's face grew darker and darker as he looked at Su Yuyao, only to see her keeping her head down and occasionally sneaking peeks at him.

"It seems I'm not good at any subject..." Xuanfeng sighed.

"She's good at that too! Gladiator class!" Qi Meng said with a smile. "She always sneaks out of Zheng Meng's class for a little while, then comes to the gladiator class, beats a few kids to tears, and then goes back!"

“Hoo…” Xuanfeng adjusted his breathing and bowed to Qi Meng, saying, “Uncle-Master, I didn’t have time to ask last time, I didn’t expect her to have so many problems with her studies! You are her immortal master, so discipline her however you should, don’t show leniency for my sake.”

"Very well, with your words, I can rest assured!" Qi Meng bowed in return.

Su Yuyao stared at the hem of her skirt, her heart sinking. She was doomed!

Xuanfeng led Su Yuyao out of Qi Meng's study. He suppressed his anger and looked at Su Yuyao, while Su Yuyao pursed her lips and looked up at him.

"Hehe, didn't the Immortal Master say I was...not bad...?" Su Yuyao lowered her head and muttered, "I just don't like studying, and I'm not good at it. You guys force me to study, and then you punish me when I don't do well...it's not fair..."

Xuanfeng looked at the aggrieved Su Yuyao and asked earnestly, "Girl, do you want to become someone who can assist me in the future?"

"Yes! I think so!" Su Yuyao said firmly, "You also have to help me get revenge!"

"Ah...cough cough..." Xuanfeng cleared his throat guiltily and continued, "If you want to assist me, you need to learn a lot of things. It's not that you will definitely use them, but you need to broaden your horizons and prepare for what you will encounter in the future."

"I can help you right now! I know a little bit of Plum Blossom Divination!" Su Yuyao said proudly.

"Do you think that's enough? What we're going to go through isn't just about eating a few steamed buns a day!" Xuanfeng said seriously. "Originally, I didn't want you involved, but now that you've become my woman, you have to wade through this mess with me! Understand?"

“Okay!” Su Yuyao nodded.

"I'll be going on a long trip soon. I need to personally visit all the temples on the sacred mountain, and I also need to personally check on some of the new recruits I've hired..."

"Oh? How long will you be gone?" Su Yuyao asked worriedly.

"It might take a long time, but I'll be back as soon as possible!" Xuanfeng pulled Su Yuyao into his arms. "You wait for me here, okay?"

"Hmm..." Su Yuyao looked into Xuanfeng's azure eyes and asked, "Why can't I go with you?"

Xuanfeng held Su Yuyao's hand and said, "It's not the right time yet. If you go out with me like this now, you'll just be wasting your time!"

"No way!" Su Yuyao said, clinging to Xuanfeng's arm. "Are you planning to go out and pick up other children?! I heard from Meng Yu that he was one you picked up!"

"You brat! What nonsense are you talking about! Even you, I only adopted you out of necessity!" Xuanfeng said with a wry smile.

"Well, maybe after you adopted me, you'll start to like adopting children. If you dare bring anyone else back for me, I'll..."

"So what?" Xuanfeng tilted his head and looked at Su Yuyao, who was pouting.

"I'm not sleeping with you anymore!" Su Yuyao said angrily.

Xuanfeng leaned close to Su Yuyao's ear and whispered, "Are you willing to do that?"

Su Yuyao was tickled by Xuanfeng's scent. She looked at the woods on the hillside and said, "Xuanfeng, you'll be gone for a long time, maybe..."

Xuanfeng followed Su Yuyao's gaze and lowered his voice, saying, "Silly girl! Your voice is so loud, what if someone hears you?"

"Isn't that because you're strong?!" Su Yuyao stood on tiptoe, reached Xuanfeng's ear, and whispered, "Can I cover my mouth and not make a sound?"

Xuanfeng looked at Su Yuyao's rosy cheeks and said slowly, "It's not... impossible..."

Upon hearing this, Su Yuyao excitedly grabbed Xuanfeng's hand and tried to dive into the woods, but Xuanfeng pulled her back.

"But!!" Xuan Feng suppressed a laugh, pinched Su Yuyao's ear, and said seriously, "This is the Academy! You brat! If you keep thinking nonsense, I'll beat you up!"

"Ouch! That hurts!" Su Yuyao covered her ear and said disappointedly, "Okay..."

Farewells are always bittersweet. In front of the Yuantun Hall, Xuanfeng explained matters to Qimen, and only after confirming that everything was in order did Xuanfeng approach Su Yuyao.

“Girl, I’m leaving. Be good! While I’m gone, Immortal Master Qimen will take care of everything here. If anything happens, just go to Immortal Master Qimen, understand?” Xuanfeng said gently.

"I know..." Su Yuyao's eyes were red, and she pouted, "Then what am I going to do if I miss you?"

Xuanfeng pulled Su Yuyao into his arms, leaned close to her ear, and whispered in her warm breath, "Bear with it, wait for me to come back!"

"Then come back quickly!" Su Yuyao sniffed Xuanfeng's chest and said coquettishly.

"Hahahaha..." Qi Men looked at the two people hugging each other reluctantly and said with a smile, "Yao'er, why don't you cast a divination to see if the master's trip will go smoothly?"

"good!"

Su Yuyao cast a divination at will. She was a young girl, so she took the Dui trigram above, which means "wind within the dark wind". She took the Xun trigram below, which means "great excess of the lake and wind". The time was Mao (5-7 AM). The fourth line was moving, and the changing hexagram was "well of the water and wind". The external application is beneficial to the body. The north is auspicious and action is favorable!

"That's wonderful!" Su Yuyao said happily. "Xuanfeng, are you going to the North? Everything goes smoothly there! This trip is sure to be a success and very rewarding!"

“That’s right, I do need to go to the snow-capped mountains in the north first! Since everything went so smoothly, will I be able to come back soon?” Xuanfeng’s eyes were filled with surprise.

The resulting hexagram is Kan, which represents the number 6 and also winter.

Su Yuyao pondered, "The immortal mountains are divided into four seasons according to region, it seems..."

"Does it take sixty days? Or six months?" Su Yuyao pouted. "If it's six months, that's longer than the time I've spent coming to the Immortal Mountain!"

Xuanfeng kissed Su Yuyao's forehead, "I'll be back soon..."

"Xuanfeng!" Feihua suddenly shouted, "Come back and marry me soon!"

"Feihua! Xuanfeng won't marry you!" Su Yuyao shouted angrily. "Xuanfeng is going to marry me! Su Yuyao!"

Xuanfeng was taken aback by Su Yuyao's bold declaration. He covered his face and laughed, then looked at Feihua, who was looking puzzled, and said, "Feihua, when I'm not around, you have to be good, don't make trouble, take your medicine on time, and take good care of the girl for me."

"Aren't you going to marry me?" Fei Hua asked, tilting her head.

"I……"

"Xuanfeng won't marry you!" Su Yuyao's jealousy resurfaced. "But he will always take care of you. Xuanfeng will marry me, so I will take care of you too!"

"Xuanfeng will always take care of me, but he won't marry me..." Feihua seemed unable to accept this news.

Xuanfeng felt a pang of heartache as he watched Feihua deep in thought. He walked up to her and whispered, "Feihua, I... I really can't marry you, but I will definitely take good care of you and protect you."

"Oh." Feihua responded blankly, then slowly nestled into Xuanfeng's arms. "Then... protect me..."

Xuanfeng felt a pang of heartache. He gently patted Feihua's back, "Don't be afraid, I will always protect you..."

"Alright!" Su Yuyao frowned and pulled back the flying flowers, saying to Fangchun, "Granny! Quickly help your fairy up!"

After saying that, she threw herself into Xuanfeng's arms, sniffing his scent, and said coquettishly, "Don't hug her anymore!"

Xuanfeng smiled and hugged Su Yuyao tightly, kissing her forehead. "Alright, I have to go now."

Su Yuyao reluctantly released Xuanfeng. Xuanfeng then said to a lean man, "Flying Eagle, let's go!"

Su Yuyao turned to look at Flying Eagle and asked curiously, "Flying Eagle? How come I've never seen you before?"

The eagle quickly lowered its head and stepped back.

"Hey? Why are you hiding?" Su Yuyao asked as she stepped forward.

"Um..." Xuanfeng stepped in front of Su Yuyao and said loudly, "You brat! Because of you, we've wasted so much time! We have to get going! Flying Eagle, let's go!"

After saying that, he gave Su Yuyao a light, fleeting kiss on the lips. "Wait for me to come back!"

With a leap, the eagle transformed into a majestic eagle with a gray-brown body, glossy feathers, wings spread like a roc, and sharp, hooked talons.

The eagle flapped its wings, creating gusts of wind. Xuanfeng lightly stepped on the ground and leaped onto the eagle's spine.

"Wow! This is so much fun!" Su Yuyao exclaimed excitedly, her eyes wide. "Xuanfeng! Xuanfeng! When you come back, I want to ride a flying eagle too!"

Upon hearing this, the eagle flapped its wings and fled.

"Uncle Qimen! I want an eagle too! I want to ride an eagle!" Su Yuyao shouted around Qimen.

"Me too! Me too!" Fei Hua said, jumping up and down behind Su Yuyao.

"Hahahaha!" Qi Men stroked his beard and laughed loudly, "Let's talk about it when the master returns! I dare not make a decision on this matter lightly!"

"You're not afraid to make a decision, you're just reluctant!" Su Yuyao pouted. "How stingy! I'm going back to the academy!"

She grabbed Feihua, who was still bouncing around, and said, "Come on! Feihua! Let's go back to the academy! Senior Brother Mengjiao has a gladiator class later!"

The arena was located in an open area near the mountaintop, with only one side against the mountain and the other three sides surrounded by cliffs. The boys were already lined up neatly, listening to the leader's instructions.

"We've already had several basic combat and wrestling training sessions, and everyone's grasped them quite well! Today, we're going to practice incorporating Qi into your attacks! Remember, Qi must be stored within your bodies, not hidden away! All of you, bring out your Qi! Let's practice Qi circulation first!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the boys stood with their feet apart, calmed their minds, and released their Qi from their lower abdomens.

“Okay… take your time, don’t rush!” Meng Jiao said as he surveyed the area. “Listen to the command! Circulate your Qi downwards! Stabilize your feet! Good! Listen to the command again! Return your Qi to your Dantian! Good!…”

Su Yuyao pulled Feihua to squat down to one side, muttering, "What? What's this 'qi'? I don't understand..."

“It’s Qi!” Fei Hua said blankly, picked up a small twig, and wrote the character “Qi” on the ground.

Su Yuyao stared at it for a while, then asked, "Qi? What does that mean?"

"In the beginning of the primordial chaos, there was only the boundless void, the valley of primordial chaos. Yet it moved freely, transforming into the two energies of Yin and Yang. When Yin and Yang intertwined, all things were born," Fei Hua said, gazing at the sky.

"What?!" Su Yuyao stared at the flying flowers for a long time. "What are you talking about?"

“Qi is the root of all things!” Fei Hua continued.

"What?! I don't understand!" Su Yuyao stood up impatiently and ran towards the arena. "Senior Brother Mengjiao! I want to wrestle too!"

"No! Yao'er, you can't participate today. They've all added their Qi, and you don't have Qi. It will hurt you!" Meng Jiao said.

"What exactly is Qi? Is it that powerful?"

Su Yuyao looked at the two boys wrestling together and said, "It's nothing! We've always fought like this before!"

"Yao'er, be good! After class, you can wrestle with them again!" Meng Jiao chased Su Yuyao back.

"Hmph!" Su Yuyao sat down next to Feihua, grumbling, "What's so great about her... she won't let me play!"

“You really can’t go…you’ll get hurt! Very badly hurt!” Feihua said, looking up at the sky.

Su Yuyao crossed her arms and glanced at the dumbfounded Feihua, "What do you know?! I beat them up before, and I made two of them cry!"

“They practiced Qi! You didn’t…” Fei Hua said blankly.

"Then I'll practice too!" Su Yuyao blinked, thought for a moment, "But I don't know how to practice..."

"I..." Feihua said slowly, "I don't know either..."

Su Yuyao sighed, pulled up the flying flower, and said, "Let's go back! We have to go to Senior Brother Zhengmeng's guzheng lesson..."

Su Yuyao led Feihua down the mountain path, through the tree-lined road, and into a garden.

"Flowers!" Fei Hua suddenly exclaimed excitedly. She ran to the flowerbed, held up the flowers, and her eyes began to shine. "Flowers!"

"Oh, right, you're the Flower Fairy, and you like flowers. Then you can stay here and look at the flowers! I'm going to go apologize to Senior Brother Zheng Meng!"

Su Yuyao left the flying flowers in the garden and walked along the path towards Zheng Meng's courtyard.