Small gathering
The person opposite her was clearly delighted to see her; his eyes suddenly lit up, and he blurted out, "Junior Sister Yunwang."
"Senior Brother Zhou," Lin Yun said solemnly, his expression hardening, "what can I do for you?"
This businesslike manner was heartbreaking, but Zhou Hengyan was no ordinary person. A flash of sadness crossed his eyes, and then he said with a smile, "Senior Sister Bai told me, the second to last group to return to the sect, to wait for you, who was the last to return."
"Is this punishment?" she asked hesitantly.
“It may be true for others, but it certainly isn’t for me.” Seeing the change in her expression, Zhou Hengyan’s smile deepened. “Senior Sister Bai is hosting a banquet for her personal disciples who have returned to the mountain.”
Bai Xiyan loved lively gatherings, especially lively drinking. This quirk was quite incongruous with her elegant appearance. After the Qingming Festival, the disciples from various peaks returned one after another, and tonight everyone was gathered together—how could she let such a good opportunity pass by?
She sent out the invitations at noon, but Lin Yunwang was catching up with Shen Feng at that time, so he naturally didn't receive them. Zhou Hengyan returned only half an hour earlier than Lin Yunwang and was conscripted to wait for Lin Yunwang here. But Senior Sister Bai, who gave the order, knew that this junior brother would definitely enjoy this task.
The two went together to Bai Xiyan's courtyard.
Before we even got close, the commotion was already carried on the wind. The residence of Jing Shushan's direct disciples had been quiet for a long time, and such a bustling scene tonight was truly rare.
Perhaps to conform to the style of the Jingyin Sect, most of its disciples, like Zhou Hengyan, are introverted and low-key, and prohibiting loud noises seems to have become a tacit rule.
"The lively atmosphere today must be because the most playful members of the sect have returned," Zhou Hengyan said, turning to introduce Lin Yunwang. This was just a guess; in reality, he didn't know who had returned—he had heard from Senior Sister Bai that Lin Yunwang hadn't returned as soon as he entered the sect, and immediately stood guard on the only way.
He originally intended to wait at the foot of the mountain, but that would be too conspicuous, and he didn't want to attract unnecessary criticism.
The courtyard gate was wide open, and two tables of food were set up in the courtyard. It seemed that the food had not been served yet. A large group of people were gathered under the eaves, chatting about some interesting topics, with laughter coming from them from time to time.
Just as Lin Yun was about to knock on the door, she suddenly felt a weight on her sleeve. It turned out that Zhou Hengyan's fingertips were lightly holding half of her sleeve.
The man said softly, "Don't mention Liu Wanshi's name in front of Senior Sister Bai tonight. As for the reasons, they can't be explained in a few words..." He paused, "I'll tell you when there's time in the future."
Yun nodded in agreement and stepped across the threshold, only to find Bai Xiyan already standing before her. She had been keeping an eye on the doorway and was the first to notice their return.
The eldest sister pushed Yun Wang in front of everyone and introduced her to those present, saying, "This is Venerable Yichen's newly accepted disciple, our junior sister, Lin Yun Wang."
Senior Sister Bai coughed lightly and said, "You must have heard of her, but we must not neglect the proper etiquette." The etiquette she was referring to was that after the newlyweds greeted each other, their fellow disciples should present them with gifts.
After exchanging greetings, Lin Yun's wooden boxes and brocade pouches had piled up into a small mountain, teetering on the edge. Zhou Hengyan happened to pass by and helped her take a few items, saying to her, "Don't be shy. This is an old tradition of the Jingyin Sect. Every disciple receives a gift from their senior brothers and sisters after entering the sect. When you become a senior sister in the future, you will also have to give a gift."
Nangong Suiqing, who had been sitting in the corner, walked over at the right moment, interrupting the two people's conversation, and placed the two wooden boxes on top. "Here, these are gifts from Liu Wanshi and me."
The two, who used to be at odds, are now entrusting each other with delivering gifts.
Even though Liu Wanshi wasn't there, Nangong couldn't help but mock him, saying, "That guy doesn't get along with anyone, he doesn't talk much, what's with all this solitude?"
"Thank you." Lin Yun didn't respond to her words, only expressing her gratitude. She knew that Nangong Suiqing's words didn't need anyone else's response; they were only meant for her.
In fact, Nangong Suiqing's relationship with the people present was not very good. The connection between the direct disciples was Bai Xiyan, who was the eldest sister, and the others were mostly nodding acquaintances.
This piqued Lin Yun's curiosity—how did the well-liked Senior Sister Bai fall out with Liu Wanshi?
The banquet continued until midnight. Jiang Dianping, also a disciple of Venerable Mingqi, was quite drunk and insisted on performing a sword dance to entertain the crowd. Seeing her unsteady steps and nearly tripping on the steps, Lin Yunwang couldn't help but turn to Bai Xiyan and whisper, "Senior Sister Jiang is like this...why don't I take her to rest?"
Bai Xiyan, whose alcohol tolerance was better than everyone else present, was one of the few who was sober. She waved her hand and said, "It's alright. She's always like this when she's drunk, so she won't cause any big trouble."
Is that really the case?
Lin Yun closed her eyes with a heavy heart, the sound of breaking branches ringing in her ears. Fortunately, the sword had only grazed the grass and trees, without harming anyone. When she opened her eyes again, most of the potted plants in the courtyard were bare.
The sight of Liu Ruyi and Bai Xiyan drunk that day had already shattered her preconceived notions, but thankfully, the two were usually quite composed. She had thought that the disciples of the Jingyin Sect were only occasionally indulgent, but what she saw tonight shattered that last bit of stereotype.
Isn't the Jingyin Sect known for its ascetic practices? She bit her lower lip, racking her brains, automatically flipping through the classic texts in her mind, but not a single one mentioned that the direct disciples of the sect were in such a posture.
Lin Yunwang noticed a gaze falling on him, and looking around, he saw Nangong Suiqing staring straight at him.
Perhaps she had something to say? She wondered to herself, then stood up, stepped forward, and asked, "Senior Sister, is there something you want to say?"
Perhaps due to a few drinks, her cheeks were slightly flushed, but she seemed fairly sober. Nangong Suiqing gently tugged at Lin Yunwang's sleeve, signaling her to come outside to talk.
In an instant, all the noise was left behind and became distant.
A gentle evening breeze blew, and the faint red of Nangong's face faded considerably.
She turned her head and said, "I should have told you about Xie Tingshui—or more precisely, the feud between the Nangong family and the Xie family."
After a brief pause, he continued, "It was originally just a minor squabble, but a few years ago... the young master of the Xie family left home, pushing the dispute between the two families to its peak."
In recent years, the conflict between the two families has intensified, and it has become commonplace for them to hurl insults at each other upon meeting. Nangong Suiqing was worried that Lin Yunwang, who was on good terms with Xie Tingshui, might be biased in her understanding of her from the Xie family. Besides, the impression she had left on Lin Yunwang was definitely not good.
"I'm not trying to defend the family, but since you're on good terms with the Xie family, I think you should at least hear what the other side has to say."
The second young lady of the Nangong family naturally disdained the job of recruiting people. However, when she returned home for the Qingming Festival, her father somehow learned about Lin Yunwang, who had recently become famous in the sect. Knowing that there might be a rift between the two, he forced her to come and "apologize".
She couldn't bring herself to apologize, so she found an opportunity to test the waters.
"In my memory, Senior Sister Nangong is a free spirit, so it's rare to see her acting so awkwardly today," Lin Yun said calmly, without any sarcasm in his tone, only a slight surprise.
Nangong Suiqing couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind Lin Yunwang's words, so she said, "...Thank you."
"Please rest assured, Senior Sister, I will see things clearly with my own eyes."
Having observed her for the past few days, Nangong had a good understanding of the new junior sister's character. Hearing her say this, he felt relieved and waved goodbye to her.
After their conversation, the potted plants in the courtyard were completely bare. Lin Yun subconsciously turned her head and bumped into Zhou Hengyan's line of sight. The two people, who hadn't touched a drop of alcohol, were sitting side by side. She looked towards Bai Xiyan's original spot for help, only to find that the senior sister who should have been there had already blended into a group of familiar "drinking buddies" and was raising her wine cup to toast with others.
He could only reluctantly turn his gaze back.
He mouthed, "Go for a walk."
Lin Yun wanted to pretend she hadn't seen it, or refuse him firmly. After all, Zhou Hengyan had feelings for her, but she didn't have those feelings for him, so she should stay away and not leave any room for imagination.
But is this deliberate distancing too hurtful?
As she pondered, Zhou Hengyan had already stood up, but hadn't moved an inch. Lin Yun knew he was waiting for her.
Thinking of that thick register again, he finally stood up, leaning on the stone table for support. They walked around the mess of potted plants and went outside together.
The girl thought to herself: Even if there is no romantic relationship, a gentleman should still be given the respect due to him.
Tonight's moon is just a crescent, and the stars are sparse.
"Junior sister didn't drink tonight?" Although it was a question, he already had a definite answer in his heart, after all, he had been looking at her for most of the banquet.
"I'm not a good drinker, and I'm afraid I'll make a fool of myself when I first meet you all," Lin Yun offered a plausible excuse. "Senior Brother Zhou doesn't seem to drink either?"
Both were skilled at self-control; one feared revealing past events while drunk, while the other had long since ingrained sobriety into his very bones. In this respect, they could be said to have arrived at the same destination through different paths.
"Someone always has to clean up the mess." A barely perceptible smile appeared on Zhou Hengyan's lips, and besides, there were some benefits to cleaning up the mess.
The two walked along the path in relative silence.
"Do you have a destination?" Lin Yun felt the road was becoming more and more familiar. It turned out that he had just gone in circles and returned to Jingshu Mountain.
"They'll probably be leaving soon, I'll take you home first."
She parted her lips slightly, about to utter a word of refusal, when Zhou Hengyan spoke first: "Don't refuse, this is just your senior brother taking care of you, junior sister."
Seeing his junior sister frown, Zhou Hengyan added, "By the way, let's talk about the old story between Senior Sister Bai and Junior Brother Liu."
He noticed that Yun Wang's gaze often lingered on Senior Sister Bai, as if she were deep in thought, and he knew what she was thinking.
Bai Xiyan must be curious as to why he and Liu Wanshi are so irreconcilable.
The girl was indeed curious, but it was really inconvenient to ask others. Today was probably the best, and perhaps the only, opportunity.
While inwardly cursing her own gossipy nature, she stared intently at Zhou Hengyan, her eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge.
The man cleared his throat, as if he had a long story to tell.
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