Under the bright moonlight, the two of them descended together, their figures resembling a pair of birds in flight.
Mu Fengting escorted Mo Xi to Chongyao Terrace and then turned and left.
Mo Xi was about to leap into the bedroom when he suddenly stopped and saw Tang Huan rushing down the steps of Chongyao Terrace.
When he got to her, he just looked at her without saying a word.
Mo Xi asked softly, "Were you waiting for me?"
Tang Huan remained silent, only taking two steps closer. After confirming that she smelled of alcohol, he remained silent for a moment before saying, "You've been drinking."
Mo Xi nodded.
Seeing how obediently she nodded, Tang Huan felt all the bitterness in her chest disappear. She gently asked, "Are you feeling unwell? Would you like some hangover tea?"
Mo Xi shook her head and said, "No. That wine isn't strong; it tastes quite good."
After a long pause, Tang Huan said, "I originally wanted to invite you to have dinner together. When I came to find you, I heard from Lvyun that you had just gone out."
Have you eaten?
Tang Huan didn't answer, but said softly, "You never come back."
Mo Xi was speechless for a moment before saying, "What should I do? I'm getting hungry again."
Tang Huan chuckled softly and said in a light tone, "Perfect, let's eat together."
Qinghui Pavilion.
After all the dishes were served, everyone else left.
While eating, Tang Huan kept a close eye on Mo Xi's movements. Seeing that Mo Xi only drank a small bowl of soup and then stopped moving, Tang Huan's emotions surged.
Seeing him staring at her blankly again, Mo Xi couldn't help but sigh. Realizing she was sighing more and more lately because of this child, she couldn't help but sigh again.
“Let’s go to ‘Broken Scroll’ again tomorrow. Mu Fengting just told me that Tang Yi’s mother’s name was Tang Xin, and I saw her relief sculpture in Tibet today. Maybe we can find other clues there.”
Tang Huan hummed in agreement and said, "We can go ask Senior Yin."
Author's Note: I wonder if the cat has handled this quietly flowing, delicate emotion well? ^^
past
( ) Mo Xi suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "I remember now, no wonder Senior Yin's swordsmanship looked familiar. The direction and rhythm of his sword strikes are somewhat similar to Senior He Qun's. Strange, could it be that he is using the Shu Mountain swordsmanship instead of the Tang Clan's martial arts?"
Tang Huan said, "Judging from his skills, it is indeed not the martial art of our sect. It is strange, among all the elders of the Tang Sect, he is the best in martial arts. Other elders entered the Elder Council based on seniority or direct lineage, but he is an exception, he entered based on martial arts. Moreover, he did not change his surname to Tang, but still retained his original surname Yin."
Mo Xi pondered for a moment and said, "Mu Fengting said that Tang Xin's husband is named Meng Tao. And Meng Tao was once a disciple of Shu Mountain. Do you think it's possible that Senior Yin knows Meng Tao, and that his Shu Mountain sword technique was passed down by Meng Tao?" He thought to himself: Perhaps it is because Yin Qiushi is not a direct descendant of the Tang Clan and speaks without restraint that he was ostracized by the other elders to be in charge of guarding the archives.
"Very likely, it seems I must have a talk with Senior Yin tomorrow."
The next day. The scroll was torn.
When Tang Huan and Mo Xi arrived on the island, they saw Yin Qiushi sitting in the "Tibetan Leaf Pavilion" enjoying tea from afar. The pavilion was named for the countless yellow leaves that would swirl around it in autumn, thanks to the breeze blowing from all sides.
Tang Huan stepped forward and said with a smile, "Old Master Yin, you're in high spirits, enjoying the snow and tea all by yourself here."
Seeing the two approach, Yin Qiushi stood up and said with a smile, "Sect Leader, you're in such high spirits, coming to see this old man so early in the morning." He then said to Mo Xi, "Since you've come to my Tang Clan as a guest, I should certainly treat you well. Please sit down, and give your opinions on this pot of Jade Dew."
Tang Huan asked, "Is it the steamed green tea recorded in Lu Yu's 'The Classic of Tea'?"
While pouring tea for the two, Yin Qiushi said, "Sect Leader, you have great insight. This Jade Dew tea must be picked on a sunny day. Then it must go through the processes of steaming, pounding, pressing, baking, stringing, and sealing. In short, it is to soften the freshly picked tea leaves by steaming them, and then kneading, drying, and pressing them."
Mo Xi thought to herself: This "steamed green tea" must be the opposite of "pan-fried green tea". The green tea she drank in modern times was all made by the "pan-frying" process, but she had never drunk steamed tea.
Yin Qiushi added, “This ‘steamed green tea’ has three shades of green. The dry tea is dark green, the tea soup is light green after brewing, and the tea leaves that are filtered out after pouring out the tea soup are bluish-green.”
Mo Xi looked at the tea in the white porcelain cup; it did indeed resemble tender grass. She took a sip of the tea and found it refreshingly sweet and mellow.
Yin Qiushi added, "The sect leader doesn't want to be alone with the young lady, but instead comes to find this old man. I'm afraid he wouldn't come to the Three Treasures Hall without a reason."
Tang Huan coughed lightly and said, "To be honest, Elder Yin, I do have a question for you. Was the sword technique you used in Tibet last time the Shu Mountain sword technique?"
"Sect Leader has excellent judgment." Upon hearing Yin Qiushi's reply, Tang Huan and Mo Xi exchanged a glance.
Tang Huan then asked, "Senior, would you mind telling me who taught you this?"
Yin Qiushi revealed a look of remembrance and reverence, and said, "To be honest, this sword technique of mine was taught to me by Young Master Meng Tao."
Mo Xi asked, "May I ask what connection Senior Yin has with Senior Meng?"
"I have no connection with Young Master Meng Tao. I learned the Shu Mountain Sword Technique entirely because of the eldest young lady. Oh, you two are young and may not have heard of the eldest young lady's name. Her name is Tang Xin. I was adopted by the Tang Clan at a young age, but because of my mediocre talent, I was not chosen by the direct descendants of the Tang Clan to be their sparring partner. When it was the eldest young lady's turn to choose, she chose me and allowed me to keep my original surname. At that time, the eldest young lady was only ten years old, but she was very precocious. She often said that a person's background is not important, what is important is not being limited by one's background and achieving something later in life. At that time, I was only a seven-year-old child, but I also learned this principle from the eldest young lady's daily words and deeds."
Mo Xi and Tang Huan exchanged a glance, both thinking: Yin Qiushi is arguably the person who knows Tang Xin's past best; it was truly an effortless acquisition.
Tang Huan asked, "Could you tell me more about Senior Tang Xin's deeds?"
"Regarding the young lady's affairs, the sect leader has come to the right person to ask me. As a child, the young lady was of ordinary appearance and, being from a collateral branch of the Tang Clan, was not valued. But she was never one to back down, always saying that she would make everyone look at her with new eyes sooner or later. When she was in her teens, she gradually began to make a name for herself in the Tang Clan because of her exceptional talent in poison making." He paused, then continued, "Speaking of which, the young lady is not only a poison-making prodigy, but also a rare beauty in the martial arts world. People say that a girl changes a lot as she grows up, and she certainly became more and more beautiful. By the time she was sixteen or seventeen, she had become one of the most beautiful women in the Tang Clan, and countless people admired her. However, the young lady never paid any attention to them, focusing wholeheartedly on studying poison techniques and lightness skills. Until she was eighteen years old, she went to Mount Shu to enjoy the scenery and met Young Master Meng Tao."
Mo Xi said, "Excuse my boldness, but does Senior Yin know why Senior Tang Yi's surname is Tang and not Meng?"
Yin Qiushi said with a sad expression, "After the eldest young lady married young master Meng Tao, she had a son named Tang Yi. The couple loved her dearly. However, before the eldest young lady passed away, she knew that her life was coming to an end, so she sent Tang Yi back to the Tang family and changed her surname to Tang so that she could receive the best care."
Mo Xi deliberately probed, "Senior Tang Yi must also be exceptionally talented, inheriting Senior Tang Xin's unparalleled poison skills." She thought to herself: Logically speaking, since Tang Xin cherishes her daughter so much, she would surely pass on all her knowledge. Moreover, knowing her own death is imminent, she should do so to ensure Tang Yi's future self-protection.
To everyone's surprise, Yin Qiushi said, "I am also puzzled by this matter. Before she passed away, the young lady repeatedly instructed that Tang Yi could do whatever she wanted in this life, except for one thing: she must not get involved in any poison arts. Moreover, when Tang Yi was only three years old, she was forced to make a solemn oath not to learn poison arts."
Mo Xi thought to herself: No wonder Tang Yi couldn't cure the ordinary arrow poison on her own shoulder. But Tang Xin was obsessed with poisons all her life, so why didn't she pass on her mantle to her only beloved daughter, but instead forced her to swear from a young age never to learn poisons? If that's the case, why send her back to the Tang Clan, whose poisons are unparalleled in the world, for upbringing?
Tang Huan asked, "I wonder if the stone tablet in the cemetery behind the mountain for Senior Tang Yi was erected by Senior Yin?"