Sept nuits de neige

Chapitre 92

The red figure was slender and graceful, resembling Tang Shijiu.

Tian Man's nose stung with tears; he must have been dreaming again. His senior brothers and sisters said that with their fiery, chestnut-like personalities, their eldest sister would never find a husband. They all said she wouldn't be back anytime soon. Although they said that, their faces were filled with longing when they spoke of her. Even Senior Sister Liu, who disliked Tang Shijiu the most, had secretly peeked into her room, hoping that one day Tang Shijiu would suddenly return.

He must be dreaming.

This dream was wonderful. Tang Shijiu gently touched his face and said softly, "My Tian Hou'er has grown taller."

Those hands weren't soft; the calluses from martial arts training brushed against her face, giving it a slightly rough look.

Tian Man rubbed his eyes: "Senior sister, you're back? Am I dreaming?"

Tang Shijiu chuckled and tapped him on the head: "Silly boy, are you still half asleep?!"

The same tone, the same technique, and the tap on the forehead—it hurt just as much…

Tian Man cheered and threw herself into Tang Shijiu's arms, shouting, "Senior Brother and Senior Sister! Senior Sister is back! Senior Sister is back!"

As the lights gradually came on, more and more people poured out, surrounding Tang Shijiu and asking him all sorts of questions. Many of the younger junior sisters and brothers even wiped away tears of joy.

Pushing through the crowd, Nineteen saw Xie Dongsheng, who was wearing an outer robe, standing in the distance, his face filled with a mixture of relief and desolation.

She released Tian Man from her arms and rushed to Xie Dongsheng, kneeling down in a few steps.

"Master, I've found my father."

"Master, I'm back."

“Master, my father said he is ashamed to see you.”

A withered, thin hand rested on her shoulder and patted her gently.

"It's windy, let's go back inside and talk." Her master's voice seemed to tremble slightly. She looked up and was surprised to find a heavy sorrow on that seemingly calm face. "Nineteen, you're back. It's so good."

As the autumn wind blew by, she suddenly realized that, in that instant, her master... seemed to have aged considerably.

Tang Shijiu was led into the main hall by Xie Dongsheng, and no one was allowed to disturb him.

Shen Yuntan stood outside, enduring the inhumane stares of everyone at Xiaoyao Manor.

Even the woodcutter and the cook came over, curious about what the man who could tame Tang Shijiu and be tamed by Tang Shijiu looked like.

The female students' eyes lit up immediately: "So handsome..."

Liu Xi'er mustered her courage and went up to strike up a conversation: "Hey, if you marry my senior sister, will you always wear white clothes?" Her favorite thing is a chivalrous hero in white.

Shen Yun smiled slightly: "As long as your senior sister likes it."

Liu Xi'er nodded in satisfaction. Hmm... if this guy marries Senior Sister, he'll have to see handsome men in white every day. That would be so wonderful.

Liu Yu touched his sleeve: "Wow! Silk! Brother, are you very rich? Can you afford to support my senior sister?"

Shen Yun touched his chin: "Hmm, no problem, as long as she's happy."

Liu Yu's eyes nearly lit up with stars: "Big brother, do you have a younger brother? Could you introduce him to me?"

The junior disciples whispered among themselves, their faces full of indignation: "This kid is as skinny as a stick, you could knock him over with one finger! How could our senior sister have taken a liking to him?"

"Hey! Let's find an opportunity to teach him a lesson!"

They were speaking loudly, and Shen Yuntan heard them clearly. He turned to see Tian Man biting her finger, looking aggrieved, and leaned down to comfort her: "Are you Tian Man? Why are you unhappy?"

"Are you worthy of marrying my senior sister?" Tian Man rolled her eyes at him. "You don't know a single martial art skill."

He smiled, looked up, and saw a colorful butterfly kite hanging on the treetop: "Is this kite yours?"

Tian Man nodded: "So what if it is?"

Shen Yun smiled gently, "That's good, that's good." Before the second "good" had even finished, Tian Man felt a lightness in her body, and she was lifted into the air. When she came to her senses, she was already back on the ground, still holding the kite tightly in her hand.

Silence reigned.

Tian Man was first taken aback, then seemed a little frightened.

Shen Yuntan's heart skipped a beat. Oh no! He originally wanted to show off a bit to make this kid respect him, but he went too far. If he frightened the child, Nineteen would definitely get angry again.

Just as he was about to say a few words of comfort, Tian Man rushed over and hugged his legs, crying, "Brother! Brother, teach me! Brother, teach me!"

Shen Yuntan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled broadly: "You want to learn?"

"Yes! Brother is amazing!" Tian Man exclaimed excitedly!

"What's the point of learning it?"

"If I learn to fly high, I can marry my senior sister!"

Shen Yuntan's smile froze on his face, and he suddenly didn't know what to say.

His future rival was unusually excited: "Brother, teach me! Brother, teach me..."

This inhumane spectatorship continued until the Nineteenth Prince emerged from the inner hall.

When she came out, Shen Yuntan's white clothes were covered with many black handprints—some from his junior sister, some from his junior brother, and some from the cook who took the opportunity to grope him—this young man is quite healthy!

Of course, the most numerous were Tian Hou'er's little black paws, dark and heavy, covering the hem of his clothes in mud.

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Unyielding Spirit

Xu Ziqing felt something was amiss, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. After Shen Yuntan cut off one of Gu Yan's ears, she was terrified, losing much of her radiance, yet becoming even more gentle and submissive, which aroused his affection for her. The two had been inseparable since leaving their sect. Logically speaking, aside from the lingering poison in Gu Yan's body, there was nothing to worry about between them.