"what else?"
"A hairpin, a gold lock, and four pieces of clothing."
My master stood there stunned for a long time, holding the sword manual. I had never seen him so distraught. He was indeed a martial artist; he lost his composure upon seeing a peerless sword manual.
After a long silence, he said in a low voice, "The Chongshan Sword Technique is also known as the Mandarin Duck Sword Technique. It is divided into two parts, one for women and one for men. Why is there only one part here?"
Is this the men's or women's section?
"Women's Department".
I scoffed lightly: "Looks like someone wants me to learn unparalleled swordsmanship. How cunning."
The master paused for a moment and said, "Actually, the Chongshan Sword Technique requires men and women to practice together. Only by combining their skills and complementing each other can they become invincible. Legend has it that the Sword God Chongshan and his wife created this sword technique to pass it on to their descendants, so that husband and wife could work together and have a harmonious family."
That's a good idea. However, I have neither a family nor anyone to practice with. So, this sword manual is of little use to me.
I said lazily, "Master, I don't intend to be invincible. You can keep this sword manual."
The master hurriedly said, "This is your thing, keep it safe. You can practice it when you have free time, it might come in handy in the future."
I didn't want it, but my master insisted that I take it back. I thought about it and realized that it was a women's sword manual, so my master wouldn't need it. So I listlessly put it in my pocket.
"Xiao Mo." Master called me softly and stroked my hair. I was a little surprised. Since I was twelve years old, Master had never been so affectionate towards me. What was wrong with her today? Her eyes were also unusually different. I couldn't quite understand it.
He sighed softly, "Xiao Mo, never tell anyone that you have the sword manual. Keep it safe. This thing is both a rare treasure and a source of trouble."
I understand this principle. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. If you gain something good, you must also bear its disadvantages. There's no such thing as getting all the benefits. If you value this thing more than anything else, more than your own life, it will become the source of trouble. If you treat it like an ordinary book, it's fine to use it as toilet paper in an emergency.
I returned to my courtyard and sat for a while before I remembered that I was supposed to give Jiang Chen a gold lock, but I forgot about it because of this distraction.
I took the peace lock to the front yard, and to prevent any fierce senior brothers from doing the same thing as my seventh uncle, I knocked on the gate.
Senior Brother He Xiaole ran over in the dark and opened the door. When he saw it was me, he was stunned: "Yunmo, when did you become so distant and polite with us? You even knocked on the door to come here!"
Could it be that I used to swagger in and out of this place so casually? I chuckled twice and went straight to Jiang Chen's door, knocking twice in a "strange" manner.
The door opened, and the light from inside dazzled me. What dazzled me even more was that Jiang Chen was only wearing his underwear! Moreover, the collar was loosely pulled open, revealing half of his chest. He was tall, and the exposed skin was just at eye level with me. The light was quite bright, and his skin wasn't dark, so the exposed skin didn't blend in with the night at all; I could see it clearly.
My mind went blank. Was this him assaulting me, or me assaulting him? Or was it mutual assault?
One cup, a lifetime
In my panic, I forgot what I was about to say and I forgot to return the favor. My ears burned as I turned and left.
He called out from behind, "Xiao Mo, did you need something?"
The night was quiet, and his voice was truly melodious, almost echoing in the empty valley. My ears grew hotter, and I quickly glanced left and right in the courtyard. Several of my senior brothers' rooms, which had been dark, were now lit again, and I could hear windows opening. It seemed all that was missing was the eerie green light. I gasped inwardly.
"Xiao Mo, don't go!" he called out again. My scalp tingled, and for some inexplicable reason, I could hear the deep affection and tender feelings in his voice. This guy was definitely doing it on purpose!
I walked briskly with my head down, my face flushed, and almost bumped into someone. By the moonlight, I looked up and saw that it was actually Senior Brother Yunzhou.
Actually, even without the moonlight, I could roughly tell it was him. Because in the entire Xiaoyao Sect, he and Jiang Chen are the tallest, and I only reach their shoulders.
I hurriedly called out, "Brother!"
"Xiao Mo, don't worry, I'll come find you as soon as I get dressed." Jiang Chen's melodious and distant call came from behind again, tender and gentle, with a soft, watery quality. Then I heard a few muffled chuckles. Couldn't my senior brothers just pretend they didn't hear me?
Yunzhou silently stepped aside, said in a deep voice, "I'm not your brother," and then brushed past me.
His sleeve brushed against the back of my hand, cool and refreshing. I stared blankly at his retreating figure disappearing into the night, feeling a deep sense of guilt. He must have been deeply hurt by me, to the point that he wouldn't even be my brother anymore. I had to make amends quickly, but where could I find that beautiful fairy? The only people in the Xiaoyao Sect besides me were Xiao Hebao (a woman's nickname), and even the most skilled cook can't cook without ingredients. My ambition to be a matchmaker was truly futile; I was filled with melancholy.
I had barely settled into my seat when Jiang Chen arrived. He was indeed impeccably dressed, even his belt was neatly fastened.
I got a little angry the moment I saw him. Just now, I went to see him openly and honestly, but in the blink of an eye, his shouts turned it into a story of lovemaking on a dark and windy night. Not only were I misunderstood by my fellow disciples, but to make matters worse, I was also seen by Yunzhou. Thinking about this, I felt very unhappy.
Jiang Chen stared at me with his beautiful eyes shining brightly: "Xiao Mo, did you need something from me?"
I held the peace lock in my hand, glared at him, and said, "Why were you shouting so loudly just now?"
He frowned and protested, "I didn't raise my voice. It was just a normal tone of voice. Maybe it was because it was nighttime that it was heard more clearly."
Forget it, he's never been serious. If I argue with him, we'll be arguing until dawn.
I handed him the small gold lock and said, "You always give me things, but I never really reciprocate. Here, I'm giving you this as a token of my appreciation."
He looked at the golden lock in my palm, then at me, his eyes sparkling with two tiny flames.
"You're really giving it to me?"
"Of course it's true."
He took the gold lock from my hand without any hesitation and said sincerely, "Xiao Mo, you are so good to me."
Actually, I wasn't very nice to him, so his praise made me feel a little embarrassed, and I coughed twice.
He walked to the door, then suddenly seemed to remember something, stopped, turned back and smiled tenderly at me: "Could it be that the golden lock you gave me means that our love is stronger than gold, and that we are bound together for life?"
"Absolutely not!" I exclaimed in shock. I quickly grabbed his sleeve and said righteously, "No, this is a safety lock. It's usually something a mother prepares for her child to keep them safe. Brother Jiang, please, please don't think the wrong thing."
I emphasized each of the two "tens of millions".
Jiang Chen pulled his sleeve back from my hand, letting out a heavy sigh of relief as if he had escaped from danger, and said, "Well, it's lucky you reminded me, otherwise I would have definitely misunderstood and wouldn't have been able to sleep all night."
I secretly wiped a bead of sweat from my brow. I never imagined that there were such subtleties to giving gifts, and that it could easily lead to misunderstandings. Luckily, Jiang Chen was a straightforward person; he asked questions when he didn't understand something, otherwise the consequences could have been disastrous.