Chapter 54 Even the little master's dog bares its teeth...
"It's gone, but not as quickly as you said." Gu Shanyue propped her chin up and looked at him, her tone quite serious.
Qi Baitong was speechless. His heart was already surging with emotions, and he could hardly control his greed and desires. Yet she was still teasing him without realizing it.
Perhaps even domesticated dogs have to bare their teeth to let their owners know that there are certain places they can't touch.
"I……"
Qi Baitong only uttered one word before Gu Shanyue jumped down from the rock, walked out of the cave into the wind, and opened her arms to exhale.
"This breeze is so refreshing."
Qi Baitong remained silent for a while, then walked over and draped a cloak over her shoulders: "It's chilly, don't let it get too cold."
"Oh." Gu Shanyue let him tie her cloak, her eyes clear and innocent, her gaze towards him pure and dependent.
Qi Baitong sighed silently.
That's enough, what else is there to say? Let her do whatever she wants.
With Qi Baitong taking care of him along the way, Gu Shanyue traveled with all his might, spending all his time except for eating and sleeping, constantly practicing his internal energy. In just a few days, he had lost a lot of weight.
Gu Shanyue was completely unaware that Qi Baitong insisted she had lost weight, and then turned around and brought back two horses.
Gu Shanyue readily accepted, saving his legs for the rest of the journey by galloping on four horses, which was both effortless and fast, and he arrived at the Zhuoguang Mountain area earlier than expected.
Because of the fame of Zhuoguang Mountain, a large number of people live in the town at the foot of the mountain, making it extremely prosperous. Whether it is restaurants and antiques or street food stalls, there is plenty of variety. Most of the people who come to visit are people from all walks of life, with accents and costumes from all over the country, wandering through the streets and alleys.
Qi Baitong had never been to Zhuoguang Mountain before, nor had he ever seen a place with such a strong martial arts atmosphere.
Amidst the crowded streets, Qi Baitong held Gu Shanyue's hand tightly, as if afraid she would get lost.
Gu Shanyue walked among them with complete ease; she was clearly more at ease in this kind of place.
Along the way, the two bought a lot of snacks. She had a good appetite and could eat them no matter how delicious or unpalatable they were. If they were delicious, she would chew them slowly and carefully, and if they were unpalatable, she would just stuff them down in one bite.
Qi Baitong carefully observed her expression. Seeing that she frowned after taking a bite of the sugar figurine, he asked, "Doesn't it taste good?"
"It's a bit bitter." Gu Shanyue opened her mouth, about to bite the remaining sugar figurine.
Qi Baitong suddenly reached out, took the sugar figurine with a bite taken out of it, and ate it in a few bites without changing his expression.
"It is a bit bitter, the sugar has been overcooked."
As he spoke, he casually wiped the sugar residue from Gu Shanyue's lips.
Gu Shanyue looked at him thoughtfully.
Then he rushed to eat several more unpalatable snacks, and Gu Shanyue realized: "You like to eat the things I've already eaten?"
Before Qi Baitong could even swallow a bite of pastry, he coughed upon hearing this, and only managed to suppress it after drinking two sips of water.
Looking up, Gu Shanyue was looking at him curiously: "Or are you afraid someone will poison you?" Otherwise, why would you always steal the food she had eaten?
Qi Baitong: "..."
"I would certainly love to eat what you've eaten, but it's not..."
Before he could finish speaking, a burst of gongs and drums came from the street, drawing Gu Shanyue's attention. A stage set up by the street was just beginning, with male and female actors singing and making their appearances. There were also shadow puppeteers moving their puppets around, creating a lively scene.
As the crowd surged forward, Gu Shanyue, holding Qi Baitong's hand, leaped into the air and landed on a nearby lush tree, avoiding the throng.
Gu Shanyue sat on a thick tree branch, gazing at the stage not far away with great interest. The female lead had already begun to sing, so Qi Baitong had no choice but to give up trying to explain.
However, judging from Gu Shanyue's appearance, she didn't seem to care whether he was using her to test poison or simply liked eating her leftovers; she was more interested in the drama that was about to unfold.
But Gu Shanyue only listened to the opera for a short while. After a while, she casually leaned against a tree trunk, and Qi Baitong pulled her into his arms and let her lean on his shoulder.
"Are you sleepy?"
Gu Shanyue said lazily, "When I was little, my senior sister always sang opera to lull me to sleep. Now, whenever I hear opera, I feel like dozing off."
She rarely talked about Wushan Jade to Qi Baitong. Qi Baitong listened attentively, and after listening, kissed her on the forehead. "We've arrived at the foot of Zhuoguang Mountain. Go to sleep if you want."
Gu Shanyue shook her head in his arms, a faint smile on her face: "I won't sleep. I haven't been back for a long time. I'll listen a little longer."
The atmosphere is different in every place; the wind blowing on your face in Shengjing and Zhuoguang Mountain feels different.
She had missed the wind of Zhuoguang Mountain for a long time.
She used to often squat in the tree, enjoying the breeze and listening to opera, eating biscuits, wiping her sword, or sleeping. Everything now felt familiar and comforting, just like the many years she had spent in the past.
The only difference is that now she has Qi Baitong by her side.
"Okay, I won't sleep."
Qi Baitong agreed to everything she said, gently patting her shoulder as if to coax her.
The sun was warm, a gentle breeze was blowing, the leaves were rustling, and the autumn wind was dry and refreshing, carrying the aroma of various street food.
Qi Baitong leaned against the tree trunk, Gu Shanyue nestled in his arms, her eyes half-closed, her long hair fluttering gently in the wind, brushing against his cheek.
Qi Baitong gently inhaled her scent, and where no one was watching, he parted his thin lips and took a strand of black hair into his mouth, the cool scent carrying the fragrance of hibiscus.
He pursed his lips over the strand of hair, hesitating as if to bite it off.
The female lead on stage suddenly became intense in her singing and burst into tears. The drums and gongs beat even more rapidly, and Gu Shanyue glanced over lazily.
"Where are you singing from?"
Qi Baitong opened his mouth, a strand of hair falling silently as he answered, "The young lady eloped with the poor scholar to become a nun. In the dilapidated temple, the poor scholar wanted the young lady to give herself to him, but she refused, and the two argued..."
Although it was a love story, his tone remained flat and calm as he recounted it, suggesting that he was not emotionally affected at all.
Gu Shanyue opened her half-closed eyes and looked at the stage, seemingly intrigued. Qi Baitong held her and gently combed her wind-blown hair with his fingers.
"Who is that girl who bullied the young lady?"
Gu Shanyue asked, and Qi Baitong followed her gaze and replied, "The girl who sells tofu likes poor scholars."
Qi Baitong seemed not to have paid much attention, yet she was able to answer Gu Shanyue's questions fluently.
Gu Shanyue looked at it carefully for a while, then asked in confusion, "Why is Miss unwilling? She eloped with the scholar, so she must like him, right?"
"The scholar in this play is not a good person. He seduces a rich young lady to elope with him. After their illicit affair, he chooses another high-ranking family and becomes the son-in-law of an official's daughter. The rich young lady is unwilling at this time, perhaps because she has already seen through the scholar's strangeness."
Qi Baitong explained slowly, without glancing at the stage, focusing intently on Gu Shanyue, occasionally adjusting her clothes and hair, and sometimes gently touching her hand or face.
Gu Shanyue caught a phrase and was somewhat puzzled: "Unrequited love without a matchmaker?"
"It refers to a man and a woman who have not been formally married but have secretly pledged their lives to each other..."
Qi Baitong paused here, glancing at Gu Shanyue.
Gu Shanyue retorted, "Then does that mean my relationship with you is an unlawful affair?"
Qi Baitong remained silent, then pursed her lips slightly and said, "We didn't make a lifelong commitment, nor did we truly...get married, so it doesn't count."
He knew that Gu Shanyue had never cared about or followed worldly etiquette, but he knew everything, which made him seem even more despicable.
Gu Shanyue seemed to be thinking: "So we don't count after all."
Hearing that the sun was setting, Gu Shanyue finally lost interest and went up the mountain with Qi Baitong.
This was his first time in the territory of the Jianghu people, and even more so, his first time in Gu Shanyue's territory. He, who never looked left or right when walking, was now looking around, trying to see every place clearly.
“Look, this path is a shortcut I used to take down the mountain when I was a child. Now everyone takes this path when they go down the mountain to buy things,” Gu Shanyue said, pointing to a secluded path.
Back at Zhuoguang Mountain, she walked briskly and became more talkative, with Qi Baitong nodding in agreement.
Gu Shanyue then pointed to a stream that was shimmering in the afterglow of the twilight: "This stream flows down from the mountain. My senior sister and I used to wash our hair by the stream. I would wash my hair for her, and she would wash mine."
Qi Baitong recalled that not long after they met, Gu Shanyue had asked him to wash her hair.
A warmth filled his heart; perhaps he held a little more weight in her heart than he had imagined.
"That's the mountain gate. I wonder who's guarding it today."
As Gu Shanyue spoke, she swaggered over, and no one stopped her.
Looking back, he saw a hammock tied between two large trees by the roadside, and the gatekeeper was fast asleep, undisturbed by the two men's voices.
Gu Shanyue glanced around and casually picked up a pebble and threw it over.
"Ouch! Who hit me?!"
The young disciple, clutching his forehead and grimacing, sat up. Upon seeing Gu Shanyue's face, he scrambled down and bowed.
"Grandmaster, you're back!"
Qi Baitong silently turned her face to look at Gu Shanyue.
Grandmaster Grandmother?
Gu Shanyue accepted it well, her face calm and composed: "Mm."
He uttered only one word, displaying the demeanor of a master.
The young disciple scratched his head, grinned sheepishly, and said, "I'll go tell Master right now. He was just talking about it the other day, wondering when you'd be back!" Then he ran off in a flash.
Gu Shanyue raised her chin at Qi Baitong and said, "Let's go."
A fleeting smile crossed Qi Baitong's eyes as she mimicked the young disciple's tone, saying, "Grandmaster Grandmother?"
Gu Shanyue smiled and explained, "He is my senior sister's grand-disciple, and he usually calls me that. If we're talking about it, you're his senior uncle."
If you don't mention it, you've probably forgotten that Qi Baitong is also her apprentice. They went through the proper apprenticeship ceremony, but she, as his master, is served by him all day long and he doesn't teach her anything. Their master-apprentice relationship is practically nonexistent.
Qi Baitong couldn't help but chuckle: "Your seniority is high, so I'm benefiting from it too."
"You've really hit the jackpot," Gu Shanyue teased. Her master and senior sister had passed away, and according to seniority, she was indeed the highest-ranking person on the entire Zhuoguang Mountain.
The two chatted and laughed as they walked up the mountain. The afterglow of the setting sun shone brightly on the earth, and even the autumn breeze seemed to become warm and gentle.
A commotion came from the mountain. Qi Baitong looked over and saw a man in a blue robe with a fair face and a bright smile. He gracefully flew down, and his lightness skill was exactly the same as Gu Shanyue's.
"Little Master, you're finally back!" He waved from afar, his joy and excitement overflowing like a spring.
Qi Baitong's smile faded slightly, and her gaze fell on the newcomer, subtly sizing him up.
He spoke in a calm tone, enunciating each word clearly: "Little Master?"
Gu Shanyue waved in response and casually said, "Lu Ya is my senior sister's disciple. I taught him lightness skills, but he insisted on calling me master. I couldn't persuade him otherwise, so I let him be."
Can't get over it?
The greatest swordsman in the world can outwit anyone.
I'm afraid Gu Shanyue is too soft-hearted, and this person is just too much of a troublemaker.
He thought that after leaving Shengjing, it would only be him and Gu Shanyue, but unexpectedly another disciple appeared in Zhuoguang Mountain.
Thinking this to himself, Qi Baitong remained outwardly composed and said calmly, "I see."
"Little Master, I've been counting down the days for the past few days. Master's birthday is coming soon, and I knew you would definitely come back!" Lu Ya ran up to Gu Shanyue, overjoyed, chattering like a sparrow, as if he wanted to say everything at once. "I bought fireworks down the mountain, as well as the wine and pastries that Senior Sister Yu likes, and silk. Master, come with me and see if I've chosen anything good?"
Gu Shanyue smiled and waited for him to finish speaking, then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go take a look."
The two exchanged a glance and then leaped out in the same direction, perfectly in sync.
Qi Baitong hesitated for a moment, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly gathered her breath to catch up.
Along the way, Lu Ya kept talking. Gu Shanyue didn't need to say anything; he had already recounted everything that had happened on the mountain during this time, from the visits of martial arts sects to the yellow-haired old hen on the back mountain laying eighty-one eggs.
Although he talked a lot, much so that Qi Baitong found it annoying, Gu Shanyue listened with great interest and would occasionally ask a few more questions.
Author's Note: 7:?
How many good apprentices do you have left?
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