Master Xuanjing patted Qin Moyu's head and comforted him, "It's just a story, don't be so sad."
Qin Moyu forced a smile, pursed her lips, and said softly, "I miss Master a little."
Master Xuanjing paused, then pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Why are you suddenly missing your master? I thought you really liked being outside."
Qin Moyu lowered her head and kicked away the pebbles at her feet: "I like it, but... after staying here for a while, I also miss my master a little."
Master Xuanjing was secretly overjoyed, but on the surface he pretended to be indifferent: "If you want to, then go back. Anyway... your master won't stop you from going back."
"Well, maybe, well, he might actually miss you a lot too." Master Xuanjing said shyly, his eyes darting around.
"Senior is right!" Qin Moyu took a deep breath, nodded to himself with self-affirmation, and began to ramble on about the old Taoist priest:
"My master must be very lonely after being away from me for so long. I'm just being stubborn when I say I don't care. Senior, let me tell you, my master has become so eccentric. That time when we went down the mountain together, he clearly wanted that kite, but he insisted that he liked it. When I was eight years old, he even tried to take a candied hawthorn from me. He was so childish."
Nonsense! Master Xuanjing froze. Damn it! Why does this brat remember things from when he was eight years old so clearly!
Qin Moyu got carried away: "And what's more! He doesn't have a clear sense of self-awareness. His carving skills are so ugly, yet he still enjoys ruining jade and wooden boards. The only pieces he gives me are ones he's carved several times himself. He thinks I don't know about the scraps he throws into the river behind the mountain... He says he's going to quit drinking, but then he buries two more jars under the trellis, claiming it's for me to drink. I'm not going to drink them, and in the end, he's the one who finishes them! Humph. I'm not going back to see what excuse he'll come up with for not quitting drinking."
Ugh! Stop it! You brat! My image of wisdom and might is ruined!
Master Xuanjing was so embarrassed he wanted to crawl into a hole. He realized how important it was that he hadn't told Qin Moyu his true identity before.
"...Wait, senior." Qin Moyu realized after speaking that Master Xuanjing was the old Taoist's good friend, and quickly stopped talking.
"You...you wouldn't tell my master, would you?" Qin Moyu stared at Xuanjing Zhenren with a suspicious look in her eyes.
What could Master Xuanjing say? Of course, he could only force himself to nod, suppressing his grief and indignation, and utter two words through gritted teeth: "Of course."
Qin Moyu was satisfied, and then mumbled a lot more about her old times with the old Taoist priest.
Master Xuanjing went from feeling awkward at the beginning to becoming numb later on, and even began to doubt whether he was really the one who did those things that Qin Moyu mentioned. Why was he so naive!
Finally, after Xuanjing Zhenren brought Qin Moyu to the place, he pointed to the left wing and said, "You can stay there. I'm next door. Just look for me if you need anything."
After saying that, Master Xuanjing hurriedly left, his back view looking utterly disheveled.
Qin Moyu stretched and entered the place Xuanjing Zhenren had mentioned. The interior was exquisitely decorated, and everything was prepared. He took off his outer clothes and went to sleep without thinking much about it.
After a good night's sleep, Qin Moyu was a little confused when she woke up to find herself in an unfamiliar room.
After changing his clothes and going out, he saw Master Xuanjing talking to an old man with a white beard. The old man nodded sadly, and Master Xuanjing patted him on the shoulder comfortingly.
Qin Moyu was far away from them and couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could tell that the old man's departing figure was somewhat heavy.
When Master Xuanjing saw Qin Moyu get up, he quickly walked over.
"Awake? Do you want to come with me somewhere?" Master Xuanjing stood with his hands behind his back, appearing as ethereal and otherworldly as if he hadn't heard about his embarrassing past yesterday.
"Where?"
"Go to the treasure vault to get something, and while you're at it, see if there's anything you can use."
24. Chapter Twenty-Four: The box is tied today, to be untied tomorrow…
Qin Moyu initially did not want to go to the treasure pavilion with Master Xuanjing.
He assumed the treasure pavilion was full of divine weapons and artifacts. He wasn't a sword cultivator and didn't rely on a good sword. Besides, even though Master Xuanjing knew his master, he wasn't shameless enough to take things from another sect.
"Idiot, the treasure pavilion isn't a weapons pavilion. How could it only contain weapons? Besides, I gave them to you, not asked for them yourself. What's there to be embarrassed about?" Master Xuanjing tapped Qin Moyu's head in exasperation.
Qin Moyu pouted, looking unconvinced, but was eventually persuaded by Master Xuanjing to go along with him under the pretext of broadening his horizons.
Unexpectedly, I saw a stranger at the entrance of the treasure pavilion.
"Mo Yu, it's been a long time." Shen Yebai smiled slightly, as if he already knew the two of them were coming.
"What are you doing here?" Qin Moyu and Xuanjing Zhenren asked in unison.
"Xuanqing, what exactly is going on?" Master Xuanjing looked at Xuanqing, who was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, his face darkening. "I'm not going to say anything more. Can't he leave the courtyard?"
Xuanqing was also helpless. He walked to Xuanjing Zhenren's side and whispered, "He said he doesn't trust us to take the things over, and he insists on taking them out himself."
Not at ease?
Master Xuanjing chuckled coldly as he watched Shen Yebai practically cling to Qin Moyu.
I think they have ulterior motives.
Upon seeing Shen Yebai, Qin Moyu stiffened, glancing up and down, left and right, but not daring to look at him directly: "Uh, good morning."
Shen Yebai blinked, finding Qin Moyu's shy appearance adorable, and couldn't resist teasing him further. He deliberately moved closer to Qin Moyu, reaching out as if to hug him.
Qin Moyu was so frightened that she took a few steps back, her eyes wide, as if she were condemning Shen Yebai for touching her inappropriately.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yebai sighed, raised the storage bag in his hand, and said with feigned sadness, "I just wanted to tie a storage bag on Mo Yu, but I didn't expect Mo Yu to treat me like a monster. It's really heartbreaking."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and said in a dejected tone, "To be honest, it was my fault. I scared you yesterday."
If Shen Yebai had used force, Qin Moyu might have run away immediately. But Shen Yebai knew Qin Moyu was soft-hearted. Even though Qin Moyu knew Shen Yebai was acting, she still couldn't help but hesitate.
What if... what if Ye Bai really just wanted to tie a storage bag? Am I making a big fuss over nothing?
Qin Moyu turned her face away, her words slurred: "It's...it's alright...and...and it's only been a day, how come it feels like we haven't seen each other for so long..." Her voice trailed off.
"Then shall I tie it for Mo Yu?" Shen Yebai raised his head, his face full of righteous indignation, his eyes filled with anticipation.