"Feel sorry."
Shen Yebai smiled gently at Qin Moyu, naturally got up and sat down next to her, pushed the bowl of plain noodles in front of her, and said softly, "I'm glad you like it, Moyu. Although I don't know why they abandoned you, I can promise that I will make you a bowl of plain noodles every year from now on."
A bowl of plain noodles every year.
A promise that sounds simple is actually very difficult to keep. Qin Moyu wanted to make a joke, but when she saw Shen Yebai's gentle yet serious eyes, she ended up saying nothing and nodding with a smile.
Shen Yebai raised his eyes, a faint sorrow in his eyes: "Does Mo Yu not believe me?"
The red eggs I just received haven't even warmed up yet; it would be too cruel of me to upset Ye Bai.
"No, no." Qin Moyu quickly shook her head, swallowed a mouthful of plain noodles, and grabbed Shen Yebai's hand to assure him, "I'll believe you if you say so!"
As he spoke, he blinked frantically, trying to convey with a sincere and innocent look that he was not lying.
"I knew Mo Yu would trust me." Shen Yebai said, naturally taking Qin Mo Yu's hand. His smiling face made Qin Mo Yu embarrassed to pull her hand away.
Oh well, whatever, let's just be gay then.
Qin Moyu shook her head, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts, and focused on eating her noodles.
It has to be said that even a cultivator who can fly to the heavens and dive into the earth will find it awkward to eat noodles with one hand.
Fortunately, Shen Yebai let go of her hand, so Qin Moyu didn't get soup on her clothes.
After Qin Moyu finished eating a bowl of noodles, Shen Yebai suddenly came over.
"Here." Shen Yebai touched Qin Moyu's lips with his finger, gently wiping away the noodle soup that had gotten on them.
Although Qin Moyu had always complained that Shen Yebai was gay, he had never seen such an intimate gesture before. He felt Shen Yebai's fingertips rubbing against the corner of his lips, and he had a strange feeling in his heart. He was stunned for a while, but then he saw Shen Yebai withdraw his hand with a calm expression, leaving him with that subtle feeling that he couldn't describe or forget.
Shen Yebai ordered someone to take the bowl away. Qin Moyu struggled for a long time but couldn't come to a conclusion, so she simply ignored it.
The inn only had one room, so naturally, Shen Yebai and Qin Moyu slept on the same bed again.
This time, however, Qin Moyu couldn't fall asleep no matter what.
He felt the stillness of the night, listened to the creaking of the slightly closed window in the wind, stared blankly at the ceiling, and asked softly, "Ye Bai, are you asleep?"
He was met with Shen Yebai's soft breathing. Qin Moyu felt a little disappointed and turned over to face the wall.
Suddenly someone approached from behind. Shen Yebai's hot breath hit Qin Moyu's neck, sending shivers down her spine. Qin Moyu heard Shen Yebai's deep voice in her ear: "I'm here."
—Too close.
Qin Moyu's breathing hitched slightly; an inexplicable tension made him forget what he was going to say.
The two were speechless for a moment.
After a while, Qin Moyu spoke first, calling out to Shen Yebai.
Shen Yebai hummed in agreement.
"Let's wait until we enter the Guanlan Sect."
Qin Moyu finally made up his mind. He turned around and met Shen Yebai's eyes, where he saw the tenderness that belonged only to Qin Moyu.
"I'm going to tell you a secret."
...
The next day, the Guanlan Sect's disciple-acceptance ceremony officially began.
All the cultivators who signed up received a wooden plaque with different numbers written on it. Some sharp-eyed people recognized that the plaque was made of paulownia wood, which can calm the mind and focus the spirit, and couldn't help but marvel at the Guanlan Sect's wealth and power.
Because Qin Moyu and Shen Yebai did not register at the same time, Qin Moyu's number was earlier than Shen Yebai's. He greeted Shen Yebai and then entered the assessment formation.
As Qin Moyu stood in the center of the formation, white mist rose from nowhere, surrounding and protecting him.
Since he sensed no malice from the white mist, Qin Moyu remained unmoved and waited quietly in place.
The white mist didn't shroud Qin Moyu for long. When it slowly dissipated, what appeared before Qin Moyu was a wooden house nestled halfway up the mountain.
Calling it a wooden house isn't entirely accurate, because it's surrounded by a fence, and the plaque above the fence gate bears the three large characters "Qingyun Sect," clearly indicating that it's the sect where Qin Moyu grew up.
--I'm back?
Qin Moyu looked down. The plaque was still the same as when he left, weathered by wind and rain, teetering on the verge of collapse, completely unlike a proper signboard.
Even though you know you're in a hallucination, a familiar environment can make you subconsciously lower your guard.
Qin Moyu knew that to break the formation, he had to find its weakness, so without thinking too much, he pushed the door open and went in.
The courtyard still had the familiar vegetable garden and grape trellis. Who else could it be but the old Taoist priest who was lying on the wooden rocking chair with white hair and beard but a rosy complexion and closed eyes to rest?
Counting the time, Qin Moyu had been away from the sect for three months. Upon suddenly seeing the old Taoist priest, Qin Moyu still missed him very much. Regardless of whether this was an illusion or not, he quickly walked towards the old Taoist priest and said, "Master! I'm back!"
With that, Qin Moyu gave the old Taoist priest a big hug.
The old Taoist priest opened his eyes, but instead of being held by Qin Moyu, he became unhappy. He glared at Qin Moyu and said, "You brat! You finally know how to come back! You've been running wild outside, and now you finally remember your master?"
Qin Moyu chuckled: "Isn't it because you told me to stay out longer? Besides, I'm back now."
"Hmph, who knows if you've gotten into trouble again and I have to clean up your mess." The old Taoist priest slapped Qin Moyu's hand away in annoyance, got up from the rocking chair, looked Qin Moyu up and down, and nodded in satisfaction after confirming that he was not missing any limbs.
"How could that be? You don't know how amazing I am, Master? I was taught by you, so I must be top-notch." Qin Moyu made an exaggerated gesture and said with a grin.
"Alright, alright, you're getting more and more eloquent. What are you doing standing here in the blazing sun? Aren't you getting all hot and bothered?" The old Taoist was amused by Qin Moyu, but he still kept a straight face and walked into the inner room.