A light rain had just fallen that night, and the moon was veiled in mist. The scent of earth mingled with the fragrance of grass, creating a tranquil atmosphere. But then, Long Yinshuangshuang opened her eyes.
She put on her coat, her wooden clogs splashing water as she quietly watched the man, soaked to the bone, lying in the puddle.
...
Li Mingke sensed something was wrong while eating breakfast that morning.
Because she is blind, her other senses are much sharper.
There was clearly another person breathing in the room.
"Auntie, are we having guests today?" she asked.
The man standing behind Long Yinshuangshuang was startled; he hadn't expected Li Mingke to have discovered him.
Can't you see it?
Long Yin Shuangshuang made no attempt to hide anything, introducing him as, "He's not an important person; I just picked up a servant."
servant?
The man was very saddened to hear this.
Li Mingke thought that Long Yinshuangshuang had been preparing all their food and clothing for the past few days, which was really tiring, and they really needed to hire a servant.
The man couldn't help but speak up, "What servant? It was clearly Master who sent me. Shuangshuang, you know, whenever it involves you, Master always..."
"Alright," Long Yinshuang interrupted him.
It turns out that this man's name is Zhao Yanmo, the adopted son and disciple of the Valley Master of Shennong Valley. His visit this time was also at the Valley Master's behest.
“The person from Zhaixing Pavilion came to see my master. The two of them had a private talk, and then they called me over, so I came here.”
Li Mingke noticed that his voice sounded somewhat tired, so he said, "Young Master Zhao must be tired from your journey, please rest for a while."
Long Yinshuangshuang was not in a good mood.
The person mentioned in the Star-Picking Pavilion should be Shenjizi. That man observes the celestial phenomena every night and thinks he can see through the fate of people, and he always causes trouble.
I wonder what his intentions are in sending Zhao Yanmo this time.
Zhao Yanmo: "My master said I have what you need here."
What do they need?
Li Mingke and Long Yinshuangshuang both fell into deep thought.
“In that case, we’ll let you stay here for now,” Long Yin Shuangshuang said.
Li Mingke was taking a nap at noon when he was suddenly awakened by an extremely unpleasant bird call.
She groped under the bed and found her shoes, then went out the door.
It wasn't the sound of birds; it was Zhao Yanmo playing the zither.
Does this person have any manners at all, making noise when others are resting?
"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Zhao Yanmo asked, her face full of guilt when she saw Li Mingke appear.
“Yes!” Li Mingke replied without hesitation.
She walked towards Zhao Yanmo and touched the piano he was playing.
The instrument itself was fine; it was just that the player lacked skill, resulting in a chaotic and disorganized piece.
Since she was already awake, she simply found an open space to sit down.
"Are you a beginner?"
Otherwise, it wouldn't have sounded so awful.
Zhao Yanmo lowered her head, "No, I've been playing it for many years."
It took him many years to reach this level? If you randomly grab a kid on the street and teach him for a day, he'd probably play better than him.
“You need talent to do anything, and it seems you really don’t have the talent to play the piano,” Li Mingke said bluntly.
Zhao Yanmo listened and did not deny it, but just smiled bitterly.
You're right.
He also knew that his talent did not lie in playing the piano.
“You’re from Shennong Valley, so it’s normal that you didn’t formally become an apprentice and learn from a master, since you played like this,” she comforted him instead.
Zhao Yanmo's expression became even more pained.
“Actually… that’s not true.” He lowered his eyes. “The Valley Master has many adopted sons. He doesn’t stop us from developing in various ways. On the contrary, he is very happy to nurture us. Knowing that I like playing the zither, he specially sent me to the Law Firm.”
Law Firm!
Li Mingke knew about the assassination organization that specialized in using musical instruments as weapons.
"But after a few days, the head of the Law Firm personally sent me back to Shennong Valley, refusing to let me stay any longer."
Those who can stay at the Law Firm all possess perfect pitch.
Soon, the workshop owner discovered that Zhao Yanmo was a musical idiot, but out of respect for the valley master, he reluctantly taught him. However, Zhao Yanmo was completely clueless about all eighteen musical instruments.
This infuriated the workshop owner, as music was the foundation of their livelihood, and Zhao Yanmo was utterly incompetent in everything.
In the end, having no other choice, he had to return the man, fearing that keeping him at the law firm would damage its reputation.
To express his apology, he specially gifted Zhao Yanmo a zither, the very one he was currently playing, and stated directly to the Valley Master of Shennong Valley:
This kid is a complete idiot; he can't teach him.
Later, Zhao Yanmo refused to believe in superstition and went to the Illusionary Land Ship on her own.
Upon hearing that he was the adopted son of the Valley Master of Shennong Valley, Huanxiangchuan warmly welcomed his joining.
However, not long after, Zhao Yanmo was ruthlessly kicked out of the Illusionary Ship.
Their Fantasy Ship is the premier orchestra that performs exclusively for wealthy, noble, and royal families!
The higher-ups of the Fantasy Ship even went to Shennong Valley to complain, saying that the Valley Master of Shennong Valley had ill intentions and sent spies to infiltrate their organization in order to undermine them from within!
The Valley Master of Shennong Valley had no choice but to sheepishly lead the people back into the valley.
Li Mingke listened to him recount his painful past, nodding continuously.
"So you also think they went too far? They just crushed a young boy's musical dream like that."
"No, I think they did the right thing."
Zhao Yanmo: ...
Li Mingke held the zither in his arms, gently plucking and strumming, and a melodious tune flowed forth.
"Now I finally understand why Shenjizi and my master sent me here!" Zhao Yanmo stood up excitedly.
"Young Master Li! Teach me to play the zither!"
He suddenly walked up to Li Mingke and then knelt down without warning.
"Please accept me as your apprentice!"
He kowtowed repeatedly.
This terrified Li Mingke.
She just flicked it casually!
"this……"
"Master! If you are willing to accept me as your disciple, I will give you my most precious possession!"
Before she even agreed, he had already started calling her "Master"!
"What is the most precious thing?" Li Mingke asked curiously.
"I can't say right now, but the moment I saw Master, I knew why I came here!" He nodded emphatically. "I will absolutely not let Master down!"
"Well... okay!"
He's already said that, how could she possibly refuse?
"How about this, I agree to take you as my apprentice, but I can't see right now, so I'll play it once, and you repeat it, okay?"
"Thank you, Master!"
Li Mingke felt strange when he heard him call him that.
Hey, I never expected that at such a young age, despite having accomplished nothing, she would already be someone's mentor!
Seeing that the two were already sitting side by side, so familiar with each other that they couldn't be more familiar with each other, Long Yinshuangshuang glanced at them and then turned to do her own thing.
Because Long Yinshuangshuang positioned Zhao Yanmo as a servant, he busied himself in the kitchen every night.
"You wouldn't add any strange herbs to the dishes, would you?" Long Yinshuangshuang leaned against the kitchen door frame.
Zhao Yanmo wiped the sweat from her brow. "How could that be?"
"Oh, I thought everyone from Shennong Valley was crazy."
Zhao Yanmo caught the key information and asked in return, "Have you met any other people from Shennong Valley?"
Long Yinshuangshuang sneered, "Your valley master, you know what you're thinking all day long. Last time I went to Xiangxiang on business, I intended to bypass Shennong Valley, but he got wind of it."
Shennong Valley is located in Xiangxiang.
Xiangxiang receives abundant rainfall, which allows various plants to grow exceptionally lushly, laying a solid foundation for the development of Shennong Valley. Most medicinal herbs can be found in Xiangxiang and the surrounding areas.
“He knew I had arrived in Xiangxiang, so he sent out his adopted sons one by one. In one day, I ran into six people from Shennong Valley.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Not to mention ordinary people, even those aristocratic families would have to go to great lengths to invite people from Shennong Valley to leave the valley. I met six in one day. Isn’t that unusual?”
Zhao Yanmo chuckled dryly, "The Valley Master also hopes that you can choose from among them..."
"Why should I listen to him?" Long Yinshuangshuang frowned. "Are the children he raised any better? One big madman has raised a bunch of little madmen."
Zhao Yanmo silently shut her mouth.
In fact, he also felt that his fellow disciples in the valley were all crazy.
"Forget it, why am I telling you all this? You too, hurry up and cook your dishes." After saying that, she turned around and went out again.
At the dinner table, Li Mingke sensed that something was off, and she shoveled rice into her mouth.
Because she couldn't see, she picked up a piece of chili with her chopsticks, and immediately her mouth felt like it was on fire, and her throat burned.
"Cough cough cough—"
Upon seeing this, Long Yinshuangshuang hurriedly poured her a large bowl of water, which Li Mingke gulped down.
Zhao Yanmo was chased and beaten.
"Keke can't handle spicy food, why did you put in chili peppers!"
"Chili peppers dispel cold and dampness, making them perfect for her..."
The two chased each other, and Li Mingke could hear their curses and pleas for mercy.
She picked at her ear.
So it turns out my aunt isn't gentle to everyone...
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