Angry? Jin also felt embarrassed. Tch, if people knew that the dignified leader was playing the silent treatment with a little girl, it would be too childish. So he immediately shook his head and denied it: "No."
"Then why don't you come to see me?" Qiu Lingling looked at him expectantly. "I want to see you, but I can't get out."
Jin coughed again: "I'm very busy."
As soon as he finished speaking, applause came from the side. Turning around, he saw Jin Yue standing at the door with a malicious smile in his eyes: "Indeed, I heard that the sect leader was busy going to the Peony Courtyard. It is rare that you have time to grace my humble abode with your presence today."
"So what if I go?" Jin raised an eyebrow. This cult leader is a man, what right do you have to tell me what to do, you old man?
Qiu Lingling asked curiously, "What is the Peony Courtyard?"
Jin Huanlai's face immediately fell.
Jin Yue laughed: "Peony Courtyard, huh..."
"You son of a bitch, you're so disrespectful to your elders, trying to corrupt your little apprentice, huh!" Jin glared at her, barely maintaining his composure, but his handsome face gradually turned red, and he felt a pang of unease and discomfort. Strangely enough, subconsciously he didn't want the little girl to know these things. Being stared at by those clear, watery eyes felt like he was running naked, and he even despised himself.
Jin Yue smiled even more happily: "Peony Courtyard, it's a courtyard with lots of peonies. You'll see when your senior brother takes you there later."
Qiu Lingling asked in bewilderment, "It's winter now, how can there be peonies?"
Jin Yue turned serious: "Yes, every day, there are plenty."
Qiu Lingling suddenly realized, and Larkin said, "I want to go with you."
Jin became increasingly embarrassed and enraged: "Where are you going? Get back to learning kung fu and change your clothes!"
.
The door closed, and the master and apprentice faced each other, staring at each other.
Jin replied with a forced smile, "My master sent a message urgently, asking which unfortunate fellow has gone missing?"
Jin Yue remained expressionless: "That matter... I acquired a silver fox the day before yesterday, but it ran away yesterday. So I casually sent a letter, hoping to ask the sect leader for help in finding it."
Jin was speechless for a long time before finally saying, "You passed on your internal energy to her."
Jin Yue nodded: "I don't have the energy to teach her slowly, so I only taught her half of it."
"According to the rules of the Thousand Hands Sect, no one may use the method of transferring power except for the current sect leader. You are no longer the sect leader."
“Then I will cripple her internal energy and then come back to confess my sins.”
"Alright, alright, I know it's nothing, why are you acting like this!"
"Thank you, Master."
Jin's eyes flickered, and he suddenly asked, "You didn't have any other plans, did you?"
Jin Yue paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "She was brought by the sect leader. If you're afraid I'll harm her, then take her away as soon as possible."
Jin remained silent for a long time, then lowered his head and said, "It was my fault for speaking out of turn. Thank you."
Jin Yue slapped him twice, then swaggered away, leaving him with an incredibly dashing back view. Jin Huanlai was almost internally injured from anger.
.
Wearing a black robe and a black cloak, she darted about like a light and mischievous swallow, dancing in the wind. Jin stood on the steps, arms crossed, watching.
Finally, she landed lightly in front of him, a little out of breath: "I can fly very far."
"Practice more," Jin nodded, frowning as he looked her over. "Why are you wearing black again?"
Qiu Lingling then remembered her new clothes and quickly twirled around: "I'm fifteen years old now, I can marry you and be your wife. Don't you like black clothes? Do they look good on me?"
Seeing her joyful expression, Jin didn't know what to say and decided to give up explaining. Oh well, when the little girl grows up a bit more, she will naturally understand that dependence and liking are two different things.
He raised an eyebrow and teased her, "I'm not a good person, and if you become my wife, you won't be a good person either."
Qiu Lingling said softly, "I know." She stepped forward and hugged his arm, "I've thought about it. If I don't steal, I'll starve to death. I don't want you to die. I won't be a good person. Once I've mastered kung fu, I can help you steal."
A smile lingered on her lips.
Jin remained silent for a while, then suddenly said, "Let's go back."
Qiu Lingling shook her head, saying seriously, "Go back and wait for me. I need to learn martial arts so I can save you in the future."
Telling her to "go back" was just a momentary impulse. Jin didn't try to persuade her further, and said disdainfully, "Do I need you to save me? Learn some hidden weapons so you can protect yourself and stop causing me trouble. Also, you're not allowed to say you're my wife in front of others!"
Qiu Lingling pouted, quite unconvinced.
Jin looked into the house again: "Are you still afraid?"
"Don't be afraid," Qiu Lingling said, feeling his concern. She looked him up and down, then suddenly raised her hand and laboriously touched his handsome face. "You seem to have lost weight."
"Nonsense." Jin quickly turned his head away. You're getting addicted to touching me, aren't you? I can't let you take liberties with my face any longer.
"real."
"You've actually lost weight."
"Ha, really?" Qiu Lingling withdrew her hand, touched her face, and smiled. "Because I missed you."
Seeing her speaking so confidently and as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Jin was both amused and annoyed. He looked up at the sky in frustration and said, "Hey, I can't understand what you're saying."
A heart full of love
Straw was laid on the ground by the wall, and a broken oil lamp sat beside it, its flame flickering and dim. There were no other furnishings in the room.
Two young men, one dressed in a tattered blue robe, stood with his hands behind his back; the other, wrapped in a large black cloak, sat casually on the windowsill, his left leg braced against the window frame, his left hand wrapped around his knee, his bright eyes scanning the surroundings.
What are you looking for?
"I've been trying to find something valuable to take from your house for two years, but I haven't been able to find anything."
"Because I'm the most valuable, the girls have much better taste than you," Jiang Xiaohu said dismissively. "It's been so long since I've seen your little wife, where is she?"
Jin glanced at him and sneered, "Strange! Strange! What are you after my wife for?"
Jiang Xiaohu ignored his expression and said to herself, "A fair maiden is sought after by a gentleman. If I remember correctly, she should be sixteen years old and can be married. I want to ask her if she is willing to remarry."
"Bullying a little girl, aren't you disgusting?"
"She's not a little girl anymore."
Jin remained silent for a while, then shook his head: "That's good."
Jiang Xiaohu asked in surprise, "You're keeping her for fun?"
Jin retorted angrily, "You fucking don't understand what I mean. Before she met me, the only man she'd ever met was her father. She doesn't know anything at all. Let's just say, her liking for someone is about the same as her liking for pretty clothes." Then she thought again, "Maybe... a little more than pretty clothes?"
Jiang Xiaohu nodded: "She doesn't understand now, but she will eventually. You can never marry, but she will have to get married sooner or later."
What about the future? Jin remained silent; he hadn't really considered that question.
Jiang Xiaohu coughed: "It doesn't matter if you don't understand, I don't mind teaching you. At least I'm prettier than clothes."
Jin said, "Being this poor, even if you have a wife, she'll be scared away by you."
Jiang Xiaohu laughed: "Master Jin is the richest man in the world. No wonder she didn't want a poor boy like me. It turns out she just likes money."
Jin remained silent.
No, little girl, no.
.
Jiang Xiaohu suddenly said seriously, "Do me a favor."
Jin Huanlai's eyes flickered slightly: "You've been investigating for two years and still haven't found a clue."
Jiang Xiaohu shook her head: "That's why I've been even busier lately. Are you going to help me or not?"
Jin nodded and said, "Speak."
"The affairs of Tianshui City are numerous, and I no longer have the energy to manage them. I would like to trouble you..."
"Is the Lord of Tianshui a vegetarian?"
“He’s been in trouble these past two days and can’t handle things,” Jiang Xiaohu sighed, her smile enigmatic. “Didn’t you want to know about my relationship with him? One of the two masks I wanted is with him. Don’t you want to know who he is?”
“He’s been showing up in the underworld much more often these past two years,” Jin said, raising an eyebrow. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll go and fight him?”
Jiang Xiaohu shook her head: "You can't beat him."
"What?" Jin jumped down.
Fortunately, Jiang Xiaohu quickly added, "Because I can't beat him either."
Jin had been visiting him for half a day, then sat back down by the window: "Okay, I'll go check on you when I'm free."
"Thank you. It just so happens that you also have a mask, so no one will suspect anything. Thank you for running back and forth," Jiang Xiaohu patted his shoulder and reminded him, "I've already spoken to him, and he doesn't know your identity, but you should be careful and it's best not to mess with him."
"So what if I provoke him?"
"Then run away. Your lightness skill is so good, he can't catch you."
.
It was late spring, and the midday air was crisp and refreshing. On the pond not far away, newly unfurled lotus leaves swayed in the breeze, while below the steps, an old willow tree was shrouded in a misty haze of catkins, like a light snowfall, drifting everywhere.
Jin lay lazily in his chair, his eyes glancing out the window: "Come out."
"How did you know I was here!" Amidst the crisp laughter, a dark figure flashed by, slender hands wrapped around his neck from behind, a smooth face pressed against his ear, and a sweet fragrance filled his nostrils.
Jin was greatly provoked and pried her hands off: "You're getting more and more outrageous! Who told you to run away!"
"It's Master." Qiu Lingling turned around and faced him with her hands behind her back.
Perhaps because of what Jiang Xiaohu said that night, Jin took a closer look and found that the little girl had indeed grown quite a bit taller. Under the black robe, her delicate figure was even more exquisite and shapely. Even though she was dressed as a tomboy, it was hard to hide her charm. Her fair and tender oval face and delicate little nose were cute and charming. Although her cheeks were not as full as before, they had gained a bit of girlish charm. Unknowingly, the little girl from back then had grown into a young woman!
Could I like her? Or, is there even the slightest possibility?
"What's wrong with you?" Qiu Lingling asked curiously when she saw him staring at her in a daze, and bent down to touch his forehead.
Meeting those bright, innocent eyes, Jin came to her senses and shook her head. No, she was still a little girl.
Qiu Lingling patted his face with her slender, jade-like fingers, then pinched his straight nose. She found it very amusing and laughed so hard she almost fell onto him.
Jin was used to being teased by the little girl, but for some reason, he felt very uncomfortable today. He turned his face away and sighed, "Don't run around if you have nothing to do. What task has Master assigned you this time?"
Qiu Lingling rolled her eyes: "Don't worry, it's just a small task. I can handle it myself this time. You don't need to come with me."
"You think you can do it yourself?" Jin snorted, suddenly grabbing the small, snow-white hand at his waist. A glittering token had appeared in that hand without him noticing. "Such simple tricks! Did that old man send you to steal this again?"